Chapter 64 Shanyin Village
◎Pray to keep you safe◎
Gu Nian was stroking the buttons in her hand. Wei Chuan came over at some point and saw what she was holding. He said in surprise, "Isn't this..." Before he could finish his words, he saw Gu Nian's eye signal.
Gu Nian shook his head slightly and glanced at the Tian siblings not far away.
Wei Chuan suddenly stopped talking.
The other psychics also realized something was wrong. An older female psychic took the initiative to walk towards the Tian siblings, wiped the mud off the little boy's hands with a tissue, and said to the sister in a gentle voice, "Your clothes are dirty. Let's go change into new ones and then go find mom, okay?"
Perhaps because this female psychic looked more approachable, or perhaps because of the last sentence, the sister nodded silently, took her brother's hand and went into the house.
When they left, only the mutants were left in the yard.
Wei Chuan took the button from Gu Nian, held it in his hand and examined it carefully before continuing, "Isn't this a button on a police uniform?" His father was an old police officer, so he was very familiar with the police uniforms, and there was no way he would mistake the layer of gold powder on the button.
When the others heard this, their expressions suddenly became serious.
Everyone heard what Gu Nian asked when he was seeing the village chief off just now. At that time, the village chief said that the two police officers and the suspect had left before the pollution outbreak, but now, the police officer's button appeared here.
A person with special abilities whispered, "There's something wrong with the Tian family."
Shanyin Village had maintained communication with the outside world before the pollution outbreak, and they were briefed on the situation before entering. The two officers, who had come to investigate He Wenyu's disappearance and had stumbled upon the Taoist priest trapped by villagers, never mentioned the Tian family.
In other words, the Tian family wasn't a key target of the investigation. This also meant that even if the police had been there, they wouldn't have stayed long, making the chance of accidentally losing the button there very low.
There is a high possibility that a police officer encountered an accident here.
The psychic immediately began to search the Tian family compound. The compound wasn't very large, and soon the inspector returned, shaking his head and saying, "There's nothing unusual in the house or the compound. We've checked the ground too, and there's no sign of renovation. Besides us, the Tian family, mother and son, are the only ones here."
There are two possibilities. One is that they guessed wrong, and the button might have really been dropped by the two police officers and then picked up by the Tian family's son. The other possibility is that something really happened here, but the Tian family handled it very cleanly, leaving no clues.
The Tian family's ancestors had all lived in the village, so Gu Nian didn't believe they could have hidden themselves from the search of the supernatural. But if it was the first possibility, she didn't believe it was such a coincidence.
There must be something we haven't discovered yet.
Looking around, when he saw Lu Yan standing under a tree not far away, Gu Nian suddenly remembered what Tian Sheng's wife had said just now. She said, there is someone in the tree.
Yes, on the tree!
Gu Nian walked towards Lu Yan. When she got close, she saw him looking up at a branch above. She subconsciously followed his gaze and suddenly her eyes tightened. There was a scratch on the branch, hidden by the surrounding leaves and branches. If you didn't look closely, it would be difficult to see.
Lu Yan said at this time: "This should be the first scene."
Soon, an agile psychic climbed up and carefully peeled off the branches and leaves. There was an obvious circle of friction marks on the thick branches.
It was as if someone had been hanging there and struggling hard.
The truth of the matter is self-evident.
Gu Nian seemed to be thinking, "Maybe something happened to them half an hour before the pollution broke out." At that time, she had just learned from the police officer who reported the incident that the taxi driver had been arrested. They were originally told that they would bring the person back in a few hours, but when the time came, they couldn't contact him.
At first, I could still get through on the phone, but no one answered. The pollution probably hadn't broken out yet at that time.
Wei Chuan's eyes widened: "So they never left the village?"
If this happened before the pollution outbreak, the two police officers and the Taoist priest should never have left Shanyin Village. After all, they had all experienced that fog, which even a person with special abilities couldn't escape, let alone ordinary police officers. Everything pointed to one fact.
Scar concluded in a deep voice: "The village chief is lying."
The two police officers and the suspect are most likely in the village, but we don't know whether they are dead or alive.
One of the psychics couldn't help but curse. The villagers in this village were incredibly xenophobic. Not to mention all the strange things that were happening, even the village chief, who they had thought was very cooperative, was a disguise. They didn't have much time to begin with, so it would be difficult to find effective clues quickly.
Wei Chuan was a little dejected, but soon became anxious again, "Then should we follow the village chief to look for him? Will he deceive us again?"
The village chief said he was going to make a list and look for people, and would be back soon.
