Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 31

The sound of the sirens immediately extinguished Runsheng's passion and heroism. He took out a stick of incense, lit it with a match, and then held the other end between his lips. His cheeks puffed up, he took a deep breath, and a feeling of loneliness came out.

Li Zhuiyuan watched curiously, wondering if he could really blow out smoke rings.

The next moment, wisps of smoke came out of Runsheng's nostrils.

He started smoking.

For a moment, Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but begin to doubt whether this was the correct way to use incense.

He understood why Runsheng felt lost. At home, he usually held the TV in his arms to watch it, and the local county TV station liked to broadcast gangster movies in rotation.

When I went out at night, I could always hear the sounds of hacking and gunfire coming from the first floor.

Runsheng took in too much at once and was affected.

In fact, most people at this age will have such fantasies and impulses. The difference is that Runsheng's physique and strength give him extremely strong motivation.

Except for the time when he first learned physiognomy and fortune-telling, when he calculated the horoscopes for his great-grandfather and himself, Li Zhuiyuan deliberately avoided calculating these horoscopes for people close to him.

Something like fate is equivalent to a person's privacy. It would be immoral to snoop into it casually, and it would also affect how people get along in daily life.

However, even if Li Zhuiyuan did not use an algorithm to calculate, he could tell something just by glancing at Runsheng's face, because his face was very classic, the kind that could be used as a model question in a textbook.

Runsheng is a standard Seven Killings pattern, also called Partial Official pattern. He is aggressive, perseverant, ambitious and courageous, like a tiger in a cage, extremely ferocious.

However, the Seven Killings Pattern can also be transformed, from bad to good, depending on who you follow and who influences you.

"Brother Runsheng, you can just watch those movies on TV for fun. Don't take them too seriously, and don't really try to learn from them."

"Ah?" Runsheng, who was just immersed in a feeling of loss, was so shocked that he almost dropped the incense in his hand, "Can't watch TV anymore?"

"That's not what I meant. You can watch TV at home as much as you want, but don't get too caught up in it. Brother Liangliang said that society will only become more orderly and more stable in the future. There is no future if there is only violence and killing."

In ancient times, many generals had a fate like Runsheng, but now it is a peaceful era, and people with this kind of fate often go astray.

"Oh, okay, I'll listen to you."

Runsheng scratched his head. As long as he was not forbidden to watch TV, it would be fine. He was so scared that he quickly took another puff of incense to calm down.

Several police cars drove to the door of the Jiang family. Leading the team was Tan Yunlong. Before he had time to show any documents to explain his purpose, the people in the Jiang family took the initiative to open the door and welcome the police in.

This surprised Tan Yunlong a little. The real environment is not like what is shown on TV where everyone is a smiling tiger hiding their true colors. Especially in places like towns and villages, those nouveau riche often like to act tough in front of the police even if there is no profit to be made or even if they deliberately do stupid things, showing their strong aura.

After entering, Tan Yunlong heard the Jiang family members asking each other who had called the police. After explaining their purpose, Tan Yunlong was told that three days ago, Jiang Dongping, the head of the family who earned the family business, had disappeared.

At first, the family did not find it unusual. After all, the Jiang family had several entertainment businesses in the town, and it was common for them to go out for social events. It was not surprising even if he did not come back at night. They guessed that he had slept at one of his mistresses' houses. Jiang Dongping's wife could also understand.

But yesterday was the day when the Jiang family worshipped their ancestors, and the one they worshipped was the grandfather who personally raised Jiang Dongping, but Jiang Dongping had not returned yet.

They searched for the whole day yesterday and are looking for him again today. When they saw the police came to their door, they thought someone in the family had reported him missing.

Tan Yunlong frowned slightly. His first reaction was that Jiang Dongping had fled for fear of crime, but when he looked at the Jiang family members, that didn't seem to be the case at all. Also, if he had fled, how could he not have dealt with his family property in advance?
However, he always remembered the purpose of coming here. He ordered people to seal off the pond and sent people to a nearby construction site to borrow a pump.

The Jiang family was puzzled by this and some wanted to step forward to stop them, but were stopped by the police.

Tan Yunlong remembered those who stepped forward and tried to stop him.

The viewing pond dug the day after tomorrow was not very deep to begin with. After it was pumped out for a short while, there was only a shallow layer of water in it, and large areas of silt were exposed.

In the very center is a water tank.

Tan Yunlong walked over and found that the water tank was full of water. There was a large piece of yellow-white floc in it, which looked a bit like glue and also like the jelly that his son liked to eat.

"Come on, come and move with me."

The jar was very heavy, and the bottom was stuck to the silt. Tan Yunlong and several policemen worked together to move the jar. Then he took the shovel and pointed downwards:

"dig!"

After digging less than a meter down, a hand appeared.

