Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 40

"Looking back slowly, the night that once belonged to each other.

Honghong is still you, giving me the sunshine in my heart.

......"

As the song started, Secretary Kim's Cantonese pronunciation was very standard, her singing was very professional, and her stage movements were more natural.

Unlike Xiao Huangying, I remember when she was speaking with the microphone, her Mandarin was mixed with Nantong dialect.

But Li Zhuiyuan still thinks that the little yellow warbler sings better.

It was this song of the little yellow warbler that led me to a path I had never imagined before.

Of course, it is possible to find a realistic reason.

For example, the little yellow warbler poured her emotions into singing this song, but Secretary Jin just wanted to finish the day's routine as soon as possible so that she could dig graves at night.

At first, there was no ripple on the surface of the fish pond.

But when Secretary Kim sang:
"Even if there are thousands of songs in the future, floating on my distant road; even if there are thousands of stars in the future, brighter than the moon tonight..."

Li Zhuiyuan swayed a little and felt sleepy, especially in his shoulders, where he could vaguely feel a familiar chill, as if his old cold legs could predict changes in the weather.

He knew that the little yellow warbler was listening and seemed to be unable to hold back.

Li Zhuiyuan took a deep breath and forced himself to wake up. He couldn't do anything evil at this moment.

“Dingwu!————”

A harsh electric sound came out of the speakers, and everyone present covered their ears. The children began to scream, and the people from the troupe on the stage came forward to debug the equipment. It could be seen that they were generally both familiar and unfamiliar with it.

Everyone should know how to operate and use it, but they don’t use it very often in daily life.

The equipment is all old, and the team is most afraid of running out of work, so this shouldn't be the case.

Li Zhuiyuan slowly lowered his hands and quietly made a gesture of silence.

He didn't know whether the little yellow warbler could see him or understand what he meant.

But the current out-of-control emotions would only make these water monkeys feel weird in advance so they could prepare themselves.

Be patient,
Wait until night and then deal with it properly.

quickly,

The electronic music disappeared and the equipment returned to normal.

This situation is quite common on the current performance stage. The villagers, who had previously covered their ears in discomfort, continued to chat and laugh, and no one left.

Secretary Jin took the microphone and apologized to everyone repeatedly. Then the background music started again and she sang "Thousands of Songs" again.

There was impatience in her eyes. If she had some professionalism before, now she was simply going through the motions. She even didn't sing the chorus and handed the microphone to the audience.

During the first chorus, there were some outgoing adults and noisy children singing their own versions of Cantonese. But when she continued to hand over the microphone for the second chorus, no one followed and the scene became completely deserted.

"Sing, sing."

"Hurry up and sing, sing."

Someone below is urging me.

Secretary Kim still maintained her professional smile and brushed the song off, not taking it seriously at all.

After the song ended, Secretary Jin threw the microphone to the person next to her, walked to the corner and started talking to a few people.

A man dressed in an exaggerated manner came on stage and performed a magic trick with playing cards.

Li Zhuiyuan followed a group of children and leaned to the side of the stage. He could barely hear Secretary Jin and the others complaining about why it hadn't ended yet.

He had noticed before that all ten people in the troupe spoke Mandarin with the same accent.

For this banquet, the chef and those responsible for washing vegetables, dishes and serving the food were all villagers invited by the village chief.

This means that this group of water monkeys is only concentrated in this troupe.

However, there is one thing that needs attention. Are there any other people assigned to stand guard outside?

When the magic show ended, Li Zhuiyuan stepped back and left the crowd while clapping along with everyone else.

Runsheng had been waiting on a tricycle by the roadside in front of Big Beard's house.

Li Zhuiyuan got on the bike and said, "Brother Runsheng, follow this path to the village road and keep riding forward. Don't stop."

"okay!"

Runsheng started riding his bike, and Tan Wenbin's voice came from behind: "Wait for me, wait for me!"

On the village road, a tricycle was in front, and a big boy was running behind it.

This scene is full of life and can avoid causing alarm as much as possible.

On the electric tower in the middle of the farmland west of Big Beard's house, an electrician in gray and white work clothes was sitting on it.

This should have been a very normal scene, but Li Zhuiyuan used the result to reverse the situation and look for evidence.

He soon discovered that something was wrong with the electrician. There were two bags filled with food and water hanging on the shelf next to the electrician.

But this place is not surrounded by mountains and is not uninhabited. When you want to eat or drink, you can easily go down to the ground. There is really no need to bring it up there.

"Brother Runsheng, turn around and go in another direction."

"it is good!"

When the tricycle turned around, Tan Wenbin finally climbed onto the vehicle. He panted and said, "You...you don't leave me behind."

"Brother Binbin, we need you now."

"Really?"

When the tricycle reached the east side of Big Beard's house, another electric tower appeared in sight in the distance.

"Brother Binbin, go down and chase the car."

"what?"

"Brother, hurry up."

Seeing that Li Zhuiyuan didn't seem to be joking, Tan Wenbin immediately jumped off the tricycle and continued as he did before, chasing the car while shouting "I haven't gotten on the car yet" and waving his arms exaggeratedly.

The car approached the electric tower, where there was also an electrician. However, perhaps because the village road on the west side led to the main road and his side was the heart of the village, he seemed rather lazy, leaning against the beam with a cigarette in his hand.

"Brother Runsheng, go south to Aunt Zhang's store."

"it is good."

On the way south, I met another person, but this person was treated a little worse. He didn't have a telephone tower, only a telephone pole, so he could only use tools to hang himself on it.

Out of caution, after passing him, Li Zhuiyuan continued south to Aunt Zhang's store and bought some things.

Tan Wenbin asked for a pack of Xiaosu cigarettes.

Of course, he paid for it himself.

I saw him tear off the wrapping paper and then tore off a piece of it skillfully, then peeled off a corner of the cigarette box, turned it upside down on his palm and flicked it, and a few half-smoked cigarettes fell out.

"Runsheng, want one?"

Runsheng glanced back and continued to focus on riding his bike: "No."

"Brother Xiaoyuan, do you want it?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head.

Tan Wenbin had no choice but to bite one himself, took out a match, blocked it with his palm, and lit it.

“Hiss… huh… cough cough cough… ugh!”

First, he started coughing continuously due to choking, then tears came out, and finally he started to dry heave.