The grumpy psychic said angrily, "Why don't we just capture him? No one in this village can stand up to us."
The remaining people were ready to make a move. Their words were blunt but their logic was sound. It was obvious that this village had a secret, which was most likely related to the pollution core. If it were any other time, they could investigate slowly, but they could wait, while their colleagues who were still trapped in the fog could not.
Seeing that everyone had lost their patience, Gu Nian had no choice but to remind them, "Have you forgotten? This village is protected by the mountain god. Doing this may violate some taboos."
Everyone immediately thought of the mountain temple.
It's not feudal superstition, but there is no logic in the polluted area. Judging from their previous experiences, this so-called mountain god may really exist.
The hot-tempered young man looked frustrated, "What should I do?"
Time was running out, so Gu Nian didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "We definitely have to look for it. Something must have happened in the village before, and they must want to find the core of the contamination."
Although the village chief lied about the police officer, their goal in finding the core of the pollution should be the same. Moreover, as outsiders, they still had a lot to learn from the villagers, so now was not the right time to fall out with the village chief as their leader.
However, she said, "But we can't just follow them blindly."
Scar quickly realized that Gu Nian must have a direction for investigation and immediately said, "Healer Gu, you decide. We will listen to you."
The other psychics also nodded. Along the way, they had seen that this therapist transferred from another place was not a weak person who needed their protection. Many times, it was he who made the right choice at the critical moment and led them out of the fog.
Although Lu Yan was an S-level purifier, he didn't feel that his right to speak was being taken away. He listened quietly, but looked at Gu Nian with an extremely serious look.
Gu Nian was so focused on finding the core of the contamination that she didn't notice his gaze. After gathering her thoughts, she quickly said, "There are three directions for investigation right now."
"First, follow the village chief to investigate the villagers. As I just said, the people in this village must also want to find the core of the contamination as soon as possible. Even if the possibility of the person we are looking for is not high, it is indeed a possibility. We can't give up any clues."
"Second, find out what happened in the village during this period, whether it was before or after the pollution outbreak. Although the village chief wants to hide something, at least he can't hide the things that are obvious. With so many people around, someone will definitely tell."
"Finally, let's investigate He Wenyu and the fake person in his video. The pollution outbreak happened shortly after the officer's accident, so it's hard to say if it's related to He Wenyu's case. The village chief's lies are likely due to something those two officers discovered. If we continue investigating, we might find something as well."
This is why Gu Nian didn't recommend falling out with the village chief for the time being. Besides the so-called mountain god, it was also because each of these three points required dealing with the villagers in order to achieve their goals. With the village chief as their banner, their investigation would go much more smoothly.
Anyway, they have already noticed it, so we just need to be on guard.
Gu Nian said, "We'll split into two groups. One group will follow the village chief to investigate the suspected villagers and inquire about recent events in the village. The rest of us will stay and see if we can get anything out of Tian Sheng's wife. Since she saw someone in the tree, she must know something. Also, the file says that He Wenyu once worked as an assistant teacher here. The Tian family's eldest daughter might also be a breakthrough."
Gu Nian sorted out three directions from the chaotic mess in Shanyin Village, and everyone was impressed. This time, the contaminated area was more troublesome than before. It wasn't because it was dangerous, but because it was very chaotic. Time was very tight, and they simply didn't know where to start.
Wei Chuan admired: "Sister Gu Nian, you are really amazing!"
Gu Nian smiled. As psychiatrists, they often need to sort out key information from the patient's wild thoughts before they can prescribe the right medicine.
Just as we had agreed, we heard footsteps outside.
The village chief came with his men.
The gate opened, and the village chief and Uncle Feng stood in front, followed by a dozen young men. However, many of them looked a little scared, probably because they knew the purpose of this trip.
Gu Nian glanced at the crowd, lost in thought. Although these people were afraid, they had no intention of leaving. He didn't know how the village chief had convinced them otherwise. After all, when he had taken them to find a place to stay, some villagers had directly refused his request.
The village chief seemed a little anxious as well. He said to Scar, "Most families in our village are in similar situations. Only six are doing badly. So, shall we go there now?"
Scar nodded, called out six people, and prepared to follow.
The village chief was stunned for a moment: "Aren't we going together? What if we really encounter that contaminated core you mentioned? Will we be unable to deal with it?"
Scar replied as they had agreed before: "One of our team members is injured and needs someone to stay and take care of him. We also have a doctor who can't help even if he goes, so it's just right for him to stay and take care of the Tian family."
