Chapter 127 The Sound of Suona Brings Joy and Sorrow to the Mountain He stopped by the door, looking through the window...
This person was a bit slovenly; the buttons on his clothes were undone, the hem was blowing wildly in the wind, and his hair was a mess, but he was dressed entirely in fine fabrics with embroidered patterns.
He probably wanted to look dashing, but unfortunately, "charm" is a matter of appearance. He only showed a bit of unkempt vicissitudes, just enough to not be an eyesore.
But he wanted to be a womanizer at the same time, and when he opened the door and saw the broken wall, he immediately wanted to curse.
Zhuo Yi loved to join in the fun and was very familiar with the preparations of others about to start cursing. He stepped aside half a body, and the peacemaker standing next to him realized what was happening and also stepped back, revealing Lü Lianshan, who was as wide as two people.
Lu Lianshan was tall and strong, his body all muscle. He seemed completely oblivious to the cold air of Baitou Village, wearing only a short-sleeved shirt. His exposed arms and face were covered in dark scars. With a casual glance, the man's arrogance immediately vanished.
Not only was it extinguished, but it also added fuel to the fire. The man, like a ghost encountering Zhong Kui (a legendary Chinese sage), turned and ran away, making Zhuo Yi laugh out loud. She quickly caught up with him, grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him back without any room for argument: "Hey, don't go. He doesn't eat people... um, he definitely hasn't eaten any recently. Are you from the village chief's family? His son?"
Unable to break free, this man was quick to change his tune: "Yes, yes, I'm the second son of this family, you can just call me Sun Er... We have important guests here, and the old man didn't even tell us. If we offend any of you, that's definitely not my intention!"
"You're quite good with words."
Zhuo Yi patted his shoulder, and the peacemaker smiled and said, "We should be the ones saying that. We heard strange noises in the courtyard, and when we came in, we found that there was movement inside the door. We were afraid that someone was trapped inside, so we accidentally broke the door."
The opportunity to back down was given, and everyone was happy. However, Sun Er didn't have time to take it. When he heard "there was movement inside the door," his face turned pale. He subconsciously lowered his head, hurriedly straightened his clothes, and only after hearing Zhuo Yi call out did he stiffly reply, "It's nothing... It's just a broken door. I've caused a lot of trouble since I was a child! Hahaha, it's almost time for dinner, let's go?"
"This isn't a door either." Zhuo Yi tightened her grip on his shoulder, preventing him from leaving, her fox-like eyes crinkling. "The 'door' of your ancestral hall is thick enough, can the mountain god even live in it?"
“…What you’re saying is ridiculous. The mountain god definitely lives in the mountains. Why would he be so disrespectful as to live in this small place? It’s us who are being disrespectful.” Sun Er said with a smile, “The mountain god has protected the village for generations. You have no idea how fervent everyone is. I’m not usually at home, but I’ve seen people steal the mountain god’s statue and tablet under the guise of worshiping him several times! That’s why my father came up with this idea to prevent them from disturbing the god.”
"Where are the real statues and tablets of the gods?"
"I really don't know. I'm timid and afraid of offending ghosts and spirits. I've avoided these things since I can remember. My parents never let me come here. If it weren't for this open door, I wouldn't dare to come in!"
Zhuo Yi turned her head to look at him. His words didn't seem like polite words to them; they contained a hint of genuine resentment.
"Let's not talk about that, let's go eat!" Sun Er took the initiative and led them to the main room in the second courtyard for dinner.
The snow gradually stopped. The whole family was coming over for dinner today, and they also wanted to meet the village chief's family. So they followed Sun Er out. Before leaving, the peacemaker asked worriedly, "This door..."
"Don't worry about it, someone will come and fix it on their own." Sun Er called two of the gods' attendants, and two servants took tools, went into the courtyard first and locked the gate to block their view. Then, there was a clanging and banging sound in the courtyard as the wall was being repaired.
Zhuo Yi withdrew his gaze: "Why didn't those who serve God leave anyone in this courtyard at the end?"
“That person must find it troublesome, so we don’t come to bother them easily. We don’t even come to this courtyard often…” Just as we were passing through the third courtyard, Sun Er glanced around and saw that the light in the west wing was on. “You live here? Then please keep your voice down and don’t disturb that person.”
The short man said, "Isn't the courtyard a fake one? Why are we avoiding any taboos?"
