Ita Era

Chapter 176 Sixth Wife
Four-meter bridge.

Xiao Ni said, "Ding Shi, you told everyone that when you examined Xi Jiu's body, there were no external injuries, no poisoning, and no drowning. That's why I'm investigating the cause of Xi Jiu's death. You and everyone else insist that it was Liu Niang who did it, but I know it wasn't, because Liu Niang is not strong, while Xi Jiu is quite strong. Without poisoning or external injuries, Liu Niang couldn't have killed Xi Jiu."

Xiao Ni said, "This means that either one of us is hunting players, or an NPC is hunting players."

Ding Shi kicked the monk sitting on the ground: "What do you say?"

The monk sighed, "I don't know what to say."

Ding Shi: "Aren't you going to thank us?"

Monk: "Thank you."

Ding Shi: "Verbal thanks are not as good as sharing your possessions with us."

Xiao Ni couldn't help but push Ding Shi: "Let's get serious, Ding Shi, stop joking around."

I don't!
Xiao Ni said, "There are still five players left, and all five of us are targets for the ghost cultivators to hunt."

Ding Shi said, "According to my analysis, he probably only needs one body to resurrect his lover."

Xiao Ni said, "What if we fail? He'll just find a second one, a third one. You've seen the strength of ghost cultivators; we're no match for him in a one-on-one fight."

Ding Shi said, "The ghost cultivator's name is Huang You." Ding Shi then briefly explained Huang You's story of love, hate, and grudges.

Ding Shi said, "Tie Zhu is fifty years old. Let's assume that Cuihua's father is seventy years old. Huang You should be around 65 years old and he may have settled in Tianmen Village 18 years ago." The reason for 18 years ago is that Cuihua's father died 18 years ago, and his soul must be imprisoned within seven days of his death, otherwise Cuihua's father will be reincarnated.

The monk asked, "Couldn't it be that they've gone into seclusion?"

Ding Shi said, "She's been living in seclusion for 18 years? No one in the village discovered her existence?" Has the monk's brain been drained by the ghost cultivator?

The monk touched his bald head: "That seems unlikely."

"Let's go find the village chief."

When they arrived at the funeral parlor, Ding Shi gave the monk a push, and the monk donated 20 dollars. He chatted with the moved village chief and then donated another 20 dollars. The village chief reluctantly took out the register.

This is not a legally binding record book, but rather a spontaneous act by the village chief and several elders. It records the birth dates of individuals, their registration dates, marriage dates, departure dates from the village, and death dates. Currently, there are 84 registered households with over 300 people.

The village chief went to the warehouse and took out the record book, which is updated every five years. Eighteen years ago, there were six households with a total of 10 people left in Tianmen Village, but now only three remain.

The first one is Liu the carpenter. According to Granny Liu, Liu the carpenter possesses a talisman for tomb raiding. His son and daughter-in-law received a message from Liu the carpenter and went to Tianmen Village the following year. He is sixty-seven years old this year.

The second is the village chief. The village chief was injured during the Northern Expedition and stayed in Tianmen Village to recuperate. After recovering, he became the village chief of Tianmen Village and is fifty years old this year.

The third person is Granny Liu. Granny Liu fled famine to Tianmen Village with her son and daughter-in-law. Her son was an educated man and was hired by the county government as a clerk. So she and her daughter-in-law took their newborn son to live in the county town. She is sixty-four years old this year.

The monk said, "It's obvious at a glance, Liu Po ​​is Huang You." Only Liu Po ​​fits the characteristics of a woman and her age.

Ding Shi agreed: "I always felt that something was off about Granny Liu. She was always willing to answer my questions, and she was also willing to answer the questions of NPCs."

Xiao Ni lives with Granny Liu, and she shook her head repeatedly: "It can't be Granny Liu. Her house is very clean. Although she is gossipy, she is a kind person. We must have made a mistake in looking for the resident information from 18 years ago."

Xiao Ni continued, "After all, she is a ghost cultivator; she can harm others and possess their bodies."