The injured person he was referring to was Hodge, who had fallen into a pit in the fog. Although he had undergone mental cleansing, he was temporarily weak from being trapped in the pit for several days, and was carried into the village. However, in fact, people with special abilities recover quickly, and Hodge is now able to move freely, but there is no need to let the villagers know about this.
As for the other two people, one was a female psychic called Sister Liu by everyone. It was she who had taken the Tian siblings to change clothes before, and the other was Lu Yan.
The three of them all looked non-aggressive, making it easier for people to let down their guard, especially the Tian family mother and son who had just been ostracized by the villagers and were feeling insecure.
The village chief didn't know what he was thinking about, so he didn't ask any more questions.
The group left the Tian family.
The closest of the six households mentioned by the village chief was a family located on the edge of the village, just like the Tian family. Compared to the Tian family, this family was even more remote.
Perhaps it was because the family lived in a remote area, or perhaps it was because no one dared to leave the Tian family or the ancestral hall after what happened, but they encountered no one along the way. The few people who had been planning to inquire about the situation along the way looked at Gu Nian helplessly.
Gu Nian shook his head imperceptibly, indicating not to worry.
Those people gave up the idea and began to listen attentively to the village chief's introduction to the family they were about to visit. After all, there were still six more families to visit, so there was still a chance.
The village chief described the family's situation in great detail: "The family's surname is Zheng. They weren't originally from our village, but came from outside more than ten years ago. There's a woman with a child and a disabled man. I felt sorry for them, so I let them stay and even let them live in an old, empty house. Although the house is a bit run-down, it's at least sheltered from the wind and rain."
"Everything was fine at first, but then," the village chief sighed and continued, "somehow, some rumors started to spread."
He paused, as if he didn't know how to continue.
Jiang Mang, the hot-tempered young man, was impatient and asked immediately, "What rumors?"
The young and strong man following behind scoffed and said, "Rumors? They dare to do it, but they don't dare let people say it. That woman is the only capable one in that family. She eats and clothes better than anyone else. Everyone knows where she makes all that money. What's wrong with saying a few words?"
The village chief quickly scolded him: "Stop talking to me!"
Although the young man did not continue speaking, his face showed dissatisfaction. It was obvious that he really felt that the so-called rumors from the village chief were true and not hearsay.
As for what kind of rumors they are, it is not difficult to guess from the village chief's previous description.
A charming woman, a disabled husband, a young child, living in a strange place yet having endless money—combining these keywords, it's easy to guess what the village chief didn't say. As for that young man...
More than ten years ago, the other person was still a child, and his father was in his prime.
Gu Nian glanced around and saw many young men with mocking expressions on their faces. She could understand why these people were so afraid and still came. She glanced at Feng Bo from the corner of her eye, but he was just like the last time they met, with a stern face that made it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Although he had guessed it, Gu Nian still acted as if he didn't know. He asked the village chief, "Can you tell me what kind of rumor it is? After all, the contamination core is not something that can be caused by ordinary circumstances."
The village chief looked a little embarrassed, but continued, "They settled in our village, saying they wanted to stay long-term. I saw how hard it was for them, so I convinced everyone to allocate her a piece of land. I thought she was going to farm it herself, but who knew that men from the village would come over every now and then, and then bad things started to spread."
Gu Nian asked, "What happens next?"
A woman walked for an unknown distance before she found a place to stay with her young daughter and disabled husband. She didn't think the other party was a fragile person, at least he would not be defeated by some so-called rumors. Besides, since she asked those people to go over to help, the other party should be prepared for this.
As Gu Nian had guessed, the matter was not over yet.
The village chief said, "When she did this, the women in the village became dissatisfied and came to the village to ask for the land to be taken back. It is the village's asset, so I had no choice but to take it back."
"But unexpectedly, the villagers wouldn't give up. They would go to her house every few days, smashing pots and pans and swearing at her. Her husband was so angry that he died. Later, I represented the village to appease the situation, returned the land to them, and also gave them this place farther away from the village."
Jiang Mang had a bad temper and immediately started cursing: "Are these people sick? Do they have any evidence? They've made me so angry that I'm going to die, and this is the end of it?"
Wei Chuan was also furious: "That's too much!"
Gu Nian didn't say anything because she knew that this was definitely not the end. The other party's husband should have been dead for a long time. If nothing happened later, he would not be considered as the person to be contaminated.
Jiang Mang and Wei Chuan's words aroused dissatisfaction among the young and strong people who followed behind. Although they knew that these people were all people with special abilities, they did not dare to refute them directly, but began to curse the woman indirectly.
