Villagers, lacking high educational attainment, were prone to believing in all sorts of superstitions.
And by superstitions, they didn't just mean things like Yan Shouyi's Lu Ban techniques.
Despite the esoteric nature of Lu Ban techniques, they actually possessed a scientific basis. However, this scientific basis was completely incomprehensible to ordinary people, making explanations as troublesome as deciphering ancient texts. To understand the underlying principles, one would first need to study various ancient books and scriptures for over a decade.
Tales of ghosts, spirits, and supernatural phenomena were what most people truly believed in.
Therefore, when the villagers of Chenjia Village heard that something sinister had occurred in the mine, their expressions turned serious and solemn.
The thin old man then recounted, "Yesterday noon, two wooden figures were dug out of the mine, a man and a woman. They were remarkably lifelike, almost like real people. However, holes had been intentionally carved into their heads, and strange incantations were drawn all over their bodies. It was these three fellow workers who came into contact with the wooden figures. Afterward, our boss, Zhou, heard about it and found it too ominous. He immediately ordered everyone to burn the wooden figures!"
"That night, many miners claimed to have seen a man in white and a woman in red in the mine. They were quite terrifying, clearly not alive. We immediately ordered all miners to evacuate, but a mining accident occurred shortly after. These three fellow workers unfortunately perished in the mine. We dug for an entire night before we could retrieve their bodies."
"Our boss, Zhou, is from Hong Kong and knows many powerful sorcerers there. Upon calling them, we learned that the pair of wooden figures were deliberately buried in the mountains with the purpose of absorbing the vital energy of the Chenjia Village residents. Once they absorbed enough, they were meant to become demons, break free from the earth, and wreak havoc. Little did they know, we stumbled upon them prematurely, leading to these events!"
"Moreover, the sorcerer said that every grievance has its cause, and every debt has its debtor. If we cannot find the person who buried the wooden figures, the souls of that ill-fated couple will continue to haunt us, and the mine will inevitably face further incidents. Once they have killed everyone in the mine, they will come for the villagers of Chenjia Village!"
The thin old man's account was detailed and convincing, and many villagers were swayed by his words.
Finally, he added, "Quickly think hard, who in the village could possibly have buried those two wooden figures?"
As soon as this question was posed, the villagers fell silent.
Many slowly turned their heads to look at Yan Shouyi.
Yan Shouyi's pupils contracted.
"Good heavens, so you brought the coffins and the money, and even fabricated a story, all with the intention of shifting the blame and making the villagers of Chenjia Village suspect me?!"
Everyone in the village knew that the Yan family practiced sorcery, and they were the village carpenters. Furthermore, what was dug out of the mine were wooden figures...
And as an unfortunate coincidence, Yan Shouyi had only returned to the village yesterday, and the wooden figures were dug out of the mine yesterday as well.
Wasn't this thin old man targeting Yan Shouyi directly?
Unbeknownst to them, the villagers of Chenjia Village and Yan Shouyi silently maintained their distance, forming a circle.
Lin Zitong and Long Feicheng also realized the situation and quickly moved closer to Yan Shouyi.
However, Jiang Ting gritted her teeth and steadfastly refused to move.
Regardless of whether Yan Shouyi had buried the wooden figures or not, the thin old man was undoubtedly a sorcerer!
Therefore, Jiang Ting would rather believe Yan Shouyi than that monster!
The thin old man, fully aware of the situation but feigning ignorance, asked everyone,
"Who is this kid? Does he have any connection to the wooden figures in the mine?!"
Although the villagers remained silent, their wary eyes and expressions said it all.
The thin old man immediately declared, "The sorcerers from Hong Kong said there's a group of people who wander around, settling in villages and then burying wooden figures in their feng shui mountains to raise demons. If this kid is one of those people the sorcerer mentioned, you must be extremely cautious!"
The villagers' emotions were stirred, especially the relatives of the three deceased in the coffins, who began to harbor a hidden resentment towards Yan Shouyi.
"Brother Yan..." Long Feicheng was a little scared.
He was afraid of ghosts, but that was innate. Fear of people was different. Now, being surrounded by so many people, and being looked at with such malice, Long Feicheng felt more frightened than when he was surrounded by ghosts in Ping'an Building.
Yan Shouyi calmly comforted him, "Don't be afraid. The villagers don't hate us; they've just been manipulated by that sorcerer."
The villagers had no idea what had happened last night. They were merely innocent pawns manipulated by the sorcerer.
This sorcerer likely knew that he couldn't defeat Yan Shouyi and his companions openly, so he resorted to this tactic during the day, hoping to have the villagers drive Yan Shouyi away.
"Everyone, calm down!"
