Chapter 4

Tian Ge! Yu Xiaoxue was trembling violently, and I could feel the chill all over her body.

However, the warmth of the young girl and the bulge in her chest made me awkwardly prepare to comfort her with a few words, but the door suddenly seemed to be pushed open again, wide open!

Sister-in-law pulled at the corner of my clothes, and I immediately stood up in shock, even pulling Yu Xiaoxue back two steps.

Outside the door, a group of people had gathered at some point, all with pale, greenish faces. Had they not eaten for two days? I thought to myself.

But I recognized these people; they were the uncles and aunts from the village, and even many children.

Most of the young people had gone out to work, leaving mostly middle-aged and elderly people and children.

Did they all come to offer incense?

Soon, my originally warm expression gradually stiffened, as these people had no intention of moving forward.

Uncle Li, Aunt Li, did you come to offer incense? I calmed my fear and asked the middle-aged couple standing in the middle of the crowd from a distance.

What made my heart chill even more was that Uncle Li and Aunt Li seemed not to have heard me at all, staring blankly at the incense in the basin.

A few children were sucking their fingers, looking as if they had eaten candy, giggling. To me, their smiles were sinister and terrifying.

Could it be...

My heart raced wildly, and a chill seemed to surge toward me from all directions. I found my legs trembling involuntarily because these things I never believed in were now overwhelming my senses.

Yu Xiaoxue stammered, "Brother Tian, they... they won't come in to offer incense. When I burn incense, they just stand at the door and watch. Once the incense is extinguished, they leave. I call them, but they don't respond." Her face had turned as white as paper from fear.

After hearing this, my mind exploded: "Yu Xiaoxue, Yu Xiaoxue, should I say you are innocent and naive, or that you are thick-headed and brainless? Didn't you notice anything wrong with the incense burning so quickly? It's those things in front of you eating it!"

I was in a dilemma; the incense couldn't be extinguished, but once it burned, it would attract these dirty things. I had never seen ghosts before, but now, I saw a whole group of them!

Can you see them?

Yu Xiaoxue nodded like a chick pecking: "Yes!"

You don't know what they are? I stared at Yu Xiaoxue in confusion, speechless. What kind of brain does this girl have!

Yu Xiaoxue first shook her head, then seemed to understand, covering her mouth and unable to say a word.

Even if Yu Xiaoxue were like this, it would be the first time I had seen such ghostly things.

Sister-in-law pulled at the corner of my clothes, showing no sign of letting go. I couldn't take a step forward, of course, I didn't dare to get close to them. I could only watch them enjoy the incense.

Grandma said that those who come into contact with spirits would fall seriously ill or lose their souls. I often fell ill because I had come into contact with spirits too much in the past.

As the fastest-burning incense stick was extinguished, some of them began to slowly turn their heads toward Yu Xiaoxue and me, as if they wanted to come in, but something seemed to be blocking them at the door.

Brother Tian, my father's soul is also outside, but no matter how I call him these two days, he doesn't respond. When I get close to him, he walks away. Even when I run home, he hides from me. Yu Xiaoxue's eyes were red, and she was at a loss.

Uncle Yu Gen's soul was indeed outside, mingling with the crowd, relatively far away.

I was shocked to see that Yu Xiaoxue was showing signs of mental breakdown. It seemed she wasn't entirely innocent and naive but had encountered something she couldn't let go of, which had caused a significant memory gap, affecting her perception.

I started thinking about Zhang Yidan and changed the subject: "Where is your brother Yidan? Have you seen him?"

Yu Xiaoxue came to her senses when I asked: "On the day Grandma passed away, Brother Yidan took his wife out of the village and never came back."

I sighed in relief but then lost my composure again: "Yidan took his wife? Why did I see him alone on the way into the village? It's been two days since he left the village!"

Could it be...

Zhang Yidan is dead?

I was sad. My friend was dead, and now Yu Xiaoxue and I were like clowns on a stage, being observed by those things outside. We might not last much longer.

I almost wanted to close the door, but I couldn't leave my spot. Sister-in-law was tightly holding me, preventing me from moving.

As I was thinking of other ways, the two doors began to creak. I suddenly looked outside, and Uncle Li, Aunt Li, and the villagers all had a strange, half-smiling expression on their ashen faces.

Burn incense! Seeing the last incense stick in the ash tray burn out, I quickly told Yu Xiaoxue to keep the incense burning, at least until dawn.

After my arrival, Yu Xiaoxue seemed to have become more clear-headed, sensing the situation's severity. Her small body trembled as she took a few incense sticks and lit them.

This time, the incense sticks were of varying lengths, still the evil incense. It seemed we wouldn't be able to escape this night.

After the incense burned, the surrounding cold wind slowed down, and the group of spirits outside the door stopped being restless. The most important thing was that Sister-in-law let go, giving me a temporary relief.