When things finally calmed down, the village chief finally told the key point: "Not long ago, her daughter died in an accident. She hasn't appeared in the village since then."
This is why the other party was listed on the list.
According to the village chief, this woman may indeed be the core of the pollution.
Although they felt sympathy in their hearts, the psychics still quickened their pace. The attack after the pollution core erupted was indiscriminate, and they had to resolve it as soon as possible.
Soon, a lonely house appeared in front of everyone.
The village chief went forward and knocked on the door again, but after knocking a few times, there was no response from inside. The village chief shouted a few more times, but still no sound came from inside.
The last psychic simply jumped in and opened the door directly.
A group of people walked in.
Despite the huge commotion outside, there was still no sound in the house. A mutant walking in front frowned and covered his nose: "It stinks in here."
Gu Nian had a bad feeling in his heart and quickly stepped forward and pushed open the door.
As the door opened, a foul odor filled the air. A hunched figure sat slumped in a chair, his head bowed, emitting a foul odor. It was obvious that he had been dead for a long time.
The psychic who went forward to check came back, shook his head and whispered: "It should be a natural death."
Gu Nian was stunned. She thought of many possibilities, even wondering if she had hit upon something unexpected, finding the core of the contamination in one go, as the village chief had said. Or perhaps the people in the house had already left, leaving no one inside. She had never considered the scene before her.
Birth, old age, sickness and death, natural death.
He was distracted for only a moment, and Gu Nian quickly regained his composure, his eyes quickly scanning everyone.
The village chief frowned, and it seemed that he didn't know before that the young man who followed him in was the one who sneered at the woman before. There was a look of sarcasm on his face, as if he deserved it. As for Uncle Feng.
Gu Nian's eyes moved. Uncle Feng stared at the dead man and couldn't help but take a step forward. He seemed a little bit unbelievable, and then a flash of guilt passed by his face.
She stepped forward and, under the pretense of inspection, probed with the black thread.
It is indeed not a pollution core.
No matter what everyone was thinking, the target was already dead, so it naturally couldn't be the contaminated core they were looking for, so they quickly prepared to leave.
Gu Nian thought for a moment, then suddenly asked the village chief, "Is it okay to leave the deceased like this in your village? Wouldn't that break any rules?"
The village chief had already reached the door. Upon hearing this, his face changed. He called back the young men who had already left and took them to the back of the house. He pointed to a raised mound of earth and said, "This is where the men of the Zheng family are buried. The village believes in resting in peace. You can dig next to it."
The young men who were pointed out looked reluctant, but they had also heard what Gu Nian had said. Even for their own safety, they had no choice but to find tools and go dig the hole. However, they refused to go near the body, so in the end, Jiang Mang and Wei Chuan went to carry the body out.
When the body was being carried, the deceased's clothes slipped, revealing one of his arms.
Gu Nian followed beside them, and when his eyes accidentally glanced over, he suddenly paused, then turned away, as if he had not noticed anything, and watched everyone bury the body quietly.
As if they felt unlucky, the young men who were digging the pit washed their hands for a long time before they stopped.
Next it’s time to go to the second one.
I went all the way but didn't meet anyone.
The village chief said with a look of disappointment, "It's a pity for this family. They are a wealthy family in our village, and their ancestors left them a lot of assets. But I didn't expect that they would produce a prodigal son."
"The youngest son was a gambler. He repeatedly ran away with the family's money, only returning when it was all gone. He drove his father crazy. His wife was from out of town, and she left after giving birth, leaving him with an elderly mother and a young child. But a while ago, he even kidnapped his own child and sold him, then disappeared."
After the village chief finished speaking, he asked, "His mother lives alone now. Given their situation, I wonder if this could be the source of the pollution you mentioned."
Scar glanced at Gu Nian and said, "Go over and take a look and you'll know."
Soon, we arrived at the second house.
There was no need to knock on the door this time because the door was already open. Some sounds could be heard faintly from inside, but when the village chief called out to people at the door, there was no response.
A group of people entered the house and followed the sound into the room.
In the dim room, there was only a beam of red light shining slowly. The light of the burning candle was dim, illuminating the statue being enshrined. Below the statue was a kneeling figure.
The psychic had very good eyesight, and Gu Nian saw that the statue being enshrined was indeed the mountain god.
The person kneeling was obviously the only person left in this family. While kneeling, he was muttering something, but his words were not clear.
Gu Nian faintly heard words like "mountain god" and "bless".
