Chapter 134: The Captive Little Loli
When Lu Liangting first arrived in this village, something nudged at the back of his mind. Unfortunately, he was just a passenger back then, not behind the wheel. He didn’t pay much attention to his surroundings, and now, several years later, the village had changed quite a bit.
Only when he arrived at a location and spotted the old jujube tree in the distance did memories flood back.
That little girl named Feng Xi had been very close to his sister, so much so that during holidays, she refused to go home and insisted on hanging out at Feng Xi’s place instead. Their mother, pampering as she was back then, just let her go.
Lu Liangting also recalled something his sister had said about Feng Xi, that she was so pitiful. Her father had been working away for years and didn’t come back, and her mother had passed away from an illness. She had to live with her grandfather.
There was that one night when his sister mentioned Feng Xi’s mom came to see her, but her grandfather flew into a rage when he found out.
Back then, Lu Liangting was so full of himself, having been a spoiled brat clueless about ghost stories, and he mocked his sister for being such a silly goose—causing her to end up in tears.
“Little Master, who is this sister?”
“She used to attend Sunshine Private Elementary, named Lu Nianqiu. She was best friends with Feng Xi and has played here before,” Lu Liangting explained as he stepped into the yard.
“No memory of that, but if you see Feng Er, you can ask her. Just a heads up, Feng Er’s not in great shape; she hasn’t spoken a word in two years,” Huang Cheng said in a hushed tone, leaning closer. “She’s not even going to school and has been to several hospitals with no luck. Now she’s just cooped up at home, rumored to be possessed.”
“Possessed?”
“No idea. Who knows about that stuff? They even called in a master, who said there was nothing wrong. Her mom died early, and her dad, well, he fell to his d*ath on the construction site last year. No one’s looking after her, just the old man keeping her afloat. Her grandma isn’t too keen on taking care of her either.”
“Where is she now? Can I see her?”
“Don’t bother; she’s locked up inside. You might catch a glimpse during dinner.”
As Huang Cheng spoke, he noticed someone walking out from inside. He hurried over, murmuring something quietly. The person nodded but cast a subtle glance at Lu Liangting, Zhao Mingyue, and Bai Yu, sizing them up without missing a beat.
This lanky old man, dressed crisply and holding a thermos like a village official, leaned closer to Huang Cheng, murmuring a few more words. Once Huang Cheng confirmed, he stepped toward Lu Liangting.
“Little Master, I’m the former Village Chief. The situation with Huang Laoer’s family is a bit complex, so we’ll need your help. Rest assured, you’ll be compensated; I discussed it with Huang Laoer, and once the job is done, you’ll be paid double.”
“Thanks, Village Chief. No need to be so formal. My last name is Lu, just call me Little Lu,” Lu Liangting said casually, though he hesitated a moment while introducing Zhao Mingyue and Bai Yu. “These two are… my junior sisters. The one on the left is Bai, and the one on the right is Zhao.”
“Ah, well, what a talented trio! I’ve heard of Master Li; he’s quite renowned. I expected no less from his disciples! Just think, you might help with the coffin lifting tomorrow, haha! Anyway, I’ve got matters to attend to. Please, make yourselves comfortable inside. There will be a banquet later; Huang Laoer will take care of the arrangements.”
After the old Village Chief hurried off, clearly eager to tackle important village matters, the yard fell silent again. The sky grew darker, and the strong wind howled, rustling the spirit flags hanging outside. Bai Yu noticed a piece of white cloth was blown away, revealing blades and barbed wire—odd decorations for an ordinary household.
Why would a regular home have such measures, typically found in schools or prisons? Suspicious indeed.
Bai Yu thought it looked more like a precaution to keep something dangerous in the yard from escaping than to keep thieves out.
“That girl named Feng Xi?”
The eerie hush of the yard masked the group of relatives standing both inside and outside. They all had to wait until the burial before leaving. After hearing the conversation between the Village Chief and Lu Liangting, they understood the identities of the three young ones.
Instantaneously, every gaze in the vicinity fixated on Zhao Mingyue, Bai Yu, and Lu Liangting, with looks of disdain, confusion, shock, and even fury.
They called in a master only to get three greenhorns?
If they were truly greenhorns, at least they could help lift the coffin tomorrow. But what kind of sorcery was it to have two frail girls show up—one of them looking barely fifteen or sixteen?
