[Soul-Shaking Ancient Village] Dangers Everywhere

The dark clouds had partly dispersed, and a few slanting rays of sunlight pierced the clouds and shone into the silent three-story building.

In his room, Si Yehan stood before the window, looking down over the entire village.

The rain had just passed, leaving a damp scent in the air.

A few people were scattered along the street. Si Yehan silently estimated the time. It was nearly time for the food to be delivered. After eating, he could go take a look at the Elder Care Tower that afternoon.

As for the old madman Chen Yong had mentioned earlier, he could also look for him in the village.

Si Yehan opened the door, went downstairs, and sat on the living room sofa.

Before long, the two farmhands who had previously been at the village chief's side pushed the door open and came in, carrying food and a bucket for leftovers.

They were the ones who had cleared things away yesterday, too. They were Wang Zhou and Wang Niu.

Seeing Si Yehan, Wang Niu looked a little puzzled. "Why are you here all alone? Where did everyone else go?"

Si Yehan ignored Wang Niu. The fool wasn't as smart as the farmhand beside him.

Wang Zhou took in the silence around him, then looked at Si Yehan sitting upright on the sofa. He patted Wang Niu, set down the food and the leftovers bucket, and hurriedly said, "Little brother, go ahead and eat. The two of us will come clean up when you're done."

With that, Wang Zhou dragged Wang Niu away in a great hurry.

Si Yehan unwrapped his meal and ate at a leisurely pace. They had deliberately added some water to today's meal.

His gaze wasn't on his food, but on the two figures receding into the distance.

He was starting to feel the urge to kill. Though that fool knew how to fight, and the man beside him also had some training, even together they would be no match for him.

After discovering his interest in killing as a child, Si Yehan had abandoned his detached attitude of indifference to everything and specifically had his parents use their connections to find him a kung fu master.

He had kept at it for more than ten years, and his personal combat ability had long since reached the limits of an ordinary human.

Those two both followed the old village chief. He could watch the village chief's people a little longer to see whether they had any strange powers. If they didn't, he could safely kill them along with that old bastard, and force more information out of them in the process.

The wandering master hidden behind the scenes was definitely an enormous threat. Si Yehan held his rice bowl in one hand and his chopsticks in the other, thinking as he ate.

Besides today, he still had to survive another two days.

During that time, there would definitely be more strange developments. Discovering the rules by which the ghosts killed would by no means let him rest easy.

And since ghosts could attack people in their sleep, he couldn't sleep at night.

No, that wasn't certain either. It had been raining at the time, so it might have had something to do with the weather. His thoughts wandered on.

Si Yehan had nearly finished eating. He put down his bowl, went outside, and followed the two men who had gone on ahead.

Elsewhere, the two men stopped only after putting some distance between themselves and the Elder Care Tower.

Wang Niu scratched his head and asked, "Brother Zhou, why did you pull me away just now? I wanted to take the chance to ask if that girl in the white dress was still alive. If she's dead, I can stop thinking about her. If she's alive, I can stop worrying."

Wang Zhou was somewhat speechless. "Are you not thinking straight again? It's already this late, and that building is still so quiet. Don't you remember what happened when it rained just now? People died in the village too. From the looks of it, only one of those sacrifices is still alive. Why are the ghosts killing people so quickly this year?"

As Wang Zhou went on, his brows knitted tightly. He was somewhat puzzled. In previous years, one or two of the sacrifices usually survived, and only occasionally were they all wiped out. Could it be that, because this year was the last time, they would all be wiped out too?

Wang Niu sighed. "What a shame. Such a pretty girl, eaten by a ghost just like that. By the way, Brother Zhou, do you think that guy can survive?"

Wang Zhou's brow relaxed slightly. Whether those sacrifices lived or died had nothing to do with him. In any case, with the rules and methods the village chief had given them, he and A Niu would definitely be fine. "No."

Wang Niu asked, puzzled, "Why not? Brother Zhou, didn't you say he was a good fighter?"

Wang Zhou's voice grew somewhat colder, taking on a note of warning. "He can fight, but that's only compared to other people. What good is fighting against a ghost? The two aren't even in the same league. A Niu, don't be a fool and go picking a fight with a ghost. Uncle and Auntie worked hard to raise us, and before they died, they told me to take good care of you. I have to live up to that responsibility. My parents died when I was young. Even though we have different parents, in my eyes, we're no different from blood brothers, so you mustn't do anything foolish."

Wang Niu grinned foolishly. "Don't worry, Brother Zhou. I think of you as my real brother too. Before my dad and mom died, they told me to listen to you. You're the person closest to me in this world. Besides, I'd never fight a ghost. Ghosts scare me more than anything."

Wang Zhou's expression softened a little. "Good, as long as you know that. Don't throw your life away over a woman. If you want one, once the village gets back on its feet, you'll definitely be able to marry a maiden. Come on, let's report to the village chief, then go back and clean up."

Their footsteps gradually faded. At the corner, a figure in a black trench coat slowly emerged. It was Si Yehan.

Si Yehan's expression was calm. He had heard their entire conversation, but it had been nothing but pointless nonsense, revealing a pitifully small amount of information. He might as well have gone back to his meal.

Still, the one thing he had learned was that the two really were close, which would make killing them a little more interesting when the time came.

Si Yehan turned and left, his footsteps nearly silent, like a ghost walking among the living.

The whole of Wang Family Village was fraught with danger.

After Si Yehan returned, he went straight back to his room.

Clasping the doll in his fingers, he decided to test his earlier theory first: whether the ghosts' attacks on sleeping people were related to the weather. If they were, he could sleep without worry tonight. If not, he could wander around the village.

His consciousness gradually sank into boundless darkness. Si Yehan fell asleep peacefully, and the doll did not grow hot.

There were no boundless, fanciful dreams, only endless, deathly silent darkness. His thoughts drifted aimlessly before slowly dissipating.

Si Yehan slept for a long time before waking from his dream.

He looked at the scenery outside the window and realized it was not yet very late,

Si Yehan considered another factor. A ghost had been active at the time, but there wasn't one now. He would have to conduct another brief test tonight. He had to be careful, or he really might lose his life in his sleep.

In these instances, when the rules by which the ghosts killed had not been explicitly stated, one could only explore them bit by bit through trial and error. The slightest mistake meant death.

Si Yehan had always been indifferent to death and knew no fear of it, but he didn't want to die for nothing either. Before he died, he naturally wanted to indulge himself as much as possible and do plenty of killing.

After exploring the Elder Care Tower that afternoon, he could pick another household to slaughter for a little consolation.