Chapter 6: After Dark

"So what's the name of your village?"

"Where do those bandits live, on which mountain? And in which direction does that Old Master reside?"

Zhang Hao thought that the Old Master and this group of bandits might be linked to the village's strange situation.

So he turned to Li Chun and asked.

"Our village is called Tu Bo Village."

"I can't recall the Old Master's name; his dwelling is about thirty li north of the village."

"But we don't dare to leave the village during the day, so we're not very sure."

"As for those bandits, we also don't know which mountain they're on."

Li Chun's answer didn't provide much useful information.

Zhang Hao could confirm that the title "Old Master" meant the man was probably close to a hundred years old.

"The Old Master once disappeared, and during that time the village was being conscripted."

"After the men left the village, bandits often came to raid, and many of the village's women were abducted by them."

Zhang Hao kept pondering in his mind.

"Later the Old Master returned and set a rule; the bandits no longer dared to break into homes in the village."

For some reason, Zhang Hao always felt that the Old Master was the mastermind behind it all.

The information from Li Chun made everything seem too coincidental.

The Old Master had just vanished, and the village was conscripted.

If viewed from a supernatural angle, does this mean the Old Master himself has a problem? Or, judging by the actions of a Republic Era Ghost Tamer, is he dissecting his own supernatural essence?

The men in the village represent the Fierce Ghosts that have been dissected away.

The bandits' arrival and their raiding of the village's women can be interpreted in two ways by Zhang Hao.

First, the bandits symbolize the Old Master's supernatural imbalance; they are destroying the village, which is the Old Master's supernatural balance.

Second, the bandits represent that portion of the supernatural that has been dissected away.

The supernatural part represented by these bandits, when they raid the village's women, is actually seizing Ghost Power.

It's like a dissected puzzle that wants to take more pieces.

Later the Old Master reestablished the rule, and the bandits acted according to it.

Does this mean the Old Master has regained his own balance?

But merely speculating is meaningless; we still have to wait until night to see those so‑called bandits.

Since we don't need to eat, after gathering the information.

After telling Li Chun, Zhang Hao took the Dried Corpse Bride into the room to rest.

"We just settled down, and it's already starting?"

Li Chun looked at the closed door, full of resentment.

A man and a woman entered the room; without looking, she could guess what this pair of scoundrels intended to do.

Unfortunately, everything inside the room was different from what Li Chun imagined.

After bringing the Dried Corpse Bride into the room, she sat on the bedside, while Zhang Hao, holding a Bench, went to the window to look outside.

Time passed slowly.

Clearly the sky outside had always been dim, but as night fell, it turned eerily black.

"Is it coming?"

Zhang Hao looked outside; as night deepened, he vaguely saw a figure wandering in the distance.

From the silhouette, they seemed to be men, not women.

"Bang bang bang!"

At that moment, a knocking came from outside the room.

"Little brother, open the door, it's dark, I'll bring you an Oil Lamp for illumination."

Hearing the voice outside, Zhang Hao thought for a moment and opened the door.

He wasn't very worried; the Dried Corpse Bride was in the room, and if any danger arose, the Dried Corpse Bride could handle it.

When the door opened, it wasn't Li Chun outside, but the young widow Lian'er who had been there in the daytime.

"Why are you here?"

Zhang Hao was a bit surprised; from Li Chun and Lian'er's daytime words, their relationship didn't seem good. "Hehehe, isn't it dark already?"

"That Li Chun guy didn't even know to prepare an Oil Lamp for you."

Lian'er's pretty face broke into a bright smile.

"So that's why I'm bringing you an Oil Lamp, sister."

"By the way, sister made some double‑skin milk; little brother, would you like to try?"

As she spoke, Lian'er lifted the soft fabric over her chest, giving Zhang Hao a seductive look.

They say nothing tastes better than dumplings, but a widow is also a flavor that rivals dumplings.

Lian'er couldn't believe that Zhang Hao felt nothing for a 24‑ or 25‑year‑old young widow like herself.

Sure enough, after Zhang Hao took the Oil Lamp and set it down, he reached out, grabbing Lian'er's back and arm, as if to pull her close.

Seeing this, Lian'er's face lit up with joy.

However, what followed disappointed Lian'er.

Zhang Hao's hand touched her back, and his other hand seized her arm, forcing her to turn around and then push her out of the room.

"Bang!"

The sound of the door closing rang out, and hearing that, Lian'er gloomily walked down the stairs.

Heh heh heh, what, little flirty hooves, you failed again?

Li Chun watched Lian'er coming up and down the building with amusement.

If I may say, since you want men so much, you'd be better off not returning to the room at midnight.

When the bandits eventually kidnap you, aren't you just wanting as many men as possible?

Li Chun teased.

Lian'er frowned at the words, a thoughtful look appearing on her face.

No, you haven't really taken a liking, have you?

Seeing Lian'er's expression, Li Chun's face went stiff.

You need to think carefully—those bandits are so many, you can't handle them alone.

Hearing this, Lian'er's furrowed brows relaxed, as if she also caught on.

She glanced at the fullness of her chest, then proudly turned her head away.

Hmph hmph hmph, I'm not the kind of woman who will eat anything just because I'm hungry.

Since that's the case, let's rest here with sister today; the night is deep, going out is unsafe.

Li Chun breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Lian'er didn't intend to be taken by the bandits.

Forget it, it's better to go back to one's own home.

Lian'er hesitated, but having never stayed at anyone's house, she declined.

Without waiting for Li Chun to say anything, Lian'er opened the door and headed to her own home.

Li Chun, seeing this, shook her head and said nothing more.

Although it was dark, based on past experience, the bandits probably haven't entered the Village that quickly yet.

This place is still safe for now.

However, after Lian'er left Li Chun's house and returned home, she didn't rush back to her room to rest.

She lit a lamp at the doorway, then brought a Ghost Stool to sit on the second floor, looking toward the doorway.

She plans to watch the bandits' faces tonight.

Time continued to pass.

Before long, Footsteps rang out in the Village.

Muffled Footsteps echoed within the Village, silhouettes moving in every corner.

Zhang Hao stood by the window, watching the shadows below, continuously pondering.

These bandits seem to come every night, yet they never break into houses to rob.

Isn't that strange? Clearly there's no gain, yet they come every night wasting time.

(End of chapter)