Chapter 2, Misfortunes Never Come Alone

Wait! I will go with you to see who dares to cause trouble in Jima Town! I, Liu Tianbao, have even stopped the late emperor's carriage; I refuse to believe that there are demons causing a ruckus under this clear sky! Liu Gui, carry me to take a look!

The four young men naturally did not dare to defy, and they carried the bed board towards the ancestral hall on the western outskirts of the town. The village head, Liu Fu, closely followed along with the villagers. In Liu Fu's eyes, the ancestors were the most respected figures in the town. ... This matter could only be resolved by the ancestors to appease the crowd, to prevent any further complications ...

Before the village chief could finish speaking, the water buffalo, Er, suddenly swam rapidly towards the You family. The three people standing on the thin ice caused the ice surface on the riverbed to tremble. Liu Fu shouted, "Hurry! Quickly follow me down to pull them up..."

Liu Fuyi slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "How could Niu Er have gone mad! It has only been a few hours, and so much has happened in the town! Daba, Heigou, you two keep an eye on Uncle, everyone else follow me to the Tiaoxi River to rescue people! What is going on here?" In Uncle's courtyard, two strong men supported the still rambling Uncle, while a large group of villagers hurriedly followed Niu Er's wife as they rushed towards the Tiaoxi River. What is going on here? In Uncle's courtyard, two strong men supported the still rambling Uncle, while a large group of villagers hurriedly followed Niu Er's wife as they rushed towards the Tiaoxi River

The ancestor exclaimed: "Carry me over there, I want to have a good talk with him!"

The old man's tone left no room for negotiation, rendering Liu Fu helpless. This ancestor was originally a two-time successful candidate from the imperial examination during the Daoguang era in Jima Town. Discontent with the corruption in officialdom, he resigned and returned home to become a private tutor, teaching people to read and write. Most of the townspeople were his students, which earned him the utmost respect in Jima Town. The words of the ancestor and the *Book* here are regarded as absolute law; when he said that the female corpse in the charity graveyard must be burned, it could only be burned.

Liu Gui hurriedly carried the ancestor and walked up to Liu An. Liu An, who had been muttering to himself, suddenly jumped up upon seeing Liu Fu carrying the ancestor, shouting: "There’s a ghost! There’s a ghost! Please spare me, I will return it... I will never dare again... I am too scared..." Liu An flailed his arms wildly in the air, continuously screaming in shock. He then forcefully slammed his head against the water vat in the room, resulting in his brain splattering everywhere and his immediate death... "I will never dare again..." Liu An flailed his arms wildly in the air, continuously screaming in shock. He then forcefully slammed his head against the water vat in the room, resulting in his brain splattering everywhere and his immediate death...

The female corpse in the charity grave has disappeared, and news quickly spread among the villagers of Jima Town. Everyone secretly broke into a cold sweat; the night watchman, Niu Er, was the first to see the corpse, and as a result, his entire family perished. The old guard, Uncle Liu An, was so frightened that he became dumbfounded, and his wife was scared to death. Could it be that the female corpse is truly a vengeful spirit, intent on leaving no one alive in Jima Town?

The old man shouted angrily: "Shut up! I have long said that old monk is hiding something from us. The Guandi Temple was still a dilapidated temple ten years ago. Yet he, bringing a child, has stayed without leaving. I heard that the woman from the river was also brought up by him, right? Now, just give me a fire to burn that female corpse; I do not want to see anyone in our town get into trouble again"

Liu Fu hung his hands weakly by the shore, his mind a blank at that moment. He did not understand what had happened overnight; he only knew that his uncle and aunt had died, his old uncle was left in shock, and the entire Niu Er family had inexplicably perished before his eyes. This is not right; something must have gone terribly wrong in the town!

You Shi broke free from the grasp of several women, took off his cotton shoes, and waded through the icy, bone-chilling river water towards Niu Er along the thin ice on the riverbed. The infant he was holding was startled by the cold water and began to cry loudly, the child's cries bringing a moment of clarity to Niu Er in the water. Niu Er wiped the ice shards off his face and timidly glanced around, his eyes fixed on the crowd on the shore, revealing a chilling grin of white teeth

The young man, while massaging the elder's back, said: "Ancestor, please do not be angry. My brother had no choice; after all, a corpse floated down the river from somewhere, and we couldn't just pretend we didn't see it..."

Four young men rushed over carrying a bed board, and Liu Fu came to his senses and welcomed them. Lying on the bed board was an elderly man, frail and decrepit. Liu Fu nodded and bowed, saying: "Ancestor, what brings you here? The wind by the river is strong; if you catch a chill, how can I face the old and young folks of Jima Town?"

You cried out to Liu Fu in the water, saying: "Sir, please allow me to go over and persuade Niu Er first before discussing the matter. I believe that no matter how lost Niu Er is, he should still recognize his own flesh and blood."

Upon arriving at Uncle Liu An's home, Liu Fu saw his uncle squatting alone behind the water tank in the room, murmuring to himself: "You... you... just let me go... I will return it to you... I will return everything to you..."

With his entire body frozen and pale, Niu Er laughed maniacally and said: "You all... you will die..."

Liu Fu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and said: "This... I also do not know. Last night, it was supposed to be my uncle and his wife guarding the female corpse. However, before dawn today, I was dragged into my uncle's room by Da Bao and the others. I saw my aunt lying dead on the bed, and my uncle was so frightened that he was in a daze"

The wife of the night watchman, You Shi, with her cotton coat half-open and holding a crying infant in her arms, was wailing on the street. The villagers of Ji Ma Town looked at You Shi, who appeared flustered, and asked her, but she stammered and could not clearly explain what had happened. They hurriedly pulled her into the home of Old Uncle to find the village head, Liu Fu. You Shi could only cry out, completely at a loss.

