Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 3

Home is the last harbor in a person's heart. No matter what happens outside, one can get spiritual comfort and shelter when returning home.

But now,
She came home!

Seeing that he couldn't wake Cui Guiying up, Li Zhuiyuan could only run to the inner room where his brothers and sisters were sleeping on the floor.

"Brother Pan, wake up!"

"Brother Lei, wake up!"

"Sister Yingzi, wake up!"

Li Zhuiyuan ran between brothers and sisters one after another, pushing and calling each of them, but they were just like Cui Guiying in the kitchen, and could not be woken up no matter what he did.

"Tick tock...tick tock...tick tock..."

Li Zhuiyuan raised his head and looked at the door between the inner room and the kitchen, but the little yellow warbler was not there.

"call……"

I breathed a sigh of relief, but the next moment I found a puddle of water under my feet, which kept gathering and began to flow along the uneven ground.

"Tick tock...tick tock...tick tock..."

Drops of water kept falling on his body, soaking his clothes, bringing a sticky, cold and slippery feeling.

A pair of hands appeared on both sides of his sight.

at last,

Cold hands grabbed his neck.

Li Zhuiyuan's body trembled and he felt a strong sense of suffocation.

But soon, the feeling of suffocation gradually subsided because the hands did not stay at the neck for too long and began to slowly slide down.

A shadow appeared from above, and Li Zhuiyuan raised his head with some difficulty.

The person above also slowly lowered his head at this time, and his wet long hair kept falling down, sticking to the boy's face, like a huge black mouth, covering the boy's head bit by bit.
until...

engulf.

……

"Han Hou, go slower, slower, my butt hurts, hiss... it hurts!"

Li Sanjiang put one hand around Li Weihan's waist and the other hand on his buttocks, trying to lift them up as much as possible.

"Uncle, don't move, or you'll fall!"

"Bah, you're riding so fast, how can I not move!"

After meeting Li Sanjiang at the funeral, Li Weihan rode his bike home without stopping.

The paths in the fields are narrow and full of potholes, which really makes life difficult for people riding in cars. Besides, Li Sanjiang is old and can't stand such hardships.

Li Weihan was helpless. Seeing that the road ahead was very close to his home and the shortcut was becoming increasingly difficult, he had to slow down.

"Oh my..." Li Sanjiang finally breathed a sigh of relief. He touched the cigarette box in his trouser pocket and said, "Han Hou, let's stop and have a cigarette."

"We're almost home, uncle. I'll smoke when we get home."

"Hey, why are you so anxious? Haven't you already called Blind Liu to check it out? I guess your little Yuanhou is now able to eat and run around at home."

"Is Blind Liu really useful?"

Li Weihan didn't really believe in Liu Jinxia's abilities. He had seen the mother and daughter go through their most difficult times. If she really had the ability to communicate with yin and yang, how could she let herself end up in such a miserable state?
In comparison, he trusted Li Sanjiang more. After all, he was a professional in rescuing dead bodies, and he had always lived a comfortable life in his memory.

"Well, Blind Liu was a money-swindler in her early years, but later she figured out some tricks. There's an old saying that goes, 'A hemp rope is broken at its thinnest point.' She breaks her ropes wherever she puts them, and after breaking many times, she has gained experience."

"What do you mean, uncle? I don't understand."

"It's OK if you don't understand. The worst that can happen to your little Marquis Yuan is that he's possessed. Blind Liu can really handle this kind of thing, for the sake of your past relationship."

"I'm just worried about my son, and I'd rather take care of myself."

"You, the Marquis of Han, are really partial. You favored your little girl a long time ago, and now you favor your grandson. But you are also right. Your little girl is also very hardworking. This 28-bar was bought for you by your little girl in her early years, right?
But, after being possessed by this evil spirit, it is not that much of a pain. It is even quite enjoyable. It is like a hanged man. Before the rope is put around his neck, he can see things through the rope that fascinate him.

"Uncle, this sounds like a good thing, right?"

"Of course it's not a good thing. Just think of it as a case of a sickness. There are always a few naughty and unlucky people like this in every village. It's just a minor illness."

"Oh, by the way, uncle, what are you going to do about the death?"

