Volume One, Chapter 33: Come Inside My House, I'll Tell You Slowly

"Yi Ren is sick... She became ill the moment she entered the village because you all frightened her. She is not well. Yi Ren is my cousin, and I am her cousin. How can you say we are not family? We are as close as kin; how could I possibly harm her? Zhu Qianqian is also my university classmate, and we were in the same archaeological team..."

Zhang Li’s defense came to an abrupt halt. He scanned the crowd with a deathly gaze before locking eyes with Zhong Zhicheng.

"I am asking you, why didn't she come?" Zhong Zhicheng pressed again. "Did you do something to her? Or, as the villagers just suggested, have you tied her up?"

"Yi Ren is sick," Zhang Li said, his voice hoarse and his demeanor resolute.

By the side of the road, Luo Bin shook his head slightly.

Zhang Li had been cornered. Or rather, it wasn't so much a trap as a reality Zhang Li himself knew: binding Gu Yiren would lead to trouble. That was why, on the night they visited the village, when they eventually got out of the car to seek help, Gu Yiren’s bindings had been removed. Now that others had pointed it out and the village chief was questioning him directly, no matter what Zhang Li said, as long as that fact was established, he was more than likely finished.

"She is sick, so you have to tie her up? Is that what you mean?" Zhong Zhicheng narrowed his eyes, his tone thick with interrogation.

"It’s not a normal illness. She has epilepsy. She talks nonsense and has hallucinations. If I don’t tie her up, what if she opens the door at night?" As Zhang Li spoke, the veins on his forehead bulged.

The villagers, who had been shouting indignantly just a moment before, suddenly fell silent.

"You know absolutely nothing about Yi Ren! I am doing this for her own good! Before we even reached this village, Yi Ren had an episode at home and needed to be restrained. It is your village that is so heartless, this place is so eerie, that it scared her into an episode!" Zhang Li pointed aggressively, his voice bordering on a roar. His spittle flew, causing even the village chief to frown and take a step back.

"I mean... is there a possibility? That this Gu Yiren had an episode, and she did something or said something that caused that woman to leave her house? And just coincidentally, she was dragged home yesterday, and yesterday that woman went missing? In the daytime, it’s not easy for someone to go missing in our village, unless she hid herself to avoid being seen, and then last night, she encountered an evil spirit and died?" A girl with hair reaching her waist spoke up tentatively from the crowd by the road.

Luo Bin recognized her instantly: this was Chen Xianxian.

However, Chen Xianxian’s appearance today seemed different. The two times he had seen her before, she wore her hair long and loose, slightly tied back. Today, she had a long ponytail draped over her chest, and she was nervously twisting the end of it with her fingers. There was another subtle difference: she had a small mole at the corner of her lip. Had he not noticed it before?

"You are just making wild guesses! Zhu Qianqian was lured out by people in this village! It must be that! She knew herself that Yi Ren talks nonsense when she’s having an episode!" Zhang Li retorted immediately.

"Chen Xianxian makes a lot of sense!"

"Village Chief, this matter is significant. At best, only one person has died, but at worst, what if the village-visiting incident happens again? What if Gu Yiren is with everyone, and what if she opens the door? Calling it epilepsy—isn't it just madness? This woman cannot stay!"

"That's right! She’s already caused the death of her companion, she cannot stay!"

The villagers' chatter turned into a unified chorus of shouts once more.

Luo Bin’s hand clenched involuntarily, then relaxed, repeating the motion several times. Zhang Li had overplayed his hand. Under questioning from the villagers and the chief, he had tried to use Gu Yiren’s illness as a shield. He might have even hoped to isolate Gu Yiren from the villagers. His previous return to speak with Luo Bin had clearly been for that purpose. He had a secret! At the very least, Gu Yiren had revealed some secret to him, and he refused to let anyone else know. But now, he had made Gu Yiren the target and the catalyst for everything.

"Fool... a useless roar..." Luo Bin cursed inwardly. This was the classic case of someone not being smart enough, yet trying to be clever.

"Gu Yiren will be temporarily held by the spirit medium to prevent any further impact on the villagers' safety. I will decide how to deal with her," Zhong Zhicheng declared.

"You!" Zhang Li was horrified and suddenly stepped forward. Old Kong, Luo Feng, and several other men who were beside him immediately grabbed his arms and forced him down, causing Zhang Li to collapse onto his knees.

Then, Zhong Zhicheng walked off in one direction.

Luo Feng and Old Kong dragged Zhang Li along, while the other men followed behind the village chief, with the villagers trailing in the rear. Zhang Li continued to struggle and curse, shouting about barbarians and a bandit village, though a flicker of fear was evident in his eyes.

Luo Bin jogged to catch up behind Luo Feng. Most villagers treated him with indifference or kept their distance, so he reached Luo Feng’s side easily.

"Xiao Shan, stop tagging along. This has nothing to do with you," Luo Feng said, glancing sideways at Luo Bin with a cold tone.

"I know, Dad. I'm just following to take a look," Luo Bin nodded.

"Old Luo, your son is alright, it's just that once he gets sensible, he tends to be soft-hearted. You can't get involved in this," Old Kong remarked, eyeing Luo Bin as well.