It can be seen that the moves are very gorgeous. I guess he has imitated and practiced them many times in his mind, but he can't smoke.

Tan Wenbin said a little embarrassedly: "I'm a little nervous and want to relax."

Obviously no one told him what he was doing, and even he himself didn't know what was happening, but he was able to find enough sense of involvement.

It’s easy to go north, because Li Sanjiang’s house is just north of Da Huzi’s house.

On the way, we passed a telephone pole with one hanging on it.

Li Zhuiyuan can now be sure that these four electricians are disguised as water monkeys.

Even when inspecting rural power facilities, so many people would not be deployed at once and arranged so densely. Usually one electrician would inspect a large area by himself.

But unless they pay attention, most people really won't notice anything unusual. Everyone is familiar with the electricians who occasionally appear on the telephone poles, and because they are basically not from the village or town, few people will go up and say hello.

After returning home and going to the workshop, Li Zhuiyuan took out a pen and paper and drew a rough sketch of the farmland, river and electric poles with Big Beard's house as the center.

Runsheng and Tan Wenbin leaned over, one on the left and one on the right, and were also looking at the pictures very seriously.

In the rural areas of the plains, there are people on the four surrounding high points. These are the ones that are known and visible. There may be more observation posts that have not been discovered, or those that were not there during the day may be added at night.

Originally, Li Zhuiyuan planned to wait until nightfall, and then he and Runsheng would sneak into the fish pond of Big Beard's house with their equipment.

It now seems impossible. There are many people around during the day and it can hide them. There are basically no people on the village roads at night. Moreover, when they are digging the grave, the guards outside will definitely be more alert.

Li Zhuiyuan: "There are ten people in the troupe, and at least four more outside. Counting Ding Dalin and the two who are now lying in the hospital, the size of this group of water monkeys is almost 20."

"So many people?" Runsheng scratched his head. "I thought this kind of work could be done by one or two people."

Li Zhuiyuan smiled. It is more difficult to rob a water tomb, and the population in water areas is usually not too sparse. Therefore, the water monkeys are generally larger in size, and their main goal is to dig quickly and leave quickly.

"Brother Runsheng, the problem now is how can we sneak in at night without being discovered."

The means prepared by my side are all used to assist the little yellow warbler. If I can't observe from the side, I will have no way of grasping the timing of action. It is impossible for Runsheng to fight with the water monkeys before the little yellow warbler appears.

If this is the case, you might as well call the police now.

"Um, Xiaoyuan, can we go this way?"

Runsheng stretched out his hand and pointed along the river in the picture.

The river is very close to Big Beard's home and the fish pond.

"Walking into the river?"

"Yes, Xiaoyuan, we can walk under the water, get on the shore after we get here, and hide in the haystack. To breathe, we can each hold a straw in our mouths."

At first, Li Zhuiyuan thought this proposal was unreliable, but after thinking about it carefully, he found it surprisingly feasible.

Runsheng is very strong and good at swimming, and he has experience in fighting life and death underwater. The twelve formation flags and the corpse-retriever's harness can give him enough weight to allow him to walk underwater.

At the same time, the haystacks on shore are very close to the fish pond.

The only drawback is that if I go with him, I'm afraid I'll have to tie Runsheng up with a rope, and the posture will be a bit ugly.

"Brother Runsheng, your suggestion is very good. Let's do it this way for the time being."

After receiving the recognition, Runsheng smiled. He knew that watching more movies was useful.

"Yes, that's a great idea." Tan Wenbin nodded. "So, can you tell me what we are going to do tonight?"

"Brother Binbin, I will tell you everything after dinner."

"Brother Xiaoyuan, you won't lie to me?"

"will not."

"Okay, I believe you."

The dinner started very early, everyone was asked to take their seats at five o'clock, and the dishes were served very quickly.

Li Zhuiyuan brought Tan Wenbin to find Li Sanjiang again, and they sat down to have a meal together.

The redness on Li Sanjiang's face from drinking at noon had not yet faded. He felt his stomach and didn't feel very hungry, so he asked Ding Dalin who was sitting next to him:

"Why is the banquet starting so early?"

"Sanjiang Hou, you know, I'm abroad and have jet lag."

"Oh, that's how it is."

This was a lame excuse, but now that the food was being served, there was no need to say anything more.

Moreover, the kitchen serves food very quickly in the evening, with hot dishes arriving one after another.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that this was all done to end the party early and buy more time to dig the grave at night.

During the meal, Secretary Jin walked up to Ding Dalin and whispered something.

Ding Dalin looked at Li Sanjiang and said, "Marquis Sanjiang, do you have any lanterns at home?"

"Lantern? Yes."

Li Sanjiang's family has some basic items for weddings and funerals, which are convenient for renting out.

This does not refer to paper lanterns, but those that can be recycled.

"It is a special custom in our place that we have to hang two strings of red and white lanterns on the roof of the house on the night of the housewarming. Unfortunately, the lanterns that we originally ordered were delayed and cannot be delivered tonight."

"That's nothing." Li Sanjiang looked at Li Zhuiyuan, "Little Marquis Yuan, go home and ask Runsheng to bring the lanterns over, and then help them hang them up."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

"Go after you finish eating, there's no rush."

"I'm not hungry, Master."

Li Zhuiyuan left the table, and Tan Wenbin picked up a chicken leg and quickly followed.

He ran in the afternoon, so his digestion was faster.

The last time Brother Liangliang told me about his experience of going to Baijia Town, he mentioned the two strings of lanterns hanging on the archway at the gate of Baijia Town.

This actually has a meaning. Red represents human affairs, white represents ghost stories. Red and white lanterns are hung high, and neither yin nor yang goes with each other.

The reason why Baijia Town puts this up is because of its special nature. The ladies of the Baijia are in a stage where they are neither human nor ghost.

The water monkeys do this as part of their tradition, in order to ensure smooth sailing, peace in the world of the living and no disturbance in the underworld.

However, this gave Li Zhuiyuan a new idea.

When he got home, Runsheng had already packed the battle flags and body-recovering equipment with white plastic sheeting, and he also had a strap across his upper body.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that this was used to tie himself up when preparing to go into the water.

"Brother Runsheng, the plan has changed. I found a better way to get in."

