Ita Era

Chapter 169 Wedding
The Taoist nun was the calmest of the group of girls. She took a deep breath, stepped forward, and groped Yuan Yue's body. Then she took out a piece of paper from the pocket above Yuan Yue's inner lining.

Unfolding the paper, the Taoist nun read aloud: "If you want to obtain the Eight Gates of Extraordinary Arts, do as I say. Tell Wang Zhu: I already know the secret of the Ghost Mother of Tianmen Village. Tell her to come see me at the Sweet Potato Cave near your residence. Don't tell anyone else, and you will get what you want. Signed Xijiu."

Ding Shi, with a look of utter dissatisfaction, took the paper and looked at it over and over, still full of complaints he wanted to vent.

What is the Eight Gates Mystic Arts? Why did Yuan Yue and her husband believe in Xi Jiu? Xi Jiu wanted to see Wang Zhu here, so why isn't Wang Zhu here? Instead, their bodies are here. Why wasn't the murderer taking this note?

The monk was the first to understand, and said, "What if Wang Zhu discovers something is wrong and kills the two of them? Look at this sweet potato cave, it's a closed space."

The Taoist nun retorted, "Wang Zhu can only trap evil spirits within his body. Can an NPC really kill two pure Force players?"

The monk asked, "Old Ding, what do you think we should do now?" He and Ding Shi were the only ones in the group who came up with ideas.

Ding Shi said, "I'll go inform the village chief and have him handle the body. Everyone, look for Wang Zhu in the vicinity."

The monk asked, "What about Xijiu?"

Ding Shi said, "It's highly unlikely that Xi Jiu wrote it. After Xi Jiu arrived at Tianmen Village on the first day, he spent almost the entire time with Liu Niang. However, I'm not aware of Xi Jiu's actions today."

No one else had a better idea, so Ding Shi went to the funeral shop at the village entrance. Before he could find the village chief, a villager found him first, saying that a body had been found near Shuanzi's house. Ding Shi quickly replied that two bodies had been found in the sweet potato cave.

The village chief was in a real bind. He told Ding Shi to inform Tie Zhu, while he sent people to carry the coffin to prepare for the body's burial. As for reporting the crime? That was out of the question. Not only were they in the midst of war, but the rule that the body had to be disposed of within 24 hours also prevented them from reporting it.

Ding Shi first went to the vicinity of Shuanzi's house to take a look. The deceased was Xi Jiu. Ding Shi examined the body but found no wounds. There had been no autopsy, so not much information could be gleaned from the exterior. However, Ding Shi could still deduce from the livor mortis that Xi Jiu had likely died between 9 pm last night and midnight this morning.

It is almost certain that Xi Jiu's death was related to Liu Niang. Ding Shi suddenly thought of his idol, the Taoist priest. Was he also dead?

Ding Shi left with a lot of thoughts on his mind, only to run into his idol, the Taoist priest. He was mingling among the few NPCs watching the spectacle outside the enclosure, with Liu Niang beside him. Liu Niang straightened his clothes, and the Taoist priest casually took Liu Niang's hand, responding with a smile full of affection. It was as if he had never been a player, but rather Liu Niang's man.

The next few hours were busy. Unlike yesterday's funeral for Shuanzi, many villagers volunteered to help with the funeral arrangements for today's three funerals. Upon learning that the three deceased had no offspring, three children were temporarily appointed as godparents to carry the memorial tablets.

The group followed the funeral procession to Sanlifen, but the burial site wasn't in the front of Sanlifen; it was in a forest behind it. There were only wooden tombstones, no actual graves.

Dig a hole, put the coffin down, fill it with soil, and then insert the wooden tombstone carved by the carpenter into the soil. Due to the passage of time, some cemeteries are no longer visible, and the tombstones are nowhere to be found.

At first, the players simply replaced the fallen tombstones, and then spontaneously began tidying up the cemetery. In front of what appeared to be graves, they used carving knives to remake tombstones, and since they didn't know the names, they could only write the words "Nameless Warrior".

