The cat-faced old lady opened her mouth, revealing a set of rotten teeth.
"Can it... can it also be explained this way?"
"Actually, I’m just a novice, still reading the basics. I really don’t know if my explanation is correct. To know the result... I’ll have to wait until I return home and continue reading.
I’m still young, not so good at this, gotta study hard."
Cat-faced old lady: "You... you’re going to continue studying?"
"There’s no need for thanks, I’m advising you to do this partly for my own self-interest.
If those three people were to all meet with an accident and die today, then the reputation that my Grandmaster and his folks depend on for a living would be smashed to pieces.
Grandmaster, he’s really good to me."
"In truth, your Grandmaster, he’s already made a move."
Cat-faced old lady: "Don’t worry, I know what to do now."
Li Zhiyuan revealed a smile as pure as a child’s: "Thank you, Grandma."
At this moment, shouting could be heard in the distance; it was Grandmaster and the others searching nearby.
Li Zhiyuan waved to cat-faced old lady, then walked onto the path.
"Little Yuanhou! Little Yuanhou! Where are you, Little Yuanhou!"
Hearing the shouting figures in the distance, Li Zhiyuan felt very comforted and enjoyed it. When he first arrived at his ancestral home, he wasn’t used to his nickname being followed by "hou".
But generally, it was the elders who called him this way, and the dialect term carried the affection and joy of his family’s elders.
Professor Xu from the Family Courtyard’s Chinese Department is from Guangdong; he once said that with the development of the economy and population movement, dialects would gradually exit the stage of history.
Panzi, Leizi, Yingzi, they also now speak Mandarin at school.
Therefore, Li Zhiyuan knew that as the elderly gradually pass away, this call of "Little Yuanhou" will, in the future, only be found by sifting through the depths of memory.
"Grandmaster! Grandmaster!"
Li Zhiyuan raised his hand and began to respond.
Li Sanjiang and Run Sheng came running over, followed by Mr. Shan, Liu Jinxia, and some villagers.
"Little Yuanhou, are you alright?" Li Sanjiang examined Li Zhiyuan from head to toe, making sure his great-grandson was not missing any limbs.
Run Sheng’s face was all sweaty, but he was smiling happily.
The two of them had previously grabbed Niu Fu and Niu Rui, but soon realized they were actually holding onto bundles of straw.
Looking up, Little Yuanhou had disappeared, so they hurried out to search.
Mr. Shan was injured, but he felt he could still help, Liu Jinxia didn’t intend to come out, but she also didn’t dare stay in the shed alone.
As for the villagers behind them, many had volunteered to come out to help look for the child after hearing the shouting, and even more villagers were gathering here.
It’s undeniable, the local customs here are still very simple, but even the best fruit trees can’t avoid yielding some deformed fruit.
Some villagers had already started shouting that the Niu family members were missing. Seeing that the Niu family siblings’ family members had been gone for so long past midnight, they also started to search.
"Grandmaster, it’s inside there, in the old house." Li Zhiyuan whispered in Li Sanjiang’s embrace, ensuring only Grandmaster could hear.
Li Sanjiang nodded, pushed Li Zhiyuan towards Liu Jinxia, then brandished a Peach Wood Sword, his stature suddenly becoming much more imposing.
Li Zhiyuan saw clearly, it was the one he had brought.
"Come on, we have numbers, everyone follow me, storm in, kill the corpse, save the people!"
Li Sanjiang took the lead and rushed into the old house, Run Sheng didn’t say a word and followed suit, Mr. Shan stomped his foot and bit his lip to join.
The villagers behind them were somewhat timid; they were willing to come out to help search for the child, but to charge at a corpse, they were truly afraid.
Still, there were many of them, and after some hesitation, they slowly started to move forward.
But as soon as Li Sanjiang and the two others charged in, there came from the old house a burst of harsh cat screams and sounds of a fight, during which seemed to intermix with an old lady’s shrieks and curses.
Some villagers recognized it; it was Old Mrs. Niu’s voice.
But wasn’t Old Mrs. Niu already dead, and had been for half a year now?
With such a commotion, even the boldest villagers dare not advance further, only standing still waiting for the outcome.
Fortunately, the screaming gradually ceased, and not long after, Li Sanjiang carrying one, and Run Sheng carrying two, emerged from under the old locust tree in front of the dilapidated house.
"The people have been rescued!"
"My goodness, the Niu family members are really here!"
"The Corpse has been subdued!"
Li Sanjiang dumped off Niu Lian on his back, with a "thud", Niu Lian fell directly onto the gravel path.
Run Sheng did the same, relaxing his arms, Niu Fu and Niu Rui slid to the ground, each rolling and then coming to rest.
The crowd of villagers immediately gathered around to watch the spectacle, asking questions here and there—after all, this was fodder for chatter after daybreak, and an important experience to brag about when leaving the village to meet people from other places. Then they could light up a cigarette and say mysteriously:
"Hmm, those things you just spoke about, they’re nothing. Let me tell you about something that happened in our village back in the day..."
The sudden disappearance of the three Niu family siblings, all showing up unconscious at the old house, isn’t it clear they encountered something evil?
Everyone’s look towards Li Sanjiang and the others was full of admiration and respect, endlessly offering flattery—this truly was someone with great ability.
Who could ensure that they’ll have a smooth life without stumbling into a disaster? Even if they don’t encounter one, what about their family, relatives, and friends? One would be wise to treat people with special abilities with courtesy, as long as they’re not out of their minds.
Mr. Shan, seeing Li Sanjiang being praised in the front, couldn’t help but feel envious.