Chapter 004: No Kneeling

Isn't Li Guoqiang just the big version of Dogzi? Everyone in our village calls him Dogzi, and it's been over ten years since we started calling him that. Who could suddenly remember his full name? Plus, at that time, I was focused on preparing for exams and didn't bother to inquire. Who would have thought that I would end up calling back a dead person

Before I could even speak, two beams of light suddenly illuminated behind me. The light columns flickered over the dog's body, and I then noticed that there seemed to be a dent on top of his head: "Dog, what happened to your head?"

He once told me that unless one's head is chopped off and thrown on the ground, no one should step on our heads, and certainly not the dead. If the living step on your head, you will never be able to hold your head high in life; if the dead step on your head, it is equivalent to extinguishing the fire that supports you. Even in death, you would be half a head shorter than others

I first used wooden blocks from home, similar to making interlocking building blocks, to create six boards. Once I arrived at the location, I could simply insert them in sequence to form a coffin. Carrying the boards up the mountain would definitely reduce the target size, making it less likely to be discovered.

My head suddenly buzzed; I heard a few days ago that several people were killed in the county's crackdown on organized crime, one of whom was from our village, apparently named Li Guoqiang

I never expected that Old Walnut would leave just like that, gone in an instant. I cried inconsolably while lying on him. Crying aside, I still have to take care of the matters he entrusted to me!

I listened to the sound that somewhat resembled the noise of an old walnut, but the place he mentioned, www.hetushu.com, was actually the Beard Grave. I heard the old walnut say that his former brothers were buried in the Beard Grave

As soon as I paused my steps, I was dragged into the courtyard by a corpse in a coffin. It was only at that moment that I realized the half room was actually a small temple, and on the altar in the temple, there was nothing but a yellow cloth mat.

I tentatively asked, "What nonsense are you talking about? Hurry up and turn on the flashlight, I can't see the road."

I wiped away my tears, tied the old walnut to my body with a filial ribbon, and trudged up the mountain, stepping unevenly. At that time, it was deep autumn, and mosquitoes swarmed in the grass. I had not gone far when my body was covered in bites, and my arms were tormented by the stinging itch. I wanted to scratch but could not reach, so I could only endure it.

Sitting on the ground, I was at a loss for what to do. According to tradition, when lifting a body, the place where the pole breaks should be where the burial takes place, as that is the deceased's chosen location. However, I certainly cannot bury the old walnut in the ditch, can I? The place by the Dead Man's Stone is even less suitable; that stone weighs at least five or six tons. How could we possibly lift it to bury the old walnut?

I waited at home until dark, when the dog finally arrived with four people. While I was at home, I had already prepared a stretcher, placed the old walnut on it, and covered it with a quilt. The dog and I carried the stretcher, while the others carried the wooden boards. We quietly left the village without even daring to turn on a flashlight.

I was startled and almost threw the person outside, but the old walnut's two legs suddenly wrapped around my waist. My right hand also hooked under my neck, while my left hand stretched out from above my shoulder and pointed forward, saying: "Where are you going!"

The dog walked ahead without even turning its head: "Can we watch?"

Nothing much, just a shot fired

The old walnut is choking my neck tightly; I can hardly shout, let alone speak. I can only follow wherever he goes.

Next comes the question of how to ascend the mountain. It is certainly not feasible to do so during the day, as I would be visible to others no matter the route I take. After much contemplation, I ultimately decided to discreetly call the county official, simply requesting him to bring back a few trustworthy associates to assist me.

Who would have thought that just a few steps in, I would hear a simultaneous crack from both in front and behind me. Looking down, I saw that the dogs had somehow managed to place four coffin boards together, and I happened to be surrounded in the middle.

Old Walnut led me around the edge of the Beard Grave, and after walking for a while, I finally saw a fairly large courtyard in a valley. The courtyard walls had collapsed halfway, and standing outside the wall, I could see half of a room inside.

