The Patriarch hadn’t made a statent when suddenly, from behind the courtyard, urgent footsteps were heard, and the door was almost knocked open as a disheveled old woman burst out.
Upon seeing Yang Xiao and Cheng Cha, the old woman let out a painful wail, "Save my daughter, outsiders, I beg of you! She’s the only child I have!" The old woman then "thud" fell to her knees, kowtowing incessantly to Yang Xiao and Cheng Cha, hitting her head solidly on the ground with each bow.
This sudden scene startled Yang Xiao and his companion, and it took a mont for them to react. They imdiately went to help her up, "Old madam, what are you doing?"
The commotion soon attracted other people in the house, and several villagers, after much persuading, managed to help the almost fainting old woman away, while Patriarch Du’s eyes too filled with tears, his lips trembling constantly, but he was unable to utter a word, ultimately only able to sigh deeply.
Yang Xiao and Cheng Cha imdiately approached Patriarch Du, seizing the opportunity to inquire about the news, and this ti, Patriarch Du finally opened up, as if this matter had been weighing heavily on his mind for a very long ti.
Under the guidance of Patriarch Du, the three of them went to a secluded corner of the courtyard. It turned out that the old woman who had appeared before was Patriarch Du’s wife, who was once a knowledgeable and reasonable woman. The reason for her crazed deanor was entirely because their daughter was targeted by a monster.
"Patriarch Du, what exactly is that monster?" asked Yang Xiao.
Cheng Cha also joined in to comfort the old man by reassuring that since the Patriarch was willing to take them in, they were now part of the Du Family Village, and one couldn’t stand by in tis of trouble for the village.
"Patriarch Du, I, Cheng Cha, have been adrift for half my life, lanting the lack of a place to call ho. If the Patriarch does not reject , I am willing to take you as my foster father." Cheng Cha didn’t wait for Patriarch Du to react, but bowed deeply, his expression truly reminding Yang Xiao of when he first joined the Patrol Defense Office and took his oath.
Yang Xiao was a step behind, and before he could kneel, Cheng Cha had already finished speaking. The alarm bells rang in Yang Xiao’s heart, "This child is like , I must be wary."
If Cheng Cha didn’t cause trouble later, then that was fine, but if he dared to be deceitful, then Yang Xiao was planning to join forces with Tong Han to eliminate him first.
"Two against one, the advantage is mine."
Seeing how sensible Cheng Cha was, Patriarch Du was deeply moved and imdiately tremblingly tried to help him up, "This must not be done, must not be done!"
Yang Xiao also pretended to be concerned for Patriarch Du’s health, approaching him, and in the guise of helping Patriarch Du, he took the opportunity to grab his arm. It felt like grabbing a dry bone, eerily thin, scarily thin.
Through Patriarch Du’s narrative, the two of them gained a rough understanding of the sequence of events. It turned out that this matter began with a dream.
Not long before, villagers began to have dreams in succession. In these dreams, they t a person wearing a monk’s robe. This person did not speak but took the drears for a walk, leading them from the village into the mountains. The most bizarre part was that all the villagers who had this dream soon died, and their deaths were exceedingly horrifying.
This plot twist imdiately captivated Yang Xiao, as it resembled the thod of murder used by Ghost Envoys, "What was the manner of death?"
"The body would vanish, leaving only a head." Patriarch Du was still profoundly disturbed by the mory, "That head... the face on that head would still be smiling, a very happy smile."
"So far, the village has already had more than a dozen people killed, but we have no solution until three days ago, my daughter... my daughter also had that weird dream," Patriarch Du’s voice began to tremble, almost breaking into a cry.
"Patriarch, we found a paper coffin outside the village this morning, does it have anything to do with you?" Cheng Cha asked, probing.
Patriarch Du nodded and sighed, "I asked the villagers to make it, it was taught to us by a wandering Taoist. He said the monster’s true form was a highly cultivated monk, who, due to a montary lapse during his practice, strayed down the wrong path and turned into a demon. This monster is extrely lascivious, and does not discriminate between n and won; many n in our village have also died, and their bodies were taken."
Yang Xiao thought for a mont; he had seen a ghost envoy wearing a monk’s robe in a photo before, and now it all matched up, "Patriarch, where is this wandering Taoist now?"
At these words, the Du Family Patriarch’s face showed sadness, "He’s dead. He left the village overnight, fearing retaliation for revealing the demon’s secret. But he didn’t expect that even so, he couldn’t escape, and early risers in the village found the Taoist’s head at the village entrance, dead just like those villagers, with his body taken by the monster."
"We followed the Taoist’s instructions and made a paper coffin, a joyous one, and put so of my daughter’s personal clothes inside. The Taoist said it was called ’chongbai xi,’ living through a funeral, a trick to deceive the heavens, hoping it would make the monster accept the joyous coffin and spare my daughter."
"Right, the Taoist said the monster is deep in the mountain across from us, the one you... the one you passed on your way here," added the Du Family Patriarch.
Finally, Yang Xiao and Cheng Cha understood. What they saw last night was about this, no wonder the villagers were kneeling and worshipping, not them, but the monster in the mountain.
"Patriarch, how is your daughter now?" Yang Xiao inquired.
Upon hearing this, the Du Family Patriarch nearly burst into tears, "It’s almost ti, she just had the dream last night, dreaming of being taken into the mountain by the monster, and now we have tried everything to prevent her from sleeping, but obviously, this is not a long-term solution, and the next ti, which is tonight, she will definitely have her body snatched by the monster."
"So the thod advised by the Taoist isn’t effective?" Cheng Cha thought aloud.
The Du Family Village Chief smiled bitterly, "The Taoist himself is dead, so naturally, his thod doesn’t work. But he did have so abilities. After calculating, he left a ssage saying that this monster is targeting our Du Family Village specifically, perhaps due to so past enmity with our ancestors, and this ti it’s determined to decimate our village. To break the curse for good, our own villagers won’t suffice; we need an outsider’s help."
"Did the Taoist say what the feud was?" Cheng Cha asked patiently, "Or do you know anything about the ancestors, Patriarch?"
The Du Family Patriarch shook his head vigorously, "I have no idea, not a clue. We Du Family villagers have always been upright, living here for generations without ever having feuds with anyone. We even try to help the destitute travelers passing by."
"Then did the Taoist say how an outsider could break the curse?" Yang Xiao asked the most critical question.
Unexpectedly, the Du Family Patriarch imdiately perked up, his eyes shining, "Yes, the Taoist said that as long as we find an outsider to deceive the monster in place of our Du Family Village people, and if they survive in the end, the curse will naturally be lifted!"
Although Yang Xiao’s expression remained serious, he couldn’t help but sneer inwardly, not expecting the old fox to reveal his tail so soon.
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