I took the cloth away, and inside were small grids that held the face paintings in place, very carefully and meticulously. This was something Mao Xiaoli had devoted her entire life to, but the strangest thing was that she committed suicide after completing the thirteenth face painting, which I couldn't understand. What she meant by success was being with her husband, even as if they were alive, but there was always a difference. I didn't know what the difference was, but one thing was certain, it was indeed possible to achieve an unexpected result. But it didn't succeed.
I took out a magnifying glass and looked at the thirteenth face painting. It was actually a man's face. It was the only painting of a man. I have seen the photo of Mao Xiaoli's husband. He is a very handsome man.
I put the face painting away. I didn't expect that Mao Xiaoli would leave like this and go to another world. Maybe that is happiness. Was she happy in her life? I don't know. I think she should be happy. She was pursuing it hard. Although she didn't get it, the process is the most important. Of course, it would be better if there is a result.
When I was driving to work, I saw the skull thrown in the car. I felt uncomfortable and drove very carefully. When I arrived at the office, I sat down to drink tea and looked out the window. It was foggy.
Li Xiaohuan came in.
"Master, it's foggy. It's right here at the crematorium."
I was startled. There was fog in the crematorium. This fog only existed at the crematorium. When it was thick, it would cover the entire crematorium. Standing far away, you couldn't see the crematorium, just a ball of fog. This kind of thing had happened before, but the fog today was really too thick.
I called the director.
"If the fog is heavy, everything will stop and family members will not be allowed to enter the crematorium."
The fog really got thicker, and in just a few minutes you couldn't see your outstretched hand.
All work stopped, the family members went outside the crematorium, and the employees were also outside.
When the fog rises, zombies suddenly appear. That is the most bizarre thing. The zombies walk in the fog and you can't see them. When they catch you, they are ready to kill you.
I was sitting in the car, looking at the crematorium. Actually, I couldn't see anything but a cloud of fog. How could this happen? If it was due to the weather, that's fine, but it was too weird that something like this could happen here.
Li Xiaohuan was sitting in my car.
"Master, what's going on?"
"It's because of the weather. The crematorium is between two mountains, so this is what happened. It's a normal phenomenon."
"What is that person doing here? Can't he just stay in the office?"
"You have a lot on your plate."
I lit a cigarette, and Li Xiaohuan picked up the skull, looked at it for a long time and asked.
"What kind of bone is this?"
"Human."
Li Xiaohuan shouted "Oh my god!" and threw it to me. I picked it up and looked at it. There was actually a name on it, a name engraved on the skull. In the Northeast, only bandits would do such a thing. Everyone knows that there are bandits in the Northeast. They are good at slang, behave strangely, and kill people like crazy. Of course, they also have good bandits.
When a Huzitou dies, words will be engraved on his skull. His name will be there. That is to say, he cannot be lost. Even if his grave is robbed, his body is whipped, and his bones are crushed and his ashes are scattered, his name will still be there. Huzitou himself knows that he has done too many bad things and someone will dig up his grave after his death. Although he has tried his best to hide his grave, someone will still know about it. So he engraved his name on it. However, this is the most unlucky thing to do. A skull with a name engraved on it will have less things after reincarnation. After reincarnation, the person will be disabled, big or small. But if this is not done, after the bones are crushed and the ashes are scattered, there will be no reincarnation.
I was so unlucky to run over a skull like this.
I wrapped the skull and put it in the box on the armrest. Li Xiaohuan looked at me with the same eyes.
"What's so scary about a skull? It's still in the crematorium."
Li Xiaohuan didn't say anything.
It's so evil that the fog isn't working and is only getting thicker.
I drove to He Dana's place and told him about this, he said.
"Don't go into the fog, something bad will happen. It looks like there will be trouble today. This is the fourth time there has been fog at the crematorium. The last three times were once every ten years. This is probably the first time in ten years. Three times, something bad happened. I don't know what will happen this time."
"What happened the last three times?"
"One was about jumping corpses. Thirteen corpses were jumping around in the fog. They wouldn't disperse in the fog. In the end, I had to go in and lead the corpses back to the room. Another time, a director died. He didn't come out and stayed in the office. I wanted to see what happened. He died miserably. He was eaten by corpses. Pieces of flesh were all over the office. The last time was about a house. An old house appeared in the fog. After the fog dissipated, someone disappeared. It was said that he entered the house. This matter has never been figured out."
I started to worry, what would happen this time
Fog appears in the crematorium only once every ten years.
The director called me and spoke a little stutteringly.
"Captain, a house appeared in the fog."
I shuddered.
"Come on, I'll go with you."
I drove He Dana to the crematorium, and sure enough, there was a house in the fog, just to the west of the crematorium.
"This was originally the house of a big landlord. Later, it was demolished and a crematorium was built. But before it was demolished, the big landlord hanged himself in the house. At that time, all thirteen members of his family were hanged in the house. This big landlord was really very temperamental. It caused quite a stir at the time. This house was the house of the big landlord. The last time there was fog, it was also this house. At that time, I knew something was going to happen. Thirteen people were hung in the house like hanging sausages. It was so scary. I also saw that scene that year. Even now, I still shudder when I think about it."
After hearing this, I also shuddered. A family of thirteen, living in one house, all hanged in the house. It’s scary to think about it.
