Chapter 63

Despite not believing the nonsense Chen Cong had just spouted, Chen Lao Da still decided to go and take a look at the coffin, just to put his mind at ease. △

Over the past two days, he had not been getting much rest. No matter what he did, he was always particularly listless. As soon as he stopped and the surroundings became quiet, his mind was filled with the tragic scene of Xiao Li's body floating in the Hulu River.

That day was truly bizarre.

If Xiao Li had died by accident or if there were no such entanglements with his family, it would have been better. However, the reality was clearly not like that.

Xiao Li's suicide was almost entirely their fault; they had driven her to it.

As the saying goes, "If you have a clear conscience, you won't be afraid of ghosts." Because they had a guilty conscience, when Chen Cong repeatedly shouted that Xiao Li was not dead and had returned, he became so furious and so terrified.

Therefore, he decided to go and take a look. After all, seeing is believing. He just needed to open the coffin and see if the body was still there.

The rain continued, showing no signs of stopping. The courtyard was full of mud from the rain. Chen Lao Da hadn't walked far when his slippers were already covered in mud.

"This damned rain, it just won't stop!"

Ignoring the mud on his shoes, Chen Lao Da walked straight to the center of the courtyard where the coffin was placed. He stopped and carefully shone his flashlight on it, but found nothing unusual about the coffin.

The only difference was that the color of the coffin seemed darker than before. It had been a bright red, but now it looked more like the color of blood.

Although he noticed the change in color, Chen Lao Da was not at all alarmed. To him, it was a normal occurrence, given that the coffin had been exposed to the rain and sun for several days. It would be strange if it hadn't changed color.

He realized that he hadn't noticed this change before because he hadn't been paying attention.

Next, he shone the flashlight on the ground near the coffin and noticed several pools of red water mixed with paint. The pools of red water were connected, and under the flashlight's beam, they looked like a woman's shadow, constantly grinning and beckoning to him.

Chen Lao Da knew this was just his mind playing tricks on him, a manifestation of his inner demons. So, he stopped looking at the red water and focused all his attention on the coffin in front of him.

Without a doubt, he wanted to open the coffin.

But thinking about it was one thing; actually doing it was another. He still couldn't forget Xiao Li's tragic appearance. If he saw it again, it would torment him for days.

However, if he didn't open the coffin, he wouldn't be able to put his mind at ease. What if Chen Cong was telling the truth?

Chen Lao Da clenched his flashlight and struggled with his decision, but soon he made up his mind.

His decision was to open the coffin!

Chen Lao Da found an iron hook from the corner of the courtyard and used it to hook the gap between the coffin lid. With a sudden force, he pried the lid, causing it to shift slightly.

Although not much was revealed, it was enough for him to reach his hand into the coffin.

He didn't have the courage to look at Xiao Li's dead face again, but touching the body to confirm its presence was not too difficult for him.

For some reason, the smell of decay was absent, and no foul odor came from the coffin when it was opened.

In fact, Chen Lao Da didn't care if the body had decayed or smelled. What he cared about, or rather, what he was concerned about, was whether Xiao Li's body was still in the coffin.

Turning his body slightly, Chen Lao Da tensely extended his hand into the coffin, slowly probing the interior.

During this process, he seemed to touch something that felt like hair. He instinctively wanted to pull back his hand, but he gritted his teeth and continued, eventually touching a cold, icy face!

"Ahh—!"

Chen Lao Da involuntarily let out a scream, pulling his hand back as if he had been electrocuted. He then panted heavily.

After a while, he calmed down and closed the coffin lid again.

Before the lid was fully closed, he glanced inside for a moment. Whether it was an illusion or not, he saw two blood-red spots of light.

Then, the lid was completely closed.

"Phew—!"

Chen Lao Da let out a long sigh, temporarily resolving his anxiety. At least he wouldn't have insomnia tonight. Moreover, he decided to find Hu Da Niu, the coffin maker in the village, the next day to choose a place to dispose of the body.

He now regretted not listening to his wife. If he had burned and buried the body earlier, he wouldn't have been so restless these past few days.

"Ah."

Sighing in distress, Chen Lao Da took one last look at the coffin before heading back to the house, ensuring there were no abnormalities. He walked back with a slightly hunched posture.

The courtyard, adorned with a cold and gloomy atmosphere, held a blood-red coffin lying quietly. Raindrops fell onto the coffin, turning into blood-like streams that trickled down the sides and onto the muddy ground.

Inside the coffin, a "woman" lay submerged in water, her blood-red eyes fixed on the lid that had just been opened.

...

The long rainy night passed, but the sky remained overcast the next day. Chen Lao Da had not come to wake them, so Xia Tianqi slept in until the afternoon.

Looking around the room, he didn't see the cold-hearted person, who had gone off somewhere.

Stretching lazily, Xia Tianqi felt a terrible soreness all over his body, probably from the bumpy journey. He felt like he was already half-dead before even starting to work hard.

"Did that cold-hearted person go off to investigate on her own?"

Just as Xia Tianqi was about to go out to check, he ran into Leng Yue, who had just returned.

"Where did you go?"

"Toilet."

"Toilet? Did you spend so long in the toilet because you're constipated?"

"..."

Teasing Leng Yue a bit, Xia Tianqi felt a sense of relief. What good is a high IQ? Having a good mouth is more important.

Of course, Leng Yue was the type who didn't bother to respond to such remarks. He would let Xia Tianqi say whatever he wanted unless it hit a sore spot.

After washing up with some water, they met Chen Lao Da again, who looked listless and much worse than the night before.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't sleep well last night and only just woke up. Please wait a moment; I'll have my wife prepare some food for you."

"There's no need for that. We brought some compressed food with us. Now, we—"

Xia Tianqi was about to say they had something to do outside, but before he could finish, Chen Lao Da's wife ran out of the house, crying and calling out anxiously:

"Come in quickly and take a look! I don't know what's wrong with my son!"