Stuck in confusion, unable to come up with an answer.
"I and Huang Yan can only leave theWidow Liu's house first."
We had planned to visit Yu Xiu, but the events of last night caught us off guard.
Therefore, we went straight back to the courtyard.
An incident occurred on the way.
A stocky man stood in the middle of the village road near my home. It was deep autumn, yet he was still wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts. His head shone with a high sheen.
He was fuming with anger, holding a knife that gleamed with frost, and he was cursing as he walked down the road.
"Who the hell broke it! Damn, he's just mixing drugs!"
"I'll catch you! I'll chop you into minced meat!"
The man is the village pig killer.
There was a black dog by his side.
The dog was large and sturdy, with shiny fur. However, its mouth was open, its tongue hanging out, its limbs stiff, and its eye sockets slightly sunken, clearly indicating that it had died beyond any doubt.
My heart began to race for no apparent reason.
Suddenly, I remembered the village chief saying that most of the village's free-range dogs had been poisoned.
Initially, I didn't think much of it.
Because it's not uncommon for cats and dogs to be poisoned with rat poison.
Now, seeing the black dog, I suddenly thought, dogs' eyes can see ghosts, and black dogs even more so!
Even capable of driving away evil spirits!
Is the killing of dogs done to allow the ghosts to roam freely within the village without being affected?
As I was thinking, the village butcher suddenly raised his knife, the point directly pointing at my face!
"You, Luo! You're doing human-corpse business, and you need dog bones and dog blood. Was it the drugs you put down?"
My face flushed slightly.
Huāyí's eyes flashed a hint of anger.
"I had nothing to do with it. I was just wondering who could be so vicious." I replied in a calm voice, not getting angry with the butcher's tone.
In the countryside, keeping a dog is like having a gatekeeper, which is half like having a family member.
If it were to escalate into a confrontation, there would be no benefits.
The butcher's eyes were filled with intense suspicion.
I said no more, taking Huāyí with me and passing by the butcher.
A few minutes later, we arrived at the front of my courtyard.
The early sun had yet to appear, and the sky was misty white.
Pushing the door open, the courtyard was empty except for the paper figures.
It seems that Shaoxi Heyu and Ling Daozhen haven't woken up yet.
Huāyí looked at me, then at the door of Lǎo Qínhóu.
After a moment's thought, I told her to go back to her room and rest for a while, and I myself went into the kitchen.
Using the things at home, I cooked a large pot of rice, made some small dishes, and brought them into the hall.
It wasn't until I saw Huāyí hadn't slept, sitting at the table in the hall.
"It's still early, and everything that needed to be said has been said, so we might as well go rest," Huāyí explained softly.
I forced a smile.
At this time, the sun's rays were already falling into the courtyard.
I no longer had any concerns and was about to go call Shao Xi.
I didn't expect that before I could even touch the door, the door was already opened, and Shao Xi came out looking refreshed.
"Oh, young Shou Shen has just returned? Or just taken a rest?"
Clearly, Shao Xi was unaware that I hadn't returned last night.
"The younger generation has important matters to inform Senior Master Shao and Ling Daozhen." I slightly bowed and spoke cautiously.
Shao Xi squinted slightly with his eyes closed, and he walked directly to the door of the room where Ling Daozhen lived and knocked on the door.
Soon, the three of them entered the hall.
Huāyí had also served us all bowls of rice.
As we ate, I recounted everything that happened last night.
My gaze remained fixed on Ling Daozhen. I paused slightly before continuing, "The strange things the village head mentioned, I'm beginning to think, aren't really anything..."
"But now, it seems that Widow Liu was killed, that old man committed the murder in the noon, and then disappeared during the day. It's bizarre and strange."
"The dogs in the village being poisoned might be related to the fact that dog eyes can see ghosts..."
"And... I think Old Liang who makes coffins also has issues."
"Three caskets... It seems to imply something, as if they are prepared for us..."
That was all.
Ling Daozhen and Shao Xi remained silent, their eyes looking very serious.
After a while, Shao Xi shook his head and said, "The murder at noon, although rare, is not unique. During the peak of the sun at noon, the highest point of light, there will be a transition to the highest point of darkness. Although that period is very short, if the ghosts are fierce enough, they can still do something."
"Killing dogs is also related to ghosts, but I don't know what the connection between these two things might be."
"As for the coffins..."
Shao Xi remained silent for a few more seconds before saying, "Among the four of us, who is preparing three coffins? This incident should have nothing to do with the previous two and is just coincidence."
Shao Xi's explanation caused Ling Daozhen to nod in agreement.
Then, Ling Daozhen spoke in a low voice again: "There's no need to worry too much. Ghosts at noon are not hard to deal with. If a ghost wants to rampage in Laoiao Village and kill dogs, it means that this ghost is not particularly fierce. Otherwise, if the dogs see it and bark twice, what's the big deal?"
Their words each had their own logic.
Huāyí beside the table also nodded slightly.
At this time, Shao Xi coughed once and said again, "The frequent occurrence of strange things should be the norm for Laoiao Village. Otherwise, if it's normal everywhere else except the place where Yinyang Master died, it would be too strange."
"Our goal is Mount Coffin."
"The strange events in Laoiao Village are not too troublesome. We don't need to pay attention to them or get involved, as it might disrupt our plans."
"What do you think, Shou Shen?"
Finally, Shao Xi's gaze fell on me.
I remained silent for two seconds, understanding their intentions.
"Don't get involved if it doesn't concern you. Keep your distance and don't take it to heart, otherwise, it might lead to unnecessary complications."
"I agree with Senior Master Shao's words." I slightly bowed and replied in a calm voice.
However, there's still an unease lurking in my heart.
Suddenly, I noticed a brand new spider web above the ceiling. The spider, about the size of an infant's palm, was lurking in the web, seemingly waiting for prey to come to its fate.
Coldly, a sudden thought occurred to me.
Could the old man be targeting us?
"Shou Shen, you go and rest with Huāyí first. We might not be able to handle things as easily as we think tonight when going up to the coffin mountain." Shao Xi interrupted my thoughts, although his tone was serious, he couldn't help but smile a little on his face.
I was somewhat alleviated from my worries.
With a Yīnshù master and a Taoist, no matter how fierce the old man is, what can he really do?
Moreover, with the help of Liu Guǎn widowed last night, it should be fine.
Huāyí and I went back to our rooms to rest.
Last night, my mind was highly tense, and I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.
This sleep was very deep, and when I woke up, it was already around four or five in the afternoon, and the sun was beginning to set.
Just as I pushed the door open from my room, Huāyí opened the door on the other side at the same time.
We exchanged a glance and nodded slightly to each other, as if to greet each other.
The door to Senior Master Qin's house and Ling Daozhen's room were both open.
I immediately saw that there was no one in the room.
The hall was empty as well, with no one present.
A sense of doubt immediately arose in my heart.
Where did Ling Daozhen and Shao Xi go?
Just a while ago, they said they wouldn't get involved in the "strange events" of Laoiao Village.
Where could we go now?
Mount Coffin?
I took out my phone, preparing to contact Shao Xi.
The sound of knocking on the door resounded in the courtyard.
