Chapter 3

Home is the ultimate sanctuary for one's soul; no matter what troubles are encountered outside, returning home brings spiritual solace and refuge.

But now, she had entered the house!

Seeing that Cui Guiying could not be woken, Li Zhuiyuan ran into the inner room where his siblings were sleeping on floor mats.

"Panzi, wake up!"

"Leizi, wake up quickly!"

"Yingzi, wake up!"

Li Zhuiyuan rushed from one sibling to another, pushing and calling out to each of them, but like Cui Guiying in the kitchen, none of them would wake up.

"Drip... drip... drip..."

Li Zhuiyuan looked up at the door between the inner room and the kitchen; Little Oriole's figure was not there.

"Phew..."

He breathed a sigh of relief, but the next moment, he noticed a puddle of water forming at his feet. It grew larger and larger, then began to overflow and trickle across the uneven floor.

"Drip... drip... drip..."

Water droplets incessantly fell on him, soaking his clothes and bringing a viscous, cold, and slimy sensation.

A pair of hands appeared on either side of his vision.

Finally, cold hands gripped his neck.

Li Zhuiyuan's body trembled as a powerful sense of suffocation enveloped him.

But soon, the feeling of suffocation gradually receded because the hands did not linger on his neck for long, slowly sliding downwards.

A shadowy mass appeared from above. Li Zhuiyuan struggled to lift his head.

The person above slowly lowered their head, their wet, long hair continuously falling and pressing against the boy's face, like a massive black maw, covering the boy's head bit by bit, until... it swallowed him whole.

"Hanhou, slow down, slow down! My butt hurts, ugh... it hurts!"

Li Sanjiang wrapped one arm around Li Weihan's waist and used the other hand to adjust himself, trying to lift his rear slightly.

"Uncle, don't move around so much, or you'll fall!"

"Pah! How can I not move when you're riding so fast!"

After picking up Li Sanjiang at the funeral reception, Li Weihan had been cycling home without a moment's pause.

The narrow, potholed country paths were indeed rough for the passenger. Moreover, Li Sanjiang was getting on in years and truly couldn't endure such a bumpy ride.

Li Weihan sighed. Seeing that they were very close to home and the shortcut path was becoming increasingly difficult to traverse, he had no choice but to slow down.

"Oh, finally..." Li Sanjiang let out a breath of relief. He felt for the cigarette pack in his pocket and said, "Hanhou, let's stop and have a smoke."

"We're almost home, Uncle. We can smoke when we get there."

"Oh, why are you in such a hurry? Haven't you already called Blind Liu to take a look? I reckon your little Zhuiyuan is probably eating and running around at home by now."

"Is Blind Liu really useful?"

Li Weihan didn't put much faith in Liu Jinxia's abilities. He had seen the mother and daughter at their hardest times; if she truly possessed powers to communicate with the spiritual world, how could she have fallen into such dire straits herself?

By contrast, he trusted Li Sanjiang more. After all, Li Sanjiang specialized in retrieving drowned bodies, and in Li Weihan's memory, he had always lived a comfortable life.

"Well, how should I put it? That Blind Liu was a scammer in her early days, but later she did figure out some tricks of her own. Isn't there an old saying that a hemp rope breaks at its weakest point? Wherever she went, her own rope broke first. After breaking enough times, she gained experience."

"What does that mean, Uncle? I don't understand."

"Never mind if you don't understand. The worst situation for your little Zhuiyuan is just being haunted. Blind Liu can actually handle this kind of thing, out of consideration for your past relationship with her."

"I'm just worried about the child. I'd rather it haunt me."

"Hanhou, you really play favorites. Long ago, you favored your youngest daughter, and now you favor your grandson. But then again, your youngest daughter is also quite capable. This bicycle, didn't your youngest daughter get it for you years ago?

But being haunted isn't necessarily a great suffering. One might even enjoy it, just like someone who hangs themselves. Before the noose tightens around their neck, through that loop, they see enchanting things."

"Uncle, you make it sound like a good thing?"

