Chapter 98 Corpse Transport, All for the Sake of Returning to One's Roots
Bai Lingzhu took the talisman and said, "Thank you, thank you, Qianqian, Brother Cheng. I know I was very rude before. Please forgive me, Qianqian."
The last two sentences were spoken in a soft and cloying way, giving Chen Cheng goosebumps.
"Going home?"
Zhang Qian asked coldly.
"Uh, go home, go home."
Chen Cheng replied awkwardly.
"Sissi".
Bai Lingzhu called out weakly.
Zhang Qian said calmly, "The feeling of losing something can never be found again."
After saying that, he walked out first, and Chen Cheng naturally followed closely behind.
When he got home, he saw that Zhang Qian looked sullen, so Chen Cheng didn't dare to ask her anything and obediently took a shower and went to bed.
Time flies, and the sweltering summer has quietly departed, replaced by the cool breeze of autumn. The sky has become higher and farther, and the sunlight is no longer as scorching as before, but gently shines on the earth. The autumn wind gently brushes against the cheeks, bringing a touch of coolness and freshness. Chen Cheng is still traveling between Fengjiang and Xijing. During this time, he has also helped two families resolve the issue of building burial sites for their residences. These matters can be big or small, and are usually discussed. Fortunately, the "friends" in the underworld are quite accommodating. Under Chen Cheng's earnest guidance, the two sides shook hands and made peace, either finding their own way out or becoming the guardian deities of the family heads.
That day, Jiang Shuang came to help him wash his clothes and bedding again. Chen Cheng felt very embarrassed, after all, he knew Jiang Shuang's feelings, but he couldn't give her the life she wanted.
"Xiao Shuang, you don't really need to work so hard."
"Brother Cheng, you don't need to worry about these things. Sister Qianqian is usually busy with work, so it's only right that I help you. Haven't you always treated me like a little sister?"
Jiang Shuang's smiling face revealed a deep sense of regret.
"Heh, what merit do I, Chen Cheng, possess to deserve this...?"
"Stop, you don't need to say anything more, this is what I should do."
Jiang Shuang smoothed her hair and said, "Brother Cheng, I should thank Sister Qianqian. With her by your side, I feel at ease. I don't have her courage and determination to be with you. I sincerely wish you two a long and happy life together, Brother Cheng..."
As she spoke, Jiang Shuang's eyes reddened, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Silly girl!"
Chen Cheng affectionately patted her head and said, "It depends on how much you want to think. I've always treated you like a little sister since we were little, and I still do now!"
After seeing Jiang Shuang, whose eyes were red from crying, off, Chen Cheng calmed himself down and prepared to make some small magical artifacts. Before he could even start, the phone rang.
"Hello, Team Leader Tian!"
"Xiao Cheng, there's a mission that requires your cooperation!"
"Please speak!"
"In the mountainous area of western Nanhu Province, a bizarre incident has occurred in which several livestock have been drained of their blood. The bureau initially suspects that it is caused by zombies. We are now dispatching Bai Tou Weng and you as the advance team to investigate and calm the public's panic. We will meet up with you after Master Xu Gongyi returns from overseas!"
"Okay, Team Leader Tian, Master Xu has gone overseas?"
"Let's not talk about that for now. The old man has already set off and should arrive at your place by evening. You must be careful!"
"Okay, Team Leader Tian, don't worry!"
After hanging up the phone, Chen Cheng immediately began preparations. The Soul-Stabilizing Needle and the Bagua Mirror came in handy. The Soul-Stabilizing Needle was a Taoist ritual implement made from coffin nails. It did not harm ghosts much, but it was extremely useful against zombies or those possessed by vengeful spirits. These ritual implements were taken from Building 13 and had been consecrated under the shrine of the patriarch, so they had become his own ritual implements!
Zhang Qian had originally asked him to go to Xijing tonight, but he had no choice but to give up. He took out his phone and sent her a message, which basically said that he had a simple task and needed to go out for a few days.