"Deal with it?" Li Sanjiang's emotions suddenly fluctuated, and his tone became stern. "I feel that we are living too comfortably. Do we have to rush out to deal with a dead body that can walk in the water?"

Li Weihan's heart tightened when he heard this, and he pedaled faster.

"Hey, hey, hey! Slow down, slow down! Han Hou, why are you crazy again? No matter how terrible the death is, you have escaped anyway, so it's not a big deal. Can she still chase you home?"

"arrive!"

When the 28-wheeler reached the dam, Li Weihan immediately got off and held the cart.

Li Sanjiang jumped off the back seat and rubbed his butt with his hands.

Li Weihan: "Guiying, Guiying!"

"I'm here, I'm here, keep your voice down, don't make any noise, the children are all asleep." Cui Guiying came out and greeted Li Sanjiang first, "Uncle, you're here."

"Hey, I'm here." Li Sanjiang didn't hesitate and shook his sleeves and said, "Let's go and see the kid first."

Coming to the door panel, Li Sanjiang squatted down to check on Li Zhuiyuan's condition.

"Should I wake the child up?" Cui Guiying asked.

"No need, the child is fine, there's no evil spirit anymore, has Blind Liu been here?"

"I've been here." Cui Guiying recounted what happened in the afternoon.

Li Sanjiang nodded after listening to it: "It is because you, Guiying, were kind-hearted and generous in the past, willing to let the Marquis of Han help them and their daughter that they are here today. Your good deeds have been rewarded to your children and grandchildren."

"Look, uncle, what you said is nothing."

"It's nothing. If it happened to someone else in the past, do you think Blind Liu would be willing to help?

It was this debt of favor that she had to accept no matter how unwilling she was. She must be feeling wronged and regretful. Now she is probably crying at home and complaining about her miserable life."

"Uncle, please sit down." Li Weihan handed a small stool to Li Sanjiang's buttocks, took out a cigarette and lit it for him, then turned to his wife and said, "Guiying, bring some food to fill your stomach."

As he spoke, he glanced at the locked cabinet.

Cui Guiying opened the lock with the key, took out egg cakes, biscuits and other things from inside, spread them in front of the two men, and said to Li Sanjiang apologetically: "Uncle, I will go to buy meat tomorrow, and then invite you to my house for a good drink."

"Hey, why are you bothering with all this? Put it all away. How can I steal the food from the kids?"

Li Weihan opened a biscuit box with his hands, picked up the biscuits and handed them to Li Sanjiang. He then picked up the iron box and looked at it. He said, "Guiying, remember to put the box away after you finish eating the biscuits. It's very suitable for storing needles, thread and buttons."

"know."

Li Sanjiang ate the biscuits in a few bites. When Li Weihan offered him more, he pushed them away and patted his trouser legs: "Okay, it's okay, I'm going home."

"I'll take you back on my bike."

"No, no, I won't take the car."

"Then I won't ride the bike. I'll walk back with you. Guiying, bring me the flashlight."

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan, who was originally sleeping soundly, suddenly twitched, his breathing became heavier, and cold sweat oozed from his forehead.

Li Sanjiang immediately sat back and checked on the child.

Li Weihan said anxiously: "Uncle, what's wrong with this kid..."

"Nothing, I guess I just had a nightmare, that's normal. When I was first haunted, I thought that dirty thing was so beautiful and fascinating, but later I realized I was scared. It's not a big deal, I'll forget about it after playing with it for a few days."

Li Weihan and Cui Guiying nodded. They certainly hoped that the child was okay.

"what!"

Li Zhuiyuan screamed, sat up from the door, and gasped for breath.

"Little Marquis Yuan, Little Marquis Yuan." Cui Guiying stepped forward and hugged Li Zhuiyuan, patting his back gently. "It's okay, don't be afraid, grandma is here, grandma is here."

Li Zhuiyuan first looked at Cui Guiying, then at Li Weihan, and finally, his gaze fell on Li Sanjiang's face, whom he met for the first time.

Li Sanjiang pointed at his red nose and said with a smile: "Xiao Yuanhou, I am your great grandfather."

Li Zhuiyuan blinked, and then as if he remembered his previous dream, he immediately turned his head to look at the back door, pointed and said: "Little Yellow Warbler, Little Yellow Warbler, she's home!"

