Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Evening arrived in the blink of an eye, and Tian Zhigang came over with great enthusiasm to invite Old Li and Deaf Granny to dinner.

“Let’s go, you two elders! I’ve already warmed the wine!”

Normally, the two elders wouldn’t have accepted the invitation. However, they were now deeply worried about the filthy things in the well, so they felt they had to go.

During the meal, Comrade Xiao Zhao, the young man responsible for drilling the well, raised a glass to toast Old Li.

“I heard you’re an old Red Army veteran. Let me toast you!”

Old Li didn’t hesitate. He picked up his small wine cup and drained it in a single gulp.

“It’s been hard on you, Comrade Xiao Zhao!”

“You were busy for half the day this morning. Did you run into any difficulties?”

“Reporting to the old comrade: there weren’t really any difficulties, it’s just that the ground inside the well is incredibly hard.”

“I drilled for half the day and only managed to dig about a meter deep!”

Hearing these words, the two elders, who were in the middle of eating, were startled.

Could it really be that sinister? Had they actually hit the Iron Coffin?!

Because they had so much on their minds, the meal felt completely tasteless. They endured it until everyone else had finally finished eating and drinking their fill, at which point Deaf Granny immediately pulled Old Li toward the door.

Everyone came out to see them off, walking with them all the way to the dried-up well by the entrance.

Deaf Granny pretended to be curious about the drilling machinery, but she was actually there to inspect the excavated soil. Under the moonlight, seeing the grayish-white patch of earth at her feet, she felt a terrible premonition.

Taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, she picked up a bit of the excavated soil and sniffed it. Her heart grew even more certain of the danger.

It was over. It really was Triple-Mix Soil!

Once the two elders returned home, Old Li finally spoke up and asked, “Deaf Granny, what exactly is Triple-Mix Soil?”

Deaf Granny let out a heavy sigh.

“Triple-Mix Soil is made by mixing lime, clay, and sand together with black dog’s blood.”

“It’s used specifically to prevent corpses from rising, or to suppress things that are particularly malevolent.”

Old Li asked further, “And what about the Iron Coffin? I’ve never heard of such a thing before.”

She let out another long sigh.

“An Iron Coffin is even more sinister!”

“Since the time our ancestors first established the burial rites, have you ever seen any family use an iron coffin for a funeral?”

“Iron is a dead substance; it doesn’t connect the Yin and the Yang. Once a soul is trapped inside, it can’t get out.”

“Being buried in an iron coffin is equivalent to stuffing a person into an iron pot to be stewed!”

“Add the Triple-Mix Soil on the outside, and it’s no longer just an iron pot-it’s a deep-fryer!”

“Even if the person buried inside was good, after all these years, they would have turned into a fierce ghost!”

“And the most vicious kind at that!”

After hearing this, Old Li realized the extreme gravity of the situation.

“This won’t do. No matter what, we cannot let them dig any further!”

“I’ll go find them tomorrow!”

Deaf Granny teased him, which was a rare occurrence. “Aren’t you afraid of what people will say about you anymore?”

Old Li replied with a grim, heavy expression, “Nothing is more important than the lives of the common people!”

That night was destined to be anything but ordinary.

First, the weather changed abruptly as the north wind began to howl loudly.

This was followed by the rolling of muffled thunder, rumbling incessantly without a moment’s pause.

Large snowflakes began to fall from the sky, some as big as a child’s palm.

Xiao Zhao, who had fallen into a deep sleep after drinking quite a bit of wine, suddenly sat up.

Without even putting on his padded cotton coat, he began walking outside.

His eyes were completely hollow.

Tian Zhigang, who was sleeping in the same room to keep him company, surprisingly didn’t notice a thing.

Xiao Zhao walked to the entrance and skillfully started the machinery to begin digging the well.

The loud, rolling thunder perfectly masked the roar of the engine.

Half an hour later, an eerie, ghostly laugh suddenly echoed from the bottom of the well.

Immediately after, black water began to gush out.

The black water seemed as if it were boiling, bubbling and churning without stop.

Floating on the surface of the water were the three Ancient Coins that Deaf Granny had previously thrown down…

Old Li and Deaf Granny had too much on their minds to sleep well, so they woke up very early.

The blizzard had lasted all night, leaving the snow over a meter thick.

The doors of every household were blocked tight by the heavy accumulation.

Before they could even finish clearing the snow, a sharp scream shattered the silence of the morning.

“Someone come quick! There’s a dead body!”

The voice came from the direction of Old Fourth Tian’s house.

*This is bad. Something has happened!*

Old Li hurriedly threw on his padded coat and ran outside.

The thick snow made every step he took incredibly difficult.

By the time the two elders arrived, a large crowd of villagers had already gathered.

“Quick, quick, make way!”

“Old Li and Deaf Granny are here. Let them see what’s going on!”

“This is just too creepy!”

Xiao Zhao, the worker sent from the town to dig the well, lay dead in the snow.

His lower body was completely bare, without a single stitch of clothing.

His face wore an eerily satisfied expression.

The sight made the young women and wives blush and turn away in shame.

Old Li’s expression was incredibly grave.

“Who found him first? Tell me exactly what happened!”

Fourth Aunt Tian was deathly pale, only able to stand with Meilan’s support.

Her voice was shaky and stuttering, clearly showing how terrified she was.

“U-U-Uncle Li, I don’t know what happened either.”

“I opened the door to shovel snow this morning, and Xiao Zhao was already like this!”

Deaf Granny walked over to the edge of the well. Looking at the residual black water below, she seemed to realize something.

In a voice so low that only she and Old Li could hear, she said, “Sigh, the filthy things are out.”

A death was a major matter, especially since the deceased was a comrade sent from the town.

Tian Zhigang was already scared out of his wits. He grabbed Old Li’s sleeve and asked, “Uncle, what should we do now?!”

Old Li braced himself and gave his instructions.

“This matter can’t be kept quiet.”

“Call the police first, and then report it to the town leadership.”

“Furthermore, keep a close watch on this place. Don’t let anyone touch anything!”

Tian Zhigang nodded his head repeatedly.

“Right, I’ll go do that immediately!”

“Everything will be done according to your word!”