Awesome!

"What, what should we do?!"

"Yes, during the Ghost Festival, Wangcai's wife was doing laundry in the evening and came home a little late, missing the crowd. By the time they found her, she was all swollen from being soaked in water! Weidong was the same..."

"Hey, this is nothing. A couple of days ago, in the village below Dog Egg's uncle's house, an entire family was wiped out. More than a dozen people from one family all hanged themselves overnight! There are also more than a dozen people in the village who are sick or in pain. Didn't you see that Jianshe's family only has one son left, and no one from his uncle's family came? Jianshe's wife was so worried because several people in her family had fallen ill that she wanted to go and check on them before October 1st, but she didn't expect this to happen!"

"Well, what about Zhang the Blind? Isn't he a yin-yang master? Why don't we ask him for advice on what to do with our village?"

"..."

The clerk's intimidation was like a firecracker thrown by a brat at a pack of dogs.

In an instant, the voices of the people became noisy, and some even looked like they were about to grab the village chief and interrogate him.

However, since Liujia Village was predominantly inhabited by people with the surname Liu, the commotion quickly subsided when the men with the surname Liu stepped forward and swept their gazes across the village.

Inside the house, the atmosphere outside the courtyard was back under control. The official stood up and bowed deeply to the village chief: "Brother, I'm so sorry!"

"I know I shouldn't have done this, but I had no choice. When I led the militia on patrol last night, I noticed that the fog in the village was much thicker, and those things had started to move earlier. Several villagers living on the edge of the village heard the sounds of burning, killing, and arson at night."

This is just the eve of the festival, and it's already caused such a commotion. On the night of the Cold Clothes Festival, who knows, some houses might be broken into...

"But!" the officer's tone shifted abruptly, turning sharply to Zhang Wei, "It's not like we're completely helpless against these strange things!"

"Everyone knows the second son of the Jianshe family, right?"

"That night, one guy shot the wolf spirit, and last night he killed the old cat monkey on the mountain. He's definitely learned some skills! If we had his help, I wouldn't dare to boast too much, but if we prepared in advance, we might be able to save a few more people?"

Seeing the many villagers' attention drawn by the cadre's words, Zhang Wei remained expressionless and had no desire to pay any attention.

If he were an adult, he would at least use his brain to argue back, but since he is now a child and the only son in the family, Zhang Wei doesn't need to get involved in these matters at all!

Sure enough, Zhang Wei didn't even need to look up before the old man behind him retorted, "Damn it, I respectfully call you Officer Wang, but if I don't, you'll take advantage of me. Are you some kind of scoundrel?"

"You want to ruin my only son? What, you want to cut off the old man's bloodline? Fine, don't wait until tonight, it's now! Jianmin, Jiangang, Jianyong, go back and get your boys to gather some things, invite a few of those outsiders who haven't given us any face before, and have a fight with them right at the village hall entrance. It doesn't matter whose family is wiped out, there won't be any mourning or ancestral hall. Just leave the bodies on the village road as a blood sacrifice for those strange things tonight!"

The once frail old man now resembled an aging king of the forest, his gaze so intense that no one dared to meet his eyes directly.

"With offerings, the Cold Clothes Festival should pass peacefully, right, Officer Wang?"

The barrage of retorts left Wang, the cadre, flushed and dizzy, while the villagers who had been watching the commotion from inside and outside the house quickly swarmed around, pulling the three Liu brothers back tightly: "No, no, it really isn't that serious!"

"Brother Jianmin, although our families have a little disagreement, it hasn't come to this. I'll apologize to you, kowtow, and we'll consider this matter over, okay?"

"Seventh Brother, Third Uncle was just saying that in anger. Why don't you wait and wait for my father to speak?"

A group of people offered their advice in a cacophony of voices, occasionally casting reproachful glances at the person in charge.

Before the clerk spoke, they really thought the other party had some good ideas. But this was it? Not to mention Liu Laosan, who always had a bad temper, cutting off someone's family line and eliminating their descendants was something they would have called their families and fought with if it were them.