"Of course, it's not a good thing. Just think of it as the child getting a bit of a scare at a gravesite. Which village doesn't have a few mischievous, unlucky kids every year? It's just a minor illness."

"By the way, Uncle, how are you going to deal with that drowned body?"

"Deal with it?" Li Sanjiang's mood suddenly shifted, and his tone grew stern. "Do you think I'm living too comfortably and just *have* to go deal with a drowned body that can walk in water?"

Hearing this, Li Weihan's heart tightened, and he pedaled faster.

"Hey, hey, hey! Slow down, slow down! Hanhou, what's gotten into you? No matter how powerful that drowned body is, you've already escaped, so it's nothing major. Could she really chase you all the way home?"

"We're here!"

The bicycle reached the courtyard. Li Weihan immediately dismounted to steady it.

Li Sanjiang hopped off the back seat, continuously rubbing his backside.

Li Weihan: "Guiying, Guiying!"

"Coming, coming! Keep your voice down, don't make noise, the children are all asleep," Cui Guiying said as she came out, first greeting Li Sanjiang. "Uncle, you're here."

"Yes, I am," Li Sanjiang replied without delay, waving his sleeve toward the house. "Let's go, let's see the child first."

Approaching the door plank, Li Sanjiang squatted down to check on Li Zhuiyuan.

"Shall I wake the child up?" Cui Guiying asked.

"No need, the child is fine now, no longer haunted. Has Blind Liu been here?"

"She has." Cui Guiying recounted what had happened that afternoon.

Li Sanjiang nodded after listening. "It's because you, Guiying, were kind-hearted and generous in the past, willing to let Hanhou help and support that mother and daughter. That's why today's outcome happened; your good deeds are being repaid through your children and grandchildren."

"Uncle, what you're saying, it's nothing much really."

"It's a lot! In the past, if it were anyone else, do you think Blind Liu would have been willing to help? It's just that debt of gratitude. Even if she was unwilling, she had to grudgingly accept it. She's probably feeling very wronged and regretful in her heart, perhaps even crying at home now about her bitter fate."

"Uncle, have a seat." Li Weihan offered a small stool to Li Sanjiang, then took out cigarettes and lit one for him, before turning to his wife. "Guiying, bring some food to stave off our hunger."

As he spoke, he glanced at the locked cabinet.

Cui Guiying took the key, unlocked the cabinet, and pulled out chicken cakes, biscuits, and other items, spreading them before them. She said to Li Sanjiang apologetically, "Uncle, tomorrow I'll buy some meat and invite you back to our home for a good drink."

"Oh, don't bother with all that. Put it away. How can I take food from the children?"

Li Weihan broke open a biscuit box with his hands, took out a biscuit, and offered it to Li Sanjiang. He then picked up the tin box himself, looked at it, and said, "Guiying, remember to keep the box after the biscuits are finished. It's quite suitable for storing needles and buttons."

"Understood."

Li Sanjiang ate the biscuits in a few bites. When Li Weihan offered more, he waved them off, patting his trousers. "Alright, the child is fine. I'm heading home."

"I'll ride you back, Uncle."

"No, no, I won't take the bike."

"Then I won't ride; I'll walk back with you. Guiying, bring the flashlight."

Just then, Li Zhuiyuan, who had been soundly asleep, suddenly convulsed, his breathing grew heavy, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Li Sanjiang immediately sat back down to check on the child.

Li Weihan anxiously said, "Uncle, the child is..."

"It's nothing serious, probably just a nightmare, quite normal. At first, when he was haunted, he probably found that dirty thing beautiful and fascinating. It's only later that he realized he was scared. It's not a big deal; the child will forget about it after a few days."

Li Weihan and Cui Guiying nodded. Of course, they hoped the child was alright.

"Ah!"

Li Zhuiyuan cried out, sat up on the door plank, and gasped for breath.

"Little Zhuiyuan, little Zhuiyuan." Cui Guiying stepped forward, hugged Li Zhuiyuan, and gently patted his back. "It's alright, don't be scared, child. Grandma's here, Grandma's here."

