In the taxi, Qiangzi in the back took out two hundred-yuan bills and handed them to the driver in front. "Master, take us to Xiaotun Village."
Upon hearing the name Xiaotun Village, the taxi driver's face turned pale. "Why are you two going to that ghost village?"
Qiangzi frowned. "What do you mean, brother?"
The taxi driver leaned closer and began to explain. "For some unknown reason, everyone in Xiaotun Village died overnight."
Qiangzi glanced at Yu Daochen beside him. Seeing that he remained silent, Qiangzi took a cigarette from his pocket, lit one, and offered it to the driver. "Brother, why is it called a ghost village then?"
"About a month after everyone in Xiaotun Village died, people passing by the village saw countless ghosts wandering about, and the entire village was brightly lit."
As he spoke, the taxi driver took a long drag from his cigarette and slowly exhaled.
Qiangzi looked surprised. "Is it really that eerie?"
Seeing Qiangzi's disbelief, the taxi driver became agitated. "Why would I lie to you? Many people have seen it."
Qiangzi grinned. "That's where we're going. Let's go."
Seeing that Qiangzi wouldn't be dissuaded, the taxi driver sat back in his seat and sighed. "Why don't you listen? That place is very strange."
The car started moving again. Qiangzi, sitting in the back, looked at Yu Daochen and lowered his voice. "Yu Ye, are you alright?"
Yu Daochen shook his head. "I'm fine. I just suddenly remembered my master."
Qiangzi had heard Yu Daochen mention Master Tai. "He who sacrifices himself for the world is a sage." This was a famous Taoist saying. If it were him, he probably wouldn't have had the courage.
The taxi driver drove quickly and stopped at an open space not far from Xiaotun Village.
"Young men, I'll take you this far," the taxi driver said, turning to the two of them.
Qiangzi looked outside. It would take at least twenty minutes to walk into the village from here.
"Brother, could you drive a little further? It's at least half an hour's walk from here."
The taxi driver shook his head. "Young men, the sun has already set. I really don't dare to go any further."
Seeing that the taxi driver refused, Qiangzi said, "How about this, I'll pay you extra?"
The taxi driver looked troubled. "Young men, it's not about the money."
"Thirty yuan, how about that?" Qiangzi said, reaching for his wallet.
The taxi driver waved his hand. "Young men, it's really not about the money."
"Fifty, how about fifty?" Qiangzi extended his left hand.
The taxi driver still shook his head, refusing to go any further. "Young men, please don't make it difficult for me."
Qiangzi was about to offer more money when Yu Daochen patted his shoulder. "That's enough. We'll walk into the village."
Qiangzi glanced at the taxi driver, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and opened the car door to get out.
Seeing them get out, the taxi driver immediately turned the car around and sped away.
Qiangzi watched the car leave and said disdainfully, "It's just a bit further to walk, what's the big deal?"
Yu Daochen sighed. "Alright, let's get going."
The two of them, with their backpacks, walked towards Xiaotun Village.
Darkness fell quickly. By the time they reached the village entrance, it was already dusk.
Qiangzi looked at the buildings in the village. They were already dilapidated after only three months.
Yu Daochen led the way. As soon as they entered the village, which had been pitch black, it suddenly lit up. Lights turned on in every house.
Qiangzi flinched, startled. Suddenly, a middle-aged man opened his door and walked out. Yu Daochen's expression changed, and Qiangzi instinctively reached for the copper coin sword at his waist.
"Yu Ye, could it be that the ghosts in this village are really trapped here?"
Yu Daochen shook his head, his hand already gripping the Kanglong mace. "I don't know. It looks like it."
Slowly, more people began to appear. Yu Daochen quickly opened his backpack and took out a glass bottle.
Qiangzi frowned at the sticky liquid in the glass bottle. "Yu Ye, is this..."
Yu Daochen nodded, took a sip, and held it in his mouth. He then handed the remaining half bottle to Qiangzi.
Qiangzi took the glass bottle and hesitated. Yu Daochen, with the sticky liquid in his mouth, spoke indistinctly. "Stop dawdling and drink it quickly."
Qiangzi let out a soft breath and drank it, holding it in his mouth.
Yu Daochen led the way, and the two headed towards Master Tai's house.
There were many people on the road. Some were carrying hoes, preparing to work in the fields, while others were holding bags, presumably going to buy groceries. If they had seen this scene during the day, it would have been normal, but it was happening at night, making everything seem eerie.
Yu Daochen looked at the passersby. Their complexions were all the deathly pale, grayish white.
"Sister Li, why are you buying so much pork rib?" a middle-aged woman asked the woman in front of her.
The middle-aged woman nodded. "My eldest son is back, so I'm stewing some ribs for him to build him up."
Yu Daochen and Qiangzi felt a chill down their spines as they overheard their conversation. The middle-aged woman's basket contained no pork ribs, only an empty basket. Moreover, although their words were spoken with a smile, their faces showed no trace of it.
Yu Daochen exchanged a look with Qiangzi. This was the first time they had encountered such a bizarre phenomenon.