Facing each other
Village Chief Liu led them into the main house and sat them down. He introduced the other village chiefs who were sitting there. They spoke politely to each other, praising each other while showing off themselves in both open and covert ways.
Chi Li couldn't bear to listen any longer, and hurriedly covered her mouth with a handkerchief to pretend to feel uncomfortable, stroking her chest to relieve her breath. Chi Xun then stood up and apologized, "My wife is feeling unwell, and the doctor recommended that she stay in bed for more rest. Could you trouble Village Master Liu to give us a guest room?"
"Chizhai Master, there's no need to be so polite. Just treat this place like your own home. If you need anything, just tell me. Come on! Take our distinguished guest to the wing room to rest."
"Thank you very much."
Just as he turned to leave, he heard one of the many village chiefs behind him sneer, "Those who know think that Village Chief Liu invited distinguished guests, while those who don't think that Village Chief Liu invited a precious Bodhisattva."
Cha Suxun turned back in displeasure, only to see the man who had spoken staring back at him, his face filled with defiance and contempt. The room fell silent for a moment. Some people lowered their heads in embarrassment, or looked away, fearing that an unintentional glance or action would be mistaken for siding with someone. Others watched silently.
"This village chief's voice is a little hoarse. Perhaps he was too happy and chatted too much with the other village chiefs. I happen to have some medicine here that can cure the disease of excessive talking causing throat damage. If the condition worsens in the near future, you can come to me to try the medicine."
The village chief didn't continue the conversation. Instead, he whispered to someone sitting nearby, "Did you hear that? This isn't concern at all. They're warning Village Chief Wang to be quiet. If you talk too much, I might make you mute. Even if that wasn't the intention, who would dare take Ji Wanggu's pills? Who knows if they're poisonous or a poison? I'd rather eat filthy sewage than take pills from Ji Wanggu!"
"Stop talking now, or you'll be mute too. We're just here to watch the show, don't get yourself into trouble." Unintentionally, he glanced up at Chi Xun, and the village chief immediately looked away. He used the gesture of holding up the covered bowl to sip his tea to cover his mouth, and quickly whispered, "Look here, look here! Stop talking, stop talking!"
Cha Suxun glanced at the few people who thought they had concealed themselves well, and regardless of what the people in the room were saying, he decisively went out to hide away.
The house that Liu Village Chief arranged for them was a spacious, two-story wooden building. Outside the house stood an old locust tree, on which hung numerous wooden plaques. The plaques were blank, dark red, and the uneven red had caused some parts to turn black, making it impossible to tell what they were used for.
He Qi walked around the house, observing it carefully, and finally walked into the main room. He dragged the armchair facing the locust tree and sat under it. He sighed, "This place is surrounded by mountains and the air is beautiful. Only this chair can match such a beautiful view."
Seeing that Ah Li seemed to be preparing to go back to the house to rest, He Qi hurriedly sent a telepathic message to Cha Suxun, "Don't let my sister live in the main house. There's something hidden in the wall. Live on the first floor. And you can't sit on this stool either."
Cha Suxun couldn't answer him through telepathy, but their eyes met and confirmed, and then they said in unison, "I think this wooden staircase is quite old. It might be dangerous. Madam, let's live downstairs."
"You also know the dangers. Since we live on the first floor, where does my cousin live?"
Without waiting for Cha Suxun to answer, He Qi took the initiative to say, "I can live on the second floor. My cousin's wife is pregnant and must be extra careful. The first three months are the most important. I'm light and not pregnant, so even if I fall, it won't be a big deal. My cousin's wife, the baby is important."
"Can you fall even if you're not pregnant? You should be more careful. Thank you for the child and I."
"You're welcome, sister-in-law. My mother-in-law used to be the village fortune teller. She said that when a woman is pregnant, she's at the intersection of yin and yang. The baby doesn't have a soul yet, so it's the yin side, while the person is the yang side. Pregnancy can also cause mood swings and fatigue, and some people are more susceptible to seeing evil spirits. There's such a large locust tree in front of the house, it would be bad if those evil spirits in the mountains don't have eyes. If you don't mind, cousin, I'll draw you a peace amulet. I learned a little bit about drawing amulets and exorcising evil spirits from her, and the peace amulets she draws are the most effective in the surrounding villages and towns."
Heqi was talking nonsense seriously, making up stories and drawing talismans for her, for fear that if he lied, A-ri would not agree.
"You can also draw talismans. If you come to live in our village, many elderly people will like you. How could I reject such a kind gesture, cousin? Thank you for your trouble."
He was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly confirmed, "Really? Can I really go back to the village and live with my cousin's wife?"
"really."
He Qi's excitement and joy were overcome by the thought of living with his sister like a normal family. To prevent A Li from getting suspicious, He Qi quickly found a way to leave. He said, "Thank you, cousin, for taking me in. I'll go make a peace amulet for you first."
Back inside, He Qi used his magic to conjure a talisman, then cast his own killing curse on it. This was enough to deal with demons and monsters whose strength was inferior to his.