Li Zhuiyuan first looked at Cui Guiying, then at Li Weihan, and finally, his gaze fell upon Li Sanjiang, whom he was seeing for the first time.

Li Sanjiang pointed to his reddened nose and smiled, "Little Zhuiyuan, I'm your great-uncle."

Li Zhuiyuan blinked, then as if remembering his recent dream experience, immediately turned to look at the back door, pointing and saying, "Little Oriole, Little Oriole, she's come to our house!"

"Good child, you just had a nightmare. It's over now. Your grandma chased her away, so she won't dare to come looking for our child again."

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Cui Guiying with some doubt. "Really, Grandma?"

Li Weihan breathed a sigh of relief. "It seems the child was really just scared by a dream, haha."

Seeing things unfold as Li Sanjiang had described, Li Weihan and his wife felt completely reassured.

Only Li Sanjiang, following the direction of Li Zhuiyuan's finger, looked towards the back door. His expression gradually became serious.

"Hanhou, give me the flashlight."

Li Weihan didn't hand it over, instead saying, "Uncle, I told you I'd take you home."

"Give it to me!"

Li Sanjiang snatched the flashlight.

"Uncle, I'll take you back. You've had some wine, walking at night..."

"Move!"

Li Sanjiang pushed Li Weihan aside and walked directly towards the back door.

"Uncle?" Li Weihan looked at his grandson, then quickly followed.

Li Sanjiang stepped over the threshold and went to the riverbank directly opposite the back door, shining the flashlight downwards.

"Uncle, is there something else?"

Li Sanjiang spat on the ground and lowered his voice. "It's normal for the child to have other dreams, but to dream that a drowned body has come home, that's truly frightening."

"What? Did it really come home?"

Li Sanjiang raised his hand, signaling Li Weihan to be quiet, then continued to shine the flashlight on the boat and the nearby river surface. But after several searches, he found nothing.

Li Weihan whispered, "Uncle, there's nothing here."

"Shhh, Hanhou, do you hear a sound?"

Li Weihan listened carefully, then shook his head. "Uncle, is there a sound? I don't hear anything."

"Heh." Li Sanjiang rubbed his nose with his hand. "On a summer night, by the river, how could it be this quiet?"

Li Weihan instantly understood. Yes, it was too quiet around their house. Normally, the cicadas and frogs would be chirping and croaking every night as if in a big assembly, but tonight there was no sound at all, just a deathly silence.

At this moment, looking at the calm lake surface and the swaying water plants, Li Weihan felt a shiver of fear. That drowned body might be hiding somewhere.

Li Sanjiang turned and walked back into the house, saying to Cui Guiying, "Guiying, get me a bowl of yellow wine."

"Oh, shall I fry some peanuts and eggs for Uncle then?"

"Just get the wine, don't say anything else!" Li Weihan urged. He clearly knew Li Sanjiang wasn't planning to drink here.

Cui Guiying brought a bowl of yellow wine. Li Sanjiang took it, then squatted in front of Li Zhuiyuan, smiling. "Little Zhuiyuan, it's going to hurt a bit in a moment. Don't cry out, just bear it, understand?"

Li Zhuiyuan looked up at Li Weihan and Cui Guiying, then nodded at Li Sanjiang.

"Good, boy."

Li Sanjiang poured the yellow wine onto Li Zhuiyuan's neck. The child instinctively flinched, but Li Sanjiang immediately grabbed his arm with his left hand and vigorously rubbed his neck and shoulders with his right.

The old man's hands were calloused, rough, and coarse, like sandpaper scraping his skin. Li Zhuiyuan was in great pain, but he obediently bit his lip tightly.

After rubbing the child's neck and shoulders until they were bright red, Li Sanjiang leaned his face close and inhaled deeply with his nose.

After inhaling, Li Sanjiang's eyes widened. He gently pushed the child away and fell backward onto the floor.

"Uncle, Uncle?" Li Weihan immediately came to help him up.

Cui Guiying went to check Li Zhuiyuan's neck. Her heart ached for him, but she knew things had seemingly changed again and dared not say anything, just silently stroking the child's head.

