PFC Chapter 253 Human Words
Chapter 253 Human Words
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Li Xiangyang, along with Xuanmao and Wang Ergou, headed towards Yangjia Village.
Yang Zhonghou and the others had been waiting at the village entrance for a long time. When they saw Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou arrive, they hurriedly went to greet them.
"Brother Li, Brother Wang, you've arrived!" Yang Zhonghou said excitedly. "We've been waiting for you."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Let's go. Explain the situation in detail on the way."
The group set off for Yangjia Village.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou walked in front, with Yang Zhonghou and the other two following closely behind.
“Brother Li, a few days ago, some people in our village saw a large group of weasels, dozens of them, scurrying around the village in packs,” Yang Zhonghou said as he walked. “At first, everyone thought they were just ordinary weasels coming down from the mountain in search of food, but later…”
"What happened next?" Li Xiangyang asked.
"Later, the villagers realized something was wrong with these weasels," Yang Zhonghou said in a low voice. "They walked in groups, walking upright like humans, and they always appeared at night."
The production team leader chimed in, "The weirdest thing is, some people say they saw a weasel standing at the gate, staring into the house, and others say they heard it muttering to itself."
"Human speech?" Wang Ergou asked in surprise.
“Yes, they’re talking like humans!” the production team leader nodded firmly. “And every night, one or two chickens, ducks, or pigs from any family in the village will mysteriously die. The deaths are strange; they have only two small holes in their necks, and all the blood has been drained.”
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou exchanged a glance, both seeing the doubt in each other's eyes.
This certainly doesn't sound like something an ordinary weasel could do.
“There’s something even stranger,” Yang Zhonghou said in a low voice. “One night, Grandpa Wang from our village went out to relieve himself and saw a group of weasels gathered in a circle under the big elm tree at the village entrance. In the middle stood an exceptionally large weasel, said to be as big as a small dog, with golden fur and a three-pronged tail. Grandpa Wang was so frightened that he hid behind a haystack and saw with his own eyes the large weasel stand up like a person and bow three times to the sky.”
"And then?" Li Xiangyang asked, though he was skeptical of the rumors.
"Then Grandpa Wang fainted from fright. When he woke up the next day, he was lying on his own kang (heated brick bed), his clothes soaked through, as if he had been pulled out of the water," Yang Zhonghou said. "Since then, Grandpa Wang has had a high fever and hasn't woken up yet."
These words made Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou's hearts tighten.
If someone does fall ill and go into a coma as a result, the situation may be more serious than they imagine.
"Has anything unusual happened in your village? Or has anyone offended anyone?" Li Xiangyang asked, vaguely sensing that things might not be so simple.
“This…” Yang Zhonghou and the production team leader exchanged a glance, seemingly hesitant.
“Say what you mean,” Li Xiangyang said seriously. “If you want my help, you have to tell me everything.”
Yang Zhonghou sighed: "Actually, some time ago, villagers were building new houses by the mountainside, and when they were digging the foundations, they unearthed an ancient tomb."
"An ancient tomb?" Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou asked in surprise at the same time.
“Yes, an ancient tomb,” Yang Zhonghou nodded. “The villagers didn’t take it seriously and moved everything out. Three days later, the weasel infestation began.”
Upon hearing this, Wang Ergou slapped his thigh: "That settles it! It must be because you destroyed the weasel's sacred site that they've come to retaliate!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Zhonghou and the production team leader's expressions turned even uglier.
"Then...what should we do?" Yang Zhonghou asked nervously.
"Let's wait and see."
Knowing that Wang Ergou was deliberately trying to scare people, Li Xiangyang didn't want to expose him.
The group continued on their way in silence.
Yangjia Village is much larger than Xiaoliang Village. There is a small river in front of the village, and a wooden bridge spans the river.
Strangely, the village was unusually quiet. No one was working in the fields, and there were no sounds of livestock. The whole village was immersed in an eerie silence.
"Where are the villagers?" Li Xiangyang asked.
“Everyone’s hiding at home, afraid to go out,” Yang Zhonghou explained. “These past few days, everyone’s been scared, and they don’t even go out during the day.”
After crossing the wooden bridge, the group entered the village.
The streets were deserted except for a few chickens pecking at the ground. When they saw people coming, they scattered in panic.
In the current atmosphere, even Wang Ergou, who initially thought that he shouldn't refuse the money that was offered to him, became nervous.
"Let's go check out that ancient tomb first," Li Xiangyang said to Yang Zhonghou.
Yang Zhonghou nodded and led the group toward the north of the village.
To the north of the village was an open area, with building materials and some excavated soil piled on the ground.
A large pit about two meters deep came into view, which was clearly the place where they had unearthed the ancient tomb.
"This is it," Yang Zhonghou said, pointing to the large pit. "The tomb chamber is down there; we've already dug it open."
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou approached the edge of the pit and looked down. Sure enough, they saw the entrance to a tomb chamber that had been dug out.
The tomb chamber was not large and was empty, indicating that everything inside had been moved out.
"Where did you put all the things?" Li Xiangyang asked.
"The pile of rocks on the back hill," Yang Zhonghou replied, "Want to go take a look?"
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Lead the way."
The group walked through the village and headed towards the back mountain.
Not far from the village, the back hill is a desolate slope piled with stones of all sizes.
Beside the pile of stones, some broken pottery and bronzeware were scattered haphazardly.
Li Xiangyang walked over and carefully examined the items that had been dug up.
These items look very old; the patterns on the pottery are blurred, and the bronzes are covered with a thick layer of green patina.
"What era is this ancient tomb from? Has anyone seen what's inside?" Li Xiangyang asked.
“Nobody understands this,” Yang Zhonghou shook his head. “Everyone just thinks it’s useless, so they’ve just left it here.”
Li Xiangyang squatted down and picked up a shard of pottery.
The pottery shard has some faint lines, like some kind of writing or pattern, but they are worn away and can no longer be seen.
Li Xiangyang examined the pottery shard repeatedly, but couldn't figure out what it was, so he put it down.
"What about the remains of the tomb's occupant? Were they also thrown here?" Li Xiangyang asked, getting up.
“No,” Yang Zhonghou shook his head. “We buried the tomb owner on a hillside not far away. After all, they are the remains of an ancestor, and we cannot be disrespectful.”
“Take us to see it,” Li Xiangyang said.
Yang Zhonghou nodded and led the group up the hillside.
The black cat followed at Li Xiangyang's feet, appearing exceptionally alert the whole way, stopping from time to time to sniff, its tail held high and its body taut.