Volume One, Chapter Thirty-Nine: Disguise

"What's wrong, Xiaoshan? What's not right?" Gu Ya turned her head, still covering her mouth, her voice filled with questioning.

Luo Feng, having just splashed out two ladles of water, looked at Luo Bin as well, his expression one of confusion.

"Just now, none of us smelled any feces or urine... and when you washed it down, there was no waste either," Luo Bin said, his voice raspy. "When a person dies, shouldn't there be an involuntary release of bowels and bladder?"

Having spent too much time in hospitals, Luo Bin had seen many people pass away. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, he would wake up to the stench; the patients, paralyzed and unable to press the call button or summon a nurse, could only strain their necks and shout.

At the moment of death, the body's muscles relax, and bowels and bladder empty; one's final dignity vanishes along with life itself. That is the very reason why funeral homes have a process for cleaning corpses.

Fear, too, causes incontinence.

Luo Bin quickly traced back several memories.

Zhang Jun, who walked the village, had left a trail of filth.

The driver who died on the first night of the outsiders' arrival had also been covered in excrement.

On the day he was revived by the soul-calling ritual, the other bodies on the incinerator tables at the righteous manor were not only mangled but also stained with filth.

Even Zhu Qianqian—her body had been the same, covered in grime.

But there was one scene that was different.

The afternoon of the drawing of lots, the corpse in the ancestral hall—Tang Ji, who lived alone.

His body had been relatively clean; no waste had leaked out.

All the images were fragmented. Before his eyes, Luo Feng’s face turned increasingly ashen, and fine beads of sweat began to seep from his forehead.

"Tang Ji..." The name was squeezed out from between Luo Feng's teeth.

"Someone is killing... disguised as a supernatural entity... The person died elsewhere and was brought here at dawn. That’s why there was no waste here; the place where the murder actually occurred must have been cleaned up," Luo Bin said, his voice husky.

"Oh, heavens..." Gu Ya’s face went ghastly pale. She seemed to lose her footing, her body swaying.

"Go find the village chief! Xiaoshan, you run over there; the chief is still at the righteous manor. Tell him about this immediately; this is terrifying." Gu Ya was stunned by fear, urging them on frantically.

"Shh..." Luo Feng made a silencing gesture, scanning his surroundings, his demeanor tense.

"Xiaoshan, take your mother into the courtyard. Don't say a word," Luo Feng said in a low, heavy voice.

"Why?" Gu Ya's expression shifted again.

"Go back inside, don't talk!" Luo Feng commanded in a low tone.

"Mom, let’s go..." Though Luo Bin didn't fully understand, he stepped forward, took Gu Ya by the arm, and led her toward the courtyard.

Once inside, Gu Ya looked dazed. She walked to the well, drew water, washed her hands and face, and then crouched on the ground, covering her mouth. Even though her face was wet, it was clear she was still crying.

"Mom... it’s okay..." Luo Bin wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know where to begin.

Indeed, the village itself was already terrifying enough; the supernatural entities were hard enough to endure, and now it turned out there was someone killing people, too.

How many people had been killed by the supernatural, and how many had died at the hands of a person?

The supernatural was terrifying, that much was known.

What made one feel the most oppressed and miserable was often the unknown.

And why wouldn't Luo Feng let them go to the village chief?

Could he... know something?

A creaking sound—the courtyard gate opened. Luo Feng entered, carrying a bucket and a broom.

He closed the gate and let out a heavy, weary breath.

"There was no one nearby before. Well, there shouldn't have been," Luo Feng said first, then emphasized it to himself.

"Do not speak of this matter. Act as if you know nothing," Luo Feng added.

"Why!?" Gu Ya looked up, her voice breaking. "Someone is killing—"

"Shh!" Luo Feng’s voice was sharper.

Gu Ya’s words died in her throat. She bit her lower lip so hard it was almost bleeding.

She whispered, "We have to let that person walk the village, or how can everyone be safe?"

Under normal circumstances, Gu Ya was a kind person; that she could say such things showed how much she was suffering.

"Do we even know who he is?" Luo Feng asked hoarsely.

In that instant, Luo Bin felt a chill run through him, a realization dawning like a splash of ice water.

Luo Feng walked over to Gu Ya, held her hands, and lowered his voice even further.

"Once the village chief knows, he will inevitably make a huge fuss and search the entire village thoroughly. But can he find the culprit? Won't the other party hide it? It's been so long—if you really try to recall the details of the corpses, can you? Even if you could, what does it matter? We still wouldn't know who the murderer is."

"Instead, the murderer would know who exposed him. Our family would become the targets."