The surrounding police officers became excited and immediately began to control the entire Jiang family without any orders, temporarily not allowing people inside to go out.

Only Tan Yunlong showed doubt in his eyes, because the hand looked too fresh and did not look like it had been buried for a long time.

He was also wearing a gold watch on his hand, which was reflecting the light in the sun. Why didn’t the person who buried him just take it off?
However, at least a person was dug out, and he was dead.

Although only one hand is shown, one can already see the misery of his death, because his hand is pointing vertically upwards, which means that his main torso is actually further down.

The fingertips of his fingers were badly damaged and his nails were severely peeled off. Although the blood had long been diluted by the moist mud, one could still see the tragic struggle he had once had for survival.

He must have been buried alive while conscious.

but……

Tan Yunlong handed the shovel to the policeman next to him, and kept backing away. He stopped at the edge of the pond and began to carefully observe the environment around the pond and the water tank that had been moved out.

This pond obviously shows no signs of having been excavated recently, so how did this fresh corpse get buried alive?

When the water tank was moved previously, the moss and vegetation at the bottom were obviously integrated with the environment of the pond below. It must have been left there for many years to form. Could it be that someone moved it away and then deliberately repaired it?

Tan Yunlong had heard of the restoration of cultural relics, but to restore this... it would be better to just throw it into a nearby sand mine and grind it to pieces instead of going through so much effort just to kill someone and hide the body.

"Except for the ones digging up the bodies, no one else should enter the pond. Be sure to protect the scene."

After giving the order, Tan Yunlong walked to the corner, squatted down, and took out a cigarette box.

The previous conversation with the little boy named Li Zhuiyuan emerged in my mind.

The conversation was very brief, and the child almost finished telling the story of reporting the case in just one sentence. What really surprised Tan Yunlong was when he asked him why he specifically came to him to report the case.

The child said: Because I know you won’t cause trouble to my life.

"Ah."

Tan Yunlong exhaled a puff of smoke. Ordinary suspects sitting in front of him would deliberately avoid his sight, but that little boy could look him in the eye very calmly and even dared to take the initiative in the conversation in front of him.

"Captain Tan, there is a problem."

"what happened?"

"This body is difficult to dig out. It is sinking."

Tan Yunlong immediately put out the cigarette, threw it out of the wall, then walked into the pond and observed the body.

Based on the original foundation, they dug down another meter, but the only part of the body that was exposed was the hand.

Tan Yunlong took the shovel again and joined in the digging himself.

As they dug, they found that the body was indeed sinking, as if there was a leak in the ground.

But this shouldn't be the case. This is a pond that was dug the day after tomorrow. If the bottom is like this, how does it store water normally? There is no pump to keep the water in the pond.

"With a rope."

The rope was tied into a loop, swung down, and put around the wrist of the corpse. It was pulled upwards and tightened immediately. Tan Yunlong called another police officer to pull with him, but they couldn't pull it up at all.

It was as if there was a force below that was pulling the corpse and struggling with itself.

If you continue to increase the force, it is likely to cause damage to the corpse.

"Captain Tan, call for an excavator."

"Then there's no way to protect the scene." Tan Yunlong immediately shook his head and rejected the idea. "Besides, the body is so deep, if the machine is digging, it will definitely damage the body. Try digging a little longer and see."

Several police officers dug for a while but still couldn't do anything. For every one meter they dug along the edge of the body, the body would shrink one meter into the mud below. The mud nearby was already relatively dry, but even so, the body continued to shrink.

At the same time, the police officers digging below would also be in danger, as they might suddenly feel their feet slipping and be suffocated by the mud all around.

At this time, an elderly police officer quietly walked up to Tan Yunlong and whispered, "Captain Tan, you are a bit evil."

"Brother Sun, what can you do?"

"How about we find a corpse retriever to try? They may have their own way to retrieve the body while ensuring that it is well preserved."

“Does anyone recommend one?”

"There is a famous person in Shi Nan Si Yuan Village, his last name is Li."

"Call someone at the police station, don't wear a police uniform, invite them over, and let them know in advance, and ask them if they can avoid such a big show."

"Oh, I understand."

"Forget it, I'll go fight."

"Okay, Captain Tan." The old policeman felt relieved. This matter would have a bad impact. He was just making a suggestion and didn't want to be involved.

Tan Yunlong patted him on the shoulder, walked towards the police car, took out the intercom, and repeated his request. After that, he leaned against the car door and lit another cigarette:

"Alas, we can only wait."

……

"Xiaoyuan, how long do we have to wait?"

"do not know."

"Why is it so slow? I saw they have been digging for a long time."

The tricycle was parked on a dirt slope, giving it a commanding position. In addition, the Jiang family's courtyard wall was enclosed by iron fences, which did not block the view. Therefore, although the two were a bit far away, they could roughly see the situation inside.

