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墨書 Inktalez
Life has never been a precious thing, especially when it has nothing to do with oneself.
From my inquiries, I learned that the corpse on the sedan chair was not obtained by Wei Erge and his gang, but rather was found by those involved in the Ghost Marriage themselves. I have no idea whether they made some sort of deal with someone or simply dragged the body out from a grave.
Wei Erge's purpose for coming here was not to sell corpses; instead, they had accepted money from Zhao Mingkun to carry out a task. As for what that task was, I naturally had no right to know.
When we saw the corpse again, it stood upright in a makeshift Shed.
The Shed was about ten square meters, constructed in a rectangular shape. Metal pillars supported a black canvas roof, leaving only an entrance at the north. The corpse stood in the center of the Shed, flanked by a row of chairs, with two armchairs facing south, presumably for the groom's parents to sit in later.
Long metal pillars inside the Shed were adorned with rows of candle holders wrapped in iron wire, each holding red candles that flickered gently in the breeze.
Outside the Shed lay heaps of Joss Paper, Paper Villas, Paper Furniture, and Paper Cars. Two paper effigies of children stood guard on either side of the entrance, creating an eerie atmosphere.
This Shed was set up at the foot of the mountain outside the county, about a twenty-minute walk from town. Inside the Shed, there were no wires; it relied solely on these candles for illumination. However, the candles burned brightly enough to clearly reveal the situation inside.
At this moment, we crouched on a small hillock directly opposite the Shed's entrance.
I recalled watching this corpse sitting on the sedan chair singing at noon; it still sent chills down my spine.
But now I finally got a good look at the face of this female corpse. I had to admit that this woman must have been beautiful in life. Even in death, she still exuded an enchanting allure.
Her face had been made up with blush and lipstick; compared to when she sat on the sedan chair earlier, she appeared somewhat more vibrant, almost resembling a living person.
If it weren't for the mournful singing and eerie atmosphere surrounding us, one might feel compelled to step forward and examine her closely.
At this moment, this stunning female corpse wore a bright red Chinese Long Skirt that enveloped her entirely. From her appearance, we could not discern how she had died. A wide wooden board was clearly visible around her neck, seemingly used to support her standing posture.
"Once she's buried later, I must break into the Tomb Entrance and have some fun with this lady. I can't help it; just thinking about it makes me restless."
The voice of Old Six echoed beside me, and I turned to see him staring lewdly at the female corpse in the makeshift shed, his eyes bulging as if they might pop out of their sockets. He was twitching slightly, and soon, a wet patch appeared on his pants.
It was clear that Old Six had just... well, you know.
I stared at Old Six in disbelief.
Zhao Mingkun frowned, glancing at the wet spot on Old Six's pants. She then kicked him in the rear and said, "Go change your pants. Remember why we’re here."
Old Six chuckled and walked away.
Wei Erge looked at the young man beside him and said, "San'er, keep an eye on Old Six. We’ve got things to retrieve from that house, and Old Six might give us a show with his Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell."
With that, Wei Erge glanced over at Zhao Mingkun.
Zhao Mingkun turned her head and replied coolly, "I'm not interested in your stuff. You know why I'm here. Just help me find him; everything else is secondary."
The exchange between the two left me puzzled, shrouded in mystery.
However, during our brief time together, I realized one thing: Zhao Mingkun did not belong to this team; she was merely collaborating with Wei Erge's group. It seemed that Wei Erge's team wasn't entirely united either; otherwise, he wouldn't have asked San'er to keep an eye on Old Six.
Seeing my bewildered expression, Wei Erge chuckled. "That Old Six has a thing for corpses—it's called necrophilia or something like that. Every time we go tomb raiding, he can't resist getting cozy with the bodies inside. Even the decayed ones don’t escape his attention."
"So we all think he’s a bit creepy," Wei Erge continued. "But to be fair, it’s not entirely his fault."
He checked his phone; there was still some time before the Ghost Marriage.
He went on, "Old Six's father had the same issue. When Old Six was about seven or eight years old, his mother was caught cheating by his father. At that time, he didn’t make a fuss about it; it was as if nothing had happened. The couple even slept in the same bed that night."
"That night, Old Six heard something unusual and went to check on his parents' room. The light was on in their room, and as Old Six pushed the door open, he saw his father on top of his mother, doing something unspeakable, while one of his father's hands was tightly gripping his mother's neck."
"At that moment, Old Six was frozen in shock, staring blankly. His mother was still alive then, struggling with her hands and feet. When she saw Old Six enter, she looked at him with pleading eyes, but Old Six was already at a loss. His father continued what he was doing while choking his mother to death."
