Chapter 224: Chapter 188: Ancestral Hall
Perhaps it was because Qi Shui Village itself was wealthy that its ancestral hall was also built rather lavishly. On either side of the vermilion doors, couplets read: "Ancestral virtues spring from benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, and faith; the great current nourishes poetry, books, filial piety, frugality, and diligence." Above, the plaque for the Qi Shui Ancestral Hall was displayed.
"Hmm?"
Ji Xingwang’s brow furrowed slightly. "Why is it called the Qi Shui Ancestral Hall instead of a specific clan’s ancestral hall?"
"It might be because the original villagers who formed Qi Shui Village came from diverse backgrounds," Li Ang said. "According to Zhuo Wenbai, Qi Shui Village itself was formed by a group of refugees from various places, all fleeing disasters. Unlike ordinary villages, which typically have only one or two, or perhaps three or four, surnames throughout. That’s why it’s not called something like the Que Clan Ancestral Hall or the Qu Chen Ancestral Hall."
"Qu Chen?"
Ji Xingwang repeated the name, a hint of doubt arising within him as he thought to himself, I’ve only ever heard of Qu Hou, Qu Tu, Qu Nan, Qu Lu... I’ve never heard of Qu Chen. Is there such a surname as Qu Chen in the Central Plains? Could it be...
He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the cultivator named Road Flyer. Appearing calm on the surface, his thoughts raced, Is he a foreigner? Perhaps the tightly fastened clothes are to conceal black or white skin, and the bamboo hat and scarf to cover distinctive eye colors and a prominent nose bridge...
"Let’s find a way inside first," Li Ang spoke. "It’s not light out yet. Considering the Qi Shui villagers are transforming into ghost creatures, the situation inside the ancestral hall is likely far from optimistic. Some ancestral halls are used for hosting weddings, funerals, longevity celebrations, and other events; some are used as temporary repositories for the bodies of clan members. If the people of Qi Shui Village can turn into ghosts, who knows what bizarre things their bodies might become."
He signaled the other three to step back slightly, then quietly pushed off the ground, leaping onto the wall to peer down.
The ancestral hall didn’t present the imagined scene of a hundred demons parading at night. Instead, candlelight flickered in some rooms, revealing fleeting silhouettes, while eerie sobbing echoed, making one’s hair stand on end.
Like those in Qi Shui Village, the people inside the ancestral hall had also transformed into some kind of ghost creatures. However, they were confined by wooden doors and weren’t roaming the paths.
Li Ang waved his hand, signaling the others to also jump onto the wall. They climbed over and dropped to the ground inside.
The twins’ senses didn’t pinpoint the exact location of Yu Yuan’s death. Sticking close to the wall, the four of them explored the ancestral hall. In a small room, they found the ancestors’ spirit tablets placed in niches, as well as a thick stack of clan genealogies. These genealogies detailed each Qi Shui Village villager’s name, lineage, and dates of birth and death.
"The earliest birth record for a new villager dates back to the First Year of Sui Shouyan. The latest infant birth record is from the second year of Sui Ningyi—a few years before the fall of the Former Sui Dynasty. In total, this period spanned one hundred and eighty years."
Li Ang pondered, "Qi Shui Village disappeared during the Late Sui Dynasty. This means our current timeframe roughly corresponds to when the village vanished entirely."
"It might even be the eve of the village’s disappearance."
Ji Xingwang, while flipping through the genealogy, suddenly frowned. "Hmm... something’s strange."
"What’s wrong, Teacher?" asked Guan Anyan.
"The lifespan of the villagers in the genealogy," Ji Xingwang explained. "For the first eighty years after the village’s founding, no Qi Shui villager lived past the age of seventy-five. However, in the subsequent one hundred years, their average lifespan increased dramatically, turning Qi Shui Village into a ’Longevity Village’."
"Isn’t that normal?" Guan Anyan asked with confusion. "Even for Jiangnan Road, Qi Shui Village was relatively wealthy. The villagers could sell black fish from the lake. Even during bad harvests, they wouldn’t starve. Naturally, their average lifespan would be much higher."
"It shouldn’t be such a coincidence," Ji Xingwang shook his head. "Besides, another point piques my curiosity. Even today in Yu Country, wealthy villages like Qi Shui experience high rates of infant mortality. To spare parents grief and save space in the records, these infants often weren’t included in the genealogy. Only children who survived past five or ten years of age had their names recorded. However, this Qi Shui Village genealogy *does* record infants who died prematurely. And this practice began exactly one hundred years after the village’s establishment."
"This..." Guan Anyan hesitated. "Does it signify anything?"
"No," Ji Xingwang shook his head. "But I feel there’s a connection behind these events."
"The evidence is still incomplete; we need more clues."
Li Ang flipped to the final pages of the clan genealogy and indeed found the names of Zhuo Wenbai’s family. His wife and their daughter, Zhuo Lu—presumably the ’Lu’er’ mentioned earlier that evening.
"The sky is brightening," Yu Yong, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
Everyone looked toward the window and saw the faint morning light illuminating the horizon, shining through the paper-covered windows.
DONG DONG DONG—
The distant sound of the Haotian Bell echoed. Li Ang opened the window to find the dense fog rapidly dissipating with the arrival of sunlight.
"Let’s leave here first."
Activity stirred in the ancestral hall’s rooms. Li Ang gestured to his companions, and the four quietly exited the small room, left the ancestral hall, and observed from a distance.
"Have these villagers returned to normal?" Guan Anyan exclaimed incredulously.
The villagers who reappeared in the ancestral hall, though still somewhat stiff, had reverted to their normal human appearance. It was as if their transformation into ghost creatures during last night’s ’night-wandering’ had left no side effects.
Perhaps because of the so-called ’Qi Shui Village Celebration,’ many children were present in the ancestral hall along with the adults.
"Let’s go over and ask."
After a moment’s thought, Li Ang entered the ancestral hall to try and communicate with the villagers.
However, both adults and children merely mumbled the same few phrases repeatedly, yielding no useful information.
"Excuse me, fellow villager. I’m just an ordinary merchant from the Northern part of Yu Country, and I’m also a folk culture enthusiast. I’m very interested in your village’s customs. Could we find a place to talk in detail? There will be compensation."
"Leave. You do not belong here."
"Alright, fellow villager, you’ve seen through me. Actually, I’m a secret agent from the Imperial Palace. I’m visiting Taiyuan County to inspect local conditions. If you cooperate, promotions, noble titles, and bringing glory to your ancestors are all within reach."
"Leave. You do not belong here."
"Villager, your lack of cooperation is making things difficult for me, and I’m not pleased."
"Leave. You do not belong here."
After these attempts at communication, all the villagers reacted identically. Yu Yong’s expression turned fierce, and he drew the dagger at his waist, stepping forward.
"Wait!"
Ji Xingwang’s gaze hardened. He threw out a talisman, conjuring a gust of wind to block Yu Yong’s advance. "What are you doing?"
"What else? My brother died inexplicably. There must be an explanation," Yu Yong declared in a deep voice. "These villagers are senseless and unaware; they’re obviously no longer truly alive. Killing one will show us if they turn into ghost creatures. If the entire village transforms into evil ghosts by evening, it’s better to deal with them now and prevent future trouble."
"..."
Ji Xingwang paused. Indeed, judging from the previous night’s events and the villagers’ current reactions, they didn’t seem like normal living people. But to engage in such widespread killing... It violated the ethics of the Lu Li Academy.
"Stop arguing. The day has just dawned, and it’s a long time until evening," Li Ang interjected. "It seems only Zhuo Wenbai’s family is different in this entire village. Why don’t we go back and check on them first?"