How can a sapling grow into a towering tree in a year?
Even if you water them with human blood every day, they couldn't possibly grow that fast!
I fell into deep thought, pondering for a long time, and then I remembered that my grandfather had vaguely mentioned a sacrificial formation that could make plants grow rapidly.
However, such formations are rare, and who would sacrifice themselves for a tree? So Grandpa didn't say much about it, only mentioning it briefly.
I'm more interested in that family than the tree!
I looked at the old woman and asked:
"How is it strange?"
The old woman wasn't particularly annoyed by my sudden interruption; she stared into the distance, her eyes somewhat vacant.
"This family hasn't bought groceries for several months!"
"Furthermore, residents of Building 14 reported hearing strange noises late at night."
I scratched my head; it didn't seem as terrifying as I had imagined.
The old woman seemed to sense my confusion and explained:
"You might think they've eaten out, but I can tell you, paparazzi have followed them for sensationalism. Since they moved into Sunny Day Community, they've never eaten out!"
Going without food for months? Wouldn't they have starved to death long ago!
"Could it be that the henchman's tracking skills are lacking? How could something like this happen?"
The old woman gave me a deep look.
"At the time, this was considered a strange story in our area, and many people had the same question as you."
"After facing numerous questions, the paparazzi decided to sneak into Building 14 late at night to find the truth."
"This must be the thing he regrets most in his life!"
"Alas, curiosity killed the cat!"
The old woman standing nearby sighed and took over the conversation.
"Young man, life is the most important thing! This old woman thinks you're quite pleasing to the eye, so please don't follow in the footsteps of that paparazzi."
"So what exactly happened to that paparazzi?"
I am not someone who gives up easily, especially since what these old ladies described had successfully captured my attention.
Especially Li Huai, who lived there, became a mysterious figure in my mind.
If I can find him, he might be a great help to me!
The next day, people found the paparazzi lying in front of the fourteenth building. A kind-hearted cleaner, thinking he was just asleep from a hangover, tried to help him up, but then discovered:
"The paparazzi are dead!"
I nodded, not at all surprised by the result.
"He was scared to death!"
The old woman lowered her head and lowered her voice. The wrinkles on her face were like dry tree bark. I could only see her moving lips, but I couldn't see her expression.
"And then what? Did the authorities get involved?"
I guessed.
The old woman nodded and looked up:
"A death occurred in broad daylight, and in such a bizarre way, that the authorities naturally couldn't stand idly by. However, after thoroughly searching all fourteen buildings and even inviting the family for questioning, they found nothing unusual!"
How is that possible?
I'm starting to doubt the story's authenticity, but there's bound to be a twist later on. After all, if the story continues to unfold this way, how could the fourteen buildings possibly disappear?
"Later, a master came up with an idea: at midnight, the officials would use a carpenter's ink line, soak it in black dog blood or cinnabar, wrap the ink line around their wrists, and head to the fourteen buildings!"
A line drawn with an ink line, marking a boundary on the ground!
These eight words came to mind!
This master has a saying: the ink line is the embodiment of the craftsman's rules, representing "uprightness" and "laws," and its straight lines can break through crookedness!
Black dog blood and cinnabar are extremely yang in nature and can prevent yin energy from entering the body!
However, these measures can only prevent harm; they are still insufficient to uncover the truth.
The thought exploded in my mind, and the words uncontrollably slipped out of my mouth:
"Grandma, there's more than that, isn't there?"
Upon hearing this, the old woman scrutinized me carefully for a while before continuing:
“Young man, you are right. The master also instructed that a locust tree that had been struck by lightning be found and its leaves be used to cover the eyes.”
"However, most people simply don't believe this. They're blinded by a leaf, unable to see the truth, let alone the path ahead."
I grinned. Of course, that's how it should be under normal circumstances.
However, when the yin energy clashes with the yang energy of a locust tree leaf that has been struck by lightning, it can actually give the wearer the ability to see yin and yang!
"Has the truth been uncovered this time?"
"That's right, but who knows if that's the truth, or maybe it's just a rumor?"
The old woman shook her head ambiguously and continued her story:
"Following the master's instructions, the officials arrived at the fourteenth building at midnight, their hands wrapped with ink threads and their eyes covered with locust leaves!"
"Without any twists and turns, they were almost paralyzed with fear when they arrived! The heads of that whole family were hanging from the locust tree!"
"At first, they thought it was a heinous murder! After all, the head hanging from the locust tree seemed to have been dead not long ago, so it could be described as, how should I put it,"
"Freshly baked?"
Seeing that the old lady couldn't find the right words to describe it, I interjected.
"That's the meaning, however,"
The old woman pondered for a moment, unable to find a better word to replace it, so she simply continued speaking:
"That's right, their heads were freshly made, and blood was still seeping from their necks. However, there wasn't a trace of fear on their faces, and their eyes were wide open, their expressions completely calm, like stagnant water!"
The old woman's tone suddenly became heavy, and her chest heaved.
I put myself in their shoes. If such a terrifying and bizarre thing had happened in my own neighborhood, I probably wouldn't want to recall it either, let alone tell outsiders.
"Oh dear, what a disaster."
Another elderly woman stood up shakily and gently stroked her agitated friend's back to comfort her.
"I'll continue."
I nodded. For me, it doesn't matter who says it.
"We found the head, and the next step is definitely to find the body, but the officials searched all night, even turning over the soil in the courtyard, but they still couldn't find the body!"
"This baffled them! The family was perfectly fine yesterday, and they were murdered last night. The bodies couldn't have been disposed of so quickly!"
"Until someone opens the refrigerator!"
I rubbed my chin. It's not uncommon for a body to be hidden in a refrigerator, so why did it take so long to think of it?
The old woman seemed to sense my confusion and explained:
"Back then, refrigerators weren't as big as they are now! The freezer compartment was about the size of a basket; it was hard to fit even a child, let alone a whole family!"
"And the officials found the bodies of a family of five in such a small space!"
"No one knows how they were stuffed in there; perhaps, it's not even something a human could do!"
Seeing my shocked expression, the old woman's lips curled into a strange smile.
"You think that's all?"
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