Chapter 178: Returned

Chapter 178: Returned

The colorful ribbons on the leather drum swayed slightly with Bai Lingmiao's steps as she walked alone through the somewhat dilapidated alleys of Qian Family Village.

Occasionally, barefoot farmers leading oxen, and women holding children, cast puzzled glances her way.

A girl dressed in such attire had never been seen in the village before; it was quite a rarity.

Bai Lingmiao, looking somewhat nervous, kept her head down and continued toward the location Er Shen had indicated.

After walking a short while, Bai Lingmiao saw two low houses side by side, one large and one small; she took a deep breath and walked into the courtyard.

"Woof! Woof woof!!" The large spotted watchdog truly gave Bai Lingmiao a fright.

However, the barking also saved Bai Lingmiao the awkwardness of announcing herself.

With a "creak," the door opened, and a simple-hearted farmer walked out from within, asking with a hint of fear in his eyes: "Who are you looking for?"

Bai Lingmiao opened her mouth, momentarily unsure of what to say, after all, she hadn't done this sort of thing many times.

After hesitating for a long while, Bai Lingmiao finally asked cautiously: "Um... that... does anyone in your family suffer from evil possession?"

"Bang!" The freshly opened door slammed shut with a bang.

"Ah...." Bai Lingmiao stood there awkwardly; she turned her head to look at Er Shen beside her, saying in her heart: "See... they closed it, perhaps there is no issue."

Afterwards, Bai Lingmiao seemed to hear something, and pleaded softly with a troubled expression.

"I know the Immortals are pressing us tightly now, if we don't work they will trouble us, but this family perhaps has no... ai... alright then, I understand, I will try again."

She walked over again, knocking on the door with those white, delicate hands.

"Please trouble you to open the door! This humble woman has learned methods to exorcise evil and catch ghosts, if truly there is trouble of that sort, I can help!"

She knocked several more times, and just as Bai Lingmiao thought they would not open the door, the wooden door cracked open a seam, and an old, yellow-waxed eye suddenly popping out from within gave her a fright.

"How do you know we encountered a wandering spirit?"

Hearing the voice, Bai Lingmiao realized that this wax-yellow eye belonged to a person.

"Uh...." Bai Lingmiao momentarily could not find a good reason.

"Old sir, do not mind how I know, I truly can help you with this sort of thing, evil spirits cannot stay on a person too long, otherwise trouble will arise."

"How many copper coins do you want?"

"Fifty wen, no matter how powerful the evil spirit, it is fifty wen." Bai Lingmiao quoted the unified price for shamanistic rituals.

The words had just fallen when Bai Lingmiao heard a young man's voice from behind the door. "Father, choose her, this shaman is much cheaper than Old Woman Cui Mi!"

The door slammed shut again fiercely, the father and son inside did not know what they were discussing, and just as Bai Lingmiao waited somewhat uneasily, with a "creak," the door opened.

An old farmer of short stature and stout body, carrying a shoulder pole with a heavy heart, walked out from inside the door.

After sizing up Bai Lingmiao anew for a while, he said: "Fifty copper coins, you said. We are a poor family, do not bully us."

Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao immediately exhaled a breath, lifted her foot over the threshold and walked in.

Just upon entering, Bai Lingmiao was startled by the white color confronting her.

The entire interior was arranged like a memorial hall, no, this was a memorial hall except for the lack of a coffin.

"Old sir, why place the spirit tablet at home instead of the ancestral hall?"

Hearing this, the old man sighed deeply, "If I could place it there I would have long ago, come, there are some matters I will take you inside to explain in detail."

Passing through the back of the house was a bright small courtyard, where several chickens were still raised.

The somewhat nervous father and son brought Bai Lingmiao to the courtyard, pulled over a bamboo stool placing it before her, then habitually squatted down and began to recount their hardships.

"My old wife passed five days ago..... she lived to seventy-one, suffered no pain before death, barely counts as a happy funeral, but before the first seven days passed trouble arose, the nephew keeping watch heard someone knocking on the coffin lid."

Hearing this description, Bai Lingmiao's heart immediately tightened, she vigilantly scanned around, finding nothing abnormal in the surroundings.

"We were scared, so hastily buried her, but on the night of the second day after burial, she actually jumped back on her own...."

The farmer's words were dry, yet still made Bai Lingmiao feel cold air in her heart and cold hands and feet, this seemed somewhat different from what she encountered before.

"The old wife pushed open the door and said she wanted to eat meat, at that time my son and I were both scared stiff. That look was like, if we didn't give her meat to eat, she would eat us."

"Later we took down the half pig leg hanging on the beam saved for New Year, that was smoked meat, yet she insistently gnawed on it raw,"

"After gnawing the whole pig leg clean she left, and afterwards said, tomorrow come again."

Speaking to this point, the old man's bitter expression deepened further.

"It is not that I am stingy, not giving the old wife to eat, but that clearly was not our family's old wife, the way she gnawed meat was like a beast, mouth gnawed bloody and torn it was terrifying, this wandering spirit is very evil....."

"To send the old wife to burial, both pigs in the house were sold, if she comes again, no meat to eat, she fears she will gnaw on us father and son."

"If you can let my old wife go peacefully to reincarnate, then you are our family's female Bodhisattva."

After speaking all this, the old man drooped his head listlessly and spoke no more.

"Zombie after death? Is this possessed by something?" Bai Lingmiao thought secretly, beginning to calculate the danger of this matter.

After discussing with Er Shen in her brain, confirming the danger was indeed not great, she raised her head to check the time, Bai Lingmiao said: "Old sir, the sun is about to set, since I am here, then tonight I will stay here, what do you think?"

Since she was here, it definitely must be resolved, having experienced so many matters beside Senior Brother Li, for this small matter, Bai Lingmiao found herself quite confident.

"What? You truly have a method?" The old man immediately became excited.

He had just seen this girl was so young, and thought she had no skill.

When seeing Bai Lingmiao nod to confirm, the old man immediately stood up and pounced toward the chickens in the courtyard.

"Alright! Eat dinner at our home! Do not be polite!"

That night, placed before Bai Lingmiao was a whole chicken, yet she had no mood to eat, nervously waiting for the night to arrive.

Once night arrived, the father and son hid in the back room to sleep, leaving Bai Lingmiao alone in the main hall like a memorial hall.

This family looked very poor, the room had only one oil lamp, illuminating the surroundings flickeringly bright and dark, making the already terrifying environment even more gloomy.

(End of Chapter)