*
Su Cheng saw the small boat moored on the riverbank from afar, with an old man sitting at the bow, holding a fishing rod in his hand.
Su Cheng walked to the shore, where there seemed to be an invisible barrier at the boundary between the shore and the boat.
If you try to step over someone, your body will be enveloped by an inexplicable pressure, and your mind will subconsciously resist.
Su Cheng didn't try again. Standing on the shore, she said, "Sir, there are some things I'd like to ask you."
The old man seemed not to hear, not even giving him a glance.
Su Cheng raised an eyebrow slightly, then changed her tone to threaten, "If you ignore me, then I'll have to drag you ashore to talk. I promise, once I take that step, I'll definitely bring you ashore."
First try diplomacy, then resort to force. If diplomacy fails, then force will be the only option.
But military force is indeed more effective than etiquette.
The old man's expression changed slightly, his fishing rod trembled, and he slowly turned his head. "What do you want to know?"
"All the stories about this village, especially the river god part."
The old man stared at Su Cheng with a gloomy face for a long while, seemingly assessing whether the other party really had the ability to drag him ashore.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, "The fact that you specifically came here means you've already discovered something. Let me tell you a story, but whether you believe it or not is up to you."
The old man looked at the calm river surface beneath his fishing rod, his voice becoming exceptionally low, "Once upon a time, there was a poor village that rarely had contact with the outside world because of its geographical location and the rules passed down from generation to generation."
The villagers firmly believed that only boys could bring wealth to their impoverished village, so they were keen to have sons, and if a girl was born, she would be drowned or given away.
Later, through the concerted efforts of the entire village to cultivate his talent, the village finally produced its first college student. The villagers hoped that the boy could use what he had learned in the city to make the village prosperous.
"But the boy didn't focus on his studies. He was blinded by the city's prosperity and his mind was full of thoughts of climbing the social ladder. And he succeeded in doing so through careful disguise."
He brought his new girlfriend back to the village, intending to take advantage of the situation and force himself on her, but unexpectedly, after witnessing the village's ignorance, his girlfriend decided to break up with him.
"Enraged, the man drowned his girlfriend, and the entire village conspired to bury her body in an abandoned mud pit."
The dead woman transformed into Vengeful Ghost, seeking revenge, but was stopped by a wise man who came from afar. The wise man performed a ritual, after which the Vengeful Ghost disappeared and the river god appeared.
A college graduate transformed himself into the village chief, and the village prospered as he wished, but a curse was planted by heaven, preventing anyone from leaving this land.
The old man slightly raised his eyes. "The story is over. That's all I can say."
Su Cheng pondered for a moment, "Who is that expert?"
The old man turned his gaze towards the depths of the village. "He lives in the ancestral hall."
"Thank you, I understand." Su Cheng thanked her and left with Hao Ruoxue, who was quietly pondering.
As the old man watched them leave, he suddenly turned around, covered his mouth with a handkerchief, his chest heaving, and vomited a mouthful of black blood.
"I'm just a boatman, I shouldn't have said so much..."
The aged voice murmured softly; no one would guess that the person who spoke was actually only fifty years old.
The old man closed his eyes, barely managing to regain a sliver of consciousness from his daze, the taut rope around his ankles preventing him from walking ashore.
He took out the flatbread his wife had brought him from his pocket and ate it. His wife lived in a small house in the village and would bring him food every day, urging him to go home.
Each time his wife came over, his consciousness would become clouded.
He could only tell himself again and again that he couldn't go ashore! His wife was no longer his wife, and if he went ashore, he would no longer be himself.
But even atop the great river, he didn't seem entirely lucid...
The ancestral hall is located at the foot of the mountain behind the village. High white walls stand to block any outside prying eyes, and two bright red lanterns hang in front of the thick wooden door.
"Is what that old man said believable? According to him, Village Chief Bai is the college student who murdered his girlfriend, but he looks to be in his sixties or seventies, which doesn't match his age."
Hao Ruoxue raised a question, and her confusion was exactly what Su Cheng suspected.
But since ghosts and red lines have appeared in this instance, Village Chief Bai might look old because he overdraws his life force through some means, or because he violated some taboo and suffered a backlash.
Let's take a look at the ancestral hall first before making a decision.
Su Cheng stepped forward and knocked on the wooden door.
"Bang bang"
"Bang bang"
"Bang bang"
After knocking three times, I heard footsteps coming from inside.
The wooden door was bolted, and the person who pulled it open was an elderly man with white hair and wearing a Daoist robe.
He stared intently at Su Cheng, then suddenly said, "This tourist seems to have the aptitude for cultivation."
The old man's eyes were not cloudy, but rather incredibly clear and sharp, and there were red lines swirling above his head.
Under his gaze, Su Cheng felt a chill run down her spine for no reason, but she didn't show any fear on her face. "Thank you for the compliment. May I ask who you are?"
" Daochenzi is my name," Daochenzi chuckled, withdrawing his gaze. "Please come in, both of you. May I ask what brings you here?"
"As tourists, we naturally want to visit every corner of Red Lotus Village. How could we miss the ancestral hall, a place that carries the village's history?"
