When Gu Chu returned to the village chief's house, Shi Ren and the others had already returned, and they were sitting around the dining table, listening to the village chief tell the mysterious past in the village.

"Few people in the village pay attention to those things anymore, but when I was young, my elders all believed in the existence of Vulcan."

The old village chief has a dimpled face and gray hair. When he was young, it must have been at least sixty or seventy years ago.

"At that time, the ancestral hall was a forbidden place. Even the patriarch was not allowed to enter the ancestral hall on special days. On the day of worship, only males were allowed to enter..."

The old village chief squinted his eyes, recalling the importance attached to the ancestral hall by the clan back then.

The change happened in those years when the Four Olds were broken. A group of people came down from the mountain and smashed the ancestral hall in the village, saying that it was a decadent and ignorant idea. Many people in the village had physical conflicts with those people because of this. In the end, they were still no match for the times. Waves watched as the ancestral hall was smashed and the idols were burned.

Later, people at the foot of the mountain felt that their thinking needed to be reformed, so they sent a few educated youths to educate the adults in the village, and forced the children in the village to go to the foot of the mountain to study and receive correct education.

After the most stubborn group of people were boiled to death, the grown-up children had already forgotten the beliefs of their ancestors, and many people sneered at the theory of ghosts and gods.

In the next few years, after the breaking of the Four Olds ceased, the village built a small ancestral hall, but that was only to provide a safe place for some spirits without descendants to enshrine. There are not many so-called ancestors of the Peng family. People believe in it.

"its not right?"

Shi Ren's chubby face is full of facial features, and there are big doubts hidden in his small eyes.

"If even the patriarch can't enter the ancestral hall until important days, who will offer the incense on weekdays?"

Shi Ren has an old lady who believes in Buddhism. He remembers that belief is very particular. Anyway, there are important days every now and then, and incense needs to be offered. What's more, the incense of the god statues at home cannot be broken.

The Peng clan was so devout back then, didn't they think about this?

"There is a wizard."

The old village chief threw the cigarette butt in his hand to the ground and stamped it out with his toes.

"You old man, you threw your cigarette butts on the ground again. The ashtray your affectionate son bought for you is just a decoration."

The village head's wife came out of the kitchen with a bowl of chicken soup. Seeing the village head's actions, she couldn't help but spit at him.

"Get used to it, get used to it."

The village chief looked at Shi Ren and the others in embarrassment, feeling that it would be very embarrassing to be scolded by the old woman in front of so many juniors.

"Village Chief, can you tell us something about the wizard?"

Gu Chu walked to the empty seat and sat down. Now she is very interested in everything related to the ancestral hall.

"Yes, but that is the old calendar from decades ago."

The village chief was trying to find something to divert their attention, when he saw that Gu Chu was interested in the wizard, he immediately expressed his interest.

"A long time ago, wizards were also one of the traditions of our Peng family. Wizard boys could only be selected from among boys. Choose a child with a suitable birth date among the boys to serve the Vulcan."

The village head showed emotion, and it was not a good job to be selected as a wizard, because once selected, they would be servants of the gods, and they would devote their entire lives to the gods.

Can't leave the ancestral hall, can't get married and have children. The moment he is chosen, it proves that his life has lost the meaning of living for himself.

However, in that pious and fanatical era, many families of the selected boys believed that this was the glory of the family.

"There were only two children of the right age in the village back then, and I was also one of the candidate witch boys. However, my five elements are heavy and my horoscope is not good, so the wizard chose another child."

Every time he thought of this, the village head felt that he was lucky.

"Where did the wizards in the ancestral hall go after the Four Olds were broken back then?"

Gu Chu asked.

"Hey"

The village chief sighed, touched the cigarette in his pocket, and wanted to smoke again.

"The old wizard has worshipped the gods for most of his life, and his belief is the most devout. He did not let the people at the foot of the mountain smash the statues, and he fought with those people. In the end, on the night when the statues were smashed, he burned himself to death in the ancestral hall. …”

Thinking back on it, it was really embarrassing. The old wizard spent most of his life in the ancestral hall. He couldn't do anything except worship the gods, and he didn't have his wife and children to accompany him.

"another……"

"The other is Peng Xing."

