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The next morning, a vibrant red flower bloomed on the pristine white sheets. The early-rising Ye Chenfeng saw it and felt an even deeper affection for Ding Li. He headed to the kitchen, preparing a hearty and nutritious breakfast to treat her.
Ding Li had not slept well for half a month, but this time she slept soundly and sweetly, hardly dreaming at all. It was not until Ye Chenfeng set the fragrant dishes on the dining table that she suddenly realized, sitting up and wondering if she had dreamt last night about Ye Chenfeng coming over. She nervously looked down at the covers that concealed her, slowly pulling them back to reveal a bright red flower, and then her eyes widened as she gasped.
The gasp startled Ye Chenfeng so much that he nearly dropped the bowls and chopsticks in his hands. He placed them on the table and quickly rushed to the bedroom, finding Ding Li hiding under the covers.
"Sweetheart, get up quickly and see what delicious food I've made for you," Ye Chenfeng said as he embraced Ding Li beneath the covers, gently pulling them back to reveal her blushing face along with the vibrant flower. As his hand brushed against her skin, he felt its delicate softness. He leaned down to kiss her forehead and asked, "Should I help you get dressed or will you do it yourself?"
"I'll... I'll do it myself..." Ding Li replied shyly, turning her head away, unwilling to face Ye Chenfeng.
Ye Chenfeng turned her face back to meet his gaze. "It's okay; I will take responsibility for you. Once we go back, we can get our marriage certificate."
"No! You still need to study."
Ding Li pouted playfully while getting dressed. Suddenly, Ye Chenfeng hugged her and whispered in her ear, "I still want more..."
"Stop it! It's already bright outside; we need to go to Zhanglin, right?" Ding Li dodged him, but Ye Chenfeng pressed on, igniting a fire within her heart once again. Waves of comfort washed over her, making her unable to suppress a soft moan as she struggled to break free.
Seeing her face flushed like a peach blossom, looking exceptionally beautiful with rosy cheeks, Ye Chenfeng acted swiftly. In one quick motion, he shed his clothes and jumped onto the bed. Laughter like silver bells filled the air as they fell into an endless river of love once more.
After having their fun, Ding Li jumped up, hurriedly putting on her clothes while barefooted and rushing to the bathroom.
Ye Chenfeng got up, still savoring that passionate moment from before, a smile on his lips that would make any man envious.
After finishing breakfast at Evil Village, they stepped out just as it turned nine o'clock.
Ding Li linked arms with Ye Chenfeng as they exited. They noticed a group of people approaching with serious expressions. The way they walked in unison and carried a stretcher indicated something bad had happened in Evil Village. Without needing to ask, Ye Chenfeng understood that another woman with the same name as Ding Li had passed away.
"What happened?"
Ye Chenfeng did not answer Ding Li but instead held her hand tightly with concern. He couldn't bear to think about it—if it wasn't due to time differences or mistaken emotional ties—what if the deceased was Ding Li? Could he withstand such a devastating blow?
Ding Li kept glancing in the direction where the group was headed.
"Don't look, let's hurry and leave," Ye Chenfeng said as he embraced Ding Li, preventing her from looking back, and they swiftly exited Evil Village. This time, they didn't get lost; Ding Li told Ye Chenfeng that it was the first time she had managed to leave Evil Village since entering.
One could only imagine what would have happened to Ding Li if Ye Chenfeng hadn't come.
Not far from Evil Village, Ye Chenfeng stopped and gazed at the oddly shaped Curved Neck Ghost Willow. During the day, it didn't seem unusual, but now, the more he looked, the more peculiar it appeared.
The Curved Neck Ghost Willow had a neck that curved like a naturally formed noose. It resembled a concave tree bridge, with a few branches sprouting out from the concave part. The branches of the Curved Neck Ghost Willow were cracked, and its bark looked like the skin of an old woman, covered in coarse wrinkles.
Deep within those coarse wrinkles lay dark red flesh exposed, with what appeared to be dew-like droplets sliding over it—red droplets?
"Do you think this willow tree is strange?" Ding Li asked. She had noticed something unusual about it on her first day here.
"Yeah," Ye Chenfeng replied as he pulled Ding Li closer and walked over. He reached out to touch one of the rolling red droplets on the branch but recoiled in shock. This wasn't water; it resembled blood—thick and reeking.
"What is this?"
"Lili, we need to postpone our departure by a day," Ye Chenfeng exhaled deeply as he surveyed their surroundings. Just moments ago in Evil Village, he had seen people, but now that they were outside, there was no sign of anyone else.
"Should we go back to Evil Village then?"
"We're not going back. Let's check out other places to see if there's somewhere we can stay for the night." Ye Chenfeng wanted to gather information about the Curved Neck Ghost Willow outside of Evil Village and also hoped to learn more about Xiao Jiang.
Leaving the Curved Neck Ghost Willow behind, they followed the path that should lead them to Xiao Jiang.
This was a bumpy asphalt road that had endured countless storms. In big cities, asphalt roads were practically nonexistent; only remote mountain villages still had them. On both sides of the road lay desolate fields filled with various wild plants, some already blooming. As the wind blew, white flower fluff drifted through the air.
Ding Li picked a flower and shook its remaining stem. "This looks a bit like a dandelion."