"Ah, Xiaoyuan, what are you going to do?"

"The most dangerous place is the safest place. Since there are high points guarding all around, we might as well not even think about going out and then going back in."

"I still don't understand." Runsheng shook his head.

"I understood a little, but I want to listen more." Tan Wenbin held his chin with his hand, his eyes thoughtful.

Li Zhuiyuan tilted his head towards him, and Runsheng understood this action. He directly lifted Tan Wenbin up, forcibly took him to the workshop behind the house, then took a rope and tied his hands and feet.

"No, no, you can't do this, Brother Xiaoyuan, you promised to tell me everything."

"Well, I'll tell you now."

Li Zhuiyuan squatted down in front of Tan Wenbin and told him everything about the water monkey and the main cave.

After listening to this, Tan Wenbin showed an extremely excited expression on his face: "So exciting!"

Then, he moved his bound hands and feet again: "But what are you going to do?"

"Brother Binbin, what does your grandfather do?"

"Policeman, my grandfather is also a policeman."

"So what are you going to do in the future?"

"I can do anything, but I won't be a police officer."

"Don't say anything in anger. What you say during your rebellious period is not accurate. You will definitely be a police officer in the future."

"I don't want to do it..."

"Block it up."

"woo woo woo woo!"

Runsheng quickly covered Tan Wenbin's mouth.

"Brother Runsheng, did you just hear what Binbin said?"

"He said he didn't..."

"He said that he would become a policeman in the future."

"Oh, yes, that's right."

"A family of police officers."

Li Zhuiyuan came forward and put his arm around Tan Wenbin.

There is no time to go to the police station to get a plaque, but it’s the same if I just give you a hug, for good luck.

When Li Zhuiyuan stood up, Runsheng also came over and hugged him tightly, squeezing Tan Wenbin so hard that he rolled his eyes.

"Brother Binbin, we are doing this for your safety. Next time we have the chance to see a kinder dead body, we will take you to see it."

"That's right." Runsheng chimed in, "Human beings are much more dangerous than death."

Next, Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng put the things into the lantern cover and carried them to Big Beard's house.

At this time, the first batch has finished and the second batch is eating.

Li Sanjiang and Ding Dalin were still drinking. When they saw Runsheng coming, Li Sanjiang waved and urged him, "Hurry up and help him hang it up."

"Okay, uncle."

Runsheng and Li Zhuiyuan went up to the second floor. There was an open area on the second floor with a ladder next to it, which led to the roof.

After setting up the ladder and carrying the things up, Runsheng began to prop up the lanterns, stringing the ropes together one by one, then lighting them one by one and sending them down.

The east side is red and the west side is white.

After finishing, Li Zhuiyuan said, "Brother Runsheng, I'll go down and move the ladder back. You stay up there and get ready to pick me up."

"Xiaoyuan, there's no need to be so troublesome."

Runsheng jumped down, hooked his feet on the edge in time, and swung down.

Then he grabbed the ladder and swung it using his waist to return it to its original position against the wall.

Then he exerted force again, retracted his upper body, grabbed the edge with both hands, pulled himself back little by little, and finally put the lid back on. The whole set of movements was completed in one go.

Li Zhuiyuan could only sigh in his heart again at Runsheng's terrible physical fitness.

But this is something that people are born with, and you can’t envy it;
I just don't know whether Uncle Qin, who can grow bloody gills when swimming, is born that way or has developed it through training.

Li Zhuiyuan feels that he has made great progress recently because of his persistence in breathing and horse stance. However, all his hard work may just be to catch up with others at the starting line.

At this time, the boy felt a little rejection and disgust towards the genius. Why?
"Xiao Yuan, what if they come up to investigate?"

"Brother Runsheng, there are always unexpected events in everything you do."

"Right."

The local roofs are just roofs and do not serve as gathering places for people. Therefore, no one would go up there unless the house is leaking.

Most of the roof was covered with large red tiles laid at an angle and surrounded by small concrete walls on all four sides. The walls were very low and not even wide enough for people to squat, so Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng had no choice but to lie down.

Runsheng was very close to the opening, holding a Yellow River shovel in his hand.

His shovel was modified by Li Zhuiyuan, so it was bigger, heavier, and had a longer cutting edge.

It would have been fine if the water monkey hadn't come to check the roof, but if he dared to push open the cover and stick his head out, what awaited him would be a shovel from Runsheng.

Li Zhuiyuan gently covered his chest with his right hand and felt his heart pounding. He was a little nervous, but more excited.

Brother Binbin, I didn't lie to you, this is really fun.

The reason why I didn’t take you with me is because I didn’t want to increase the probability of accidents, and I still want to be able to continue playing in the future.

Occasionally, Li Zhuiyuan would raise his head slightly. He happened to be facing the fish pond, and the opera troupe's stage was right next to the fish pond, so he had a very good view.

Gradually, the second batch ended and everyone began to disperse.

Li Zhuiyuan heard Li Sanjiang's voice. He was drunk and held Ding Dalin's hand, muttering: "Good brother, for life!"

It can be seen that Ding Dalin had been perfunctory all the time and it was difficult for him to persuade Li Sanjiang to leave.

Originally, the chefs, kitchen assistants and helpers were supposed to eat the last meal, but they were all given red envelopes and were allowed to take the leftovers away, so everyone left happily.

The noisy and lively party soon became quiet.

The loudspeakers and speakers on the stage were turned up in volume, and they continued to bang and sing.

All the members of the opera troupe came down. Instead of helping to clean up the dishes, tables and chairs, they started to check the house and its surroundings.

Secretary Jin picked up a flashlight, turned it on, and spun it in a circle.

Soon, flashlights flashed in response from six high points on the periphery.

One of them is on top of a haystack by the river.

Li Zhuiyuan secretly thought that this was a close call. According to the original plan, he and Runsheng would hide in the haystack after sneaking up from underwater. This meant that the mouse would really jump into the mousetrap on its own initiative.

Footsteps were also heard on the balcony on the second floor below, and someone was checking each room one by one.

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head and looked at Runsheng. Runsheng was putting his ear to the ground with the Yellow River shovel in his hand ready at any time.

After a while, the footsteps disappeared. Li Zhuiyuan followed the drainage hole on the small concrete wall in front of him and saw that they had gathered on the dam.