"My dear, you are having a nightmare. It's okay now. Your grandma has chased her away and she doesn't dare to come to my boy anymore."

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Cui Guiying with some doubt: "Really, grandma?"

Li Weihan breathed a sigh of relief: "It seems that my son was really frightened by a dream, hehe."

Seeing that things were developing as Li Sanjiang said, Li Weihan and his wife felt completely relieved.

Only Li Sanjiang looked towards the back door in the direction of Li Zhuiyuan's finger, and his expression gradually became serious.

"Han Hou, give me the flashlight."

Li Weihan didn't give it to him, but said, "Uncle, I told you I'll take you home."

"Give me!"

Li Sanjiang snatched the flashlight.

"Uncle, I'll take you home. You've been drinking and walking at night..."

"Step aside!"

Li Sanjiang pushed Li Weihan away and walked straight to the back door.

"Uncle?" Li Weihan looked at his grandson and immediately followed him.

Li Sanjiang stepped over the threshold and came to the river opposite the back door, shining the flashlight downwards.

"Uncle, is there anything else?"

Li Sanjiang spat on the ground and lowered his voice: "My child's other dreams are normal and nothing serious, but he actually dreamed of death coming home. This is scary."

"What, you really came home?"

Li Sanjiang raised his hand, signaling Li Weihan to be quiet, and then continued to shine the flashlight on the boat and the nearby river, but after searching for several times, he still found nothing.

Li Weihan asked in a low voice: "Uncle, there is nothing."

"Hush, Han Hou, did you hear the sound?"

Li Weihan listened carefully and shook his head: "Uncle, is there any sound? I didn't hear it."

"Heh." Li Sanjiang rubbed his nose with his hand. "How could it be so quiet by the river on a hot summer night?"

Li Weihan understood instantly. Yes, it seemed too quiet around his house. Normally, the cicadas chirping and frogs croaking were like a grand meeting every night, but today there was no sound at all, as silent as death.

At this time, looking at the calm lake and the water plants in front of him, Li Weihan felt scared. The dead man might be hiding there.

Li Sanjiang turned around and walked back into the house, and said to Cui Guiying: "Guying, bring me a bowl of rice wine."

"Oh, then shall I fry some peanuts and eggs for uncle?"

"Go get some wine, don't talk too much!" Li Weihan urged. He knew very well that Li Sanjiang didn't want to drink here.

Cui Guiying brought a bowl of rice wine over. Li Sanjiang took it and squatted in front of Li Zhuiyuan. He smiled and said, "Little Marquis Yuan, it will hurt a little later. Don't scream. Just bear with it. Do you understand?"

Li Zhuiyuan looked up at Li Weihan and Cui Guiying, then nodded to Li Sanjiang.

"Well, good."

Li Sanjiang poured rice wine on Li Zhuiyuan's neck. The child was so excited that he instinctively shrank back, but Li Sanjiang immediately grabbed his arm with his left hand and rubbed his neck and shoulders with his right hand.

The old man's hands were covered with calluses and were very rough, like sandpaper scraping his skin. Li Zhuiyuan felt a lot of pain, but he obediently just pursed his lips.

After rubbing the boy's neck and shoulders until they were all red, Li Sanjiang put his face close to the boy and breathed in deeply through his nose.

After finishing inhaling, Li Sanjiang glared, gently pushed the boy away, and fell to the ground.

"Uncle, uncle?" Li Weihan came over immediately to support him.

Cui Guiying went to check Li Zhuiyuan's neck. She felt very distressed, but she knew that things seemed to have changed again. She didn't dare to say anything, but just touched the child's head silently.

"Cigarette, Han Hou, give me a cigarette."

"Hey."

Li Weihan immediately helped to light it.

Li Sanjiang took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose.

Li Weihan noticed that Li Sanjiang's hand holding the cigarette was shaking.

"Guiying, bring the child in." Li Sanjiang pointed to the inner room, "Close the door."

"What happened again?" Cui Guiying couldn't help it.

"Just do whatever your uncle tells you to do." Li Weihan waved his hands to urge him.

Cui Guiying took a deep breath, picked up Li Zhuiyuan, walked into the inner room and closed the door.

