Chapter 95: Joyful Wedding, Mourning Cry 26
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After confirming that all the crew members and guests had returned to their rooms and locked their doors, Yan Shixun gave them one final reminder not to go outside during the night. Once he was satisfied they understood, he turned and left, preparing to find Yang Tu and inquire about the peculiar behavior he had exhibited during dinner.
An Nanyuan said goodnight to Yan Shixun and, due to Yan Shixun’s serious and solemn expression, was left feeling a shiver down his spine, as if a chill were creeping up his back.
He quickly turned around to look behind him and saw nothing but the quiet night beyond the massive French windows of his room.
The view, which had been warm and comfortable in the daylight, now gave him a sense of lurking danger as night had fallen.
It was as though something in the darkness beyond the windows, unilluminated by the room’s light, was constantly watching the room’s occupants with eyes devoid of light, observing their every move and waiting for an opportunity to strike.
An Nanyuan’s own speculations startled him. He quickly walked over to the French windows, drawing the curtains to block out the outside view. This brought him some relief, and he finally felt at ease.
After making sure the room’s door was locked from the inside, An Nanyuan let out a sigh of relief and sat on the room’s sofa.
Due to the presence of Bai Shuang, it was inevitable that one male guest had to stay alone.
An Nanyuan was that guest.
In other variety shows, having a room to oneself would please both the celebrity and their fans. They would view it as a sign of the show’s consideration, believing that the room’s standards were elevated, and there was no need to share space with others.
However, the show “Heartwarming Journey of Ninety-Nine Days” was different.
An Nanyuan couldn’t help but feel that the room was eerily quiet. The absence of another person in the room made him uneasy, and every small noise, even the faintest sound of the wind against the glass, sent shivers down his spine. He looked around, vigilant and trembling.
He had an unshakable feeling that something was happening in places he couldn’t see…..
If Yan Shixun hadn’t just warned him not to leave, An Nanyuan might have wanted to dash out of the room and seek refuge in the other guests’ rooms.
An Nanyuan: …I’ll just try to live through this with a smile T-T
After a few moments of unease, An Nanyuan decided to reopen the split-screen livestream that he had turned off earlier.
“Um, so, I hope my fans are still awake at this hour.”
An Nanyuan made an effort to appear without any signs of fear. With a calm expression, he smiled at the camera, saying, “The An Style Late Night Chat Channel is now live. Come on, let’s chat about some lighter topics.”
Earlier, when An Nanyuan closed the split screen, he had already bid goodnight to his fans, who were left puzzled and responded with “???”
[AHHHHH, is Brother sharing some late-night perks? Brother in pajamas looks so cute, and his skin after removing makeup is so smooth. Sigh, Brother is spoiling his fans.]
[??? No, I don’t think this Brother is here to share perks with us. Ever since he joined this show, he seems to have been influenced by Brother Yan’s “no fanservice” philosophy and isn’t as serious as he used to be during his time in the boy group. If he’s going live, there must be some other reason. Could it be that he’s in a remote area with poor signal and can’t play games, so he’s bored? Otherwise, why would he come to chat with us?]
[Be bolder! Think about the level of wickedness in this show and Brother’s past performances. Does no one remember that episode at Gui Mountain where Brother was desperately clinging to Brother Yan’s thigh and there was that crazy escape scene? So I guess Brother must be scared, which is why he’s going live to appear more spirited.]
[Oh, this? Suddenly, I feel closer to Brother. It’s so real. Isn’t this just like when I’m trembling while watching a horror movie and then I open the barrage chat to watch with everyone, feeling a bit safer?]
[That’s not impossible… Over in the other guests’ rooms, only Zhao Zhen is still livestreaming because he’ll be participating in a new drama shoot soon, so he’s been doing promotional work and answering fans’ questions. Brother Yan has a split-screen open, but there’s not much content; he’s just walking around his room. According to Brother Yan’s habit, he’ll probably realize that his split-screen is still on and close it before going to bed.]
[Okay, so only An An randomly reopened the split-screen. I see that all of them are sharing rooms with someone, while only An An has a room to himself. Maybe he’s scared to sleep alone, so he’s come to chat with us.]