"Cigarettes, Hanhou, give me a cigarette."

"Here."

Li Weihan quickly helped light it for him.

Li Sanjiang took a deep drag and exhaled through his nose.

Li Weihan noticed that Li Sanjiang's hand, holding the cigarette, was trembling.

"Guiying, take the child inside," Li Sanjiang said, pointing to the inner room. "Close the door."

"What on earth is wrong now?" Cui Guiying couldn't help but ask.

"Just do whatever Uncle tells you to do," Li Weihan said, waving his hand to hurry her.

Cui Guiying took a deep breath, picked up Li Zhuiyuan, went into the inner room, and closed the door.

Only the two men were left in the kitchen.

"Uncle?"

"Hanhou, this is troublesome.

Blind Liu must have cleared the haunting from little Zhuiyuan this afternoon. Since she did it, she wouldn't have left it unclean.

But just now, my nose detected the smell of a corpse from the child's neck again. I've spent my life retrieving drowned bodies, and I'm telling you, the stench of a corpse soaked in water is different from the smell of a dead person from other places. My nose never makes a mistake."

Li Sanjiang turned to Li Weihan, saying very seriously, "That drowned body truly came home."

Hearing this, Li Weihan immediately stood up and took down the family's firewood axe from the top of the cabinet. With many children in the house, such items had to be kept out of reach.

"Damn it, I'll fight that thing!"

Li Sanjiang narrowed his eyes, took another drag from his cigarette, and slowly said, "What if she doesn't come out?"

"What?" Li Weihan didn't quite understand. "If she doesn't come out, isn't that good?"

"She'll just stay beside your house, where you can't find her. She'll watch your family, one day, two days, three days... First little Zhuiyuan, then little Panhou, little Leihou, little Huhou... then Guiying, and then you.

Other families worship gods and Buddhas for protection; your family will essentially be harboring an evil entity.

Before long, people will fall ill, have bad luck, and... your family will be ruined."

Li Weihan asked numbly, "Then what should we do? Should I... should I move out and stay with my son?"

"If she can follow you once, why not a second time?"

"Uncle, is there any other way?"

"A way... yes, there is." The cigarette tip at Li Sanjiang's lips glowed on and off.

"Uncle, you have to help me." Li Weihan squatted beside Li Sanjiang. If anyone else had said these things, he would have suspected they were trying to scare him for some other purpose, but Li Sanjiang would never.

"This kind of drowned body that can walk in water has immense resentment and is already difficult to deal with. And one that can follow someone home... your uncle has never seen anything like it in his life. It's utterly demonic."

"But Uncle, every wrong has a source, every debt a master. What does this have to do with my little Zhuiyuan?"

"Heh," Li Sanjiang sneered, rubbing his fingers together and extinguishing his cigarette. "I reckon she wanted to find the person who wronged her, but couldn't, so she just latched onto the first person she encountered and wouldn't let go."

Li Weihan seemed to recall something, a look of hesitation and thought in his eyes.

Li Sanjiang continued, "That drowned body, wasn't it the woman who danced and sang at Big Beard's funeral yesterday? You mentioned her on the way when you picked me up, called Little Oriole?"

"Leihou said he saw her. I didn't go to Big Beard's house yesterday, so I'm not sure."

"It is Little Oriole. Leihou might have been mistaken, but little Zhuiyuan wouldn't be. He called out Little Oriole's name when he just woke from his dream."

"Yes, that's true."

"Didn't you say villagers saw Little Oriole and Big Beard's youngest son go into the woods last night? And then during the day, the funeral procession people went to Big Beard's house and caused a scene, and Big Beard even paid them off to settle it.

This means there's something in their hearts—" Li Sanjiang forcibly swallowed the word "ghost." At this critical moment, one still had to be mindful of taboos. "...This means they have something on their conscience, making them weak. Heh, given their family's conduct, if they truly had nothing dirty going on, how could they be so soft?

Big Beard, Big Beard... he's no different from the bandits in Northeast China before liberation. He's a damn bandit, who knows how much evil he's done."