The village chief's daughter-in-law came over with a pot of rice, and distributed the bowls and chopsticks to everyone while talking.

"I haven't seen him. When I got married back then, the ancestral hall had already been smashed, but I heard a lot of things about him from the villagers. Peng Xing was selected as a wizard when he was four years old. He stayed in the ancestral hall for nine years. When he came out of the ancestral hall at the age of thirteen, he could do nothing but clean up, recite sutras, and light incense. His family disliked him for not being able to do farm work, and he was a wizard, so they removed him from the ancestral hall. The family is separated."

The village chief's daughter-in-law's expression is a little pitiful. That family is really not a thing. When Peng Xing was selected to be a wizard, the villagers gave their family a lot of benefits. They were also proud of Peng Xing. Later, the ancestral hall was smashed. Now, the wizard's identity is sensitive, and the family was afraid that the son would implicate them, so they separated the son from the family.

It doesn't matter whether a thirteen-year-old child who can't do farm work can earn enough work points to support himself.

Also, at that time, every household had several children, so how could they have feelings for a child who had not been raised for a few years.

For the next ten years, Peng Xing's life was miserable, and a man in his twenties and thirties could not even marry a daughter-in-law.

"Fortunately, all the hard work came, and then the situation changed. Peng Xing went to work in another place. I heard that he did a good job in the construction site. Be a grandfather."

"By the way, old man, will Peng Xing come back this time the ancestral hall is relocated?"

The village chief's daughter-in-law asked her old man curiously.

It’s rare to say that. In those days, the ancestral hall was shouted and smashed. After several decades, it was said that the ancestral hall might be a cultural relic. Now Shenhuo Village is going to move the village to the foot of the mountain, and the government still needs to consider whether the ancestral hall will be left or not.

Shi Ren and the others are special commissioners to check whether the ancestral hall has the value of preservation.

"Go back, why not go back."

The old woman had brought the food, and the village chief could only reluctantly put the cigarette he just touched back.

"Hey, I used to think that this ancestral hall was deserted. I really want to tear it down, and I feel a little reluctant. We all think so, not to mention Peng Xing, no matter if he suffered or suffered because of his identity as a wizard, after all, he is also there. The ancestral hall has been in place for nine years, and the spiritual seat of the old wizard who raised him is still enshrined there, so he has to come and pay his respects."

"When you eat, everyone eats it by yourself. There is not enough to eat in the pot. This chicken is an old hen raised at home. The meat is tender and nourishing."

The meals were all ready, and the old village chief warmly entertained a few people for dinner.

"When I contacted Peng Xing before, he had already arrived at the county seat, but the road up the mountain was blocked. He could only go up the mountain when the road was dug through. If you are interested in wizards, wait for Peng Xing to go up the mountain. Introduce him to you."

During the day, everyone was running around outside, and they were indeed hungry.

Even if there is an unknown knife hanging from his neck, he can't starve himself to death, pessimistic thinking, even if he dies tonight, at least he has to be a full-fledged ghost.

With this thought in mind, Yu Hong and the others reluctantly smiled politely, picked up their bowls and started serving rice.

"I asked during the day. The two people who died before did not offend anyone on weekdays. The man was a well-known old man in the village, and he was good to his daughter-in-law. , The younger girl is very filial. She wants to earn money to buy a house at the foot of the mountain, and takes the blind girl to live there. She is afraid that her husband's family will not accept her marriage with her mother after marriage. The objects were all rejected by her, and she devoted herself to supporting herself."

Shi Ren talked about what he had inquired about during the day.

He is white and fat, with a pair of squinted eyes that are very friendly when he smiles, and it is easy to mingle with others.

Yu Hong and the others obviously haven't adapted to this game yet, coupled with the fact that they are still in shock, after a day, their gains are limited.

"Do you think it's really the revenge of the gods? Isn't this the story? When Zhu Rong returns, the flames of the gods will take away all evil."

The sky was getting dark again, and Yu Hong seemed a little anxious. It is not known who died tonight.

Her idea is indeed not unreasonable, after all, the unexplainable phenomenon they see now is indeed like the indiscriminate revenge of Vulcan.

But in this way, how to explain the first sentence in the story?