[? An An, are you three years old this year? Haha, this is hilarious. Even my ten-year-old little brother can sleep alone. Why do you, a grown person, need someone to keep you company?]
An Nanyuan, after taking out his phone and seeing the barrage of comments: “???”
Do all my fans belong to the Sherlock Holmes fandom? How did they figure it out?
An Nanyuan felt a bit embarrassed, raising a hand to touch his nose and saying, “No, it’s just that I rarely have the chance to relax, so I thought I’d chat with you. I’m really brave, I would never do the things you mentioned.”
The barrage of comments filled with question marks.
[??? Okay, I didn’t believe it at first, but now I do. You’re scared.]
[It’s okay, Brother An, you don’t need to be embarrassed. We understand.]
[I just tried to put myself in this environment for a moment. The show itself has a dark side, we’re spending the night in a remote village, and then being alone in a room… Okay, I’m now safely tucked under the covers, as only the covers can warm my cold heart. Sobs, this scene setup, I’d be scared too if I were in your place.]
An Nanyuan almost wanted to give a thumbs-up to the comment that expressed understanding.
That’s right, it’s definitely not his fault!
“It’s a rare opportunity for a chat, so let’s livestream for half an hour, and then I’ll go to bed—sleeping won’t be on display for you all, I’m afraid you might post something in the comments that gets the livestream banned.”
An Nanyuan smiled and said, “Brother Yan said we will leave early in the morning, so I can’t stay up too late with you all. Come on, let’s chat a bit with some bedtime stories.”
Watching the barrage of comments continuously scrolling on his phone, An Nanyuan felt like someone was keeping him company, and he gradually felt more at ease, no longer as frightened as he was earlier.
“Thud…”
The French window was lightly tapped, producing a faint sound.
An Nanyuan only glanced at it briefly and didn’t pay much attention.
It was probably just the wind blowing some leaves or branches against the glass.
He thought this way and smiled, turning his gaze away.
The French window was tightly covered by the curtains, so he couldn’t see what was outside, hidden behind the curtain…
……
Yang Tu’s room was located in the backyard of the rural farmstay, separate from the other guests and the show’s production team.
Yan Shixun originally intended to continue along the pathway connecting the front and back yards. However, as he took a step forward, he suddenly heard some faint noises coming from his side and rear.
“Creak… creak…”
The sound was like nails scratching on a chalkboard or bones scraping against the ground and walls.
Instinctively, Yan Shixun deviated from his initially planned route and turned in the direction from which the faint sounds emanated.
It was a small path wedged between two buildings, with the shadows from the surrounding walls obscuring the moonlight.
Yan Shixun remembered this place well.
During the daytime, he had explored the entire rural farmstay.
Here, he found a cluster of flowers that, despite being autumn, bloomed vividly as if they were spring flowers.
Yan Shixun had inquired about these flowers during the daytime, and Yang Yun had casually mentioned that they were a newly improved variety with a long flowering period, capable of blooming from spring all the way into autumn.
However, now, this bunch of flowers in the narrow path between the buildings had been uprooted along with the soil. The flower branches were scattered chaotically, and the earth was strewn around.
The roots of the plants had also been violently severed, hence, a pleasant plant aroma permeated the air. However, whether it was due to the intention of making the flowers bloom vibrantly by using farmyard fertilizers, beneath the fragrance of plant sap, there was a strong, pungent odor mixed in.
Unlike the typical odor produced by fermented chicken or duck manure, this pungent smell was more reminiscent of the stench of a decaying corpse, as if it had been concealed for a long time before resurfacing.
This made Yan Shixun frown with a sense of disgust.
However, as he took a step closer and his gaze fell upon the tangled flowers, he suddenly came to a halt.
His expression darkened instantly, and he became serious.
Within the partially overturned soil and clumps of green stems, there was surprisingly a human head concealed.
On the pale and stiff corpse’s face, green and black plant stems had taken root all over, using the dead body as a constant source of nutrients for the blooming flowers.
Upon the foulest of deaths, the most vibrant of flowers had bloomed.
The two drastically different scenes created a strong visual shock.
For a moment, not only did Yan Shixun pause, but the viewers watching his live stream were also greatly startled.