After an unknown period of time, someone suddenly shouted from the shore: "The ancestor has arrived, the ancestor has arrived!"

Upon entering, You saw Liu Fu and immediately knelt down, banging his head on the ground like pounding garlic, crying out: "Mayor, you must take responsibility for us two... My... My Niu Er... My Niu Er... has lost his soul..."

You heard Liu Fu mention Niu Er, and he collapsed to the ground, trembling: "My Niu Er returned home last night in a daze, completely lost. He kept saying he saw a woman in the water moving, but when we pulled her up, she was dead... I... Before dawn, I got up to work and saw my Niu Er walking straight into the Tiao Creek with his eyes wide open. I called out to him and tried to pull him back, but he seemed to have lost his mind. Liu Fu, if we don't save Niu Er soon, our family will be finished... Before dawn, I got up to work and saw my Niu Er walking straight into the Tiao Creek with his eyes wide open. I called out to him and tried to pull him back, but he seemed to have lost his mind. Liu Fu, if we don't save Niu Er soon, our family will be finished..."

Niu Er's wife, You Shi, held the child and cried out: "Niu Er, what has happened to you? Both of us depend on you for our livelihood. You must not have any misfortune. Come quickly and take a look at our baby..."

The old man gasped for breath and scolded, "Your cousin Liu Gui has already told me. I see you must be blinded by lard or possessed by a ghost! I watched you grow up; do you really want to turn Jima Town back into what it was ten years ago? The old monk at the Guandi Temple at the town entrance secretly colluded with the Qing army. It was precisely because of the chaos caused by the Qing soldiers that our town suffered so many casualties!"

The scene is set in a small town called Jima, where one can quickly reach the banks of the Tiao River. It was here, in the river where Niu Er discovered the female corpse last night, that Niu Er found himself submerged up to his chest in the water. He could be heard shouting repeatedly, "Don't... don't come after me, I really didn't harm you... just get away... get away..."

Liu Fu, upon hearing this, was immediately at a loss, much like a monk who cannot comprehend his own thoughts. He stepped forward a few paces to help up Niu Er's wife and asked, "Sister You, what do you mean by this? If there is something to discuss, please get up and tell me. We have been neighbors for decades. What has happened to Brother Niu Er?"

Liu Fu clenched his fist and nodded, saying: "You, Yu, be careful yourself. I have already sent someone to bring the bamboo raft to break the ice. As long as you can persuade Brother Niu Er not to go further into the river, we will be able to rescue him. The river water is too cold; you should leave the child behind..."

Liu Fu carried the ancestor to the outer room, where the body of his aunt was temporarily placed. Liu Shen focused his gaze on his aunt and exclaimed, "Ah? Aunt's hand is open, and that golden armor is missing..."

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Ancestor, rest assured, I will send someone to burn that female corpse right away!" Liu Fu replied submissively.

The elder Liu Tianbao was supported by several young men as he entered the charity hall. The old man glared at Liu Fu and shouted, "What is going on here?"

Cough cough cough ... cough cough cough. ... ... cough cough cough ... ... , oh dear. ... ... Such a big incident has occurred in the town, and you didn't even tell me! Do you think I'm too old to be of any use? Cough cough cough ... ... cough cough cough. ... . .. " As soon as the old man finished speaking, he was seized by a fit of coughing, and a young man beside him quickly helped him rub his back to ease his breathing

Hahaha... You can't catch up with me now, can you? Everyone, stop right there! No one is allowed to take another step forward, don't force me! I, Niu Er, said that if I didn't harm you, then it wasn't me; I don't even know you! Niu Er shouted until his voice was hoarse. On the shore, Liu Fu and the others were so anxious that they stomped their feet repeatedly, and Liu Fu almost jumped into the river to grab Niu Er. However, the blood-red eyes of Niu Er clearly regarded them as enemies.

Liu Fu and everyone else did not anticipate such a sudden calamity, and the ancestor sternly asked Liu Fu on his back: "Did you all understand what Liu An said?"

Liu Fumu replied: "When I arrived this morning, I saw my aunt holding the golden armor of the female corpse tightly in her hand. I suspect this is what it was for!"

With a crisp "crack," the ice surface suddenly shattered into pieces. Large chunks of solid ice pierced through the bodies of the Niu family of three like sharp knives, and the crimson blood spread like beautiful ribbons, dispersing with the river water. The ice carried several mangled human forms down to the riverbed, and in the moment before people could even scream, three living individuals vanished without a trace

Go! Take me to see what it is! The ancestor said, organizing his thoughts.

A round red sun finally hung high in the east, and the townspeople arrived at the charity graveyard, pushing the door open only to stand frozen in place. The female corpse that had been placed in the graveyard last night had mysteriously vanished, leaving only a clean patch on the ground where the body had lain, with a mat of reeds still remaining. Liu Fu felt a chill rise from the back of his head, penetrating through his entire body; how could a dead person just disappear like that

The ancestor Liu Tianbao stamped his foot and said: "Let's not talk about it for now, let's go to Liu An's house and take a look! Liu An is an honest man and won't lie. His wife, aside from being a bit greedy for small advantages, is not a bad person. I really don't believe it; can a dead person grow legs and run away!" The ancestor was so angry that he directly called out his uncle's name, ... and had people carry him to his house...