Chapter 2: Leave quickly

Heng Village is very large, also living by the water. Looking from afar, it is a large expanse of white walls and blue tiles, reflecting in the lake along with the dark ink of the stone slabs and the light ink of the green mountains.

But do not underestimate the villages here—

In this place, whether merchants and rich people, or high officials and noble lords, their residences and families are mostly in the countryside, not living in the city. Therefore, almost every village is inhabited by people of the same surname, not mixed with other surnames. A village is a huge family, a small city. The situation like Lin Jue, who is clearly of a different surname but lives in Shu Village, is rare.

Heng Village is of the Wang surname, still quite prominent, and to this day there are clansmen serving as officials in the imperial court. People in this day and age pay attention to respecting ancestors and filial piety, and just the ancestral halls alone have been built in more than twenty locations.

One original ancestral hall, two main branch ancestral halls, and below that are branch ancestral halls, and some families even have family ancestral halls.

The one haunted by ghosts this time is a main branch ancestral hall.

After some investigation and inquiry, Lin Jue had already arrived at a large courtyard and met the Wang Granduncle.

This is a spacious hall with a skylight for lighting, a water vat below, raising turtles, and several couplets on the walls and pillars. The main seat has a vase on the east and a mirror on the west. The Granduncle is dressed in luxurious clothes, sitting upright in a grand master chair, a pair of bean-sized eyes aiming at Lin Jue below:

"Whose child are you? If you get scared, you can't afford to pay."

"The junior comes from Shu Village, surname Lin."

"Oh, that Lin surname."

"Yes."

"You are quite bold..."

"Always bold."

Lin Jue tried his best to remain calm.

No matter how bold he was in the past, now that he is here, in a strange place he doesn't understand well, and having listened to the village elder's strange stories for a year in the pavilion, his heart inevitably has a few points of anxiety.

Anxiety comes from the unknown.

"At your age, studying for fame is what's important. Don't scare your body for some money or to show off your courage for a moment." Wang Granduncle urged.

"The junior wants to go and see."

"Really want to go?"

"Really want to."

"Your courage is really not small. It just so happens that today you have a companion." This old village sage's tone was neither hurried nor slow, seemingly not too worried because his own ancestral hall had problems, and seemingly in his view, this was just a somewhat strange but not very rare or terrifying thing. "Have you eaten dinner?"

"Returning to the old gentleman, not yet."

"You are here to help us Wang family, I dare not neglect you. What do you need? Say it now."

"A knife or sword would be best."

"Give him a firewood knife."

"Thank you, old gentleman."

"What else?"

"..."

Lin Jue thought silently for a while, then said: "It's cold at night, I need another quilt."

"What else?"

"Nothing else."

"Good lad!"

After Wang Granduncle finished speaking, he waved his hand, instructing both Lin Jue and a servant beside him: "Prepare a quilt for him, let him have a meal here, and then take him to the ancestral hall."

A scholarly clan is indeed particular.

Dinner was bamboo shoots stewed with cured meat.

It had been a long time since he had eaten such a good meal.

While eating, Lin Jue also saw the other companion in Wang Granduncle's mouth, a bearded, burly man with a bit of alcohol and a bit of decadence, who also seemed to be aiming for the ten thousand cash reward. This added a bit of stability to Lin Jue's heart.

People's anxiety mostly comes from isolation.

It's much better to have someone with you.

After the meal, someone led them to the ancestral hall.

Passing through the village all the way, smoke and lights.

"Walk to the end and you'll be there."

At this time, it was already quite late. The servant's pace was obviously much more hesitant, as if he didn't dare to get any closer, just pointing ahead to tell them, the other hand holding an oil lamp.

Lin Jue looked in the direction he pointed.

Ahead is a straight and narrow alley.

Beside the alley are the firewalls of the houses, built very high. The walls were originally white, but as time passed, they were washed by rain, revealing the black bottom below, adding a bit of mottled ink color. At dusk, the sky was neither dark nor light, and the walls were high and the alley narrow. Although it was not long, it gave people a very deep feeling.

"..."

Lin Jue took a deep breath.

But thinking carefully about what he had heard, and thinking of his uncle's illness, he felt there was really not much to fear, so he decisively said:

"Steward, you can stop here."

