Chu Danfeng was so offended by the word "compensation" that he even forgot to break free and just let Hua Tingxuan hold his hand all the way into the village.
Fortunately, the monks were all worried about their own safety and no one seemed to notice them.
After entering the village, Chu Danfeng no longer cared about whether to hold hands or not - how could this be a village in the human world
The villagers had empty eyes and pale faces, and they accidentally passed through the wall, just like Aunt Huang that night. The grape racks laden with fruits at the entrance of the village also became withered and shriveled vines, crisscrossing on the racks, stretching out withered and sharp branches.
A woman holding a red cloth bag came towards them, covering her flat belly with one hand. The bag was dripping with blood as she walked. Chu Danfeng was afraid of bumping into her, so he hurriedly pulled Hua Tingxuan aside.
Hua Tingxuan felt that the hand holding him was a little tighter, so in the terrifying atmosphere where everyone in the monks was in danger, he curled his lips in joy, with a sweet look on his face that was out of place in the panic.
Chu Danfeng didn't notice his junior's smug expression. He only stared at the woman carrying the bag. Seeing the woman's bloody footprints, he swallowed loudly and whispered, "She looks familiar. Is she the pregnant woman next door?"
"It seems so," Hua Tingxuan calmly moved closer to him and threatened, "This is the 'bloody ghost'. It is said to be a woman who died of childbirth complications. Look carefully, there should be a sickle in her pocket."
Chu Danfeng didn't dare to look closely.
Even though his cultivation has reached the peak of the Golden Core stage, he is still a modern person who believes in "a gentleman should not talk about strange things", and is particularly afraid of ghosts.
Chu Danfeng: “How do you know it so clearly?” Such detailed ghost species were only mentioned briefly in the original book, which was beyond Chu Danfeng’s knowledge.
Hua Tingxuan actually didn't mention the other half of the sentence - "Blood ghosts only like to murder babies" - he said seriously: "I heard this in the lecture hall. Anyway, it's very dangerous, little brother, you have to follow me closely."
In the lecture hall of Shuangji Sect, the heads and elders of each peak took turns giving lectures regularly. Chu Danfeng never listened to them, and was easily fooled.
The nine-headed birds on the roofs of the houses were still screaming, and occasionally there was a faint sound of ghosts crying. The atmosphere seemed even more terrifying than outside the village.
Chu Danfeng's scalp exploded when he heard this. As expected, he got closer to Hua Tingxuan.
Just at this moment, a scream from a living person rang out.
"Murder! This place is not safe either, help! Take me away!"
The one who shouted this was a familiar voice. Chu Danfeng and Hua Tingxuan looked at each other and said, "It's Li Yunyi."
"No! He is with Shu'er."
Chu Danfeng was worried about the safety of his junior sister. He took a deep breath, barely overcame his fear, and ran after her - throwing away Hua Tingxuan's hand.
"..." Hua Tingxuan raised his hand, looked at the back of his junior brother who was almost fleeing in panic, raised the corner of his lips, and followed him with his long legs.
The village was not big, and the two quickly found people. Not only Li Yunyi and Lin Shuer were there, but Yulou also joined the team.
From a distance, Chu Danfeng breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that all three were safe and sound.
The three of them had their backs to them. Li Yunyi was tied up tightly, with one end of the rope tightly grasped in Lin Shuer's hand. Lin Shuer was busy sorting something and ignored his wailing. Instead, Yulou complained in annoyance: "Can you make him shut up?"
Lin Shu'er still lowered her head: "If you find it annoying, then don't follow us."
Yulou muttered quietly: "Do you think I care? If it weren't for looking for Brother Chu..."
Li Yunyi: "Ahh, someone is killing someone! Help! Stop arguing, this village is full of ghosts!!!"
Yulou finally couldn't stand it anymore and kicked him hard: "Shut up!"
After being kicked, Young Master Li's legs went limp and he fell backwards, rolling like a screaming chicken all the way to Chu Danfeng's feet.
Yulou felt that this was not enough, so she turned around and yelled, "You are crying! What if you attract ghosts again—"
The word "do" got stuck in her throat before she could finish it. She blinked and said in fear, "Brother Chu?"
Chu Danfeng: “…”
Oh... shit, is this still the delicate, soft and lovely Miss Yulou who never speaks loudly
The shock he felt from the scene was almost the same as that from Lin Daiyu pulling out a weeping willow tree. Lin Shu'er also grabbed the immortal rope and shouted in surprise, "Fifth Senior Brother! We've been looking for you everywhere."
"…" Chu Danfeng, "I'm glad you're all okay."
Hua Tingxuan caught up a step slower and said teasingly, "Tsk, Miss Yulou has great strength on her feet. Master Li, are you okay?"
Unexpectedly, when Li Yunyi saw Mr. Hua, he looked like he had seen a ghost. He screamed and crawled back to hide behind Lin Shuer. Hua Tingxuan didn't care and continued to exaggerate: "I didn't expect that Miss Yu is also a person of temperament. That kick was beautiful, and she also enjoyed scolding people!"
Lin Shuer burst out laughing.
