Chapter 5, The Human Skin in the Coffin

I do not know what my grandfather was thinking at that time, but one thing I am certain of is that Li Aiguo suspected that my grandfather had killed Lin Godan. He believed that my grandfather would also target a few other people tonight

But is this possible

Grandfather paused with his pipe, looking around, his expression becoming very serious

Dad, what are they going to do to grandpa? I asked in a low voice

The few people who came with Li Erwa in the afternoon looked at my grandfather with a face full of longing as they were about to leave. In fact, they were not seeking my grandfather's help to save them, but rather asking him to spare them.

"Uncle Changsheng, do not refuse the drink and then have to face the penalty drink!" Li Aiguo stared at my grandfather and said

Li Aiguo repeatedly claims not to believe in any evil spirits, yet now he is using such methods against my grandfather. However, he is just a village chief, an ordinary person; how could he possibly understand this

Li Erwa stood with several people on the other side, all holding torches, and in the center surrounded by them was a coffin, which was stained with dirt. It should be Uncle Godan's coffin, which they had dug up.

Li Aiguo was pleased with himself; he walked over and said, "Open the coffin, open the coffin!" He was eager to cast aspersions on my grandfather.

Grandfather stood up and tucked the pipe into his waistband.

I nodded; the method mentioned by my father is the blood of the middle finger. He had told me that in special circumstances, one must bite through their own middle finger and sprinkle the blood onto the other person in order to resolve the situation

Just as my grandfather was about to leave with Li Aiguo, my father suddenly walked out of the house. Usually taciturn, he now stood in front of my grandfather and said: "Village Chief Li, my father cannot go with you!"

A semi-transparent human skin, somewhat resembling snake skin, with a faintly recognizable face of Lin Godan.

Some say that my grandfather practices dark arts and needs to consume human essence, which is why he harms others; others claim that my grandfather is originally a transformed spirit, otherwise how could our Yang family have been passed down for generations with only one heir, while all the newborns were drained by my grandfather. In any case, there are all sorts of stories, and I truly admire their imagination

"Alright, nothing much, I want to see what kind of story Dog Egg's empty coffin can tell!" After saying this, Grandpa patted his sleeves and walked towards the front door without looking back

Li Aiguo stated that Uncle Godan's coffin is empty. If it truly is empty, then my grandfather, who presided over the funeral, is inextricably linked to this matter. He is attempting to cast aspersions on my grandfather.

Li Aiguo said he came to invite my grandfather to the wheat field, but in reality, he was there to force a coup. My grandfather had no choice but to go. Once at the wheat field, he would be watched by the villagers, with the purpose of preventing my grandfather from having the opportunity to commit murder.

"I want to see what is called a penalty drink!" Grandfather's attitude was quite firm, and Li Aiguo was so angry that his lips trembled slightly. However, with so many villagers watching, he did not dare to do anything to my grandfather and could only vent his anger with words.

However, he expended much effort in speaking, yet my grandfather's response remained consistently the same: "I do not know!" The coffin is not empty, at the very least it proves my grandfather's innocence, even if it contains only a piece of human skin

Everyone is waiting, especially Li Aiguo.

Grandfather once risked his life to save Uncle Gou Dan, so how could he possibly kill Uncle Gou Dan? Last night, my grandfather even went to Uncle Gou Dan's house for what purpose? It was to deliver a talisman to Uncle Gou Dan to ensure his safety

When I arrived at the threshing ground, I saw my grandfather sitting in the center on a grand armchair, surrounded by villagers who each held a torch, encircling him.

No one knows what happened, and my grandfather also stood up. Initially, there was a hint of surprise on his face, which later transformed into a faint smile. His smile was profound, leaving one to wonder what it represented

After a while, the old man went to take a look at the coffin near Li Erwa. When he returned, he whispered to me, "That is indeed your Uncle Godan's coffin, but it looks rather unusual, as if someone has tampered with it. If anything happens later, remember to use the method that your old man taught you."

My father still wanted to speak, but my grandfather pushed him aside and said: "You little rascal, go back and stop making a fuss. Your father is sitting properly, what's wrong with going to the wheat field to chat with the villagers for a while?"

I do not know either, however, today is neither a cloudy day nor the beginning or end of the month, and there is surprisingly no moon in the sky, which is unusual. Moreover, Li Aiguo is not that simple...

I looked around for a week, but I did not see the shiny-faced Taoist from the time of the tree cutting, nor did I encounter any other unfamiliar faces. The more this was the case, the more uneasy I felt inside

Dad..." my father called, but was interrupted again by my grandfather's words

Is it possible that there is a master behind Li Aiguo?

The torches in the villagers' hands were knocked askew, and those who had been dozing also woke up

As soon as the coffin was lifted, Zhu Danian said, "This is indeed an empty coffin; there is no corpse inside!"

Knowing that there are tigers on the mountain, one still chooses to head towards the tiger's mountain, and this is also the character of my grandfather

The crowd carried the coffin to a place illuminated by the torches, preparing to open it for inspection. However, was it really necessary for Li Aiguo to make such a fuss? Did grandfather really tamper with Lin Godan's coffin? If he did, what could have been his motive?