Could a girl not even old enough to babysit really exorcise ghosts?
And coming empty-handed? No tools whatsoever?
No peach wood sword, no talismans, not even a drop of black dog’s bl**d or chicken’s bl**d? Did they expect the villagers to prepare everything?
Almost everyone seemed to think the same.
What use is beauty if you can’t get to work? This one’s merely a pretty face. She might be suitable to introduce to my son or grandson, perhaps even set them up as a couple. But chasing away ghosts? Let’s forget that; they look like amateurs.
Diabolically, Lu Liangting didn’t feel ashamed or angry. After all, he came unarmed and young; being discussed and doubted was perfectly normal. Let them talk.
He glanced at Bai Yu, who was investigating details, but she ignored the surrounding chatter. She walked over to the walls, approaching the two coffins, and gave a light knock on the old one.
“There’s a corpse.”
Staring at the aged black coffin, Bai Yu just reached to tear the talisman off, but a sharp voice called from behind, “Hey, what’s that little girl doing?!”
Turning around, she saw a man in his twenties, draped in mourning clothes, rushing toward her.
Upon seeing Bai Yu, a fleeting spark of astonishment crossed his eyes, but he quickly scolded, “What are you doing? Don’t touch that!”
Bai Yu brushed him off and tore the talisman down. Upon careful examination, she determined it wasn’t Taoist; it had similarities to the talismans of Eternal Life Village. This was no ordinary scrap—it had real power.
“Hey!” The man seethed, ready to argue, but Bai Yu casually slapped the talisman back in place, not bothering to spare him a glance as she walked past.
The spirit hall remained unchanged, solemn and grave, with a large “Tribute” character plastered across the wall, blocking access to the upstairs.
She first glanced at the portrait—a fierce-looking old man—and then observed the offerings and arrangements, deliberately ignoring the relatives packed in and around the hall.
The offering table and items had nothing strange about them; even the slowly burning paper was quite normal. Under the dim light, it just looked a little eerie, yet the corpse inside the ice coffin appeared entirely normal. She couldn’t sense any grudge or find one of her “kind” lurking about.
She was indeed a ghost and far superior to the so-called “yin-yang eyes,” so she could confidently assert the spirit hall was fine.
Her gaze shifted to the vigil attendees. They were mostly young—aged in their twenties down to as young as five or so. They kneeling on rice straw bags, heads bowed, dozing off in exhaustion.
“The grudge must be hidden in the old coffin. If all goes as I suspect, the one in the red clothes is behind it. Most in this family know the truth about this coffin; they dug it up.”
“Burying people—why would they dig up a coffin?”
“Unless the deceased has some substantial grudge against this family, they must think it’s the corpse causing the old man not to be buried.”
Bai Yu pondered, wandering to an inconspicuous corner, overhearing Lu Liangting inquire about the situation.
These relatives weren’t too friendly; to be more precise, they held secrets they dare not voice, which is why they kept deflecting Lu Liangting even though he found the intermediary, a middle-aged man named Huang Hai, without getting any useful information.
At least that’s how it seemed to Lu Liangting.
“The old Huang has four kids—all boys—and there’s significant tension between the eldest and second. The cause remains a mystery because everyone tiptoes around it, scared stiff.”
“Since arriving, I haven’t heard them mention ghosts or show any concern. Yet mention the old coffin, and they fall silent.”
“The conflict arises from the coffin.”
“Well, who’s in it?”
“The eldest’s four kids huddle to one side, the second’s three kids on the other. The third has no spouse, so no kids, while the fourth has passed away and had two.”
Bai Yu’s gaze wandered to the corner where a lone boy sat against the wall, curled up with no one to lean on. She could detect the breath of the same family; they often bore similarities, making her easily identify the vigil attendees.
“Let me take a wild guess—the barbed wire is to prevent someone from escaping, along with the extra thick iron door.”
“Where’s the other child from the fourth family—the one who was close to Lu Liangting’s sister?”
Bai Yu gradually pieced together what was happening and figured out who the one in red was, along with the purpose of the barbed wire and the door.
She simply couldn’t comprehend why these two families had fallen out and why they were keeping Huang Fengxi, such a little girl, locked up like this.
“Locked up…”
Leaning against the wall, Bai Yu gazed toward the rooms on the second and third floors.
“Will Lu Liangting’s sister come tonight?”
·
·
Vote for me! I’m working hard here!
