Chapter 23: Relocating the Grave (11)
They heard hurried footsteps; the growling in their throats abruptly ceased as they all turned to look behind them.
A crimson fire ignited in their hollow eye sockets.
“Roar—”
The lead skeletal corpse howled toward the sky. Before issuing its command, it slightly shifted its jaw, as if fixating on something behind them.
Qí Yìqíng narrowed his eyes.
In hindsight, it was likely that the skeletal corpse was staring at none other than “Director Sun.”
Further speculation suggested that the entity occupying Director Sun’s body was also one of the skeletal corpses.
The matter of relocating the graves was not urgent; today, Village Chief Shi had only brought them here to familiarize themselves with the path and to pay respects to their direct blood relatives.
Just as Jiang Shengsheng was about to kneel and kowtow, the sky suddenly changed.
A gusting cold wind howled fiercely toward the gathered youths.
Xià Jūnyáo tightly embraced the trembling Jiang Shengsheng. Squinting his dark eyes, which were being struck by wildly whipping hair, he looked up at the gray-black clouds overhead.
“How strange... The weather forecast didn’t mention it would suddenly turn overcast today...”
Hearing Xià Jūnyáo’s murmuring, Xì Yóu instinctively glanced at Village Chief Shi’s expression.
Qí Yìqíng, who turned his head simultaneously, curled his lips, his crimson tongue licking the dry corner of his mouth. They had finally caught a clue.
Village Chief Shi’s face darkened, the smile vanished, and his sullen eyes fixed on the overwhelming black clouds for a long moment, a slight twitch at the corner of his eye.
Those people—how dare they!
Isn’t their motto and goal to strive for the bright future of Shitou Village?!
Trying to coerce him into backing down and compromising with such a feeble method?
Do they even know whom they’re dealing with!
He wanted to see how the dead, who had been gone for decades, could resist him; how they could defy the divine guardian blessing Shitou Village!
Village Chief Shi snorted coldly, his eyes filled with disdain and mockery.
As the weather turned abnormal, the group was forced to hastily descend the mountain halfway, fearing that the next moment would bring a torrential storm drenching them completely.
Back in the courtyard, the players took the initiative, opening umbrellas and weaving through Shitou Village.
Jiang Shengsheng’s high fever finally subsided, much to the relief of Xià Jūnyáo and Qí Yìqíng.
She was restless and tugged on her boyfriend’s sleeve, softening her voice coquettishly, “I want to go too.”
The ponytailed girl and others were long accustomed to NPCs courting death.
An NPC who doesn’t risk death isn’t a good one for dropping clues.
The players who stayed at the inn waited early by the shrine’s back door. Seeing Qí Yìqíng and the others approaching in grand procession, the eager travelers rushed over, “So? Did you find any strange clues or leads?”
The dozen or so present exchanged glances before Liú Wǎnjūn stepped forward to explain in detail.
“Why bring NPCs here? This isn’t playing house.”
Several traveler players glanced at the man and woman standing side by side, muttering under their breath.
All fourteen players heard this; Xì Yóu smiled knowingly, blending into the crowd.
“Wait for me!”
From the rain came a few hurried breaths—it was Director Sun arriving late.
Liú Wǎnjūn’s detailed recounting made the players who had been surrounded by skeletal corpses shudder and step back, distancing themselves from Director Sun.
Fearing that being too alert might attract Director Sun’s attention, they didn’t immediately drive him away.
The nearly twenty-person group was conspicuous, and Qí Yìqíng, who hadn’t found a chance to covertly stick close to the little NPC, frowned deeply.
Unable to bear it any longer, he stopped and proposed splitting up.
Uncle Ma shook his umbrella handle, “Splitting up would be more efficient. How about teams of four?”
Qí Yìqíng stuck out his tongue, licked his cheek, and reluctantly nodded.
Without hesitation, he went to Jiang Shengsheng’s side. Amidst the complex gazes of surprise and suspicion from the other players, he crossed his arms, adopting a devil-may-care attitude.
“Going to wander separately? Can I join?”
The players who were wondering who to send for close contact with Director Sun brightened instantly, feeling no more headaches or fatigue.
Strong players sharing the workload—what’s wrong with that? After all, they were strong.
Feeling justified, they scattered, slipping into narrow alleys beneath the rain, their figures soon vanishing from the four’s sight.
Director Sun seemed both familiar and unfamiliar with Shitou Village, giving Jiang Shengsheng and the others the impression of a villager who hadn’t returned for many years, having left so young that memories were blurred.
Thinking this, Jiang Shengsheng spoke up.
Director Sun chuckled lightly, his tightly packed features making it hard to read his expression, “Yeah, I haven’t been back for many years…”
Though he said so, Jiang Shengsheng felt no nostalgia from him, only a faint coldness and disgust.
As they walked, the four unwittingly arrived at the village chief’s doorstep.
This place was no stranger to Qí Yìqíng.
On a dark, windy night, he had roamed around here before, though a small mishap nearly exposed him to the still-awake Village Chief Shi.
Village Chief Shi was the head of Shitou Village; naturally, his household was slightly better off than other villagers’.
Jiang Shengsheng stood before the crimson doorframe, her feet seemingly weighted with lead, reluctant to lift them.
The two-story building before her gave a foreboding feeling.
The eerie combination of bright red and blue, the iron-barred windows reflecting three cypress trees planted outside the building…
Qí Yìqíng stepped forward a few paces and gently knocked on the door.
After waiting patiently for several minutes, no sound came from inside.
“Village Chief is probably out. Should we still go in?”
To be honest, Jiang Shengsheng didn’t want to enter; she had no wish to trespass.
Qí Yìqíng gave her no chance to refuse. With her eyes wide in disbelief, he pushed open the door forcefully.
Crossing the high threshold, the four stepped into the village chief’s home.
“Don’t you think,” the man who had been talking along the road fell eerily silent at this moment, finally speaking softly after a long pause, “that the shape of this house is very strange?”
Village Chief Shi’s small building stood not far from the ancestral hall. Its roof was flat, the walls made of yellow earth. The bright red, blue, and yellow colors stood out vividly through the misty rain.
Jiang Shengsheng’s heart skipped a beat; a bone-chilling cold crawled from her tailbone to the back of her head, sending a shiver down her spine.
Xià Jūnyáo’s expression also soured.
Crossing his arms, Qí Yìqíng, as if visiting his own home, turned and looked meaningfully at Director Sun, “You seem to know quite a bit.”
“What do you mean? Is there something wrong with the village chief’s house?”
Seeing Jiang Shengsheng nearly flustered by his explanation, the men around shared a subtle smile.
Qí Yìqíng stopped teasing her and bluntly said, “From the outside, doesn’t the building look like a paper effigy house?”
Fearing she might still not understand, Qí Yìqíng elaborated, “Both wings are the same height, but the central main house stands taller. The bright colors and the black arched windows resemble a tomb chamber.”
“All the other houses in the village have obvious foundations, but this one doesn’t.”
“It seems more like its foundation is sunk into the earth, intertwined with Shitou Village, inseparable.”
Director Sun was surprised that this young man knew so much and raised his eyebrows.
After Qí Yìqíng’s detailed explanation, Jiang Shengsheng, now covered in goosebumps, felt a creeping dread.
Not only did the house’s shape resemble a paper effigy spirit house, but even the doors and floors were eerie; the red and yellow hanging curtains looked like incense candles from a distance.
Every corner of Village Chief Shi’s home exuded a chilling, bone-deep coldness.