Chapter 9, The Dog Whistle

I truly went all out and said to Panzi, "If this black dog is indeed spiritual, then there must be something unusual in that tile-roofed house across the street. How about we take our spring knives and go have a look."

Neither of us had the inclination to argue with Liu Hui over this matter. I glanced at Panzi. Panzi understood what I meant, steadied his demeanor, and reluctantly sat back down.

On the way back, Panzi and I appeared quite gloomy. We both had our hands in our pockets, walking aimlessly. I truly did not expect that the two of us, experienced informants, would be defeated by a meal tonight. We intended to extract information, but instead, we were intimidated by the other party for quite a while.

I cannot adequately describe the expression on Panzi's face at that moment; his entire face turned an unusual shade of red, as if he had been steamed. He had a mouthful of soup, which he suddenly sprayed back into the bowl with a loud "puff". Then, he abruptly stood up, completely disregarding the situation, and kept retreating.

I noticed that Panzi occasionally kicks stones on the road, and at first glance, he seems like a mischievous child. I understand that he is under a lot of pressure and needs to release it. As we were about to return to our place of residence, Panzi kicked a small stone with great force, sending it flying away.

I want to think this way, but I cannot express this doubt, otherwise I fear that Panzi will become furious and harm me

Upon first hearing the term "blowing dog conch," I was even more perplexed. I mistakenly thought, could it be a mating term unique to a certain breed of dog?

Originally, I wasn't paying much attention; I merely glanced over. However, drawn by this stone, I discovered a dark, fluffy creature crouching in a patch of grass.

He keeps bringing up the oddities of Suiyuan Village, and even specifically rambled to me, "I am now even more certain that this village is not clean. Just think about that teacher from the school at https://www.hetushu.com, Liu Hui must be a ghostly woman. That long face looks just like a horse's face; he is definitely a horse spirit. And that green vest he wears, isn't it just a turtle shell? He must be a turtle spirit." I am now even more certain that this village is not clean. Just think about that teacher from the school at https://www.hetushu.com, Liu Hui must be a ghostly woman. That long face looks just like a horse's face; he is definitely a horse spirit. And that green vest he wears, isn't it just a turtle shell? He must be a turtle spirit.

I suddenly heard a strange sound coming from inside the room, a muffled "uh-uh" that also carried a tremor

After that, neither Pan Zhen nor I had much of an appetite. Looking at the meat pot was quite off-putting, and there was no thought of engaging in small talk.

I suddenly sat up; tonight I also broke a sweat, but it was not as severe as yesterday. I wiped my forehead to dry the sweat and looked around.

I finally understand Panzi's intentions, but on another note, I have seen Panzi's file, and as far as I recall, his father never raised a dog, yet his son has raised three.

There is nothing more between Panzi and me, yet we find ourselves chatting aimlessly again. Initially, I sought merely to alleviate my boredom, but I have come to realize that conversing with Panzi is entirely my mistake

At that moment, a gust of wind blew in, and I caught a whiff of a smoky aroma in the air, as if someone were having a barbecue.

I dragged Panzi and we arrived at the edge of the well. At that moment, the smoke became even thicker, seemingly unstoppable as it billowed out. The acrid smell was almost overwhelming.

I was merely holding back this surge of energy; in fact, I was a bit scared inside. However, when I turned on the flashlight and looked inside, there wasn't even a shadow of a ghost in the room

Seeing its dirty appearance, I felt quite annoyed and just wanted to scare it away. However, unexpectedly, Panzi laughed and kept calling out, urging that little black dog to come over quickly

Panzi and I began to savor it again; the wind was blowing from behind the tile-roofed house, which also suggested that there was something strange behind it

Liu Hui and the other two showed slight signs of relaxation, and they all began to drink the meat soup. Just as Pan Zi finished serving the soup and was drinking it quietly, the teacher in the green vest suddenly looked up and coldly said to Pan Zi, "Is it good? This meat is stewed with corpse oil."

I do not know how to respond, thinking that there is something strange about this village. I believe it, but saying that these teachers are transformed from fairies seems to lack evidence

I asked him what was wrong, and he told me that he was afraid that when he turned on the flashlight and shone it inside, a female ghost's head would suddenly appear pressed against the window

I led Panzi around to the back of the tile-roofed house. At first, we were quite cautious, fearing that we might encounter that plump old lady, who might be sitting by the well, rambling incoherently.

I lost my temper and said to Panzi, "Buddy, this is all your doing, bringing back a wild dog. Now look what you've done, it went wild in the middle of the night"

Panzi also noticed it and asked me what this thing was

As Panzi tore open the packaging, he replied to me, "Du Rui, you wouldn't understand this, would you? My father used to be the dog king in our area. I learned a set of tricks for amusing dogs from him. Although this black dog may not look impressive, as long as I train it for a little while, it will obediently listen and guard our home at night"

As soon as I heard about going to that school again, even in the evening, I shook my head vigorously without a second thought. This way, the two of us parted ways with the three of them.

I did not expect that my probing question would suddenly create an awkward silence

Last night, I did not sleep at all. I have a vague feeling that tonight we will surely encounter some trouble as well. With this mindset, I closed my eyes.

However, this time there was no one beside the well, only wisps of white smoke drifting out from the well.