Xiao Ni suggested that everyone chip in some money to build a monument. Although it was a replica and had no real significance, no one objected, so the task was entrusted to Xiao Ni.

It was already 3 PM when everyone returned to Tianmen Village. Ding Shi and Tie Zhu went home together and saw Sha Bi picking vegetables. Sha Bi avoided Ding Shi's scrutinizing gaze and said, "There's cold tea to drink."

Tie Zhu changed his clothes, and Ding Shi sat down next to Sha Bi, sniffed him, and asked, "Did you kill someone today?"

Sha Bi looked at Ding Shi and said, "Are you crazy?"

Ding Shi didn't smell any blood, but he still stared at Sha Bi. Sha Bi said helplessly, "I know you were already gone when they were being buried. When you came back to call Uncle Tiezhu, I was still sleeping, wasn't I? How did they die?"

Ding Shi still stared at Sha Bi: "Your complexion is still terrible, frighteningly pale. Haven't you recovered after sleeping all day?"

"Really?" Silly Bike walked to the water tank to look at the reflection, but couldn't tell.

Ding Shi said, "Do ten high knees, then ten squats."

Foolish Dagger: "Why?"

Ding Shi said, "I think you're very weak. Did you... secretly go to see Liu Niang while we were at the funeral?"

Silly Bone looked completely bewildered: "What?" What does seeing Liu Niang have to do with being very weak?

Cuihua, speaking at the kitchen entrance in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, said, "Lunch is ready."

The rice was dry-mixed rice. When Cuihua saw Ding Shi and Tie Zhu return, she put the dishes into a steamer to heat them up.

Today's lunch consisted of two dishes and a soup: stir-fried bok choy with pork, dry-mixed wild vegetables, and honeysuckle soup. The meat portion was plentiful. Shabi and Dingshi each pay $5 per day, but a pound of pork only costs half a dollar.

During lunch, Tie Zhu explained that he would be going to help out at a funeral parlor after lunch. Tonight was Shan Zi's wedding banquet, and Tie Zhu was worried about Cui Hua going out alone. He wanted to ask Ding Shi to attend Shan Zi's wedding in place of him and his wife.

Shanzi was the "red" party in the "Red and White Clash" (a Feng Shui arrangement), and his wedding was originally scheduled to be postponed for two weeks. However, thanks to Feng Qiniang's mediation, the bride's bridal sedan chair will enter the village soon. Tonight, a grand banquet will be held at Shanzi's house. In addition to relatives and friends, people from the village who are acquainted with Shanzi will also attend. Shanzi works as a helper at a funeral shop and has business dealings with Tiezhu. He often visits Tiezhu's house, so he verbally invited Tiezhu and his wife.

Tie Zhu said, "If you don't want to attend the banquet, pay my gift money for me." As he spoke, he took out a ten-dollar bill and placed it in front of Ding Shi.

Sha Bi volunteered, "I can do it too."

Tie Zhu glanced at Sha Bi, but didn't answer. His expression told Sha Bi: I don't believe you.

Ding Shi smiled smugly, took the money, and asked, "Uncle Tiezhu, what are you doing at the funeral parlor?"

Tie Zhu replied, "Wang Yatou is getting married the day after tomorrow, so she won't be helping out at the funeral parlor today. Shanzi was a long-term worker at the funeral parlor, and with his wedding, they won't have enough manpower."

Ding Shi asked, "It seems that Feng Qiniang is very keen on matchmaking."

Tie Zhu said, "Seventh Sister has a very good reputation in the surrounding villages. The marriages she arranged, while not exactly loving, were harmonious and peaceful. However, she offended quite a few people because of her pickiness in choosing partners. Wang Wu, the scoundrel from our village, came to her many times, saying all sorts of nice things, but she refused them all."

Tie Zhu: "If it were just that, it would be fine, but when a matchmaker from another village tried to find a partner for Wang Wu, Qi Niang would also interfere. If the village chief hadn't stopped him that day, Wang Wu would have burned down Qi Niang's house."

