Only after the corpse had lain itself into the coffin did the old man dare to get up. He stumbled out of the mourning hall. After that day, he seemed to have lost his wits. He rambled incoherently and flatly refused to keep watch anymore!
Old Man Guo didn't believe it at first. In his opinion, once a person was dead, they were dead. How could a corpse run away at night and come back during the day?
So he called on several brave and strong men in the village. On the fifth night, they all guarded in front of the mourning hall, determined to find out the truth.
There was nothing unusual in the first half of the night. Only the wind moaned and the leaves rustled softly.
But as soon as the watchman struck the gong for the second watch, a corpse that had been lying quietly in the mourning hall suddenly stood up straight!
Under the horrified gazes of everyone, it hopped stiffly out of the mourning - hall gate step by step and disappeared into the thick night!
Not only Old Man Guo, but all the strong men who witnessed this were so frightened that they fell ill!
However, this was just the beginning of the nightmare. The next day, there came tragic news from the village—two children had mysteriously disappeared!
The villagers searched for a long time but couldn't find them. It was not until someone found several pieces of bloody and gnawed - looking internal organs and minced meat on a desolate mountain road near the mourning hall...
In the following days, one child was lost every night. Many people, unable to bear the worry, had moved out of Yongding Village overnight.
The once prosperous village was now deathly silent...
When Old Man Guo said this, he was already sobbing. He bowed deeply to everyone and choked out:
"Dear celestial masters, please have mercy on us! Save our village and help us find our children! We really... have no other way!"
After saying that, he tremblingly took out a bag of loose silver from his bosom and held it with both hands, trying to hand it to the teacher from the academy.
Unexpectedly, the teacher gently pushed it back and comforted him in a deep voice:
"Uncle, there's no need for silver. Wuxiang Academy doesn't charge a single cent for dealing with supernatural matters for the villagers. This is an iron - clad rule set by Dean Ren. Moreover, this is actually a kind of training for the students."
After saying that, the teacher looked at the students and said loudly:
"There's no need for all of you to go. Four groups are enough. Who is willing to go voluntarily?"
As soon as he finished speaking, several students immediately stepped forward!
Completely different from their usual joking and playing around, everyone looked serious and solemn at this moment.
Shen Cuiyu stared blankly at the blue - and - white disciple robes fluttering in the wind. Her heart was slightly stirred.
"Observe the sky and act in accordance with the Way; do good and benefit the people"—these eight characters were the school motto of Wuxiang Academy. Usually, hearing them so often made them seem a bit empty. But at this moment, looking at the figures of those who dared to take the lead, Shen Cuiyu seemed to suddenly understand their profound meaning.
A place that educates people always has an unyielding spirit. Perhaps this is the meaning of the existence of the academy.
Those who usually clustered around Liu Ruyan saw others signing up and were a bit eager to try. They whispered to Liu Ruyan:
"Ruyan, aren't you going?"
"I..." Liu Ruyan forced a smile and maintained her poise. After a while, she said softly, "I'd better not go. I generally don't take action easily for such trivial matters."
The person nodded in sudden understanding, and there was even more admiration for Liu Ruyan in their eyes.
Just as Shen Cuiyu was about to step forward to sign up, Dongfang Xiao couldn't hold back any longer. He raised his hand and rushed to the front in one stride, shouting in a booming voice:
"Count us in! Our group is also willing to go!"
The young academy teacher patted his strong shoulder with relief, but his expression was a bit hesitant:
"Dongfang Xiao, it's good that you have this intention. However, this mission is quite dangerous. It's better for disciples above the Mysterious Rank to go. Your group..."
The teacher didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant.
Compared with other groups, the personnel configuration of this group was really appalling.
It was well - known that Pei Yu had no spiritual power; although Shen Cuiyu had spiritual power, she was only at the Yellow Rank; Zhong Shengwan was even more outrageous. He was afraid of ghosts, and no one knew if he would faint when he got to the mourning hall!
All in all, there was only Dongfang Xiao who could fight in the whole group, and unfortunately, he was sometimes a bit stubborn...
In a critical moment, not to mention suppressing ghosts and demons, they themselves would be in a complete mess!
Dongfang Xiao scratched his nose and looked back at his companions hesitantly.
Unexpectedly, Shen Cuiyu had already stepped forward gracefully. With a calm expression, she picked up a pen and wrote her name in the registration book.
"Teacher, don't worry. We know what we're doing and will surely adapt to the situation."
Her gaze turned to Pei Yu. The latter didn't say much, just nodded imperceptibly. Shen Cuiyu understood and signed his name on his behalf.
After getting along for a while, Shen Cuiyu had a new understanding of this young prince. Apart from being a bit particular and sometimes speaking sharply enough to make people angry, he was actually quite reliable.
Seeing this, Dongfang Xiao couldn't help but grin, showing a mouthful of big white teeth. Then he looked at Zhong Shengwan and coughed twice:
"Hey, sissy, what about you?"
Zhong Shengwan looked expressionless. He just snorted, took the pen in one go, wrote his name in a flamboyant manner, then turned his head away and resumed his usual cold and laconic appearance.
Only then did Dongfang Xiao heave a sigh of relief. Then he turned his head and stared at the teacher with his big, watery eyes, blinking...
Teacher:..........
He had seen all the actions of these children just now, and his heart was somewhat touched.
This group of students, seemingly each being loose and unruly, actually had more responsibility than expected at the critical moment.
"Fine, I'll allow you to go. But remember, safety comes first in everything. Act according to the situation and don't force it!"
Seeing that the teacher finally agreed, Dongfang Xiao cheered directly and began to rummage through his many magic tools excitedly, muttering to himself:
"Bring this one. Hey, this one should also be brought! A Cui, help me see which of these two masks looks more imposing..."
Liu Ruyan glanced at Shen Cuiyu who was preparing to set off not far away. A hint of coldness flashed in her eyes. She actually changed her mind suddenly.
Liu Ruyan stepped forward, with a solemn expression and a sincere voice:
"I've thought it over carefully. Our group will also join. This incident has affected innocent children. It's too heinous! It must be a malicious corpse transformation and evil ghosts harming people! If we don't take action, I'm afraid that evil corpse will hurt more innocent people!"
Liu Ruyan's words sounded just and noble. Old Man Guo was very touched and bowed to her repeatedly. The academy teacher also nodded appreciatively.
Four teams were quickly selected. Liu Ruyan spoke first, trying to take the lead:
"Time waits for no one. Why don't we go directly to the mourning hall and suppress the corpse causing trouble with powerful talismans to prevent it from coming out to harm people again tonight!"
"Suppress it?" Zhong Shengwan glanced at her coldly. "Were you sleeping during the basic lessons?"