Before I could respond, this black creature was startled by the stones and ran out. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a dirty little black dog.

Panzi did not explain much to me, he patted the little black dog's forehead, then picked it up in his arms, and thereafter he ran back to where he was staying while holding the dog.

I want to hold my breath and dive into the smoke, to take a look into the well, but I can only try for a moment before I can't stand it; the smoke makes my eyes stream with tears

Panzi and I woke up around the same time. We both noticed that the little black dog was half-squatting and half-lying at the door, wagging its little bottom and whimpering with its head lowered, realizing that this strange sound was coming from it

I was curious, so I followed back a little later

The tile house remained locked. I asked Panzi to shine a flashlight inside to see if there was anything unusual.

Pan Zi's brows were almost knitted together, his face drooping, nearly unrecognizable. It was evident that he did not want to go, but he could not resist my strong insistence.

Finally, the two of us took the flashlight and, just like last night, quietly stepped out the door and approached.

I felt particularly uncomfortable with them, thinking to myself that even if I had asked the wrong question, they shouldn't turn against me like this

I do not understand why Panzi is like this, so I asked him directly

Pan Zi was right next to me. He initially dared not look, but in the end, he also stole a few glances. Since nothing was discovered, I thought we could wrap things up and go back to sleep.

I originally did not believe Panzi's words, but this black dog is indeed quite unusual, which made me feel a bit apprehensive. I noticed that the black dog occasionally lifted its head to look outside, and the direction it was looking was towards the tile-roofed house across from us

I believe that if someone else were to speak, they would certainly associate the term "corpse oil" with the oil from human bodies. If you define the concept of corpse oil as broadly as m.hetushu.com does, then there would be no perspective on anything, and nothing could be consumed. Flowers are the reproductive system of plants, and rice is the "tadpole" of plants.

Liu Hui looked at the two of us in such a state and suddenly covered her mouth with a laugh, saying to Panzi, "I wonder why you are so easily amused. What is 'corpse oil'? It's the oil rendered from a corpse, right? The oil used in this dish is indeed animal fat, so what are you worried about? However, calling animal fat 'corpse oil' isn't exactly wrong."

After finishing the meal, Liu Hui said she needed to return to school to prepare lesson plans and asked if we were going or not

I truly cannot bear to see it, so I spoke harshly to him

Both Panzi and I were taken aback. I thought to myself, isn't this a large water well? It's filled with water, so how could it possibly catch fire?

This dog is not fully furred, with some areas exposing its skin, clearly indicating that it is a stray. It is not afraid of people, looking at the two of us, and without any hesitation, it wags its tail and approaches.

Upon hearing this, I realized that it would be difficult to have Panzi handle this matter. I didn't feel anything in particular; I thought to myself that if a female ghost were to come close, I would simply stab her. I wondered whether her head was tough or if my knife was quicker.

With this joke causing a stir, Liu Hui and the others regained the initiative, diverting the topic I had just inquired about and discussing something else

I leaned over and said to Panzi, "Get up, I'll take over!"

After a brief stalemate, Panzi quickly intervened. Holding a bowl of meat soup, he deliberately put on a greedy expression and said, "I must say, the soup tonight is quite delicious."

Pan Zi did not notice at all that I disliked discussing this with him; instead, he became increasingly engrossed in the conversation. Seeing this situation, I quickly changed the subject and said I was tired, inviting him to go to sleep together

Pan Zi played with the dog for quite a while, and in the end, this little black dog really became particularly well-behaved, obediently lying at the door as per Pan Zi's instructions

Pan Zi briefly explained to me again, saying that roosters and black dogs possess unique spiritual qualities and can see wandering souls. Common folk often refer to the act of striking a "he ji" and blowing a "gou luo". The rooster's chaotic crowing of "ga, ga, ga, ga" and the dog's strange howling of "uh woo, uh woo" indicate that a ghost is about to appear. Fortunately, this little black dog alerted us in advance, informing us that there are spirits wandering around in this vicinity

I thought of another idea and said to Panzi, "Let's get some dirt, pour it in, and extinguish the cigarette first."

Pan originally listened to me, crouching by the window. However, he kept turning the flashlight on and off repeatedly, yet did not take any further action

Pan Zi had a strange expression on his face. After listening to my words, he shook his head in some confusion and said to me, "Du Rui, you don't understand, this is blowing dog conch."

As I entered, Panzi was taking out a bag of old Sichuan beef jerky from his travel bag. This beef jerky was our provisions brought along before departure, which we had not finished during the journey

To be honest, having come to a remote place like Suiyuan Village, even the jerky has become a luxury item that I hesitate to consume, yet he generously takes it out to feed the dog

This time I slept quite long, until the latter part of the night, when I was startled awake again

Panzi thought a lot and kept rambling to me, "Du Rui, this well is definitely not ordinary; there must be something hidden inside."

Liu Hui and the other two were originally smiling, but when I finished asking, they suddenly turned serious, and all three of them made the same gesture, coldly staring at me.

I was also quite frightened by the mention of corpse oil, and although I wasn't as affected as Panzi, my heart was pounding like a drum.

I pondered deeply and, with a determined heart, made a decision. I thought to myself that tonight, while no one is around, I would first clarify the strange occurrences in the well