The monk said, "It's not that simple. Judging from the clues, the ghost cultivators didn't previously possess the ability to possess ordinary people's bodies. The reason they're hunting us now is to take our bodies."

Xiao Ni said, "We should confront Liu Niang first. Liu Niang doesn't have the ability to stuff her husband's evil spirit into the Taoist's body; it could only have been Huang You who did it. Liu Niang must know Huang You's information."

Ding Shi said, "I agree with that. Liu Niang was originally very ugly, and she wants to become beautiful. Huang You needs to experiment on bodies. They may join forces because of this. Liu Niang can help Huang You find candidates and test the target's physical qualities. Liu Niang may learn the method of replenishing yin with yang taught by Huang You. With each flirtatious act, she will become more beautiful."

Ding Shi said, "This explains why such a beautiful woman like Liu Niang isn't harassed by single men in the village. People from our own village are hesitant to make a move because of social niceties, but what about men from other villages? It's because Liu Niang doesn't refuse anyone who comes her way."

Ding Shi had a vision in his mind: at the market, a young man took a liking to Liu Niang, and Liu Niang told him to leave the door open that night, and the young man went away. After they made love, Liu Niang told Huang You about the young man's physical data, or Huang You could examine the young man's body to see if he was worthy of her lover.

If Huang You weren't confident, she wouldn't have helped Liu Niang regain her life through possession of another body, because she needed Liu Niang to continue helping her find and seduce young men. Zhang Dahe's resurrection through the Taoist priest's body indicates that Huang You had mastered the method to resurrect Cuihua's father, fulfilling her promise to Liu Niang and resurrecting Zhang Dahe.

The group explained, supplemented, and corrected each other's points, feeling they were getting close to the truth.

The monk and Ding Shi believed that Granny Liu was highly suspicious, but Xiao Ni objected. The three of them finally decided to visit Granny Liu in person, and if that didn't work, they would have to resort to force.

Without further ado, the three of them went to Liu Niang's place. It was lunchtime, but they found that Liu Niang's courtyard was locked.

Ding Shi sensed something was wrong and said, "When I passed by this morning, I noticed that the gates of Liu Niang's house were locked."

Monk: "Go and take a look."

Ding Shi leaped over the low wall and entered the courtyard.

The monk and the nun were dumbfounded; they couldn't fly.

So Ding Shi could only stand on the wall, stretch out one leg for them, pull them up one by one, and then jump into the courtyard. Getting out was easy; there was a bamboo ladder on one side.

The three entered the main room, only to find it in complete disarray. Wardrobe doors were wide open, clothes and bedding were strewn haphazardly on the floor, and drawers were undone. They searched the room but found nothing of value. Furthermore, the marriage certificate, which held no value to outsiders, was also missing.

Ding Shi suspected that it was because he had searched their house and looked at their marriage certificate that the young couple had fled with the tiger head.

I knew this woman wasn't a good person from the start, and I'd been plotting to get her to cause trouble. I never expected she was just a nobody who would do something so shameful as to run away with her whole family overnight.

Xiao Ni said, "It's time to go see Granny Liu."

The monk said, "No rush. At Ding Shi, go and inform Duan Pi, I'll go find the Daoist nun."

Ding Shi said, "I suggest we don't look for Duan Pi." This guy might have already made contact with Huang You and become Huang You's lackey.

The monk looked at Ding Shi, who said, "This is my suggestion."

"Alright, let's find the Taoist nun first."

Unexpectedly, they searched the entire village but couldn't find the Taoist nun, or even Sha Bi, who hadn't returned to Tie Zhu's house for lunch. The trio ended up eating at Tie Zhu's house, with the monk and Xiao Ni paying extra for their meals. After lunch, the trio went to Xiao Ni's house, which was also Liu Po's house.

It's 12:15 pm now, and Grandma Liu's house, which should be filled with the aroma of food, is unusually quiet.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, Ding Shi pointed to the kitchen. The little nun and the monk entered the kitchen, while Ding Shi kept watch. After a while, the monk came out and said, "The pot is cold and the stove is cold; the rice we ate this morning is still cold."