There were only two men left in the kitchen.

"uncle?"

"Han Hou, things are troublesome.

In the afternoon, Blind Liu must have cleared the evil spirit from Xiao Yuanhou. Since she did it, there was no way she would not clean it up.

But just now, my nose smelled the odor of a corpse from the child's neck. I have been fishing for dead bodies all my life, and I tell you, the stench of a corpse soaked in water is different from the odor of a dead person in other places. My nose will never be wrong."

Li Sanjiang said, turning his head to look at Li Weihan, and said seriously: "Then you are really here to chase me home."

Upon hearing this, Li Weihan immediately stood up and took down the axe used to chop firewood from the cupboard. There were many children in the family, so such items could only be placed in high places.

"Fuck it, I'm going to fight that thing!"

Li Sanjiang narrowed his eyes, took another puff of cigarette, and said slowly: "What if she doesn't come out?"

"What?" Li Weihan didn't quite understand. "Isn't it good if you don't come out?"

"She stays right next to your house. If you can't find her, she will keep an eye on your house for one day, two days, three days... First it was Xiaoyuan Hou, then Xiaopan Hou, Xiaolei Hou, Xiaohu Hou... then Guiying, and then you.

Other families worship gods and Buddhas for blessings, but your family is worshipping evil.

It won’t be long before people get sick, have bad luck, and… their families are broken up.”

Li Weihan asked in shock: "What should I do? I...I won't live here anymore. Should I live at my son's house?"

"She could come here once, but not a second time?"

"Uncle, is there any other solution?"

"There is a way." The cigarette butt on Li Sanjiang's lips flickered at this time.

"Uncle, you have to help me." Li Weihan squatted beside Li Sanjiang. If someone else said these words to him, he would suspect that the person was deliberately trying to scare him for other purposes, but Li Sanjiang would never do that.

"The creatures that walk in the water are dead and have great resentment. They are not easy to mess with. And this kind of creature that can come home is the first time I have seen it in my life. It is simply weird."

"But uncle, every wrong has its perpetrator, what does this have to do with my little Yuanhou?"

"Heh." Li Sanjiang sneered, rubbing his fingers and extinguishing the cigarette in his hand. "I guess she wants to find a perpetrator for every grievance, but since she can't find the perpetrator, she can only hold on to the first person she meets."

Li Weihan seemed to have thought of something, his eyes showing hesitation and thought.

Li Sanjiang continued, "This girl must be the one who danced and sang at the funeral of the bearded man yesterday, right? She was the one you told me on the way to pick me up. Her name was something like Little Yellow Bird?"

"Lei Hou said he saw it. I didn't go to Big Beard's house yesterday, so I'm not sure."

"It's Little Yellow Warbler. Lei Hou might have made a mistake, but Xiao Yuan Hou wouldn't. He just called Little Yellow Warbler when he woke up from a dream."

"Well, that's true."

"Didn't you say that the villagers saw Little Yellow Oriole and Big Beard's youngest son running into the woods last night? And that during the day, the funeral procession went to Big Beard's house and made trouble, and Big Beard paid them off to settle the matter.

This is what I have in my heart..."

Li Sanjiang held back the word "ghost". At this moment, he still had to be careful of taboos.

"…He must be feeling guilty. Oh, how can he be so soft if he really has nothing to do with his family?
Big beard, big beard, isn't it similar to the beards in Northeast China before liberation? He looks like a bandit, and I don't know how many sins he has committed."

At this point, Li Sanjiang paused, then he reached out and took out another biscuit from the iron box in front of him, took a bite, and said with a smile, "This biscuit has a strong milky flavor. I'm afraid it's not cheap. Your little girl sent it, right?"

Li Weihan took out a cigarette, lit it for himself, and took several quick puffs. Finally, he wiped his forehead and eyes with his hands. When he looked at Li Sanjiang again, bloodshot eyes appeared:
"Uncle, do you not trust my character as the Marquis of Han?"

Li Sanjiang picked up another biscuit and continued eating without saying anything.

Li Weihan continued:

"Uncle, in the early days, it was really difficult for me to find wives for my four sons.