Ding Shi asked curiously, "Uncle Tiezhu, I have a question. Evil spirits are earthbound spirits. For example, after Shuanzi died, his soul turned into an evil spirit and stayed in the house. What would happen if the house was torn down at that time?"

Tie Zhu said, "This is the best solution. Without its territory, the evil spirits will dissipate in the human world. But the problem is that it has to be demolished very cleanly; all the bricks, tiles, and even the grass on the ground must be thrown out of the village." Tie Zhu's words were simple, but Ding Shi knew that building a new house in the countryside was quite difficult. Just throwing all the materials out of the village was a huge undertaking. With that kind of money, one could go to the county town, or even the provincial capital, to make a living. During the Republic of China era, for the first time since the Qin Dynasty, people legally possessed the right to free movement.

Ding Shi focused on the key point: "Disappear to the human world? Become an evil spirit and not enter the cycle of reincarnation?"

Tie Zhu said helplessly, "Ding Shi, how would I know so much? I only heard my master say that once the dwelling place of evil spirits is destroyed, they will also disappear. Some ghost cultivators use this to absorb evil spirits. Evil spirits are not evil ghosts. Evil spirits are the spiritual power left behind when evil ghosts disappear, or the power of resentment."

Seeing that Ding Shi didn't quite understand, Sha Bi explained, "Buddhism says that one can become a Buddha by laying down the butcher's knife. The butcher's knife that evil spirits lay down represents the power of their resentment. Ghost cultivators take the opportunity to take their butcher's knife to strengthen themselves. It's like your father died and left behind an inheritance, which you then inherited. Straightforward enough, right?"

These words were unpleasant, but Ding Shi couldn't get angry because his father was indeed dead, though he hadn't left any inheritance. However, Ding Shi understood the meaning: there were two ways for ghost cultivators to improve their cultivation. One was to cultivate in yin places, such as Tianmen Village. The other was to plunder and utilize the power of evil ghosts.

Sha Bi is a typical ghost cultivator. Once he arrived in Tianmen Village, he was like a rat in a rice jar. Don't be fooled by Sha Bi's frequent appearances in front of Ding Shi; Ding Shi is certain this guy has been up to no good behind the scenes.

Sha Bi seemed to guess what Ding Shi was thinking and said sarcastically, "I advise you not to trust the player companions. There's a wolf in sheep's clothing among them."

Ding asked, "What kind of wolf?"

Sha Bi frankly admitted, "It's a Ghost Power class."

Ding Shi asked, "How did you know?"

Sha Bi said, "This thing is just like homosexuality. It's hard for non-homosexuals to tell who is gay just by looking at them. But if you're in the gay community, it's easy to tell who is gay."

Of the 12+1 players, Yuan Yue and her husband, along with Xi Jiu, have died, leaving 9+1 remaining. Excluding Sha Bi and the Taoist, the other seven have frequent contact and have formed a small team. The monk is the leader of this team, and Ding Shi is a core member.

If Ding Shi accepts Sha Bi's statement, the team will be difficult to maintain and operate. Ding Shi knows that Sha Bi is telling the truth; each of the seven members has their own selfish motives to some extent. Although they share information, none of them are willing to dedicate themselves to the group.

Ding Shi asked, "Uncle Tiezhu, has anyone in the village recently undergone a drastic personality change?" The 13th person was the player; he had lost his player memories, and his soul had been implanted into a villager's body. He lost his life memories, but his muscle memory and reaction memories were etched into his subconscious. For example, he originally knew how to drive, but the villager whose soul he had taken couldn't drive. Given a little time to learn, he would be able to drive a vehicle.

Tie Zhu asked, "How recent is 'recently'?"

Ding Shi said, "About a week."

Tie Zhu thought for a while: "I've been buried in my work this week and have had little contact with outsiders. You can ask Granny Liu; there's nothing in the village that Granny Liu doesn't know." Granny Liu is one of the few NPCs with personality that Ding Shi listed.

Ding Shi knew what was going on.

After the meal, Tiezhu escorted Ding Shi to the courtyard gate and pointed out the location of Shanzi's house. At this time, the bridal sedan chair also entered the village, with the same groom and Feng Qiniang following behind.

