The creaking sound of the village gate persisted behind him. The old man who was supporting Ji Yuan did not let go, and directly led Ji Yuan for over a dozen steps until they arrived in front of a house whose outer walls were brushed with mud. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel~fire~net
“Be careful, sir, the threshold is raised, lift your feet higher!”
This high threshold was no joke, it really was high. He vaguely felt that it was as high as his calf. Ji Yuan raised his foot and stepped into the house alongside the old man.
This house was not like a normal family residence, as it only had one room, with neither a kitchen nor an inner hall. There was only a table with an oil lamp, four long benches, and two beds on the side.
‘Well, it’s more like a makeshift dormitory! ’
When they made it inside, the old man finally let go of his hand, and beckoned Ji Yuan to sit down.
“Sir, please take a seat. The old man’s surname is Xu. May I ask where you live?”
As he spoke, he took the initiative to move a stool aside to make it easier for Ji Yuan to sit down. The sound of the stool legs scraping against the ground drew a colorless line in Ji Yuan’s mind.
“Okay, thank you old man. My surname is Ji, I’m from Ning’an County.”
“Oh, someone from Ning’an. We don’t usually welcome strangers here at night. As the old saying goes, a person with a shadow and warmth is a living person. Don’t turn your head back when someone calls out on the road at night. There are so many strange things these days, you always have to be careful. I guess you must find it funny, sir.”
The sound of tea pouring into the bowl made a crisp sound. A small splash could be heard when the bowl was full.
“Sir, please have some water.”
“It’s alright, it is better to be careful. Thank you!”
After thanking him again, Ji Yuan took a sniff and drank it without caring about anything. At this time, the old man suddenly asked him a question.
“Sir, are you a ghost?”
Ji Yuan spat out a mouthful of tea.
“Cough, cough… The old man must be joking. Of course I’m not a ghost!!”
This sudden, blunt question made Ji Yuan choke so much he couched for a long time. The old man next to him also apologized repeatedly.
“Sir, please don’t blame me, please don’t blame me. This old man has a bad memory. I just thought of something and subconsciously wanted to confirm it. It’s just that our village is too remote. Few people would come here alone at night.”
Ji Yuan coughed a few times and circulated his spiritual energy to soothe his trachea, then asked helplessly and with some curiosity.
“Confirm what? Didn’t you take my pulse?”
“That’s true, but it’s just that some people don’t even realize that they’re not alive after they have died. This kind of person is the hardest to identify. It needs to be told to their face. We call this folk method the ‘Yuanyang Method’.”1
‘What is that strange name? Yuanyang? Yuanyang? It can’t be a mandarin duck, can it? ’
Shaking away the thoughts in his mind, Ji Yuan asked the old man directly.
“Old man, are you often haunted?”
Otherwise, why would he be so nervous? But as long as it wasn’t a fierce ghost, it should not be a big problem.
“A few years ago, we did encounter a ghost who was looking for a scapegoat. We are the only village in this wild countryside for dozens of miles. Everyone is on guard, afraid that some strange creatures will come here. But ghosts are not a big deal. As the saying goes, if people are three parts afraid of ghosts, ghosts are seven parts afraid of people. There is courage to be found in numbers, and there are many hot-tempered youth in this village…”
The old man paused, hesitated for a moment, and then continued to speak.
“It’s just that we have had trouble with beautiful snakes before. At this time of year, it’s better for everyone to stay indoors if they can!”
Ji Yuanxin frowned. Could it be a monster?
“Well, it is said that there is a big snake with a beautiful woman’s head, who likes to trick men into letting it eat them.”
“Beautiful head? Are you lying? Old man, don’t make fun of me!”
Ji Yuan sucked in a breath, and subconsciously thought of Lu Shan Jun from Niu Kui Mountain. Was this really something ordinary people could guard against?
The light of the oil lamp in the house flickered, but the room was still dim. The swaying light seemed mirror Ji Yuan’s mood.
Monsters that could speak were all ones who had cultivated their powers, and had already refined their Henggu acupoint.2 They were no longer small monsters who could be killed by an iron rake or hoe if they were not careful. And if this snake really had a human head…
Ji Yuan didn’t dare to think about it anymore, and even had the urge to leave, but if he went outside… his chest would feel tight.