Yulou never expected that it would be such a coincidence that the man she admired would see her rude behavior, which completely ruined her character. Her face turned red. Fortunately, Chu Danfeng did not pursue the matter any further as his attention was quickly drawn to the corpse on the ground. That person's death was too tragic.
The skin below the neck was completely peeled off, leaving only the face. Chu Danfeng was so frightened that his hair stood on end, but he was too embarrassed to embarrass himself in front of his junior sister and the female cultivators, so he asked calmly, "This man looks familiar... seems to be from the Kanshui Gang?"
If he remembered correctly, this man was still smug not long ago, claiming that he had escaped paying the rent of two spirit beads.
"Yes! There are still eight spirit beads left on him. I took them out one by one." Lin Shu'er took out a handful of spirit beads from the mustard bag and held them in front of Chu Danfeng, with a smug look on her face as if asking for praise. The spirit beads were stained with blood, and were sticky and gave off a disgusting stench.
“… !!” Chu Danfeng almost fainted from fright. Why is this innocent and lovely little sister so brave
Are all the female cultivators nowadays so fierce!
"... You did a good job." Chu Danfeng praised him bravely, and then took a step back calmly. Hua Tingxuan saw it, but did not expose him. "They only took the rent and gave a little punishment. It seems that those ghosts are still trustworthy."
Chu Danfeng took a look at the skinned man from the Kanshui Gang and felt a lingering fear: God, just give me a little punishment.
Hua Tingxuan: "Little Senior Brother, have we paid our rent?"
"Yes."
At that time, they had not completed the "ghost catching" task entrusted by Aunt Huang, so Chu Danfeng proposed to pay the rent in full. Anyway, he made a lot of money selling snacks, and in the end he didn't lose a penny for them.
Hua Tingxuan: "In that case, let's go back to Aunt Huang's house."
Li Yunyi cried, "I won't go back! The whole village is full of ghosts! I don't want to go back and live in a haunted house—"
Before he could finish his words, he was knocked unconscious by Lin Shuer's knife.
Lin Shuer: "Sixth Senior Brother is right. The most dangerous place is the safest. Anyway, the situation outside is already like this, and it won't get worse. Why not take a gamble?"
"..." Chu Danfeng gritted his teeth, "Okay, Miss Yulou will come too?"
Yulou was still a little embarrassed. He nodded silently and followed Lin Shuer.
Hua Tingxuan took the opportunity to grab his junior brother's hand and said, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
He was very tall, and his hands were bigger than Chu Danfeng's, with distinct joints and great strength. Chu Danfeng struggled reflexively, but was afraid that the noise would be heard by Lin Shu'er and the others, so he whispered back, "Who's afraid?"
This brat is getting more and more outrageous. It was chaotic just now and no one noticed him, but now Yulou and the others are right in front of him, and he actually dares to pull his hand!
Alas, he didn't enjoy the blessing of having two wives, but only thought about his senior brother... Chu Danfeng felt guilty. If he hadn't been so beastly that night, his sixth junior brother wouldn't have taken this wrong path. This kid is too honest, and now he must have set his sights on him... With his two wives so close, he was holding the hand of a grown man. What was the plot going to be like!
Chu Danfeng felt a strange sense of guilt, as if they were having an affair.
Hua Tingxuan whispered: "Don't worry, they can't see it."
Chu Danfeng: “… …” Damn, it looks more like an affair.
However, the boy's hands were dry and warm, with slightly rough sword calluses on his palms, which unexpectedly made people feel at ease. Chu Danfeng took a look at the village, which was now eerie and full of ghosts, and gave in.
"It would be better to find Aunt Huang's house and then release them before they find out." Chu Danfeng thought.
Compared to the houses of her neighbors where blood often oozes out of the cracks in the walls, Aunt Huang's home is considered normal and cozy, with everything inside being the same as before.
There was only the sound of dishes breaking in the kitchen. Aunt Huang smashed the dishes and muttered, "I can't find him no matter what. I can't find him no matter what. He never told the truth. He said he would be back in three years..."
"Hey, you're back." Old Man Huang floated to the door silently. He looked different from before. He looked much younger, and his hair had turned black, almost like a young man, but his face was pale, and his eyes were staring at them lifelessly, which scared Chu Danfeng. Perhaps he was used to being grabbed by Hua Tingxuan all the way, so his first reaction after being frightened was to grab his junior brother's hand - which Chu Danfeng had just shaken off not long ago.
Hua Tingxuan didn't remind him and narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.
Lin Shu'er noticed this scene sharply, her almond-shaped eyes widened for a moment, and then she looked away as if nothing had happened.
Old Man Huang said, "Don't be afraid. My obsessions have been satisfied. I am conscious and clear-headed, unlike those evil spirits outside."
Chu Danfeng swallowed his saliva: "Uncle Huang, what is going on?"
Old Man Huang's eyes were probably unable to move. He turned his head stiffly and looked straight at Chu Danfeng. "You all saw that this secret realm is full of ghosts. Some died unjustly, some died tragically, some did too many evil things in their lives, or some were like us... There are all kinds of ghosts. They refused to reincarnate and got the chance to fall into this secret realm. Hey, it's not bad. The days we live are the same as before. This house of mine was renovated by me with great effort. Unfortunately, I died on the way to perform labor service before I lived there for even a day..."
