Chapter 142
Customs or Taboos
Chapter 142 Customs or Taboos
Chapter Seven
"..."
"Just as I was about to head to Fengmen Village, Qi Ning called. He had actually received a message from Zhong Cai, but the message only contained a place name."
"I was happy to have another person go to Fengmen Village, so we made an appointment and headed to our destination together."
"After driving for four hours, we arrived at the farthest point we could reach by car. As for how to get to Fengmen Village, the navigation map did not show it."
"We found a kind-looking family and parked our car in their yard. During the process, I asked the elderly person in the family about the situation in Fengmen Village."
"When he heard about Fengmen Village, the old man's emotions clearly changed. He advised me not to go there, but when I asked him why, he couldn't give me a reason."
"I was originally planning to leave, but I felt I should learn more about the place that was trapping Zhong Cai, so I increased the parking fee to five hundred."
"The old man reciprocated our generosity with the kindness we deserved, and we also heard some things about Fengmen Village from him."
"Fengmen Village, though called a village, could also be described as a nursing home, because apart from the very old people, there are no young people in that village."
"According to the old man, this tradition in Fengmen Village has been maintained for about fifty years. At least he had heard about the deeds of Fengmen Village when he was young."
"As for why this happened, the old man didn't know. He only knew that Fengmen Village used to be a thriving village, but after a migration, the village declined."
"Strangely, after the migration, every so often, elderly people who had lost their husbands or wives would be sent back to Fengmen Village to await their death."
"The official saying of Fengmen Village is that fallen leaves return to their roots, and even if one is to die, one should die in Fengmen Village."
"The customs of Fengmen Village are very strange. If a husband and wife die, no matter which one dies first, they cannot be buried directly. Instead, their bodies must remain at home until the other also passes away. Only then will the able-bodied men of Fengmen Village return to the village to help bury the elderly couple."
"No banquet is held for burials in Fengmen Village. Only a sacrificial ceremony to worship the ancestors is held. After the burial, everyone leaves and does not stay in Fengmen Village."
"In the village, only the other widowed elderly people will remain to guard the village."
"After the old man finished telling me and Qi Ning about the situation in Fengmen Village, a hint of hesitation appeared on his face. Qi Ning seemed to have noticed something and pressed the old man for answers."
"Then, the old man told us some strange customs about Fengmen Village!"
"The old folks say that there are a few customs in Fengmen Village that cannot be violated. If they are, something unfortunate will happen. There was a time when someone did not follow the customs of Fengmen Village and then disappeared. Even if you searched Fengmen Village from top to bottom, you could not find the person who disappeared."
"Then, the old man told us about those strange-sounding customs."
"First, no one is allowed to wander outside Fengmen Village after nightfall, and no one is allowed to light lamps after midnight."
"Second, outsiders are not allowed to enter the kitchen of any house in Fengmen Village where people live, nor can they touch anything inside."
"Third, houses with bells hanging at the door and no threshold are uninhabited."
Fourth, the threshold should not be removed from a house that is occupied.
Fifth, when turning corners or in narrow places in the village, people should give way to each other.
"Sixth, misfortune will befall anyone who does not abide by the customs of Fengmen Village."
"In addition, a new custom has emerged in recent years."
"Electronic devices such as cameras and photos are not allowed in the village."
"Or rather, this is not a custom, but a strange phenomenon observed by outsiders, because electronic devices are affected in Fengmen Village."
"After listening to the old man's story, Qi Ning and I both became quite serious. Even the old man knew how strange these customs were, so how could Qi Ning and I not take them seriously?"
After thanking the old man, the two of us set off.
"We suspect that Zhong Cai may have violated the customs of that sealed-door village and thus became one of the 'disappeared' people."
"But judging from the fact that Zhong Cai can still send messages, the so-called disappearance is just an illusion. There's something strange about that Fengmen Village."
"We walked very fast on the rest of the way. Even though I'm not very good at walking on mountain paths, I gritted my teeth and kept up with Qi Ning's pace."
"It took us two and a half hours to walk the mountain path that the old man said would take two hours. Although it took half an hour longer, it was still very good for us."
"It was getting dark by then. After Qi Ning and I arrived, we didn't waste any time and searched Fengmen Village together, but we didn't find anything suspicious."
"Or rather, we didn't find anything suspicious on the surface." "As it was getting dark, Qi Ning and I discussed it and found a house with no door threshold."
"According to the old man, houses without thresholds and with bells hanging on the door lintel are uninhabited. Qi Ning and I have decided to stay here tonight."
"This is a decision we made after careful consideration. Zhong Cai's disappearance has made us wary of the people in this village, and staying overnight in a villager's home is not a good option."
"To our surprise, even the empty houses didn't look dilapidated. Although there was some dust, it wasn't much."
"But as soon as we entered, we saw the two coffins placed on the floor next to the living room."
Before it got completely dark, Qi Ning and I walked to the two coffins, said 'Excuse me,' and then opened the coffin lids.
"The coffin wasn't sealed with nails, so the two of us opened it very easily."
"There were no bodies in the two coffins, only some scattered dried flowers. As someone in the funeral industry, I know that different regions have different customs. These dried flowers placed in the empty coffins should be the custom of Fengmen Village."
"After closing the coffin lid, the two of us found the candles in the room and lit them."
"I must say, the facilities in the room are quite complete, everything you need is there, it seems to be waiting for the next batch of people to arrive."
"After nightfall, Qi Ning and I did not rush to take action. We had come in a hurry today and had not learned about the village in detail. In addition, we were wary of the village's 'customs', so we decided to take action tomorrow morning."
"Qining and I talked for a long time that night, until almost midnight. We turned off the lights, but we didn't go back to our room to sleep."
"We were all waiting for something to happen, and then, it happened."
"The bell hanging at the door rang. Someone's coming in!"
"Qining and I exchanged a glance, hid the things, and then each found a place to hide. I chose under the bed, and Qining chose the cabinet."
"My choice meant I could only see a portion of the area. Just as I calmed down to listen to the sounds below, a pair of feet walked in from the doorway."
"I'm certain I didn't hear a sound before those feet came in. Immediately, I gripped the Seven Star Peach Wood Sword tightly, waiting for Qi Ning to unleash his power."
"But even after the owner of those feet walked to the bedside and got into bed, I still didn't see Qi Ning make a move."
"Qi Ning, what are you doing?"
Time passed second by second, maybe five minutes, maybe ten minutes, but I felt I couldn't wait any longer.
"So I slowly moved towards the edge of the bed, the peach wood sword protecting my face the whole time."
"When I poked my head out from under the bed, the first thing I looked at was the bed."
"Across from me were a pair of eerie green eyes, only the height of a bed away."
"I instinctively reached under the bed and plunged the sword into the figure that had sent chills down my spine."
A piercing scream rang out, and the other party vanished.
I quickly crawled out from under the bed, went to the cabinet, and opened the cabinet door. Inside, Qi Ning looked at me with a look of surprise and uncertainty, asking me why I didn't hide properly.
After I recounted what had just happened, Qi Ning's expression turned somewhat grim, and he said, "You were blinded by a ghost!"
"Qi Ning, I didn't see anything just now!"
Suddenly, I remembered the Illusion-Breaking Talisman that I had traded with Zhong Cai before. I took it out and activated it.
"The illusion-breaking talisman burned out, and a pair of hands slowly pulled it away from my sight."
"Looking at the room full of eerie green eyes, and at Qi Ning lying motionless with wide eyes in the closet, I realized then that it wasn't Qi Ning who was blinded by a ghost, it was me!"
"I fought back and killed all night."
"I died, I died of exhaustion."
……
(End of this chapter)