"Even if it's fake, it's just borrowing the name of the Red and White Lord. How could the entire Joy and Sorrow Mountain escape his eyes? We must respect him from afar."
Upon arriving at the main room, the dishes were already served. Eleven dishes were laid out on the round table, including both meat and vegetables, main courses and cold dishes. In the very center was a huge smoked pig's head with a slightly eerie smile, and next to it was a dessert of sugar cake.
They were the last to arrive. The village chief, sitting in the main seat, snorted unhappily when he saw Sun Ershan arrive late.
His wife sat beside him, seemingly oblivious to their son's arrival and the old man's behavior. Instead, she nonchalantly served her eldest son a piece of food.
The eldest son of the family did look more mature and like a big brother than the second son. When he saw Qi Sha and his group following behind his younger brother, he and his wife invited them to sit down. However, there was one chair missing. He subconsciously looked at his younger brother, who had already sat down and was crossing his legs.
"Hey, brother, why are you looking at me like that? Is there no one left in the house? Do you expect me, the master, to go and move chairs myself?"
Sun Da frowned: "They serve the Red and White Masters, not you. Stop saying things that deserve a slap in the face."
"Is it Master Hong and Master Bai who wants to slap me, or do you want to slap me? What a coincidence, we're just missing one. I, an outsider, have disturbed your family's meal! Since I'm an outsider, what right do you have to lecture me like an elder brother?"
The village chief was probably in a bad mood today. He slammed down his chopsticks and said, "Don't try to be sarcastic. If you're not going to eat, get out!"
The chopsticks fell off the table and rolled into the bright red tablecloth. The mentally challenged youngest son had just finished eating and, following the sound, climbed down from his chair and crawled into the tablecloth to retrieve them. The village chief's wife quickly bent down and called to him, "Oh my son, come out quickly, don't bump your head!"
Sun Er sneered, "Even if a fool dies from hitting his head, it's still your son's problem. If I die in the wilderness, no one will care!"
"Even the dead in the mountains are taken away by the mountain god to become minor immortals, and you're so lucky?" True to his father's nature, this sarcastic remark, devoid of profanity, only made Sun Er's face flush red. The village chief wiped his mouth, his face grim as he stood up. "If you're not going to eat, then don't get in the way of other people's appetites. Our family can accommodate the funeral processions, but we can't tolerate someone like you. If you're so capable, then get out of here. Even if you really die in the mountains and get taken away to ascend to heaven, I won't associate with you as an immortal relative! Humph!"
"You! How could I not..."
Sun Er stood up angrily, pointed at him, and cursed. Suddenly, the whole round table trembled, as if something underneath the table was pushing upwards forcefully, right in the middle.
The smoked pig's head tilted to one side and slammed onto the table, spilling its mushy flesh and dark red broth all over the table.
As soon as Xue Chao arrived, the clattering of food on the table gave him a headache. He thought he might have been starving: "...overexcitement."
[Inspiration check result: 56/60, successful]
The short man suddenly felt someone tug at his trouser leg under the tablecloth.
Then, a childlike cry came from under the table. The village elder's wife lifted the tablecloth, took out her youngest son from the chair furthest from the short man, gave him some candy cake from the side of the table, and patted his back to comfort him.
The eldest son and his wife quickly cleared the table; one picked up the dishes, and the other wiped the soup with a rag.
They couldn't bear to throw away the succulent meat, so they put it on a plate and cut off the excess. They also had to soothe their own children, and were so busy that they called out to the yard, and two servants came to help.
"Please excuse the poor thing. After they've finished cleaning up, you can sit with me."
Out of sight, out of mind. The village chief shook his head, said something to Zhuo Yi, and left. But he stepped on the long tablecloth and slipped.
Zhuo Yi felt this was a good opportunity and immediately called out to the keeper in his mind: "You're incredibly quick-witted!"
Xue Chao was forcibly pulled over, and upon seeing the row of shining numbers on the other party's panel, he thought it was just another crazy person. He didn't even bother to give them a cold laugh and decisively returned the way he came.
Zhuo Yi didn't hear the inspection sound and regretfully caught the old man before he broke his bones.
He glanced at the table; the servants hadn't had time to change the tablecloth yet, and it had slid down by itself after they had just taken away the dishes.
However, it did look quite heavy, and it was tilted to one side after being hit, so it's understandable that it slumped to one side.