It seems that they have completed the inspection and spared the roof. It is dark under the light, and it really works.

Ding Dalin changed into a bright yellow Taoist robe and held a peach wood sword.

An altar was placed before him, with candles and offerings on it.

Ding Dalin began to perform the technique. Unlike Li Sanjiang, Ding Dalin performed the technique very quickly.

After all, they are just going through the process before the water monkey opens the tomb, and the grandfather sometimes has to take care of the host's emotions and perform for a while longer so that the host feels that the money is well spent.

But it is undeniable that Ding Dalin's movements and manners are much more standard and professional than those of his great-grandfather.

There is quite a difference between the singing of Secretary Kim and the singing of the little yellow warbler during the day.

Li Zhuiyuan was stunned for a moment and rubbed his eyebrows with his hands. He wondered what he was thinking.

After the ceremony was completed, Ding Dalin did not take off his Taoist robe, but replaced the peach wood sword with a compass and turned around in place, looking at it.

This compass is purple all over and very large. It is richly carved and inlaid. And like the wall clock in the foreign-related hotel, there is a row of small circles outside the big circle, representing the time in different regions.

Li Zhuiyuan pursed his lips. Compared with this purple compass, the one he made specially was far inferior. He had to do mental calculations to calibrate it every time he used it.

At this moment, Secretary Jin took the lead, and a total of ten water monkeys all knelt on one knee in front of Ding Dalin.

Ding Dalin stared at the compass and slowly raised his hand:

"The auspicious time has arrived, let's get started!"

Everyone raised one hand and recited something in unison. After they finished reciting, they stood up and went about their work separately.

The advantage of a water tomb over a traditional earth tomb is that the probability of an air force attack is low.

However, water tombs are more difficult to rob than earth tombs, and the risk factor is also higher. All such industries will derive many complicated rituals and etiquette, which are not only for worshiping ghosts and gods, but also for strengthening one's own psychological preparation.

A lot of things were moved out from under the stage, and what was visible at a glance were two water pumps and a diesel generator.

There was also something like a noose loop, and two people were systematically building a rack.

As the times change, the water monkeys' tomb-robbing methods are naturally improving.

The noise of the pump was covered by the speaker. The water pipe led to the river nearby. Soon, the water level in the fish pond dropped at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Runsheng also moved over at this time, since there was no risk at the cover.

"Xiaoyuan, when you need me to go down and plant the flag, tell me."

"Well, it's still early."

The opportunity to plant the flag came when the little yellow warbler and the water monkeys were facing each other. Only when they became confused did he and Runsheng have the chance to run to the periphery to make arrangements while the chaos was going on.

The fish pond began to dry up, revealing the mud at the bottom and many dead and rotten fish and crabs.

The water monkeys laughed, thinking they were closer to their goal.

But Li Zhuiyuan knew clearly that if there was a dead fish in a small fish pond, there would be no hope of raising aquatic products there.

Therefore, this scene was not caused by the main cave.

Five water monkeys wearing waterproof suits went down to the fish pond. They held retractable iron rods in their hands and stabbed the ground. Then they took out the iron rods and took out the soil from the interlayer at a specific height.

Ding Dalin was sitting by the fish pond. The compass had long been put aside. He was holding a large bowl and a wooden spoon in his hands.

The deep soil was brought over one by one and poured into his bowl, and he picked up a wooden spoon to taste it.

"Oh my god, Xiaoyuan, look, he's actually eating mud."

"Well, I see it."

Li Zhuiyuan didn't quite understand why Runsheng reacted so strongly. After all, eating mud was strange, but it was still much more normal than eating something delicious.

Although there is no relevant record of the action of eating mud in the book, Li Zhuiyuan could still understand its intention, which should be a way of determining the position.

Ding Dalin took a bite and shook his head for five consecutive times.

The water monkeys continued to choose positions to start piercing, and then continued to provide new mud.

Finally, Ding Dalin nodded after tasting it and pointed to that place.

Everyone picked up a shovel and started digging. After digging a pit, they took out pieces of steel plates and began hammering them in. There were locks between the steel plates, and they were all put in place after they were buried in the ground.

When it is finished, the rope is tied and connected to the hinge machine, and the machine starts to turn.

A large piece of earth was dug out and dragged out of the fish pond.

Using an excavator is too conspicuous, so this thing plays the role of an excavator. In addition, when you touch the tomb later, you can use it to violently open the lid.

Digging holes is too time-consuming and laborious, unless the housewarming party is held for a whole month.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that they didn't use detonators not because they were kind, but simply because the conditions did not allow it.

But even if excavation continues in the current way, the damage to the tomb will be great.

They just wanted to open the tomb as soon as possible, take out the most valuable things inside, and then run away and sell the stolen goods abroad.

With the excavation of steel plates and manual labor, a deep pit soon appeared.

Fortunately, Li Zhuiyuan is on the rooftop now. If he were in other positions, it would be impossible to see the details of the construction.

Runsheng asked in a low voice: "Xiaoyuan, isn't Xiao Huangying at home?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "He should be at home."

In the afternoon, I also felt the little yellow warbler listening to the opera.

"Xiao Yuan, tell me, is there a possibility that she got scared when she saw so many people coming to her house, and then she ran away?"

"This……"

Li Zhuiyuan was not sure either, because the fact was that the water monkeys had progressed to this point and no abnormal changes had occurred.

It is described in "Jianghu Zhiguai Lu" that the dead fall basically acts on instinct, but the advanced dead fall will give rise to wisdom.

This group of water monkeys is large in number and very professional, so it is normal to avoid them.

But Li Zhuiyuan still didn't think that the little yellow warbler would just run away like that.

“I dug it up! I dug it up!”

"Found it, saw it!"

The water monkeys at the bottom of the pit were wearing safety helmets with lights on their heads, and they were cheering excitedly.

Li Zhuiyuan also saw a circular top dug out in the pit.

Because the silt on top has not been cleaned, the original color cannot be seen clearly, but from the shape, it looks very much like the spire of a temple.

Li Zhuiyuan was shocked. It turned out that this was not an ordinary water burial tomb.

There are many types of water burials, and the one that is most prone to taboos and the most difficult to deal with is the temple tomb.

Because of its existence, the ancients often used it to suppress some kind of evil spirit.

