**Chapter 3: Strange Events in Baiyanzi Village**
During the Lunar New Year, watching big performances has always been a custom in the surrounding areas of Huacheng, likely originating from the priestly rituals dedicated to deities closely related to daily life, such as the River God and the God of the Kitchen.
As the saying goes, “Once the Laba Festival passes, the New Year is here.” In the past, as the Laba Festival approached, Huacheng and the surrounding areas would hold various temple fairs.
At these fairs, there would always be opera troupes performing.
At that time, light snow drifted from the sky, colorful ribbons danced in the wind along the long street, and red lanterns swayed with the breeze, the sound of firecrackers could be heard from afar.
The temple fair was bustling with people coming and going, the stalls selling snacks along the roadside sent up curling wisps of smoke, accompanied by street hawkers’ calls. When the gongs and drums sounded, and the painted face actors appeared on stage, melodious opera tunes filled the air.
It was truly a festive scene!
However, regardless of customs, they easily fade away with the passage of time, especially in today’s era of rapid urban development and ever-changing entertainment options.
Furthermore, many traditional crafts emphasize a single heir, usually passing down to males but not females. Opera is not a profitable skill, which has led many young people to be unwilling to learn it, resulting in its gradual decline.
Over time, fewer people attended performances, and fewer performed, even temple fairs might not happen several times a year.
Even when they did, they would be heavily commercialized.
Of course, Gu Qiqi loved these temple fairs the most. Every year during the fairs, she would sell various items, setting up a stall with nesting dolls, always managing to make a hefty profit.
However, even as many traditional customs gradually disappeared in the city, similar customs still lingered on the outskirts, in the villages scattered around the urban areas.
Every year after the Minor Cold, these villages would gradually come alive, with neighboring villages gathering together to build stages, taking turns to invite performers, and the songs and dances would echo from the Minor Cold all the way to New Year’s Eve.
Of course, these events, akin to variety shows, apart from their liveliness, also held a hidden competitive spirit.
In simple terms, if that village’s performance was splendid and well-staged, then that village would gain face.
Concerned with the prestige of the village, those who were wealthy contributed money, while those who were able offered their help. In previous instances, the first and last villages’ performances were often the most spectacular.
Baiyanzi Village, located at the boundary between Huacheng and Moon City, was the first village among several in the vicinity to set up its stage this year.
The village had invited an opera troupe after a long absence, quickly building the stage, and was about to present a grand performance.
However, on the night of the show, the entire village, along with over three hundred people from neighboring villages who had come to join in the festivities, seemed to have evaporated overnight—no living soul visible, nor any bodies found.
————
Du Sixian set off in the morning from Mudan Street, and it wasn’t until just past noon that she arrived in a town several kilometers away from Baiyanzi Village.
When she reached the town, it seemed that a market had just concluded; pedestrians hurriedly blocked the roads, creating a logjam.
Faced with this situation, Du Sixian simply parked her car by the road and sought out a small noodle shop, intending to have lunch and take a short rest.
Many of the people rushing to the market had come from relatively remote surrounding villages, and it was rare for them to see a luxury car. Du Sixian’s eye-catching G63 parked by the roadside quickly attracted a crowd of onlookers during her meal.
When Du Sixian exited the restaurant, she saw a group of people surrounding her car, pointing and talking. Unfazed, she smiled and approached, hoping to ask someone about Baiyanzi Village.
However, before she could speak, the onlookers dispersed like thieves when they saw her returning to her vehicle.
Only a freckled boy, about twelve or thirteen years old and walking with a limp, was stopped by Du Sixian due to his difficulty in movement.
“Hey, don’t run! I won’t hurt you; I just want to ask you something,” she said.
Upon hearing this, the boy looked at her suspiciously but remained silent.
Noticing this, Du Sixian pouted, got into her car, retrieved a handful of snacks, and handed them to the boy, raising an eyebrow, “Now can I ask you some questions?”
The boy glanced at the elaborately packaged snacks, then at Du Sixian, licking his dry lips before nodding slightly.
“I want to ask! Do you live nearby?” Du Sixian smiled.
The boy nodded.
“Is it far to Baiyanzi Village?”
Upon hearing Baiyanzi Village mentioned, the boy hesitated for a moment, a distinct look of uncertainty on his face. However, after glancing at the snacks in his hand, he nodded again.
“Only five li.”
The area around Huacheng is mostly mountainous, with rugged terrains and winding roads. Even the Siye Society’s maps struggle to detail every path.
If one accidentally took a wrong turn, it could delay their arrival by an hour or two, or even longer.
Du Sixian had been worried that without someone to guide her, it would likely take a significant amount of time to reach Baiyanzi Village.
Now that she encountered this boy, who lived not far from Baiyanzi Village, her spirits lifted.
“Great! I want to go to Baiyanzi Village now; can you take me there?”
Upon hearing Du Sixian’s intention to go to Baiyanzi Village, the boy’s expression changed instantly, and he instinctively took two steps back, shaking his head.