Sun Er revealed a sinister smugness: "You've always said I'm unlucky and bring bad luck to your Sun family. I've grown up so big, and none of you have died yet... Maybe you're just born with short lives. You should really pay more attention to these two sons, especially the younger one. Today he can scare people by balancing a table on his head and wasting food, but tomorrow he'll attract starving ghosts to take him to be reincarnated!"
"You bastard! How could you say that about your brother!" Sun Da angrily grabbed Sun Er by the collar.
Sun Si cried even louder, shrinking into his mother's arms, and loudly retorted, "I didn't bump the table, I didn't!"
"Haha, no wonder you're still a 'kid' even though you're so old, you lie the moment you open your mouth! If it wasn't you who covered for it, who else could it be but a ghost!"
Sun Si kept repeating, "I didn't put the table on my head! I didn't put the table on my head!"
Sun Da couldn't stand it anymore: "That's enough, say another word and I'll hit you!"
"Don't pretend to be a good person. He's your brother, but I'm not? Your wife even broke the glass lamp I bought in town! All this trouble in the house is your own doing, and now I'm suffering from sleep paralysis and having evil spirits in my dreams!"
The sister-in-law also stood up: "You're spouting nonsense! I wouldn't even want to touch your filthy things!"
Zhuo Yi helped the village chief up. His face flushed, he looked around for something, then snatched a broom from a servant and started hitting him. Despite his age, the village chief was actually stronger than Sun Er, who spent his days fooling around. He made Sun Er yell several times before turning and running away.
"Fine! I'm not coming back! This isn't my home anymore! You guys stay here!"
"roll!"
"What a disaster, what a disaster!" The village chief gasped for breath, his head starting to ache again. Sun Da quickly asked the servants who had finished clearing the table to help him back to rest.
The village chief's wife also carried some sweet cakes, hugged her youngest son, and went back into the house to coax him. The eldest son's wife spat in the direction where the second son had been sitting, then picked up the frightened and crying child and left.
The meal ended unhappily, with only the eldest brother reluctantly entertaining the guests.
"...You flatter me," the eldest brother said wearily.
It was indeed funny. Zhuo Yi slowly sat down. Several of his teammates, who were not loyal to him, had almost finished eating while watching the drama. The peacemaker said in an "I understand" tone: "Every family has its own problems."
He poured a glass of wine, handed it to Sun Da, drank a few glasses with him, and then started making up some platitudes: "You two just have a misunderstanding. How can family members hold a grudge overnight? It'll be fine once you talk it out. I've also heard about your brother's behavior. He is indeed a bit dissolute. You were just trying to teach him a lesson, and it's inevitable that you said a few harsh words when you were angry. He also... blames all his nightmares on you. Isn't that just nonsense?"
As Sun Da drank and nodded, as if he were about to cry to a close friend, he suddenly froze when he heard the word "nightmare." His hand holding the glass trembled, spilling wine all over himself.
It wasn't that I did something stupid and stood there awkwardly stunned, but rather that I was gripped by fear as if I had heard something terrible.
The short man popped a piece of snow-white candy into his mouth, chewing it with a crunching sound: "Have you been having nightmares lately?"
The peacemaker looked at him with concern: "You all do look rather listless, and the village chief even has a headache?"
“…Not only my dad, but my wife has also been having headaches lately.” Sun Da moved again, each movement heavy. “It’s been these past few days since the snow started. Whenever I fall asleep, I have nightmares, and when I wake up, I can’t remember them. I only have vague memories. They’re glaring and noisy, and they make me very tired… Only my fourth brother is childish and doesn’t seem to be affected. He even said he smelled syrup in his dream.”
"Besides dreaming, has anything strange happened?"
“…Yes, and a lot.” Sun Da smiled bitterly. “Things have been missing for no reason. The windows were closed, but the kettle in the room suddenly tipped over, and the hot water almost scalded someone. There was also a New Year’s picture hanging on the wall that suddenly fell down. There was a needle for embroidery stuck in the bed…I can’t even count them all. These past few days have been all ‘bad luck’.”
Without even thinking twice, given their extensive experience, they knew it was haunted.
The second brother's broken light was also a trick of the devil. And just now, it probably wasn't the little idiot who propped up the table. Zhuo Yi stroked his chin: "Have you had someone check it?"
"The doctor said there's nothing wrong, it's just that I didn't get enough rest because of the snow."
What's the point of seeing a doctor?
