Chapter 176

Perhaps it was a coincidence, or perhaps the thousand-faced fiend intentionally wanted to punish Liu Guozhong; in any case, Liu Guozhong indeed, under ghostly influence, lightly licked the crow droppings that had fallen from the sky.

Of course, this scene did not lead Liu Guozhong to seek the cause from his intelligence. On the contrary, Liu Guozhong, like everyone else, blamed this scene on the thousand-corpse fiend.

After all, ghosts and spirits are ghosts and spirits; even if they promise you, they are not easy to deal with. Even if they cannot harm you, they must play a trick on you to show their dignity.

Although they were played a trick on, Liu Guozhong and the others felt quite happy inside; at least, the thousand-corpse fiend agreed to their request, willing to go to the netherworld to be reborn, so from then on the villagers of the three townships and twelve villages no longer had to worry about ghosts luring souls.

Of course, the reason is not that the thousand-corpse fiend truly feared Liu Guozhong. Martial practitioners, though having heavier yang and more vigorous three fires than ordinary people, yet this thousand-corpse fiend is not a vegetarian; having lingered in the human world for decades, having harmed countless people, the resentment on its body and its cultivation are such that not only ordinary martial artists, but even two or three Daoists could not handle it.

The most important thing, in fact, was that sentence Liu Guozhong said after turning around.

"Let's bury these corpses and bones! Leaving them exposed to the sun in the wilderness makes us uneasy!"

This sentence, on one hand, highlighted Liu Guozhong's kind heart, but from another angle, it precisely hit the thousand-faced fiend's heart.

As for the fiend's heart, you can describe it in four words—'to rest in peace upon burial.'

People say 'return to the root upon landing,' ghosts say 'to be buried is to be at peace.' In the teachings of the older generations, the netherworld and the human world are the same, also concerning household registration. Either you have descendants making offerings, or you have a burial place; otherwise you are a homeless wild ghost without registration or origin.

After the thousand-faced fiend was killed by the principal lady and thrown into the Ku Jing, besides suffering the agony of having its face peeled and disfigured, its soul and body are soaked in water day after day, and it must also endure the bone‑chilling cold that pierces to the heart.

Perhaps the thousand-corpse fiend bears resentment, but after so many years the resentment in his heart should have faded. The reason for lingering in the human world to do evil might be that the corpses are trapped below the well, unable to rest in peace. She can only lure souls and take lives to alleviate her own suffering.

So it is not that Liu Guozhong's aura is strong, but that this sentence he said happened to be just right. Likewise, as worldly affairs are changeable, having an absolute advantage does not guarantee success in some things; the key is whether your method is applied precisely where it counts.

Perhaps it was heaven's favor; Liu Guozhong succeeded. After the crow flew away, Liu Guozhong and his brothers dug several pits, burying each of these corpses separately. The thousand-faced fiend's bones were buried elsewhere, and moreover, Liu Guozhong carved the name he had heard from the old village secretary onto a wooden board, erecting a stele for this thousand-faced fiend.

All of this was done flawlessly, seamless. As long as the few brothers accompanying him do not speak of it, everything will be concealed with the passage of time, and even less likely to be discovered by superiors.

However, besides heaven knowing, earth knowing, and Liu Guozhong's party knowing, there was yet another person who witnessed the entire process with their own eyes.

After Liu Guozhong's party quietly left the Ku Jing, a lovely figure lightly stepped out from deep within the Zhu Lin.

She glanced with a hint of shyness at Liu Guozhong's retreating back, then knelt down and, likewise, kowtowed several times before the thousand-faced fiend's grave.

This figure was none other than Aunt Wang, whom Liu Guozhong had rescued and who thereafter tended to him day and night without rest for several days.

It turned out that this morning, Aunt Wang was working in the production team. Those who fall in love naturally think of their beloved at all times. This is a naive affection, no one can be sure. But even if it is a secret crush, this affection will continue to take root deeply in each other's hearts.

In traditional Chinese medicine, this condition is called lovesickness. In modern science…… it is also not something that medicine can cure.

In short, Aunt Wang, unable to see Liu Guozhong, was naturally very anxious. During her rest, she again inferred from the old village secretary's fragmentary words that Liu Guozhong was going to that Ku Jing.

Worried, she put down her farm work and quietly ran up to the Zhu Lin.

Not long after, when Aunt Wang arrived at the Zhu Lin, it happened to be the moment Liu Guozhong was lifting the corpses and kneeling before them. Yet, seeing Liu Guozhong dare to threaten the thousand-faced fiend with harsh words, Aunt Wang's heart was inevitably greatly startled; for a moment she could not regain her composure and stood there stunned.

