Zhou Bocai's body had already been put into the coffin, but the lid was not closed. That night, everything was in such a mess that no one bothered to take care of it, and it wasn't until this morning that someone finally came to collect the body.

  In terms of generation, Zhou Bo should not have been able to enter the ancestral hall, but this corpse appeared in the ancestral hall. In a society that advocates atheism everywhere, people can only associate him with rumors like fake corpses.

  "Want to go take a look?" Fatso asked me.

  I teased him on purpose: "Aren't you afraid?"

  Fatso patted his pocket and said, "The sky is clear and the sun is shining brightly. I have a red treasure book in my pocket. Don't believe me? Let him get up and I'll still make him recite a passage from it!"

  The little guy immediately ran to Cha Wenbin and asked in a low voice: "Uncle Cha, can I take a look?"

  He just disappeared after showing me that capable appearance, and Cha Wenbin also joked: "Capable? How can't he be? Maybe he'll even accompany you to chat for a while."

  "Then I won't go." After saying that, he went to pull my dad's hand and said: "Uncle, let's go out for a smoke. I think this place is all wooden structure, we need to be careful about fire..."

  It's no problem to see a corpse during the day, any dirty thing has a common disease that can't be exposed to sunlight! It's not that there have never been cases of seeing ghosts in broad daylight, but it's limited to rainy weather. Why ghosts can't be seen in light is probably still related to their incomplete three souls, in short, this thing is hard to explain, anyway since ancient times, no haunting during the day, and fewer outings at night.

  Zhou Bo Cai, also known as my aunt's husband, was lying inside, but his face was facing down and one foot was still hanging outside the coffin. It could be seen that when they put him in, it was done hastily. Even if someone had a big heart, I wouldn't dare to touch him. He was wearing an old blue funeral suit, and his hat was nowhere to be found. Before even approaching, a strong stench could be smelled, what kind of smell was it? It's hard to describe, but it was probably similar to the smell of rotten eggs mixed with rotten pork and then boiled in sewage water. I couldn't help but retch several times, even a well-trained forensic doctor wouldn't be able to withstand it!

  I covered my nose and retreated backward with all my might, and Cha Wenbin also followed me out, probably because he couldn't stand the fumes.

  "How can it smell so bad?!"

  Cha Wenbin also said: "It's quite not right, even if it's July or August when people die and are left out for over a dozen days, they wouldn't stink like this. We have to get the person out and take a look."

  I looked around and this place was eerie all over, it's no better than being in a coffin, where can I go?

  "What about his family?"

  The neighbor said: "After leaving, only the old father was left, and even the daughter was taken away. Who can handle this matter? Who dares to handle it? I think we should wait until a new clan leader is elected before dealing with it. For now, just let him rot here. If his family really doesn't care, then one fire will burn everything, what else can be done?"

  Zha Wenbin thought for a moment and said: "My personal suggestion is that you should not move him for now, things are not as simple as they seem. I took a closer look at the back of his neck earlier, there are several black spots. Those spots aren't rigor mortis, but rather resemble some sort of Gu technique. I've heard my master mention it before, people from Miaojiang are skilled in using Gu techniques, and those with ill intentions use them to harm others. One type of Gu technique can control a person's soul, the most direct manifestation is that the person will develop black spots. If he was indeed poisoned by Gu, then this isn't an accidental death, it's murder! This is a homicide case!"

  The neighbor was also a good Samaritan, and after listening, he said: "This is a murder case, I'm afraid! That's not going to work, you can't be in charge of this matter, you have to go talk to them."

  "Who are they?"

  "The village chief is not around, for big or small matters, there are a few people in charge of handling them, they are all familiar faces here, you go find him."

  Under the lead of this good neighbor, we met those people, three men and one woman, all in their sixties or seventies. Shuangyuan Village has a strict generational hierarchy, apart from the normal village committee, they also have a family-style power institution, which is the real center of power in Shuangyuan Village.

  This rights center is composed of a clan head and four elders, all of whom are members of the Zhou family. It can be said that this organization is above the local government, and everything big or small is decided by them. When we went there, the four people were discussing the matter of electing a new clan head.

  After explaining the intention, Zha Wenbin also expressed his own thoughts. Unexpectedly, the other party first gave us a sentence: "What kind of people are you? What right do you have to interfere with our affairs? If you come to mourn, please come another day, we're busy now."

  Then we were coaxed out by others, thinking about it, who are we? What qualifications do we have to manage this matter.

  "On the way back, that neighbor revealed a message to us: 'Hey, it's not their fault, who made this village rich now? Whoever becomes the head of the clan will take control of the coal mine in front. See those ships lined up on the river? They're all here for coal, and along the river you can reach the Yangtze River, and countless factories along the coast are waiting, all eager for the old patriarch to die.'"