He seemed somewhat scared? Was it because strange things had been happening in Baiyanzi Village recently? Du Sixian thought to herself and continued, “Don’t be afraid, little buddy; you don’t have to take me inside Baiyanzi Village, just lead me nearby and point me in the right direction.”
“If we get there, all the snacks in the car are yours, how about that?”
The boy continued to shake his head, and finally, he threw the snacks he was holding onto the ground and limped away.
“Hey! Don’t go! What else do you want? I can buy anything for you!” Du Sixian called out to the boy’s retreating figure.
However, the boy replied, “That’s a haunted place; I’m not going!”
Du Sixian, “……”
Watching the boy disappear among the crowd, a hint of unease rose within her.
————
Du Sixian didn’t take the boy’s awkward reaction too seriously.
The mysterious disappearance of Baiyanzi Village’s residents had occurred for four to five days, and it must have already spread in the surrounding areas.
It was not surprising for someone to want to avoid that place.
In fact, three days ago, the Siye Society had already received reports and dispatched a Special Action Team to investigate, yet they had not found any residual spirit energy fluctuations or traces of urban legends.
Those villagers truly seemed to have vanished like a wisp of smoke.
Strange as it was, it left no clues behind.
This time, Du Sixian’s visit was merely for final confirmation.
Shortly after one PM, after a brief rest, Du Sixian, having reported to Luxianbei and An Qing, set off on her own.
As she left the town, she followed the path indicated by the navigation toward the village deeper in the mountains.
The first half of the journey went relatively smoothly; she could still see some small buses and tractors traversing the rural areas along the road.
The only irritating part was that occasionally villagers herded cows, sheep, chickens, and ducks across the road, moving slowly as if they were taking a leisurely stroll after dinner, causing her to stop and let them pass.
As she approached the latter half of her journey, the closer she got to Baiyanzi Village, the fewer vehicles and pedestrians there were on the roads, until finally, all disappeared.
Driving along the road surrounded by mountains, she found herself enveloped by thick forests, with twisted, lush branches hanging with yellowed leaves, blocking her line of sight from various angles.
The concrete road built against the mountains was also gradually cracking, perhaps due to melting snow from a few days ago, with some mud and sand washed onto the roadway causing her tires to make a “sasa” sound.
……
A journey of just over ten li shouldn’t take long, but it took Du Sixian more than two hours to complete.
When she arrived at the entrance of Baiyanzi Village, it was already past three PM.
In the mountains, the sky always darkens early; at just after three, Baiyanzi Village appeared gloomy. As the temperature dropped, fog began to rise in this village at the foot of the mountain, blurring everything in sight.
The whole world seemed to be turning mysterious and elusive.
Parking her car at the village entrance, Du Sixian donned a stab-proof vest made of alchemical materials over her coat, carefully checked her firearm’s magazine and spare ammo, tucked a few standard talismans into her pocket, brought along two bottles of pure silver, and, of course, her beloved camera, before stepping out and walking toward the village.
At this dim hour, the village felt as if it was shrouded in a massive shadow.
As Du Sixian walked through the village, besides the sound of her footsteps, not a single sound could be heard, as if she had entered a long-abandoned desolate village.
The windows of the houses appeared pitch black, casting no light, and momentarily, it felt as if someone was hiding in that darkness, watching her with strange eyes.
From the outside, Baiyanzi Village, apart from the absence of people, looked much like most surrounding villages, with brick courtyards, small buildings, and a few stone houses.
The only noteworthy aspect was a small western-style building deep in the village, which differed significantly from its surroundings.
Its sharp gray roof looked like a peculiar large hat pressing down on it, while the facade resembled a pale face. The windows were all dark and unfathomable.
It stood there lifelessly, devoid of any human presence.
The moment Du Sixian stepped into the village, standing in the narrow alley, the moss-covered walls on both sides appeared to suddenly close in on her, making it hard to breathe.
In the shadows, it felt as if countless eyes were on her, sending chills down her spine.
Yet……
Having experienced the successive upgrades of Meng Meng’s nightmares, her courage had vastly improved; at this moment, she even turned the tables, pursuing the urban legends in her dreams to practice spell formulas, making it rather awkward for Meng Meng, who struggled to construct terrifying scenes.
There was nothing to fear; the Special Action Team members had already investigated, and there were no signs of urban legends’ activity.
Moreover, hadn’t Luxianbei said?
Urban legends are mostly hollow; as long as you aren’t afraid of them and proceed boldly, you’d be fine! Du Sixian thought, continuing deeper into the village.
As she passed by a house, she noticed that the door was ajar. After lightly knocking, she steeled herself and walked inside.
Upon entering, she was greeted by a dining table with bowls and dishes on it; the food in those dishes had rotted to a high degree, becoming a black paste, with small white bugs crawling inside, emitting a foul odor.
Seeing this, Du Sixian quickly covered her mouth and nose and stepped outside, a hint of doubt rising in her heart.
Despite the relatively warm winter in Huacheng this year, the temperature wasn’t particularly high; how could that food have rotted to such an extent in merely four or five days?