Su Cheng used a pre-prepared explanation, but Hao Ruoxue tugged at her sleeve twice. She turned around and, following Hao Ruoxue's gaze, saw the yellow talisman pasted behind the wooden door.
The rune was the very one that had flashed on the water vat!
The golden patterns protecting the lotus seed Vengeful Ghost on the water vat were actually the work of Daochenzi —why did Daochenzi protect the lotus seed, and what did he and Village Chief Bai want from the tourists?
Su Cheng had some doubts, but at the same time she understood that Daochenzi's strength should not be underestimated.
"Oh, so you're here for a visit. Feel free to look around, just don't touch anything in the room." Daochenzi waved his wide sleeves and sat down in a grand chair.
Inside the ancestral hall, there are offering tablets for the village's ancestors, with flickering candlelight, and different kinds of talismans pasted on the walls and pillars.
There's nothing strange about it.
After looking around, Su Cheng's gaze swept over the door leading to the backyard.
The wooden door was tightly closed, and behind it was naturally the house where Daochenzi lived.
The back courtyard of the ancestral hall is more worth exploring than the front courtyard, which has already been cleaned up.
But Daochenzi clearly wouldn't allow two tourists to trespass into his living area.
Daochenzi's gaze lingered on Su Cheng, and he couldn't help but speak soon after sitting down:
"I wonder what this guest's name is? I have some knowledge of divination; if you need it, I can perform a divination for you."
Su Cheng smiled faintly and replied, "More than fortune-telling, I'm curious why Master Daochenzi stayed in Red Lotus Village."
"Hehe, I stayed because I have a connection with this village. Young lady, are you sure you want your fortune told? With my divination skills, I can discern something about both fate and destiny."
Even if Daochenzi was fooled, he didn't want to miss the opportunity to learn about Su Cheng. The golden light surrounding her was so dazzling that it made him feel greedy.
Hao Ruoxue sensed something was wrong and wanted to join the conversation, but when she met Daochenzi's eyes, an inexplicable Pressure enveloped her, and her face turned pale with fear, unable to utter a sound.
A note from the author:
none
Chapter 115
Su Cheng noticed Hao Ruoxue's unusual behavior immediately. After giving Daochenzi a cold look, she pulled Hao Ruoxue away.
Since we couldn't get any useful information in the front yard of the ancestral hall, there was no need to stay any longer.
After stepping out of the ancestral hall Hao Ruoxue was still shaken and wanted to recount the strangeness of Daochenzi, but she didn't know where to begin.
"I understand." Su Cheng patted her arm reassuringly. "Let's split up from now on. I'll keep an eye on the ancestral hall, and you keep an eye on the movements of Village Chief Bai, Aunt Jin, Wei Guhua."
Hao Ruoxue knew that following Su Cheng wouldn't help her much, so she agreed without hesitation.
After Hao Ruoxue left, Su Cheng woke up Mu Ling, who was sleeping inside the bracelet, "Next, I need you to distract someone."
After Su Cheng and the other person left, the ancestral hall returned to tranquility.
Daochenzi sat in the armchair, fiddling with the black bead wrapped around his wrist. He hadn't seen the mark left by the lotus seed on Su Cheng earlier.
This only proves that Su Cheng not only didn't drink the fish soup, but also avoided the special lotus seeds in the muddy pond.
"Useless..." Daochenzi couldn't help but mutter under his breath, unsure whether he was cursing Village Chief Bai or the ghost of the mud pond.
If it weren't for the Heavenly Dao watching over him, he would have taken action himself just now.
He hadn't encountered such high-quality materials in nearly a century; they were excellent for both possession and refining.
Daochenzi was troubled, wondering when Heaven would let him go.
He was tired of being imprisoned in this dilapidated village, where the food, drink, and lodging were far inferior to what he used to have.
He shouldn't have agreed to help Bai Yaozu five years ago!
Daochenzi suppressed his anger and was about to call Village Chief Bai to question the tourists when he suddenly sensed a powerful and unfamiliar ghostly aura!
He was slightly startled, his eyes suddenly turning gloomy and fierce. "What kind of wandering ghost dares to haunt my place? They're courting death."
Daochenzi took out a compass from his robes and strode towards the direction the pointer was pointing.
After he left, Su Cheng climbed over the wall and went straight to the back room.
The wooden door wasn't locked and was easily pushed open. Daochenzi probably never expected that someone would dare to break into his house.
As she expected, behind the wooden door was a large courtyard and houses.
In the center of the courtyard stood a conspicuous dry well, with a huge stone pressing down on the wellhead. Iron chains were wrapped around the well, and dozens of yellow talismans were pasted on the chains.
With huge rocks, iron chains, and yellow talismans—such a grand display! What's at the bottom of the well?
As Su Cheng approached the well, she could clearly feel the sudden drop in temperature. Even with stones blocking the well, the chill emanating from it was undeniable.
Su Cheng raised her hand, but withdrew it just before it touched the chain.
After much hesitation, he decided not to touch it rashly, lest Daochen notice it in advance.
She turned and strode towards the house. The door was locked, but she had Omnipotent Key; ordinary doors couldn't stop her.