Chapter 79: Joyful Wedding, Mourning Cry 10 Part 2
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When he opened his eyes, he was lying in his own bed, covered with a blanket that still carried the scent of burning firewood, soft and comforting.
Zhang Wubing finally realized that everything that had just happened was merely a dream.
And as he looked towards the window, there was no trace whatsoever of the skull, the woman, or the blood.
Overwhelmed by intense exhaustion, after a brief moment of confusion, Zhang Wubing couldn’t resist the strong urge to sleep again…
“That night, don’t even mention how tired I was,” Zhang Wubing sighed, his complexion pale, and the dark circles under his eyes resembling a panda’s.
“First, I was scared several times by something, then someone called my name, followed by a woman covered in blood, and finally a skull. After finally managing to fall asleep again, I dreamed that I was running on a village road, endlessly running, with no end in sight. And I wasn’t alone; there was a group of people chasing after me, although they didn’t seem to be dressed in today’s style, more like an older, simpler fashion. They were urging me to run faster, or else we wouldn’t get to the graves. Me?!”
Zhang Wubing clung to Yan Shixun’s leg, crying with a pitiful tone. He couldn’t have felt more helpless.
“I’ve never even run a marathon in real life, but in my dream, I ran such a long stretch of road, and it exhausted me. This sleep… I might as well not have slept at all.”
After listening to Zhang Wubing’s account of his eventful dream night, Yan Shixun gave a sly smirk and glanced at the pitiful-looking Zhang Wubing hanging onto his leg. He said, “You were quite busy in your dream, huh? Isn’t it the stress of being the director for this show getting to you?”
“Huh? Is it because of that?” Zhang Wubing scratched his head, feeling puzzled. “But it doesn’t seem right. Stress-induced dreams should involve going bald from losing hair, not running marathons.”
Yan Shixun chuckled and lazily kicked Zhang Wubing to signal him to let go. “Since you’re tired, go get some rest quickly. You have some time now, no one’s looking for you. Get a few minutes of sleep.”
Zhang Wubing trusted Yan Shixun’s words without any doubt. He stood up, intending to head back upstairs for a short nap while the guests finished their meal.
However, just as he was about to leave, Yan Shixun grabbed him. “Wait a minute.”
In Zhang Wubing’s bewildered gaze, Yan Shixun raised his hand and used his slender fingers to draw something on Zhang Wubing’s back. Finally, he nonchalantly finished the drawing.
Zhang Wubing, feeling a bit ticklish, moved slightly. It was only then, from the sensation of the strokes on his back, that he realized Yan Shixun had just drawn a symbol on him.
“Brother Yan?” Zhang Wubing looked at Yan Shixun in confusion, not sure what was going on.
“This side is for facing ghosts.”
Yan Shixun lazily patted Zhang Wubing’s shoulder. “You said you were being pursued by ‘people,’ right? If they chase you again, just face this side to them.”
Zhang Wubing nodded somewhat incomprehensibly and was released by Yan Shixun.
Yan Shixun quietly watched Zhang Wubing’s figure as he went upstairs, his expression suddenly turning dark.
He had just lied to Zhang Wubing.
What stress… to witness such bizarre scenes in his dreams, Zhang Wubing must have inadvertently connected emotionally with ghosts and malevolent entities.
Zhang Wubing had always had a constitution that attracted ghosts. Typically, when people encounter ghosts, their luck remains low, making it easier to encounter them again. However, due to his repeated encounters with ghosts, Zhang Wubing’s luck had perpetually remained at the lowest possible level, all year-round.
This meant that he could easily perceive the original memories of those ghosts from even the slightest trace of ghostly energy left in the bricks and objects in places where ghosts had once roamed, along with the events that had occurred in those places years ago.
As Zhang Wubing had mentioned, the people he saw in his recurring dreams were all wearing clothing styles from several decades ago. The village houses weren’t as neat and beautiful as they were now; they were low, dilapidated, and bare, with unpaved dirt roads in the village.
This was likely the memories of the village from decades ago.