At this point, Li Sanjiang paused. He reached into the tin box in front of him, took out another biscuit, took a bite, and chuckled, "These biscuits have a strong milky flavor, probably not cheap, huh? Your youngest daughter sent them, didn't she?"

Li Weihan took out a cigarette, lit it for himself, then took several quick, deep drags. Finally, he wiped his forehead and eyes with his hand, and when he looked at Li Sanjiang again, his eyes were bloodshot:

"Uncle, do you not trust my character, Hanhou?"

Li Sanjiang picked up another biscuit, didn't reply, and continued eating.

Li Weihan continued:

"Uncle, back in the early years, it was truly difficult for me to arrange marriages for my four sons.

Not only did you let me farm your land, but every time I helped you, you also paid me a share of the labor fee. When Guiying came to help you make paper figures and paste them, her craftsmanship was so rough I couldn't even bear to look, yet still, Uncle, you paid her for her work.

Later, when the hardest days passed, I stopped farming your land because I knew you could get more grain rent by leasing it to others. As for Guiying, I was also too embarrassed to let her go again, fearing she'd just mess things up like she used to when earning work points in the commune.

I truly felt too awkward to keep taking advantage of you, but your kindness, I, Li Weihan, have always remembered in my heart.

I've said before, when your legs give out someday, I, Li Weihan, will take care of you, caring for you in your old age and burying you when you pass.

Uncle, you must trust my character, Hanhou."

Li Sanjiang nodded.

"Heh heh." Li Weihan chuckled twice and reached for a biscuit himself. He hadn't eaten anything since that afternoon and was genuinely hungry.

"Whap!"

His hand was smacked, and the biscuit he had just picked up fell back.

Li Sanjiang stood up and said, "Eat nothing! Leave some for the offering."

Li Weihan paused, then understood. After all, he had helped Li Sanjiang out for a while in the past.

Opening the inner room door, they saw Cui Guiying standing there, leaning forward slightly, holding the child.

After the door opened, Cui Guiying quickly tidied the hair near her earlobes with her hand and asked, "Are you done talking?"

Li Weihan: "Guiying, come out and help set up the altar. Little Zhuiyuan, you can sleep for now."

Just then, Li Sanjiang's voice came from behind him: "Let little Zhuiyuan stay here for now."

Li Weihan turned to look at Li Sanjiang, his brows furrowed, but after a moment of hesitation, as if making a firm decision, he signaled to his wife to bring the child out.

Li Zhuiyuan had been sleeping since the afternoon, so he wasn't sleepy. He obediently sat on a small stool, watching the adults busy themselves.

"Are you out of your mind!" Li Sanjiang swore, pointing at the altar table Li Weihan had just moved outside the back door. "Do you want everyone outside to see? Bring it inside, set it up here!"

This was a flat rural area, with no mountains, no valleys, and no tall buildings to block the view. The visibility was excellent. If they lit candles and burned joss paper outside, anyone who came out to relieve themselves at night would see it from afar, and the matter would quickly spread.

After all, which normal family would make offerings in the dead of night?

Li Weihan immediately moved the table he had just taken out back inside, placing it against the wall very close to the back door.

Cui Guiying began to arrange the offerings: four plates, with biscuits, chicken cake, and peanuts on three of them. One was empty.

"Uncle, we don't have any meat," Cui Guiying said, looking at Li Sanjiang. "No cured or salted meat left."

With ten or so children living in the house, there was no way any overnight dishes would be left. Even the pickled vegetable jar quickly ran empty. But an offering couldn't be made without meat.

Li Sanjiang pointed to the locked snack cabinet. "Do you have any pork floss?"

"Yes," Cui Guiying nodded immediately. "Will that work?"

"It's meat, after all. It'll do."

"Alright."

Finally, a plate of pork floss was placed on the altar, completing the offerings.

A rough tin bucket was brought in by Li Weihan from the courtyard outside. This time, without prompting, he himself placed it in the kitchen corner.

Joss paper money was still a rarity then, needing to be bought from a spiritual goods store in town. Villagers were usually reluctant to use it for minor rituals. However, yellow paper and paper ingots were almost universally stocked in every household.

