pozo profundo

Capítulo 125

Picking up the luggage, I held Fang Lei's hand with one hand and walked with my sister on the other. At this moment, I felt that God had been kind to me. At least, I felt happy now.

But this feeling of happiness vanished the moment I caught a glimpse of those two strange middle-aged men on the train, replaced by a sense of emptiness and unease.

"What are you looking at?" Fang Lei noticed my unease and asked.

"Oh, it's nothing." I shook my head. The two figures from before had disappeared into the crowd.

Volume 4, Chapter 4 was splashed with melodramatic nonsense.

Volume 4, Chapter 4 was splashed with melodramatic nonsense.

The mountain road wound its way through the landscape, the lush greenery a feast for the eyes. Gazing out the car window at my familiar yet unfamiliar hometown, I was momentarily speechless.

"How beautiful!" Abao exclaimed, pressing his face against the car window like a child.

"Your hometown is nice, the scenery is beautiful." Li Yang was also looking around.

"Hehe, we don't have much else here, but the scenery is still very beautiful!" Sister Lin Yao replied while driving.

"By the way, is anyone still living in our old house?" I asked, as I remembered that the house hadn't been lived in for a long time.

"It's alright. Although the facilities are a bit old, it's still a place where the Lin family has lived for several generations!"

"No problem." Lin Yao comforted me while glancing up at the three people behind her, and added:

"Your timing is perfect. Not only did we discover an ancient tomb near our home, but more importantly, the Nuo dance ritual is in three days."

"Nuo dance? What is that?" Li Yang asked curiously.

"Hehe, I won't tell you now. You'll find it more interesting when you see it for yourself. Isn't that right?" Lin Yao glanced at me, clearly telling me not to tell them yet. I could only smile helplessly, but anyway, we'd see it in three days.

After a bumpy three-hour drive, we finally arrived at the village entrance. However, because the village road is a dirt road that has been used for a long time, the car couldn't go in. Lin Yao parked the car under a big tree at the village entrance, so we had to get out and walk in.

"I'll take it!" As soon as I saw Fang Lei trying to move her luggage, I immediately snatched the suitcase from her hands. She's the mother of my child now. A priority for protection!

"Fang Lei, my brother is so good to you! I've never seen him so proactive in helping me with my luggage before!" Lin Yao said with a smile.

"Lin Xiao is practically begging to keep Fang Lei in his mouth right now!" A Bao teased from the side.

"Hehe." I chuckled and shook my head at Li Yang and A Bao. I wanted to tell my sister Fang Lei about her pregnancy myself when I got home. After all, she was going to be an aunt!

Walking into the village, everything seems to remain the same as before. Because the houses are all built of stone, they have remained unchanged for hundreds of years, with exquisite stone carvings and reliefs. The narrow mountain paths also make you feel as if you have been transported back to ancient times hundreds of years ago.

It seemed that there weren't many passersby in the village during dinner time, but most of them looked at us kindly. A few even took the initiative to greet my sister Lin Yao, as if she had become quite familiar with them!

"Where do you live?" Li Yang asked.

“Right there.” I looked up and pointed to the old house. The dark green stone surface seemed to be covered with moss, and a dark shadow enveloped the house where I had spent a long time. For a moment, I was a little dazed. What…what kind of memories were there?

"Wow, it's huge!" Abao exclaimed, considering the increasingly crowded housing in the city. Our home is indeed much more spacious, even bigger than a typical villa.

"You're acting like a nouveau riche!" Li Yang teased, giving me a nudge before laughing at Fang Lei, "Fang Lei, you're going to be a landlady!"

"Only that house is left," I replied with a nonchalant shrug.

"Alright. Let's hurry up! Even though the house is close to us, it still takes some time to walk there!" Lin Yao waved to us all.

"Okay, I got it." I followed closely behind my sister Lin Yao, carrying my luggage, when suddenly I smelled a bloody odor!

Blood!?

Unfortunately, before I could even react, a stream of blood was splashed over my head and my sister Lin Yao's head!

"Ahhh!" My sister and I both yelled at the same time. My sister, Lin Yao, was quick to dodge because she didn't have any luggage, but I wasn't so lucky and got splashed all over!

"Who is it?" I shouted angrily, but when I looked closely, it was her! My anger vanished instantly.

"Why are you splashing water like that, old lady? It looks like dog blood!" Li Yang ran up and looked at the old lady in front of him with a face full of anger. Her white hair and cloudy, yellowish eyes showed more than just anger towards the Lin siblings; it was... it was... murderous intent.

Murderous intent? Why does this old woman harbor such deep hatred for Lin Xiao and Lin Yao?

"Grandma Yin, why won't you let us go?" Lin Yao, who had only been splashed a little, pulled me aside and, seemingly suppressing her anger, asked, "What exactly do you want from us?"