Luo Bin felt a bit awkward. He knew it was because of the night they visited the village; his attempt to invite Zhang Li and the others into the house had left a lasting impression.

Soon, they passed a narrow alley, about two meters wide and deep. One side was a courtyard wall, with only a door in the center. A burlap sack lay on the side of the road. Luo Bin was stunned—the bag was still there; had no one bothered to pick it up? Then again, the villagers were barely looking after themselves; who would bother cleaning the road? Subconsciously, Luo Bin picked up the sack, folded it, clutched it in his hand, and quickly followed Luo Feng again.

"Was this where you were beaten?" Luo Feng asked.

"Uh... the first time, yes..." Luo Bin explained quietly.

For some reason, Luo Bin felt as if someone was watching him. He glanced back, but it was just villagers following in twos and threes; no one was staring at him intentionally. However, that door had opened for a brief moment, and he caught a glimpse of a silhouette retreating inside. Luo Bin remembered clearly that this was Chen Xianxian’s home. It seemed the girl didn't want to watch the commotion.

A few minutes later, they arrived outside the bamboo forest. Zhong Zhicheng and a few men entered the courtyard and soon dragged Gu Yiren out of a room. Her hands were tightly bound, and there was a rope around her ankles; she probably had only three meters of movement space. All the villagers looked at her with strange, cold, and disgusted expressions, as if looking at a dead person.

Zhang Li had stopped cursing; his voice had gone hoarse halfway through, and Old Kong hadn't been gentle, landing a few blows on his head. At this moment, Zhang Li’s eyes were bloodshot, and he looked utterly dejected, with a hint of despair.

Zhong Zhicheng led the way with the rope, with only two or three men following. This time, the villagers did not come forward.

"Don't follow any further. The spirit medium doesn't like villagers getting too close," Luo Feng said at the right moment, reminding Luo Bin.

Luo Bin nodded slightly, silently noting this information: the spirit medium had a bad temper.

Then, Luo Feng and Old Kong pushed Zhang Li hard, and he stumbled into the courtyard. When he scrambled back up, his eyes were even more bloodshot, and he made a move as if to rush out. Old Kong raised his hand, gesturing a couple of times. Zhang Li froze in place, instinctively covering his head, not daring to take another step forward.

"Kid, the village chief is saving you. Don't keep going on about your cousin. Beauty is a blade—you gave her your heart and soul, but keep a close watch on her. If she invites an evil spirit in one day, it will truly be your heart and soul they take. You're still young; listen to reason," Old Kong added, which was meant sincerely.

"Let’s go, Old Kong." Luo Feng appeared indifferent and nodded at Luo Bin. Aside from his family, he seemed indifferent to everyone else.

The villagers made a few more disparaging remarks and drifted away one by one.

Luo Bin couldn't stay, so he followed Luo Feng. Before long, the group passed the alley again. No one noticed the door was left slightly ajar. Behind the gap, Chen Xianxian stood, sneakily watching the crowd pass by. Especially when Luo Bin walked past, Chen Xianxian strained her ears to listen to the movement inside the room. Faintly, she heard laughter.

The door gap snapped shut.

A long time passed before the door opened again. Chen Xianxian stepped out with a light gait, heading toward the bamboo forest.

She had actually been in the village for three years, not the one year she had lied to Zhu Qianqian about. She and her sister had depended on each other. Later, her sister was killed by an evil spirit, and the nail on her left pinky finger was torn off. She didn't dare let the villagers know, and unable to bear seeing her sister cremated, she kept her sister tied in the basement beneath the room. Being twins, they were almost identical. Therefore, she occasionally dressed as her sister, Chen Xianxian, and walked along the village roads.

Her sister... didn't have a good reputation in the village. Of course, it was two-sided: women hated her, but men liked her because her sister was a "female Bodhisattva." Her sister was sick; it was a strange habit of hers. Thus, she had utilized this over the years to find plenty of "provisions" for her sister. She didn't dare be too blatant, so she often used other methods to lure people home. For instance, someone like Zhu Qianqian, who had just entered the village, was the easiest to lower their guard.

Luo Bin’s passing had caused her sister to react during the day; she had to find a way to lure Luo Bin over. However, there was another opportunity right before her eyes that she could not let go of.

A few minutes later, Chen Xianxian stopped in front of the courtyard. Below the threshold of the main room, Zhang Li sat hugging his knees. A big man like that, actually shedding tears.

"Men don't cry; stop it," Chen Xianxian called out.

Zhang Li looked up, his expression fierce and angry. "It’s you!? You were the one who framed Yi Ren earlier!"

With a sudden movement, Zhang Li stood up!

Chen Xianxian wound her ponytail tightly around her finger and bit her lip slightly before saying, "It’s human nature. Even if I didn't suspect her, someone else would have. But I suddenly remembered something: I think I saw a man walking together with that short-haired girl who died."

"Come to my house, and I will tell you in detail," Chen Xianxian added earnestly.

"Who!?" Zhang Li’s face changed dramatically. "Why didn't you say so earlier!?"

"I didn't remember it until now. I was sitting at home thinking about this, and it suddenly came to me, so I came to find you immediately," Chen Xianxian explained.

"Come to my house, and I will explain it to you slowly," she said, strolling gracefully into the courtyard.