Chapter 102 Are they still alive?

"Really?!" Yan Nan'an jumped up, but was tripped by the rope and fell flat on his face. He quickly got up and said, "But... I even saw her grave."

Xiao Yu also put aside those confused thoughts and followed over to ask, "Yes, we've also visited that grave. It's been there for several years. Could it be empty? A fake grave? But they faked it two years in advance just to deal with us?"

Xu Chuchu thought for a moment before answering them: "No, it's not a fake grave, but it should be empty underneath. Huang Lili's body is not there. Huang Lili's body is still in the village."

"Is that a cenotaph?" Xiao Yu asked.

"Not really," Xu Chuchu explained. "Generally speaking, a cenotaph is when someone passes away and their body can't be found for various reasons. They bury the deceased's clothes in the grave to replace the body, making it easier for future generations to pay their respects. Those who have cenotaphs are basically truly dead."

She looked at the two of them. "If I'm not mistaken, this is called a Soul Grave. It's a tomb dedicated to a person's soul. The soul is gone, but the person may still be alive."

Yan Nanan: “I don’t understand.”

Xu Chuchu didn't want to respond, so she just said to Xiao Yu, "Just now in the village, I didn't have the chance to get close to Lili, but I observed the guests carefully. They looked like zombies, unconscious, but they were actually living humans. Their body functions were all normal..."

"That means their hearts are still beating, they're breathing, and their internal organs are functioning normally, so physically speaking, they're definitely still alive."

Xiao Yu also said: "Now that you mention it, I also think they are not dead. I can feel that their bodies are still warm during the fight."

"But why are they in a trance, eating maggot-infested meat and drinking sour wine?" he asked again.

"There's only one possibility," Xu Chuchu said. "There's a powerful magical weapon in this village that can take away the souls of all the villagers. Its influence is so great that even the water ghosts in Shuijing Lake are affected, giving them enough nutrients and energy to reproduce crazily."

"It's no coincidence that two new graves appear on the mountain every month. It's probably because the instigator takes away the souls of two people every month, turning them into mindless puppets to do her bidding."

Yan Nan'an's eyes nearly popped out after hearing this. He didn't know where to start for a long time, "But, but you said they were living people. If they ate those dirty things, maggots, and bedbugs, wouldn't they get sick and die?"

"Of course." Xu Chuchu nodded affirmatively. "It's impossible for the instigator to control so many people to live normal lives at the same time. The villagers have no independent consciousness, only the instinct to survive. Accidents are bound to happen more or less, and the number of people who can be controlled will continue to decrease."

"However, the magical artifact's influence is limited. The instigator cannot control the people in other villages. Perhaps he is afraid of attracting the attention of the authorities, so he has come up with other methods to allow this village to continue its cycle of life."

Xiao Yu's reaction was always very quick, and he blurted out, "You mean, get married?!"

"Yes. Get married and then have children." Xu Chuchu said, "The old woman in black who presided over the ceremony last night is most likely the mastermind behind this. She made Lili marry other men in the village, hoping that Lili would unconsciously give birth to offspring and continue to bring her new strength."

"However, for two soulless bodies to marry and accept each other, a very complicated ceremony is required." She recalled what she had read in a book. "The ceremony, from the wedding reception to the bridal chamber, cannot be interrupted from beginning to end. If it is interrupted, it must be started all over again the next night."

"And because Yan Nan'an insisted on obstructing this marriage every night, it never succeeded." Xu Chuchu smiled helplessly, "I'm afraid she must hate Yan Nan'an to death by now. He makes trouble every day and can't be caught. No wonder he wants to release the water ghost to bite people."

"Damn it!" Yan Nan'an cursed angrily, "Not only did he take her soul away, he even didn't let her go, and he even wanted to control her to give birth!"

Xiao Yu also analyzed: "So the person who previously sent lilies to Yan Nan'an at the Guzhu County government office may have known that Huang Lili was getting married and came to Yan Nan'an to report the news and ask for help?"

"It's very likely." Xu Chuchu sighed, "I just don't know if the person who reported the news is still conscious or has been possessed by that old witch. It seems that there is no normal person in this village."

"I'm so angry, so angry!" Yan Nan'an was so angry that his veins were throbbing. "Is there no way to punish this old woman and release her soul?!"

Xu Chuchu put her hands behind her back and said, "Of course I do, but I'm still thinking about what to do specifically."

Yan Nan'an's eyes lit up immediately: "Oh, Sister Xu, Brother Xiao, you really have a way. Please help me and my Lili to be reunited. I, Yan Nan'an, will work like a slave in my next life to repay you!"

At this time, he lowered his posture very much. He just called himself uncle, but now he changed his words to call them brother and sister.

"I don't count on it in this life, let alone the next." Xu Chuchu immediately heard the cunning behind Yan Nan'an's words, "We are not doing this to help you, but to help the innocent villagers in this village."

"It's all right." Yan Nan'an nodded repeatedly.

Xiao Yu approached and asked worriedly, "I think that old witch is quite capable. Why don't we go back to Guzhu County and hire a few capable fortune tellers to help us deal with her?"

"No, no." Yan Nan'an was anxious. "They have to have a 'wedding ceremony' every day. I can't guarantee that I can successfully interrupt it every night. What if the ritual is successful? What will happen to Lili? Will she really go to bed with someone and have a baby?"

Xu Chuchu also admitted: "This is a problem. There is another problem. The collected souls of the villagers may also go wrong after a long time."

She hesitated for a moment and said, "Actually, I'm fully confident that I can deal with that old witch. I just don't know what kind of magic weapon she has. If she uses it against me, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it."

She thought seriously for a while, then turned to Yan Nanan, who was watching him eagerly, and smiled slyly: "Uncle, you should also help out a little. You can't let us do it all, right?"

"Sister, you decide." Yan Nan'an agreed readily. "If there's anything I can do, I'll definitely do it."

"Okay." Xu Chuchu believed him readily. "Tomorrow at noon, when the Yin energy is at its weakest, you will follow us to the village. Follow my instructions for everything you do. I promise I can save your Lili. But if you have any ulterior motives, you will spend the rest of your life in loneliness."