However, due to the human body’s self-preservation mechanism, the brain does not allow people to see things that are beyond their comprehension or exceed their capacity to endure. So, after Zhang Wubing saw those things through the ghostly energy, his subconscious mind and brain processed those scenes, trying to transform them into scenes that he could accept.
So what Zhang Wubing saw was a mixture of events that had actually happened decades ago and a distorted version created by his dreams.
Yan Shixun didn’t disclose the true situation to Zhang Wubing. One reason was that he was afraid Zhang Wubing might not handle the shock well, and the other was that without fully understanding the secrets of the village, he wouldn’t casually reveal anything in front of the people from the village head’s house.
It was already morning, and the people from the village head’s house who had been getting up one by one came downstairs. In addition to the young people who went to work, there were also some youngsters in the living room who hadn’t gone to work and were worrying about their holiday homework.
The audience in front of the main screen didn’t know Yan Shixun’s true intentions. They just heard Yan Shixun’s explanation and started “mocking” Zhang Wubing frantically.
[This is really disturbing! When I first saw the director in that tender state, I thought he was some rich kid playing around. But later, when I saw that he could actually handle things a bit, I started to have a better opinion of him, thinking he’s not bad, he can manage. And now! Now he’s scared like this because of a dream?? That’s way too timid.]
[Honestly, if what the director dreamed about is really the same as what he said, I think I would be scared to death too. I rented a cheap place before, and after living there for a few months, I had nightmares every night. There would be old men and women sitting on my sofa, either wiping tears or staring at me and talking incessantly, giving me the creeps. It wasn’t until I got to know my neighbors that they told me that the place used to be a charity crematorium decades ago, and many unclaimed bodies were cremated there. Later, as the city expanded, the outskirts became part of the urban area, and they used the land from the crematorium to build houses, including the place I was living in. I swear, when I heard that, I was so scared that I almost wet myself! I packed my bags and moved out overnight.]
[Even though I haven’t had this kind of dream, it’s not a big deal, right? It’s just a dream. The director is just a scaredy-cat; this is too exaggerated.]
[The person above, some things don’t exist just because you haven’t experienced them; that’s too idealistic. When I was young, I used to think like you. But later, when I lived in a university dorm, I would often dream of someone standing by my bed, staring at me. I slept on the top bunk, so when I turned my head, I would be face to face with that person’s gaze. That person’s eyes were really creepy, and it was from that time that I realized that the aura of death is actually real. You can tell at a glance that it’s not a living person. Later, I heard that someone died in that dormitory before, a senior committed suicide, and it was in the bunk I was sleeping on. Afterward, everyone who lived in that dormitory could dream of that person.]
[??? I originally came to the comments to see people making fun of the director, but why are you all talking about ghost stories? Have some ethics! Wow, how am I going to sleep tonight? I’m a bit scared of having nightmares now.]
[But you see, this time Brother Yan explained it very scientifically! I can’t find any fault in his explanation. It’s true, stress can lead to nightmares. I suspect Brother Yan has already figured out the whole approval mechanism.]
[Indeed, this is the first time I’ve seen ghosts in a Chinese production. So as a fan of horror films, I’ve completely given up on watching horror movies and started watching this show instead. Seriously, sitting in front of the screen watching the live stream every day is much more thrilling than watching horror films.]
[There are no ghosts! The person above, don’t talk nonsense. This show is meant to dispel superstitions. Look at Brother Yan’s explanations; isn’t the scientific approach more reliable?]
[However, I also experience sleep paralysis often. I went to the hospital, the doctor said it’s just due to stress. They prescribed me some vitamins and nutrients, and my body indeed felt less fatigued. But sleep paralysis is still troublesome; I can’t wake up once I fall asleep. It feels like something is pressing down on my chest, holding down my limbs and preventing me from getting up. Then, when I passed by Haiyun Temple one day, I casually bought an allegedly very effective talisman. The Taoist selling the talismans had a ‘Believe it if you want, otherwise, get lost’ expression, and I had no expectations. I just hoped for some psychological comfort. But that night, I actually didn’t experience sleep paralysis anymore! It got better from that day on! Later, I started carrying that talisman with me everywhere. Oh, by the way, not long ago when I visited Haiyun Temple, I also ran into Mr. Yan, and the Taoist selling the talismans referred to Mr. Yan as his senior. So, even though Mr. Yan explained it scientifically, I still believe in his original profession.]
