Not killing Zhou Yan and not moving against Fan Jie was because he didn't want to be too conspicuous upon arriving at the Mo family, attracting unnecessary attention.
Zhou family is terrified, Fan Jie is terrified of me to the core, and that's enough. I can use Fan Jie as a way to gain more knowledge and information.
The series of unexpected events forced me to leave the Mo family, even temporarily depart from Daxiang. Fan Jie is both a threat and a pawn.
The threat is that if the people from Ghost Cante go after me, or if Fan Jie learns more about me from somewhere, he might continue to attack the Mo family.
The pawn is that he can play a role in my upcoming actions. Utilize and expel him to achieve a double benefit, high sleep, and worry-free.
When Fan Jie lowered his head with a resigned expression, I walked out.
Old Gong leaped up, returning to hang above the night pot.
As we left the front door of Zhou's house and climbed into the car, Fan Jie was sitting in the back seat, looking like a limp tomato that had been frozen.
Zhou Yan and others followed to the front gate. Although his demeanor had improved slightly, he still looked torturous, and his eyes had an indescribable complexity, subtly clenching his fists.
"Ahchoo." Old Gong sneezed and suddenly dove into the night pot.
The car set off.
After driving about half a distance, I told Fan Jie to stop feeling so downcast, explaining that I wasn't going to do anything to him. I just didn't understand many things and needed to go somewhere, and perhaps he could help.
Fan Jie stared up at me with a dazed expression. I turned my head to the side, smiling at him and nodding in agreement.
At this moment, Fan Jie finally let out a sigh of relief.
By the time we returned to the Mo family, it was well into the late night. The Mo family was brightly lit up, and quite a few people were standing at the gate, even Mo Chang Zai was pacing back and forth, his expression looking extremely ugly.
I found it strange that something must have happened at the Mo family again.
After we got out of the car, Mo Chang Zai saw me and his expression became pleasant.
But when he saw Fan Jie, a hint of fear appeared in his eyes.
Fan Jie was quite astute; he bowed his head slightly, standing behind me with a very low posture, which helped to ease Mo Chang Zai's tension.
"Thank goodness you've returned, I will go to the hospital first," Mo Chang Zai tried to maintain a calm attitude.
"Hospital?" I was even more puzzled.
Mo Chang Zai then gave a bitter smile and explained the reason: "Earlier, you wanted Mo Qiong to drive, right? But Old Gong said a few words and Mo Long took over. Old Gong also said that Mo Qiong's car would be short-lived, but he wouldn't believe in bad luck and secretly followed you. In the end, he couldn't keep up halfway and had an accident. I don't know what part of his brain was missing, as he ended up hitting a dump truck and almost lost his life."
"I should have gone to the hospital a long time ago. He called me and explained all these things before he went into surgery, saying that you hadn't returned yet."
"I involuntarily changed my expression."
Quietly, Mo Qiong had managed to get into such a big mess?
And… Old Gong's casual remark actually came true?
No, that's not it, it can't be a casual remark coming true; that would be like cursing Mo Qiong. Old Gong wouldn't do something so foolish.
The only explanation is that Old Gong saw that Mo Qiong was going to face a calamity!
A memory suddenly surfaced in my mind, something from my childhood.
Old Qin often muttered at home, saying that the old bones of one family were about to scatter or that the wife of another family had fallen into a ditch.
At first, I thought he was just talking idle chatter. Later, the people he had muttered about really did die.
After eating human white rice, Old Qin head scheduled me to go digging graves, shaving heads, or applying makeup at the appropriate time.
For a long time, I thought it was Old Qin who was causing harm, as his every word and action made me feel uncomfortable.
It took him a long time to explain to me that it was fate. He had calculated the lives of those people, and it was their time to die.
I asked Old Qin again, why didn't he say a few words to help, so those people wouldn't have to die?
Old Qin's explanation was that fate cannot be changed, and secrets should not be disclosed.
If he forced to alter the fate, the one who would suffer would be him.
My breathing was slightly heavy, and my brain felt foggy and heavy.
These memories were so long ago, and I hadn't been able to recall them for such a long time. Without the sudden clarity, I probably wouldn't have remembered these details in my lifetime.
"Old Gong? Is he a fortune-teller?" Fan Jie asked cautiously, a hint of excitement faintly appeared in his eyes.
"I'm not talented, but I do have some level. And since you brought a fortune-teller, it must be an important place you're heading to?"
Clearly, Fan Jie misunderstood.
I did not respond to Fan Jie.
Mo Chang Zai raised an eyebrow and asked, "Where are you going, Xian Sheng?"
"We are going to leave temporarily, the specific details will be conveyed to Mo Ying by the family. You can see Uncle Mo first," I ended the conversation.
Mo Chang Zai did not say more, summoned two clan members, and we left in Mo Long's car.
After entering the courtyard, I looked at Fan Jie secretly.
Fan Jie slightly embarrassed and apologized that he did not know I had not told the other members of the Mo family about the matter.
"It's fine, it will be said eventually," I replied.
Fan Jie's expression improved slightly.
"Mo Long, bring tea for Fan Jie. If Fan Jie is tired, arrange a guest room," I instructed Mo Long.
"Yes, sir," Mo Long respectfully replied.
My body stiffened for a moment before I walked towards my residence.
I only caught a glimpse with the corner of my eye when I had walked some distance away. Fan Jie seemed to be behaving properly, yet there was still a sense of unquenchable excitement and lively spirits about him.
When I returned to the room, I saw that the door was open, and Mo Ying was sitting on the steps outside.
Inside the room, Yu Xiu was still standing in the same spot.
Mo Ying immediately stood up, a slight frown forming between her eyebrows.
I thought it might be because she knew about Mo Qiong's trouble, but Mo Ying spoke first, saying, "I found the Chi Ghost Village. It's not close, over a thousand kilometers away, but there are some troubles."
"Troubles?" I pondered.
Mo Ying nodded and shared the information she had uncovered.
Not only did she find the address of the Chi Ghost Village online, but she also contacted some friends in Daxiang City to gather information from multiple sources.
The village is called Chi Ghost Village because of the rumors that a ghost hides within. Initially, it was not considered a ghost; the villagers believed it to be a god or a fairy spirit of the mountain. It was only after some major incidents occurred that they realized it was actually an evil spirit.
My brow furrowed slightly, but I did not interrupt Mo Ying's words.
Mo Ying then spoke about the most crucial point.
The Chi Ghost Village had a custom that lasted for about a hundred or two hundred years. Whenever there was a famine, a woman would be sacrificed and taken into the mountains to invite a deity.
From then on, the woman never emerged from the mountain again. In just a short while, the area around the village became prosperous, and the people could live and work peacefully for many years.
But about twenty-nine years ago, things started to change.
Another drought occurred within the boundaries of Chi Ghost Village. The villagers, following the old custom, selected a woman to be sent into the mountain.
Little did they know, three days later, the woman emerged from the mountain. By her side was another person who came out with her; the villagers recognized that it was another woman who had been sent into the mountain years ago.
The other woman was so thin that she looked like a skeleton, as if she had been a corpse for a long time.
She said that the spirit in the mountain was very satisfied with this woman, but it would be nine years before another woman could be sent into the mountain. For the first eight years, this woman had to marry someone each year!
