"I collected three beauties in the mountains, and the rocks were covered with vines and vines; I resented the young master and forgot to return home, and you missed me and had no time to spare."
"The people in the mountains are like fragrant flowers, drinking from stone springs are shaded by pines and cypresses. You are thinking about me but are suspicious of me; thunder is filling the rain, and squaws are chirping at night."
The sacrificial inscriptions fell slowly, as if weeping and complaining, as if frightening ghosts and gods.
When the memorial service ended, the air seemed to be still until the old village chief's last words came out.
Heaven and earth listen to the gods.
"Please God!"
The old locust tree began to sway, and the villagers prostrated themselves on the ground with solemn expressions.
jingle
There seemed to be a wind chime ringing, and a wooden sign fell. The old village chief reached out and grabbed the wooden sign.
Immediately afterwards, the old village chief spoke:
"Sacrifice!"
Not long after he finished speaking, several big men wearing coarse linen clothes and red masks appeared carrying a blood-colored coffin.
He walked straight to the altar, the coffin was placed on the altar, and the big man stepped back.
The old village chief walked up to the altar solemnly, holding three sticks of lit black incense in his hand.
"The sacrifices have been offered, let the gods take their seats!"
Black incense was inserted into the incense burner, and black smoke filled the air. The old village chief bowed his head and exited the altar.
"Salute! Exit!"
The old village chief said loudly, and for a while the sound of kowtows was heard in unison.
Then, the old village chief took the lead and left the old locust tree. At this point, the first day of sacrifice ended.
On the roof, Lin Qian watched all this with an expressionless face, and the green and red color on his body slowly faded away.
Stepping out, Lin Qian returned to the courtyard, already knowing most of the truth in her heart.
There are people inside the coffin, and people are the sacrifices.
That ritual was triggering Li Gui's killing pattern, but why it was done, Lin Qian didn't know.
"Living sacrifice is interesting."
Lin Qian let out a breath, then looked down at Coco and found that the little girl had woken up, but was still in the lake.
It seemed that he was awakened by the movement just now.
"Dad, Keke is hungry!" Keke rubbed his eyes and wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth.
Lin Qian was a little dumbfounded and didn't say anything. He took out a peach from his pocket and handed it over.
As soon as she saw the peach, Coco's eyes immediately lit up, and she reached out to take a bite.
Lin Qian smiled and said nothing. She turned to look outside the door and raised her brows.
I saw Huang Hui pushing open the door and walking in, and behind her were three people, two men and one woman, dressed in very retro styles, as if they were unique to the Republic of China.
As soon as Huang Hui entered the door, she pointed at Lin Qian and said:
"That's him. He didn't go to the sacrifice. He didn't want to go himself, and he didn't allow several of my classmates to go."
Hearing Huang Hui's words, the woman among the three nodded and said with a smile:
"Excuse me, after this time, I will ask the village chief to take you to contact the spiritual official."
"Really! That's great..."
Huang Hui was so excited that she almost jumped up, but before she could finish her words, she fell to the ground with a plop and fainted.
The woman frowned when she saw this scene, obviously a little unhappy.
But she looked at the three big red cocoons in the yard, and then at the bride in Lin Qian's arms, and thought for a while but didn't say anything.
Although she didn't say anything, the two men beside her looked at Lin Qian with sullen faces and cold eyes. One of them immediately said:
"Aren't you afraid of death if you do this?"
Lin Qian shifted her gaze and looked at this man, her eyes narrowed:
"You want to die?"
When the man heard this, his eyes instantly became fierce:
"you wanna die!"
As he spoke, he wanted to step forward and kill Lin Qian. Lin Qian didn't care, but at this moment, the woman stretched out her hand to stop the man.
"Don't forget what we are doing this time."
Hearing this, the man was slightly silent. After thinking for a while, he did not continue to step forward. Instead, he stepped back, but his eyes were always staring at Lin Qian fiercely.
The woman didn't care when she saw this, but smiled and said to Lin Qian:
"Let me introduce myself first. My name is Liu Meng. The two people next to me are Wang Shou and Tan San. We used to be messengers on the fourth floor of the Ghost Post Office."
"Don't be surprised. I know you are also a messenger. Don't deny it. If a ghost controller like you didn't come here to deliver messages, you might not even know there is such a place."