I don't know how things turned out this way, but I think it's horrible.
"We have to go into the ruined house. The person who disappeared back then was a refiner. If this house is not ruined, I'm afraid there will be trouble."
"Go in?"
He Dana, you are really a lunatic. Wouldn't you be courting death if you went in? We are human beings. People went into the house and disappeared. What are you talking about
"I guess forget it. Just wait for the fog to clear. I don't believe he will always be like this."
"I have to go in. I'm afraid something big is going to happen. It happened twice."
"If you don't go in, no matter what happens, as long as no one dies, it's fine. But if you go in and someone dies or goes missing, that would be troublesome."
"Maybe it's not that simple. Look at the thick fog, but you can see the house but not everything else. Maybe the bodies will disappear. If that happens, it will be more terrifying than the disappearance of living people. Can you get past the hurdle of the family members? I think there will be a lot of old and new bodies."
What I fear most is something like this happening. Not to mention a lost body, even if it's a small matter, the family members will make a fuss. Things like this are always going to happen, and I feel weak in the knees just thinking about it. But going in is even more terrifying.
It was almost ten o'clock, and the fog showed no sign of dissipating. The family members were getting anxious. The dead body had to be cremated within three days, and it was best to do it in the morning. But it seemed impossible today. Even if the fog dissipated at twelve o'clock, the body could be cremated before dark.
The director comforted the family members, and I decided to go in with He Dana. I was sweating. If we went in and couldn't come out, it would be terrible.
He Dana was walking in front, and we couldn't see the road clearly at all. We just walked slowly towards the house. The big black door of the house was open, and we went in. There was no fog here, He Dana whispered while standing in the yard.
"If you feel something is wrong, run, and run fast."
I nodded, thinking, can I outrun your ghost legs? Killing a ghost and borrowing its legs, this is a long way to go.
The room was closed. He Dana opened it, and I looked inside. I screamed and ran away without caring about anything else. He Dana was probably frightened by my scream and was stunned for a long time before running away.
There were thirteen corpses hanging in the room, swaying back and forth.
I ran out, and He Dana also ran out and kicked me.
"What the hell are you running for?"
"Didn't you run away too?"
"I was scared by you."
As we were talking, the house disappeared and the fog dissipated at such a speed that we were stunned.
I didn't expect things to turn out like this.
The director and I went in and checked around. We found that no body was missing and everything was normal. Then we allowed the family members to come in and started the furnace to burn the body.
He Dana sat in my office drinking tea. He refused to leave and said that he always felt something was wrong, as if something had happened and it couldn't be so easy to just let it go.
He Danada hoped that something would happen. I think it would be normal if nothing happened. It is impossible for something to happen every time.
"Have you encountered anything strange recently?"
I thought about it for a long time and then talked about the car rollover and the skull.
"This incident doesn't seem to be related to this matter."
The director rushed in, jumping high and shouting.
"My dear grandmother, my third grandmother, and my second master, usually put on makeup in the dressing room."
I was stunned. Normally this person was on the list, but later he was no longer there. I had no idea why. People came and went in the crematorium, it was normal, and not many people could work here for their entire lives.
"Usually the makeup artist who disappeared in the fog last time."
I was shocked. Damn it, he was so evil. He came back and came out of the house, still putting on makeup.
He Dana and I entered the dressing room and saw a man in his forties putting on makeup. His technique seemed pretty good.
"He's still in his forties. It seems these ten years haven't changed him at all."
"Master He?"
"Normally, don't put on any makeup, just follow me to the office."
Normally, when He Dana followed us into the office, he would lock the door.
"Usually, where did you go?"
"I didn't go anywhere. I just put makeup on you. Thirteen bodies, in just one day."
He Dana glanced at me.
"Normally, you go home and check because you are missing in the fog. The house in the fog is the house of the big landowner."
Usually staring at me blankly.
"Who is this?"
"Our manager, Ke Mingzhe."
Pingchang immediately asked He Dana about the time. After He Dana finished speaking, Pingchang was stunned.
"Ten years, ten years. How come you all look old?"
Normally I am a little bit bad at playing. It was ten years, but he only said it was one day. It was so evil. Normally I walked away in a wooden way, which was a kind of woodenness I didn't expect.
"That was the underworld, or another world. I went to make up the people of a big landlord's family. Of course, all thirteen members of the big landlord's family died. In the end, one of his friends buried them. There were thirteen coffins. After the people were taken down from the ropes, they were put into the coffins directly. There was no makeup, and no change of clothes."
"Another world?"
"Yes, we are in the Yang world, and that is the Yin world."
"What now?"
"Don't do anything now. When you get used to it, ask him what happened."
I sent He Dana back home. Looking at this old man who was over 120 years old, I was worried that I would not live longer than him. It was a bit infuriating.
I sent He Dana back and walked around everywhere. It was past four in the afternoon when everything was over. That day I took a few people out to eat.
That day they talked about this house, and someone mentioned the landlord Lao Lai. Lao Lai's daughter, Miss Lai Mei, was beautiful, but she was also hanged in the house. It was such a pity. As for the landlord, there were different comments. Some said she was a good person, and some said she was a bad person, but she was hanged in the house in the end. No one knew what happened, and for what reason, the crematorium was built here the following year. (To be continued)