It can be said that the probability of something happening in other tombs is actually not very high, but the probability of nothing happening in this kind of tomb is not very high.

Just like the statue of Goddess Bai that was dug out from the river a while ago, its original purpose was to suppress, but as soon as the chains were broken, strange things happened that night.

The small temple with a statue of a human being built by the Bai family's mother is simply incomparable to the arc-shaped roof that is now revealed.

This seems to be a real tower, and the top of the tower structure is often the smallest, so how big is its entire scale?
Of course, it was not just Li Zhuiyuan who was surprised. As the person in charge at the scene, Ding Dalin's expression suddenly became very ugly.

He didn't care about his age, he went into the pit, took a flashlight and began to wipe away the silt, observing the details. Then, he seemed to have discovered something, shook his body, glanced at the other water monkeys around him, and waved his hand.

Secretary Jin also jumped down and asked, "What's wrong?"

"This is a temple tomb and cannot be opened."

"why?"

"I have been to temple tombs several times, and none of them were peaceful and stable. Once this kind of tomb is opened, evil will inevitably appear afterwards."

"Are there any good things in this kind of tomb?"

"I said, you can't open it."

"It has come to this, and you just say you don't want to open it? This operation cost so much money, and two brothers died. Now they are being kept in the hospital by the police and can't leave."

"Listen to me, you all said so, listen to me, I'm the boss!"

Secretary Jin reached out his hand, grabbed Ding Dalin's neck, and said coldly:
"Old man, we have to open this tomb today. The police have noticed us. We have to finish this job so that we can hide. Without money, there is no point in hiding!"

"You...you are willing to sacrifice your life for money...?"

"What's the point of living without money?"

Secretary Jin pulled out a dagger and rubbed it against Ding Dalin's face: "Old man, I'll give you one more chance."

"I'll drive...I'll drive..."

"Great, what do we do next?"

Secretary Jin let go of his hand, and Ding Dalin covered his neck and gasped as he answered:
"Small temple tombs require locking, while large temple tombs require sealing, all in order to nail the things inside. To open this kind of tomb, there is no other way but to use the clumsy method of first making a crack along the lower corner and then pulling it with external force.

But I advise you to think about it again, really."

"Oh, if you're scared, just go up and find a place to hide and don't get in the way."

"It's hard to persuade with good words..." Ding Dalin took one last look at the pit, then climbed out, then climbed out of the fish pond and came outside.

He picked up the compass again, held it in his arms, lowered his head and kept muttering to himself as if he was praying.

"Xiao Yuan, that old man isn't the boss?"

"When he can lead everyone to make money, he is the boss. If he hinders everyone from making money, then he is not the boss."

Li Zhuiyuan saw it, and old man Ding also recognized the temple tomb, but it was obvious that his words were useless now.

The hooks were fixed one by one, and after a gesture was made here, the machine was started there.

But even though the ropes were stretched tight, they still couldn't bring the roof down; instead, the arc-shaped top tilted.

In other words, the tower is leaning.

"Go and pry it open!" Secretary Jin has now replaced Ding Dalin's command position.

A group of water monkeys started to pry and smash with tools. They were all busy and sweating, and time passed by every second.

"Xiaoyuan, why can't they open it yet?" Runsheng yawned. He was a little sleepy.

Li Zhuiyuan also felt a little bored. Roughly speaking, this group of water monkeys had been busy for nearly two hours.

During this time, someone left due to exhaustion, and a new person came to continue the work. I think he switched shifts with the observation post.

"Click..."

Hearing this, Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng quickly perked up, it seemed that there was finally some progress.

Now that a gap appeared, it would be easier to break the wall. With the creaking sound of the noose, the cable was finally pulled back suddenly, and the entire arc top was lifted out, revealing the inside.

At present, it is still unclear whether it is the top of the tower or the tomb corridor.

The water monkeys were experienced and retreated one after another. No one was stupid enough to rush in at this time.

After a while, seeing that there was still no movement inside, Secretary Jin threw several flares into the room, but it seemed to be very deep inside and the light soon disappeared after he threw them in.

A water monkey brought a long pole with a rooster tied to the end. He pushed the pole inside, and after a while, the pole was retracted and the rooster was still alive.

"It's safe down there."

The pole was thrown directly out and fell far away.

Secretary Jin nodded: "Go down and explore the way."

After the two water monkeys tied ropes around themselves, they officially entered the tomb.

"Xiao Yuan, what should we do? The dead man hasn't come out yet. Don't let them succeed in stealing it."

Li Zhuiyuan sighed and said, "Then we..."

Just then, Li Zhuiyuan saw Ding Dalin walking towards the rooster that was still tied to the pole. He squatted down and stretched out his hand.

The rooster suddenly broke free from its restraints and pecked his palm hard.

Li Zhuiyuan saw this scene clearly from above, but even he could not figure out how the rooster did it.

Because there were still some of the rooster's feathers and even chicken skin left on the pole, it almost jumped out of its body to peck people.

Moreover, after pecking the person, it seemed even more excited, and kept "clucking" wildly in the same place.

This scene was very creepy. Although he often ate chicken, it was the first time that Li Zhuiyuan saw a bloody chicken walking around.

Ding Dalin didn't care about the bloody hole on his palm at this time, and turned to Secretary Jin and his gang and shouted:

“It’s coming out, it’s coming out, it’s coming out!”

"Old man, be quiet!" Secretary Jin cursed.

At this time, the water monkeys all gathered around the entrance of the fish pond, waiting for a response from inside. Due to their line of sight, they could not see the chicken.

Secretary Jin pointed at someone and said, "Go up and see what happened to the old man."

"it is good."

Before the man could go up, there was a sound of pulling on the two ropes. This was a signal from the two people who had gone in that they were planning to come out.

Everyone outside breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that it was safe inside. All they had to do was wait for the two people who went in to come out and explain the situation, and then they could all go in and move their things.

Secretary Jin ordered, "Pull the rope."

The people outside began to reel in the rope, not to pull them, but just slowly lifted it up, which meant that the two people who had gone in were walking steadily out.

Not long after, they came out.

"There are good things in there, lots of good things!"

"There are too many things, but they are too heavy for the two of us to carry. There is also a coffin, black, tied with chains, very noble, there must be treasures inside!"