There have always been rumors in Licun that there exists a haunted house in the mountains adjacent to the village, which is not visible during normal times when one enters the mountains. It is said to only appear on rainy or overcast days, and anyone who steps inside will never be able to come out again

The dog said: "Just go ahead, as long as you are not afraid"

The main road into the mountains is located right next to the village, where there are personnel from the forestry station. If we go past there, we will definitely be seen, so we simply took a detour and ascended the mountain from the direction of Kantoupo.

Can they see? At that moment, I felt something was amiss. It was the dead of night, in a desolate mountain area. Even someone like me, who has practiced martial arts, cannot see very far. How could they possibly see the road?

I did not turn back, and then someone took two steps forward behind me. Two people, one on the left and one on the right, trapped me in the middle. A smell of earthy soil also penetrated my nose, as if someone had brought a pile of freshly dug earth and stood next to me

Even if I do not want to leave now, I have no choice. The old walnut is tightening its grip around my neck, straining with all its might; with just a little more effort, it could strangle me. I can only assume that the old walnut has the intention of being buried alongside its brother, and I must force myself to move forward.

The body of the deceased is inherently cold, and after being soaked in water, a stream of cold water runs down my spine, causing me to shiver several times: "There are really so many mosquitoes, dog, if you are going to scratch, just stand there and scratch."

I had just crossed the river ditch and had not yet stepped on the stone of the deceased when I heard a crack behind me. The two poles of the stretcher broke completely, and Old Walnut fell into the river. I hurriedly pulled Old Walnut out of the water, knelt on the ground, bowed three times, and tears began to flow down.

The dog watched for quite a while before finally speaking up: "How about you carry the person on your back, and we continue to go up?"

"Go back, go back..." The old walnut hit me twice: "Go kneel under the offering table. In a moment, when I step on you to reach the divine seat, you must not move at all. If you move even a little, I will be utterly doomed. Hurry up!"

Old Walnut? I instinctively looked back, and as soon as I turned my head, I bumped face to face with Old Walnut. I did not know when his eyes had opened, and his chin stretched out from behind my head, looking sideways at my face.

The dog is dead, so who are the people he brought back

At this point, there is no other choice but to proceed in this manner, and besides me, no one else dares to carry the dead.

The old walnut stepped on my divine altar

But is he trying to step on me now? Is he really an old walnut?

The four corpses, with one person lifting a corner of the coffin that had no bottom and no cover, surrounded me in the manner of carrying a coffin, pushing me forward step by step. In front of the dog, a green light suddenly appeared, which from my perspective looked as if he was carrying a green lantern ahead. It illuminated a ghastly green area of about five or six meters around.

The dog in front said: "Do you really think we, m.hetushu.com, are here because you called us back? I was sent by the old master. If it weren't for him asking us to come and help, do you think we would have returned?

Don't scare me! I suddenly stopped

I carried the old walnut on my back and walked forward step by step. Just as I was about to reach the shrine, I suddenly heard someone shout from behind us: "Do not kneel!"

"It's nothing, the mosquito didn't bite me." As soon as the dog spoke, I felt even colder, as if someone were throwing ice shards directly at me.

It can't be a haunted house! My scalp instantly tingled

The dog is my classmate and also a childhood friend with whom I grew up. After he finished junior high school, he started mingling in society, and we have not been in touch often since then. However, the bond we had in the past still remains, and he would not hesitate to help me with my matters.

"Who is scaring you!" The dog stood on the hillside with its back to me: "The armed police are standing behind me with their guns drawn, the barrel is almost touching the back of my head. If they fire a shot, my skull could be lifted half a foot high, how could my head not be crushed?"

I must say, he presented me with a difficult problem. At that time, cremation was mandatory, and it was certainly impossible to carry a coffin into the mountains during the day. Being detained by the police for a few days is minor; failing to fulfill Old Walnut's last wish would leave me unsettled for a lifetime

I was just about to ask the dog to bring me a cigarette to drive away the mosquitoes, but I found that they hadn't even turned on a flashlight: "Why aren't you turning on the flashlight?"

I stood by the old walnut tree for a long time, and finally came up with a solution that was not really a solution.