With these two women by his side, Zuo Si found it impossible to leave for the time being; he could only take one step at a time.
The trees on the hillside were dense, scattered with some overgrown graves, unlike the orderly ones below.
Green phosphorescence flickered around them from time to time, like pairs of ghostly eyes watching the four ascend the mountain.
After walking for a while, everyone grew tired, and their pace gradually slowed.
Chen Qing suddenly stopped and asked Zuo Si and the others, “What does that old man look like? You’re not trying to trick me, are you?”
“Big brother, we’re not lying to you, really!” Ge Shan rarely spoke, her voice trembling with fear, seemingly terrified of the loathsome Chen Qing.
“Then tell me, what does that old man look like?!”
Ge Shan and Ge Hong described the old man, each taking turns, and the more they spoke, the worse Chen Qing’s expression became.
“Enough!” Chen Qing said darkly, “That old man is from Xiangyang Village, named Zhao Changfa, but he died three years ago!!”
“How did he die?”
After hearing Chen Qing’s words, Zuo Si felt little disturbance in his heart; he had seen so many bizarre things that he was gradually getting used to them.
“That old guy is a pervert!” Chen Qing’s face was filled with dread, as if just mentioning Zhao Changfa’s name made him feel scared.
He swallowed hard and began to recount the horrifying story that had shocked him.
“In the southern suburbs, burial has been the norm since ancient times, and even now, many people are unwilling to cremate their family members.”
“They fear that cremation will cause the deceased to suffer the torment of their burning Soul, never finding peace.”
“Everyone dies; those with good fortune may live to seventy or eighty, even over a hundred, but some people leave this world early.”
“Five years ago in spring, an eighteen-year-old girl from our village died of leukemia. Her family refused to cremate her, saying she had already suffered too much in life, so let her suffer less in death…”
“After the funeral, the girl was buried smoothly in Miaoshan Cemetery, and her family was particularly heartbroken; her parents cried until their hearts nearly shattered.”
“Back home, the parents tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Every time they closed their eyes, they remembered their daughter’s voice and smile. They sat up to chat, and during their conversation, they mentioned that someone had seen their deceased loved ones at Miaoshan Cemetery at night.”
“These parents were quite bold; since they couldn’t sleep and missed their daughter, why not take a chance and go to the cemetery at night to see if they could catch a glimpse of their daughter’s Soul?”
“They rode their bicycles all the way to Miaoshan Cemetery, arriving around two in the morning. Eagerly, they headed toward their daughter’s grave.”
“But before they reached the spot, they heard the sound of a hoe digging into the earth. As rural folks, they were all too familiar with that sound.”
“They couldn’t help but feel a bit scared. Could someone be here to rob graves? You see, even though there weren’t many burial items now, selling bodies for spirit marriage could earn a lot of money; a quality female corpse could sell for hundreds of thousands.”
“Though a bit frightened, the parents hesitated for a moment before deciding to check it out since the sound was coming from their daughter’s grave.”
“They crept closer in the dark, careful not to make a sound. When they were about ten meters away, they finally saw the tomb raider’s figure.”
“It turned out to be Zhao Changfa, the gravekeeper! And the grave he was digging was their daughter’s, which had just been buried!”
“The coffin had already been unearthed, and Zhao Changfa was pulling out the nails one by one.”
“The parents were terrified, thinking Zhao Changfa must be possessed, and didn’t dare approach recklessly; they quietly called the police.”
“But not long after, the next scene made the parents lose their composure.”
“Zhao Changfa opened the coffin lid and began to ki$s and embrace the girl’s co0rpse! His hands roamed everywhere! He even impatiently tried to take off his p@nts!”
“Rural people had never seen such a scene! If it weren’t for being possessed, how could a normal person do such a thing?”
“Though the parents were scared, it was still their daughter; it was bad enough she suffered in life, but now she was being insulted after death, and they couldn’t bear it.”
“The father quietly approached with a wooden stick, and when he got closer, he saw Zhao Changfa was about to vi0late his daughter.”
“How could he stand for that? He swung the stick hard and struck Zhao Changfa on the head.”
“Zhao Changfa collapsed on the spot.”
“The parents, seeing their daughter in such a tattered state, fell to the ground, crying until their eyes nearly went blind.”
“Later, the police arrived and took Zhao Changfa away. When they searched his residence at the cemetery, they found several other corpses, all recently buried female corpses.”
“Villagers from nearby spread rumors that Zhao Changfa was possessed by a lustful ghost, which made him commit such acts.”
“In the end, it was discovered that Zhao Changfa’s behavior was called necr0philia, a form of psychological perversion.”
“This infuriated the villagers, who all wanted to kill him.”
“But since it was illegal, it had to be handled by the state; in the end, he was sentenced to two years in prison and then released.”
“When Zhao Changfa was released, no one knew; he came alone to Miaoshan Cemetery, perhaps feeling ashamed, and committed $uicide in the house where he used to live.”
Chen Qing sighed after finishing, pulled out a cigarette, and was about to light it but put it away again.
Necrophilia was indeed perverse, especially with Zhao Changfa’s sinister gaze.
Zuo Si was almost ready to fully believe what Chen Qing had said.
But it was precisely because these words came from Chen Qing that Zuo Si couldn’t help but doubt their truthfulness.
‘Chen Qing’s character is so low that it can’t even be described as despicable; his words are not to be fully trusted, nor can they be completely dismissed.’
Zuo Si kept his distance from Chen Qing.
This guy had a baseball bat embedded with iron nails, looking like a spiked club; what normal person would make it like that?
If it hit someone, it would definitely hurt.
“What should we do?” Ge Hong and Ge Shan looked terrified, fearing Zhao Changfa would come after them.
“Let’s hide for now,” Zuo Si suggested. “As long as we don’t let this ghostly thing find us, we’ll be safe when dawn comes.”
Ge Hong and Ge Shan nodded repeatedly, looking to Zuo Si for guidance, and Chen Qing agreed as well.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded nearby, growing closer, making their hearts race.
Zuo Si signaled for everyone to lie down on the ground and not to move.
They didn’t dare to breathe, lying in the grass, staring intently in the direction of the sound.
A gray figure gradually emerged from the mist; it was Zhao Changfa, holding a black machete, walking toward Zuo Si.