Chapter 69

When they arrived at Hu Daniu's house, they found that Hu Daniu was already dead.

The body lay below the coffin, covered in water that had not yet dried, looking as if he had been dragged ashore after drowning in the river. However, it was clear that Hu Daniu had not actually drowned, as his body was abnormally shriveled. If not for the water, he would have looked like a mummy that had been desiccated for years.

His eye sockets were deeply sunken, and his body was nothing but skin and bones. His face, twisted in a grimace, still bore the fear and pain of his final moments.

Seeing Hu Daniu's tragic death at home, Xia Tianqi and Leng Yue both looked extremely grim, as it was clear they had underestimated the speed at which the female ghost was killing.

They had previously thought their investigation was proceeding quickly, but now it seemed that was just their perception. The reality was far different from what they had initially imagined.

Since they did not know if the female ghost was still around, Leng Yue and Xia Tianqi approached the coffin very cautiously to avoid being ambushed by the vengeful ghost.

Fortunately, their fears did not materialize. The female ghost seemed to have left, leaving behind only an empty coffin.

Xia Tianqi looked down into the coffin and found it empty, as if it were a newly made one. However, they were well aware of what had been inside it before.

They were not unfamiliar with scenes like Hu Daniu's tragic death, as they had already witnessed something similar at Chen Lao's house earlier in the day. They had seen Chen Cong, a large man, turn into a dehydrated corpse, which was almost identical to Hu Daniu's condition, except that Chen Cong was still barely alive.

Leng Yue stared at the coffin containing the female ghost without speaking, while Xia Tianqi, after some thought, said:

"Hu Daniu's death confirms our earlier suspicions. Chen Lao's close associates are indeed involved with the female ghost, but we don't know the specifics of their involvement."

In the afternoon, after learning that Chen Lao had several close associates in the village, including Hu Daniu, Xia Tianqi had decided to use these people to uncover the details of the incident. However, they had barely started their investigation when one of these people was already dead.

"I think this female ghost is a water ghost. Although it doesn't drown people, it causes them to die from dehydration, which is far more painful than drowning. I can't even imagine what Chen Lao and his associates might have done to the ghost."

After saying this, Xia Tianqi glanced at Leng Yue, who was still staring at the coffin, and asked somewhat irritably:

"Have you had enough of looking? Are you even listening to me?"

"I am listening," Leng Yue nodded symbolically and then turned to Xia Tianqi, saying:

"Give me the lighter."

"Are you going to burn the coffin? No way."

Xia Tianqi guessed Leng Yue's intention and quickly refused, saying:

"Regardless of whether this coffin is important to the female ghost, if we burn it, it would be like declaring war on her. It would be no different from directly getting involved."

"I just want to take a look."

Leng Yue either did not have this intention from the start or changed her mind after hearing Xia Tianqi's words, as she did not ask for the lighter again.

They could not determine where the female ghost had gone or if she would kill again tonight. However, it was clear that Hu Daniu was now a corpse, and a corpse could not speak to reveal the truth. Therefore, staying there was pointless.

Xia Tianqi suggested they visit another person closely related to the incident, and so he and Leng Yue went to the home of Old Wang, who had just experienced a great shock.

As they were about to knock on the door, Old Wang, looking terrified, rushed out. If not for Xia Tianqi's quick reflexes, they would have collided.

"Mr. Wang, Mr. Wang, right?"

Xia Tianqi recognized Old Wang despite the dim light, as he had met him at Chen Lao's house and had memorized the names of the people there.

Old Wang, already on edge, was easily startled. When suddenly stopped by two dark figures, he let out a series of terrified screams.

"Ah!"

Xia Tianqi and Leng Yue were somewhat puzzled by Old Wang's outburst, but then Xia Tianqi realized a possibility. He thought Old Wang might have witnessed Hu Daniu's tragic death, which explained his state.

Holding Old Wang's shoulders to calm him down, Xia Tianqi forcefully dragged him out of the house, fearing that his shouting would alert others inside.

Covering Old Wang's mouth to calm him, Xia Tianqi reassured him:

"Look carefully, we are not ghosts, we are people. Don't be afraid. If you don't believe me, look, Xiaonie is here."

Despite Leng Yue's disapproving look, Xia Tianqi repeated this several times until Old Wang finally calmed down and asked:

"What do you want?"

"To ask you some questions," Xia Tianqi said, not wanting Leng Yue to waste time with evasive answers.

"What questions?"

"About Chen Lao's daughter-in-law, Xiaoli."

"Xiaoli." When Old Wang heard the name "Xiaoli," his body visibly trembled, and his face, which had just begun to calm, turned dark again.

"How would I know about her? If you want to ask, you should go to Chen Lao."

Old Wang swallowed hard and said in a stiff tone.

Whether someone is telling the truth or lying can often be discerned from their tone and expression, especially someone like Old Wang, who rarely lies. It was clear he was lying.

"Do you really not know?" Xia Tianqi pressed.

"Of course I don't know. Are you done? Let me go, I have something to do."

Old Wang struggled to break free from Xia Tianqi and Leng Yue, but they did not loosen their grip. He pulled hard but could not escape.

After several attempts, Xia Tianqi lost his patience. However, considering they were at Old Wang's doorstep, shouting could attract unnecessary trouble, or even the vengeful ghost, so Xia Tianqi decided to take Old Wang to a secluded place.

Since Old Wang would not cooperate, Xia Tianqi resorted to force, covering his mouth and, with Leng Yue's help, dragging him to Hu Daniu's yard.

Old Wang struggled at first, but when he saw Hu Daniu's shriveled corpse, he fell silent, his eyes becoming hollow.

Xia Tianqi then said in a cold tone:

"Chen Cong turned into a dehydrated corpse, barely alive. Hu Daniu's body is here, completely desiccated. We want to know why this happened, and we believe you know more than we do. But there is one thing we know better than you: if you do not tell us the truth, you will meet the same fate.

We can promise not to reveal what you tell us today. Of course, you have no choice. If you tell us, we might be able to help you. If you don't, you are doomed."

...