The woman looked at Lin Qian with a playful smile, looking forward to the expression on this young man's face.
But after waiting for a while, she was a little disappointed. The young man just looked at her expressionlessly, just looking at her.
"Oh~ It's you. Some people said that you are dead. It seems that the information is wrong, but it doesn't matter. I don't care about this."
"Then what? What do you want to express?"
Lin Qian's expression was extremely calm. He didn't care about the identities of these people. Although he was a little surprised that they were still alive, after seeing many things, it was not surprising.
Liu Meng was not surprised when he heard Lin Qian's words. He just smiled and nodded:
"Very interesting messenger. In that case, let's get straight to the point."
"We came here this time to invite you to participate in the sacrifice. I wonder if you are willing?"
"Don't refuse in a hurry. I believe you have also read the taboos in the letter. Does it tell you not to participate in the sacrifice?"
"Haha... That's actually just killing you. You should have heard the noise last night, wasn't it weird?"
“Isn’t it scary when there is a ghost knocking on the door but you don’t know where the ghost is?”
"This is how we came here at the beginning. Just like you, we also did not agree to the village chief's participation in the sacrifice at the first time. The result was like this, being harassed by ghosts every day."
"This is only the first day. The evil ghosts will not enter the courtyard, but it will be different on the second and third days. I think you should understand what I mean."
Liu Meng's eyes narrowed into crescent moons, and she looked at Lin Qian with a strange smile.
"This is the consequence of not participating in the sacrificial ceremony. The sacrificial activities last for nine days. If you don't participate in the sacrificial ceremony, you won't survive the nine days at all, let alone leave after delivering the letter."
"So, you should understand what is more important. Young man, if you participate in the sacrifice honestly, it will do no harm to you. This is a good thing. If you participate in the sacrifice, you will no longer be troubled by the resurrection of the evil ghost."
"Look, I am the best example. When I first came here, the resurrection of the evil ghost was already in sight, but you see, I am still alive and well, and my appearance has not changed at all. I still look like I am in my mid-twenties."
"You know, I am already 80 years old~."
"Young man, participate in the sacrifice, eternal life is at hand."
Liu Meng looked at Lin Qian, her eyes full of smiles, and the same was true for Wang Shou and Tan San next to her.
Lin Qian looked at these three people with thoughtful eyes:
"Immortality and eternal youth are really a very tempting offer."
"It's a pity. If I were blind, I might not believe it."
In Lin Qian's eyes, these three people were alive, but the lives of these three people were too outrageous.
He never believed that a ghost master who had not become an alien could live forever.
Lin Qian looked at Liu Meng coldly, with a smile on her lips:
"Should I participate in the sacrifice or not?"
Hearing Lin Qian's words, Liu Meng narrowed her eyes slightly, and the smile on her face slowly disappeared, but soon she started laughing again:
"Believe me, you will participate. I never lie to people."
"Don't even think about killing us, we can't die."
After saying that, Liu Meng turned around and left without looking at Lin Qian.
Tan San and Wang Shou just sneered and turned and left.
Lin Qian just looked at them without speaking. She lowered her head and looked at Huang Hui lying on the ground, her eyes twinkling slightly.
"It's interesting. The things in Coffin Village are really scary."
"Suppress the evil ghost and revive, you will stay young forever. As long as you don't leave Coffin Village, you won't die."
"It sounds good, but is it really like this?"
Lin Qian smiled and didn't care too much.
I looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was still rising.
"Go to the wishing well and take a look if you can."
Thinking about it, Lin Qian glanced at the three red cocoons next to him, said nothing, and walked out of the yard.
On a street, Liu Meng and three others walked towards the old house in the south.
"Liu Meng, why don't we force him to participate in the sacrifice? As for being so gentle?" Tan San asked with some confusion.
"Yeah, there are three of us, but we can't restrain him? Besides, we can't die. If we really have to spend it, he can't afford it." Wang Shou also said.
Hearing their doubts, Liu Meng was not surprised. He just shook his head and said:
"It's only the first day of the sacrifice. If things get serious and interfere with the sacrifice, are you responsible? Or are you responsible? The matter is so important that we can't let you do whatever you want."
"If it's the third day of the sacrifice, it won't matter. You can just start. But today is only the first day and the sacrifice has just begun. If something goes wrong and the sacrifice goes wrong, we will all be doomed."