The three moved to the main room. Ding Shi and Xiao Ni entered the main room, while the monk kept watch.

The bed and wardrobe were old, and some odds and ends were piled up. Unlike Liu Niang's house, everything here was neatly arranged, and there was a pair of valuable gold bracelets in the jewelry box in the drawer. "Scattered around and looked."

Ding Shi gave an order and began inspecting each room. Just as he was about to enter the west wing, Xiao Ni stopped him, saying, "That's my room."

Ding looked at Xiao Ni and asked, "Do you want me to examine you more thoroughly? Or do you want me to pay attention to your lifestyle habits?"

Xiao Ni rolled her eyes and waved her hand: "Go ahead."

Ding Shi removed the door latch, pushed open the door, and looked inside. There was a bed, a stool, and a multi-drawer cupboard for storage.

Seeing that Ding Shi hadn't gone into the room, Xiao Ni came over and asked, "Have you found anything?"

Ding Shi countered, "Don't you feel uncomfortable in this room?"

Xiao Ni explained, "There's only one wooden window, so the air doesn't circulate."

Ding Shi stepped into the room. In the center was a red lacquered wooden bed, a common type of soft bed in ancient times. A horizontal bar at the head and foot of the bed supported the mosquito net. The mosquito net was black and had very little transparency. Overall, the room looked eerie.

Ding Shi lifted the mosquito net and stuck his head inside, only to see a patch of cloth about half the size of his chest sewn onto the top. Curious, Ding Shi asked, "Why is there a hole here?" He then rolled over and lay down inside.

Xiao Ni gritted her teeth and said, "That's enough, I'm still here."

Ding Shi ignored Xiao Ni, sat up, reached out and tore open the cloth patch, then gasped. A portrait of a demon mother was right there, her eyes emitting a faint black light, clearly an evil object.

Xiao Ni was so shocked that she couldn't speak: "This, this, this..."

Ding Shi and Xiao Ni were equally confused, asking, "What's the use of this?"

Xiao Ni left the room and went into the bathroom, which was provided exclusively for players and was available in every household. After washing her face for a few minutes, she came out, startling Ding Shi and the monk. The monk asked, "What happened to you, you look like this?"

Ding Shi asked, "Where did you get your cosmetics?"

Xiao Ni's face was deathly pale, almost bluish. She said, "For the past three days, whenever I fall asleep, I can't wake up before dawn and I'm stuck in a recurring dream. In my dream, something keeps chasing me. I can only remember that it has eyes that emit black smoke. I'm terrified, so I just keep running and running. Every time I feel like I'm about to die, Granny Liu knocks on the door and tells me to get up and eat. That's when I realize I'm in a dream or hallucination."

Xiao Ni: "I don't feel anything unusual in my body, and I feel very energetic, but for some reason, my complexion is getting worse and worse."

Ding Shi leaned closer to Xiao Ni and tapped his finger on a spot on Xiao Ni's left cheek, only to be slapped away by Xiao Ni.

The monk's next words nearly terrified the young nun. He asked Ding Shi, "Is it lividity?"

Ding Shi said, "No, it seems to be something that appears on the faces of older women and even older men, like age spots?"

Xiao Ni was nearly furious: "Chloasma...how is that possible? I'm only 29. Chloasma usually only appears on women around 45 years old." She stormed off to the bathroom, came out crying, sat on the stone steps, and buried her face in her hands.

Ding Shi advised, "Since you're not getting married anyway, it won't matter if you get melasma or even rainbow spots."

Xiao Ni: "You..."

Ding Shi: "You are a nun."

Xiao Ni retorted angrily, "The law protects everyone's right to marriage. Even if Buddha is great, can he be greater than the law?"

The monk said, "Amitabha." I had no way to respond to that.