Moreover, it seemed that the meal had been finished, but they hadn’t had time to clean up before rushing off to watch a performance. They hadn’t even locked the door when they left, indicating they would be back soon.
So, had the villagers disappeared while watching the performance? Du Sixian wondered.
Lost in thought, she looked up toward the depth of the village, her gaze landing on that incongruous small western-style building, and then made her way forward.
According to the information provided by the members of the Special Action Team, the stage was set up in the open space in front of the small western-style building.
When Du Sixian arrived at the open area in front of the small western-style building, she was surprised to find that it was backed by a small river over twenty meters wide.
The river flowed silently around the small building, stretching deep into the mountains.
Perhaps to save space and provide more room for the audience, the makeshift stage constructed from steel pipes and wood jutted out over the open space, with one side hanging above the river.
At that moment, the red cloth decorations and lanterns on the stage swayed in the wind; under the dim light, they gave off no festive feeling and instead had an eerie quality about them.
Below the stage, numerous long benches were arranged, all empty, but many clothes lay scattered around, creating the illusion that they were filled with spectators staring blankly ahead.
“Life and d*ath are fleeting, yet the melancholy persists… Yet it does not pain… Shadows dance in solitude…”
Suddenly, a voice from an opera rang in Du Sixian’s ears like an illusion; she paused for a moment, concentrating to listen, but only the sound of the wind reached her.
Was it an illusion? But I clearly heard it! Du Sixian thought.
That utterance from the opera had drilled into her mind, leaving behind clear phrases before vanishing in an instant.
Du Sixian was unfamiliar with opera, but using her memory, she took out her phone and searched online for what she had just heard. Upon finding the source, her expression changed slightly.
That excerpt was from “Changsheng Hall – Crying Scene.”
It was a mourning opera…
Looking up again, she noticed the drifting red silk and lanterns seemed to fade under the dimming light, losing their color and leaving only gray and white in her view.
On the stage, it appeared that several people were standing, all dressed in oversized costumes, facing the front, motionless.
Her heart skipped a beat; she steadied herself and looked again at the stage, but everything she had just seen seemed to vanish like an illusion, and everything returned to normal.
The wind rustled the items left behind by the missing villagers, gently swaying them and creating faint sounds; within her perceptive range, there was no trace of any residual spirit energy fluctuations.
Du Sixian, “……”
It seemed that something indeed terrible had happened here; otherwise, the Special Action Team wouldn’t have sent her for confirmation.
But why was there not a single trace of residual spirit energy? Du Sixian pondered.
……
After a brief stay at the open area in front of the small western-style building, Du Sixian spent some time investigating inside.
Inside the small western-style building, just like everywhere else in the village, there was still no residual spirit energy; from the awards and banners hanging in the study, it seemed to be the home of the village chief of Baiyanzi Village.
What struck her as strange was that it appeared to have been unoccupied for quite some time; thick dust covered the floor, furniture, and walls, and some cobwebs hung in the corners of the ceiling.
Even more puzzling for Du Sixian was that the dust was covered with numerous chaotic footprints, the origin—human or something else—unclear.
……
After over an hour of investigation in Baiyanzi Village, she took out a lily flower from her car designed to detect spirit energy fluctuations. After finding nothing unusual, it was already quite dark.
Worried about staying in this spooky place after dark, she decided to leave first, returning to town to find a hotel and come back in the morning to finish the final work.
Though Luxianbei had told her to boldly confront urban legends, it was still wiser to avoid direct conflicts for safety’s sake.
Before leaving, she passed the stage again and recalled the chaotic footprints from the small western-style building. A sudden idea struck her, and she hurried back to her car to grab a tripod and a power bank.
After returning to the open area, she adjusted the angle and set the camera up in front of the stage, securing the tripod with a spell formula, before feeling satisfied and leaving.
“Maybe I can capture some important clues,” she muttered to herself thoughtfully.
————
In the depths of the night, at Baiyanzi Village.
In the open area in front of the small western-style building, a lonely tripod stood in the damp mountain wind, and the camera was still running, recording the empty stage in night mode.
“Life and d*ath are fleeting, yet the melancholy persists… Yet it does not pain… Shadows dance in solitude…”
A voice from the opera seemed to emerge from nowhere; the camera screen suddenly flickered with snow-like interference, as if the signal was poor.
Then, a group of people dressed in costumes seemed to appear out of thin air suddenly, manifesting in the frame.
The open area remained utterly empty.
Soon after, in the frame, paper money drifted in from nowhere, falling like snowflakes.
A long line of people, their costumes reduced to black and white under night mode, moved slowly toward the riverbank, their wails deafening, heart-wrenching, their painted faces distorted into horrifying shapes by tears mixed with oil paint.
They continued to cry sorrowfully, trudging forward as if bringing something to the other world.
Then……
“Bang—!”
In the empty, desolate open area, the tripod seemed to be forcefully knocked over by someone, dragged across the ground over several meters before it crashed against a distant wall, scattering fragments everywhere…
