Frame-Up

"Something stinks?"

Fang Zhixing sniffed, filtering out the smell of shit and piss, sweat, and bad breath. There was indeed a distinct foul odor mixed in.

It was the stench of a corpse!

It was late September. If there was a corpse smell, the person had likely been dead for over forty-eight hours.

"You said Uncle Liu was murdered. How can you be sure?" Fang Zhixing asked.

"Oh, Uncle Liu died horribly!"

Auntie Wang squeezed her eyes and gestured at her chest with both hands. "Someone cut open his belly! His heart, liver, lungs—they were all gone!"

His belly had been cut open!

And his internal organs had been taken!

Fang Zhixing could not help drawing a sharp breath.

His first reaction was that the cannibal who had killed Second Dog had struck again!

Uncle Liu lived alone, with no one to depend on. Naturally, he had become one of the cannibal's targets.

Fang Zhixing's brows knotted into a lump, a chill rising from the depths of his heart.

The door creaked open!

At that moment, the inner room's door opened.

The old village chief walked out.

Pinching his nose, his face grave, he walked up to the villagers and fiddled with his tobacco pipe.

The villagers all looked at the old village chief.

Taking the chance, Fang Zhixing rose onto his tiptoes and peered into the inner room. His pupils suddenly contracted violently.

Not far behind the inner room's doorway lay a blackened corpse, slumped at an angle. Its upper body was bare, and a hole had been carved into its chest. Maggots crawled through the flesh and blood. The death was horrifying, enough to make one's scalp prickle.

Half a heart sat on the table beside it.

That sight...

Fang Zhixing held his breath.

"Fuck!"

Skinny Dog lay prone on the ground, his ears drooping as he transmitted, "After the murderer killed Uncle Liu, he ate him right in his own house!"

Fang Zhixing replied, "Mm."

Skinny Dog shuddered. "You might be next!"

The old village chief took a puff from his pipe. His eyes were cloudy as he announced, "Listen up, everyone. Old Liu has been murdered."

The scene was silent as a grave. An indescribable terror permeated the silence.

Second Dog was dead, and Old Liu was dead too!

Second Dog had lost both legs, while Old Liu's belly had been dug empty!

What exactly had happened was plain as day.

No one here was stupid. They could all figure it out.

Someone in Crouching Ox Village was eating people!

The villagers fell silent, trembling with fear. They looked at one another, their eyes filled with suspicion and wariness.

Seeing this, the old village chief immediately declared, "Don't panic, everyone. Since there has been a murder in the village, we must report it to the authorities. No matter who killed Old Liu, we will certainly seize the culprit and give him justice."

"Yes, yes, that's exactly what we should do!" the villagers echoed one after another.

The old village chief's prestige had been built up over many years. No one dared question him casually. Whatever he said should be done was what would be done.

"Enough. Everyone go back to your homes, lock your doors, and shout loudly if anything happens." The old village chief waved his hand, dismissing the crowd.

Fang Zhixing glanced at Skinny Dog, then turned and went home.

Skinny Dog understood at once. He furtively hid in a corner by the wall, swallowed by the darkness where no one could see him.

Once the crowd had dispersed, only the old village chief and his three sons remained.

Zhao Dahu said, "Father, are you really going to report this to the authorities? If the county sends over even one constable, we'll have to provide his three meals a day. Whose household will feed him? Wouldn't you, as the village head, have to see to it—spending both money and effort?"

Zhao Erhu nodded. "Exactly. Inviting a god is easy; sending one away is hard."

The old village chief chuckled. "Report it to the authorities? I was only saying it to steady people's hearts, and to scare that cannibal while I was at it."

His three sons immediately understood.

Zhao Dahu said, "If we're not reporting it, how do we handle this?"

Zhao Sanhu quickly said, "Big Brother, didn't you suspect Big Ox was the cannibal? If it comes to it, why not just capture him and execute him in public?"

Zhao Dahu shook his head. "Second Dog might have been killed by Big Ox, but Old Liu definitely wasn't."

Zhao Sanhu was baffled. "He wasn't?"

Zhao Dahu spread his hands. "These past few days, I had my son keep watch on Big Ox. I found that he left early and returned late every day, acting all mysterious. No one knew where he was going. But Old Liu was last seen at noon three days ago. After he went home, he never left again. During that whole time, Big Ox was under my son's watch."

The old village chief nodded. "When people are hungry enough, they'll eat anything. Big Ox ate Second Dog, while someone else ate Old Liu! If this keeps up, by winter, I'm afraid the whole village will be eating people."

Zhao Dahu clicked his tongue. "Father, you lived through famine before. Did you ever encounter anything like this?"

The old village chief seemed to recall something. His expression shifted for a moment, then he abruptly changed the subject and asked, "How many days has Uncle Song been gone?"

Zhao Dahu replied, "Seven or eight days, I suppose."

"Mm."

Delight appeared on the old village chief's face.

For the past few days, Uncle Song and the other three had gone out hunting and had not returned to the village. Auntie Song and her daughters-in-law had been worried sick.

Because of this, Auntie Song went to the old village chief's home every day, crying and making a scene as she begged him to quickly organize the villagers to search the mountains.

But in times like these, everyone could barely save themselves and had more than enough on their own plates. Who had the energy or leisure to go looking for others?

The old village chief laughed. "Looks like the entire Song family is finished, dead in the mountains. This is perfect!"

His three sons were surprised. "Father, what's so good about that?"

The old village chief rolled his eyes and looked at Zhao Sanhu with a smile. "Sanhu, haven't you always liked Second Son Song's wife? Later, I'll go propose for you. Once you marry her, you can get your hands on all the Song family's grain and money."

Zhao Sanhu was instantly overjoyed. He said excitedly, "Father, brilliant idea! Thank you, Father!"

Zhao Dahu asked, "What about Auntie Song?"

The old village chief said coldly, "That old hag will definitely cause trouble. She has to be killed. We'll say that she was the one who killed Old Liu. She lost her husband and son, and went mad!"

Zhao Dahu nodded repeatedly. "Father, you really are resourceful and wise!"

After they had discussed it, the old village chief ordered his three sons to bury Uncle Liu's body. He himself went to Second Son Song's home.

After the four left, Skinny Dog leaped out of the darkness and bolted home.

Fang Zhixing had been waiting for some time. He asked, "Did you hear anything?"

Skinny Dog rattled it all off in one breath.

"What? They suspect I ate Second Dog?"

Fang Zhixing was speechless, finding it utterly baffling.

Skinny Dog looked him over and said, "I think they suspect you because you got stronger!"

Fang Zhixing froze. He looked down at himself, then suddenly understood. "That makes sense. No wonder!"

Skinny Dog added, "The old village chief really is ruthless. His heart is black as ink—he's swallowing up a household with no heirs. The Song family is completely finished."

But Fang Zhixing still felt lingering fear. After a moment of thought, he said, "The old village chief nearly turned his knife on me."