The village head's house isn't exactly rich, but being the leader of the village means they must have some skills, and their living conditions are a bit better than others. However, that only means they eat a little better.
I used to think our village was the only poor one, but now it seems like this is a common situation. I couldn't help but feel heavy-hearted, thinking back to how, within just half a month of entering the city, I had made a fortune. I began to worry about the consequences of the fate backlash that Huang Jiu and Uncle Er had warned me about.
The village head was quite chatty. While I ate, I told him about Zhao Laowai's wife's situation. I didn't hide anything. First, because country folks believe in this kind of stuff, and they wouldn't think their worldviews were being shaken. Second, I couldn't stay here forever. As long as the hidden dragon hole still existed, people would keep coming after it. I told him to let him prepare.
He had once worried that disturbing the dragon hole would bring disaster to the village, and he wasn't wrong. The village was located just below the dragon's mouth, and once the dragon rises, it would provide protection. I had observed the children playing in the yard when I passed by the brigade; they all seemed destined for a good future. Even if they didn't become officials, they would surely achieve something significant. But if the dragon was suppressed and the dragon's head struggled, the entire village might suffer.
I briefly explained this to him, and the village head frowned deeply and cursed, "I wonder which bastard did this, with such bad intentions!"
I didn't engage with his words. There was no need for him to get involved with the people behind this. We ate the old hen and a pot of stewed potatoes, finishing every last bite.
Afterward, I stood up and patted my stomach, saying, "Village head, go check on the people making calls at the brigade. If they haven't found anything, let them rest. I'll handle the rest, and you don't need to worry about it."
After the village head left, I did some exercises in the yard. Xu Dafa walked over, and I curiously asked him how he knew Song Laoqie.
Xu Dafa explained, "In our family, I'm the youngest of seven siblings. My eldest brother fought in the war and was a soldier under Song Laoqie. He died in battle later."
"When my mother was still alive, Song Laoqie would visit every year during the holidays, and over time, we became familiar with each other."
Song Laoqie's soldier… I instinctively touched my Blood Dagger, wondering if Xu Dafa's elder brother was among those within it. Those years were hard to recall, but hearing about it brought a sense of solemn respect.
We chatted for a while, and soon the village head returned. He reported that the villagers had called around, and none of the nearby villages had any deaths. Country folks love gossip, and if they couldn't find anything, that meant someone from outside had come.
Not wanting to trouble the village head, I told him to rest while I went to the village committee with Xu Dafa. We would give him a report in the morning.
The village head seemed a little uneasy and wanted to come along, but after Xu Dafa reassured him, he agreed to stay behind. He told me, "If you need anyone, just call. We don't have many households, but we can gather twenty to thirty people if needed."
I nodded with a smile. It was late by the time we left the village head's house. The brigade was deserted, and it seemed like it had once belonged to a landlord before being taken over by the commune.
The night wind was gentle, and as soon as I entered the room, I felt a chill down my back. I quickly activated my spiritual sight. When I looked up, I saw a pair of small feet, wearing embroidered shoes, hanging from a beam above, swaying above our heads.
Looking up, I saw a young woman sitting on the beam, curiously watching us. Huang Jiu tried to speak, but I quickly covered his mouth, signaling him not to provoke her.
Seeing the small feet, I realized that this might be her home. I activated my spiritual sight and pretended not to see her.
Xu Dafa noticed my strange behavior and asked, "Master Li, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing!" I smiled and placed the money I had gotten from Zhao Laowai's house in the center of the room, then took out the Blood Dagger and summoned the Earth Dog Star.
As soon as the Earth Dog Star appeared, the young woman from the beam curiously came down and approached it, inspecting it carefully. She didn't seem to have any ill intentions, but her proximity at this hour was a little eerie.
I was about to close my spiritual sight but hesitated, fearing she might have some ulterior motives. I made sure to avoid looking at her, instead, controlling the Earth Dog Star to sniff around.
The moment the Earth Dog Star sniffed the money, images of people flooded my mind. Fortunately, the money had just been withdrawn from the bank and hadn't passed through many hands. There were images of fifty people. After filtering out those whose images were too blurry or from too long ago, I focused on four individuals.
It wasn't easy to identify the person through these images alone, but I was sure they were nearby and had recently infiltrated the village.
By comparing everything, I noticed only one person's aura was present on the money and had also appeared in the village. After locking onto him, the Earth Dog Star quickly sniffed out a trail.
It seemed that the person was in the mountains.
I turned to Xu Dafa and said, "Xu Dafa, gather up Li Erwa and the others, bring some tools, and meet me on the small path to the west of the village."
Xu Dafa, who couldn't see the Earth Dog Star, was amazed at how quickly I had pinpointed the person's location and said, "Master Li really is as capable as Song Laoqie said!"
I smiled but didn't say anything. I hadn't expected Song Laoqie to hold such a high opinion of me, especially since he often scolded me when I was his apprentice, calling me a fool.
Once Xu Dafa left, I tidied up the money on the floor and locked the door behind me.
However, as soon as I stepped outside, a pair of small feet dropped down from both sides of my shoulders.
The girl had actually climbed onto my neck.
Though she meant no harm, this was a bit much. I stopped and, in a polite tone, said, "Miss, it's not quite proper for a young lady like you to be riding on my neck, is it?"
A light breeze blew, and the girl dropped in front of me, looking at me in surprise, "You can see me?"
I nodded.
I didn't activate my qi, but being a young man with strong vitality, normal ghosts wouldn't dare to easily sit on my shoulders. Plus, when she was on my neck, she didn't put out my yang fire, which meant she didn't fear it and had no intention to harm me.
This was likely related to the feng shui around here.
When she heard that I could see her and recalled how she had ridden on my shoulders earlier, her face instantly turned red.
The boundaries between the realms of the living and the dead kept me from engaging too much, so I asked, "Miss, is there something you need? If not, I'll be on my way."
The small-footed girl chased after me and said, "I'm going with you. I want to see who's so bold as to target the hidden dragon hole."
She had the demeanor of a noble young lady with a little temper, yet she was also quiet enough to be somewhat cute when she got angry.
But no matter how cute, she was still a ghost.
Still, I welcomed her company.
I replied, "If you want to help, just follow me."
As I spoke, I started heading toward the door.
At that moment, Huang Jiu's body flashed with light and transformed into a young man of about eighteen or nineteen. He smiled and said, "Miss, I see your hands are delicate and soft, and this mountain path is steep. How about I give you a ride?"