Kann nicht atmen

Kapitel 18

Cold sweat broke out, and she quickly calculated in her mind: "This village also obtained that piece of cloth by accident, so the people in this village have been cursed and turned into living dead, possessed by evil spirits. But I don't know why Xiaoyu is unaffected. If that's the case, the curse has already killed the whole village. Why did Grandpa say that even the curse is afraid to return here?"

But there was no time to think too much. Through the peephole, the two female ghosts seemed to be stirring, probably because they could smell the scent of living people in the air!

Little Fish's parents stood up blankly and asked Little Fish, "Have any strangers come to the village?"

The tone of voice was completely different at this point; it was a sharp, woman's voice.

The little fish chuckled mischievously, "No! I didn't bring any strangers back to the village!"

But Xiaoyu's parents no longer believed it. They stood up and walked upstairs step by step.

Qin Jin clearly saw that the two female ghosts possessing them had stopped gouging out their eyes and instead stretched their fingers toward the attic, repeatedly making digging motions with their index fingers.

Qin Jin looked up in alarm and glanced around. Luckily, there was a skylight. She prepared to walk through the skylight, but Hei Bao blocked her way.

No, staying in the skylight is even more dangerous than staying here.

However, if we stay here, Little Fish's parents will be coming up soon.

With nowhere else to hide, she had to huddle in a corner, holding Hei Bao in her arms. Hei Bao was unusually obedient at this moment, not daring to move at all, and even his breathing became very faint.

However, the footsteps continued to sound heavily, one step at a time, and the wooden stairs creaked incessantly. The thumping sound didn't sound like human footsteps at all, but rather like a lot of logs falling from the sky.

Qin Jin hid behind a wooden barrel in a corner of the attic, while his figure was already above the attic.

Qin Jin only dared to look into Hei Bao's eyes, while the two female ghosts directed Xiao Yu's parents to investigate from the attic.

Her heart was pounding faster and faster. A pale light shone down from the skylight. Little Fish's father walked to the skylight and looked up. Suddenly, a face appeared in the skylight, with empty eye sockets. No wonder Black Treasure wouldn't let him go up; someone was already lying in ambush up there.

Qin Jin felt a surge of panic. How did they know there were people on the skylight? Had Ke Liang and the other two been discovered, and were these corpses searching for them here?

Oh my god! I wonder how Ke Liang, Shi Shi, and Zi Ming are doing now. Qin Jin suddenly felt very fortunate for Lu Zi Ming's decision. If they had all been crammed into the attic, none of them would have been able to escape.

The bodies of Xiaoyu's parents are getting closer and closer; it seems there's no way to avoid it.

They were very close; Qin Jin could clearly see their faces and skin. They were covered in dark lividity, and the blood had long since drained from their eye sockets, forming dark clots. The two female ghosts moved slowly, as if they had already pinpointed Qin Jin's hiding place.

In this critical moment, she thought of Ke Liang and the earring he had given her.

She quickly took it out of her bosom, and saw that the purple light from the earring had intensified. The female ghosts seemed to be afraid of that light and dared not come closer.

Just as things were at a stalemate, a person jumped down from the skylight. Qin Jin and Xiao Yu's parents turned to look. Standing in the light was Ke Liang, holding a wooden stick. He said to Qin Jin, "Don't be afraid, I'm here to save you."

Qin Jin stood up, rushed to his side, and scolded, "Why did you come back at a time like this?"

I can't leave you here alone.

A sound came from the sunroof.

Two more people jumped down.

“Yes, we can’t leave you here alone.” It was Shishi and Lu Ziming.

Qin Jin looked at them with tears in her eyes; at this moment, saying anything would be superfluous.

The Ke family's heirloom, the Crimson Moon, and Shishi's bracelet were both shining brightly, which could temporarily ensure the safety of the four people.

Hei Bao nestled in Qin Jin's arms, while everyone else stood by the window, locked in a tense standoff with Xiao Yu's parents. Lu Ziming pointed a pistol at them.

Shishi glanced at the pistol and said, "Put it away, it's a waste of bullets. These people are unkillable."

Lu Ziming, however, still insisted on pointing at them.

Little Fish's mother walked to the window, avoiding the bright light, and let out a shrill scream.

The four turned their heads and saw that the will-o'-the-wisps in the village were all moving rapidly toward the courtyard.

"It's over, they've called for help." Ke Liang was clearly indignant.