Not only did you give me your fields to farm, but every time I helped you, you also gave me some of the labor fees; Guiying came to help you make paper and apply paste, and her skills were so crude that I was embarrassed to look at her, but even for this, uncle, you should also pay her wages.

Later, the most difficult days passed. I stopped farming your land because I knew you could earn more rent by renting it out to others. As for Guiying, I was embarrassed to let her go again, for fear that she would end up like she did when she was a vagrant in the brigade.

I feel really embarrassed to continue taking advantage of you, but I, Li Weihan, will always remember your kindness.

I have said it before, when the day comes when your legs and feet are no longer strong enough, I, Li Weihan, will take care of you and provide for your old age and see you to the end of your life.

Uncle, you have to believe in the character of Han Hou."

Li Sanjiang nodded. "Haha." Li Weihan laughed twice and reached out to take the biscuits. He hadn't eaten anything since the afternoon and was really hungry.

"Snapped!"

The back of my hand was slapped and the biscuit I had just picked up fell back.

Li Sanjiang stood up and said, "Eat nothing, leave some for the plate as an offering."

Li Weihan was stunned for a moment, then he understood. After all, he had helped Li Sanjiang for a period of time in the past.

When I opened the door to the inner room, I saw Cui Guiying standing there leaning forward with her child in her arms.

After the door was opened, Cui Guiying quickly tidied up the hair around her earlobe and asked, "Have you finished your chat?"

Li Weihan: "Guiying, come out and help set up the altar. Xiaoyuan Hou will go to bed first."

At this time, Li Sanjiang's voice came from behind: "Little Yuanhou, please stay here for now."

Li Weihan turned his head to look at Li Sanjiang with a frown, but after hesitating, he seemed to have made up his mind and signaled his wife to bring the child out.

Li Zhuiyuan had been sleeping since the afternoon, so he was not sleepy. He just sat obediently on a small stool and watched the adults busy themselves.

"You've lost your mind!" Li Sanjiang pointed at the altar that Li Weihan had moved outside the back door and cursed, "Do you want everyone outside to see it? Bring it in and put it here!"

This is a plain rural area with no mountains, valleys or buildings blocking the view. The view is excellent. If you light candles and burn paper money outside, anyone nearby who comes out to urinate at night can see it from a distance, and the news will spread quickly.

After all, which normal person would offer sacrifices in the middle of the night?
Li Weihan immediately moved the table he had just moved out back and placed it against the wall in the room very close to the back door.

Cui Guiying began to place the offerings on four plates, one filled with biscuits, one with egg cakes, and one with peanuts, and the other was empty.

"Uncle, there's no meat at home." Cui Guiying looked at Li Sanjiang, "All the bacon and salted meat are gone."

With more than ten children living at home, there was no way there would be any leftover food. Even the pickle jar was empty quickly, but there was no meat to serve.

Li Sanjiang pointed to the locked cabinet where snacks were kept and asked, "Do you have meat floss?"

"Yes." Cui Guiying nodded immediately, "Is it okay?"

"It's just meat, so just make do with it."

"it is good."

Finally, a plate of meat floss was placed on the plate, and the offering was ready.

Li Weihan brought in a rough iron bucket from the dam outside the house. This time, without being reminded, he put the iron bucket in the corner of the kitchen.

Ghost money was still a rare item at that time and had to be bought from the ghost shop in town. Villagers were reluctant to use it during small sacrifices, but yellow paper and gold ingots were in stock in almost every household.

Gold and silver ingots are folded by women themselves. As for yellow paper, it can be placed in a basket next to the toilet and used as toilet paper.

Li Sanjiang first lit the two candles on the altar, then used the candlelight to light several sheets of yellow paper, and then waved them quickly in front of the altar, muttering something. Then he ran back to the corner and threw the half-burned yellow paper into the iron bucket as a fire starter. Cui Guiying immediately put the other yellow paper and gold ingots in and burned them.

Li Weihan used a thin wooden stick to stir the paper inside. After making sure it was fully burned, he moved the iron bucket outside the house and dumped out the ashes.

When he came back, he saw Li Sanjiang taking out a bell from his pocket and digging into it with his gray-black nails, finally getting out the cotton ball that was stuck inside.

"Ding ding ding..."

Shake it lightly and you will hear a crisp sound.