Amidst the rising anger, the old village chief patted his leg, stood up, and slowly said, "I'm old, I can't manage things anymore. Tomorrow, Jian Gong, take me to town, and I'll find someone to talk to and get me removed as village chief and replaced with someone else!"

"Brother, what are you saying!"

Seeing the village chief about to get up and leave, the sweat-drenched official quickly reached out and hugged him, pleading:

"I did act impulsively for a moment, but there's nothing I can do about it. The new mines in Zhuqianlin keep having accidents, and lately the higher-ups have been busy watching over there; they can't possibly care about us. And people like Blind Wang are rare; you might not find one in a whole village. These days, even those who have them are considered treasures, just keeping an eye on things in their own village. It's fine if they're just doing something to make money on weekdays, but during holidays, if you dare go to their door to invite them, they'll definitely beat you up!"

"Yes, I was a bit impulsive, but I was doing it for the good of our village. Here's what I'll do: I'll go ask Blind Wang for help, and find a shaman or geomancer from another village to help us. We'll bring the militia, and I'll go with you tonight. Can your dog, Gou Dan, help us out? Is that alright?"

"They're all fellow villagers; we can't just stand by and watch them get hurt, can we?"

"Okay, after tonight's events are over, I'll go to the funeral hall to wear mourning clothes. As for the follow-up... my uncle is the factory manager at the agricultural machinery factory. I'll ask for a few quotas to compensate my third brother's family. What do you think?"

"Pah, ptooey!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he spat a mouthful of phlegm onto the table.

The old village chief glanced at the phlegm stains on his teacup, then at the old man, raising and lowering his cane several times.

"Grandpa, may I say a few words?"

The old man stood up for himself, and while he was imposing, he also made the atmosphere tense. Judging from the excited state of the crowd, if he, as the person in charge, didn't step forward, almost half of the people present would be beaten up by their own people before the evil spirit knocked on their door that night.

Zhang Wei patted the old man's hand and jumped down from his arms: "Uncle Wang, there's no need for mourning clothes. I can wear them while I'm alive, and my cousins ​​can take my place when I'm gone. But there are at least four quotas: three for my uncles, one for each of my third aunts, and I'll accept any extras as a favor. As for who gets them, let my grandfather allocate them."

"If you agree, we have to set off tomorrow morning after tonight, and the formalities must be completed within three days. If you don't agree, we'll just consider this matter settled, how about that?"

Even if they were just passing relatives, or to put it bluntly, NPCs, and would part ways after completing the [silhouette], Zhang Wei had indeed received care in the past few days, so he had to be grateful.

Zhang Wei had given the allocation method some thought. It was easy to talk to others, but his third aunt... The night before last, his third aunt was even prepared to use her own child to replace the old cat and monkey. To be honest, this favor could not be repaid with just one job opportunity.

But it's better to pay back even a little than not at all!

As for the troublemaker, he wasn't exactly courting death, but since he offered benefits and Zhang Wei also wanted those spots, it was purely a transaction.

There's nothing to say about completing it smoothly, but if someone tries to sabotage it, Zhang Wei can certainly be a pure "player" for once!

"Alright, as long as you're willing to come, even if it means tearing my belt, I'll get you four spots. Even if it's unfair of me to give you more, there's nothing I can do!"

Zhang Wei waved his hand, saying it was just a matter of mutual benefit. Even without this incident today, he would still have to get through the Cold Clothes Festival. The only difference was whether he was cowardly or straightforward. Besides, he hadn't forgotten the "Ancestral Master's Watch" he carried on his shoulders.

[Silhouette] Zhang Wei didn't want to think about the final reward for now, but if he could get more rewards from the ancestor in the first [Silhouette], his future path would be smoother.

After agreeing to the agreement and comforting his family members who were crying and apologizing, Zhang Wei, accompanied by the old man and the clerk, went to Blind Wang's house.