Hearing my words, the old man gave me a meaningful look: "You're not stupid, kid! In Ping'an Village, mentioning the dead is extremely disrespectful. I'm letting it slide because you're young, but if the able-bodied men in the village heard you say that, they'd fight you to the death!"
After listening to the old man's words, the monkey asked him in bewilderment, "What kind of custom is this? You can't mention a dead person? Just because they're gone, does that mean they have to disappear from people's memories?"
"Monkey, stop talking. Every place has its own customs. Since we are guests, we should naturally follow local customs."
I interrupted the monkey and bowed slightly to the old man: "Sir, we are from out of town and do not know the rules of Ping'an Village. Please forgive us for any offense we may have caused."
Ignorance is no excuse, it's alright.
The old man waved his hand: "If it weren't for the fact that you are from out of town, I wouldn't have even told you about Xiao Qi's death. Now that you know about this custom, don't go out and ask around anymore. I'm afraid I can't take care of you today, so please make yourselves at home."
Thank you!
I bowed slightly to the old man, and then led the monkey away from the alley where Uncle Seven lived.
After the two had walked a distance, the monkey lit a cigarette and angrily cursed, "Young Master Duan, I'm increasingly feeling that Ping'an Village is a bit inhumane. Not only do they mistreat corpses, but they also have so many rules for the living! Villagers are not allowed to leave the village, and even the dead cannot be mentioned. What's the difference between this production line model and raising livestock? I really don't understand how this kind of village has been able to survive to this day!"
“If it were before yesterday, my opinion on Ping’an Village would definitely be the same as yours, but now it’s a little different.”
Looking at the numb crowd on the street, I sat down on a stone bench by the roadside: "Ping'an Village must be hiding many secrets, one of which is that they use corpses to raise Gu! I think this rule of not mentioning the dead is for this reason!"
Humans are emotional beings. After the passing of loved ones, there will inevitably be longing and a desire to commemorate them. If the villagers knew that their ancestors had been used as vessels for raising poisonous insects, some would certainly find it unacceptable. Therefore, the management of Ping'an Village devised a gentler solution: establishing a rule that forbids the mention of the deceased. This gradually diminishes people's concept of kinship. Perhaps some didn't understand at first, but over generations, this has likely become the way everyone has been raised and is accustomed to it.
Nowadays, not mentioning the deceased has become a custom in Ping'an Village. Based on my knowledge, this custom is likely accompanied by some legend, such as the belief that constantly mentioning the names of the dead will prevent them from being reincarnated, or that it will bring misfortune to their living family members.
"Now that you mention it, you do have a point."
The monkey nodded thoughtfully: "According to our previous analysis, the wax corpses in the willow grove's corpse pit were just a theft prevention method. But after what you said, I feel like these people aren't doing it for theft prevention, but rather using the corpses to achieve some other purpose! Young Master Duan, what do you think Ping'an Village is trying to do with so many wax corpses?"
I naturally couldn't figure it out: "I don't know."
The monkey flicked away the cigarette butt in his hand: "These guys are insane. Given the formidable fighting power of those wax corpses, if we were to awaken them in the city... I can already picture scenes from Resident Evil in my mind!"
"The situation you described is unlikely to happen. Although the term 'jianghu' has faded in popularity, there are still hidden sects and powerful families in various places. For example, the Five Poisons Sect, where Wang Qing belongs, and the Four Sects, where we belong, will all step in to resolve this matter."
I wasn't worried about what the monkey said: "Besides, Miao Xiaoxian also said before that our village is just a branch of this huge tribe, and some people live in the city. So we can conclude that the people of Ping'an Village may not be familiar with the outside world, but the chieftain must know a lot. They are hiding here not to cause trouble and be uprooted."
My words gave Monkey a wake-up call: "Young Master Duan, do you think it's possible that Ping'an Village is actually a martial arts sect? In ancient times, they raised Gu and refined corpses, but in modern times, the country stopped doing that, and they hid themselves in order to pass on their sect?"
I scratched my nose: "Perhaps. Whether they are a martial arts sect or a tribe, their skill in raising Gu poison is undeniable. However, I cannot agree with this method of ruling by deception."
The monkey sighed: "Now I think what you said makes sense. The fact that they don't allow talking about the dead here is definitely to make it easier to raise Gu! But how are we supposed to find Uncle Seven's body and determine the funeral time when they don't even allow us to mention his name?"
After listening to the monkey's words, I also started to feel worried.
When I left Fengmen Village, Wang Qing gave me two Tianya Tiger Armors. I used one on Wei Shengnan, but I haven't used the other one yet.
If I had known that finding Uncle Seven's body would be this troublesome, I would have used the other Tianya Tiger Armor on Miao Xiaoxian this morning.
But then I thought, according to the rules of Ping'an Village, even if I find Miao Xiaoxian, I probably won't find Uncle Qi's body. Besides, the people of Ping'an Village are experts in this field, and if I rashly use Gu, it might cause unnecessary trouble.
Seeing that I didn't speak, the monkey said, "Young Master Duan, in my opinion, since we can't determine the time of Uncle Qi's funeral, we should just ambush him in the willow grove. They'll be transporting the body there sooner or later anyway, what do you say?"
"At this point, we have no other choice but to do this, but we need to inform Wei Shengnan and the others about this plan first."
After discussing the plan with Monkey, I didn't go back to my own place. Instead, I headed straight for the street where Wei Shengnan and the others lived. Otherwise, if Jiang Man found out that I had met with her in private, who knows what might happen.
Wei Shengnan and the others lived in a wooden building similar to ours, but we were in opposite directions, separated by the entire Ping'an Village.
This village is somewhat like a production team during the era of the collective economy. The villagers have fixed jobs every day, and everyone hands over their resources to the village, which then supplies everyone with daily necessities.
At noon, most of the villagers in the village were resting, and the streets were empty and deserted.
Following the address given by Wei Shengnan, I found their residence, but before I even got close, I saw an iron padlock hanging on the door.
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