Li Sanjiang untied the bell rope and walked to Li Zhuiyuan: "Come, Xiaoyuan Hou, raise your right hand."

Li Zhuiyuan obeyed and watched Li Sanjiang tie the bell around his wrist.

Then, Li Sanjiang picked up the incense burner on the altar, thought for a while, cut off a large part of the three incense sticks, leaving only a little bit at the end, and reinserted them into the incense burner.

"Little Marquis Yuan, take this."

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and held the incense burner.

Cui Guiying finally understood what was going on at this moment, and instinctively wanted to move forward, but Li Weihan grabbed her wrist and pulled her back hard.

"How could you let Xiao Yuanhou ..."

Li Weihan glared at his wife.

Li Sanjiang reached out and covered Li Zhuiyuan's ears, then raised his head, looked at the couple, and asked casually: "I'll ask you one last time, do you want to do it or not?"

"Do it!" Li Weihan replied immediately.

"If anything happens to Xiaoyuan Hou..." Cui Guiying shook her arms to try to break free from her husband's restraints.

Li Weihan said in a deep voice: "If there is no such thing, nothing will happen. If there is such a thing, even if you don't do it, Xiao Yuanhou will be in trouble. That thing will target our Xiao Yuanhou!"

When Cui Guiying heard this, she stopped struggling and let her arms drop.

Li Sanjiang smiled and said, "Han Hou, you should really think it through. If this gets out, it will be hard for you to get along with others in this village in the future."

Even if he didn't die at all, and it was all just a ridiculous joke made by everyone, but you made such a noise at home and performed that kind of ritual in front of others. If people knew about it, then this great grudge would be created!

"Oh." Li Weihan also snorted, "Uncle, I'm not afraid of that bearded man's family. I also have four sons."

In rural areas, the more adult sons a family has, the more confident they are.

Although Li Weihan's four sons are not model filial sons and there are many conflicts between their daughters-in-law, when the Li family really encounters something from outside and needs to hold up the family, these four sons will definitely stand up and face the outside world together.

"Okay, let's do it!" Li Sanjiang released his hand that was covering Li Zhuiyuan's ear, squatted down next to the boy's ear, and said, "Little Marquis Yuan, the master will walk in front later, and you will follow behind. Walk slowly and don't spill the incense burner, understand?"

"Yeah, got it."

"Good boy, be good."

Li Sanjiang led Li Zhuiyuan out of the back door, turned around, looked at Li Weihan and Cui Guiying who followed him, and said, "Wait at home, don't follow us. If there are too many people, it will be easy for people to see us, and we're afraid that she will be startled."

"Well, uncle, please."

"Keep the doors closed at home."

"Okay, uncle."

Li Weihan pulled his wife back into the house and closed the doors and windows.

Outside at the riverside under the cover of night, only Li Sanjiang and Li Zhuiyuan were left.

"Wait for me a moment, Xiao Yuanhou."

Li Sanjiang said hello and walked down the bluestone steps to the river alone. He squatted down and kept paddling the water with his hands while whispering something.

They were quite far away and their voices were deliberately kept low, so Li Zhuiyuan couldn't hear clearly what was being said.

As he spoke, Li Sanjiang began to lean backwards and made several moves to run, as if something underwater might pounce on him at any time.

Finally, Li Sanjiang finished speaking and ran up quickly, still panting.

"Okay, Xiao Yuanhou, I'll walk ahead and you follow closely behind. Remember, no matter what happens next or what sound you hear, you must hold on to this incense burner and never look back. Do you understand?"

"understood."

"Well, good."

Li Sanjiang walked to the front and left a distance of about 20 meters. He turned around and waved to Li Zhuiyuan, indicating that the boy could follow him.

However, Li Zhuiyuan stopped where he was and did not move.

"Come, follow me, Xiao Yuanhou."

"But..." Li Zhuiyuan wanted to turn his head, but he remembered Li Sanjiang's instructions. He just held the extinguished incense burner with one hand and pointed to the river with the other hand, "Aren't you going to wait for her?"

"Who are you waiting for?"

"She, the little yellow warbler."

"Little Yellow Warbler, what's wrong?"

"She didn't follow."