"Maybe he got into some trouble."

A gurgling sound came from my ear.

Li Zhuiyuan looked over and saw Runsheng lowering his head a little embarrassedly. He was hungry.

Although he had been eating scallions intermittently, to him scallions were just green onions to go with rice. He had never heard of anyone who could get full by eating green onions every day.

Li Zhuiyuan took out the money that his grandfather had given him this morning and handed it to Runsheng: "Brother, there is a small store on the road ahead, let's go there and buy some food."

"Ah, what a waste." Runsheng shook his head, "Those things are just for tasting, not for eating."

"Buy some first to fill your stomach."

"Then I'll ride my bike to the town market restaurant to buy some food?"

"That's too far. We have to stay here. We never know when those two will come over... or go out."

"That's right. I'll go buy some. Xiaoyuan, what do you want to eat?"

"I'm fine with either, just buy the one you like."

"Then wait here for me, I'll be back soon."

Runsheng took the money and started running without riding his bike.

Not long after, Runsheng came back with several bags of instant noodles and biscuits.

"Here, Xiaoyuan, the change."

"Why don't you buy more?"

"I can't bear to part with this. I can buy a lot more with just this little stuff, if I buy rice and flour."

Li Zhuiyuan ate a few biscuits. He had eaten breakfast late, so he was not too hungry now. Runsheng had gone to the fields to work in the morning, so he had to let him eat first.

After all, Runsheng is his greatest support. He cannot have all the sophisticated equipment ready while the person who can use the equipment cannot use it well because he is hungry.

After finishing his meal, Runsheng collected the seasoning packets in the instant noodles.

Li Zhuiyuan was confused before. Although the current conditions do not allow boiling or soaking, if he pours the seasoning packet in and then crushes the instant noodles and shakes them, it will taste better when eaten dry, right?

However, Runsheng did not put it in, but ate the instant noodles as a whole pancake.

Now, Runsheng tore open a seasoning packet, poured the seasoning powder into his palm, then stuck out his tongue and licked his palm a little.

Then, he continued to pour the seasoning packet while licking it. He looked very satisfied and must have enjoyed this way of eating.

Seeing Li Zhuiyuan looking at him, Runsheng asked with a smile: "Xiaoyuan, do you want to reach out and have some? It's delicious!"

"okay."

Li Zhuiyuan stretched out his hand and asked Runsheng to pour some into his palm. Then he licked it lightly and tasted it carefully.

really……

It has a strong smell of instant noodle seasoning packet.

"Hehe, that's great. Before, everyone had to share a packet of ingredients, but now I can eat it all by myself."

During this period, children have relatively few daily snacks, so seasoning packets have gradually become popular. This way of eating is both tasty and fun.

Li Zhuiyuan touched the change in his pocket that Runsheng had handed to him earlier. Although the old carpenter did not ask him for processing fees, this would cost him the old master's face and favor, and he could only use it once.

Moreover, the subsequent material and testing costs, including the possible subsequent wear and tear...are far from enough to be supported by pocket money.

It seems that I have to find a way to make some money.

"Brother Runsheng, do you know where people are playing cards?"

"Play cards? My grandfather does. He likes playing poker. There are several fixed card games in the village. You can go there and play."

"How's the fight going, Mr. Shan?"

Hearing this question, Runsheng suddenly felt a little embarrassed and whispered:
"We could have eaten solid food at night, but since he went to play cards, we couldn't even have water to fill our stomachs."

Li Zhuiyuan remembered that his great grandfather seemed to have said that Shan Ye always lost money playing cards.

"Brother Runsheng, do you want to go back and see Uncle Shan?"

"think."

"Then I'll go to Xiting with you tomorrow to visit Uncle Shan."

"okay!"

Runsheng stood up happily, stretched his body and looked around. Soon, he stopped smiling and pointed at the motorcycle coming from a distance:
"Hey, Xiaoyuan, does the guy sitting on the back of the motorcycle look like your great grandfather?"

"That's the grandfather."

Li Sanjiang was sitting on the back of a motorcycle with a package between him and the driver. There was another one tied to the back of the motorcycle, and he was holding one in each hand.

The wind was howling and his arms were shaking, which showed that he was tired.

If the government sends someone to invite you, you have to go no matter what. Otherwise, you will not be confident when you hold the plaque next time.

Unfortunately, the mule went out for a walk today, and even more unfortunately, the mule rode away with the tricycle.

"Comrade, stop for a moment, stop for a moment."

The motorcycle stopped, and Li Sanjiang looked at Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng standing on the side of the road, and asked in surprise:

"Why are you two here?"

Li Zhuiyuan replied: "Just like you, my grandfather, I was called here."

