Chapter 8, Grandfather's Secret

I thought the fear he spoke of was the decaying corpse in the coffin, and I am also aware of the opening of the museum. The village is inherently damp, with all sorts of insects present, mostly decaying flesh accompanied by maggots and the like

Saying such things about my mother in front of my father made him feel somewhat uncomfortable, but he, being traditionally filial, still got up to check on grandfather, and then came out to say that grandfather was fine

By evening, I lay in bed, my stomach gradually swelling and becoming increasingly painful. It felt as if my stomach was about to burst, and I cried out in agony, feeling as though the contents within me wanted to tear me apart. Upon seeing this, Jiang Li immediately fetched a bowl, cut his finger to draw some blood, diluted it with water, and made me drink it.

The next day during the day, Jiang Li took us to my mother's grave, as the previous Kongming lantern had lingered in front of this grave, indicating that Zhang Duan Gong was certainly inside, and naturally, we had to investigate.

Upon learning that the man involved in my mother's ghost marriage was from our village, the villagers were immediately in an uproar. My father's expression grew increasingly grim, as that was once his woman. Any man, upon hearing that another man was engaged in a ghost marriage with his woman, would not react favorably.

As soon as Jiang Li came out of the side room, the villagers immediately asked eagerly: "Master Jiang, what was that just now?"

They actually met in such a place late at night

Drinking this bowl of blood water, my stomach gradually quieted down. Jiang Li said: "Boys' urine, blood from the middle finger, and blood from the tip of the tongue are all substances of pure Yang, which can suppress the Yin energy in your body. For practitioners of Taoism, blood from the middle finger is particularly useful, mostly used to intimidate ghosts and monsters"

He told me that this is a normal reaction. If this thing were to affect my grandmother, given her constitution, she would not be able to withstand such torment. After some time, the fetal movements would become intense, and when the child kicks my belly, it would hurt. My grandmother would definitely not be able to endure the pain and would be killed by these things.

The villagers all believe that it was my mother who caused the death of Zhang Duan Gong, otherwise he would not have entered my mother's coffin

Father and grandmother were extremely anxious. In a moment of determination, father stamped his foot and directly pleaded with Jiang Li, saying: "Master Jiang, we truly have no other options. Please think of a way to deal with Xiao Wazi's mother."

The sudden sound startled the villagers in the house, and Jiang Li immediately picked up the peach wood sword in his hand, his gaze resolute as he walked towards the room where his grandfather was.

Jiang Li's voice was louder than usual, and at that moment, I thought he was speaking so loudly to calm my father's heart.

Jiang Li listened to my words, looked at me in surprise, and then smiled: "I didn't expect you to have such keen insight. Zhang Duan Gong found such a poorly situated grave for your mother, and the matter of the ghost marriage was also arranged by Zhang Duan Gong himself. He has ended up in a coffin as well; all of this is not coincidental. The matters of feng shui and ghost marriage must be related. I am somewhat curious about the identity of the man who had the ghost marriage with your mother"

Jiang Li also mentioned that he would resolve the matter in my womb as soon as possible. These malevolent entities, once released, could wreak havoc upon the world, feeding on human blood like the children of the dead. This thing is sinister, and if not eliminated promptly, it will lead to endless future troubles

Upon entering, Zhang Duan's corpse was indeed inside, but strangely, there were no signs of decay whatsoever

At that time, I also speculated whether it was the man who had a marriage with my mother in the afterlife; in fact, there could be no one else but him.

I let out a sound, my stomach was churning violently, and I retched several times. Jiang Li got out of bed to bring me warm water and a sputum cup. Jiang Li touched my forehead and told me, "If you feel like vomiting, just let it out. Don't worry, as long as the master is here, nothing can harm you."

After discussing for a while, Father and Grandmother finally went to the village to invite Uncle Yao. Grandfather has a bad temper, and Jiang Li believes that if Second Grandfather investigates the identity of that man, it will surely alert the snake. Therefore, Uncle Yao was sent to the village of the man involved in the ghost marriage. Uncle Yao is a straightforward person, and he is the most suitable for handling matters efficiently and without delay.

Jiang Li stood in front of me and suddenly shouted, "Get out of the way!" He forcefully pushed me aside, and then I saw Zhang Duan gong jump out of the coffin and dash into the forest.

I settled down, and after about half an hour, I heard rustling sounds coming from the main room

I was astonished to see this; could it be that the dead who emerge from this coffin are able to walk

Jiang Li smiled and said, "I will listen to you."

Afterward, Jiang Li cleaned up the scene, and Father took Grandmother to rest.