There couldn’t be a county without a City God, right? Did he not care about this place?
“Alas, many people know about this. It caused panic in our village for a long time. How could I lie to you? If you don’t want talk about it, I won’t say more…”
Having spoken, the old man stood up from his stool to the side and went to make the other bed.
“Sir, my family is still in the inner village. The house at the entrance of the village is for the people guarding the gate to stay temporarily. Please stay here for one night. If you need to go to the toilet at night, you can wake me up and I will help you over there.
“By the way, sir, are you hungry? If you are, I will go get you something to eat.”
“No, I’m not hungry!”
Ji Yuan declined, and went over to help make the bed. From the smell, he knew that it was exposed to the sun, and had been drying outside. But even if the smell was heavy, it didn’t matter. He didn’t care much about it, and he didn’t have the heart to pay attention to it.
“Woof woof woof… Woof woof woof…”
The barking of dogs followed by a few curses came from outside. Ji Yuan listened carefully, and seemed to hear words like “disgusting” and “bad luck.”
Ji Yuan saw that the old man to his side didn’t react. He temporarily put aside the uneasiness in his mind, and asked about his journey.
“Old man, what is the name of your village, and where is it located in Shunbao County? What is the best way to get to Jiao County?”
Hearing the old man’s doubtful voice, Ji Yuan felt a little uneasy.
“Sir, you are taking a rather long route. This is Shanghegou3 Village, which is already in the northeast corner of Suiyuan County. We have long passed Shunbao4.”
‘Suiyuan County? I ran through two counties? ’
The paperweight map was indeed detailed, but the lines were too fine and dense, making it difficult to grasp the map’s scale. Through this condensed map, one could only understand the approximate relationship between the various territories. The Thirteen Prefectures of Dazhen were crammed in beyond the limit of what could be perceived, and a county was just a small dot on the map. It was already a masterpiece on the part of Wu Pan to have been able to engrave tiny names and mark official roads. If one wanted a sense of distance, it could only be reflected on the level of a prefecture.
‘So I underestimated my strength? ’
He was afraid that when he had used a trick to chase the three fast horses, he had unknowingly ran too far!
‘Speeding will cause trouble!’5
Ji Yuan, who was lamenting in his heart, hurriedly continued to ask the old man.
“Then if I want to go to Chunhui Prefecture, do you thing it would be better to go back the same way, or to choose another route?”
“Well, I have never run so far before. How about this, Mr. Ji, you can take a rest first. Tomorrow morning, you can ask the merchants who are staying in the village. I heard that they are going to Du Mingfu City.6 Maybe they know the best way to get there!”
“Ah… that’s the only way!”
He really missed mobile phone navigation…
The people in the village went to bed earlier than those in the city, and there was no night watchman. The old man in the room was already snoring. Occasionally, the sound of dogs barking could be heard in the village outside.
Ji Yuan lay in bed with his eyes closed, but he was not asleep. On one hand, the snoring of the other party was too obvious in the quiet night, especially in his ears; on the other hand, he was touching the paperweight map to re-plan his route.
“Woof woof woof… Woof woof woof… Woof woof woof…”
The barking of the dogs suddenly intensified, and Ji Yuan opened his eyes almost at the same moment. He could hear that many village dogs were gathered in a one place, barking together in the same direction.
After waiting for a while, the barking of the dogs gradually subsided.
Old dogs that had been raised for a long time were often very spiritual. Ji Yuan had witnessed this once in Ning’an County. In his previous life, he had always heard old people say that dogs’ eyes were psychic, so Ji Yuan placed a lot of importance on the sound of the barking.
“I’m a little panicked…”
Outside the village, by the river, a long black shadow slid across the ground, crawling slowly in an S shape along the riverbank. Dense scales rubbed against the stones and branches, making a rustling sound.
Somewhere, the shadow raised its form and looked towards the village, revealing its sturdy body and the white scales on its abdomen.
After standing there for a moment with its tongue out, a burst of angry dogs barking could be heard in the village. However, those domestic dogs often just barked near the fence, without any intention of rushing out.
The big snake crouched down. Its slightly bloated body twisted a few times along the shore.
With a small “plop” sound, the long black shadow slipped back into the river with a “plop” sound, muffled by the sound of waves being pushed away. To the side, some boats swayed from the ripples in the water’s surface.