I finally understood why, back when we first met Seventh Master, he had refused to work with us and had even messed with us.
Young people really did ask for it sometimes.
No amount of advice could get through to them. They wouldn't listen to a single word.
Not only was Hong Tao taking pictures of the dead person, but several of the girls were too.
Something Seventh Master and I both considered bad luck apparently didn't bother them at all.
Worse still, the wind that night was so strong that it lifted the sheet covering the deceased, exposing her head.
We were too far away to see clearly, but I could just make out a very young face. She was probably a young girl.
The crowd suddenly stirred, and the villagers seemed panicked.
They had all gathered around the body without any apparent concern about taboos, so why had they suddenly panicked?
Hong Tao and the others finally got scared and hurriedly put their phones away.
The girls in particular ran far away, pulling the boys along as they prepared to leave.
Seventh Master whispered, "The corpse opened her eyes. Let's go!"
We turned and left, heading back to the guesthouse.
Along the way, the young people were terribly excited, constantly discussing what they had just seen. They had probably caught the dead woman's eyes opening on their phones.
But a dead person opening their eyes was no good thing. They only opened their eyes if they couldn't accept their death.
Back at the guesthouse, before we returned to our rooms, I pulled Hong Tao aside and reminded him out of goodwill to lock his door that night, be wary of strangers, and stay inside, especially to keep his female companions from going out.
His face radiating the clear-eyed