The gold and silver ingots were folded by the women themselves in their spare time, and as for the yellow paper, it could be kept in a basket near the latrine for use as toilet paper.

Li Sanjiang first lit two candles on the altar table, then used their flame to light several sheets of yellow paper. He quickly waved them in front of the altar, muttering something, then immediately ran back to the corner to throw the half-burnt yellow paper into the tin bucket as kindling. Cui Guiying immediately placed other yellow paper and paper ingots in to burn.

Li Weihan used a thin wooden stick to poke the paper inside, and after confirming it had burned completely, he carried the tin bucket outside to dump the ashes.

When he returned, he saw Li Sanjiang pulling a bell from his pocket, using his grayish-black fingernails to pry at something inside, finally dislodging a cotton ball that had been stuffed into it.

"Jingle, jingle, jingle..."

A gentle shake produced a crisp sound.

Li Sanjiang untied the bell string and walked over to Li Zhuiyuan. "Come, little Zhuiyuan, raise your right hand."

Li Zhuiyuan obediently complied, watching Li Sanjiang tie the bell to his wrist.

Next, Li Sanjiang picked up the censer from the altar table. After a moment's thought, he broke off a large portion of all three incense sticks, leaving only tiny tips, and reinserted them into the censer.

"Little Zhuiyuan, hold this."

Li Zhuiyuan stood up, holding the censer.

Only then did Cui Guiying finally understand. She instinctively wanted to step forward but was gripped by the wrist by Li Weihan, who pulled her back forcefully.

"How can you let little Zhuiyuan..."

Li Weihan glared intensely at his wife.

Li Sanjiang reached out, covered Li Zhuiyuan's ears, then looked up at the couple and asked casually, "I'll ask you one last time: are you doing this, or not?"

"We're doing it!" Li Weihan immediately replied.

"If something happens to little Zhuiyuan..." Cui Guiying shook her arm, trying to break free from her husband's grasp.

Li Weihan said in a deep voice, "If there's nothing there, then nothing will happen. But if there is something there, and you don't do this, something will still happen to little Zhuiyuan. That thing is already fixated on our little Zhuiyuan!"

Hearing this, Cui Guiying stopped struggling, her arms falling to her sides.

Li Sanjiang smiled and said, "Hanhou, have you really thought this through? If this gets out, it won't be easy to live in this village afterward."

Even if there was no drowned body at all, and everything was just a ridiculous joke created by everyone, if you made such a commotion at home and performed that kind of ritual towards another family, and they found out, a deep enmity would be formed!

"Heh," Li Weihan scoffed. "Uncle, I'm not afraid of Big Beard's family. I have four sons too."

In rural areas, the more adult sons a family had, the more confidence they possessed.

Although Li Weihan's four sons were not model filial children, and there was no shortage of friction among the daughters-in-law, if the old Li family ever faced external trouble that required defending their reputation, these four sons would definitely stand united against outsiders.

"Alright, let's do it!" Li Sanjiang released his hand from Li Zhuiyuan's ears, squatted down by the child's ear, and instructed, "Little Zhuiyuan, Great-Uncle will walk in front later, and you'll follow behind, slowly. Don't spill the censer, understand?"

"Yes, understood."

"Good boy."

Li Sanjiang led Li Zhuiyuan out the back door, then turned to Li Weihan and Cui Guiying, who had followed. "You two wait inside; don't follow. Too many people will make it easy to be seen, and we don't want to startle her."

"Yes, Uncle, we're relying on you."

"Close all the doors in the house."

"Okay, Uncle."

Li Weihan pulled his wife back into the house, then closed all the doors and windows.

Outside, by the river under the night sky, only Li Sanjiang and Li Zhuiyuan remained.

"Wait for me for a moment, little Zhuiyuan."

Li Sanjiang said hello, then went down the bluestone steps to the riverbank alone. He squatted down and continuously skimmed the water surface with his hand while muttering something softly.

It was a bit far, and the sound was deliberately kept very low, so Li Zhuiyuan couldn't hear what was being said clearly.

