PFC Chapter 447 Sudden realization
Chapter 447 Sudden realization
After leaving the Zhang family, Li Xiangyang did not go straight home, but instead wandered around the neighborhood, carefully observing the surrounding environment.
Behind the courtyard is a small grove of trees, and in front of the gate is a path leading to the village entrance, with the neighboring courtyard walls on both sides.
If someone were to knock on the door in the middle of the night to scare someone, they would inevitably leave some traces.
Sure enough, not far from the gate of the Zhang family compound, Li Xiangyang found several footprints and some traces of climbing over the wall.
Back home, Li Xiaoyun was anxiously waiting. Seeing him enter, she rushed forward: "How is it? Is Zhang Dashan alright?"
Li Xiangyang smiled and shook his head: "It's nothing, I was just quite frightened."
"Is there really a ghost knocking on the door?" Li Xiaoyun asked softly, her eyes filled with worry.
"What are you talking about? You're a teacher, after all." Li Xiangyang gently pinched her nose. "There are no ghosts in this world. It must have been done by a person. Even though it was daytime, I walked around the neighborhood and saw not only footprints but also traces of someone climbing over the wall..."
Li Xiaoyun was skeptical: "But Zhang Weiping said he went out to check and there was no one there. What happened?"
"I haven't figured this out yet; we'll need to make a scene tonight to confirm."
Li Xiangyang did not reveal that Zhang Dashan had dug up the antiques in the ground and sold them.
He guessed it was probably because of this, but he really had no clue what methods the other party used.
"Are you really going tonight?" Li Xiaoyun was clearly still worried. "What if something unexpected happens?"
"Don't worry," Li Xiangyang said, putting his arm around his wife. "I'm a hunter, full of killing intent. I'm not afraid of tigers or bears, so why would I be afraid of a few troublemakers?"
Li Xiaoyun chuckled, "You're so stubborn." Then she asked worriedly, "If it's not a ghost, then who's messing with him?"
"I really can't say for sure, after all, Zhang Dashan has offended a lot of people. Just look at all the shameless things he's done, every single one..."
Upon hearing Li Xiangyang's words, Li Xiaoyun immediately laughed, then quickly covered her mouth in realization.
At noon, after lunch, Li Xiangyang went back inside to prepare some things: a flashlight, matches, rope, and a burlap sack. Li Xiaoyun looked at him suspiciously: "What are you doing?"
"Catching ghosts? If there really are ghosts, I'll catch one for you to see," Li Xiangyang said with a smile.
Li Xiaoyun patted him lightly: "Nonsense, be careful not to scare the baby." She touched her slightly protruding belly and said softly.
Li Xiangyang said gently, "Okay, I won't tease you anymore. Go to bed early tonight, don't wait for me."
In the evening, Li Xiangyang arrived at the Zhang family's house carrying the tools he had prepared.
Zhang Dashan had already lay down to rest, while Zhang Weiping and his family waited in the main room.
"Brother Xiangyang," Zhang Weiping greeted him, "these ghostly knocks usually start in the middle of the night. Why don't you rest for a while?"
Li Xiangyang shook his head: "No need, I'll look around first."
He carefully inspected the area around the yard, especially around the doors and windows, and then walked around the yard wall.
Back in the main room, Li Xiangyang instructed Zhang Weiping's family, "I'll stay here tonight. You should all go to sleep and not make a sound. No matter what noise you hear, don't come out, understand?"
Zhang Weiping and his family nodded repeatedly.
As night fell, the Zhang family fell silent. Li Xiangyang sat in a chair in the main room, waiting quietly.
Time passed by, and the village gradually quieted down, with only the occasional bark of a dog and the rustling of the night wind through the treetops remaining.
In the middle of the night, Li Xiangyang was resting with his eyes closed when a soft "tap tap tap" sound came from the direction of the courtyard gate.
knocking!
Li Xiangyang immediately opened his eyes and held his breath. The knocking wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet night, each knock a rhythmic knock.
Immediately afterwards, a low, eerie cough came from outside the window.
coming!
Upon hearing the sound, Li Xiangyang immediately tiptoed to the window and peered out through the gap in the window paper.
The courtyard was pitch black; you couldn't see anything.
"Cough...cough cough..." The coughing sound rang out again, this time clearer, as if it were coming from outside the window.
By this time, Zhang Weiping's family had already been awakened and were gathered together, trembling.
Zhang's mother held her daughter's hand tightly, both of them filled with fear.
"Don't make a sound," Li Xiangyang gestured to them and whispered, "Stay here, and don't go out under any circumstances."
Li Xiangyang picked up the flashlight and was about to go out.
The knocking continued, its rhythm eerie, each knock striking at the heart.
"Brother, don't go!" Zhang Weiping hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed Li Xiangyang's sleeve, his voice trembling. "It's the middle of the night, what if it really... really is that thing..."
"What do you mean, 'that thing'?" Li Xiangyang glanced back at him. "Don't worry, even the King of Hell would have to think twice."
Before Zhang Weiping could say anything more, Li Xiangyang shook off his hand and turned on his flashlight, shining it outside.
Outside the courtyard gate, it was pitch black.
There was nothing in the beam of the flashlight.
The knocking on the door stopped abruptly.
Li Xiangyang tiptoed to the door and suddenly pushed it open.
The beam of the flashlight swept across the open space outside the gate, but found nothing.
All around was quiet, with only the occasional barking of dogs in the distance.
"That's strange..." Li Xiangyang frowned and muttered to himself.
He slowly walked around, carefully searching the courtyard. The beam of his flashlight shone on every corner, from under the eaves to the corners of the walls, from the windows to the courtyard walls, but he couldn't find any suspicious figures.
Zhang Weiping mustered his courage and followed him out, standing trembling at the doorway: "Brother Xiangyang, did you find anything?"
"Don't speak." Li Xiangyang raised a finger and held his breath.
The two stood quietly in the courtyard, the only sounds being each other's breathing and the barking of dogs from the distant village.
Li Xiangyang frowned and decided to go out of the yard again to take a look.
“Go back inside first, calm your mother and sister down. If your father causes trouble, don’t be soft-hearted, tie him up temporarily,” he said to Zhang Weiping.
Zhang Weiping dared not disobey, so he nodded and retreated back into the house.
Li Xiangyang unlatched the courtyard gate and carefully stepped out of the yard.
The path outside was deserted, and the surrounding silence was eerily quiet.
He held up a flashlight and carefully examined the perimeter of the courtyard wall, but still found nothing.
The "ghost" that knocked on the door seemed to have vanished into thin air.
If we're talking about eeriness, besides the fishy smell...
Fishy smell!
Realizing the crux of the problem, Li Xiangyang's nose twitched, and he suddenly understood.
Suddenly I understood the truth behind the so-called "ghost knocking on the door".
Sure enough, someone had smeared eel blood on the gate, which attracted the bats and caused the knocking sound.
Having confirmed that the knocking was man-made, Li Xiangyang stopped searching and returned to the center of the courtyard, where he found a clean stone to sit on and waited quietly.
The flashlight went out, leaving only the soft glow of moonlight in the courtyard.
Li Xiangyang closed his eyes to rest, but his ears were perked up, catching every sound around him.