[I’ve had dreams of being chased too. My house’s front door was open, and someone was running towards my house from outside. I was extremely scared and tried to close the door, but I was frozen, standing there like a fool. I couldn’t move or run, my hands wouldn’t obey me. I couldn’t close the door at all. I was almost in tears from fear in my dream. So, when the director mentioned his dream just now, I could relate to it, and I’m already scared. Thanks to the director for triggering my trauma; I probably won’t be able to sleep tonight. QWQ.]
[This just shows the importance of having a friend like Brother Yan. He can comfort you when you’re stressed and even draw a talisman on you. I envy the director. Is this an example of how foolish people have good fortune?]
However, not all viewers saw this scene on the main screen.
Because the guests had gone to the kitchen and the fields to help, only Yan Shixun and the director remained in the living room where the main screen was. The others were busy with their tasks. Therefore, the viewers also split up and watched various split-screen views, experiencing the rural morning and the experience of harvesting vegetables with the guests.
Because the production team was large, therefore the kitchen had modern appliances, but Yang Tu decided to use a big iron pot nearby to cook breakfast, boiling sweet potatoes and corn.
The variety show celebrity squatted by the stove, assisting with making a fire. Due to their lack of experience, the male celebrity, who had been tasked with fetching firewood along with another youngster, returned with wood that had been soaked by the morning dew. When they started burning it, thick smoke billowed, making the variety show celebrity cough uncontrollably. He quickly stood up and moved away from the stove.
However, as he stood there coughing, one of the variety show celebrity happened to glance at the charred firewood in the pit next to the stove and noticed something white amidst the black.
Feeling curious, the variety show celebrity squatted down and used a fire shovel to poke at it.
Unexpectedly, after moving aside the charred firewood, and peering through the thick black smoke, the variety show celebrity saw something that resembled a bone fragment.
This white fragment appeared to be a bone broken in half, with the other side showing jagged edges apart from the joint. It hadn’t been ignited by the fire nor smoked black, making it stand out against the dark firewood.
The variety show celebrity was startled at first but then quickly relaxed.
It’s probably some leftover meat bones fed to the dogs by a household. The dog must have hidden the bone in the firewood stack.
The variety show celebrity chuckled, finding his earlier overreaction quite amusing.
In the past, he wouldn’t have been startled by such a thing. It’s all because of this show; the previous episode was too eerie, making him overthink things.
While shaking his head in self-derision, the variety show celebrity reignited the fire and joined others in the kitchen, helping prepare breakfast.
After the crew had finished breakfast and packed their belongings, they bid farewell to the village head and his wife with smiles on their faces. They left some money as a token of gratitude for their overnight stay and the provided food.
The village head was initially reluctant to accept any payment, saying that the crew’s decision to stay overnight had their own reasons. If it weren’t for the roadblock they had set up, the crew would have arrived smoothly. Since they were responsible for the delay, it was only fair that they bore the responsibility and not ask for money.
Both sides were adamant, but the variety show celebrity intervened and jokingly suggested that since the vehicles were already there and the crew would return later, the village head could treat themselves to a hearty meal upon their return. They could all gather, hear the village head share the unfinished stories, and consider the money as a contribution towards a good meal.
Hearing this, the village head finally accepted the offer with delight.
Both the guests and the crew members, having worked in the entertainment industry for years and seen a lot, were quite perceptive and easy to talk to. Their conversation with the village head was pleasant.
The village head hadn’t been this happy for a long time. Since the beginning of the month, he had been worried and fearful, dreading her arrival but also anxious about her not showing up. However, chatting with the members of the crew eased his fear and broadened his horizons, making him feel that his thinking was expanding.
Because of the activities his clan had engaged in over the years, the village head had come to understand the importance of open-mindedness. He constantly reminded himself not to become like those who were stubborn, refusing to change and listen to reason.
Therefore, the village head greatly appreciated the crew and warmly welcomed them to stay overnight again.
After the crew bid a cheerful farewell to the village head, they followed Yang Tu and headed up the mountain.