[OMG!!! Can someone please tell me, did I see it wrong?! Why do I feel like I just saw a dead body?!AHHHH]
[Crying, I really didn’t expect to see such a scene. I was so wrong, it’s beyond imagination. I knew this show was bizarre, and I knew there were incidents in the previous two episodes. But I never thought that I would actually encounter this. Sobs, I was just here for Brother Yan’s looks, why did they have to show me this stuff? I’m completely terrified.]
[Is it a dead body? So, you’re saying this is really a dead body, right? My heart is pounding so hard. If it weren’t for the barrage of comments covering much of the screen, I almost couldn’t see any specific images after the first glance. I was really scared. Thanks to the fellow netizens who gave me strength. Praying hands.jpg]
[…I think it’s probably real. I have a classmate who works as a forensic scientist. A few days ago, at a gathering, she told us about her internship when she was almost scared out of her wits by a corpse. She even had nightmares, and we teased her for being timid. If you’re so brave, let a corpse get up and fight us. What’s there to be afraid of? Corpses don’t move. At the time, she just laughed and said that we thought it was easy because we hadn’t experienced it, just like when we were in kindergarten, we all believed we could get into a top university. Now, seeing this, I finally understand what she meant. The concept of a dead body in your mind is entirely different from seeing a real dead body. Confronting the shock of facing death like this truly makes your soul shiver with a chilling sensation.]
[Patting the shoulder of the guy above, remember not to speak big words next time. Also, you’re right, I really felt like my entire body got chilled from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet in that moment. I instantly jumped into my blanket seeking comfort. Sobs, sobs, the blanket is truly humanity’s greatest invention, I love it!]
[Oh my goodness, how am I going to face flower beds in the streets from now on! Who could have thought that there’d be a corpse buried under this pile of flowers? I never expected that the rumor about ‘a corpse buried under the cherry blossom tree’ would actually be true! I’m going crazy. I’m afraid that from now on, my first reaction when I see exceptionally beautiful flowers will be, “Is there a corpse buried beneath these flowers?” How do I deal with this?]
[!! Someone, please save this child! My dad asked me to till the garden in the yard of our villa, add some fertilizer, but because I’ve been working late and attending meetings lately, I’m currently in my home garden, using a spade to till the soil. I thought tilling the soil was too boring, so I decided to watch a livestream to lighten the mood. I never expected to witness this scene! What should I do? I’m too scared to continue tilling the soil in my garden now. I’m worried that if I dig a little deeper, a corpse might pop up. Aah! Dad! I want to go home! No, I want to move!]
[…Darn, now that you’ve mentioned it, I’m sitting in my backyard, quietly enjoying the evening, and I just looked at the little flowerbed beside me. That flowerbed is right under my window. It’s too late; I won’t be able to sleep peacefully tonight.]
[Jumping out of bed, I hurriedly placed all the flowerpots from my windowsill outside the front door. My goodness, did you see that head? That’s a human head, right? Ew, those flowers are actually rooted in a human head? My flowerpots are nearly the size of a human head; it’s so damn terrifying. What if there’s something in the flowerpots…ew!]
[What? You guys haven’t heard about that incident? There’s this orchard with exceptionally good pears, and the family even opened a picking area. Many city folks drive there on weekends to pick and eat pears. The nearby fruit farmers are jealous of their success and wanted to know what fertilizer they used, but the family never shared their secret with the village. When the farmers checked the bags of fertilizer in their orchard, they were all normal ones, so they were quite puzzled. A few of them went to their pear orchard at night, dug up the soil beneath the pear trees, thinking they’d find out what fertilizer they used. To their shock, they found a corpse buried under each tree, wearing clothes that city folks usually wear. Some of them had already turned into skeletons. It was later revealed that those who came alone to the picking area were all killed by that family and buried under the trees as fertilizer, which is why their fruit grew so well. After I heard about that incident, I never ate pears again.]
[??? The person above, you better shut up right now! I turned on the live chat for comfort, not for you to scare me! Ptoot!]
[The others are fine, but when I saw those plant roots tangled all over the human head, I completely lost it. This is just too insane! Brother Yan can still watch with a straight face, I truly admire that. I’m not even at the scene, and there are people at home, yet I was scared out of my wits and ended up rushing to the bathroom to throw up.]
