Mangying covered her mouth with a soft laugh, picked up the cup as well, and sipped a little.
After chatting idly with the boss for a few more sentences, I made it clear my intention and inquired if there was a village called Chihai Village nearby.
Instantly, the boss's eyes widened significantly. He carefully scanned around before muttering, "Young man, you shouldn't go there."
I immediately caught the drift, and without needing to ask any more, the boss poured out a stream of words like spilled beans.
Indeed, there is a village called Chihai Village located west of WuLong Town. However, about twenty years ago, it became a deserted village, and there was a tragedy that occurred there, causing the death of many people. After that, most of the survivors left the village and never went back.
Years have passed, and people sometimes still talk about the Chihai Village in their spare time, but no one has actually been there. They all say that the road outside is covered with a dense forest that bewitches the mind.
Not only that, but even the path to that ghost forest remains undiscovered. Outside the countryside, no one mentions Chihai Village, as if it doesn't exist.
With that, the boss took a sip of wine and said, "Young man, these days, young people seek excitement. I see you're wearing a Taoist robe. We've got a young man around here who does live streaming. He gathered some people to dress up as zombies, which is quite spooky. He went after them in his robe, but, hey, he ended up meeting a real Taoist in the middle of the night. The zombies got quite a beating; they even broke several ribs."
"If you want to go to Chihai Village to grab attention, then you're already halfway down the path of no return."
Saying this, the boss got up and went to attend to new guests.
I finished my drink, ate a little something, paid the bill, and then left with Mangying and Yusou.
I sought out a few more passersby, using the same approach as Mangying, offering money to buy information and asking questions. Some looked at us with odd eyes, waving their hands and walking away, while others scattered bits and pieces of information.
Finally, we classified the information we gathered together and made a summary.
The tragedy that occurred in Chihai Village was at a wedding. It was said to be the case of a young man from a wealthy family who insisted on marrying an extremely disgraced widow, who had been married several times. His family naturally did not agree, but the young man stubbornly defied all opposition and insisted on getting married.
Therefore, the family severed ties with the young man. However, on the night of the wedding, a group of bandits who were on the run entered the village.
The bandits were notorious for their heinous crimes of rape and robbery, and they had been on the run and wanted for a long time without being caught.
They entered the bride's room and bound the widow, planning to humiliate her in front of the young man. The young man was fierce, and he bit off one of the bandits' ears. The outcome was predictable; the young man was killed, and the widow collapsed. She refused to submit, and the bandits went crazy, stabbing people left and right, almost turning them into hedgehogs.
After that, they buried the bodies in the backyard, ate and drank in the widow's home, and stayed there until the next day. Then, they continued their spree, killing two more families and stealing a lot of money.
When they tried to leave the village, they discovered that they couldn't get out.
A thick fog enveloped the village entrance, and no matter which way they went, they ended up back at the foot of the signpost.
They kept hearing the young man's cries for help and the widow's sobs.
Even though the people were dead and buried, it was clearly haunted. All of them were so scared that they wet their pants.
Just at that moment, a Taoist entered the village, ordering them to leave and surrender. Under his command, a path out of the village indeed appeared at the foot of the signpost.
The bandits fled in a panic, and the legend has remained ever since.
Since then, many other misfortunes have occurred in Chihai Village, as described by those who left the village.
The Taoist tried to subdue the widow, but she was severely injured by a sudden large ghost from the mountain. The widow was extremely fierce and killed many people.
The people she killed were those who had coerced her into repeated marriages in the past, taking a considerable amount of money from her.
The Taoist was unable to turn the tide, but he used all his might to gather the remaining villagers together and left Chihai Village.
After that, no one has ever gone into Chihai Village again.
As the rumors increased, the police also dispatched personnel to investigate, but it remained unresolved.
After some years had passed, the wealthy family donated a large sum of money to build many houses along the countryside road outside Chihai Village, providing housing for people.
It is said that it was for the benefit of the young master's soul.
……
Under the streetlight, the shadows of me, Mangying, and Yusou stretched long.
These messages are all new information we've just gathered, and Yusou has overheard them, but she shows no reaction at all.
Mangying's face looked somewhat pale, and she kept staring at Yusou, her eyes filled with extra care and worry.
I felt a heavy heart, and Yusou's plight made me feel not just simple pity but sheer misfortune.
On their wedding night, both the husband and herself were murdered in quick succession.
Yet, I also know that this might have been an inevitable event...
Being called an "eightfold widowed woman" sealed her fate to a life of tragedy.
I also slightly relaxed, regarding the old Qin.
I consistently believed that Old Qinhead took away Liu Kan's life and very likely killed him. He controlled Yusou, and it was even more likely that he transformed her into an "eightfold widowed woman."
Now it seems that's not the case at all!
I even think that Old Qin may be the final mastermind behind all of this!
The houses along the countryside road were built by Old Qin behind the scenes, and Liu Kan and Yusou were taken away by him.
Preventing outsiders from entering the village was to avoid their being harmed, and the fact that no ghosts could leave the village was also a form of control.
After all, the ghost of Chihai wants Yusou, and Old Qin has taken away her main soul. That ghost thing will definitely not give up!
Also, we face a difficult problem... a problem we didn't think of for a while.
Yusou returning to Chihai Village is to restore her soul, but besides bearing her own evil thoughts, she will also have to face the ghost of Chihai...
By a series of unfortunate events, Chihai might turn her into an "eightfold widowed woman" completely. Is she still going to be the ghost's prey?
My thoughts grew increasingly profound, and I wasn't sure if Mangying had considered these things. I thought it was highly likely that Chihai had sinister intentions towards Yusou.
This matter must have a solution.
Otherwise, if Yusou gets into any more trouble, I can't forgive myself. I can't forgive myself for letting her suffer.
"Who?" Suddenly, Mangying became vigilant, looking in a certain direction. A dark shadow darted from that direction and disappeared into the shadow at Mangying's feet.
She is quite alert, always using a bamboo mouse to investigate her surroundings.
Another shadow, a person, approached us.
Upon closer inspection, he was also wearing a Taoist robe, but it was of a green hue.
He was of tall stature with firm muscles, which gave his robe a nice outline.
He had a neat and tidy short hair, sturdy facial features, and a tanned skin color.
He had a bronze sword hanging from his waist, a row of peach-wood swords, and on the other side, he was bundled with a dust-repelling broom.
Mangying immediately became extremely vigilant.