"What do you think we live on? It's not... Oh, forget it, you know it."
"No matter what, he will participate in the sacrifice. He can't escape. Believe me, I will make him have to participate in the sacrifice tomorrow at most."
Liu Meng was very confident, with disdain for Lin Qian in her eyes.
After hearing Liu Meng's words, Tan San and Wang Shou looked at each other and did not speak any more.
"By the way, what's going on with Zhao Cai? Is he still looking for a way to leave?" Liu Meng suddenly asked.
"Well, Zhao Cai and Zhou Li have never given up. No, they didn't come to participate in today's sacrifice." Tan San said.
"Haha... If you don't give up until you reach the Yellow River, do you really think you can get out? If you could get out, we wouldn't have been here for sixty years."
"Besides, you will die if you go out. It's not like they don't know that it's not good to live a good life here? Do you want to die that much?"
Liu Meng sneered and looked in one direction, shook her head and said nothing. Tan San and Wang Shou remained silent, their eyes twinkling slightly.
"Okay, you go back first, I'll go to the wishing well." Liu Meng said.
"Well, we understand." Tan San and Wang Shou nodded without rejecting.
Liu Meng ignored them, turned around, walked into an alley, and quickly disappeared.
Wang Shou and Tan San looked at Liu Meng leaving without saying a word and left silently.
To the east, on a street near the old locust tree, there is a well built in the center of the road called Yuanjing.
Liu Meng stood by this bottomless well, her eyes calm, just like the water in the well, there was no ripple in the ancient well.
"I told you that you will participate in the sacrifice."
Liu Meng laughed, took out a piece of cold silver from her pocket, threw it in without thinking, and then closed her eyes.
After a while, Liu Meng opened her eyes, looked at the mouth of the well, turned around and left without staying any longer.
But just as she left, there was a sound in the well, a splash, as if something fell into the water.
Hearing this voice, Liu Meng smiled and left without looking back.
The water in the well rippled gently, then returned to calmness.
On West Street, Lin Qian was walking on the street with his hands in his pockets. The surrounding villagers looked at him indifferently.
Lin Qian didn't care about this. He looked at the bride holding his hand and sighed, feeling helpless.
Coco was jumping up and down on the bluestone in front, while Lin Qian just looked at it with a smile on his lips.
After the villagers saw Lin Qian, they seemed to be particularly repelled, as if they were looking at the god of plague, and they were afraid to avoid him.
As long as they see Lin Qian coming, they will hide away, and those with children will ask them to hide in the house quickly.
Lin Qian Leng watched all this and felt very calm.
"It's all rubbish."
Coco ran back, looked up at Lin Qian, and pointed to a small river not far away:
"Dad, let's go catch fish. Fish are delicious."
Following the direction of Keke's finger, there was a small river, only about three meters wide.
The depth is estimated to be more than one meter. The water is very clear and there are quite large fish in it.
"Well, you can, but don't be in a hurry. It's not too late to go after dad goes to see something first." Lin Qian pressed the little girl's head and shook it.
Coco shook it along Lin Qian's hand, feeling happy:
"Yeah, yeah, listen to dad."
Lin Qian smiled, turned in another direction for Coco, and continued moving forward.
After passing through several streets, Lin Qian soon came to the east side of the wishing well.
Looking at the quiet well, Lin Qian was a little silent. He tapped his fingers in the air and found that nothing happened.
He was a little confused, but soon he seemed to have thought of something. After hesitating for a while, he actually turned and left.
Keke didn't understand what her father was doing, but she didn't care and continued to run and jump with her father.
"A slightly similar supernatural being, if nothing else, is what Mr. Li is looking for." Lin Qian thought to himself.
"This thing has to be taken away, but not now. After the ghost in the sacrifice appears in reality, I will eat it and then start packing it."
"If you can't kill him, there will be no one in this world who is still alive after being eaten by me." Lin Qian laughed, thinking of that woman Liu Meng, Lin Qian's eyes flashed scarlet.
Walking on the street, ignoring those weird eyes, Lin Qian came to the river.
Keke was very excited when she saw the water, so she took off her shoes and started playing in the water. Lin Qian didn't care what accident happened to Keke, and just sat on a willow tree by the river that stretched out of the water.