I followed him eagerly out the door, and as soon as we stepped outside, Jiang Li headed straight towards the cemetery

Father heard me shouting earlier and came in. Seeing that I was fine, he felt relieved and turned to ask Jiang Li, "Master Jiang, is there any progress regarding Chen Xiao's mother?"

Such public opinion is the most hurtful, because everything my mother does will ultimately be blamed on us. They believe that her harming others everywhere is due to the suffering inflicted on her by my grandparents and father, which has led to her great resentment.

Jiang Li, skilled in reading people's expressions and understanding their words, promptly sent the villagers home, assuring them that he would handle these matters and that they need not worry.

Due to some distance, Second Grandfather did not return on the day he left

Jiang Li had not yet spoken when his frail grandmother, gasping for breath, gritted her teeth and said fiercely: "It is the wild man of that crazy woman, hurry and check on his grandfather"

From childhood to adulthood, although my grandparents and parents have loved me, that feeling is not as warm as the concern shown by Jiang Li

That night, I simply could not fall asleep. I could feel something happening in my stomach. That thing was scraping against my flesh, making me feel nauseous all over. Jiang Li, who was sleeping beside me, softly asked if I was feeling unwell

As for what is in my belly, Jiang Li told me not to worry too much, everything here is taken care of by him

I followed Jiang Li to my mother's grave again. Jiang Li stood in front of my mother's grave and stared for a while, then turned to me and said, "Chen Xiao, do you remember what I told you? Ghosts are not frightening; only people can be frightening. Don't be afraid in a little while."

We had barely glanced a few times when a sudden clattering sound emerged from the coffin, startling me, and I immediately hid beside Jiang Li

After Jiang Li left, he and his father exited the house and went to the main room to prepare some items for the evening to capture my mother

Jiang Li leaned down and whispered to me, "Rest assured, I will not harm your mother"

Jiang Li said: "We will take action tonight"

Jiang Li looked in the direction where Zhang Duan Gong had departed and said: "The feng shui of this grave is extremely poor; the living will be tainted by the corpse's energy, and the dead will become like the corpse of Zhang Duan Gong, turning into a walking corpse. Therefore, your mother and that man entering this coffin will lead to the same outcome"

Jiang Li handed me a shovel to clear the grave soil, and soon the redwood coffin was revealed. This coffin would require several men to lift, yet Jiang Li managed to pry it up single-handedly with just a thick wooden stick.

In this world, perhaps I am the only man who has experienced the sensation of pregnancy

I immediately gathered all my energy and waited for a few minutes. Jiang Li turned over in bed, got up, and said to me: "If you are afraid, just follow behind me"

The entire room was enveloped in silence, and I once again said to Jiang Li beside me: "Master, could you please not capture my mother."

Jiang Li smiled faintly, "I have already made arrangements. As long as Chen Xiao's mother appears tonight, I am confident that I can take care of him."

Jiang Li told me: "Feng Shui has a significant impact on corpses; the Feng Shui in this place is extremely poor, and the likelihood of corpse decomposition is very high. A walking corpse is a dead person who can move on their own, which is extremely dangerous." Jiang Li looked at the already empty coffin and firmly told me, "Zhang Duan Gong could lie in this coffin, which suggests that the murderer is closely related to your mother and that man."

Before I even approached the cemetery, I saw two dark figures beside my mother's grave. As I walked closer, the scene left me astonished

But there are no other coffins, right? I said as I looked at the graves in this cemetery

Later, Jiang Li asked my father and grandmother. Although they were the behind-the-scenes orchestrators of the ghost marriage at that time, they were completely unaware of the identity of that man

I vomited three times in a row, and Jiang Li has been taking care of me the whole time

Upon hearing Jiang Li's words, I immediately tugged at the corner of his clothing and murmured, "Do not harm my mother." Naturally, I did not agree with Jiang Li's intention to deal with my mother, as I still firmly believed that my mother would not harm anyone, and I did not want to see Jiang Li come to take her away.

But how did Zhang Duangong manage to fit himself into the coffin, when the grave is perfectly fine

Those two shadows are none other than my grandfather, who should have been unconscious, and my mother, who should have long since passed away

The incident of Zhang Duangong turning into a walking corpse and running out of my mother's coffin spread throughout the village

After Jiang Li asked me about that man, I realized that I had no information at all.

With a loud bang, the coffin lid was lifted, and a foul odor spread out, causing me to cover my nose and wave my hand in refusal

There is something suspicious about this matter, and there must be something unusual. We must clarify the identity of that man, as it is closely related to the ghostly infant in Chen Xiao's womb

However, as Jiang Li just entered, a dark shadow flashed past the doorway and left, and the man's voice also disappeared.

After being busy in the main room for two to three hours, Jiang Li finally returned to the side room. The lights in the main room were also turned off, and both father and grandmother were tired; they needed to rest