Chapter 3, Chapter 4: Facial Recognition

But at that moment, I suddenly noticed that in the reflection on the water's surface, in addition to the faces of the three of us, a fourth face slowly appeared. It was a woman, her complexion as pale as lime, with a bloody hole on her forehead, and blood streaks hanging from her nose, eyes, and the corners of her mouth.

As soon as Huang Daxian left the village, an incident occurred. The most bizarre aspect was his car; the surrounding road was relatively smooth, with nothing that could obstruct it. There was no reason for the headlights to shatter in such a manner; it looked as if it had collided with something.

I felt a sudden jolt in my heart and hurriedly asked what was going on. It was only after Ma Jialiang explained that I learned about the incident that occurred this morning

The villagers deliberated back and forth but could not come to a decision. Directly burying the deceased was not an option. According to traditional funeral customs, the eyes of the deceased must be closed before the coffin is sealed; otherwise, the coffin cannot be closed. This is referred to as "dying with eyes unclosed," and forcing the coffin to be closed would lead to serious consequences

What are you doing

I shouted once, but there was no response

The incident of the Wong Tai Sin being scared away quickly spread throughout the village, causing widespread panic among the people. The funeral of the person who committed suicide was already ominous, and many of those who came to help were frightened away. Now, no one dares to stay at the Hong Qingsheng family home.

"Damn, I was scared by you." Ma Jialiang was still shaken.

Arriving at the ancient well, Ma Yong shouted one, two, three, and the three of us pointed our three flashlights simultaneously into the well. The three beams of light illuminated the water surface about seven to eight meters above the ground, reflecting the faces of the three of us. The surrounding well walls were constructed of smooth blue stone, with no obstructions, making everything visible.

That face unmistakably belongs to Hong Qingsheng's wife

My body hair suddenly stood on end, and when I listened closely, it was gone again

The fortune teller was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he immediately said that his powers were limited and that the village chief should seek someone more capable. After saying this, he fled like the wind, as if his backside were on fire.

As soon as Master Wong arrived, he instructed everyone to prepare the coffin for Hong Qingsheng's wife. However, after she was placed in the coffin, it was discovered that her eyes remained wide open and could not be closed. Every time they managed to close her eyes, they would reopen as soon as they let go.

"Let's see before we speak." I was also extremely anxious, trembling as I reached out to check his breath. Only on one side did I realize there was still air, and I immediately breathed a sigh of relief. I then touched his neck and found that there was still a pulse.

I swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said, "Did you hear any sound?"

It is essential to locate the Wong Tai Sin and ascertain what he is truly up to

Although we were both apprehensive, there was no reason to retreat now that we had arrived, so we followed the trail of blood into the bamboo forest. Soon, we found Huang Daxian beside a stone in the bamboo grove; he lay there, half of his body covered in blood, completely motionless

The Wong Tai Sin must have been frightened away by something, and the image of Huang Qingsheng's wife's bloodied face unconsciously surfaced in my mind, sending a chill straight to my head. This was not the cold of the body, but a shiver that came from the soul.

Ma Jialiang fell silent, which could be taken as an acknowledgment. Thus, the three of us picked up the flashlights prepared for the night watch and headed towards the ancient well

Ma Jialiang's face turned pale as he said, "Could it be dead?"

Ma Jialiang said that the Wong Tai Sin arrived riding a women's motorcycle, which took only about ten minutes

I parked my vehicle and rushed forward, discovering that there were indeed some ritualistic items on the motorcycle, which undoubtedly belonged to the Wong Tai Sin. However, the person was nowhere to be found. Most strikingly, there was a pool of blood on the ground, and the bloodstain extended along the road, leading into the nearby bamboo grove.

There is nothing at all," said Ma Yong

"It's nothing, I might have misheard," I shook my head.

I thought for a moment, the child searched the well several times but did not find the body, could it really have been overlooked, and then I nodded slightly

I shook my head; who would dare to keep watch on such an unclear night? I then asked Ma Jialiang, "How long has the Huang Daxian left?"

Upon hearing that I was frightened by a cat, the three young men from the Chen family mocked me a few times. I did not take it to heart and asked them what was going on. They said that Hong Qingsheng had fallen asleep and it seemed he would not wake up until tomorrow.

Ma Jialiang and Ma Yong both shook their heads, looking utterly perplexed

Ma Jialiang, feeling somewhat timid, noticed me staring intently at the ancient well and, changing color, said: "Chun Ge, what are you looking at in the middle of the night?"

I nodded and called them over to play a game of Zha Jinhua, hoping to have more people join in, as a larger crowd would alleviate some of the fear. The three of them shared this sentiment, and with six people gathered around the table, my fluctuating heart finally found a bit of stability.

Ah!

Chase!

Some people in the village believed that Hong Qingsheng's wife died a violent death, and that she harbored deep resentment at the time of her passing. Furthermore, the child was killed immediately after birth. It was deemed necessary to invite a master to perform a ritual to help them find peace. After some discussion, they decided to invite the local Huang Daxian from our town.

"Damn, you scared me to death," Ma Jialiang exhaled deeply and said to me, "Chun Ge, you must have misheard."

As the old saying goes, when the rooster crows, the world transitions from darkness to light, and all evil spirits and malevolent beings must retreat

After speaking, he turned and ran out of the hospital, avoiding me as if I were a plague.