Sun Da realized that he meant "find a master": "No, but my dad said it was because of the heavy snow. The snow has been falling for the past few days and it's almost stopped. There was no trouble today. It will be fine once the snow stops, so don't worry."
After we finished eating, the snow stopped, but the sky remained overcast, with continuous dark clouds resembling the ashen white face of a dead person, making it impossible to distinguish between day and night.
It gets even darker at night because the dead have been cremated into ashes.
They returned to the three-courtyard compound and discussed exploring the ancestral hall again that night. They were more inclined to believe that it was the real ancestral hall than to believe Sun Er's ghost story.
Even if it's not a real ancestral hall, there must still be something there.
Their journey was too peaceful, and so was dinner. Apart from inspiration, they realized on their own that they hadn't rolled many dice.
His attempt to deceive the inspector failed. Zhuo Yi was itching to try it, glancing at the mahjong tiles on the peacemaker's compass several times; he hadn't even played with the mahjong dice yet!
There are no clocks or ancient sundials in the village, because the clouds over Xibei Mountain hardly ever disperse.
The villagers use an hourglass shaped like a panpipe to keep time. It has twelve tubes, representing the twelve two-hour periods of the day, arranged from low to high. At the top, a tube is inserted horizontally, from which white sand falls like snow.
For example, when the shortest tube is full, it means it's 2 AM. And so on. When it's completely full, it means a day has passed. The hourglass will automatically reverse and start counting again.
Two people slept in the east wing and two people slept in the west wing. They agreed to take action at midnight, which was exactly when the hourglass reached zero.
We'll meet in the courtyard first, go see the ancestral hall, and then we'll be free to do as we please.
The reason I pretended to be asleep for a while was to see if there would be any night raids. If there were, that would be great, a clue delivered to my doorstep.
Zhuo Yi lay bored in bed, chatting with his teammates, while the peacemaker slept on a makeshift bed on the floor, pretending to be asleep and not replying.
"Tch." Zhuo Yi had no choice but to close his eyes, calm his breathing, and hope to catch a fish, preferably a shark, to lure out the guardian of the secret... His thoughts slowly sank, and in a daze, he smelled the fragrance of a woman's perfume.
He realized he was inexplicably feeling sleepy, and as he became alert and was about to open his eyes, he heard the voice he had been waiting for.
Xue Chao knew he wouldn't get any sleep; a big job awaited him that night. He said coldly, "The whole team, get the inspiration."
[Inspiration check result: 27/60, successful]
Zhuo Yi suddenly opened his eyes.
He nimbly flipped off the bed, but the peacemaker was gone... and not only that, the makeshift bed on the floor was gone too.
This is not the original house.
He stopped by the door and, through the paper window, felt that the whole courtyard was glowing red.
Pushing open the door, I was greeted by a sea of red: red curtains, red carpets, red lanterns, and the character "囍" (double happiness) everywhere, as if I had stumbled upon someone's wedding banquet.
But it wasn't lively at all; it was as quiet as a grave.
Moreover, they were all a bit blurry. He had seen them, and the deepest impression they left was the colors. Only after careful recollection could he remember exactly what he had seen... He immediately guessed that he had fallen asleep and was now dreaming.
Even though they were worried he was bored, they came to his door.
Let him see what nightmares look like.
He looked around at the courtyards in front and behind him. There were more than four courtyards, and it was even bigger than the village chief's house. He couldn't tell which courtyard he was in for a moment, so he randomly chose one side and walked in.
I could smell the familiar aroma of syrup from afar. It was simmering in a hot pot, but it smelled icy cold, a bit like mint with lots of sugar.
He followed the scent and entered another room, where he saw sugar being boiled in the kitchen.
The pastries on the table today all have a crisp, white, and shiny sugar coating, just like the syrup being stirred in this big pot, resembling a ball of snow.
The person in charge of cooking has no face, just a hazy blank space, as if hidden in the steam rising from the steamer.
Zhuo Yi walked over casually, thinking that the other person in the dream would ignore him, but the shameless cook raised his head like he had caught a lazy child: "Go, when it's done, send it to the auspicious god!"
The cook poured out the syrup and shoved the golden bowl into his hands: "Do I have to treat you again? Go now!"
"But I don't know where it is," Zhuo Yi said innocently.
"Fool! I think you've lost track of time while sleeping." The cook pointed to the east wing of the next room. "It's not time to invite the minor deity yet. The deity's portrait is still there. If you're late with the offerings, you'll be in big trouble!"