The village chief and his companions did not dare to go over, so Gu Nian and several psychics walked in.
After a little exploration, I realized that this was not the pollution core.
Gu Nian stepped forward and helped the old woman who was kneeling on the ground to her feet. After calling out a few times but hearing no response, she raised her voice and said, "Old lady, I have something to ask you!"
I had to say it several times before I finally listened.
The old woman was helped up and placed the incense in the incense burner. Then she looked at Gu Nian with cloudy eyes, "What did you say? I'm old and can't hear you clearly."
Gu Nian said patiently, "We are from outside. We heard that your grandson is missing. We want to ask what happened. We will help you find him when we get out."
Hearing Gu Nian's words, the old woman's hands suddenly tightened, "Okay, okay."
As Gu Nian was helping the old woman out, she happened to meet the gaze of the village chief who was waiting outside. He looked visibly anxious and said, "There are four more families to go to. Shouldn't we go check on them first?" Then, realizing he was being too anxious, he quickly said, "I'm not saying I won't help Grandma Zhang find someone. When we can get out, everyone in the village can help."
Gu Nian uttered an "Ah" and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I was too anxious."
She said in embarrassment: "But mother-in-law already knows, we can't leave now."
Granny Zhang seemed to have heard the word "leaving" and she held Gu Nian's hand tightly and refused to let go, with a pleading look in her eyes that was unbearable to watch.
Gu Nian showed reluctance, and finally said, "How about this, let me stay here, and you continue to look for the other four families. After you appease the mother-in-law, I will go and meet up with you."
Granny Zhang looked extremely pitiful, and considering what she said, no one dared to object.
The village chief had already spoken, and it was difficult to go back on his word. He nodded in agreement, but in the end he pointed to a young man who stayed behind and said, "Ashan knows the way. Let him lead the way later."
Ashan was the young man who had first mocked the dead woman.
Scar suddenly said, "Jiang Mang, you should stay too."
Although he knew it was inappropriate to say this, as if he was challenging the village chief, Scar had no intention of going back on his word. It was impossible for him to leave the healer alone.
Jiang Mang stood beside Gu Nian in a daze, a head taller than the people left behind by the village chief.
The village chief opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing.
After everyone else left, Gu Nian noticed that Grandma Zhang was leading her towards another room. She didn't rush to ask, but followed the force.
Grandma Zhang found a photo from the room, and the photo was of her grandson.
Gu Nian took it and looked at it carefully for a few seconds, then carefully put the photo away. After receiving Gu Nian's assurance, Granny Zhang finally smiled, then clasped her hands together and murmured, "Mountain God, please bless me and let my dear grandson come back safely. I must come back safely."
After he finished speaking, he remembered something and pulled Gu Nian to the room they had just started from. He took out a stick of incense from the statue and handed it to her: "Girl, the mountain god here is very powerful. You should worship him too. Worship him. It can keep you safe. It can keep you safe."
Gu Nian said nothing, took the incense and bowed politely. As he stood up, he heard the young man named Ashan, who was left behind by the village chief, sneer.
Gu Nian raised an eyebrow and asked directly, "What are you laughing at?"
The young man named Ashan didn't seem to expect Gu Nian to ask so bluntly, and subconsciously replied, "What do you mean by superpowers? You even believe that."
Gu Nian looked at him and said, "Don't you believe it?"
Ashan was about to speak, but he didn't say anything because he thought of something.
Gu Nian laughed and said, "You believe it too, don't you? Why were you laughing at me just now?"
Ah Shan seemed to be annoyed by her laughter and said coldly, "So what if I don't believe it."
Gu Nian nodded: "Nothing, you are pretty awesome." After that, she ignored him, supported Grandma Zhang and went to the outer room, moved a chair and sat down.
Perhaps because of the way Gu Nian carefully put the photos away, Granny Zhang treated her very well and took the initiative to ask, "Girl, didn't you say you had something to ask?"
Gu Nian nodded and said, "Grandma, something happened in the village and no one can go out. We came from outside to help and wanted to know if anything has happened in the village during this period."
They didn't meet anyone along the way. It was understandable that the road was remote, but Grandma Zhang's home was in the village. Gu Nian didn't believe that the village chief didn't do anything during his absence. Even though Grandma Zhang looked a little confused, she still stayed.
But from the contact just now, Gu Nian felt that Grandma Zhang was not confused.
And it turned out that Gu Nian's decision was not wrong.
Hearing her words, awe flashed across Granny Zhang's wrinkled face, and she trembled as she said, "People have died in the village. Several young men have just disappeared like that."
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