Heqi summoned Lanxu and instructed him, "Break the formation on the locust tree that attracts evil spirits and raises ghosts. Seal up whatever is inside the wooden sign and don't let any of it escape. Also, send a fox spirit to follow the village chief and find out where he learned these evil ways. Just pick off a few inferior bandits."
"As you command, Demon Lord."
"By the way, send a few trustworthy people to patrol the territories of the various great demon kings and secretly investigate to see if there are any unusual creatures that shouldn't be there. If so, report them immediately and don't let any word get out."
After explaining everything, Heqi cleared his throat, tried his best to make his voice closer to that of a woman, and said in a test voice: "Damn ghost~Damn ghost~Damn~ ghost!"
After adjusting the sound to his satisfaction, Heqi went out and handed the talisman to Ari.
"Cousin, this talisman can protect you, but you'd better not stand under this locust tree."
"Is there something wrong with this locust tree?"
"There's nothing wrong with the tree itself; the problem lies with the wooden plaque. I'm still unsure what dyed the plaque to that color. However, I've heard of superstitious methods that involve raising ghosts to fulfill wishes. One method is extremely sinister, and it's strikingly similar to this one. If that's the case, the plaque should have inscriptions on it, including the date of birth and the corresponding time of death. It's just that the inscriptions and the plaque's color are too close to each other to be clearly discernible."
Hearing this, Ah Li felt a chill run down her back. A gust of mountain wind blew by, making the chill even more severe.
"But shouldn't you keep it hidden?"
"According to ordinary people's thinking, it is indeed necessary to keep it hidden. However, since he dares to raise so many little ghosts, he is much braver than ordinary people. There are as many little ghosts as there are wooden signs on this tree. Moreover, these ghosts are those who have died tragically or pregnant women, and their resentment is too strong. So I guess that anyone who sees this locust tree will not have the chance to tell others. Cousin, cousin, what kind of grudge have you made with others?"
After careful consideration, Cha Suxun replied, "Probably not. We in Jiwang Valley are isolated from the outside world. We rarely leave the mountain, and we generally don't invite outsiders up. There are always cliques and factions among the mountain strongholds, but we in Jiwang Valley don't participate in them, let alone turn against them. Moreover, we in Jiwang Valley never kill or plunder, so it's impossible for us to have such a deep hatred with others."
"But my husband, don't forget how we can live in peace even though we are isolated from the world. If we can't win them over, we will become a thorn in their side."
It was a dilemma whether to leave or not. Ah Li felt a little worried and afraid, so she couldn't help but hold Ah Xun's hand tighter.
"Don't be afraid, my dear. I'm here. No one can hurt you." Cha Suxun held Ah Li in his arms, gently stroking her head in comfort. He then asked, "Cousin, you know more. In your opinion, what should we be careful about?"
"Don't go out after dark. Keep candles lit in the room all night. No matter what sounds you hear, even if it's someone else's voice, don't leave the room to check. Keep the windows and doors closed. Don't worry about suffocating. I see there's a crack in the door."
After explaining everything, Heqi leaned over to A'li's ear and whispered, "Cousin, remember, you must not take off the amulet I gave you under any circumstances, even if your cousin tells you to at night. Remember, at night, you can't trust anyone, not even my cousin and me. The only person you can trust is yourself. I know these words may sound ridiculous to you. You and your cousin are a couple, and I'm just someone who spent two days with you. I don't know if you've heard any ghost stories, or if you've been possessed by a ghost, or if the ghost has transformed into someone close to you. In short, cousin, you just need to be more cautious and confirm more secretly. You and I are not familiar with each other. If you want to confirm my identity, just touch me with the amulet hidden in your palm. If there is no reaction, then you can trust me. The same applies to identifying your cousin, but don't do it rashly, it's too dangerous. You can't tell your cousin what I said. You can tell him after dawn."
After hearing this, Ah Li was half-believing and half-doubting, and whispered in her ear, "I've heard similar rumors. Cousin, can you draw another amulet for Ah Xun?"
"Okay, I'll listen to my cousin's wife."
He Qi walked into the house, quickly produced another one, stood in the house for a while, and then went out and handed it to Cha Suxun.
He whispered in my sister's ear, "I've given her some important tips, but she won't completely believe me. So you must keep my talisman safe tonight, or you won't give those things the chance to use you to harm her."
Heqi then pretended to say this to Ah Li, but in reality, he was communicating with Cha Suxun through telepathy, saying, "The resentment within the locust tree has accumulated deep within it. I have a feeling it's more than just a mortal raising a little ghost. I've already ordered Lanxu to secretly investigate the Demon King's territory to see if there's any evil spirit causing trouble."
Cha Suxun replied via voice transmission, "Do you suspect it's related to the remnants of Xie Yuan?"
"Only they would need so much miasma and resentment!"
Heqi's tone of voice was filled with anger, and his fists clenched unconsciously but quickly unclenched.
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