[It’s a prop, it must be a prop! Sobs, sobs, it’s the only way I can console myself. Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep tonight.]
[… Silently tucked my little buddy, which was originally placed outside, back into the bed and pulled the blanket up, burying my head inside. Alright, I’m comfortable now, happily continuing to watch~]
Because just during dinner, An Nanyuan mentioned that viewers were concerned because he had turned off his split screen, so at the urging of the other guests and Zhang Wubing, Yan Shixuan turned the split screen back on, thinking it would only take the time to finish a meal.
However, Yang Tu’s unusual reaction at the dining table took away most of Yan Shixuan’s attention. Immediately after that, he had to remind the program crew and everyone else. Therefore, the relatively less important split screen was successfully forgotten by Yan Shixuan.
Yan Shixuan stood on the edge of the small path between the two buildings for a moment and then, without a trace of hesitation, lifted his foot and walked in. His entire figure gradually disappeared into the darkness.
He crouched down slowly at the already disheveled flower bed, not rushing to touch it. Instead, he cautiously observed the parts of the corpse that were already exposed above the soil.
Judging from the dead person’s face, it was that of a middle-aged man who had been exposed to the elements for a long time. Although his face had turned pale and stiff and had been severely damaged by the soil and the roots of the plants, you could still see wrinkles and freckles on the man’s face, indicating that his lifestyle and diet were not very good during his lifetime, likely due to poor family circumstances.
The middle-aged man had a deep knife wound on his neck, and upon closer examination, Yanshixuan could see that it was likely caused by a fruit knife.
This knife was stabbed with great force that even the hilt left traces on the wound after being repeatedly ground. The originally short blade pierced the middle-aged man’s neck through and through, leaving only a bit of skin and bone connecting his head to his body. The flesh had almost all rotted away. Because of the hole, plant roots had also found their way in, piercing through the middle-aged man’s neck and rooting down.
The middle-aged man’s expression of astonishment on his face seemed as if he had never anticipated such treatment.
Perhaps in his mind, he believed he had done the other person a great favor and should have received gratitude instead. How could he have met such a disastrous end?
Beside the flower bushes, leaning against the wall, was a shovel. Yan Shixun stood up and used the shovel to thoroughly overturn the remaining untouched soil layer.
The vibrant flowers were abandoned to the side, and after the soil had been turned over, the overpowering stench, previously concealed by the soil, burst forth and hit him in the face.
What Yan Shixun saw before him was the lifeless body of the middle-aged man.
The clothing worn by the middle-aged man was outdated and bore a striking resemblance to the attire of the villagers Yan Shixun had seen in the village earlier that day.
On the chest of the corpse, there were dozens of knife wounds in a haphazard pattern. The blood that had flowed out had dyed the entire shirt red, but now it had mixed with the dirt to form a near-black brown.
Even though Yan Shixun was not a professional, he could guess from the information revealed by the body that the other person had picked up a fruit knife and stabbed the middle-aged man in the throat without giving him time to react. The force of the stab was so great that the wound was deep, even the bone was damaged.
This was already a fatal wound.
With such a severe injury and being in such a remote location without access to a highly skilled hospital for timely treatment, the middle-aged man, after enduring the suffering caused by prolonged oxygen deprivation and blood loss for a significant period of time, was undoubtedly destined to die.
However, the other person, seemingly driven by anger or having lost their sanity, once again stabbed the middle-aged man in the chest with the same knife.
The wounds varied in depth, with some penetrating the shoulder blade, while others merely grazed the clothing and the outer layer of skin. It was evident that the other person had lost strength and accuracy.
What kind of anger drives someone to not only deliver one blow but to follow it with a dozen more non-lethal wounds?
Yan Shixun keenly noticed that at the feet of the middle-aged man, there was another lifeless pale hand emerging weakly from the lower layer of soil.
Without hesitation, he directly overturned the entire plot of land filled with flower beds along the wall’s base, using a shovel, and dug deeper.
The pungent smell of rotting mold mixed with the stench of rotting flesh wafted up from the soil with a powerful impact.
Yan Shixun had to hold his breath as well, furrowing his brow and hastening the pace of his digging.