Everyone showed excitement on their faces, and someone came up to help them untie the ropes.

But at this moment, the two men untied the rope themselves.

Not using his hands, but his entire body, he crawled out from his clothes, no, from the top of his head.

"There are good things in there, lots of good things!"

"Go move it, go move it!"

The two bloody men were dancing with joy on the spot, and continued to urge their companions to go to the grave quickly.

This strange and terrifying scene stunned all the water monkeys present.

They are all veterans in this business. They have been to many tombs and have seen some things happen, but none of them can compare to what is happening now!
After opening the tomb, there was no fog, no poison, and no one was seen falling dead. They were just sharing their joy when this horrifying scene suddenly appeared.

"Tie them up!"

Secretary Jin gave the order, then immediately turned over, left the edge of the cave, jumped over the fish pond, and went to find Ding Dalin.

"Something's wrong, Boss!"

Secretary Jin saw Ding Dalin leaning against a piece of earth with his head shrunk. His voice was hoarse but he was still mumbling: "It's coming out... It's coming out..."

"Something happened, Boss, come and take a look."

Ding Dalin ignored Secretary Jin's words and continued to repeat what he had said before.

"I told you something happened!"

Secretary Jin kicked Ding Dalin on the back.

"His..."

There was a crisp sound of flesh being torn, and Ding Dalin's Taoist robe and the human skin underneath were still left in place, with gray hair on his scalp, and a bloody man was kicked out, rolling on the ground, with a lot of dirt and pebbles embedded in his flesh and blood.

But even so, the bloody man continued to squat on the ground, muttering:

“It’s coming out…it’s coming out…”

Secretary Jin took two steps back and watched all this in disbelief, because she knew that Ding Dalin had just been outside the fish pond. If even he was like this, then the others...

Secretary Jin turned around and looked at the hole in the fish pond. There, a group of bloody people were crawling out and running around in circles in the drained fish pond.

Her face was full of fear, and she raised her hand and touched her face.

The moment she touched it, her skin cracked.

Just like taking off clothes, all the skin and clothes on his body fell to the ground.

The evening breeze was like a knife, cutting into her exposed blood vessels. She squatted down and began to scream.

All this actually happened in less than a minute.

Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng both widened their eyes, turned their heads and slowly looked at each other.

Runsheng based his thinking on the plot in the movie, while Li Zhuiyuan deduced the situation in his own mind. In short, they had both imagined various ways that events could develop tonight, but they had never thought that it would come to this.

The little yellow warbler did not appear, but the scene below at this moment was countless times more terrifying than if the little yellow warbler appeared.

Even if they were water monkeys and deserved to die, they were still a group of living people. How could they just come out naked like peeling shrimps?
Of all the deaths we have experienced before, which one could have led to the situation we are experiencing today?

At this time, the blood-red Secretary Jin stopped screaming. She staggered to her feet, took out the flashlight from her clothes, turned it on, raised it above her head, and turned it left and right.

She was signaling with lights.

Soon, lights responded from six high points on the periphery, and during the response process, the lights were moving downwards.

Li Zhuiyuan suddenly realized that she was deliberately using light signal to call her accomplices outside.

The result of shouting is...

Why did she do this?
Li Zhuiyuan suddenly thought of a possibility: this thing wants everyone who knows what is happening here to keep it secret forever.

Is my current position safe?
"Xiao Yuan, what happened to them? Why didn't I see who did it..."

Below, Secretary Jin, who had his back to the house, lowered his arms and began to turn around.

Li Zhuiyuan: “Run!”

Runsheng was stunned for a moment, then immediately came to the lid and was about to open it, but Li Zhuiyuan patted him on the back several times:
"Brother, it's too late, just jump down, there is a pile of firewood behind the house."

"it is good!"

Runsheng didn't hesitate, he stood up, rushed over and jumped down.

There was indeed a pile of firewood below, but it was not very high. The drop from the roof was still quite large. After falling down, Runsheng lost his balance and fell sideways, with his skin scratched by the firewood branches in several places.

But he didn't even make a sound, and immediately forced himself to stand up, facing upwards, and at this time, Li Zhuiyuan also jumped down.

Runsheng raised his arms and hugged Li Zhuiyuan.

But even so, Li Zhuiyuan still felt a tightness in his chest and severe pain in his ribs. His nose even rubbed against Runsheng's arm, and now warm liquid was flowing down.

It is naturally impossible to force yourself downstairs in this way without paying a price.

"Xiaoyuan, are you okay?"

"run……"

Li Zhuiyuan pointed forward, Runsheng nodded, and immediately carried the boy on his back. After jumping off the firewood pile, he quickly crossed the village road and then disappeared into the farmland ahead.

At this moment, they didn't have to worry about being seen by the sentries outside. First, they had already left the high point, and second, they were running towards the fish pond of the bearded man.

Runsheng carried the boy and walked through the rice fields. The rice ears hit his face and it was painful, as if he felt a sense of being cut.

This feeling is very scary at the moment, because it is impossible to be sure whether it is caused by the rice ears or your own skin that is about to break.

Li Zhuiyuan was bleeding. He wanted to raise his neck to stop the bleeding, but he couldn't do it because of Runsheng running below him.

Runsheng was also bleeding. He was very scared and didn't dare to stop at all.

Ever since he could remember accompanying his grandfather to retrieve corpses, he had never seen such a horrifying scene.

Finally, Runsheng ran out of the farmland, got on the road, and then followed the road to his home in one breath.

In the workshop, Tan Wenbin had already fallen asleep.

Suddenly, the door opened, and then he saw two people covered in blood coming in. He was so scared that his face turned pale.

Li Zhuiyuan raised his head, folded a paper ball and stuffed it into his nostrils.

After a lot of effort, the nosebleed finally stopped. He rubbed his chest again. Although his ribs still hurt, it was not a big problem.

Runsheng picked up a pair of tweezers and pulled out the wooden splinters that had pierced his skin and flesh one by one.

After they finished their respective tasks, they sat facing each other, breathing heavily.

There was helplessness in Runsheng's eyes, he was terrified.

Li Zhuiyuan's eyes were filled with confusion, as this question was beyond the scope of the syllabus.

The commotion caused by the ladies of the Bai family last time was far less shocking and bizarre than tonight.