Gu Ya shuddered, tears streaming down her face.

Luo Feng pulled her tightly into his arms, patting her back gently.

"There are supernatural entities in the village, and there is someone murdering people. We must find a way to leave this place. We must leave," Luo Feng whispered.

Gu Ya didn't answer; she just continued to cry.

The sun came out. Even though the morning light was warm and gentle, Luo Bin felt cold, his entire body shivering to the marrow.

After a long while, Gu Ya finally stopped crying and whispered, "I'm going to cook."

Luo Feng helped her up and gave Luo Bin a deep look. "Apart from our family, you cannot trust anyone in this village. You can know a person's face, but not their heart. Tomorrow we head into the mountains to scout the path; be careful and cautious."

"I understand, Dad," Luo Bin nodded.

"You got up so early, Xiaoshan. Go back to your room and rest a bit more. Mom will call you when breakfast is ready," Gu Ya said, squeezing Luo Bin's hand.

"Mm," Luo Bin replied.

Luo Feng went into the kitchen with Gu Ya; he would certainly still be comforting her.

Luo Bin went back to his room, closed the door, and locked it.

He subconsciously walked to the window, looking down at the damp ground outside. In the crushed grass and mud, there were still bloodstains that hadn't been washed away.

Luo Feng was right.

This matter could not be interfered with, and they dared not interfere.

The village was already dangerous enough; they couldn't randomly make an enemy for their family—especially an enemy who was this terrifying and psychologically twisted.

Yes, twisted.

Mimicking a supernatural entity to kill...

What exactly was going on in that murderer's mind?

As if driven by a ghost, Luo Bin recalled another scene—the moment he had first seen the corpse.

At the time, his focus had been entirely on the body.

But when he traced the memory back, he could now pay attention to everything he had seen in his field of vision, details he hadn't noticed before.

The main point: when he woke up, it was just dawn. The murderer had to dispose of the body, so it must have been after dawn...

In his field of vision, there was no one.

Then, Luo Bin’s heart skipped a beat again. He looked at the wall clock.

With a ticking sound, the hands raced backward.

In the flashback, the moment he opened his eyes, he had instinctively checked the time: 5:10.

Then, he went out, pushed open the gate, and headed toward the back of the courtyard.

In the corner of his eye, it seemed... there was a figure, hunched over, shoulders hunched, scurrying toward the direction of the village entrance?

The image flashed and vanished—it was when he had already reached the back of the courtyard and saw the corpse.

Everything before him was fragmented.

Luo Bin traced the memory back again.

The scene was the moment he pushed open the courtyard gate.

Indeed, at the edge of his vision, there was a blurred figure...

Indeed, the direction seemed to be toward the village entrance?

That wasn't entirely accurate, as the Luo family courtyard wasn't on the main road, so he could only make a rough estimation.

Moreover, no matter how much Luo Bin tried to trace it, the memory couldn't become any clearer...

The clothes were indistinct, the height was impossible to judge, and whether it was a man or a woman was even harder to confirm...

Because he had traced back too many times, Luo Bin felt a splitting headache...

"Xiaoshan, time to eat," Gu Ya’s voice came from the doorway.

"I know, Mom..." Luo Bin replied, then went to open the door.

On the table in the main room, the breakfast consisted of steamed egg custard and shredded potatoes, the aroma enticing.

The family of three ate.

They were still the same three people, and their relationships hadn't changed, but that warmth and ease of the past were gone.

"Dad, besides the clock in my room, is there anywhere else to find a watch?" Luo Bin asked.

"What do you need a watch for?" Luo Feng asked.

"I have a use for it," Luo Bin replied earnestly.

Luo Feng pondered for a moment, then took a pocket watch from his pocket and handed it to Luo Bin.

Luo Bin took it and tucked it into his pocket.

The meal was barely over when someone knocked on the door. It was Old Kong, saying the village chief wanted everyone to go over.

This "everyone," naturally, referred to the team of men including Luo Feng.

Luo Feng left.

Gu Ya cleaned up the dishes and went into the kitchen.

"Mom, I’m going out for a bit," Luo Bin said. Ignoring Gu Ya’s call not to wander off, he walked straight out of the courtyard gate.

Luo Bin hurried to the back of his window, took out the pocket watch, checked the time, and then walked in a certain direction.

When he stopped, he checked the watch again; about two minutes had passed.

The sunlight shone on the face of the pocket watch, the reflected light making Luo Bin squint as he looked around.

Afterward, he walked two steps to the side of the road and stepped hard on a patch of earth, creating a gap in the path.