“Monsters! You…you Lin family…you are all monsters! Get out of the village!” Old Mrs. Yin said in a trembling voice.

“The past is the past, and we’ve already apologized. Please don’t keep bringing it up, okay?” Lin Yao sighed.

"What's the use of apologizing? Can you give Yin Xue back to me?" Old Mrs. Yin stared straight at me. I tried to calm myself down. Since I had decided to come back, I knew who I would be facing again.

Looking at Yin Xue's great-aunt in front of me, I opened my mouth, but I still couldn't bring myself to be angry with this old woman. After all, she was the person who loved Yin Xue the most when she was alive.

"Oh dear! What brings you here again?" Suddenly, a middle-aged man ran out, grabbed Old Mrs. Yin, and said, "Didn't I tell you not to cause trouble for others anymore?"

"Village Chief Yin!" I quickly greeted him. Although I hadn't been back for a long time, I still remembered this man. He was the village chief of this village and also Yin Xue's uncle, Yin Tianhuo.

"Lin Xiao! You're back!" Yin Tianhuo looked at me, who was covered in dog blood, with a bit of embarrassment, and said, "You guys should go now! I'm really sorry."

"Okay!" I didn't say anything more, and quickly left after pulling my sister Lin Yao, who still wanted to say something.

"Are you alright?" Fang Lei asked as she walked up to me.

"It's nothing, just some melodrama. It's no big deal." I smiled and comforted her. Seeing the doubt and unease in her eyes, I took a breath and said, "That old lady is Yin Xue's great-aunt."

"Aunt?" Fang Lei repeated softly.

"Yes, she's Grandpa Yin Xue's younger sister. She's the only one left in their family's older generation, and since Yin Xue's parents died early, she practically raised Yin Xue herself," I explained.

"Oh, really?" Fang Lei didn't press further, but instead gripped my arm tightly, making me feel a sense of warmth.

The group, who had been quite happy, became somewhat downcast and the atmosphere somber due to the dramatic incident earlier. Fortunately, they arrived home soon, and the forgetful Abao and Li Yang were immediately attracted by the spaciousness and exquisite design of the house, hurriedly taking out their cameras to take pictures.

"You guys don't have to go this far, do you?" I put down my luggage, tugged at my clothes which were stuck to my body with dog blood, and said.

"Wow! Lin Xiao, do you know that your house could practically be registered as a protected historical site?" A Bao exclaimed as he took a picture from the right angle.

Our house is constructed entirely of stone, making it much less susceptible to damage from rain or fire compared to ordinary dwellings. Furthermore, it's adorned with exquisite stone carvings and reliefs, truly making it a work of art in itself.

We were standing in the main hall of the house, with a large courtyard in front of us. The furnishings in the hall were extremely simple. There were only a few tables and chairs, and a huge stone water vat in the courtyard. It was supposed to hold fish, but since no one lived there, it was naturally empty.

After putting the luggage away, I said to my sister Lin Yao, "Sis, please take them to the back room to settle in. I want to take a shower first!"

"Okay, I already prepared some hot water knowing you were coming. You can use it first." Lin Yao said, picking up her luggage again and saying to Fang Lei and the others, "Come with me!"

"You go first!" I patted Fang Lei and told her.

"Okay, then come quickly after you're done washing!" Fang Lei said.

After passing through the hall, there is another small courtyard behind it, with some scattered flowers and plants, but at this point they can only be called wildflowers.

Watching my sister Lin Yao lead them further down the path, I turned right, went through a door, walked down a long corridor, and finally arrived at the water boiler room where our Lin family used to take baths.

Upon opening the door, the first thing you see is a waterwheel partially embedded in the house. Because our house is the largest in the entire village and also the only one that is half-mounted on the mountain, when the house was built, the Lin family ancestors cleverly utilized a stream flowing down from the mountain to set up this waterwheel. It not only brings in the mountain stream water but also adds hot water through the stove in the house, thus forming a semi-automatic bathing water provider!

Passing through this room, you naturally arrive at the actual bathing area at the back. It was a pool carved from stone, and I have to admire how ingenious my ancestors were at enjoying themselves.

Add the hot water that Lin Yao had prepared beforehand to the pool, then turn on the valve of the waterwheel, and in a short while, the pool is filled with bathwater.

I threw my clothes aside and immediately jumped into the pool with a splash!

Ah, so comfortable! I let out a relaxed breath in the steaming hot water. Taking a hot bath after being exhausted from the journey and getting soaked in dog blood is like heaven!

Because the water was flowing, a layer of water vapor slowly filled the room, like a misty fog. I took a deep breath, just like when I was a child, and then suddenly dived into the water. This was a game that my sister and I used to play. I would always dive into the water and then wait for my sister to shout my name in panic at the edge of the pool.