"His father told Old Six that his mother was nothing but a whore, and it didn't matter if she died. Old Six, confused and scared, didn't dare tell anyone. It wasn't until more than a week later that the neighbors sensed something was wrong and uncovered the truth. When the police came to arrest his father, he was still with the corpse, which had decayed beyond recognition."
At this point, everyone sighed. Wei Erge said, "After that, no one cared about Old Six. He did whatever it took to survive. Eventually, he met a master who learned about his plight. Seeing him pitiful, the master took him in and taught him the skills of a Grave Robber. Among us six apprentices, he is the youngest."
"Later on during grave robbing, he became interested in corpses and eventually stopped hiding it from us. Being around corpses all the time affected him deeply; he became quite twisted. He looks like he's in his thirties, but he's actually around your age! We initially thought about finding a girl for him to help change this habit. But there was no way; apart from corpses, there wasn't a living person who could arouse him."
Qian Er interjected at this point, "I think he's become too twisted; we should kick him out quickly. Last time with San'er, it almost ended in tragedy."
"He's still our brother," Wei Erge shook his head.
Zhao Mingkun's voice came through: "It's eleven-thirty; the groom is coming."
As Zhao Mingkun's words fell silent, the sound of a suona echoed through the quiet Foot of the Mountain. Although it played festive tunes, in such an eerie environment, it sent chills down my spine.
Following the sound of the suona, I could only see a lantern moving in the darkness.
"Remember what I asked you to help me with," Zhao Mingkun said to everyone.
Everyone responded affirmatively.
Zhao Mingkun looked at me and said calmly, "Brother, you stay here and don't run around, understood?"
I didn't know what Zhao Mingkun and the others were planning to do, but staying here was definitely not an option for me.
But I still said, "Alright, just give me a shout when you're leaving. I don't know what you all are up to, but it looks pretty exciting."
Zhao Mingkun patted my head and fell silent.
The lantern was getting closer, and I gradually began to see the faces of these people.
The one holding the lantern was the same guide who had carried the dog's head at noon, and behind him were those Bearers. However, instead of a palanquin, the Bearers were now carrying a large coffin. Judging by its width, it could easily hold two bodies; it seemed this was a joint burial coffin.
"Lower!" the Leader slowly placed the lantern on the ground.
The people around gathered on one side of the coffin, quietly waiting for it to be opened.
"Please, parents, remove the first nail!" the Leader shouted loudly.
Two men and women in their fifties stepped out from the crowd, took the tools handed to them by others, and removed the two nails at the front of the coffin.
But as soon as the nails were pulled out, bright red blood flowed from the black coffin lid.
"Ah!" The middle-aged woman was clearly startled.
The surrounding people were equally shocked; even we on the hilltop gasped at this sight.
The person playing the suona also dared not continue; the mournful sound from the horn was silenced. The Foot of the Mountain was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop; no one dared to speak. Despite having conducted countless Ghost Marriages, even the Leader might have been seeing such a scene for the first time.
"Master, what... what is happening?" the Groom's Father asked with a trembling voice.
"I... I don't know either," the Leader replied. "Regardless, we must open the coffin and take a look."
I asked, "How long has their son been dead?"
"Wei Erge replied, "From what we understand, it's been a while."
"That's ridiculous," Qian San said. "How could a dead person's blood be this fresh? Wait, how can a dead person even bleed?"
Zhao Mingkun waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet. "There's only one possibility: the one in the coffin isn't his son at all. Today's plan might have to be canceled. I'll let you know when we can act."
As he spoke, the Leader had already begun prying open the coffin lid. At this moment, no one cared about the Ghost Marriage ritual; they needed to get the coffin open first. A few Young Adults joined in to help pry the lid off, and within seconds, there was a loud crash as the coffin fell to the ground, revealing the person inside.
His throat had been cut, blood pouring out continuously. It seemed his trachea had also been severed, which was why he couldn't make a sound; he had been carried all this way without being able to call for help.
If it weren't for Zhao Mingkun's quick reflexes in grabbing Wei Erge's shoulder, Wei Erge would have likely dashed down the mountain toward the coffin by now.
"Oh my god, how could it be him!" I couldn't help but mutter.
Everyone's faces turned serious because lying in the coffin was none other than San'er, who had left earlier!
But hadn't he gone off with Old Six? How could he end up dead in the coffin?
Could Old Six be the one who killed him?
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