As the night grew dim, there were few people on the street. The people from the Qingxin Temple walked out of the room and headed straight for the burial place of the village head.
On both sides of the graveyard were dense and gloomy woods. From time to time, there would be a few meows of wild cats coming from the darkness, shrill and creepy.
When they arrived at the graveyard, they saw hundreds of tombs densely arranged, and the black tombstones were connected into a vast expanse.
The dim sky made it hard to see the names and photos engraved on the tombstones.
Yu Nian frowned. There were only about twenty households in Wuxiang Village. How could there be so many tombs on the mountain?
Cuicui was obviously startled too. "Why is this graveyard different from what I remember?"
Everyone was in a bit of a dilemma. With so many tombs, which one was the tomb of Old Village Head Tan?
Yu Nian remained calm. She took out a piece of white paper from her bosom. After trimming it, she put a small paper figurine on the ground.
She asked Cuicui, "What's the village head's name?"
"Tan Xiang."
Yu Nian took out three incense sticks, lit them, and firmly inserted them on the open ground. She said softly, "By my command, summon the soul of Tan Xiang!"
At the same time, the small paper figurine stood up straight and shuttled among the tombs as if it had come to life.
Before long, the paper figurine ran out again, only to be accompanied by a white mist on its side.
Yu Nian chanted a couple of incantations, and a pale shadow emerged in front of everyone.
It was a kind - faced old man with his eyes closed, floating straight in a certain direction.
Cuicui was stunned for a moment and called out tremulously, "Village head..."
Yu Nian said softly, "He can't hear you. When a person dies, they become a ghost. A ghost has a soul but no form, while a corpse has a form but no soul. Don't be afraid when you see his corpse later. Just hide behind me."
As soon as she finished speaking, the soul stopped in front of a tomb and dissipated in the wind in the blink of an eye.
Yu Nian walked to the tomb, picked up a bit of the scattered soil around it, and said calmly, "It's a new tomb. This should be the place."
She casually slapped a talisman on it. With a loud "boom", the pitch - black coffin appeared in front of everyone.
In just half a day, the talisman papers that were originally pasted on the coffin had all turned black. The nailed coffin lid seemed to have been hit by something heavy and was offset by a large gap.
A stinking smell wafted out from the coffin. Vaguely, He Zhiping seemed to see the corpse move. The silk embroidery on the shroud reflected a strange glint in the moonlight.
He immediately took a step back, his face ashen. "The corpse moved!"
Yu Nian calmly nodded. "It's a case of a corpse coming back to life."
Having dealt with corpses and ghosts for a long time, Yu Nian didn't care about bad luck. She raised her hand to lift the coffin lid, but was stopped by Feng Chengyuan.
"Let me do it."
Feng Chengyuan handed Yu Nian a clean handkerchief to wipe her hands. He walked to the coffin lid and gently exerted force, and the coffin lid was lifted.
Only then did everyone see the full view of the corpse, and they all turned their heads and vomited.
Feng Chengyuan was closest to the corpse. Although his face showed no reaction, he still frowned tightly.
The corpse could hardly be described as anything but in a complete mess.
Old Village Head Tan's head was almost completely separated from his body. His whole body was bloody, and wherever one could see, there were black holes oozing black blood.
Cuicui's tears welled up instantly. She sobbed, "The village head did so many good deeds in his life. Why did he end up like this? What should we do, Sister Yu Nian?"
Shi Tou beside her stared blankly at Cuicui and subconsciously reached out his hand to wipe her tears, but his transparent hand passed through Cuicui's face.
Shi Tou felt inexplicably flustered. "Don't cry..."
Yu Nian said calmly, "Don't be sad. I'll sew up his corpse."
Yu Nian took out a small cloth bag from her backpack. Inside, there were neatly arranged silver needles of different lengths and thicknesses and threads of various colors.
The material of the thread was very special. It was more resilient than ordinary threads and emitted a faint glow in the moonlight.
Yu Nian skillfully threaded the needle, deftly tied a knot at the end of the thread with her slender fingers, and reached out to straighten Old Village Head Tan's head.
But unexpectedly, the next moment, Old Village Head Tan's eyes rolled around under his closed eyelids twice, and then he suddenly opened his eyes. His blue - black lips opened wide and he bit straight at Yu Nian's wrist.
Yu Nian seemed to have been on guard. She quickly turned her wrist and pressed the head back.
Old Village Head Tan's face was turning gray at a visible speed. His face was distorted, and his lips and teeth kept opening and closing, making a crisp "click" sound.
Hearing this, He Zhiping felt a sour feeling in his mouth and subconsciously covered his chin.
Yu Nian was no stranger to such a terrifying scene. She thoughtfully examined the broken part between the head and the body for a moment, and her eyes lit up. "So that's how it is..."
She dipped some cinnabar and drew a talisman on Old Village Head Tan's forehead. The previously restless head instantly calmed down.
Yu Nian said to the air, "Go and fetch a basin of clean water."
Yu Nian dipped a handkerchief in the clean water and gently wiped the blood off the village head's face. Then she picked up the silver needle and carefully sewed it up.
Yu Nian's movements were very fast, but her stitches were extremely neat and fine.
The resentment in this forest of tombs was extremely heavy. The leaves rustled, and there were the chirping sounds of unknown insects.
An ordinary person staying here for a long time would feel muddled - minded or irritated.
Feng Chengyuan stood beside Yu Nian and heard her talking to Old Village Head Tan.
"If it's too painful, just leave. Don't linger here. Go and be reincarnated earlier and live a peaceful life. I'll seek justice for you."
Amid the chaos, Yu Nian's voice was very soft, but it carried an emotion that Feng Chengyuan had never felt before. It seemed like an exhortation and also like a consolation. In the end, it turned into a warm current that flowed through his heart.
Before long, the corpse was sewn up again and looked proper.
Old Village Head Tan's expression was peaceful, as if he hadn't suffered in his life but had left the world peacefully in his sleep.
Cuicui witnessed the whole process and was completely convinced by Yu Nian. She asked curiously, "Sister Yu Nian, aren't you afraid?"
Yu Nian smiled but didn't say a word.
The more nights you walk, the more ghosts you see, and naturally your courage will grow.
Everyone put Old Village Head Tan's corpse back into the coffin again. After closing the coffin, they refilled the tomb.
Yu Nian lit three incense sticks. Just as they were about to leave, the ground under their feet suddenly shook.
Cuicui failed to stand steadily and fell to the ground. She said blankly, "Is it an earthquake?"
Yu Nian scanned the black coffins exposed around. She took out talisman papers from her pocket and said calmly, "Something is about to come out."
As soon as she finished speaking, dozens of dark shadows burst out of the ground.
The degree of decay of each corpse was different, and the stinking smell instantly filled the forest.