"What?" Li Sanjiang was stunned for a moment, but without thinking any more, he threw the things in his hand to Runsheng and said, "Let's go."

Li Zhuiyuan didn't expect that he could enter the Jiang family yard now.

As soon as he came in, he felt the gaze from Tan Yunlong, and Li Zhuiyuan deliberately avoided it.

Unexpectedly, Tan Yunlong came over on his own initiative, bent down, hugged him, pretended to caress a child, and whispered in his ear:

"You reported the case to get yourself some work?"

“That money is too hard to earn.”

"Hehe." Tan Yunlong smiled and touched Li Zhuiyuan's head, then looked at Li Sanjiang, "Uncle, I'm sorry to trouble you to come here, but don't worry, I'll pay for the labor."

"Please don't." Li Sanjiang waved his hands. "That's too polite. This is what I should do. The police and the public are like fish and water."

"That won't work. We are already very grateful that you are willing to cooperate with us."

"Is the person in the pond?"

"Yes, take a look first." Tan Yunlong walked with Li Sanjiang towards the pond and whispered, "Uncle, I'll have to trouble you to make the scene a little smaller when we do the work later."

"The comrade who brought me here has already said it. Don't worry, I know."

"Please understand."

"Understand, understand."

Of course he knew why. After all, it was not a good idea for policemen in uniform to get too close to feudal superstitions. Last time when he fished out the bearded father and son from the fish pond at the bearded man's home, the police who arrived were all waiting by the police car on the road back to the home.

Everyone should cooperate when they should cooperate, and be careful when they should be careful.

Li Sanjiang shouted to Runsheng, "Marquis Runsheng, grab your weapons!"

Runsheng hesitated and did not move. He turned his head to look at Li Zhuiyuan who had secretly stood at the edge of the pit and looked down.

After seeing the hand below, Li Zhuiyuan was puzzled. Why did this hand look so new?

According to Brother Bao, he was the one who helped Jiang Dongping bury the body here. It has been some time, even several years.

This is the bottom of a pond, which is already moist. The corpse must have rotted quickly. How could we still see clear skin and flesh?

Either this body is not the old Zhou who was killed, or there is something wrong with the current old Zhou.

"Marquis Runsheng, why are you standing there like an idiot? Grab your weapons."

Li Zhuiyuan came back to his senses and looked at Runsheng: "Brother Runsheng, take the weapon."

To be on the safe side, it’s better to use your own.

"Hey!"

Runsheng responded, immediately removed the plastic sheet on the tricycle, and brought over a new set of equipment.

Li Sanjiang looked at these new things with some confusion, which looked similar to his but were not his own. However, since the police were watching him, it was inconvenient for him to ask any more questions. Anyway, the new and old ones were all the same to him.

"Grandpa, let Brother Runsheng come first. If Brother Runsheng can't be rescued, it means that Grandpa Shan is not capable of teaching an apprentice. Then you can teach him properly."

"Well, yes."

Li Sanjiang felt that what Xiao Yuanhou said made sense.

Runsheng took the tools and placed them beside the pit, his face full of eagerness to try.

Li Sanjiang found a small wooden stool and placed simple offerings on it. He even brought two white candles that were almost burning out.

He did listen to the request of his police comrades not to make a big scene, so everything started from small things.

Li Sanjiang lit candles and burned paper, muttering something and began to circle around the pit.

The young policemen around were watching curiously, while the older policemen quietly stepped back a distance.

Tan Yunlong looked around. The Jiang family's house was large, so it was naturally quite remote. There were not many houses nearby. In addition, the Jiang family was a local tyrant, so not many villagers dared to come and see the excitement at his house at this time. There were only a dozen or so people standing outside the wall, and half of them came here just because they passed by and saw the police car parked there.

As for the Jiang family, Tan Yunlong had asked them to be brought into the house to take statements.

It was relatively quiet around there, so there wouldn't be too many people seeing us and gossiping about us.

After the ceremony, Li Sanjiang took out two beer bottles blocked with cloth from a package, which were filled with red liquid.

Seeing this, Tan Yunlong immediately stepped forward to stop him: "Uncle, what are you going to do?"

"Black dog blood, get rid of the evil first. This thing can't be dug out and keeps shrinking inside. It must be full of resentment."

"Can you not splash it?"

"Not splashing?"

"If this is poured down, the body won't be worth looking at."

"Then I'll give it a try, Runsheng, now you can get started and see if Shan Pao can teach you some real skills."

As he spoke, Li Sanjiang put the two bottles of mixed pig blood in his hands on the ground.

In order to show his status as a master, he walked a few steps forward, took out a cigarette, and wanted to light one to put on some airs.

A police officer nearby reminded him, "Uncle, please smoke a little further away. We will be searching for physical evidence later."