After he had excavated the entire layer of soil, he leaned on the ground with the shovel in his hand, his brow deeply furrowed, and his gaze darkly fixed on the other corpses that had been unearthed.
One body, two bodies… six bodies.
A total of six bodies, all of them middle-aged to elderly men, and their attire indicated that they were local villagers.
Whether in terms of decomposition or the nature of their injuries, they were similar to the first body that Yan Shixun had discovered, bearing wounds inflicted by a fruit knife all over their bodies.
However, unlike the first middle-aged man who had been struck almost fatally without any warning, these bodies displayed clear signs of struggle and did not have instantly fatal injuries. Their deaths were the result of multiple knife thrusts.
Moreover, on the clothing of these bodies, there were bloodstains at the cuffs and pant legs, in areas where there were no wounds, suggesting that they might have been stained with the blood of their opponent during the struggle.
It appears that after the first person was killed, the others gradually realized what was happening and attempted to fight back. However, they were all subsequently killed one by one, and their bodies were discarded and buried under the flower beds.
— One person, armed with just a fruit knife, managed to kill six people.
The other individual is very likely a strong, middle-aged man who was acquainted with these people. He must have been provoked by something to the point where he disregarded everything and killed these individuals in a one-against-six confrontation.
Given the exclusivity of this village and the vulnerability of the first middle-aged man, it’s highly probable that this person is from the Yang clan and quite possibly a member of this very village.
While Yan Shixun was lost in thought, the viewers in front of their screens were almost jumping out of their seats, completely shocked.
[AHHHHHHHH!!!! What the heck is this?! What the heck is this?! Damn it! Mom #%*@&!!]
[I can’t believe it! I got so scared that I just grabbed the cat passing by me. The cat literally punched me to snap me out of it. This is way too scary! These are corpses, right? And it’s not just one, it looks like there are five or six of them?]
[Ahhhhhhh! I thought I was watching a travel variety show, why is there such a scene? Sobs, sobs, sobs! I’m not really afraid of ghosts, but I’m genuinely terrified of corpses! Just because of this, I didn’t even consider medical school during my college entrance exams! Think about it, those lifeless, ice-cold, and unresponsive bodies were once people who spoke and lived normally with someone. Now they’ve turned into these lifeless, decaying, ashen-gray forms… AHHHHHHH! Mom! Sobs, sobs, sobs, please come home quickly after work, Mom, I need you.]
[Holy cow, if this isn’t some kind of AI model, then it means that someone in this village killed several people and tried to bury their bodies in the ground to cover it up. What kind of hatred is this, and why is it so malicious? Isn’t the person who committed these murders afraid of facing the consequences? If these people turn into ghosts and come after that person, wouldn’t they have a guilty conscience and be scared?]
[Why are they showing this child these images when I’ve tried to live a life of kindness and virtue?! What did I do wrong? Is it because I took advantage of something before? Or is it because I’ve harmed someone else’s interests? I’m damn near crying my eyes out, really, I’m curled up in my blanket, hugging my stuffed animal, and I can’t stop sobbing.]
[AHHHHHHH!! I’m terrified of seeing dead people, my home is right next to a cemetery, but they bury ashes in there! How did this suddenly show up for me to see? Damn it, life advice: don’t be cheap and buy a house with a cemetery view! Don’t live alone next to a graveyard! Otherwise, you’ll end up like me, too scared to move in your bedroom, thinking that if there are ghosts out there in those graves, they look just like this, and from now on, every ghost I imagine has a specific appearance! It’s so scary.]
[Trembling and panting, I sprinted all the way from the bathroom, at the fastest pace I’ve ever moved in my life, and jumped straight onto my bed. The metal frame of the bed shook so much that it woke up my roommate. I’m really sorry, buddy, but I’ve seriously reached my limit! Our dormitory shares a public bathroom, and the toilet is the farthest from our room. I originally went to take a dump in the middle of the night, hoping to pass the time by looking at something, but this scene scared the crap out of me. I hastily wiped my pants without even pulling them up and just ran back, still holding my pants, hoping there was no one behind the security camera on our floor just now, or I might be mistaken for a pervert. This is really too scary! It’s not my fault!]