“I never expected that the roadblock was set up by the village head himself. This is quite surprising,” An Nanyuan, panting as he climbed the mountain, remarked to Yan Shixun beside him. “I thought the village head was a good person. He doesn’t seem like someone who would do something like this.”
Yan Shixun raised his hand and lightly patted An Nanyuan’s back, nearly causing him to lose his breath. “The child doesn’t speak of the father’s faults. Yang Tu is right in front of us, and you’re talking about his grandfather?”
Yang Tu walked at the very front, with Song Ci, who was curious about the village on his first visit, by his side. The other guests followed behind Yang Tu, eagerly asking him questions about the mountains and the village.
Yang Tu had a friendly personality and gladly introduced everything to everyone, holding nothing back.
An Nanyuan finally caught on. Even though the distance was a bit far and it was a bit noisy, Yang Tu didn’t hear her previous comment, but he quickly apologized in his direction.
Yan Shixun slowly retracted his hand and said, “Since his natural disposition isn’t that of someone who would do such a thing, it implies that the circumstances must have forced him to block the road.”
What could have happened that made the village head despise and even escalate the conflict to the point of blocking the road and cutting off contact with the Family Tomb Village?
Yan Shixun’s gaze turned towards Yang Tu and the direction of Family Tomb Village, filled with curiosity.
The mountain range was covered in dense, lush forests, all turning a shade of red in the autumn breeze.
Zhang Wubing’s earlier investigation was correct. Due to its unique location, Family Tomb Village was several degrees cooler than the surrounding areas, causing the plants here to turn red earlier than elsewhere, giving the place a taste of autumn.
Guided by Yang Tu, the guests climbed over the mountain and stood at the mountain pass, looking around. They were surrounded by red leaves covering the hills, resembling a sea of crimson clouds that extended to the horizon, a breathtaking sight.
“How magical! Just a moment ago, the trees on the other side of the mountain were still their normal green, but here, it’s all red,” Bai Shuang exclaimed with excitement, adjusting her angles to ensure her split-screen audience didn’t miss any of the breathtaking scenery.
“Although it’s not my first time seeing autumn leaves, being immersed in the red leaves of early autumn is truly awe-inspiring.”
Bai Shuang took a deep breath and sighed with a smile. “So beautiful.”
Yang Tu, standing nearby, chuckled and said, “According to my dad, when they were young, it didn’t get cold here so early. But as far back as I can remember, this side of the mountain has always been colder than the other side, except in summer and spring. Autumn and winter are long and cold here. The leaves stay red for a long time. Moreover, in recent years, they’ve been getting even redder. Wait a few more days, by mid-month, these leaves should turn as red as blood.”
Bai Shuang listened with surprise, about to inquire further, when suddenly, a terrified and piercing scream filled with fear came from the edge of the group.
Everyone was startled and turned in the direction of the sound.
They saw a crew member’s gaze fixed on the nearby forest, eyes wide with fear, hand trembling as they pointed deep into the woods.
“Blood, blood…” The staff’s voice trembled. Their upper and lower teeth kept grinding together. They managed to squeeze out a few broken sounds from their throat.
Curiously, everyone followed the direction the staff member was pointing, but they saw deep in the woods, where the sunlight was obscured by layers of tree branches and leaves, it was dark. Only a faint light seeped through the red leaves, casting a dark red shadow on the ground. At first glance, it looked like solidified blood, sending shivers down one’s spine.
The previously anxious variety show celebrity instantly relaxed and tried to reassure the staff member with a smile, “Maybe you’re mistaken; it’s just a trick of the light.”
“No, no…”
However, the staff member still had fear in their eyes, trembling all over as they continued to point.
“On the trees,” Yan Shixun said, lips pursed, his expression serious.
Everyone’s gaze shifted from the ground and turned toward the trees.
Then, they saw a corpse hanging in mid-air, swaying gently in the wind.
The corpse was covered in blood, with its head hanging low in front of its chest, highly decomposed. Even pieces of rotten flesh were dangling down, swaying in mid-air.
It was hanging from a tree.
In the crowd, there was an immediate outbreak of screams and retching.
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