Having said all that, our last bit of resentment towards the old man vanished.
"Come on, take us to your house for the night."
I rubbed my temples; I figured I'd be busy with a lot of things tomorrow.
"Why would you come to my house? My house can't accommodate that many people."
The old man said with a sour face.
"Who are we supposed to go to in the middle of the night? If the villagers hear us say that we've encountered a ghost and are too scared to sleep at the village chief's house, will they let us in?"
I rolled my eyes and said irritably.
The old man couldn't refuse us, so he had no choice but to take us to his house to sleep.
When we arrived at his house, we realized that the old man's house was completely different from the village chief's house.
Not only was the house small and dilapidated, but the rooms inside were also in a state of disrepair.
Fortunately, the bed is quite big.
There was barely enough room for the four of us to lie down.
Although I took a nap in the afternoon, I still managed to stay awake until now, and it took so much of my energy.
I felt extremely tired as soon as I got into bed, while Li Huai and Luo Tianhe started snoring as soon as their heads hit the pillow.
Even though they were snoring like thunder right next to my ear, I fell asleep in no time.
The next day we were awakened by the crowing of a rooster. The old man had probably been awake for a long time, but he was nowhere to be found.
I sat up and scratched my head.
Old Ge's lifespan has shortened, and he has even developed the habits of an elderly person, such as sleeping less.
I woke up Luo Tianhe and Li Huai, then went to the yard to fetch some water and washed up.
Then he led the two of them toward the village chief's house.
At this moment, the village chief's house was already crowded with people, and the old man Ge Wang was smoking his pipe, watching from the crowd.
Some sharp-eyed people noticed the three of us approaching and quickly made way for us.
I was immediately startled.
Could the village chief's wife have hanged herself?
The evil spirit that entered our house yesterday was clearly a manifestation of a zongzi (a type of Chinese mythical creature), not the real village chief's wife. We shouldn't be in any danger, right?
It wasn't until I entered the courtyard that I understood why the villagers had gathered around.
It turns out it was because of the formation we set up in the yard yesterday!
At this moment, the oil lamp, the five emperor coins, and the cinnabar lines stained with dog blood were scattered and broken.
But anyone with eyes can see that something unusual happened here.
Upon seeing us arrive, the village chief greeted us excitedly:
"Master, did you fight that evil rice dumpling last night?"
I nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked the village chief:
"Have the bodies of those who were killed by the evil spirits been buried?"
Upon hearing my question, the village chief immediately showed a somewhat embarrassed expression.
“It’s not that we don’t want to bury them. We’ve always wanted to give them a proper burial, so we’ve always buried them.”
At this point, the village chief changed the subject:
"But during the burial, very strange things happen! Either a bloody rope appears and trips people up, or gusts of eerie wind howl, making people's bones ache."
"These can all be overcome, the most terrifying thing is,"
At this point, the village chief's eyes glazed over, a hint of fear appearing in them, and his voice trembled slightly:
“If we overcome all the problems and bury them, they will return to the place where they hanged themselves the next morning.”
"So what did you do? You just put them in coffins?"
Li Huai asked with some doubt.
The village chief nodded, looking helpless.
"The only thing we can do is put them in the ancestral halls of their respective families. At least if we put them there, they won't cause any trouble."
Hearing this, I was somewhat surprised.
Even though it's not summer now, a body will definitely decompose if left for more than ten days!
The smell of the funeral hall would be unpleasant, and it would be a desecration to the deceased!
I looked around at the somewhat agitated villagers and said:
"You guessed right, the evil spirit Zong Xie did come knocking on our door last night, bringing with him those seventeen hanged ghosts."
Upon hearing my affirmation, the villagers all showed respect. Since I hadn't died, it proved my ability!
These evil spirits were extremely fierce, and they never imagined that I could directly exorcise them.
In their view, only the ancient ritual of sending meat-filled rice dumplings can bring peace to the village.
I glanced at the villagers' reactions and continued in a deep voice:
"Although I was unable to destroy the evil spirit, I have purified the resentment of the seventeen hanged ghosts. You can now bury them."
The crowd of onlookers immediately erupted into chaos, like a drop of boiling oil falling into boiling water.
"Master, is what you're saying true? My grandson, my grandson can finally be buried?!"
The old man, his face etched with wrinkles, was the first to ask, weeping. He knelt before me, his hunched back filled with urgency.
I remember him, the old man's grandson, whose head had been strangled.
"Master, our village will never forget your kindness, even for a thousand years to come!"
"Master, you truly have real skills. Once you drive away the evil spirits from our village, we'll grant you whatever you ask for!"
The villagers had a variety of opinions, and the gloomy atmosphere was swept away, and the village regained its vitality.
I first helped the old man up, and then nodded solemnly.
"Don't worry, I've dispelled all their resentment. If you don't believe me, I can personally oversee his burial. Besides, I'm a cobbler, so I can make sure your grandson dies with some dignity."
Upon hearing my words, Old Man Shi broke free from my grasp, knelt heavily on the ground, and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Master, please let my grandson pass away with dignity. He's still so young. If he's not treated with respect, I'm afraid he'll be bullied on his way to the afterlife!"
Even Li Huai and Luo Tianhe, who were used to such things, couldn't help but be moved by the old man's plea.
"Master, my husband also died a tragic death. Could you please let him have some dignity as well?"
A haggard-looking woman also knelt down in front of me.
As more and more people knelt down, I said loudly:
"Everyone, get up quickly. Today, I will preside over the funeral ceremony for all the vengeful spirits in our village who died at the hands of the evil spirits. I will also ensure that they depart with dignity. Come one by one."
Hearing my words, the villagers became even more agitated, kneeling on the ground and refusing to get up.
I glanced at Luo Tianhe, signaling him to think of a solution.
Luo Tianhe rolled his eyes at me, then roared:
"Everyone get up now. Anyone who doesn't get up will not be allowed to go to anyone's house."
With a powerful shout from Luo Tianhe, the villagers scrambled to their feet faster than anyone else.
They knew that Luo Tianhe and I had come together, so they didn't dare to ignore what he said.
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