[I considered myself a seasoned horror game player and boasted that no horror game could scare me anymore. When my friend recommended this show to me and challenged me to give it a try, I was very dismissive, thinking there was nothing to it. Earlier today, when the show had a countryside and pastoral vibe, I even smugly posted on my social media, saying it was no big deal. But I never expected to be proven wrong so quickly! Even if I’ve practiced a thousand or ten thousand times, I genuinely can’t handle this kind of real-life experience!!! I’m sorry, I apologize, I was just talking big!]
[Who isn’t, right? I used to complain to my friends about how watching horror movies was not thrilling enough for me. I even used to create an atmosphere, taking my tablet and snacks to watch horror movies at well-known crime scenes I found online. Watching horror movies there at night felt cool, and I would boast to others about how fearless I was. I thought there was nothing that could scare me until I clicked on this show due to recommendations on social media… It was the first time I truly realized that I too can be scared of the dead and worried about ghosts near corpses. I will never do that kind of thing again. I was indeed too young before…]
[I really want to drag my foolish little brother in middle school over here and make him read the comments you guys posted and see this scene. He’s a teenager, always thinking he’s so cool and edgy, even using usernames like “Demon,” “Hell,” and “Darkness”. He believes he’s brave enough to be a tough guy. He boasts about how tough and brave he is in front of my parents every day, and my dad, who favors boys over girls, praises him, saying his son is brave. I really want to give him a reality check. He needs to realize that being reckless and ignorant in his youth isn’t the same as courage. He should watch this show and learn a lesson!]
[Sis! Is that you, sis? I’m so sorry, I was wrong, and I won’t do it anymore! I’ll get my tattoo removed tomorrow, I won’t take little brother to the cemetery as our secret hideout! Can I come to your room? I’m really scared! Who the heck knew that I was just watching a show, and in one moment, I was mocking the people who were afraid and saying that Yan something was a coward, too old and useless, and in the next moment, I was showed with this thing!!]
[…? Little brother, being young isn’t an excuse for ignorance. You should first learn to respect. Did you genuinely think that getting a tattoo and going to a cemetery to disrespect the deceased made others think you’re cool and brave? No, we just find it ridiculous.]
[??? Well, it seems this travel show has completely turned into a horror variety show, and now it’s even doubling as an educational program?]
[After all, there’s a difference between theory and reality. You can watch scary images a thousand times, but that’s all make-believe. This, on the other hand, is real dead people, and we’ll all end up in a state like this after we die. It’s not just you; anyone would have a hard time with it.]
[I just leaped out of my chair, okay! Who was it that said this could be a model? Come out, I won’t lay a finger on you! You’re calling this a model? It’s an exact match down to the finest details! I swear on my medical bachelor’s degree that this is definitely a real corpse, and it’s been dead for some time!]
[I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d stumble upon a scene like this before watching this show…]
[As a long-time viewer of the show, I’m quite seasoned at this. I immediately picked up my phone and called the official hotline. The person on the other end was also very familiar, as soon as they heard the name of the show and Brother Yan’s name, they told me they would send someone to check it out right away, without even asking for the location.]
[No wonder when I called the official hotline just now, the prompt said that the human agents were busy, and to either hold or call back later. I guess there are quite a few people like us calling the official hotline directly. The customer service representative also went from being startled at the beginning to becoming calm; she’s probably gone to watch the show herself.]
[The video platform probably has people dedicated to monitoring this show. I just noticed that Brother Yan’s split-screen livestream has been locked, and I couldn’t take screenshots. New viewers also can’t enter the split-screen livestream. However, I tried it with another phone, the main screen livestream and the other two open split-screens were still functioning normally.]
[Indeed, I can confirm this. I got scared and exited the split-screen earlier, and when I tried to get back in, I couldn’t. Now, Brother Yan’s split-screen can only be viewed by those who were already in it. Viewers who aren’t in the split-screen can forget about getting in. If you exit, you can’t come back. Thankfully, my roommate is also watching Brother Yan’s split-screen, and I’m watching with him now.]
[There’s another possibility: the official authority team has been continuously watching the live broadcast of this show, especially Brother Yan’s. So, the people from the official team are seeing the same scene as us, and they might have reported it before we even called. Perhaps they’ve already sent someone there.]