After all, the methods used by the Bai family's wife are understandable, and methods can be found to crack them, but the situation at the bearded man's fish pond just now left no clue at all.

Until now, Li Zhuiyuan still has a deep sense of unreality. Why would such a thing be buried in Siyuan Village?

Just by opening the tomb lid, a large group of people ended up like this. How terrifying must the existence in there be?
Li Zhuiyuan now has to doubt whether Aunt Liu can still cover up the truth.
Looking at the two of them like this, Tan Wenbin knew that something big must have happened. He was very curious and wanted to know, but the two of them seemed to have forgotten that he was still tied up and gagged, so he could only attract their attention by shaking constantly, wriggling like a happy maggot.

Finally, their eyes fell on him, and there was surprise in their eyes.

Tan Wenbin paused for a moment, then squirmed even more violently. No, what kind of look is that? You actually forgot my existence!

Runsheng let go of Tan Wenbin. Tan Wenbin wanted to ask something, but immediately clamped his legs together, padded out of the workshop and went to the toilet.

"Xiaoyuan, I feel a little itchy, but I don't dare to scratch it."

Li Zhuiyuan raised his head and saw that Runsheng's skin was dark red.

He immediately looked down at himself and seemed to be a little red.

"Xiao Yuan, we're not going to be like that, are we?"

"No, if it were to happen, it would have happened a long time ago."

"I'll go rinse it with well water." Runsheng walked out of the workshop.

After relaxing, Tan Wenbin walked in. He was not angry, but took the initiative to come over again and asked curiously:
"Tell me, what happened?"

"Brother Binbin, wait for Brother Runsheng to tell you."

"Still feeling scared?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

"Is it that serious?" Tan Wenbin hesitated for a moment and asked, "How about calling the police now?"

"No, don't do that. You can't get close to that place now."

Runsheng, who was soaking wet and wearing only a pair of shorts, came back barefoot: "Xiaoyuan, flushing with well water really works. My skin is not red anymore. Come here and I'll flush you too."

Although he couldn't understand the principle behind this, Li Zhuiyuan went there anyway. Several buckets of well water were poured over his head, and his body began to shiver subconsciously.

But it is true that the red color that was previously present on the body has faded.

"Xiaoyuan, it seems that our problem is not serious."

"Well, maybe we are a little far away."

"Besides, we ran fast. Luckily you reminded me to jump off the building directly. Otherwise, if we waited and walked down the stairs, we might have been cooked."

Hearing this, Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but imagine a scene in his mind of a big blood clot carrying a small blood clot running in the rice field.

"Oh!" Runsheng's expression changed.

"what happened?"

"The battle flag is still on the roof, and my set of body-retrieving equipment is still there!"

Seeing Runsheng with a look of regret and pain, Li Zhuiyuan could only comfort him: "It's okay, Brother Runsheng, we can make another set of equipment."

Then, in order to prevent Runsheng from doing something stupid, Li Zhuiyuan reminded him: "Brother, you are not allowed to sneak back to get things without my consent."

Runsheng waved his hands and said, "How dare I? I don't dare. I'm really scared this time."

"Go to bed, take a nap first."

Li Zhuiyuan walked upstairs and when he came to the door of his room, he turned around and looked in the direction of the bearded man's house. After hesitating for a long time, he pushed the door open and walked in.

Tonight, Li Zhuiyuan had a dream. It was not about walking into the underworld, but a simple nightmare.

In his dream, he was still lying on the roof, looking at the two rows of monkeys kneeling below.

Over and over again they emerged from their own skins and became bloody monkeys;

He crawled back into his own skin over and over again, as if putting on the clothes he had just taken off.

During the whole process, my ears were filled with their shrill screams.

And their eyes, from beginning to end, were fixed on themselves on the roof.

I don’t know if it was a nightmare he had before waking up, or if it was a nightmare he had several times. In any case, when Li Zhuiyuan couldn’t bear it anymore and turned around to jump off the building, he woke up as soon as he jumped.

I turned my head anxiously and saw Ah Li sitting on a chair at the door with a bowl in her hand.

Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes and lay down again.

Seeing that he woke up, A'li came over with a bowl. This time, there was a small soup spoon in the bowl.

When the girl didn't want to give the medicine anymore, she accidentally poured it on the boy's head.

Li Zhuiyuan sat up and accepted the medicine fed by the girl. The spoon was quite big and he drank it one mouthful after another quickly.

His nose bled quite a bit again last night and he really needed some nourishment.

The girl put down the bowl, then tilted her head to look at him, as if she noticed that the boy was distracted and her eyes were filled with confusion.

"Ari, last night, I witnessed something horrible."

The girl took the initiative to hold the boy's hand.

Li Zhuiyuan placed the girl's hand on his chest. After feeling the softness and warmth, he closed his eyes and took a nap.

Li Sanjiang went downstairs yawning. He drank too much yesterday and his head was still a little dizzy after waking up.

However, after seeing the two sleeping on a table, hugging each other,
He couldn't help but raise his voice and curse:
"Asshole, what kind of sleeping posture is this!"

Tan Wenbin was woken up. He tried to break free from Runsheng's arms, but was powerless and could only look at Li Sanjiang helplessly.

Unexpectedly, Li Sanjiang just cursed and cleared his throat, then walked to the dam and stretched.

"Breakfast!"

Hearing Aunt Liu's voice, Runsheng woke up and wanted to eat.

Xiao Yuanhou was afraid, and he was afraid too, but Xiao Yuanhou had A'li, and he only had Abin by his side.

Li Zhuiyuan also brought A'li down, and everyone took their seats.

This time, Tan Wenbin changed his seat and sat with Li Sanjiang.

Liu Yumei looked at Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng curiously. These two children probably didn't get much rest last night.

"Xiaoyuan, come here and try grandma's snacks."

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and walked over.

Liu Yumei handed over a piece of cake: "Did you have fun last night?"

Li Zhuiyuan didn't know how to answer.

Liu Yumei continued to ask: "Did you see blood?"

"Yeah, a lot of blood."

"You guys did it?"

“We didn’t do anything.”

Liu Yumei took a bite of the shortbread with some surprise: "I was wrong, grandma. He is really the tallest among the short ones."

"No, you are not mistaken. There really is a king in the mountain."

"How to say?"

"It was peeled off in one bite."