Zhuo Yi took the golden basin and went over. He looked down and smelled it, feeling so disgusted that he wanted to vomit.
It's understandable to sprinkle this pure syrup on other things, but eating it dry would just make your throat feel blocked, wouldn't it?
With his hands occupied, he raised his knee and banged on the door. The door opened, revealing a red paper portrait on the wall, and a little fairy in a blue coat staring blankly at the newcomer.
He was quite polite as he placed the golden basin on the table: "Someone asked me to bring this over, please eat."
There was no sound. Perhaps the little fairy was shy, so Zhuo Yi turned around and walked out, and sure enough, he heard a "crunching" chewing sound behind him.
It was freshly cooked and hadn't solidified yet, so I chewed it a few times and then gulped it down.
He turned around, but the golden basin was gone. The boy in the portrait had turned his back and was drinking something with his head down. Noticing his gaze, he turned half of his face away, his dark eyes looking like two black holes in a sea of red, the red being the blood flowing from those holes.
“Go through sancheck,” Xue Chao said.
Zhuo Yi perked up a bit: "Is that all? Do we need to use reason to check it?"
Xue Chao ruthlessly rolled the dice: [“Rationality” check result: 50/60, success]
He cautioned, "If you keep staring at the anomalies like this, you won't be able to avoid investing."
Zhuo Yi shrugged, turned around and left as a sign of respect. As the other person stepped out, he reached behind his waist to close the door, and with a "snap," a gust of wind suddenly blew out, blowing away a couplet on the side of the door.
The wind wasn't aggressive, so Zhuo Yi didn't dodge it. But if he remembered correctly, there were no windows in the room. Could it be that the window paper was leaking air?
He walked toward the couplet that had flown away, which read "A perfect match, a deep affection like the sea." Just as he picked it up, he suddenly heard a noise.
He recognized the sound of a person struggling after being bound, a muffled sound, and the rustling of cloth being kicked – that's what it means to be covered by a sack.
But he couldn't tell which direction the sound was coming from.
He pondered for a moment: "The keeper of secrets listens."
[The "Listening" test result was 35/80, successful.]
He heard it clearly: it was in the west wing across the street.
He immediately chased after it, silently pushed open the door, only to find the room empty and the sound gone.
But he still remembered the direction from which the sound disappeared. Walking deeper in, he found that the west wing room was connected to a side room and had a small door.
He remembered that the corner room was locked from the outside.
He entered the corner room through this door and indeed saw drag marks. There was another door in the side room leading to the next courtyard, which should be where the sound went.
But the sound disappeared here; the courtyard just a wall away was quiet, without even the sound of wind.
He found a pearl under the stool; it had a hole and could be used to make a necklace, bracelet, or embroidered fabric.
He silently walked to the gate of the next courtyard. There was no main house in the third courtyard, but there was a hanging flower gate that was locked. This was the last courtyard.
This isn't the village chief's house, but the last courtyard is locked and soundproof, like it's protected by a barrier... Could there be an ancestral hall here? Or is this the real ancestral hall?
A living person has been tied up here, and combined with all the red decorations used for weddings along the way... Is someone being forced into a ghost marriage?
He remembered the village chief's family saying that the Red and White Gods didn't like to be disturbed, so His ancestral hall could block out sound, which actually made it easier for them to do bad things. No matter how much the arrested people shouted, it wouldn't get out.
Zhuo hesitated for a moment between climbing over the wall and picking the lock, but ultimately chose the gentler method of picking the lock.
He gently pushed open a corner door, which was also decorated in festive red, but it couldn't compare to the red of the main gate of the ancestral hall.
The characters on the left half of the stone-carved couplet are clearer now, without so many traces of wind and rain.
But before he could see clearly, the door slammed shut.
He thought it had been thrown from the inside, but then he felt a chill on his back, as if something sinister was pressing down on him, exuding a perfumed scent.
Xue Chao also felt that eerie feeling, as if it were pressed against his back. He leaned back against the wall, his mind racing: "Listen carefully."
The listening test result was 78/80, which was successful.
Zhuo Yi and Xue Chao simultaneously heard a sound from their shoulders, like metal being stretched taut, one after another. The thin metal deformed due to the sudden force, emitting a mournful hum.
There was only this strange sound, but Zhuo Yi understood it miraculously.
The thing leaning against his back seemed to ask, "Looking for me?"
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