Chapter 41
When they first entered the mountain, the sun was shining brightly, but when they came down, it was covered with dark clouds, and the scene was completely different.
"It looks like it's going to rain soon, so we have to go back." Jing Xiebai felt a little helpless as he watched the dragonflies flying low in the distance. The mountain road was already difficult to walk on, and once it started raining, they would be unable to get out. If they encountered a mudslide, they would have to resort to wilderness survival here.
As soon as Jing Xiebai took a step forward, Xie Que grabbed the corner of his clothes.
"Wait!" Xie Que pointed in a direction to Jing Xiebai, "Why is there smoke over there? Are there people in this village?"
A wisp of smoke drifted out from the center of the village and drifted in the direction of the wind.
Jing Xiebai and Xie Que looked at each other without saying a word. The surroundings suddenly became quiet, and they could faintly hear some movement in the village.
"Are there still people coming to the village to explore ghosts?"
"I don't know." Jing Xiebai shook his head and quickly made a decision, "Let's go out first and use the telescope to take a look when we are halfway up the mountain."
The mountain road was difficult to walk on, and the air was becoming increasingly humid, making it hard to breathe. A light rain began to fall after they had been walking for a few minutes, but Xie brushed back her wet bangs, revealing her delicate and beautiful face.
The smoke in the village was getting thicker and thicker, but Xie took out his telescope and found that someone was setting up a banquet in the village.
"What's going on?" There were several large pots in the village, and many people were sitting around a long table chatting, including men, women, young and old, which was out of place with the dilapidated environment around them.
"Let me take a look." Jing Xiebai took the telescope. The rain was getting heavier, and he could only keep wiping the lens.
The distance was too far to make out any details. The banquet was quite large, probably around a hundred people, but they were definitely not living people.
"Let's go a little further. When there's a signal, send a message to Lu Jueqiu and we'll go down." They didn't know if this ghost feast only happened when it rained. They were afraid of missing the opportunity so they could only go back and have a look. If it really only appeared when it rained, it would be a blind cat catching a dead mouse.
"Yeah." Xie nodded, took out his cell phone and walked ahead.
The mountain road was difficult to navigate, so he kept an eye on his feet while trying to send a WeChat message to Lu Jueqiu. After walking for about twenty minutes, he finally got a signal.
"There's a signal!" Xie Que sent the message he had already typed to Lu Jueqiu. The small circle in front of the dialog box spun for five minutes before disappearing. He was about to turn around and share the good news with Jing Xiebai when he realized that the other party hadn't replied since a while ago.
This is very abnormal. Jing Xiebai is not a cold person. Since Xie Que became familiar with him, it is even more impossible for him to let his words fall to the ground.
Xie's neck was stiff, and he remained half-raised, motionless. He had been so focused that he hadn't noticed the footsteps behind him disappear, and he couldn't even hear his breathing.
The mountains were very quiet, with only the sound of raindrops hitting the leaves and the occasional bird call. However, Xie stood there in a daze, breaking out in a cold sweat.
He knew Jing Xiebai's strength. The fact that he could allow the two of them to get separated without anyone noticing showed how evil this village was.
There was no way to continue the stalemate. He had to reunite with Jing Xiebai, or he would die. Xie took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and turned back with a look of despair and reluctance.
A twisted and old face was pressed against Xie Que's face. When he turned around, he opened his mouth stiffly, revealing the water plants in his mouth.
"Ahhh!" Xie suddenly turned around and ran forward with all his strength.
The rain blurred his vision, and weeds scratched his exposed skin, the pain doubled under the stimulation of the rain. The sound of gongs rang in his ears, mixed with an incomprehensible dialect. They were clearly not far from the foot of the mountain, but the road seemed to be getting longer and longer, with no end in sight.
Running up the mountain was a very tiring endeavor, especially in the pouring rain. Xie didn't run far before he couldn't hold on any longer. He braced himself on a tree trunk with one hand and supported his knee with the other, stopping where he stood to breathe deeply.
The sound of the gong had stopped. He looked back and saw that no one was chasing him. He also didn't know where Jing Xiebai was.
Xie looked at the identical trees around him and felt a surge of despair in his heart.
What a big trouble I've gotten myself into. I should have just ignored the fate of those people. Why was I so stupid as to go and explore the ghosts? He cursed in his heart.
All the luggage was on Jing Xiebai's person, and he only had a few talismans he had taken from the car. Since the enemy was able to separate him and Jing Xiebai, he was definitely no match for them. To be on the safe side, these talismans had to be made into blood talismans.
There were many sharp stones on the ground. Xie Que squatted down, picked up a stone and was about to scrape it against his hand. At this moment, the sound of the gong rang out again, much clearer than last time, as if it was playing in Xie Que's ears.
Sensing danger, Xie looked back reflexively.
Behind him was no longer the forest, but the small mountain village. The people sitting at the table looked at him expressionlessly, and even through the rain, Xie could feel the cold gaze.
run!