Li Sanjiang was stunned for a moment, then walked back, lowered his head and looked at Li Zhuiyuan seriously, and asked: "Little Marquis Yuan, do you know what we are going to do?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head and then nodded.

Li Sanjiang looked at Li Zhuiyuan in surprise and muttered, "You are just like your mother, smart."

Then, Li Sanjiang seemed to have thought of something, stared into Li Zhuiyuan's eyes, and asked: "Can you feel her?"

"Ah."

"Where is she...now?"

Li Zhuiyuan opened his mouth but said nothing, as if he was thinking or waiting. Then he said:

"She is coming."

"Where is it?" Li Sanjiang was shocked.

"Just now in the water..."

"Huh..." Li Sanjiang breathed a sigh of relief.

"Behind me now."

Li Sanjiang: “…”

Li Sanjiang subconsciously wanted to move his gaze away and look behind Li Zhuiyuan from the side of his head, but he resisted the urge.

However, even though he didn't see it, he could smell a strong stench of corpse in his nose. He was very familiar with this smell.

She is really here.

Li Sanjiang swallowed nervously. He wanted to terminate it, but when he thought about the consequences of termination... Damn it, why should the Hanhou family bear the consequences for the sins committed by others!

"Little Marquis Yuan, remember what Grandpa just said."

"Ah."

Li Sanjiang closed his eyes, raised his hands, and slowly stood up. The stench of the corpse became stronger.

He turned around, opened his eyes, and walked forward a distance. This distance was the distance he used to observe the dead people while rowing the boat.

After taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and looked back.

Xiao Yuanhou stood there holding the incense burner. Behind him was a darkness that the moonlight could not penetrate.

"Little Yuanhou, follow closely."

"Ah."

"Ah."

Li Sanjiang began to walk forward, and a "ding ding ding" sound came from behind him.

He did not take the village road, but walked along the river or into the woods. Even though there were few pedestrians late at night, he had to be as careful as possible and not let outsiders know.

Halfway through the journey, Li Sanjiang stopped and the ringing of the bells behind him also stopped.

Li Sanjiang turned around and saw Li Zhuiyuan still standing there more than 20 meters away. Behind the boy, he vaguely saw a figure, very close.

"Xiao Yuanhou, keep following us, we are almost there."

"Ah."

"Ah."

Li Sanjiang continued to lead the way. He walked and stopped, and the bell behind him also rang and stopped.

Finally, after going around a fish pond, you will arrive at the door of Big Beard’s house. This fish pond actually belongs to him.

This time, Li Sanjiang did not stop, but continued to walk along the edge of the fish pond. However, as he walked, he slowly turned his head and looked behind him:
Under the dim moonlight, Li Zhuiyuan held the incense burner, looking at the grandfather who was leading the way in front of him from time to time, and occasionally looking down to check the road under his feet.

The road was not easy to walk on and it was easy for children to slip and fall, so he walked very carefully and seriously, but he still couldn't avoid shaking his body.

Behind him, there followed a woman in a cheongsam with wet long hair.

The woman is like a blind person, unable to see the road ahead.

When a blind person is led by someone, he will usually hold on to the other person, so the woman held the boy's shoulders with both hands, and her body followed the little boy as she walked, taking one deep step and one shallow step, swaying constantly.

Li Sanjiang swallowed his saliva, and while walking backwards he missed a step and almost fell, but after swaying for a while he managed to keep his balance.

Li Zhuiyuan was about to stop when he saw this.

Li Sanjiang hurriedly said anxiously: "Xiao Yuanhou, don't stop, keep going, steady, we are almost there."

"Ah."

"Ah."

Finally, after bypassing the fish pond, Li Sanjiang arrived at the dam where Big Beard lived.

It was already the late night. Not only were the lights off in the bearded man's house, but the lights in several other houses nearby were also off, and there was no one in sight.

Li Sanjiang turned sideways, squatted down, stretched out his left hand towards the big bearded man and his right hand towards the direction where Xiao Yuanhou was standing, and said:

"I will give you offerings today and sacrifices next year. Are you satisfied with this favor?
No matter yin or yang, we have to be reasonable!
If there is an injustice, then seek revenge; if there is a hatred, then seek revenge; everyone in the world has a hard life, so don’t go against it.”