Yulou couldn't help but mutter, "No wonder, this is a Jiangnan water town, but this house is full of northern earthen kangs."
Old man Huang twisted his neck 180 degrees and stared at Yulou with dead fish eyes: "Not bad."
"!!!" Yulou called out "Brother Chu" with a trembling voice, but unfortunately Hua Tingxuan reacted faster. He stepped forward to block her, glared at Yulou coldly, and pinched the palm of Chu Danfeng who was also trembling.
Old man Huang was totally unaware that he had frightened someone, and continued to talk: "When we were young, we both had bad tempers and quarreled every few days. Whenever she got angry, she would always threaten to divorce me, but I never gave in... I thought that once I kicked her legs, she would definitely remarry, but I didn't expect that when I went back on the seventh day, I saw her holding the funeral documents and throwing a tantrum with the government runners. She refused to believe that I was dead, picked up a rolling pin, and beat me out."
Old man Huang smiled, "I wanted to wait and see, waiting for her to accept her fate and remarry. I thought, if she married a good family and had a place to stay, I would be able to leave with peace of mind. So I secretly stayed in the world of the living. I didn't expect that I would wait for decades. The old woman actually remained a widow for my whole life. It's not that there were no matchmakers proposing marriage, but she always refused. She always praised my good points to the matchmakers, saying that I had a bad temper, but I saved my dry food for her, lied that I had eaten, and secretly drank the porridge myself... It turns out that she knew everything. The old woman had never praised me in person before..."
"Later, she was old and ugly, and no one proposed marriage to her anymore. The old woman lived a life without children, alone and helpless... I also silently guarded her for my whole life. Maybe because I was too obsessed, the old woman became a ghost and insisted on following me when I got this opportunity. We both gave up reincarnation, which made up for our regrets in our previous lives and we can be husband and wife for another life. But she always forgot that we were ghosts...
So you don’t have to be afraid, we are just lonely souls staying in this secret place. I don’t know why, but this time the Guhuo bird came to warn everyone in advance, causing everyone to lose their minds. The village is not usually like this, at least when young people like you came, there has never been such a mistake... And, what the old woman said is right, a lot of ghosts really disappeared in the village overnight."
Chu Danfeng frowned when he heard this, it was indeed strange.
The plot of the secret realm today has deviated a lot from the original novel, and almost every detail touches upon his blind spots of knowledge. Even the "ghost marriage ceremony" that has been passed down by word of mouth is not in the original novel.
Lin Shu'er and Yu Lou both looked serious and terrified, "No wonder so many people died. Is there something wrong with this secret realm?"
Hua Tingxuan didn't seem surprised at all, and just asked: "Now that the Guhuo Bird is gone, will everything return to normal?"
Old Man Huang nodded: "They won't stay for too long, two or three days at most, and then they fly away."
After getting such a guarantee, the group finally stayed at Aunt Huang's house. No matter how chaotic it was outside, they did not step out of the house.
During this period, some monks could not hold on and rushed out of the village, while others withstood the fear and harassment from the ghosts and survived until the nine-headed birds spread their wings and left, and the village regained its vitality.
On the morning of the third day, the dark clouds dispersed, the screams of the monsters and the howling of the evil spirits in the village gradually disappeared, and the sound of dishes breaking in the kitchen that had been heard day after day finally stopped.
Aunt Huang turned back into the kind and chatty old woman. When the tenants left, she pulled Chu Danfeng mysteriously and said, "Young man, I wish you a happy marriage."
Chu Danfeng was confused when he heard this: "?"
Aunt Huang pointed at Hua Tingxuan and said, "Aren't you guys going to the wedding ceremony?"
"???" Chu Danfeng felt that it was difficult to follow the thoughts of this ghost woman, "What kind of hall are you worshipping? Look carefully, we are all men..."
"What's wrong with a man? I've lived a lifetime and I can see clearly. What's important is what kind of person he is. Look at him, he's so handsome, and he treats you well. You're a perfect match." Aunt Huang said with a click of the tongue. "You lied to me, saying you didn't have a sweetheart. Look, the little girl knows everything. I overheard what she said."
... Why do you take eavesdropping for granted? Chu Danfeng looked in the direction of the voice and saw Lin Shu'er, who was not far away, suddenly turned her head to look at the sky, looking guilty.
Chu Danfeng: “…”
Chu Danfeng also felt guilty and decided to ask his junior sister about this matter.
Aunt Huang: "It's getting late, hurry up and don't miss the auspicious time."
Chu Danfeng pondered for a moment and asked hesitantly, "You mean, 'ghost marriage ceremony'?"
"I, an old woman, don't understand fancy names," Aunt Huang waved her hand, "but I know that the ceremony is held every year. Isn't it just everyone getting married together and entering the bridal chamber? In previous years, it was quiet, but this year there are many new people, and so many young people from outside are going."