"Peel it?" Liu Yumei found it difficult to understand this word. If she said "swallow it in one bite", it would be easier to understand.

Li Zhuiyuan really wanted to tell Grandma Liu everything that happened last night, but in this house, he had to keep it a secret.

"Okay, I'm done eating." Li Sanjiang put down the bowl of porridge and stood up.

Aunt Liu said, "There's still some in the pot."

"I ate and drank too much yesterday, so now I have no appetite.

Tomorrow there will be a vegetarian feast in West Village. Marquis Runsheng, come with me to Big Beard... Oh no, let's go to Old Man Ding's house and collect the tables, chairs, bowls and chopsticks. We will deliver them to the West Village family this afternoon. Oh, by the way, a pair of lanterns were also delivered yesterday. Don't forget to take them."

Runsheng huddled in a corner holding a large bowl of porridge, pretending not to hear.

"Hey, Runsheng Hou, I'm talking to you, can you hear me?"

"Uncle, I don't feel well today."

"Okay, you feel uncomfortable, right? Then I'll go by myself. I'm not too old to walk."

After saying that, Li Sanjiang went to push the cart out.

Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng didn't even bother to eat breakfast and ran upstairs.

"Grandpa, Brother Runsheng and I will collect them this afternoon, so you don't have to go."

Runsheng also responded: "Well, I'll go in the afternoon."

Li Sanjiang looked at Runsheng and touched his forehead: "You don't have a fever, where do you feel uncomfortable?"

"It's just a little bit, it's nothing serious."

"Heh." Li Sanjiang sneered, took out some money from his pocket and handed it to Runsheng, "After breakfast, go to Zheng Datong and have a good look. Get the injections if necessary and take the medicine if necessary."

Runsheng was embarrassed to take the money, he was pretending to be sick.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out to take the money and put it into Runsheng's trouser pocket.

"Grandpa, I will go with Brother Runsheng later. After we go to Zheng Datong's place, we will collect the dishes and lanterns."

"If there is no problem, go collect it. If there is any problem, call me, Grandpa."

Li Sanjiang put down the handle of the cart, took out a cigarette and lit it. As usual, he was going to take a walk after dinner.

"Grandpa, I'll go for a walk with you."

"You haven't finished your breakfast yet."

"I'm just like you. I ate too much yesterday. I feel a little indigestion today and can't eat."

"You didn't eat much yesterday, but that Zhuangzhuang ate a lot."

Tan Wenbin, who was eating porridge, looked up with some confusion: "Uncle, my name is Binbin."

"Come on, Master, I'll walk with you."

"Ah."

Li Sanjiang still likes to take walks with Xiao Yuanhou.

Li Zhuiyuan was worried that Li Sanjiang would go to Big Beard's house while out and about, so to be on the safe side, he decided to keep an eye on him.

Sure enough, as soon as he stepped onto the village road, Li Sanjiang walked towards the bearded man's house.

"Grandpa, let's go to the store."

"Why are you going to the store so early? It's not open yet. Grandpa will go shopping with you later."

"Then let's go to Grandma Liu's house?"

"Blind Liu and I don't have much to talk about on weekdays."

"Then let's go over there, the scenery over there is nice."

"When did the good and bad scenery in this village become clear? Come on, Xiao Yuanhou, let's go take a look at your future home."

"My future home..."

"When old man Ding kicks his legs, won't it be your house? Let's go and see if he has kicked his legs, hehe."

"Grandpa, we just moved into a new house. Isn't it inappropriate to disturb us so early?"

"What's inappropriate about that? Moving to a new house is not like getting married."

After walking a few steps forward, Li Sanjiang stopped and pondered:

"That seems to be true. God knows what the secretary next to him is used for. I guess he is still sleeping in bed."

"Yes."

Li Sanjiang smiled and quickened his pace: "Ha, then I must go and see it!"

Seeing that he couldn't appease the grandfather, Li Zhuiyuan had no choice but to step forward and grab Li Sanjiang's arm and tell the truth: "Grandpa, something happened to Big Beard's family last night. The entire troupe, including Uncle Ding, were all skinned. They died tragically."

"Little Yuanhou, what nonsense are you making up so early in the morning?"

"Master, what I said is true."

"It couldn't be more fake, haha."

Li Zhuiyuan felt helpless. It was like this every time. At the critical moment, his grandfather never believed him.

"Xiao Yuanhou, look, the group of skinned people are coming."

Li Zhuiyuan looked up with some confusion. A truck loaded with speaker equipment was coming from the front. There were four people sitting in the cab and several more standing in the rear compartment.

They were all members of yesterday’s troupe, and they were all fine.

After seeing Li Sanjiang, the driver honked the horn.

The people in the back car waved and greeted:
"Uncle Li, you got up so early."

"Yes, I'm taking a walk. You guys performed all night yesterday, and you're still here so early today."

"I have to catch the next job, so I can only sleep in the car."

“That was really hard work.”

"See you back, Mr. Li."

"See you."

Li Sanjiang and the opera troupe members on the truck waved their hands, and soon the truck disappeared from sight.

"Xiao Yuanhou, next time you write a story, you have to make it more presentable, so that the composition will look good."

Li Zhuiyuan stared at the truck that was gradually blurring out, and his hands and feet began to feel cold.

It's impossible. He was sure that he was not dreaming, hallucinating, or having a ghost last night. He really saw these water monkeys being skinned with his own eyes!
But what on earth happened to those living people on the truck just now?

"Morning, Marquis Sanjiang!"

"Good morning, Lord Lin, you should take a walk too."

"Yes, I'm old and I don't sleep as much. By the way, I've had people pack up your tables, chairs, bowls, chopsticks and lanterns. When are you coming to take them back?"

"In the afternoon. The mule at home is not feeling well. Let him go see a doctor first."

"Oh, I see. Oh, isn't this Xiao Yuanhou? What a good kid, you're out for a walk with your grandfather so early in the morning?"

"Yes, my little Yuan Hou is the most obedient and filial. Come, little Yuan Hou, say hello to your uncle Ding."

In fact, when Li Zhuiyuan heard this voice earlier, his body stiffened a little.

At this moment, he turned around with some difficulty, his eyes full of disbelief.

because,

Secretary Jin supported Ding Dalin and stood in front of him.

(End of this chapter)