【My heartless son, your bride is waiting at home】

Shi Ren has always suspected that those who died were emotionally at fault, including that the reason why Ma Dajun was chosen to die first may also be related to his emotions in real life.

But according to his investigation during the day, the first two people don't seem to have any emotional disputes. Of course, they may have hidden deeper.

"What should we do, why don't we all sleep together tonight?"

Yu Hong looked at Gu Chu, then at Shi Ren.

Gu Chu's status as a policeman makes her feel safe, but in this kind of supernatural world, what use are the policemen? They are not as reliable as Shi Ren, a reader who has experienced several worlds.

At this time, Yu Hong forgot that the first newcomer who died yesterday was Ma Dajun who lived in the same room with Shi Ren, and wanted to stay with Shi Ren wholeheartedly.

"Yes, yes, there is strength in numbers."

Pang Chong and Lin Duohuan also nodded in agreement. At this time, they couldn't care about the difference between men and women.

"Brother Ren, can I have a few words with you alone?"

After a moment of silence, Gu Chu walked over to Shi Ren's side.

"me?"

Shi Ren looked at the time, nodded in response, and walked out of the room under the suspicious eyes of the other three.

"You really have the guts to take a gamble?"

After listening to Gu Chu's analysis, Shi Ren showed a complicated expression.

"You are too brave."

He scratched his hair irritably and paced back and forth at the door.

"Either, or..."

Looking at the girl who was ten years younger than him, he wanted to say whether to let him come, but when he thought about his daughter outside the story world, he couldn't say anything.

"Once your guess is wrong, you may die."

He sighed, his shoulders drooping.

"If I can't find the right answer, I may not survive three days."

Gu Chu didn't care.

"you……"

Shi Ren scratched his ears and scratched his cheeks, and finally took a deep look at Gu Chu.

"You take this, it won't save your life, but if you guess wrong, there is still a chance to escape."

It was the first time that Shi Ren had seen a woman as daring as Gu Chu, but such a person could often go far. Shi Ren felt that perhaps the greatest value in bringing a new task this time was getting to know the person in front of him.

Although she felt a little distressed about the few talisman papers in her hand, Shi Ren still gave her a breath-holding talisman.

"Tear it off when you use it, and within ten seconds, the ghost can't feel your presence."

Shi Ren handed the talisman paper to Gu Chu and did not allow her to refuse.

"If you guessed right, remember to return this talisman to me."

Shi Ren turned his face away and looked at the talisman paper that was given out.

For the two of them when they went out, only one Shi Ren was left when they came back. The other three were full of slander in their hearts and minds. The one who was most worried about Gu Chu was Lin Duohuan. She was very fond of the handsome police little elder sister, butFacing Shi Ren with a solemn expression, she dared not speak again.

Yu Hong and Pang Chong were not vicious people either, but they just thought that Gu Chu had fallen alone. If the ghosts followed her tonight, they would be able to survive.

Putting the talisman paper given by Shi Ren into his pocket, Gu Chu turned around and walked to the bathroom on the first floor, then locked the door.

If she guessed right, the four people in the block tonight are safe.

As for her...

Gu Chu took out the fruit knife she had brought from the village chief's kitchen, looked at herself in the mirror under the dim light of the bathroom, and took off her clothes one by one.

"Um"

The sharp knife cut across his chest, Gu Chu frowned, groaned and endured the pain.

Her technique is very stable, the incision is not deep, and only the epidermis and the most superficial dermis are injured. This kind of injury will bleed a little, but it will quickly solidify and stop.

One knife, two knives, three knives...

Slowly, the whole body was covered with knife marks, and at the end, Gu Chu's hand holding the knife was a little unstable.

The last knife slashed from the forehead to the cheek. At this time, her body was blurred with blood, and her vision was blocked by the blood drop from her forehead.

"Zi-la, zi-la"

The light bulbs in the bathroom began to malfunction, and the walls around them seemed to come alive and began to wriggle and twist.

Gu Chu threw the blade in his hand to his feet, and supported the washbasin with both hands. His eyelashes were wet with blood. When the woman in the mirror smiled, the skin of the knife edge on her face was slashed, terrifying and ghostly.

"This skin, do you still want it?"