"I thought it was just a dandelion," Ye Chenfeng replied, puzzled. That night when he parted ways with Xiao Jiang at the Curved Neck Ghost Willow, Xiao Jiang mentioned that his home wasn't far from there. Yet now, there was no village in sight; instead, they saw some crumbling ruins of houses on the verge of collapse.
"Let's go take a look." Ye Chenfeng led Ding Li down the asphalt road, following a narrow path toward another house that appeared to be in better condition. He hoped that Xiao Jiang's home was nearby; if so, they would have a place to stay for the night.
The Curved Neck Ghost Willow was no ordinary tree.
The narrow path was lined with many unnamed wild grasses, their seed heads heavy and drooping. As they passed, the grasses clung to their pants, stubbornly refusing to come off even when tugged at.
The windows and doors of the house were tightly shut, and as Ye Chenfeng and Ding Li approached, an eerie silence enveloped the surroundings.
It hardly seemed like anyone lived there.
There was no vitality, just a sense of lifelessness. At that moment, Ding Li let out a startled cry and fearfully hid behind Ye Chenfeng.
"What did you see?" Ye Chenfeng followed Ding Li's pointing finger and spotted a grave.
The soil of the grave was fresh, not like an old burial site. On top of the mound lay something burnt down to just a charred frame.
"What is that?" Ding Li asked tremulously, peeking over Ye Chenfeng's shoulder at the object on the grave.
Ye Chenfeng remained silent, shielding Ding Li from behind as he walked toward the grave.
There was a tombstone at the site.
The tombstone bore a name: Mystery of Jiang Shui's Tomb.
Jiang Shui? Could it be Xiao Jiang's father? Upon seeing the name on the tombstone, Ye Chenfeng felt an inexplicable heaviness in his heart. He quickly pulled Ding Li away from the grave and turned his gaze toward the house that had remained still and silent.
"It seems like there's really no one inside."
"Yeah." Ye Chenfeng approached the window and peered through the gap. Inside was filthy, cluttered with old furniture and other debris.
As they were both lost in their thoughts, a voice called out from the road: "Hey, who are you?"
Ye Chenfeng and Ding Li turned to look at the person who had called out to them, a dark-skinned Farmer wearing a cap and carrying a large basket.
"Hey, uncle, we... wait a moment."
Ye Chenfeng grabbed Ding Li's arm and hurried back the way they came, soon reaching the road.
The Farmer looked at them in surprise and asked, "You must be distant relatives of Jiang Shui, right?"
"No, how old is Jiang Shui?"
"Not very old, not much younger than you."
Hearing this from the uncle made Ye Chenfeng uneasy. "What was that thing on the grave?" It didn’t look like a wreath; it resembled some kind of tool.
The uncle took a puff of his leaf cigarette and spat on the ground. "A motorcycle."
"A motorcycle... a paper motorcycle?" Ye Chenfeng felt a chill run down his spine as Xiao Jiang's face flashed in his mind. But then he thought again; if Xiao Jiang was that, how could he possibly be afraid of paper "people"?
Ding Li clung to Ye Chenfeng's arm, trembling with fear and glancing repeatedly at the house.
"Jiang Shui was one of the few scholars around here, determined to leap over the dragon gate like a carp and go out into the world by getting into college. Unfortunately, fate had other plans. He did get into college, but while going to collect his acceptance letter, he got into an accident and died on the spot."
"So he had no parents?"
"He did. Their house was newly built when Xiao Jiang had his accident. His parents only had him and his sister. After Xiao Jiang died, it felt like the sky had fallen for them. They used the compensation money from the accident to buy a house in the county town and moved away, leaving Xiao Jiang all alone here. His parents came half a month ago to burn a paper motorcycle for him."
Ye Chenfeng's face turned pale, feeling cold all over.
Ding Li looked anxious. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
As Ye Chenfeng watched the old man leave, he asked one more question, "Has anything happened with the Curved Neck Ghost Willow?"
"Xiao Jiang had his accident on the road by the Curved Neck Ghost Willow. Just look at it now; even during the day, hardly anyone dares to walk that way. It's eerie, that Evil Village. That car came rushing out of Evil Village and crashed into Xiao Jiang," the old man said, shaking his head in regret before continuing on his way.
"Do you know Xiao Jiang?"
"We came to Evil Village together last night. He might not even realize he's dead yet, wandering around his hometown. I need to do something for him."
"Really?" Ding Li was startled, tightening her grip on Ye Chenfeng's arm.
"Don't be afraid. We're going to help him move on."
The Curved Neck Ghost Willow was not only the host for Xiao Jiang but also a dwelling place for other malevolent entities. It was likely that something unclean had taken residence in that willow tree before, leading to Xiao Jiang's misfortune.
Ye Chenfeng had brought enough supplies to deal with the Curved Neck Ghost Willow.
The Curved Neck Ghost Willow fed on ghostly energy and was close to becoming a spirit itself.
Standing by the roadside, Ye Chenfeng called out to passersby, offering to buy the Curved Neck Ghost Willow.
Some found it amusing; the willow had been there for as long as anyone could remember. After the accident, rumors spread that Gui Liu was responsible. Many hoped someone would come and chop it down. Now, hearing Ye Chenfeng wanted to buy Gui Liu, most people agreed they wouldn't ask for money; if he had the ability to uproot that willow completely, they would gladly give it to him for free.
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