After Li Sanjiang finished reading, he secretly glanced in the direction of Li Zhuiyuan and found that there were still two figures, one big and one small, standing in front and behind each other, very quietly.

"Little Marquis Yuan, kneel down."

Li Zhuiyuan did not kneel, but stood holding the incense burner.

"Xiao Yuanhou?" Li Sanjiang urged in a low voice.

"Master...I can't kneel down."

Li Zhuiyuan wanted to kneel down, but the force on his shoulders prevented him from moving.

Li Sanjiang took a deep breath and immediately read:
"I am still young, I don't know much, I don't owe you anything, I have shown you the way and pointed you to the door, do you really want to ignore me?"

After he finished speaking, there were still two figures, one big and one small.

Anger flashed in Li Sanjiang's eyes. He retracted his hands that were originally spread out to "build a bridge" and stuck his ten fingers into the ground, with a lot of black mud embedded in his nails.

"You walk underwater, I float on the water. You refuse my favor, you refuse my reasoning, fine, force me to overturn the table and go to the Dragon King to seek justice!"

Li Sanjiang's whole temperament became solemn. He had never wanted to or dared to face that person head-on, but things had developed to this point and he had no choice. He couldn't just bring this dead man out and take him back home.

However, at this moment, there was a creaky sound and the big iron gate of the bearded man's house was opened.

Li Sanjiang looked over and found two people standing behind the door. They were the bearded man and his youngest son. Both of them were only wearing shorts, with bare upper bodies and bare feet.

For a moment, Li Sanjiang felt a little scared. He was doing this secretly, and if he was discovered in person, it would be a disaster.

But soon, Li Sanjiang discovered something was wrong.

I saw the bearded man and his son. They didn't even look at me standing outside the door, but walked straight towards the fish pond in a daze.

When they passed in front of Li Sanjiang, Li Sanjiang found that both of them were walking on tiptoe with their heels off the ground.

The father and son walked side by side like this, staggering but never falling. When they reached the edge of the fish pond, they did not stop but continued walking down.

I stepped into the water and continued moving forward. The water level rose above my knees, waist, shoulders, and finally... above my head.

"Pfft!"

Li Zhuiyuan felt his body relax and he sat down on the ground. Li Sanjiang ran over and protected the child.

"Child, are you okay?"

Li Zhuiyuan did not answer, but raised his hand blankly and pointed forward.

In front of us is the figure of a little yellow warbler. She stretches her arms forward with her hands open, as if groping. Although she walks very slowly, she has arrived at the edge of the fish pond and then walks into the water.

As if she sensed the water beneath her, she slowly lowered her arms and walked more and more steadily.

She began to twist her waist, as if she was dancing the same dance she had performed yesterday on this dam facing this fish pond.

Her dancing was still very unprofessional. Her joints were stiff now, so her dancing was naturally even less standard. However, she danced with great devotion.

Her figure sometimes disappeared and sometimes appeared suddenly in the night.

Every time she appeared, the water level would flood her a little more.

Gradually, her legs under the slit of her cheongsam could no longer be seen, her twisting hips could no longer be seen, and her breasts, which were not very high but were forced out by the clothes, could no longer be seen.

The water level rose above her neck, making her hair dizzy. She raised her hands, facing the night sky, and continued to perform.

Soon, her head sank into the water, and above the water, only her arms remained, followed by her wrists, and then her hands...

When his hands slowly disappeared into the water, only a mass of black water plants was left.

At last, with one last ripple,
everything,
are gone.

Li Sanjiang carried Li Zhuiyuan on his back, hunched over and trotted away. After running for a long distance, he put the child down, took out a cigarette box and pounded his old waist.

Seeing the child standing there in a daze, he comforted him, "Listen to your grandfather and think of it as a dream. When you wake up tomorrow, you will forget everything."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded obediently, but he felt that he might not be able to forget the scene just now, and it would always be frozen in his memory.

After shaking off the cigarette ash, seeing that the child was still in a low mood, Li Sanjiang teased:
"Little Marquis Yuan, can you think of something that can make people happy right now?"

"Happy things?"

Li Sanjiang pointed in the direction of the bearded man's house with his cigarette between his fingers and replied:

"Eat a feast!"

(End of this chapter)