"Hmm? Oh, good..."

The servant handed the oil lamp in his hand to him.

"Thank you..."

Lin Jue took the oil lamp and took a step again.

The hand holding the oil lamp also held the quilt, the other hand carried the firewood knife, walked into the alley, and went straight ahead.

He didn't look back even once.

Soon he arrived before the ancestral hall.

Lin Jue looked up and saw.

The ancestral hall gate was open. Borrowing the dusk light, he could see it was very empty inside, directly seeing the portrait wall at the very back, as if there was nothing.

Lin Jue didn't let himself think too much and stepped inside.

Crossing the high threshold, there was indeed a bit of chill, but the feeling was about the same as an ordinary house, not as eerie as imagined. Behind him was the sound of another man's footsteps and voice:

"There's nothing here..."

It was clearly him comforting himself.

Lin Jue didn't respond, still walking inside while looking up at this ancestral hall.

Heng Village's ancestral hall is about the same as Shu Village's, both are three-entry structures: the first entry is the ceremonial gate, with a small space for things, meaning there are two rooms inside, one big and one small, one low and one high.

The first room is a hall with tables and chairs, generally called the enjoyment hall, which can be used for clansmen to discuss matters, reward outstanding ones, and punish evil ones. The wall behind it blocks the second room. What Lin Jue saw first was the portrait of the ancestor of this branch of the Wang family hanging on the wall.

It was a middle-aged man with quite a bit of demeanor.

Then he looked at the couplets hanging on the pillars on both sides:

Respect filial piety to emphasize human relations;

Be loyal to the clan to manifest harmony.

Going around from the side to the back, up a step, is the second room, slightly smaller than the first, with the spirit tablets of the ancestors of this branch of the Wang family, called the sleeping hall.

The ancestral hall also has a skylight, which can let in light and moonlight, with carved beams and painted pillars, built extremely well.

It's just that the tiles on the roof are a bit messy.

In addition, there are couplets and family rules everywhere in the hall.

Lin Jue watched silently and recited silently.

Unexpectedly, there was no eerie feeling, but instead, he felt it was the respect of descendants for their ancestors and predecessors, a continuation of clan culture, and there was even a sense of solemnity.

Behind him came the man's voice again:

"You lad are quite bold, walking straight inside without any hesitation!

"Why? Did you lose a bet with someone?

"Or are you showing off?

"Hey! I thought I was the only one tonight. With one more person, I feel much more comfortable!"

While saying this, the man put down the quilt and straw mat and sat down in the ancestral hall.

Lin Jue also sat down.

Lit the oil lamp and chatted with him.

Both were people from the nearby countryside, talking about where they lived and who they knew. The sky gradually darkened, and the already dim ancestral hall became even darker.

Only the bean-sized lamp light flickered.

"Lad, you say, if we run out now, find another place to stay for the night, and run back before dawn tomorrow, how would they know if we slept inside for a night?"

This person's expression became more and more moved with his tone, as if he really felt that doing so was feasible. But if Lin Jue nodded, he would really go out to check if anyone was there and take Lin Jue to sneak away.

Lin Jue's first thought after hearing this was—

This companion doesn't seem very reliable.

"Don't know."

Lin Jue answered like this, his expression calm.

He didn't dare to bet, nor did he want to bet.

Since he had made up his mind to come and had already sat here, he would not leave easily.

"Sigh..."

After being rejected by him, the man began to comfort himself again:

"Where are there so many ghosts in this world? I used to... sigh, anyway, those who say they met ghosts on night roads are either drunk and dizzy, or have nothing to do and are bragging with others.

"Most are like this.

"This place is mostly wild cats and dogs from the mountains making some noise, and the people in this village are scaring themselves. Or maybe someone in this village is having an affair here, making some noise to scare people. Otherwise, otherwise the Wang Granduncle did something that made the ancestors dissatisfied. Anyway, it wouldn't be difficult for us.

"You say right?"

Not long after, the ancestral hall became quiet.

It wasn't that the two of them were asleep; no one slept, no one dared to sleep, but there was nothing left to say, so they both wrapped themselves in quilts, leaned against the wall, and opened their eyes in the dimness.