"Oh, OK." Li Sanjiang hesitated for a moment, but after all, he was putting on airs, so he could only walk to the corner with the cigarette. As a result, he felt his pocket and found that he had left in a hurry without bringing matches, so he had to borrow some from someone. Therefore, now, the only ones standing by the pit were Li Zhuiyuan, Runsheng and Tan Yunlong.

"Officer Tan, is the body shrinking?"

"Well, yes, the further we dig, the deeper it sinks."

"Officer Tan, can you have the jar containing the Tai Sui removed?"

"That's important evidence. We need to take it back to the station for inspection."

"I'm not asking you to throw it away, just have someone move it outside the door, not inside the house."

"Is there anything taboo?"

"Ah."

"Okay." Tan Yunlong immediately ordered several policemen outside to move the jar outside the door.

Li Zhuiyuan nodded. In this way, the cause and effect between him, Brother Bao and Zhao Xing was completed. The next step was to simply settle the accounts.

Officer Tan turned around and saw the boy take out a crude wooden compass. Tan Yunlong felt that even those small vendors selling low-quality toys would not stock such toys because they were too ugly and could not be sold at all.

The boy first adjusted his standing direction, then stared at the compass in his hand and turned around in place. After standing still, he silently recited some numbers.

Tan Yunlong listened carefully, thinking that some incantations were being chanted, but all he heard were numbers.

Mental arithmetic calibration completed.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head and looked into the pit. He pointed at Runsheng beside him and said, "Use the Yellow River shovel to dig a small pit sloping downwards in each of these six locations."

"it is good!"

Runsheng took the Yellow River shovel and dug into the pit without even looking at the position of the hand. Instead, he dug six pits on the surrounding side walls according to Li Zhuiyuan's instructions.

Li Zhuiyuan nodded. These six pits were actually meant to break the miasma and disrupt the corpse's "sense of direction" so that it would lose its composure when it was frightened and wanted to escape.

There is a description of this type of corpse in "Jianghu Zhiguai Lu", which says that they have the ability similar to clams and can burrow holes in the soil and sand.

But strictly speaking, this kind of corpse is not considered dead. Wei Zhengdao specially noted: There must be something strange around the corpse.

Li Zhuiyuan took out the ink box, pressed it hard with his index finger, and then drew a line across the seven-star hook. As each section of the hook opened, he added a red seal in turn, until all seven sections were opened, and then he threw the seven-star hook into the pit.

"Brother Runsheng, you are between the corpse, set the hook and block the road!"

"understand!"

Runsheng caught the hook and, as instructed, inserted the seven-star hook between himself and the hand.

Soon, only the top end of the Seven-Star Hook was left outside. Runsheng pressed his palm there and began to rotate it, and a series of "cracking" sounds came from the ground.

So far, the body has not continued to drill down because it has not touched the hand.

Li Zhuiyuan pressed the ink on all five of his fingers, quickly touched the soul-returning basket and the homecoming net, and then threw them both into the pit.

"Put the basket in front and the net in the back."

"Okay!" Runsheng just took the things, then he was confused again and asked, "Xiaoyuan, where is the front of the body?"

"The palm facing up is the front."

"understand!"

Runsheng placed the soul-returning basket in front of his palm. At first glance, the opening of the basket seemed very narrow and shallow, but after the buckles were unfastened, the opening and depth could be expanded and contracted by themselves, and it was extremely tough.

As for the Soul-Returning Net, Run Sheng covered it on the back of his hand. The area of ​​the net was so large that it almost covered the pit wall on that side.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the Luosheng umbrella and said to Runsheng, "Brother Runsheng, catch me."

After saying that, he jumped into the pit, and Tan Yunlong next to him had no time to stop him.

Runsheng took it steadily. After Li Zhuiyuan stood still, he lowered his head and looked at the hand closely. Then, he took out a piece of talisman paper he had drawn from his pocket.

The preparations were complete, and he now wanted to do some personal tests, such as the talisman paper he had drawn.

There is not much specific description of talisman paper in "Records of the Right Path to Subdue Demons", it just lists a few conditions that must be met, a bit like mastering certain course knowledge points before learning this knowledge.

Li Zhuiyuan did not meet any of those rigid conditions. He simply followed the pattern of the talisman paper in the book and drew it with all his strength and concentration.

Although I know that it’s most likely useless, but...what if?
The distance was just right. Li Zhuiyuan released the talisman paper above his palm, and the talisman paper slowly fell down. When it was about to touch the hand, the fingers of that hand suddenly opened and fiercely grasped the talisman paper!

The talisman paper turned black instantly.

"Xiaoyuan!" This sudden change made Runsheng immediately protect Xiaoyuan behind him.

Li Zhuiyuan felt helpless. Not only did the other party ignore the threat of his talisman paper, but he also took the initiative to provoke him.