Quietly watching Keke play in the water, the deepest river water is only more than one meter, and the shallowest water reaches Keke's calf.
How high the cocoa is is enough to show how shallow the water is.
The sun shines on the water, reflecting the whiteness of the pebbles in the river, and the willow branches fall vertically into the water and move with the water.
Lin Qian, who was sitting on a willow branch, looked at this scene very calmly. In front of the temple in the west, a starving ghost appeared there.
The same is true for the mountains in the north. Lin Qian is asking the hungry ghosts to check out the situation. There are no hungry ghosts at the old houses in the north and south. There is no need. There are people living there, most likely the messengers.
It has been confirmed from the temple that the temple is a ghost, which is quite scary.
On the other side of the mountain, the fierce ghosts are also terrifying. The hungry ghosts were attacked just as they entered.
Lin Qian didn't pay too much attention to this and turned to look at the old locust tree in the center of the village.
The locust leaves are swaying, and the black wooden signs on them collide with each other, which looks very beautiful.
The coffin on the altar has disappeared, and I don’t know when it happened.
However, Lin Qian could be sure that the person in the coffin was dead, truly dead.
When he saw those villagers, Lin Qian discovered one thing. These villagers were real living people, no different from living people outside.
They can also eat and sleep, and they can also reproduce.
It seems extremely normal, but this is exactly the most abnormal thing.
Living people and ghosts coexist in perfect peace, and as long as they offer sacrifices during sacrifices, they can continue to live like this.
And Lin Qian also discovered that the immortality and eternal youth mentioned by Liu Meng were only aimed at ghost controllers and had no effect on ordinary people.
Because he saw old people in the village, and there were more than one, among whom the old village chief was the best example.
The old village chief is not a ghost master, he is just an ordinary person, but he seems to be a little special and seems to be immortal.
"It's really an interesting village. The longer you stay here, the more interesting it becomes." Lin Qian looked at the old locust tree that didn't know how old it was.
He felt that the evil ghost might appear from there, and of course it might appear from the altar.
As for which one it is, Lin Qian doesn't know, she just has suspicions. However, these are not important. She only needs to wait until all the sacrifices are over.
"Dad, look, there's a kitten!"
Coco stepped on the water and ran over at a trot. Holding a white kitten in his hand, he raised his head and shouted to Lin Qian.
Hearing Coco's shout, Lin Qian came back from his thoughts. When he heard the sound, he looked over and saw Coco holding up a snow-white kitten and smiling at him.
"ghost?"
Lin Qian appeared in front of Coco, stepped on the water, squatted down and took the kitten from Coco's hand.
The kitten's body was very soft and exuded a coldness. Lin Qian stared at the white cat's eyes, which were green and scattered.
"Ghost cat?"
Lin Qian was a little surprised when he saw the white cat turning slightly. This thing was an alien, and it was an alien with cat consciousness.
This thing is just like Tibetan Mastiff Xiao Hei, it can understand human speech.
"Where did it come from?"
Lin Qian handed the kitten to Coco and did not choose to eat it.
"It ran here on its own." Coco held the kitten in her arms and stroked it. The kitten didn't resist and seemed to like Coco's strokes very much.
"Is this so?" Lin Qian looked around.
"Dad, can Keke raise it?"
Coco hugged the white cat and looked at Lin Qian longingly.
The white cat seemed to understand what Coco said. It turned its little head and stared at Lin Qian with its scattered green eyes, as if it hoped he would agree.
"Well, you can, but remember not to eat it." Lin Qian thought for a while and did not refuse Coco's request.
"Okay, dad is the best." Coco hugged Lin Qian directly.
Lin Qian smiled, touched Coco's little head and said:
"Okay, let's go play."
"Yeah, yeah!" Coco nodded quickly, then hugged the little white cat and started running in the river. It could be seen that she was really happy.
Lin Qian just looked at it, thoughtfully in his eyes:
"Were the wild aliens, or animals, recruited here by Coco?"
"Or?"
Lin Qian turned to look at the Cunning Bride, thought for a moment and shook her head:
"It shouldn't be possible. Why would the Cunning Bride recruit ghosts just to find a playmate for Coco? She is unconscious."
"Coco should have recruited him."
Lin Qian looked at Coco playing with the white cat, smiled, turned around and reappeared in the willow tree.