This was the only word in Xie's mind. He threw the stone down, clutched the talisman paper tightly in his hand, and ran forward quickly.
He ran for an unknown amount of time, the sound of the gong still lingering in his ears. Xie turned back, and everyone at the table stood up, their eyes still fixed on him. Even from a distance, the venom in their eyes was clearly visible.
Xie was frantically thinking of a plan as he ran. He definitely couldn't escape by simply running, so he had to find a way to exorcise the ghost.
The rain was so heavy that he couldn't even see the road under his feet. Xie was not paying attention and tripped over a rock, rolling down the hillside.
The situation changed too quickly and Xie had no time to react. When he stopped, he felt his stomach churning and vomited.
After he stood up after vomiting, he found himself back in the village. Several unfamiliar figures appeared at the banquet not far away. Xie recognized them as the people who came with Lei Mingzhe to explore the spirit world, but they did not see the soul of the person possessed by Chen Shan.
It seemed that he had to eat this meal, but Xie wiped the rain off his face, did not try to escape again, and walked to the empty seat and sat down without saying a word.
The condition of those people was not good. It was obvious that their spirits were close to collapse due to the torture. If they delayed for a few more days, they would be dead.
Xie wasn't in much better shape, his body covered in mud and gravel, his face stained. The temperature had dropped drastically due to the rain, and he'd just been exercising vigorously, so his energy was almost depleted. If he were trapped here, he wouldn't survive.
The banquet was probably still being prepared, with many people gathered around the cauldron. However, Xie couldn't see their movements from his position. Although he couldn't escape, at least he could observe them closely and see what the evil spirit was planning.
Xie hadn't looked closely before, but now he noticed that everyone in the village seemed to have drowned. The villagers, mostly middle-aged, gathered around the cauldron. Although no one spoke, the whole village was still noisy.
Lei Mingzhe and his companions stared at the pot in fear, seemingly unaware of Xie Que's arrival. If a soul has been away from the body for too long, it will be damaged even if it returns.
Xie tried to move his body, but whenever he tried to stand up, the people around him would quickly notice. The entire banquet seemed to have been paused, with hundreds of eyes staring at him. He could only wait patiently for the banquet to begin.
The table was placed outside the village ancestral hall. The hall was pitch black and a coffin could be vaguely seen inside.
Xie thought of the nameless coffin he saw for the first time, and had some guesses in his mind.
Was he trying to get the villagers to bury him? Or was there some other plan?
There were too few clues, and he really couldn't deduce the evil ghost's intentions. Jing Xiebai didn't know where it was now, so he could only wait and see.
Normally, Xie Bai didn't notice it when Jing was around, but now that he left, Xie Bai realized how reliable it was to have him around.
When Xie Que thought of this, the phone in his pocket vibrated and he quickly took it out.
It was a text message from an unknown number.
Everything is fine. Don't try to resist. I'm here. Be careful of Chen Shan. Jing Xie Bai Liu.
Xie looked at the message on his phone in surprise, but he quickly reacted and replied.
[Have you sent a message to Shi Ming? Will he come to this village?]
If Xie Que remembered correctly, Shi Ming's horoscope showed a weak yang energy, and listening to too many ghost stories on a daily basis would affect his fortune. If the person opposite him was really Jing Xiebai, he would definitely understand that Xie Que was testing him.
The other party replied quickly.
[Sent to Lu Jueqiu, don't confront the water ghost in the coffin head-on, pay attention to Chen Shan, and chat back.]
Xie Que frowned as he looked at the last message on his phone. Why was Jing Xiebai so sure that Chen Shan would appear, or was he already nearby?
The banquet was ready, and various spoiled ingredients were served on the table. However, Xie noticed the fear that flashed across Lei Mingzhe and the others' faces when they saw the coffin being carried out.
No! There is a question that has not been clarified yet!
Xie narrowed his eyes and recalled the document that Lu Jueqiu had compiled before leaving.
The census a year ago did not show that all the villagers had died, but when they arrived, they found that there was no one in the village.
Did the villagers die before or after Lei Mingzhe and his group arrived? If the latter, what role did they play in this tragedy?
Why did Chen Shan choose to disguise himself among this group of people? What was his real purpose in coming here to explore the spirit world?
Countless questions popped up in Xie Que's mind like mushrooms after rain. Xie Que stared at the coffin in front of the ancestral hall, his brain working rapidly.
He recalled that when he was a child, he followed his parents back to his hometown to attend the funeral of an old man in the village. When the burial took place, he followed his parents and knelt at the end of the funeral procession.
He was young at that time and could not understand death. It had been so long that he only remembered that Xie's mother warned him many times not to look back.
Rain hitting the house, the coffin falling to the ground, and the coffin turning back are all very bad omens. The villagers may open the coffin to release the water ghost after the bad omen occurs. All this may be Chen Shan's plan.
When Xie thought about the innocent people who died because of Chen Shan’s plan, he couldn’t suppress his anger.
No matter what Chen Shan's plan is, he can't let him succeed.
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