"Brother Runsheng, pry it out."

"it is good!"

Runsheng grabbed one end of the seven-star hook with both hands, squatted down, and began to press down with all his strength.

The hand began to move, and the soil beneath it began to crack rapidly, but this time it did not continue to sink. Instead, it kept changing direction back and forth, left and right, like a headless fly flying around.

Runsheng continued to exert more strength. He clenched his teeth, the veins on his arms were exposed, and his feet had sunk in, with the mud reaching his ankles.

Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but sigh in his heart, indeed, recovering corpses is a physically demanding job.

Look at Uncle Qin that night, and then look at Runsheng now. Without a strong physique, no matter how good the equipment is, you won’t be able to use it.

Fortunately, I am still young and can practice slowly.

After some effort, the corpse was obviously unable to hold on. Suddenly, a large amount of soil from the ground sprayed out along with black mist.

Li Zhuiyuan immediately opened the Luosheng umbrella and placed it in front of himself and Runsheng. The umbrella vibrated and Li Zhuiyuan felt his hands go numb, but he continued to hold it.

After noticing a faint black mist appearing all around, Li Zhuiyuan took out the Sanqing fan, pressed the secret button, and the fan began to move, and white incense ash floated out of the fan.

Suddenly, there seemed to be a slight smell of coke in the air.

"It's out!" Runsheng growled, "Xiaoyuan, step back!"

Li Zhuiyuan immediately folded his umbrella and stepped back. A crack appeared on the ground in front of him, and a body in pajamas was pried out. Under the body was a seven-star hook, and each section of the seven-star hook had an external extension, like a clasp, which fixed the body in place.

The corpse seemed to be motionless, but in a trance, it seemed to be moving forward quickly. After entering the soul-returning basket, the basket quickly expanded and stretched. The corpse fell backwards and fell into the homecoming net. The mesh was rolled up and wrapped it up.

Then the body became quiet.

Li Zhuiyuan breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Brother Runsheng, was it the corpse that moved on its own just now, or were you pulling it with the seven-star hook?"

"The body didn't seem to move, but its weight just became very heavy and light at the same time. It almost made me lose my concentration."

"Then it's not the body that's moving. This body isn't dead."

After the body came out, a small pit one person deep appeared in the place. Li Zhuiyuan walked to the side and looked down, and saw two pairs of skeletal hands exposed inside the pit wall.

Below, there are two corpses that have turned into bones!
It seems that Old Zhou, whom Brother Bao helped bury, was not the first person killed by Jiang Dongping and buried here to raise Tai Sui.

Looking more closely at the position and opening degree of the two pairs of skeletal hands, Li Zhuiyuan demonstrated with his own hands.

"Xiao Yuan, why are there still bones underneath?"

"Brother Runsheng, the reason why this corpse keeps falling is because these two pairs of hands are holding it back and preventing it from moving."

"What about now? Can you still move?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "It's not dead, it's just a ghost, it will disappear when it sees the light."

This kind of evil spirit will only move and cause trouble in places where no one can see and where the sunlight cannot reach.

For example, many people hear rustling sounds coming from the rooftop, downstairs, or other rooms in the house when they are sleeping at night.

Sometimes, it is not the neighbors upstairs or downstairs or the mice in the house that are causing the trouble, but the evil spirits in the house.

But when you muster up the courage, turn on the light and check, you will find nothing. The evil spirit will not let you see, and if you see it, it will be gone.

Most evil spirits can only make a little noise and are harmless. However, some more powerful evil spirits will come to your bedroom and come upon you when you are sleeping, with a very small chance of causing sleep paralysis.

Runsheng sighed, "These three people are buried here, and they have developed feelings for each other. Are you reluctant to let another one go?"

Li Zhuiyuan took a look at the body wrapped in the Homecoming Net and said:

"I suspect this body is not the victim's."

"Ah, who is that?"

"What is the antonym of victim?"

"What is it?"

"Brother Runsheng, please lift me up. I don't want to get my clothes dirty by climbing up."

"okay."

Li Zhuiyuan was lifted up, and Tan Yunlong above him reached out and took Li Zhuiyuan over.

"What happened down there just now?" Tan Yunlong couldn't help but ask immediately.

He had just gotten on top when suddenly mud splashed below and his vision became blurred. Then he seemed to see a big rat crawling out. After a few gurgling sounds, when his vision returned, he saw a corpse wrapped in the net.

"Hey!"

At this time, Runsheng held the net wrapped in the corpse in one hand and grabbed the slope with the other hand, and climbed up easily.

Tan Yunlong widened his eyes. The strength required to lift a "living person" as if he were a chicken was really scary.

After putting the body out, Runsheng quickly untied the net, put away the basket, then turned around and jumped back into the pit, picked up the Yellow River shovel and the seven-star hook, and packed them up again.