Later, Aunt Wang's mood could be described as fluctuating like waves, from surprise to joy, from joy to annoyance. The surprise was seeing the thousand-faced fiend's bones fall out; the joy was that the thousand-faced fiend actually agreed to Liu Guozhong's request; the annoyance…… was that the man she had taken a liking to was so foolish, not even looking, he stuffed crow droppings into his mouth.

Only after Liu Guozhong's party walked far away did Aunt Wang sneak out from within the Zhu Lin.

After finishing her kowtows, Aunt Wang did not linger even a moment; she took small hurried steps and quietly ran out of the Zhu Lin.

Within the Zhu Lin lay several desolate graves and a Ku Jing, lying side by side in silent stillness. After everyone had left, a faint cool breeze suddenly blew through the Zhu Lin; as leaves fluttered, a wailing sound spread within the Zhu Lin, like the wind weeping, or like a woman who had suffered years of injustice, lamenting the resentment and pain she had endured for so many years.

……………………

Time quietly passed, and under the deliberate concealment of the old village secretary and Liu Guozhong et al., this matter gradually faded from people's memory, as if it had never happened.

On the contrary, the feelings of the two protagonists in the story deepened further.

Liu Guozhong, this honest fellow, besides doing farm work in the daytime, also taught the villagers Liu family boxing in his leisure time. However, this fellow is naturally clumsy; regarding emotional matters he is indifferent, even not knowing where to start. In modern terms, such a person is naturally low in emotional intelligence.

On the contrary, Aunt Wang, taking advantage of her free time, would sometimes bring food to Liu Guozhong, sometimes mend his clothes; although she had no formal title, she actually resembled a daughter‑in‑law of the Liu family.

However, their communication always stopped at the point of contact. Aside from spiritual elevation, there was no further physical contact; indeed, they had never even held hands. Without external factors, perhaps these two would remain this way for their whole lives.

But perhaps heaven wanted to foster this affinity; at this moment a matchmaker appeared—Liu Danniang from the same village.

In the old society of that time, northern and southern cultures had considerable differences. In the north, 'danniang' might merely be a term of respect for elders. But in southern rural villages, elders are generally called 'aunt', 'madam', or 'grandma'. For relatives, we address them according to seniority; for non‑relatives, we usually give different titles based on age. For those whose ages are not far apart, we call them 'older sister'; for slightly greater differences, we call them 'aunt', 'aunt',

Only four kinds of people can bear the suffix 'niang': birth mother, wet nurse, bride, and the matchmaker who ties the red thread for others.

Liu Danniang, whose single given name is 'Mei', is a well‑known matchmaker in the three townships and twelve villages, specializing in bringing together fated couples and collecting a generous matchmaker's red envelope.

In that old society, marriages were generally blind and mute. After meeting once and finding the other party acceptable, one would present the betrothal gifts, choose an auspicious day, and bring the bride home.

Of course, you might say this is the old society's marriage custom, utterly irrational and antiquated.

Then, how about compared to today's society?

As society developed, people learned many things and changed many. While learning to pursue true love, they also became more pragmatic; amidst constantly choosing partners and enduring countless emotional ups and downs, when finally entering the marriage hall, many do so simply because they are older and have the idea of starting a family, disregarding everything else—in short, being able to get by is enough.

In the end, it is possible…… that the person who spends a lifetime with you is merely someone whose love stems from family responsibility, with no emotional foundation at all, and who falls apart at the slightest touch.

Furthermore, as a certain beloved literary fool said, on this journey of life, from childhood onward, whether because of a momentary brilliance or because of feelings, you will have liked countless people, and countless people have once liked you. However, it is possible that in a lifetime, the one who can make you heart‑ache,

Perhaps the existence of matchmakers also has…… but nowadays people who seek matchmakers also do so with considerable calculation: either they seek the relatives of their superiors, or they seek those who can help their careers, and even in a marriage they never forget to mix in some social tactics.

Two eras, two differences; the latter seems more preferable. Yet oddly, even though marriages in the old society were blind and mute, many people seemed to walk hand in hand to the end. Whereas in today's society, splitting and reuniting, splitting again, it truly vexes the heart and torments many fated couples.

In those distant ages of old, when people could not even fill their stomachs, few would bother to pursue true love.

Therefore, being a matchmaker is both a skill and a money‑making venture; the gift money earned from uniting a couple is better than toiling for months of hard labor for others.

In the matchmaking trade, Liu Danniang possesses top‑notch skill and connections; with her involvement, those single men and women who originally had feelings for each other mostly hit it off at once.

However, when it came to Aunt Wang and Liu Guozhong…… this invincible matchmaker Liu Danniang, nevertheless, steadfastly hit the nail on the head (encountered a difficulty)..