But then I suddenly thought about why Yu Xiaoxue, the only living person in the village, could still be safe in Xiaoyi Village.

Xue, think carefully. What was Grandma doing before she passed away? What were the villagers doing? When did these spirits appear? I asked her without showing any emotion.

Hearing the word "spirits," Yu Xiaoxue's face instantly lost all color, and she sat down beside me, hugging her knees.

Two days before Grandma passed away, she made all the people in Xiaoyi Village pack their things and leave. I didn't know what had happened at the time, and the adults were in chaos. Those with elderly at home gradually left, but some of the elderly, who were attached to their homes, didn't leave.

Yu Xiaoxue recalled with lingering fear and glanced at Uncle Li and Aunt Li at the door.

Uncle Li, whose real name is Li Changkun, was the village chief. It was normal for him not to leave, and his decision not to leave would greatly influence most people.

As for those with elderly at home, they were the people who had lived in Xiaoyi Village since Grandma arrived. They knew Grandma's abilities, while the young people, who hadn't experienced any evil events, didn't trust her.

Grandma tried to persuade them for a long time, but it was in vain. She then asked me to persuade my father to talk to Uncle Li, but my father didn't listen to me. After Grandma passed away, a thick fog enveloped Xiaoyi Village, and everyone started to have colds, fevers, and then cough up blood.

Yu Xiaoxue's chest began to rise and fall noticeably, and she looked fearfully at Uncle Yu Gen, who was staring into the room, and said hesitantly, "I remember I also had a cold and fever, but after sleeping for two days and two nights, I woke up and was fine. My father seemed to be fine too, but he kept avoiding me."

According to Yu Xiaoxue, Grandma's death caused a thick fog to envelop Xiaoyi Village, which was the cause of everyone's death. However, in this era, it was absurd that a cold and fever could be fatal.

I didn't know why Yu Xiaoxue didn't die when everyone else in Xiaoyi Village did, but I quickly attributed it to Grandma. Perhaps she had given Yu Xiaoxue a powerful talisman to ward off evil.

Like the talisman I had, I immediately took it out and tried to wave it a few times. The next moment, both Yu Xiaoxue and I saw the spirits outside become unstable, indicating that the talisman was the reason they couldn't get close to us.

The talisman is made from pure yang essence and can communicate with spirits and ward off evil.

However, I also noticed that the talisman had become much darker in color, suggesting that it wouldn't last much longer. When it lost its power, it would be the end for Yu Xiaoxue and me.

Have you seen this thing? The only explanation for why Yu Xiaoxue has been safe for the past few days is that she also has this talisman.

It's Grandma's talisman! Yu Xiaoxue answered, her eyes wide and her mouth covered.

She must have also seen the spirits at the door become unstable. If she still thought they were people, she would be insane.

It seems you know about this. I nodded.

A few days ago, Grandma burned the talisman into a potion and made me drink it. It was so disgusting. Yu Xiaoxue's face was pale, and she was trying to accept the fact that the things outside were spirits.

I slapped my forehead: "Yes! How could I forget that! The talisman can be burned and mixed with water to drink, which increases its effectiveness! Holding it in hand is just for show, and its effectiveness is greatly reduced."

I picked up a disposable cup and was about to burn the talisman, but Sister-in-law pulled me back.

I suddenly looked outside and saw that Uncle Li and Aunt Li's eyes were bulging, and their faces were twisted into a sinister smile. They seemed to be planning to pounce on me while I burned the talisman. At that moment, even if Grandma's door god was powerful, a group of spirits could still overwhelm me.

I quickly put the talisman back in my wallet, thinking how dangerous it was and how close I was to making a foolish mistake.

Yu Xiaoxue didn't understand and asked why I didn't do the same as her. I had to pretend that I couldn't get used to it.

The incense is about to burn out. I told Yu Xiaoxue to keep burning it and started to think about what to do next.

Based on the time it takes for the talisman's characters to disappear, I could last at most two or three more days. As for how long Yu Xiaoxue could last, I didn't know, but from her current state, it wouldn't be long. After all, staying in a place full of evil spirits for a few days, even if she didn't die, she wouldn't be in good shape.

Once the yin energy overpowered her yang energy, her death would be imminent. This time, it wouldn't be a cold, but coughing up blood, and then she would die.

I couldn't think of a solution because I had never encountered such a situation before. After much thought, I decided to go to Grandma's bedroom to see if I could find more talismans or any clues she left behind.

To save Yu Xiaoxue, I ignored Sister-in-law's resistance and stood up to go to Grandma's bedroom, but in the blink of an eye, I was pulled back by the corner of my clothes.

I was angry and tried to pull away from Sister-in-law's hand, but a solid feeling came over me, and my heart sank: "Sister-in-law, are you also joining in the fun?"