As he spoke, Li Sanjiang's body began to lean backward. Several times, he seemed ready to run, as if something from under the water could leap out at him at any moment.

Finally, Li Sanjiang finished speaking. He quickly ran back up, breathing heavily.

"Alright, little Zhuiyuan, I'll walk in front, and you follow closely behind. Remember, no matter what happens next, and no matter what sounds you hear, you must hold onto this censer tightly and never look back, understood?"

"Understood."

"Good, boy."

Li Sanjiang walked ahead, creating a distance of about twenty meters. He then turned back and waved to Li Zhuiyuan, signaling that the child could follow.

However, Li Zhuiyuan remained still, not moving.

"Come on, follow me, little Zhuiyuan."

"But..." Li Zhuiyuan wanted to turn his head, but he remembered Li Sanjiang's instructions. He simply held the extinguished censer with one hand and pointed towards the river with the other. "Aren't we waiting for her?"

"Waiting for whom?"

"Her, Little Oriole."

"Little Oriole, what about her?"

"She didn't follow."

Li Sanjiang froze for a moment, then walked back. He looked down and carefully observed Li Zhuiyuan, asking, "Little Zhuiyuan, do you know what we're going to do?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head, then nodded.

Li Sanjiang looked at Li Zhuiyuan with some surprise, muttering, "This child of yours, he's like your mother, smart."

Then, as if realizing something, Li Sanjiang stared into Li Zhuiyuan's eyes and asked, "Can you... sense her?"

"Yes."

"She... where is she now?"

Li Zhuiyuan opened his mouth but didn't speak, as if thinking or waiting. Then, he said:

"She's here."

"Where is she?" Li Sanjiang started in alarm.

"She was in the water just now..."

"Phew..." Li Sanjiang let out a breath.

"Now she's behind me."

Li Sanjiang: "..."

Li Sanjiang instinctively wanted to shift his gaze, to look past Li Zhuiyuan's head to what was behind him, but he suppressed the impulse.

However, even without looking, his nostrils caught a strong stench of a corpse, a smell he knew all too well.

She had truly arrived.

Li Sanjiang swallowed nervously. He wanted to stop, but then he thought of the consequences of stopping... Dammit, why should Hanhou's family bear the burden of someone else's evil deeds!

"Little Zhuiyuan, remember what Great-Uncle just told you."

"Yes."

Li Sanjiang closed his eyes, raised his hands high, and slowly stood up. The stench of the corpse grew even stronger.

He turned around, opened his eyes, and walked a short distance forward. This was the observation distance he maintained when poling his boat past drowned bodies.

After a deep breath, he looked back with open eyes.

Little Zhuiyuan stood there holding the censer. Behind him was an expanse of darkness that the moonlight could not penetrate.

"Little Zhuiyuan, stay close now."

"Yes."

"Mhm."

Li Sanjiang began to walk forward. From behind him came the sound of "jingle, jingle, jingle."

He didn't take the village road but deliberately walked along the riverbank or through small thickets. Even though there were no pedestrians late at night, he wanted to be as careful as possible, absolutely unwilling to let outsiders know.

After walking about halfway, Li Sanjiang stopped. The bell sound behind him also ceased.

Li Sanjiang turned around. Li Zhuiyuan was still standing there about twenty meters away. Behind the child, he vaguely saw a human figure, very close.

"Little Zhuiyuan, keep following. We're almost there."

"Yes."

"Mhm."

Li Sanjiang continued to lead the way, walking and stopping, and the bell behind him jingled and stopped in turn.

Finally, after rounding another fish pond, they would reach Big Beard's doorstep. This fish pond actually belonged to his family.

This time, Li Sanjiang did not stop but continued along the edge of the fish pond. As he walked, he slowly turned his head to look behind him:

Under the pale moonlight, Li Zhuiyuan held the censer, periodically looking at his great-uncle leading the way ahead and then looking down to check the path beneath his feet.

The path was difficult, and a child could easily slip and fall, so he walked very carefully and diligently, but he still couldn't avoid swaying.

Behind him, a woman