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Chapter Seventy-Three: The Hatred of Liu Lao Er
The woman said, "That Paper Effigy Maker is Liu Lao Er, from my Liu Family Village, but he has caused the death of all of us!"
"Ah! People from your village?" I was somewhat surprised. How could someone from the same village kill all their own villagers? A massacre like that must stem from immense hatred! Moreover, the reason Liu Family Village is called Liu Family Village is that all the residents share the surname Liu; they are all relatives, whether distant or close. Just think about it—Liu Lao Er also has the surname Liu. Why would he want to slaughter his own kin?
I was shocked and immediately asked this family in front of me, "Isn't Liu Lao Er a member of your Liu Family?"
As soon as I asked this question, the men in the family became extremely angry and said, "Of course he is! The entire Liu clan has been wiped out by that unfilial descendant!"
Now I was confused. I said, "Since you are all relatives, why would he still massacre the village? Did you all do something terribly wrong to him? If there wasn't a great enmity, he wouldn't have done such a thing, right?"
Although Liu Lao Er's actions were utterly unjustifiable, if this family and the villagers had done something outrageous to him, it wouldn't be entirely fair to blame Liu Lao Er for seeking revenge.
"This..." Upon hearing my question, the man suddenly lost his earlier righteous demeanor and was momentarily speechless. However, soon after, he became furious again and said, "Liu Lao Er blames us for killing his father, but his father was killed by Liu Baisheng. Revenge should be directed at the right person; why does he wrongfully accuse us?"
"His father was killed?" I was very surprised. No wonder Liu Lao Er wanted revenge; after all, the enmity over a father's death is as great as heaven itself. It really couldn't be blamed on Liu Lao Er for being ruthless. However, I knew that if Liu Lao Er resorted to such extreme measures as massacring the village, it couldn't be as simple as what this ghost claimed. So I asked him, "How did Liu Lao Er's father die? Who is Liu Baisheng?"
It was still that man who answered me: "Liu Lao Er's father was beaten to death by villagers during the campaign against the Four Olds. But it was Liu Baisheng who led the charge; at that time, he was the secretary of Liu Family Village. Who would have thought that Liu Lao Er would blame his father's death on us villagers? We died unwillingly."
Hearing this, I couldn't help but sigh; so that's how it was. I began to understand their grievances. Although this ghost pushed all the blame onto that village secretary named Liu Baisheng alone, I knew that during the campaign against the Four Olds, one person alone could not cause someone to be beaten to death; clearly, the villagers must have played a part in it too.
Thinking about that leading secretary, I then asked them, "What about Liu Baisheng? Was he also killed by Liu Lao Er?"
The man nodded: "We were all implicated; how could he still be alive? His whole family died first, and they were even killed by their own children."
"Killed by their own children?" Now I was confused.
The man said, "Yes! His children suddenly seemed possessed and killed Liu Baisheng."
I nodded, and I could almost guess that Liu Baisheng's children must have been subjected to some Evil Technique by Liu Lao Er, which led them to kill their own Father.
Seeing that I understood, the man pleaded, "Great Master, please help us take revenge; otherwise, our deaths would be too unjust."
I said, "Once a person dies, they should let go of everything from their life and peacefully descend to the Underworld to be reincarnated. If there are any grievances, they can express them to Yama in the Underworld."
The man suddenly showed a fierce expression: "No way! If I don't see that dog Liu Lao Er get his comeuppance in this lifetime, I will never rest in peace."
Realizing that it was impossible to persuade them to let go of their Resentment for now, I told them, "To be honest, I am also investigating the murderer who killed you. Trust us; we will definitely catch Liu Lao Er and ensure he receives the punishment he deserves."
Upon hearing my words, the family nodded in satisfaction. Then I remembered the Number Seven Old House and asked them, "Who lives in the Number Seven Old House?"
They replied, "The Number Seven Old House is Liu Baisheng's home."