The oil lamp still flickered with a faint light.

There is a moon tonight.

The moonlight is bright, shining on the ground through the skylight like white frost.

The night is getting deeper, and people are getting sleepier.

Unknowingly, their eyelids began to fight.

"Whoosh..."

There was a cold breeze.

The man beside him suddenly opened his eyes wide.

"What is that?"

Lin Jue couldn't help but feel a slight shock in his heart, looking forward, but saw nothing.

Just when he thought this idle man was boring and scaring himself for fun, or making a fuss over nothing, he really saw the light and shadow outside flash, and almost at the same time, wind blew in again.

The oil lamp was suppressed and immediately dimmed, the flame struggling to stand up again after a few breaths.

"What is that?" The man turned his head to look at Lin Jue again, staring with a pair of bright eyes, "Did you see it too?"

"Saw it."

"What is it?"

"Maybe... it's a dog from the village."

Lin Jue was also a bit uncertain in his heart, but compared to this man who looked older and stronger, he was much calmer.

"A dog from the village?

"It's possible, it's possible."

This idle man said several times, as if to convince himself.

However, at this moment, there was movement outside again.

This sound was a voice speaking:

"Is there someone else who is not afraid of death?"

The voice was sharp and thin, not only hard to distinguish between male and female, but even sounded like it wasn't a human throat making the sound.

"!"

The idle man was immediately startled.

"What is that?"

He said this again, but his voice was trembling, as if he had completely forgotten the analysis he had made earlier.

Lin Jue was also a student of the old teacher in Shu Village, and was also influenced by the old teacher's idea that "there are techniques in the world but no ghosts or gods." He couldn't be sure whether this Wang family ancestral hall really had spirits and ghosts or if people were making trouble. At this moment, hearing this strange voice, he actually gradually began to lean towards it.

Nothing else, it was just too strange.

Just as he was hesitating, suddenly there was a shaking above his head.

"Clatter..."

"Ding-dang..."

It was all the sound of tiles shaking.

Then tiles began to fall.

"Slap..."

A tile fell to the ground and was immediately smashed to pieces.

Then there was a whoosh, a wind blew in, and the only oil lamp in the sleeping hall was extinguished by the wind.

The sleeping hall was suddenly in darkness, only hearing the clattering and shaking above his head, like being swept by a strong wind, occasionally tiles falling, hitting the ground with a slap, and sometimes tile fragments splashing onto Lin Jue's body, bringing a slight touch and even a stinging sensation.

Lin Jue couldn't help but open his eyes wide.

What is going on?

Could it be that there really are spirits and ghosts in this world?

Are those strange stories in the village elder's mouth all true?

No wonder so many drunkards and strong men who claimed to be bold, and idle men who had nowhere to go, came here for money, but none could last a night.

If there really are spirits and ghosts, how many people are not afraid?

At this time, a voice came from outside the sleeping hall again:

"If you don't want to die, leave quickly!"

Still sharp and thin, unlike a human, accompanied by the clinking and pattering of tiles.

"Ah..."

Life is important, the idle man beside him didn't even think, turned over and climbed up, and before he could stand straight, he ran out, rolling and crawling.

Lin Jue didn't stop him, nor did he move.

One is that the Wang family ancestral hall has not been peaceful for a while, and not many people have come here to spend the night, and the Wang family has also organized the young and strong in their family to come here. But except for those who got sick after returning home, Lin Jue hasn't heard of anyone being harmed because of this.

Two is that this idle man running out at this time, borrowing the moonlight from the skylight, can just see whether it is a human or a ghost outside.

Maybe it's a group of people committing a crime?

Only hearing the idle man's panicked footsteps getting further and further away, leaving the sleeping hall, seemingly tripped by a threshold or step, and when he got outside, he only heard a more terrified scream:

"Ah!!"

This sound also quickly got further and further away.

The village at this time was peaceful.

Thinking that many villagers were awakened, or heard that someone entered the ancestral hall tonight, and simply didn't sleep, but at this time they didn't dare to make a sound.

Only Lin Jue was left in the sleeping hall. ===== CHAPTER 3 =====