The rest of the morning was spent searching the village for signs of zombies, and also looking for the first three victims.
Pu Sang seemed to possess the ability to recall the contents of the hallucinations upon seeing the victims, and he stayed close to Jiang Nuo and the other person at all times.
The village has a long and narrow layout, with mountains and mounds of earth on both sides. The distance from one end of the village to the other is not far, and anyone speaking loudly in the village can be heard immediately.
For example, right now.
While the guest group was searching for the zombies, they suddenly heard an aunt wailing, saying that one of her children had died and could not be saved; she was certain that someone had killed him.
"Let's go take a look."
Jiang Nuo craned her neck, eager to join the fun, and pulled Si Yan into the crowd.
" Nuonuo, be careful."
Si Yan whispered a reminder.
The moment Pu Sang saw the little boy's body, all the color drained from his face. He grabbed Si Yan's arm and shook it, lowering his voice, "He's one of the children from the illusion."
"How could he have been killed...?"
The difference between human killing and Ghost Killing is quite significant; a clean and swift cut to the neck barely draws any blood.
Jiang Nuo shifted his gaze and suddenly noticed Lin Yu, who appeared nonchalantly in the crowd, giving him a mysterious smile.
What's that person laughing at? They look awfully ugly.
Jiang Nuo was just wondering what was going on when the little boy's father yelled at her, leaving her completely bewildered.
"It was you!! It was you... it was you who killed my child!"
Why would an outsider like you kill a child?!
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent, and everyone's gaze slowly followed the little boy's father's arm to Jiang Nuo.
"I?"
Jiang Nuo pointed at herself blankly, "What did I do? Did I use my mind to kill him?"
"This was found in my child's pocket; it's clearly fabric from your clothes!"
"Everyone can testify, are you still trying to renege?"
The little boy's father was clutching a tattered strip of cloth, which was clearly part of Jiang Nuo's clothes.
Jiang Nuo's expression changed slightly. She took off her coat to check and found that a strip had been cut off the side of it at some point.
"It wasn't there when I left this morning," Si Yan whispered a reminder.
" Jiang Nuo wouldn't go that far, would he? Why would he kill someone for no reason?"
I didn't see him make a move, could it be a misunderstanding?
If Jiang Nuo was the murderer, it wouldn't be so surprising.
Jiang Nuo subconsciously glanced at Lin Yu in the crowd opposite her, grinning broadly.
So that's what you were planning.
He clasped his hands, hidden beneath his coat, murmured a few words, and his smile grew even brighter.
Then he suddenly turned around, grabbed something drying on a wooden rack next to him, and slammed it to the ground.
"Fine, I came here to help you catch zombies, and you're trying to frame me!"
"This coat of mine isn't cheap. You ruined my clothes and now you're trying to frame me for murder. Go catch zombies yourselves!"
The little boy's family, who were about to unleash a torrent of abuse. "..."
The boy's father looked tremblingly at the tattered strip of cloth in his hand.
But what provoked an even stronger reaction from the villagers was Jiang Nuo's announcement that he was leaving.
"No, Master Jiang! We're counting on you to catch the zombie...!"
We won't lock you in the ancestral hall!
Jiang Nuo's fingers continued moving beneath her coat, and her eyes lit up when she heard what she had just heard. "What did you just say?"
"Will someone who kills be locked up in the ancestral hall?"
"Yes, yes, but don't worry, we won't lock you up if you help us catch zombies!"
Guan Ancestral Hall...
Jiang Nuo's eyes darted around, and she leisurely looked at Lin Yu, having made up her mind.
"Actually... I can also help you find out who killed this child."
He strolled around the boy's room for a while, then suddenly knocked over a basket.
"Oh dear, this looks like someone's stuff?"
Lin Yu sensed something was wrong, instinctively reached into his pocket, and muttered a curse in frustration.
Compared to this person, being a thief is simply absurd.
"This looks like Lin Yu's stuff! Oh, so you killed a child and then tried to frame me!"
Jiang Nuo glared at him fiercely, but also seemed to have the air of a victim.
Pu Sang exclaimed, "I knew it couldn't be Brother Nuo!"
"You can know a person's face but not their heart," Si Yan echoed.
Wu Chou, the temporary ally, fell silent, then looked up at Lin Yu to show his participation.
" Lin Yu, have you been infected by the ghost energy? This is a human life!"
Jiang Nuo made an exaggerated gesture, clutching her heart and raising her eyebrows at him in a provocative manner.
Lin Yu: "..."
You talk as if you've ever cared about human lives.
After an argument, Lin Yu was dragged into the ancestral hall by the indignant villagers.
He even got slapped several times by Jiang Nuo for no reason.
In high spirits, Jiang Nuo waved goodbye to him.
"No way, Jiang Nuo, are you crazy?! Why are you framing Lin Yu?!"
[How shameless! Jiang Nuo is clearly the most likely murderer...]
The ancestral hall was filled with a chilling atmosphere.
Several villagers pushed Lin Yu inside, fearing something might be after him, and then they all left in a rush, locking the gate tightly behind them.
Lin Yu scratched his arm in frustration, then squatted down by the door, squinting as he thought.
It seems that the prank couldn't make Jiang Nuo ostracized by the villagers, at least it couldn't separate him from Si Yan.
It's harder to make a move if someone's not alone...
He touched the dense bumps on his skin through his shirt, and the nausea grew stronger. It had started on his wrists, but now it had spread to his elbows.
The only trigger that could have afflicted him with the poison was that embrace that day, but even after killing a child, the Gu Poison hadn't subsided at all.
The Ghost King's power can only suppress it, with negligible effect.
The source of this Corpse Qi is probably even more powerful than that of the Ghost King.
So what we need to do now is to try to separate Jiang Nuo and Si Yan, and find a way to cure the Gu Poison.
Lin Yu stood up, the gloom in his eyes dissipating. He looked at the memorial tablets inside the ancestral hall, then frowned in confusion and looked closer up.
"Why are all these memorial tablets for children?"
Logically, the ancestral hall should house the memorial tablets of deceased village elders, so it seems far too many children have died in this village.
Lin Yu touched his nose, his gaze falling on the corner behind the memorial tablet display, and slowly walked over.
Meanwhile, Jiang Nuo and the others also discovered clues.
"My God... so many, so many dead insects!"
Pu Sang covered his mouth, his gaze following the strangely laid-out trail of insect corpses.
Wu Chou: "Will there be zombies inside the wooden house?"
"You'll see when you look."
Jiang Nuo tossed aside the headless centipedes, and as soon as she turned around, Si Yan took her hand and wiped them clean.
He was very well-behaved today.
He smiled, pursed his lips, and took Si Yan's hand to walk forward.
Si Yan looked up, seemingly flattered, and her tone became much lighter.
"The wooden house has a very strong yin energy."
Despite the bright sunshine, he actually felt cold.
The wooden house is definitely not normal.
As the group approached, the wooden cabin door opened by itself without any wind, revealing a dark interior that seemed to be luring them inside.