"What's the point of saying anything now? Let's see if we can leave," Qin Jin said.

“We can’t leave now. We just looked around and could have left the village, but I turned back so I could come back and take you with me. Who knew these idiots would turn back too?” Lu Ziming glanced at Ke Liang.

"Hmph, who knew you'd come back? If I'd known you'd come back, I wouldn't have come," Ke Liang retorted.

"Why don't we just leave the village?"

"It was possible just now, but not now. They've all surrounded us, and we can't fly away." Shishi's voice was filled with deep despair.

Qin Jin comforted her, "Perhaps the Crimson Moon and the bracelet can last until dawn. Once it's light, these corpses will have to go back to their graves! I heard from Xiao Yu that his parents always sleep for a long time and don't want to be disturbed."

“However, the power of the Crimson Moon and the bracelet can only protect one person at a time, and we can’t hold out for that long,” Lu Ziming replied rationally.

In this situation where there was no way to deal with it, more and more "people" had gathered in the courtyard. Qin Jin could tell without looking through the peephole that those people were possessed by ghosts.

She muttered to herself, "Just how many clones does this curse, Kabun, have? And how many people does it intend to harm?"

Worrying about this would be idiotic, since the corpses had already surrounded them, and the light from the earrings and bracelets had been greatly diminished.

Just then, a clear voice was heard from the little fish: "Okay, Mom and Dad, you've found your older brother and sister, now come down."

Xiaoyu's parents suddenly stopped moving. Qin Jin immediately looked down into Hei Bao's eyes. The two female ghosts seemed to be draped softly over the backs of the corpses again, and they stopped digging.

The pungent stench of the corpse slowly dissipated, and the body stopped moving forward in the yard. However, the departing footsteps of Xiaoyu's parents only fueled further suspicion.

The little fish's voice rang out again.

"Sister and brother, come down here! Everyone in the village has come to play with you. Come down and play with me too!"

Qin Jin looked at everyone, and they all nodded. They were now forced into a corner and couldn't back down.

As they went downstairs, all four of them felt weak in the knees. Walking among the pile of corpses, they couldn't tell if Xiaoyu was trying to help or harm them. But in the courtyard, someone had already set up a table and placed bowls, as if they were about to eat.

As expected, Xiaoyu came and pulled them to sit on the stools, then invited everyone to sit down. Strangely, all the corpses in the yard obeyed Xiaoyu's orders and sat down, even Xiaoyu's parents sat down and sat at the same table with the four of them.

Qin Jin looked into Hei Bao's eyes, trying to see what the female ghosts were doing. To his surprise, he found that all the female ghosts seemed to be in a deep sleep, lying heavily on the corpses.

But Xiaoyu said, "Dad and Mom, let's eat."

The four of them huddled together, feeling that this situation was too bizarre and too impossible. They all had the same thought: was this a dream? And they desperately hoped that they could wake up.

The little fish ate his food—corn and wild fruit. He seemed unaware of the environment he lived in. He was blind, and thankfully he was.

But why doesn't the kabun harm the small fish?

Everyone had the same question, but they couldn't ask Xiaoyu directly.

They had no idea what the villagers wanted to eat. Just then, an old woman walked past them blankly, taking out a red candle from her bosom and putting it in her mouth as she went.

All the corpses picked up the bowls in front of them, which were filled with incense and candles, and a soft chewing sound rang out around them.

That meal was the most terrifying meal the four of them had ever eaten. Although they didn't eat anything, they were still terrified by the red candles on the corpse's lips.

Fortunately, after the meal, the corpses all dispersed as Xiaoyu had instructed.

The four were put in a small room. Xiaoyu said there was a bed inside, but when they pushed open the dark door, they saw two coffins placed side by side inside.

Ke Liang was puzzled, so he quietly moved to Xiao Yu's window to see what she was doing. What was even more terrifying was that Xiao Yu had also climbed into a black coffin, while her parents stood frozen on either side of the coffin, as if they had been struck by a spell.

Ke Liang ran back and told everyone about the new discovery.

The four of them would normally argue or bicker when they were together, but this time the situation was so outrageous that they didn't know what to say. Fortunately, dawn came quickly, and after tossing and turning for most of the night, they actually fell into a deep sleep.

When Qin Jin woke up, the village was still silent, except for the sound of Xiao Yu splashing water. Qin Jin was the first to leave the room and cautiously asked, "Xiao Yu, where are your parents?"