  "Why? Didn't he take care of it?" I asked.

  "It's all good, but it's been managed too well! Look at our village, every household with people over 60 years old gets a red envelope of 500 yuan each year, and the tuition fees for children under 16 are all covered by the village. And look at our village, although it's remote, we were one of the first in the town to have electricity, and every household uses tap water. All this was done by the old clan leader alone. Those few elders aren't good people, that's a fat job, who wouldn't be eyeing it? When the old clan leader was around, no one dared to have any ideas, I reckon now that he's gone, things are going to change."

  "My dad looked at the time and said goodbye: 'Thank you, big brother. We'll leave first and come back another day when we're in mourning.'"

  On the way back, we arrived at the town for a transfer. I had already bought the tickets. Suddenly, Cha Wenbin said: "I'm not leaving, you all go back first, I still have to take a look."

  Fatso reached out with one hand and touched Cha Wenbin's forehead, saying: "Old Cha, you're not going crazy, are you?"

  "I told you, let's go, something is fishy about this."

  The fatty scratched his neck and said: "What's your relationship with him?"

  "There was none originally, but now there is."

  "What does it mean?"

  Zha Wenbin spread out his palm and I saw that it was a black and white photo, with serrated edges on both sides, which was the way photos were trimmed back then.

  "Where did you come from?" I asked.

  "Just now at their meeting place, you were talking to them. I saw a frame on the wall and took a glance, then I saw this photo." Zhang Wenbin handed me the photo, it was a group photo, with three rows of people standing, in the most eye-catching position in the middle was an old man, on the photo it was written: "March 1980, Shuangyuan Village Coal Mine opening ceremony commemoration".

  I didn't quite understand what Cha Wenbin meant, so I asked: "What's the point of getting this photo?"

  "There's someone in this photo I know." He pointed at the person on the far left of the third row and said, "I will never forget this man for my whole life."

  "My goodness, Master Zhang, you're speaking nonsense to us, this whole group of people can't even see your face clearly and yet you still recognize them?"

  "For the time being, I won't be able to explain it clearly to you all. In short, this person is very dangerous. However, what I do know is that he had already died in 1979, supposedly in Gansu Province. I never expected to see him here."

  I know that for three years, Cha Wenbin and I were separated. He never told me what happened during those three years, but I really don't want him to leave again. From the bottom of my heart, I regard him as my own brother.

  I advised him: "If it's not a big deal, then let's just forget about it. One less thing is better than one more thing."

  "You all go ahead, this matter has nothing to do with you, I need to go take a look."

  "Trouble? You're the one who's causing trouble! Why don't you go find a cop?! Honestly...". The fatty pointed with his hand and said: "See, right across from us is the police station. You've already said this is a murder case, just go in and report it directly. Who knows, you might even crack the case and they'll give you a banner with four big characters that say 'Police and People are One Family'!"

  "This is my family's affair."

  I took a closer look and saw that the person he was pointing at was wearing a pair of black sunglasses. Although he was standing in the corner of the crowd, he stood out particularly.

  Ye Huan! These two words, Cha Wenbin would never forget for the rest of his life. Although Ma Suifeng didn't tell him before he died that it was Ye Huan who did it, Cha Wenbin still knew that his master's death had something to do with him. In the big fire at Yeren Village, Ye Huan's technique shocked him. The gap between them wasn't just a little bit; the rhythm of his spellcasting was even more powerful than Ma Suifeng's during his peak period. He could smell the stench of death on Ye Huan from far away.

  Later, when he arrived at Heilongjiang, he still hadn't seen Ye Huan. Once, he asked Kuang Feng about that person, and Kuang Feng just shook his head, saying that after he came in, he never saw the black sunglasses again, which was also the first time he had seen them.

  Never thought that Ye Huan would appear here.

  "Alright then, since you want to stay, I'll keep you company. Or should the old man go back first? We can stay for two more days..."

  "Wen Bin, you're the most sensible one among the two of you. Now that you're both grown up, it's time to set you free. But don't take on things that others can't bear, this person's road is still long ahead." This was the first time I heard my old man say something so profound. As I watched him get on the train alone, I felt like there were tears welling up in my eyes...

  Look at that car, it's already driven out of the station. The fat man finally couldn't hold back his laughter and patted his thigh, laughing loudly: "Too damn talented! Little Yi, this old man can't tell if you're a cultured person or not!"

  I didn't cover for him either, and followed his words by saying: "That's right, he had been abroad back then."

  "Hey, you've even been abroad for further study, how come I've never heard you mention it? Which country did you go to? Europe or the US?"

  "I irritably said: 'North Korea!'"

  Chubby: “......”