After getting off the high-speed train, the group took a one-hour bus ride before finally arriving at Huaining Village.
It appears to be a small, impoverished village with simple, honest people.
Huaining Village is very remote, and few outsiders come here throughout the year. As soon as Ji Nanshu and his group got off the car, some villagers gathered around to watch the spectacle, especially some children who peeked out shyly from behind their parents, their eyes full of curiosity.
The person who received Ji Nanshu and his party was the village chief of Huaining Village, a rather dignified old man with a beard and a cane.
The village chief, all smiles, led the group into the village and settled them in the village guesthouse.
"Dear leaders, I'm sorry, our village is quite remote, and I'm sorry to trouble you to stay in such simple accommodations." The village chief was neither happy nor unhappy about the arrival of Ji Nanshu and his group. These people looked too young and didn't seem very reliable. He wondered what kind of mess they would make of their village.
They had consulted Daoist priests before, but they all swindled money and ran away, not only failing to solve the problem but also causing more deaths and creating widespread fear in the village.
After putting down his luggage, Xu Yongnian asked, "Village Chief, someone told us the general story of what happened in the village. Could you please tell us more details?"
Village Chief: "Let me tell you the story. It all started when Wang's wife died..."
Wang's wife, Xu Xiu, was a famous beauty in the surrounding villages before she got married. She and Wang Chuan, the eldest son of the Wang family, were childhood sweethearts. As soon as they came of age, they held a wedding banquet in front of the villagers and married. The following year, she gave birth to a chubby baby girl.
Wang Chuan and Xu Xiu were overjoyed and boasted about their little girl to everyone they met. They were originally a very happy family, but they never expected that Xu Xiu would suffer such a terrible disaster.
It was an ordinary night. Wang Chuan had gone out to work late and slept in town. Xu Xiu was alone with her child at their home in Huaining Village. Just as she was about to go to sleep, she suddenly heard some noises outside the door.
Xu Xiu was puzzled and scared. She wrapped her clothes tighter and went to check. As soon as she opened the door, a man rushed in, covered her mouth tightly, and threatened to kill her and her daughter if she dared to make a sound.
The man swiftly stripped Xu Xiu of her clothes, raped her, and afterwards threatened to kill her daughter if she dared to tell anyone.
Xu Xiu was at her wit's end. She considered suicide, but looking at her infant daughter, she could only grit her teeth and swallow her anger.
From then on, whenever Wang Chuan wasn't around, that man would climb into their house, sometimes bringing several other men with him. Finally, unable to bear the humiliation any longer, one night after the men left, Xu Xiu put on her wedding red dress, left a suicide note, and threw herself into a well.
By the time Wang Chuan returned, Xu Xiu's body was almost bloated from being submerged in water.
A young man in his early twenties fainted several times from crying.
The death in the village occurred on the seventh night after Xu Xiu's death. Zhao Qi, the eldest son of the Zhao family, was found drowned in a water vat in his backyard.
The second person to die was Li Can, Wang Chuan's neighbor, who also drowned, but in a washbasin.
Rumors spread that a female ghost in red had been seen at night, causing panic in Huaining Village. The village chief had no choice but to ask someone to find a Daoist priest to perform a ritual, but to no avail, and people continued to die.
There was no other way but to report it, and that's how the relevant departments issued the task.
Ji Nanshu and his group had just arrived here.
After listening, Wu Rushuang and Si Dai, both women, frowned deeply; they even felt that these people deserved to die.
They say if you haven't done anything wrong, you have nothing to fear. If those people hadn't done such a filthy thing, why would they be afraid of Xu Xiu coming to their door?
After explaining the whole story, the village chief left the guesthouse to prepare dinner for Ji Nanshu and his group.
After listening, Xu Yongnian asked, " Rushuang, Captain Shu, what do you think?"
Wu Rushuang coldly asked, "Didn't those people deserve to die?"
Shu Cheng frowned as he listened, saying, "Let's observe first. If the red-clothed ghost loses its mind, it could easily harm innocent people."
Even though they also felt those scum deserved to die, they still believed that the law should be the judge, rather than resorting to revenge killings.
Ji Nanshu did not speak after hearing this, but got up to leave the guesthouse and go to the village to take a look.
Ji Xingyu jumped up and asked, " Nanshu, where are you going?"
"Let's go visit the Wang family."
I was originally planning to go alone by myself, but alas.
Ji Xingyu said decisively, "I'm going too!"
Wu Rushuang snorted coldly and said, "Do you even know where the Wang family is? Going there so rashly, if there's really a problem, wouldn't we be alerting them?!"
Hmph, these young people are obviously just trying to get credit and show off, without considering the consequences at all.
Ji Nanshu didn't even turn his head. "I'll go myself, you don't need to come with me."
Only Ji Xingyu hurriedly followed. "An... Nanshu!! Nanshu, wait for me!"
The youngest brother went, how could the second brother not go! What if the youngest brother got hurt? Wouldn't he face a double beating from his parents when he got home?!
Shu Cheng lowered his eyes slightly, watching Ji Xingyu's retreating figure. He clenched his fist, then lowered it after a few seconds, his voice cold. "I'm going out to take a look."
He then followed her out.
" Mr. Ji, have you discovered something?" Shu Cheng asked softly as he caught up, completely ignoring Ji Xingyu standing to the side.
Ji Xingyu, who was initially quite happy and ready to greet Shu Cheng, shrank back, wondering who had angered the captain this time?
He wasn't afraid of being yelled at or scolded. But if Shu Cheng ignored him, he would feel incredibly guilty.
He didn't know why he was afraid of Shu Cheng, even though this guy was so thin and weak that he couldn't possibly beat him!
But with just one look, Ji Xingyu dared not make a single move.
Sigh, what can you do when he's your captain? That's probably the unique authority of a captain!
Seeing Ji Xingyu's cowardly appearance, Ji Nanshu smiled slightly and said, "Yin energy, the entire village is shrouded in Yin energy."
Shu Cheng nodded. "This yin energy... if it continues like this, innocent people in the village will be affected. At best they'll fall ill, at worst they'll lose their lives."
"We've arrived at the Wang family's residence."
As they spoke, the three arrived at the Wang family's residence.
The only house in the entire village with a white lantern hanging at its door.
thump thump thump--
Ji Xingyu went up and knocked on the door. A few minutes later, there was a rustling sound inside, and the door opened.
A man, pale-faced and with blue lips, was holding a baby girl in his arms.
What do you want?
All rapists deserve to die! They're despicable!! May they all go to hell!