Chapter 16
Chapter 16
This was the first time in over a hundred years that a murder had occurred in this small mountain village.
For a time, panic gripped the hearts of the people.
The villagers who had gathered to watch were full of gossip, each offering their own theories.
However, there was one point on which they all agreed: Comrade Zhao, who had come from the town, hadn’t been killed by a person. It must have been the work of filthy things!
First, there were only a few hundred people in the village, and everyone knew each other inside and out. No one had a motive for murder.
Second, the way Comrade Zhao died was simply too bizarre.
“Deaf Granny, filthy things have appeared in the village. You have to do something!”
“That’s right, just tell us what we need to do.”
“If these filthy things aren’t removed, none of us will ever have a peaceful day again!”
Old Fourth Tian was the most agitated of them all. His face was even paler than his wife’s, and his entire body was trembling.
He gripped Deaf Granny tightly, pleading, “Auntie, you have to show some mercy and think of a way! Otherwise, my whole family… we won’t have any way to survive!”
There was clearly more to his words than met the ear, but unfortunately, no one caught the hidden meaning at the time.
Deaf Granny kept her own counsel, feeling the bitterness of the situation. The filthy things that had crawled out of that Iron Coffin this time were incredibly fierce.
Not only the Immortal Spirits but even Elder Pine had warned her not to meddle in this business. But she had lived in this village for most of her life; she couldn’t just stand by and watch everyone be destroyed by these filthy things.
Deaf Granny recalled the words written by the Immortal Spirits and sighed in her heart again:
Triple-Mix Soil, Iron Coffin.
When black water flows, three hundred lives go!
Alas, the entire village only had a population of about three hundred. If the prophecy was true, the filthy things wouldn’t stop until everyone was dead!
Deaf Granny gritted her teeth and made up her mind. Even if it cost her old life, she had to eliminate this scourge!
“Starting tonight, no one is allowed outside after eight o’clock!”
“Especially… especially the strong young men!”
“Zhang Family’s Daughter-in-law, go and notify every household. Tell them to come to my house in a bit to collect incense ash. Wrap the ash in a cloth and carry it on your person.”
Sister-in-law Zhang nodded hurriedly. “Don’t worry, Granny. I’ll go right now. Is there anything else we need to do? Just say the word.”
The surrounding villagers all nodded in agreement. “That’s right, Deaf Granny, just give the orders. We’ll all listen to you!”
Deaf Granny didn’t stand on ceremony and immediately commanded, “Slaughter all the black dogs and roosters. Collect their blood and sprinkle it around the front and back of your houses. If a family doesn’t have a black dog or a rooster, go to someone else’s house and ask for some. At a time like this, we must help each other. You can’t just look out for yourselves!”
The villagers nodded repeatedly. “Don’t you worry, Deaf Granny. There are no selfish people in this neck of the woods.”
And so, within half a day, every rooster and black dog in the village was slaughtered. This caused the hens to wail in grievance for a long time.
By the time the villagers lined up at Deaf Granny’s house to collect the incense ash, she realized a serious problem: there were too many people and too little ash. There wasn’t enough to go around!
While Deaf Granny was fretting with anxiety, she suddenly saw the lush, green pine branches in her courtyard. She hurriedly set out offerings and led the men, women, young, and old in the courtyard to kneel and kowtow.
“Elder Pine, have mercy! Save us!”
After a long while, a gust of wind blew through the pine branches, producing a sound like an old man’s sigh.
Deaf Granny was overjoyed and immediately gave instructions.
“Those families who didn’t get any incense ash, follow my Sanwa to East Mountain Peak to find Elder Pine. Bring as many red cloth strips as there are people in your family. Each person must pluck one pine needle and carry it with them from now on.”
“Remember, each person can only pluck one needle.”
“After plucking it, you must kowtow to Elder Pine with total sincerity, and then tie the red cloth strips to the branches. Not a single step of this process can be missed. Do you hear me?!”
Since their lives were at stake, the villagers nodded and replied, “Don’t worry, Deaf Granny, we’ve got it!”
While the villagers were busy, policemen from the police station arrived in the village on bicycles. Leading the team was Chief Zhou Limin. He was a veteran who had worked at the police station for many years. Accompanying him was a township cadre also surnamed Zhao.
In a place like this, where even theft was rare, a death was a monumental event.
After inspecting the scene and interviewing the nearby villagers, Chief Zhou’s brow was furrowed tight. There wasn’t a single clue, not even signs of a struggle! It was as if Xiao Zhao had simply dropped dead on the spot. And before dying, he had apparently been engaged in some… indescribable activities!
“It’s like seeing a ghost. How could this happen?”
Old Li hesitated for a long time before finally stepping out from the crowd. Matters involving ghosts and gods weren’t something ordinary people could solve. He was truly worried that more lives would be lost.
Tian Zhigang stepped forward to introduce him. “Chief Zhou, this is Old Li, the man with the highest prestige in our village. He’s the one we look to for all the major decisions!”
Chief Zhou took a step forward and shook Old Li’s hand warmly. “Old gentleman, my surname is Zhou. You can just call me Xiao Zhou.”
Old Li didn’t stand on ceremony; given his age, calling the other man Xiao Zhou wasn’t an insult. “Comrade Xiao Zhou, can this old man have a private word with you?”
“Of course!” Chief Zhou, who was desperate for a breakthrough, nodded immediately. “Old gentleman, let’s go inside and talk.”