Ma Jialiang was just about to speak when I interrupted him, saying: "It's nothing, nothing at all. I was just startled by a wild cat a moment ago."

I was so frightened that my hand trembled, and the cards fell to the ground

I shook it for a while, but the Wong Tai Sin did not awaken, so I discussed with Ma Jialiang and decided to send him to the town's hospital to wake him up first

The Wong Tai Sin came to his senses and asked me who I was

It is a grave taboo in funerals for the deceased not to close their eyes. Even the Wong Tai Sin was unsettled, hurriedly running into the main room of Hong Qing Sheng's house, where he lit four white candles at the far west end of the living room. However, a strange occurrence took place: the four white candles extinguished all at once with a "poof," despite there being no wind.

Ma Jialiang asked me hesitantly: "Brother Chun, are we still going to keep watch tonight?"

I felt a tingling sensation on my scalp. I exchanged a glance with Ma Jialiang and found that he too had a face full of terror

The three young men of the Chen family in the room heard the shout and ran out from inside

I swallowed and shivered with a chill

Fortunately, the bamboo forest was not far from the town, and it wasn't long before I arrived at the hospital. However, before I could even be taken inside, the Huang Da Xian surprisingly woke up and jumped down from the back of the car.

Ma Jialiang's head shrank back, his face turned pale, "Chun Ge, please don't scare me."

... ...

I composed myself and described the face of the person who had just appeared. Upon hearing this, both individuals turned pale with fear

I am not joking, it is really true

"This is the car of Wong Tai Sin," Ma Jialiang said hurriedly

After approximately twenty minutes of pursuit, we discovered a overturned female motorcycle at a sharp bend, with shattered lights scattered all around and the front wheel still spinning in place

"What is wrong, Brother Chun?" Ma Yong asked me as he noticed the change in my expression.

Everyone present at the time was stunned. The Wong Tai Sin was somewhat well-known in the town, having handled countless funerals over the course of his life, yet he had never appeared so flustered.

Did you not see? I asked them anxiously, drenched in cold sweat

I took out the three-wheeled motorcycle from my home, carrying Ma Jialiang, and sped towards the town. The road from the village to the town is a dirt road, and the ladies' motorcycle has a low chassis and cannot go fast, yet we could still catch up in ten minutes

The two of us worked together to lift the Huang Daxian out of the bamboo forest and placed him at the back of the tricycle. I then took Huang Daxian and went ahead, while Ma Jialiang stayed behind to handle Huang Daxian's vehicle before catching up.

"No, what exactly did you see?" Ma Yong asked

Right above the heads of the three of us

"Great Immortal, are you... are you alright?" I was taken aback; just a moment ago, you were a person who had fainted and was covered in blood, yet now you seem completely fine.

Not dead

Ma Yong, feeling a bit bolder, said: "Could it be that the child is not dead, but has been overlooked? Should we go take a look?"

I felt a tingling sensation in my back and said: "Did you hear that? There is the sound of a baby crying, right inside that well."

Ma Jialiang shivered twice, and before he could speak, Ma Yong comforted him: "Don't be afraid, the three of us will go together; with strong yang energy, nothing will go wrong"

"Something big has happened." Ma Jialiang said to me with a look of shock on his face, "The sorcerer invited by the village chief has been scared away."

Currently, the situation at Hong Qingsheng's home is already quite chaotic. If I happen to misinterpret something and it gets spread, it would surely frighten the villagers to death

But just as I finished speaking, the sound of the baby's cries returned, and it was even louder than before, echoing several times. The source of the sound was the ancient well located just a dozen steps away from us

To his surprise, upon hearing the words "Hong Village," the old man seemed as if he had been electrocuted, nearly jumping up. He hurriedly said, "I have already mentioned that my powers are limited, so you should seek someone more capable. Please do not come to me again!"

Wong Tai Sin

Such matters should not be taken lightly at night. Ma Yong was also beating the drum. People in the mountains are somewhat superstitious; Hong Qingsheng's wife and their newborn child both died in vain, and such occurrences are the most ominous.

"Didn’t you see? Then why are you running?" I was so frightened that I asked a foolish question

Ma Yong glanced at me, somewhat puzzled as to why I did not speak up. I shook my head to indicate my silence, offering no further explanation. This was because I was truly uncertain whether the face I had just seen was real or merely a figment of my imagination; I was completely bewildered.

After dawn, I returned home and fell asleep immediately. I had been on edge for a whole day and night, and my mental state was nearly exhausted. I slept soundly until around two or three in the afternoon, yet it was not a restful sleep. In my dreams, there was always a voice softly murmuring something, but upon waking, I could not remember anything.

I screamed in fright, throwing the flashlight into the well, and stumbled backward, sitting down on the ground.

I had just eaten something and was about to go out when suddenly I was bumped into by someone, causing me to stagger. Upon closer inspection, I saw it was Ma Jialiang, so I asked him: "What are you doing, in such a hurry?"

In the latter half of the night, all was quiet, and I did not hear any unusual sounds until the first crow of a rooster in the morning, at which point I finally felt a complete sense of relief

I am also feeling quite confused; so many things happened today, and there was even a fight. I am not even sure if the sounds I just heard were real.

I said my name is Ma Chun, from Hongcun. I saw him lying in the bamboo forest, so I brought him here

This shout startled both Ma Jialiang and Ma Yong, causing them to run back with me. Ma Jialiang, his face pale, said to me: "Chun Ge, your shouting is scaring my heart condition out of me."