Upon hearing this, I was taken aback and thought to myself that no wonder the Number Seven Old House has been causing such disturbances; it must be that Liu Baisheng's family's souls have been tampered with by Liu Lao Er. Perhaps they are still suffering from some torment; otherwise, it wouldn't be causing such an uproar. With this in mind, I felt even more compelled to investigate the Number Seven Old House again. Before leaving, I told the family that in a few days, I would send someone to collect their Corpse so they could be buried soon. I hoped they would not harm others indiscriminately; otherwise, they shouldn't blame me for being unkind.
The family nodded and said they would notify everyone.
Thus, I left the Dilapidated House and headed towards the Number Seven Old House...
Soon, I arrived outside the Main Entrance of the Number Seven Old House. The entrance was still empty, and surprisingly, the Crimson Door was tightly closed. I felt a bit strange because I clearly remembered that when I left last night, the door was open. How could it be closed now?
Could it be that the Female Corpse had returned? Did she close the door? Unable to figure it out, I walked towards the Crimson Door. Just as my hand was about to push against the Main Entrance, suddenly with a creak, the door slowly opened by itself...
I was startled and quickly stepped back several paces. However, after the door opened on its own, there was no one inside—not even a ghostly figure.
Yet it was precisely because I saw nothing that I felt even more uneasy. I knew there must be an Evil Spirit in this house; after all, this was Liu Baisheng's home. How could Liu Lao Er allow Liu Baisheng and his family to reincarnate so easily? So, I heightened my vigilance and held a Spirit Talisman tightly as I slowly crossed the threshold of the Main Entrance and walked inside.
The interior was empty. After checking each room on the first floor without finding anything unusual, I thought perhaps the Female Corpse hadn't returned after all.
Finally, I returned to the Living Room and looked at the staircase beside it. I wondered if perhaps the Female Corpse might be in that room on the Second Floor.
Thinking of this, I walked towards the staircase. Since I was already here, there was nothing to be afraid of. However, just as I was about to step upstairs, a sudden chill swept down from the second floor along the staircase towards me. I was startled and immediately knew that an Evil Spirit had arrived.
In a hurry, I opened my Heavenly Eye and held the talisman in front of me. As soon as the Heavenly Eye opened, I saw a White Shadow flash by me and then disappear in an instant.
Although the White Shadow was gone, I knew that an Evil Spirit had just rushed down from upstairs. Without thinking too much, I went straight up to the second floor.
The aura of negativity on the second floor was still heavier than on the first floor. When I reached the room from last time, this time the door was unlocked, and I easily opened it from the outside. Sure enough, I saw the female corpse again!
The corpse was still hanging in mid-air with her feet off the ground, wearing a pair of red embroidered shoes. I clearly remembered that these shoes had been thrown in the room, and the corpse had been taken back to the City Bureau barefoot. Now, not only had the corpse hung herself on the Beam, but she had also put on those shoes again. Seeing this scene sent chills down my spine.
I looked at the corpse; it appeared normal, with no evil spirit attached to it. However, just to be safe, I took out a corpse-restraining talisman from my bag and placed it on her chest to prevent any resurrection.
With the talisman in place, I lowered the corpse down. From what I learned about the evil spirits in that Dilapidated House, this old house number seven belonged to Liu Baisheng. Given that this female corpse could resurrect herself and return from the City Bureau, I was already certain that Liu Er had likely tampered with her.
To find out exactly what Liu Er had done to the corpse, I laid her flat on the Ground and began to examine her closely.
The corpse had long since dried out. I first checked her body and found no talismans or similar items. Then I examined her forehead and chest but found nothing unusual. At this point, I was puzzled but did not give up. As I touched her head, I finally made a discovery; my hand felt something hard and needle-like on her scalp.
I became excited and quickly parted her hair aside. A copper needle less than half a centimeter long emerged from her scalp! Since the female corpse had long hair, it would have been difficult to notice this copper needle without touching it.
Having found something, I hurriedly pulled out the copper needle and looked at it in my hand, exclaiming, "Seven-Inch Soul Locking Needle!"
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