[I also called the official hotline, and while I got through, before I even said anything, the lady on the other end asked me if I was calling about the show. She assured me not to worry and said they had already sent someone. She comforted me, told me to get some rest, and check the official report tomorrow, then she hung up. I’m feeling a bit disoriented, not really sure what just happened.]
[That’s inevitable; no need to guess, it’s quite clear. Earlier, the guest named Lu Xingxing confessed that he’s a disciple of Haiyun Temple. People in Binhai City know how challenging it is to get their assistance. To get Haiyun Temple involved, if it’s not a matter of life and death, they wouldn’t even pay attention to you. But if Haiyun Temple is allowing a Taoist to participate in a program recording, it shows how much they value this, and it also reflects the importance the official team, with whom Haiyun Temple cooperates regularly, attaches to the situation.]
[It’s not just that; in the previous episode, an official person posted a comment. Because of the video platform’s system, it showed the official’s small yellow checkmark right after that comment, didn’t it? There are definitely people watching. Don’t worry; all we need to do is hide under the covers, get scared like silly puppies, and leave the rest to the officials. They have much more experience than we do.]
Yan Shixun’s gaze grew deep as he looked down at these corpses, and his thoughts raced at high speed.
Judging from the level of decomposition of these bodies and the depth of the flower roots, it seemed these bodies had been dead for quite some time.
If, as Yang Yun mentioned, these flowers, which bloomed from spring through autumn, were planted in the spring, and there were no signs of the soil being disturbed before this, it’s likely that these people were killed in the spring and then buried under the flowerbed.
The rural farmstay was located in a remote area of the village, close to the Moon Creek that the villagers avoided. Few people came here on a regular basis.
Even if someone had died or cried for help, the villagers wouldn’t have heard or noticed due to the secluded location.
But……
Was Yang Yun, as the owner of the rural farmstay, truly unaware of this?
Earlier in the day, when Yan Shixun asked, Yang Yun did mention that he despised the villagers who had mistreated him and his mother. Because of this, the rural farmstay was initially managed by Yang Yun and his mother alone.
After Yang Yun’s mother passed away, the entire farmstay fell under his sole responsibility.
Before the road was closed due to the dispute between Jiacun and Family Tomb Village, Yang Tu and his fellow clansmen of a similar age as Yang Yun could come over to help with the work.
However, according to Jia Village’s village head, the road between the two villages had been closed for about half a year. Counting the timing, it coincided with the early spring.
During that time, it should have been only Yang Yun taking care of the rural farmstay.
Yan Shixun couldn’t believe that Yang Yun was completely unaware of these events.
In fact, he suspected that Yang Yun might have been involved in the deaths of these individuals.
Otherwise, the act of killing six people and burying their bodies would involve such a significant amount of work that it couldn’t have escaped Yang Yun’s notice.
However…
Yan Shixun’s gaze shifted to the shovel he held in his hand.
Before his arrival, the soil had already been disturbed. Judging from the scent emanating from the soil and the cross-sections of the plant roots, this had likely occurred not long ago. The shovel standing in the corner of the wall still had soil clinging to it, emitting the same foul odor.
It seemed that someone had recently used the shovel to uncover the soil and discover the secret buried beneath the flowerbed.
This person couldn’t be Yang Yun.
Not only because Yang Yun had behaved normally that evening, but also because if the events of the murder and burial that took place about half a year ago were related to Yang Yun, the fact that he buried the bodies beneath the soil and covered them with flowers showed an intention to conceal the matter. He wouldn’t have a reason to unearth the bodies and leave them exposed in the open air.
Yan Shixun thought about the reason for his recent departure from the room.
To find Yang Tu and ask him about the unusual behavior he displayed during dinner.
Relying on his good memory and observation skills, Yan Shixun rapidly reconstructed the scene from dinner in his mind.
At that time, Yang Tu had kept his head down and remained silent, a stark contrast to the lively and cheerful personality he had displayed earlier.
Even though the dinner on the table was sumptuous, and even a celebrity had personally served him a bowl of chicken soup, Yang Tu hadn’t touched any of the meat or fish throughout the meal, only taking a few bites of vegetables.
