Chapter 65

The female ghost's roar was extremely piercing. Xia Tianqi felt as if his eardrums were about to burst, and he also experienced a strong dizziness, causing him to involuntarily step backward. Fortunately, Leng Yue promptly stepped forward to support him, fulfilling her duty as a "bodyguard."

"Are you okay?" Leng Yue's voice sounded somewhat cold.

"Can I say I am?" Xia Tianqi subconsciously touched his ears, fortunately, his eardrums were not ruptured. However, when he caught his breath and looked at the bed again, the female ghost had already disappeared.

Only Chen Cong, who looked like a dead dog, remained unconscious, with only a last breath left.

After the female ghost's warning, neither Xia Tianqi nor Leng Yue dared to touch Chen Cong. To be honest, given his current dehydrated, emaciated state, he probably didn't have much time left.

"I'm going outside the door."

After telling Leng Yue, Xia Tianqi lit a cigarette and walked out of the house. In the courtyard, he looked up at the still overcast sky, took a deep drag on his cigarette, and then exhaled slowly.

Despite not wanting to admit it, he was indeed terrified at that moment. Because even a big fat man like Chen Cong had become emaciated in just a few minutes. If it were someone like him with little body fat, he would have turned into a zombie in seconds.

Thinking about the possibility of being killed in some bizarre way in the future, Xia Tianqi felt as cold as ice all over. The negative emotions that he had suppressed began to stir restlessly.

"Truly a path with no return."

Xia Tianqi took another deep drag on his cigarette and squatted down in silence.

They didn't have to wait long before Chen Lao, along with five or six villagers, returned. Among them, only one short person in a white coat was a doctor. The rest were Chen Lao's confidants, there to lend a hand.

Xia Tianqi and Leng Yue both knew that Chen Cong was doomed, and even a god's intervention would be futile. So they didn't stay any longer, remembering the faces and names of the people who came, and then temporarily left Chen Lao's residence.

"Didn't you find that listening to me was right? I said if we got involved, the female ghost would definitely not let us off. Look, we haven't done anything yet, and we've already received a death warning from her."

Thinking about the female ghost's warning, Xia Tianqi felt a chill down his back and couldn't help but look back.

However, through this warning, they were even more certain that they must not rashly intervene, or it would definitely provoke the female ghost's retaliation. He didn't want to become the next Chen Cong, turned into a mummy alive.

"This isn't an easy matter to handle."

Xia Tianqi thought Leng Yue would say something like, "You are indeed very capable," or "You are truly amazing." At the very least, he expected some acknowledgment of his talent. But to his surprise, she only said this lukewarm sentence, completely ignoring his previous wise decision.

"What do you mean it's not easy to handle? Yue Yue, are we on the same wavelength?"

"I mean dealing with that vengeful ghost." Leng Yue glared at Xia Tianqi fiercely, clearly displeased with the nickname "Yue Yue." She continued:

"The vengeful ghost is not only terrifying because of its power but also because it has the potential to become even stronger. In simple terms, the more people it kills, the more terrifying it becomes, and the less it retains its sanity.

So, if we continue to let it grow unchecked, it might kill everyone in Hu Lu Village. When that happens, do you think it will let us off?"

After hearing Leng Yue, Xia Tianqi abruptly stopped, looking at her with a grim expression:

"What do you think we should do?"

Leng Yue didn't say anything, just shook her head, clearly having no ideas to offer.

"I knew I couldn't count on you!"

This time, Xia Tianqi glared fiercely at Leng Yue. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"We don't need to change our overall plan. We just need to investigate the truth before the female ghost goes on a killing spree. If we can't do it openly, we'll do it covertly. I don't believe that, besides Chen Lao's family, no one else in Hu Lu Village knows the truth."

Xia Tianqi and Leng Yue originally had a shortcut, which was to reveal their identities to Chen Lao and offer to protect his family in exchange for the truth about the woman turning into a vengeful ghost.

But after the female ghost's warning, they definitely dared not reveal their intentions directly. So they had to start with the other villagers and find out the truth before the female ghost went on a killing spree.

"Let's do it your way."

Since Leng Yue agreed to act as Xia Tianqi's "bodyguard" in this matter, she no longer acted as capriciously as before. Her overly affectionate behavior had also become more restrained, whether due to Xia Tianqi's ridicule or her own realization.

On the other hand, at Chen Lao's house.

"V... Village Chief, I'm not sure about this. Why don't we send him to the county hospital? I might make a mistake with my limited skills."

After examining Chen Cong, the village doctor, drenched in cold sweat, said to Chen Lao. He expected Chen Lao to be furious and was even prepared to be beaten, but to his surprise, Chen Lao did not pursue the matter:

"I understand. How is Juan?"

"The village lady is fine, just shocked. I'll prescribe a sedative for her to take and rest for a couple of days. But..."

The village doctor wanted to say more but was interrupted by Chen Lao:

"I understand. I'll arrange for someone to go to town. You can go back now."

At this point, Chen Lao emphasized:

"Don't say anything when you get back."

"..."

The village doctor hurriedly left. Besides his unconscious wife and son, there were still four other people in the house, including the fast-talking man who had initially notified him to retrieve the body.

The four people all had grim expressions, looking like they wanted to say something but were afraid to speak out of fear.

After a while, Chen Lao said:

"I called you here for one reason: keep your mouths shut."

At this point, Chen Lao's gaze fell on a man dressed in tattered clothes, who looked like a beggar, and said:

"Hu Daniu, find a place to bury the coffin in the courtyard."

Hu Daniu ran a coffin shop in the village and also served as a fortune-teller for funerals. Hearing Chen Lao's order to bury the coffin, he immediately shook his head:

"That's not possible. It hasn't been seven days yet; we can't break the rules."

"Then take it to your house!"

Chen Lao's tone was firm, giving Hu Daniu no chance to refuse.

...

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