But my older sister Lin Yao doesn't seem to be here right now, so let's go up! I opened my eyes in the water, and the water... was red?

Eyes! I saw a pair of eyes in the water, devoid of any light or emotion! But... the face... was very blurry!

It's a man's...face?

I struggled to move my body, and suddenly the blurry face in the water sprang up, stretching out a hand that was already rotting and exposed to the bone, and tightly grabbed my foot!

"Lin Xiao! Are you still playing around?" My sister Lin Yao's voice came from the pool, and I struggled to stand up.

"You didn't bring your change of clothes, so I brought them for you." My sister, Lin Yao, was standing by the pool at that moment. I didn't have time to care whether I was naked or not, because I felt something grab my ankle.

"What's wrong with you? Your face is all white!" Lin Yao thought it was because she had barged in, and said, "Do you think I didn't see you naked when you were a kid?"

"It's not this!" I couldn't care less about anything else. I climbed out of the pool and said, "There's something here!"

"Ah! What is that?" Lin Yao exclaimed, pointing at my feet.

"Shit!" When I saw what was on my foot, I couldn't help but curse, because... it was a hand, or more precisely, a skeletal hand, gripping my ankle tightly.

Volume 4, Chapter 5: Holy crap! Eloping?!

Volume 4, Chapter 5: Holy crap! Eloping?!

I pulled the skeletal hand off from my ankle and set it aside. I hurriedly took the clothes my older sister, Lin Yao, handed me and put them on haphazardly.

"There seems to be something on this hand," Lin Yao said, bending down to look at the hand on the ground.

"Don't touch it!" I snatched the skeletal hand from the ground. It was best not to let her touch it; who knew what kind of bad things it might contain! At that moment, I probably forgot that my older sister, Lin Yao, was also a member of the Lin family and should have some spiritual power too!

Upon closer inspection of the hand bone, it was indeed found that something red and black was clamped in the very center of the palm, and it was even emitting a strange light.

"What is it?" Lin Yao leaned closer and asked curiously.

"It looks...like a nail?" I tried to pull the thing out of my hand, but even with great force, the nail wouldn't budge. Looking closer, it didn't seem to be made of iron. Could this be the legendary peach wood nail? If it's made of wood, how can it be so sturdy?

"Did you use any force?" Lin Yao nudged me from the side, looking like she wanted to take it and pull it out herself.

"It's like it's nailed to the bone." I tried again with all my might, but to no avail.

"Hey! Let me have it!" My older sister, Lin Yao, said, reaching out to grab it. I didn't want to give her this ominous thing, and the two of us immediately started pushing and shoving each other like we were fighting over a fun toy in our childhood.

"What are you doing?" Fang Lei's voice came from over.

"It's nothing." I jumped away from Lin Yao and hid the hand bone behind my back.

"What are you holding?" Fang Lei, with her sharp eyes, still managed to spot it.

"N-nothing!" I didn't really want Fang Lei, who was already pregnant, to see this. Although, as a forensic doctor, she had long since become indifferent to such things.

"Lin Xiao!" Fang Lei stomped her foot angrily. I sighed. I couldn't hide it anymore, so I had no choice but to hold out my hand bone to her.

"Blood Peach Nails?" Fang Lei exclaimed in surprise.

"Blood Peach Nail? What's that?" I asked, looking at the still-glowing nail.

“Ordinary peach wood nails are made of peach wood, while higher quality ones are made of peach wood that is over a hundred years old, that is, old peach wood! The best are peach wood nails made of hundred-year-old peach wood from Mount Tai,” Fang Lei explained. “However, the most bizarre are the blood peach nails, because peach wood nails are usually used to suppress evil spirits or vengeful ghosts, but these blood peach nails kill indiscriminately, regardless of good or bad. Moreover, they can nail a person's soul to their remains for all eternity, never to be reborn. Even if other magical powers can remove the blood peach nails later, the soul has already been…” "It's tortured until only the most basic consciousness remains." Fang Lei frowned and continued, "The Blood Peach Nails are so powerful because the peach wood used is the Blood of Resentment. When the peach tree was first planted, it was watered with the blood of seven children. Then, every forty-nine days, it needed to be watered with the blood of seven more children, repeating this cycle seven times. After that, it was watered with the blood of seven more children every forty-nine weeks. I've heard that the most powerful ones are the Blood of Resentment peaches watered with the blood of children every forty-nine years; by then, they can already become spirits."

"Is a single nail so complicated? Then who was so vicious as to seal this corpse with a blood peach nail?" asked my older sister, Lin Yao.

"Looks like it's not Grandma Yin again!" I shrugged. I had initially thought it was just another of Grandma Yin's vengeful pranks. But it seems this nail is quite rare; Grandma Yin probably wouldn't be able to get it!