Yang Tu was a very polite young man. Given his character, he would normally taste the food prepared by the guests and take a sip of the soup they offered out of courtesy, even if he didn’t like it.
But not this time.
It was as if something more terrifying than normalcy and long-standing politeness had completely shattered Yang Tu’s psychological defenses, to the point that he couldn’t control his outburst in front of others.
Once Yan Shixun figured this out, he acted swiftly, gently placing the shovel aside without making any unnecessary noise to avoid disturbing the tranquility of the rural farmstay’s courtyard.
Then, he moved quickly and agilely towards Yang Tu’s room and knocked on the door.
There was light coming from the window of Yang Tu’s room, indicating that he hadn’t gone to sleep yet.
But when Yan Shixun knocked on Yang Tu’s door, after a series of three knocks, there was no response from inside the room, and no one came to open the door.
With patience, Yan Shixun knocked a few more times and waited quietly.
Finally, Yang Tu walked to the door and opened it.
“Creak——!”
The old door hinges creaked loudly as the door opened.
Once the door was open, Yang Tu, looking disheveled and worn out, appeared before Yan Shixun. His appearance was in stark contrast to Yan Shixun’s calm and composed demeanor.
“It’s you, Brother Yan….”
Yang Tu weakly called Yan Shixun, with no energy left, his face drooping.
Yan Shixun’s gaze had just landed on Yang Tu’s face when the reassuring smile that had been on his lips froze in place.
However, after nearly two hours of separation, Yang Tu’s forehead was astonishingly dark.
Actually, calling it a dark forehead was an understatement.
Yang Tu’s entire forehead, stretching from his eyebrows to his temples and down to his hundred meetings point, was deep purple and black. It looked as though his entire being had been devoured by dark energy. Even the skin under his eyes had prominent dark circles.
This was entirely different from Yang Tu’s appearance when Yan Shixun first met him in Jia Village.
It was as if all his vitality had been depleted.
Although Yan Shixun didn’t practice fortune-telling or physiognomy, it didn’t mean he didn’t have knowledge or understanding of it. On the contrary, he had delved deeply into the study and practice of physiognomy.
At this moment, Yang Tu appeared to Yan Shixun like a person near death.
What had happened in his absence?!
With furrowed brows, Yan Shixun was no longer concerned about consoling Yang Tu to gather more information.
He sternly asked Yang Tu in a loud voice, “What did you do tonight? Tell me immediately.”
Yan Shixun’s heavy tone shook Yang Tu on the spot.
Yang Tu, who was originally listless, raised his head in surprise, looking at Yan Shixun, who was completely different from the amiable figure he had shown before.
“Brother Yan, what’s wrong with you?”
“The bodies buried under the flowers, did you dig them out?” Yan Shixun’s tone was affirmative, stating his inference directly, going straight to the point without giving Yang Tu time for idle conversation.
Yang Tu’s expression instantly changed.
His facial muscles twitched, and he looked at Yan Shixun with a complicated and conflicted gaze. “Brother Yan, did you see it too?”
When Yan Shixun’s expression turned serious, it was like a sharp blade being unsheathed. Although the blade had not yet been drawn, it already revealed a glimpse of its snowy brilliance and sharpness that dared not to be tested.
People who witnessed it could only fearfully step back, trying to avoid its sharp edge.
Yang Tu’s expression seemed to be evasive, as if he was considering how to conceal this matter.
“You know what happened.” Yan Shixun’s tone was certain, with no hint of hesitation. “Although you didn’t kill the person, you know who the murderer is, and you’re familiar with the deceased.”
“More likely, you know who the murderer is but still want to protect him in front of me. Yang Tu, you are a child of Jia Village, and you understand the rules of the outside world. What you’re doing now is wrong.”
Yang Tu’s initially dejected expression changed, and his face looked so troubled that it was as if he were crying.
“Brother Yan, I…..”
He raised his head to look at Yan Shixun, seemingly wanting to say something.
But the next moment, Yang Tu’s eyes gradually widened as he stared beyond Yan Shixun’s shoulder.
His face filled with fear.
“Brother Yan!”
The sound of the wind swept through the air.
Yan Shixun’s ears twitched, and he instantly made a decision, swiftly moving to the side to dodge.
“Swish!”
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