Less than a minute later, Zhang Qian called: "Where are you going? When are you coming back? Is it dangerous?"
These familiar three questions made Chen Cheng smile wryly: "The bureau sent us to Nanhu to investigate a case. We'll be back in a week if things go smoothly. I'll be with Brother Bai, the invincible old man with white hair. There's no danger."
"None of your missions at the 709 Bureau are easy. Promise me you'll be careful. If I didn't have a case to handle, I'd love to go with you."
Although Zhang Qian was worried, she also knew his abilities, so she didn't emphasize it too much.
"Yeah, don't worry, we're just scouting ahead. If it's simple, we'll get it done right away. If it's complicated, we'll have backup!"
"Do you want Xia Chan to come with you?"
Zhang Qian meant to give him the pendant first.
"No need. I can only do my job with peace of mind if you are safe. Wait for me to come back!"
"Okay, I trust you. Let's keep in touch when we're not busy!"
"must"!
After tidying up his ritual implements, Chen Cheng packed some talismans into his cloth bag. These talismans could not only exorcise ghosts but also suppress corpses! After thinking for a moment, he also asked Old Zhang to go out and buy two catties of the best glutinous rice, just in case!
Around 5 p.m., the old man drove to the entrance of the old teahouse. The two had a quick dinner and then headed straight for the highway towards Nanhu.
Most of the western part of Nanhu Province is the Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. The terrain here is high in the west and low in the east, with undulating mountains, majestic and spectacular mountain ranges, towering and precipitous peaks, and many folk legends, the most famous of which is the mysterious corpse-driving technique!
The legend of corpse driving in Nanhu West originated thousands of years ago. The ancestor of the Miao people, Chiyou, led his troops in a battle against the enemy on the banks of the Yellow River. After the battle, Chiyou ordered his strategist to send the fallen brothers back to their hometowns. So the strategist disguised himself as Chiyou, stood among the fallen soldiers, and used a magic spell to "awaken" the corpses, who then obediently followed behind a "talisman" southwards. This is the earliest version of the corpse driving legend.
Legend has it that corpse-driving is also a form of white witchcraft, which involves a series of corpses following behind a sorcerer, hopping along with a soul-controlling bell, crossing provinces and returning to their hometown, where they are handed over to relatives in the village who come to pick them up. The relatives then place the remains in a coffin, and the coffin is transported back to the village for burial. This is also a long-standing Chinese tradition: returning to one's roots.
Feng Jiang was more than a thousand kilometers away from his destination. The two talked and took turns driving, and did not feel tired. On the afternoon of the second day, they arrived at Qingshui Town, Huaiyuan County, Nanhu West. They were heading to a small village called Lizhai. The village was nestled by water and mountains, with a very beautiful environment. The only drawback was that the mountain road was rugged and difficult to travel, and extremely bumpy. Chen Cheng felt like he was about to throw up his lunch at the highway service area. On the other hand, the staff from the county who came with them were much better, which showed that they had already gotten used to the mountain roads!
After a bumpy ride of nearly an hour, we finally arrived at Lizhai, a village of about a hundred Miao families at the foot of the mountain. The village has a total population of over four hundred, young and old, which is considered a sizable village in Nanhuxi.
The village chief was a man in his fifties, wearing a black headscarf with five or six knots around his head, wrapped in a V-shape in the front and back, about the size of a straw hat, with the top sticking out. The headscarf hung down by his ears. Upon seeing the newcomer, he hurriedly led several important figures from the village to greet him.
After introducing themselves, Chen Cheng and his companion learned that the village chief's surname was Yang and his given name was Dashan, a particularly robust name. This village only had two surnames, Yang and Huang, and they intermarried, so almost everyone in the village was related to someone else.
Chen Cheng and the old man with white hair each held several photos and looked at them carefully. These were photos taken by people from the town after the livestock in the village died. The photos clearly showed close-ups of the dead livestock, their shriveled bodies, their eyes wide open, and two dark holes on their necks, which were obviously left by sharp teeth!