The onlooking villagers could only make random guesses, with all sorts of opinions being expressed

The villagers, especially those idle old women, were chatting aimlessly while munching on sunflower seeds

Lin Goudan's coffin is not empty; rather, after being buried, it shed a layer of skin. What Lin Goudan transformed into after shedding this skin, and where it went, remains unknown

He cannot say anything, nor is it appropriate for him to speak at this moment, so he can only continue to smoke his pipe

Li Aiguo stood outside the circle, and I seemed to see a faint, elusive sneer on his face

I suddenly find Li Aiguo and these villagers to be ridiculous. I am very aware of how much my grandfather worries about them. When the trees were cut down and the temple was damaged, my grandfather was more anxious than anyone else present. When an incident occurred, they would rather believe in the ghostly words of one person than trust my grandfather's innocence. I feel a chill for my grandfather.

This is the first time my father has allowed me to use this method, which indicates that the severity of the situation tonight must exceed my imagination, especially Uncle Gou Dan's coffin, which becomes increasingly chilling to behold

Just like that, we lingered until around 2 AM, when most people were dozing off

My grandfather once said that someone would die tonight, and they believe that my grandfather is the one who will commit the murder. They are watching my grandfather closely, firstly to prevent him from having the opportunity to kill, and secondly, if they can hold out until tomorrow morning without anything happening, my grandfather will be regarded as the murderer

This once again reminds me of the time my grandfather spent alone with Lin Godan, as if there were some unspeakable secret between them. What could it possibly be

Li Aiguo turned to look at my father and said with a smile, "So, as a son, are you going to shelter and protect your old man, or are you going to take the blame for him?"

Gradually, thick fog enveloped the entire wheat field, and many villagers could no longer endure it, starting to sneak away. Despite Li Aiguo's repeated shouts, they were ineffective; even a fool could tell that something was about to happen

The flames outside are soaring into the sky, which is sufficient to indicate that many people have gathered outside my yard

"Come on, I will go with you!"

A few laborers, along with the butcher Zhu Danian, quickly opened the coffin in no time at all

However, before all the villagers could evacuate, an incident occurred

Indeed, not long after, Li Aiguo walked over to the coffin, and several people lifted it up. Among them was an older man named Zhu Dnian, who was a butcher. During the New Year, several nearby villages would come to him for slaughtering pigs and sheep. Zhu Dnian's hands were like a scale; with just a lift, he could tell the weight without any error.

For instance, the saying of the grandfather, "beyond nine zhang," is enough to make the villagers obediently follow orders, while Li Aiguo can only use money to win people's hearts

The chilling wind grew stronger, and dense fog began to appear around the threshing ground. A cold, eerie sensation instantly enveloped my entire body. With so many people around, fear crept in, and I couldn't help but draw closer to my father.

In addition, I also saw that the shape formed by the villagers holding torches is one that I am very familiar with, which I often encountered in my grandfather's old books; it is called the Taiji Yin-Yang diagram

This time, Grandpa went to the wheat field with Li Aiguo, and it is likely that this was originally a scheme devised by Li Aiguo, setting a trap for my grandfather to fall into, and my grandfather had no choice but to jump in.

What are you waiting for

When he spoke, I had already seen the flames outside. We are relatively backward here, and using a flashlight for lighting at night is too extravagant, so we mostly use torches made from pine oil for illumination

Li Aiguo walked up to the torch circle, staring at my grandfather as if interrogating a criminal

At this moment, Li Aiguo reminded the villagers, "Everyone, keep your eyes wide open and do not let certain individuals take advantage of this situation!"

To be honest, it was unexpected for Dad to suddenly rush out like that; his actions do not help my grandfather

I know what concerns my father. Li Aiguo is a person with deep thoughts; he has always been extremely jealous of my grandfather's status in the hearts of the villagers. Indeed, there are times when he, as the village chief, is merely a figurehead.

What Li Aiguo said to the villagers is easy to imagine; it must have been very similar to what Li Erwa mentioned in the afternoon. Given the current situation, whether Grandpa goes or not, he has to go; if Grandpa does not go, it would instead imply that he tacitly acknowledges that those matters were all handled by himself

Suddenly, a gust of chilly wind swept in, breaking the tranquility of the threshing ground

At the moment the coffin was opened, the few people around were once again taken aback. Why? Because the coffin was not empty; rather, the contents inside were too light. It was a piece of human skin

The villagers are all waiting outside, if you do not go, some matters may be difficult to clarify. Last night, a villager saw you at Dog Dan's house! Moreover, you hurriedly buried Lin Dog Dan, but an empty coffin was buried in Lin Dog Dan's grave. You need to explain this clearly to the villagers, don't you

Li Aiguo spoke while keeping an eye on my grandfather, as if my grandfather were truly capable of doing something

A person suddenly collapsed on the ground, struggling wildly. He was clutching his own neck, his body contorting to angles that are beyond what an ordinary person could achieve, with bones emitting a series of cracking sounds. His eyes were wide open, bulging out as if they could fall out at any moment.

A farce directed and performed by Li Aiguo has only reached its halfway point; the remaining time is simply a matter of waiting

In my childhood, my father would make me practice once every month to ensure I would remember, and each time I had to actually bite through my middle finger. Therefore, the fifteenth of every month became my nightmare

After grandfather passed away, my father instructed my grandmother, my mother, and Xiao Wei to stay hidden inside the house. He locked the door from the outside and, for the first time, surprisingly took me along.