Tie Zhu glanced back and whispered to Ding Shi, "There's something else tonight. You know that many people in the village have evil spirits inside them. If these people can't get home before 11 p.m., their personalities will change drastically. So, you have to help Shanzi persuade these people to go home early."

Ding Shi asked in confusion, "Do you need help from an outsider like me?"

Tie Zhu said, "At least you're clean. We don't know who's possessed by evil spirits right now. This is something Shanzi asked me to do. I won't help you for nothing; I'll give you a gift later."

Ding Shi asked curiously, "What gift?"

Tie Zhu said, "Sugar, red eggs, that's about it."

So disgusting.

Ding Shi said, "Uncle Tiezhu, do you have any other opinions about Qi Niang? Why is she so keen on matchmaking?"

Tie Zhu said, "There's a rumor I'm not sure if it's true, but it might be the reason why Seventh Sister is so keen on matchmaking. The rumor says that once a new bride enters the house, there will be peace for a thousand days. It roughly means that a family that has married a new bride will not be harmed by yin energy for three years. If she gives birth to a child within three years, she will not be harmed by yin energy for the next five years."

Ding Shi said, "Uncle Tiezhu, do you think Wang Zhu, Feng Qiniang, and the ghost cultivator are connected?"

Tie Zhu hurriedly said, "I didn't say that, I just have some doubts about Wang Zhu. As for Feng Qiniang, I can't say for sure. Every month, refugees come to Tianmen Village, and some of them settle down there. Who can say that there aren't any extraordinary people among them?"

Tie Zhu, fearing that Ding Shi would keep asking questions, said, "The bridal sedan chair is almost here, you should go and help."

……

After the feudal system was broken, folk weddings flourished. In most areas, the bride was no longer required to stay in the bridal chamber to wait for the groom. Some more open-minded families would have the bride greet guests at the door along with the groom and his parents. Generally speaking, wealthier families had more elaborate customs, such as exchanging birth dates and engaging in marriage negotiations. Wealthier families had fewer customs, with parents and matchmakers meeting, matching birth dates, and writing a marriage certificate.

The Shanzi family is one of those families with few rules.

The groom changed out of his red scholar's wedding attire and into a Zhongshan suit, his hair slicked back. The bride wore a dark red floral dress, her hair styled in a matronly updo, adorned with a large white hair clip with a flower on it.

They and Shanzi's father greeted the guests at the door. Everyone clasped their hands in greeting and offered their congratulations. After entering, guests were asked to give monetary gifts and state their names, which were recorded by someone. A best man or relative or friend would then guide you to your seat based on your status.

The seating was at small tables, six people to a table, with tea and a deck of cards provided for everyone to play as they pleased. A small gambling room on one side had been set up, filled with shouts and calls.

The five people at Ding Shi's table were all indifferent villagers. They talked to each other, but they were rather hostile towards Ding Shi. However, when Ding Shi asked them questions, they would still be polite and give him a perfunctory answer even if they didn't like him.

Ding Shi also met Granny Liu, who was quite formidable. Nearly 70 years old, she chatted casually while cracking sunflower seeds, her speech matching her seed-cracking speed. Ding Shi tried to approach Granny Liu, but she asked him about his household registration and even tried to introduce him to a potential partner. Ding Shi seized the opportunity to escape.

Back in his seat, the previously indifferent villagers poured tea for Ding Shi. They rarely smiled and spoke softly. Ding Shi went to a side room to watch a gambling session and found that the villagers, who had been indifferent before, were now quite excited at the gambling den.

Ding Shi basically understood that these indifferent villagers had a relatively high threshold for emotional change, and only after reaching a certain level would they show human emotions.

For example, an ordinary, inexperienced girl who accidentally sees a boy taking a bath will instinctively cover her eyes and blush. Indifferent villagers, they might also react, but not as strongly, because they don't have as much curiosity or shame.

Is it the influence of yin energy, or the influence of the ghost mother?
(End of this chapter)