The little nun rolled her eyes at the monk: "Don't put on airs. Let me ask you, before the introduction of Mahayana Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty, did China not have the concept of reincarnation and hell?"

The monk looked at the young nun with pity: "You didn't believe in Buddhism before, so why did you enter the Buddhist order?"

Xiao Ni complained, "If you're truly devoted to Buddhism, you won't even have the qualifications needed to become a monk. If you became a monk and then started practicing Buddhism, that's even more pathetic. You can even feel superior while sweeping the floor, thinking you're some kind of 'sweeping monk.' So we're both in the same boat, so neither of us should criticize the other."

Ding Shi asked curiously, "Monk, which type are you?"

The monk put his hands together in prayer position, bowed his head, and said, "I am ashamed, I am ashamed. I have been devoted to Buddhism since I was a child."

Ding Shi pressed on relentlessly, asking, "Then how did you get into the temple?"

After hesitating for a long time, the monk said helplessly, "My father is the abbot."

The little nun pointed at the monk and laughed uncontrollably.

The monk sighed and could only lower his head to chant Buddhist mantras. He knew the young nun was right; those who were devoted to Buddhism couldn't pass the high school entrance exam. Without a university degree, they weren't qualified to become monks.

Ding Shi reached out and took down the portrait of the Ghost Mother. He walked into the courtyard, where the sun shone on the portrait. White smoke rose from the portrait, and it ignited without fire, instantly turning into ashes and dust that drifted in the wind.

Ding Shi said, "Little Ni, you've been tricked."

Xiao Ni nodded: "Should I be proud?"

Ding Shi: "Proud my ass, you just crashed into it headfirst."

The monk asked, puzzled, "What are you talking about?"

Ding Shi explained, "Huang You has mastered the art of body swapping. She has her eye on a young talent like me and wants to give my body to her lover. But what about her? How could she be so shameless as to use her 65-year-old body to be all lovey-dovey with a handsome guy like me? Isn't she afraid I'll bite off her dentures? So, she also wants to swap bodies. Xiao Ni was the one she initially chose."

Ding Shi said, "According to my speculation, once Huang You completes the ritual to resurrect her lover, Xiao Ni will be her prey. She has captured the Daoist nun, so she doesn't need to hide anymore. As long as she gets my body, Sha Bi's body, or the monk's body, she can resurrect her lover."

Ding Shi said, "Her first target was me, and she placed a ghost mark on me. Unfortunately, my Aunt Cuihua is also a master, and she washed away the ghost mark with her own blood. Afterwards, you, monk, were also marked by the ghost mark. In order to avoid any complications, Huang You directly controlled you and wanted to take over your body."

Xiao Ni said, "I don't quite agree with your speculation. I don't think I am Huang You's target. Huang You is just using the Ghost Mother's portrait to absorb my essence and spirit every night."

Xiao Ni added, "Don't forget, the Daoist nun and Duan Pi are missing."

Ding Shi nodded and said, "That makes sense. It seems our most urgent task now is to find the Daoist nun. Also, you two may have been marked with the Ghost Mark. Don't separate; look after each other." Why not ask Cuihua to remove the Ghost Mark again? The little nun and the monk ate lunch at Cuihua's house; Cuihua must have noticed they were marked. Since Cuihua chose to remain silent, Ding Shi couldn't possibly use his personal connections to ask her for help.

The monk, with a wild imagination, asked, "Do you think Huang You's target for body swapping might be Liu Niang?"

Ding Shi and Xiao Ni exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Very likely." Therefore, the reason why Liu Niang fled overnight was not because she was afraid of the players, but because she was afraid of Huang You.

Seeing Liu Niang escape, Huang You stopped pretending and directly struck Ding Shi with the ghost seal, then kidnapped the nun. Unexpectedly, Ding Shi's ghost seal was washed off by Cuihua, and Huang You then set his sights on the monk, but was stopped by Ding Shi and the little nun.

Question 1: Where is Huang You?
Question 2: Where is the Taoist nun?

Question 3: Where is the silly dagger?

(End of this chapter)