At this moment, the village chief spoke. He tapped the minivan with his cane and said loudly,
"Don't you all know what kind of child Shouyi is? Even if wooden figures were really dug out of the mine, I don't believe this matter has anything to do with Shouyi!"
At this critical juncture, it was the village chief, a man who had lived for decades, who possessed some discerning ability.
Jiang Ting also stepped forward and said to everyone, "Brother Yan has been in Chenjia Village for so many years, and everyone has been safe. It's only after boss Zhou and his group arrived that strange occurrences have piled up! You should be suspicious of boss Zhou and his group, not Brother Yan!"
With these reminders from the two, the villagers also came to their senses, but they didn't fully trust Yan Shouyi. They found themselves in a dilemma.
The thin old man had clearly underestimated Yan Shouyi's relationship with the villagers. He hadn't expected that even after saying all that, the villagers would only be suspicious of Yan Shouyi.
"Shouyi, say something!" the village chief called out to Yan Shouyi.
He certainly didn't want Yan Shouyi to take the blame for these three deceased and become the target of the villagers' ire.
Yan Shouyi had remained silent all this time because he was contemplating how to convince the villagers.
Now, he had thought of it.
Yan Shouyi stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the sorcerer.
"Old man, you said two wooden figures were dug out of the mine, and Boss Zhou ordered everyone to evacuate the cave, is that correct?" Yan Shouyi asked coldly.
The sorcerer flinched back a step, intimidated by Yan Shouyi's aura, then reacted with anger and replied, "So what if it is?"
"Before, when everyone was in the mine, there was no signal, which was understandable. But since everyone evacuated yesterday, why didn't they contact their families to report their safety?!" Yan Shouyi questioned. "They should have had their phones on them, right? Or did you confiscate their phones? How do you explain that?!"
"This... this... this is because..."
The thin old man pondered for a long time before finally sputtering out, "This is because after they evacuated, the mine immediately collapsed. Everyone was in a hurry to go back and rescue people, so they didn't have time to contact their families!"
"Alright! Then let me ask you a second question!"
Yan Shouyi took another three steps forward, cornering the sorcerer. "You said two wooden figures were dug out of the mine, and you saw them with your own eyes? Then why don't you describe them for me, what do those wooden figures look like!"
It's easy for people to describe things they've seen, but the thin old man was clearly fabricating. He couldn't possibly describe the appearance and details of the wooden figures on the spot.
Seeing the thin old man stammering, Yan Shouyi knew he couldn't answer. Thus, he didn't give him much time and directly posed the third question:
"You said these three villagers died in the mining accident, so I'd like to see what their bodies look like! Did they really die in a mining accident, or at the hands of someone else!"
As soon as Yan Shouyi mentioned this, the thin old man's expression became strained.
He quickly suppressed the coffins and shouted loudly, "The sorcerers from Hong Kong said that the bodies of these three are contaminated with demonic energy and cannot be opened. They must be burned directly, or it will cause great chaos!"
"I am a descendant of Lu Ban! Whether it's a ghost, a demon, or a devil from the mountains, I'll kill one that comes my way! Can I not even open a mere coffin?!" Yan Shouyi's attitude became increasingly resolute.
The more the thin old man forbade him, the more determined Yan Shouyi was to open the coffins and see!
There must be some secret within these coffins!
Seeing the thin old man flustered, Long Feicheng immediately went up and delivered a flying kick, knocking the thin old man down.
"Get out of the way! We didn't kill you yesterday, and you came back to stir up trouble? If I don't beat you until you're bruised and battered today, I'm not truly named Long!"
Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong rushed to the side of the coffins, each grabbing one side of the lid. They exchanged glances, then forcefully heaved them open!
*Clang!*
The heavy lids were thrown onto the ground. The sight within the coffins stunned everyone.
Inside the coffins lay a corpse, but the body appeared to have been dried out for dozens of days. The skin was tightly adhered to the bones, and the limbs were like branches, shriveled and dark, a truly unpleasant sight.
As the coffins were opened, a foul odor wafted out. Several villagers closest to the coffins immediately gagged and vomited.
Yan Shouyi, enduring the stench, turned and grabbed the thin old man, pushing him onto the coffin. He pointed at the corpse inside and asked,
"If they died in a mining accident, would their bodies still be so intact? Let alone anything else, how is it that people who died yesterday are now just dried husks today? Explain to me, was it the so-called wooden figures causing trouble, or are you outsiders doing something nefarious in my Uncle Jiang's mountain!"
Seeing that his scheme was exposed, the thin old man panicked and stammered, unable to speak.
Yan Shouyi let out a cold snort and said to Long Feicheng, "Go get a big rooster! Yesterday's rooster couldn't blind his eyes; don't let him escape today!"