This set of things was so useful that he decided to work hard on the farm for Uncle Sanjiang, and when he had saved enough money, he would ask Xiaoyuan to make a set for him as well. He wanted it to be a family heirloom.

Tan Yunlong took out gloves from his pocket and put them on. He squatted down and gently brushed away the mud from the eyes, ears, mouth and nose of the corpse's face, and then his expression became serious.

Li Zhuiyuan asked, "Is it Jiang Dongping?"

Tan Yunlong looked up at the boy in surprise: "You knew it a long time ago?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "No, I just found out. There are two more skeletons underneath. Uncle Tan, ask someone to continue digging. It will be easy to dig."

Only the perpetrator could be held tightly by the two victims and allowed to sink into the mud with them.

"I understand. Thank you, Xiaoyuan."

"Can you give me a piece of Tai Sui meat to express your gratitude?"

"What do you want that for?"

"Uncle Tan, you know, children are always very curious."

Tan Yunlong took out a small plastic bag from his pocket, which contained a piece of jelly-like substance. He moved closer to block the outside view, and then stuffed the small bag into Li Zhuiyuan's pocket.

"Promise me you won't eat it. It might be poisonous."

"I won't, but Uncle Tan, you are so straightforward."

"There's still a big lump in the tank, it's okay to give you a piece."

"What, it's already been fished out?" Li Sanjiang had just smoked a cigarette when he saw that the job was done. He could only say in dismay, "It seems that Shan Pao is quite good at teaching his apprentices."

"Grandpa, Brother Runsheng and I will ride the tricycle back first."

"Now that it's over, I'll go with you. My butt hurts from riding the motorcycle."

"Grandpa, you can't leave. Officer Tan wants you to stay and help check the body. This body has been soaked in mud and water. You have experience."

Tan Yunlong looked at Li Zhuiyuan with some confusion. The autopsy was performed by a professional forensic doctor.

However, he still took off his gloves and grabbed Li Sanjiang's hand: "Yes, uncle, please stay and help us analyze it. When we are done, I will drive you home."

"That's it."

"Grandpa, we're leaving first."

"Be careful on the road, both of you. Runsheng Hou, ride slowly, don't fall and hurt my little Yuan Hou."

Runsheng walked out of the gate carrying the equipment and placed the things neatly on the tricycle. After putting them there, he couldn't help but reach out and touch them.

"Xiaoyuan, wait until I save enough money..."

"Brother Runsheng, don't move too much, and take a look at the small slope where we were before."

Runsheng pretended to continue packing his things. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and found two people standing there who looked familiar.

"I think I've seen them somewhere?"

"In the video room, those four bastards who spoke in high voices."

Their boss, the man in the suit, has been arrested and is doing meritorious service, but thanks to the fact that the man in the suit is still in the stage of being developed as a distributor, he himself has not been able to get the goods, and has not had time to assign tasks to his three subordinates.

So those three hooligans were detained for a day and then released after receiving an education.

"Do they live nearby and come to watch the fun?"

"Shigang is not more lively and fun than Shinan. Do people who live in Shigang have to go to Shinan to watch videos? Brother Runsheng, take another look at their feet."

Runsheng pretended to glance at them casually again, then lowered his head again: "Xiaoyuan, they are standing on tiptoe!"

"They are here. They have finally appeared. They are the real target we are looking for this time."

Runsheng silently grabbed the Yellow River shovel and said, "I'm going to rush over now and smash their heads!"

"Brother Runsheng..."

"Don't worry, Xiaoyuan. They definitely can't run as fast as me, not to mention they have to run on tiptoe."

"Brother Runsheng, there are so many policemen nearby."

"what……"

"The gangsters in Hong Kong movies are not as rampant as you."

"I was wrong, Xiaoyuan."

"Let's get on the bike and ride in the opposite direction."

"Listen to you."

Li Zhuiyuan got on the tricycle, and Runsheng rode his bicycle in another direction. After riding for a distance, he turned and went behind another house.

"Brother Runsheng, come, put on this homecoming net for us, so they can't see us."

Runsheng's eyes lit up: "Is this thing useful?"

"Well, otherwise how could they tie up the dead? The dead are so strong that they can break a normal net with just a little effort. The only thing they can't break free of is a net that they can't see."

"Really, Xiaoyuan, compared to what you have, the stuff in my grandfather's room can be sold to a junk collector."

"Don't worry, I'll make you one later."

"Um... it's expensive, right?"

"It's okay. I'll go see Uncle Shan tomorrow, and then I should have money."

"My grandfather has no money. If it weren't for the fact that rice and flour are hard to sell in the village, I'm afraid we might not even have enough to eat when we go home tomorrow."

"We'll talk about it tomorrow. Let's go after those two first."