“They’ve all gone to work, everyone in the village has gone, and I’m left to look after the village by myself.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Although the sun was overcast, it still brought a little warmth. At least they had made it through another night.

Shishi sighed. Qin Jin looked at her and thought, "Yes, back then, we were all fashionable ladies, showing off our clothes and bags every day, going to bars to pick up handsome guys, driving around on trips, and watching trendy movies. I even wrote some fashion novels from time to time to earn money. We were all enjoying life in a normal and comfortable way. Back then, we had this or that dissatisfaction, but if we could go back to the past, compared to now, it would be like living the life of a god. It's just that we were a little poorer, not as rich as Shishi, and didn't have a handsome boyfriend, but that didn't matter."

Being alive is the happiest thing for the four of them; every day of their lives is a struggle on the brink of death.

Thinking about the environment I'm in, it's as if I'm not living in the modern world at all, but in a nightmare. All those perfumes, clothes, and beautiful diamonds have nothing to do with me.

Lu Ziming suggested that everyone take a walk around the village to see if there were any clues. After the ordeal of the previous night, the four of them dared not separate again.

They greeted the little fish and then went out for a stroll. The village looked like it hadn't been inhabited for a long time; it was dilapidated everywhere.

Judging from the layout of the village and the earthen walls, the village is very old and the people must be very kind. They wandered around and came to a large courtyard. It seemed that this family was the richest in the village. The walls were very high, and red cloths were hung on the doors, but they had been washed white by wind and rain. There were many tables and chairs inside, as if a banquet was being held.

Everyone went inside out of curiosity.

The village was so quiet that their footsteps carried especially far.

Those were all wooden tables and tall wooden cabinets typical of the old village, with bowls and chopsticks neatly arranged. A chilling wind blew in from the courtyard. The owner of this courtyard seemed very wealthy; his courtyard alone occupied a third of the village, with small rooms connected one after another, all furnished with valuable items.

Holding up a vase, Ke Liang exclaimed, "My God, if this thing is real, we'll be rich!"

"Alright, we're not here to search for treasure, so put away your curiosity!"

Tang Shishi walked up to the vase and said, "That's right, we've struck it rich! This vase is an antique from the Yuan Dynasty. My God, this family is so wealthy."

Shishi was originally the daughter of a wealthy family, so a little archaeological knowledge was no problem for her. Hearing her say this, everyone gathered around the vase and started pointing and whispering. Suddenly, a cold wind swept in, and Qin Jin looked up and saw an old man standing at the end of the aisle.

Startled, she dropped the vase, which shattered into pieces. Lu Ziming also saw the old man in black and started chasing after him, while Ke Liang and Shishi glanced regretfully at the broken pieces as they ran after him.

The four of them began to give chase to the old man. Although they didn't know if he was a human or a ghost, there must be a reason why the old man had appeared.

But his figure was always at the very end of the alley, and he could never catch up.

The four exchanged a glance and then split up to chase after the old man, always managing to catch him in one place, since the village wasn't very big.

However, even after chasing them all the way to the locust tree in the center of the village, they still couldn't find the old man.

Several people stood there dumbfounded.

At this moment, Ke Liang's grandfather floated down from the tree. His three-minute time limit for appearing was up. He said to the four people, "I have found out that this place is an extremely yin place. You must leave before tonight, otherwise you will never be able to escape."

“But we can’t find our way home. The road we came from seems to be completely buried by weeds. We noticed that when we were checking the village just now,” Ke Liang said anxiously.

“No matter what, you must leave! Even if there is no path, you must forge your own. I can feel the yin energy here getting stronger and stronger, and I can’t hold on much longer,” Grandpa said earnestly.

Just when everyone was at a loss, Grandpa suddenly said, "Junior sister, put Blackie down and let it try to lead you out. In short, the longer you stay in this place, the more dangerous it will be for you."

"But what about the cloth? Can we just leave it here?" Shishi asked.

“Since the curse has already wiped out everyone in this village, the village can no longer contain it. Sending it back won’t help. The important thing is that you can escape,” Grandpa said after thinking for a moment.

“What? There’s not a single living person? There’s still a child alive,” Qin Jin hurriedly said.

"What? There's another living person? But I can't sense any other living people besides you. No, the living person you encountered must not be human. You must be careful."

After saying that, Grandpa seemed to suddenly see something particularly terrifying, and it disappeared in the blink of an eye.