Nightfall

Before reaching the lower floor, Chen Shouyi could already hear Mother Chen's voice.

"Honestly, such a bizarre thing, everyone else is trying to avoid it, and you're rushing headfirst into it. You're really blinded by greed."

"Mom!" Chen Xingyue hugged Mother Chen's arm and said coquettishly, "I'm a Martial Apprentice, what's there to be afraid of? Their whole family is fine, aren't they?"

"What if that 'unclean thing' still recognizes people?" Mother Chen still said worriedly, "They didn't even dare to let their relatives come, why are you, an outsider, going?"

"If it comes to that, can't I just run away! If I can't even run, I won't be safe at home either. Mom, don't worry!"

"This is infuriating."

"Alright, alright. Since you're going, just be careful tonight and look after your brother when you're there," Chen Dawei said.

Chen Shouyi, who had been watching Chen Xingyue with amusement, couldn't help but open his mouth upon hearing this.

I'm already very capable, okay!

But in the end, he didn't say anything.

If I say something, they'll just think I'm bragging.

He decided in his heart that as soon as social order was restored, he would go and get assessed as a Martial Apprentice.

Don't underestimate the status of a Martial Apprentice; it's a reflection of social standing in itself.

In other words, it's equivalent to having political power in advance and enjoying corresponding rights and obligations, possessing the identity of a militia member.

Especially in a small place like Dongning, having the identity of a Martial Apprentice often makes people look up to you, always drawing looks of awe and envy. This is an instinctive reaction from ordinary people facing a powerful peer who can easily take their lives.

If Chen Xingyue weren't a Martial Apprentice, her parents wouldn't have agreed so easily for her to go out.

Of course, no one would have invited her either!

The clear moonlight carried a slight chill.

Two figures, one tall and one short, walked one after the other.

The alley was very quiet; only the footsteps of the two could be heard clearly.

Chen Xingyue was wearing a cotton tracksuit, a sword case slung over her shoulder, and holding her phone in her hand to illuminate the way.

Chen Shouyi looked at her phone and finally couldn't help but ask.

"How do you still have battery?"

"Charged it in the car, didn't you know?"

Chen Shouyi: "..."

If Chen Xingyue hadn't reminded him, he would have forgotten that cars could be charged.

The residential communities in this area were all self-built European-style two-and-a-half-story houses, with private yards. Due to the unified planning at the time, the streets within the community were neatly laid out, not appearing messy at all.

However, their house was on the street, so stepping out meant being on the street.

Chen Shouyi rarely walked around the community. Walking through it now, he felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

It was not yet seven o'clock, but the streets of the community were deserted.

If not for the faint lights emanating from the houses on both sides, one might suspect that everyone had already gone to bed early.

Old Man Wang's house was easy to find.

A black tarp was erected in his yard, looking eerily dark.

The iron gate to the yard was closed.

The two walked up and knocked. After only two knocks, the door opened quickly.

The one who opened the door was Wang Debiao's wife, Afeng, a middle-aged woman in her forties, wearing a white mourning dress with a black cloth flower pinned to her chest.

Her face was haggard, and her eye bags were deep.

Her eyes left a deep impression on Chen Shouyi; they were eyes filled with fear and unease.

However, anyone encountering such a situation would likely be unable to remain calm.

"Oh, Chen Xingyue, you're here. Come in quickly."

"Hello, Auntie," Chen Xingyue said.

Chen Shouyi also greeted her and followed Chen Xingyue inside.

A faint smell of corpse decay permeated the yard.

It was very desolate, with very few people.

Besides Old Man Wang's brother and two sons, there was only Wang Debiao's wife, Afeng. The other relatives had not come, clearly frightened away.

Seeing Chen Xingyue, they all rushed forward as if seeing a lifesaver.

Old Man Wang's brother, an old man in his seventies or eighties, stood up from his seat and walked over shakily, saying, "Xingyue, we're counting on you this time. You Martial Apprentices have strong yang energy, which is best at deterring malevolent spirits. I hope my brother can be peaceful today. We living people can't withstand repeated disturbances."

Most elderly people were superstitious, and with such an event occurring, they had no choice but to believe.

Chen Xingyue was also facing this situation for the first time, feeling a bit flustered and blushing, "This... I don't know if it's useful?"

"It doesn't matter if it's not useful, we feel at ease with you here," Old Man Wang's second son said, forcing a smile.

Whether the malevolent energy could be suppressed was a minor issue; the key was that it provided courage.

"Yeah, yeah!" Old Man Wang's second son chimed in, afraid of scaring Chen Xingyue away, "My dad's body is tied up now, so there's no danger."

"Xingyue, have a seat!" Afeng quickly called out, "And Dawei's son, don't just stand there."

She used her given name when referring to her sister, but for him, it was "so-and-so's son."

The difference in address indicated the disparity in their status in everyone's hearts.

Chen Shouyi didn't mind; he was already used to it.

"You must have come with Xingyue, I almost don't recognize you," Afeng said with a forced smile, while making tea and getting snacks.

Chen Shouyi gave a perfunctory reply.

The night gradually deepened.

The few of them sat, drinking strong tea and chatting.

The atmosphere of grief had long since vanished after the events of the past two days, leaving only fear and unease.

As they talked, they eventually brought up what had happened last night.

Their words seemed to carry a hint of regret, wishing they hadn't brought the body back and had let the police handle it instead.

They spoke one after another.

Chen Shouyi also roughly reconstructed the situation at the time.

It turned out that after the police shot Old Man Wang's body down, it became like a real corpse, falling to the ground and remaining motionless.

The police didn't know how to handle it; it wasn't their jurisdiction, and they had never encountered such a bizarre situation.

Chen Shouyi guessed that the police must have been terrified at the time.

Coincidentally, the deceased's family arrived. After explaining the situation, they were told to take the body back.

Speaking of which, the whole affair had been quite a rollercoaster.

After listening for a few sentences, Chen Shouyi fell into a silent daze.

He glanced at Chen Xingyue, who was engrossed in playing a game on her phone.

He couldn't help but feel he had miscalculated; he should have brought a book, or at least studied the common language dictionary, anything would have been better than doing nothing.

Feeling somewhat bored, he got up and walked a few steps in the yard.

At this moment, he looked towards the mourning hall and, driven by curiosity, walked over.

The others glanced at him but didn't stop him.

It was already midnight. The room was lit by flickering candlelight, casting a dim yellow glow. Two white candles on the altar were burning, having already consumed more than half of their length.

The air was filled with a strange scent, a mixture of the odor of decay and incense. A white cloth curtain hung behind the altar.

Old Man Wang's body was behind the curtain.

He subconsciously softened his footsteps and slowly walked past the curtain, leaning in to get a look at Old Man Wang's body.

The body was tightly bound to the bed with ropes. Its skin was sallow and devoid of any color.

The burial suit looked overly large, and it was clear that the body's muscles had atrophied.

The body had not been cleaned since it was brought back last night.

The dust-covered, dark gray burial suit already had several bullet holes, and dark, wet marks could be seen at the wounds.

Since the burial suit was gray, he couldn't tell if it was blood or bodily fluids.

Besides the bullet holes on the body, the most prominent wound was on the head. A bullet had entered the brain diagonally from the cheekbone, leaving a terrifying black wound.

At this moment, Chen Shouyi suddenly noticed a detail: his fingernails were somewhat black, deeply black.

Moreover, his fingers were still twitching slightly from time to time.

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.