"to make."

Just like that, Runsheng began to pedal the tricycle hard again. When some cars and pedestrians on the road passed them, they looked at the tricycle wrapped in the net and the two people inside in astonishment.

After riding back to the original place, Runsheng said in confusion: "Oh no, the person is gone."

"Up ahead, they're heading for the river."

Sure enough, the two men appeared by the river, and they were walking downstream.

"Should I ride on?"

"First ride on the road, follow them from a distance, and then find a secluded place with few people to attack."

Next, the two men were walking along the river, with Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng following them on the road.

They gradually walked towards a remote location and turned onto a small trail.

"Are you going to do it, Xiaoyuan?"

"Wait a little longer and see where they are going. Those two are just accomplices. There is someone controlling them from behind."

"Isn't it the guy named Jiang who is controlling them?"

"The man surnamed Jiang was buried in the pond. Who do you think buried him?"

"Xiaoyuan, what you mean is..."

"I suspect that one of the three people buried by Jiang Dongping has already died."

Li Zhuiyuan took out the bag of Tai Sui meat that Officer Tan gave him and continued, "There must be something wrong with this Tai Sui."

It is not so easy to achieve the state of death, especially the state of death that can control minions, which is already a very rare level.

Even through the plastic bag, you can smell a fishy stench from the Tai Sui meat. I don't know how anyone dares to eat it as a tonic.

The sky gradually darkened and it was already dusk.

The two men walked into a graveyard.

Runsheng picked up the equipment and continued to hide under the net with Li Zhuiyuan, following on tiptoe.

Finally, the two men stopped in front of a tombstone, and with a "thump", they knelt down facing the tombstone in front of them.

Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng were wrapped in homecoming nets and hid behind a tombstone in front of the two men. One on the left and the other on the right, they poked their heads out from behind the tombstone and observed them very cautiously.

However, the two men just knelt there, motionless, for a long time, and the sky gradually darkened.

Runsheng looked at Li Zhuiyuan with a puzzled look: What are they doing?
Li Zhuiyuan shrugged: I don’t know either.

Runsheng pointed around and then pointed at the Yellow River shovel in his hand: It's very secluded here, there is no one, we can shoot them to death.

Li Zhuiyuan waved his hand to refuse, and then pointed at Runsheng's arm. Runsheng didn't quite understand, but when he saw Li Zhuiyuan leaning his head towards him, he still raised his arm to make him lean more comfortably.

No matter what, Xiaoyuan must have his reasons for doing this.

After a while, the two people kneeling in front of the tombstone remained motionless, and the same was true of Xiaoyuan, who was resting his head on his arms.

Runsheng couldn't help it anymore, and turned his head to look at Xiaoyuan. He found that Xiaoyuan had his eyes closed and was breathing evenly. Runsheng was stunned:

Xiaoyuan actually fell asleep?
Li Zhuiyuan didn't really fall asleep, he just tried hard to take a nap, and then in this half-asleep and half-awake state, he heard shrill wails and desperate pleas for mercy. They were the voices of Brother Bao and Zhao Xing.

He knew that he had entered the state.

When he opened his eyes, Li Zhuiyuan found that Runsheng, who was leaning on him, was gone. This was normal, as Runsheng did not enter his dream.

The wailing and begging for mercy continued, and they seemed to be suffering from extremely terrible torture.

This is not surprising. The last time Brother Bao and Zhao Xing came to the banquet to find Grandpa, from what they said, they actually didn't know that Jiang Dongping had been buried alive, nor did they know that the person who really controlled them was actually a former victim, and most likely the man named Zhou who was buried alive by Brother Bao himself.

Li Zhuiyuan slowly and carefully poked his head out from the tombstone in front of him. The two people were no longer visible where they were kneeling. Like Runsheng, they did not exist in this dream.

Continuing to move his gaze, Li Zhuiyuan saw Brother Bao and Zhao Xing kneeling on the ground with their bodies cracking and peeling behind the place where the two men were originally kneeling.

In an instant, Li Zhuiyuan was stunned and his whole body was cold.

Because they didn't see any dirt before, he and Runsheng took it for granted that the two men were kneeling in front of the tombstone.

But in fact, the two people were just carriers of the possession. They were actually the "shoes" that were taken off after they were used to walk here.

When the shoes are not worn on the feet, the direction the toe is pointing no longer represents the direction the person is facing.

Now, the direction where Brother Bao and Zhao Xing were kneeling and wailing was the tombstone in front of them!
He and Runsheng hid behind this tombstone for a long time.

Li Zhuiyuan slowly lowered his head and saw a very long shadow extending out from under his feet. Obviously, he was not that tall, so this shadow could not be his.

Therefore,
it,
He has always been standing behind himself and Runsheng.

(End of this chapter)