Jiangshui Village has developed more slowly than Tangchi Village. The roads were not yet cemented but were only dirt roads. The roadside was full of flourishing trees, and there were endless rice fields as far as the eyes could see.

The village was shrouded in a thin mist, making everything blurry, and it was difficult to see the houses in the distance.

The taxi driver suddenly turned the steering wheel and shouted in surprise, “Damn it! When did such big rock appear ahead?!”

For some reason, he kept turning the steering wheel and trying to avoid things. He seemed to have lost his sense of direction.

An Rugu raised her head, and her deep obsidian-like eyes looked through the fog into the distance.

Were there any big rocks ahead? She could only see the entrance to Jiangshui Village.

But the driver was still seeing a different scene and kept turning the steering wheel wildly. He originally intended to go straight—but it was obviously a case of ghost hitting the wall.

“Mister driver, stop. Don’t go forward anymore.”

The driver asked curiously, “It’s still a while away from the village entrance. Is it really alright to stop here?”

“It’s close, so it’s okay to get off here. When you go back, remember to be careful. Just follow the lane and don’t turn the steering wheel.”

Driver: “…”

He was an experienced driver, but right now he was taught how to drive by a passenger?

After An Rugu paid the fare, she and Shang Yue got out of the car.

Then she took out an exorcism talisman. It ignited without any external spark, and a shadow coalesced from the complex symbols written on it.

Once the shadow took shape, a gust of wind blew. It made people unable to help but close their eyes. When they opened their eyes again, the scene in front of them was completely new.

“Ah? Why is the car facing the wrong way?” the driver shouted in shock.

The car was not facing Jiangshui Village anymore but towards the way they came.

He clearly just turned the car to avoid obstacles—how did he somehow turn it 180 degrees?

As if he had suddenly thought of something, he quickly opened the car window and looked at An Rugu walking farther away. Thinking of what she said to him before, he gradually realized that something was indeed strange.

Damn, there’s really something about this passenger ah!

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An Rugu walked towards the entrance of Jiangshui Village. She paused in her steps, raised her head, and her eyes fell on the sign at the entrance of the village.

The words ‘Jiangshui Village’ were painted golden on the surface, but at this moment, they seemed to be cast in shadow. A trace of gloom wrapped insidiously around the plaque, revealing a faint ominous undercurrent.

During the day, ordinary ghosts were afraid of the sun and could not walk freely about. But it was already dusk, the gates of Underworld was about to open, and all ghosts would soon be parading everywhere. It would be even more dangerous once it got completely dark.

At this time, a distant and cheerful nursery song was suddenly heard, like a children singing.

“The gates of hell opened and ghosts came out

Ghostly pain

selling tofu

beans rot

Spread eggs

Eggs, eggs, eggs

There’s a brother sitting inside

Brother comes out to visit the grave

There’s a grandma sitting inside

Grandma comes out to burn incense

There’s a girl sitting inside

The girl comes out and lights the lamp

If you fall into the river, you’ll never come out again.

…”

The sound of children singing was getting closer and closer, steadily coming towards them. An old woman with a stooped figure, her hair all white, was walking towards them; two children about six or seven years old followed behind her.

They were carrying baskets in their hands, their faces were pale, their eyes were dull, and their limbs were stiff.

The two children clapped their hands and continued to sing: “During the day of the Hungry Ghosts, send ghosts away~“

At this time, the old woman raised her head and looked at An Rugu and Shang Yue who were standing under the village plaque.

She pursed her dry lips, opened her mouth, and uttered in a hoarse voice, “It’s the middle of the seventh month, the time of the hungry ghosts. The Ghost King will fetch his bride, don’t involve yourself with matters here and leave quickly.”

An Rugu: “?”

The old woman thought that the beautiful woman would be frightened, but she didn’t expect her eyes to widen and sparkle slightly in response. It seemed she wasn’t scared at all. Instead, she was a little…excited?

Her deep black pupils shone with a cold light, and—as if she had suddenly thought of something—she raised the corners of her mouth, gave a smile as bright as the sun, and took out a red apple from her bag.

“I like to attend wedding banquets the most. I would also like to see how magnificent it would be when the Ghost King fetches his bride, and possibly have a glass of wedding wine. This will surely make me happy. I wonder if I can have this honor?”

Old woman: “…”

The two children who stopped singing: “…”

If it weren’t for the strange scene they were in, the old woman would even believe that this young and polite woman had really come to the door, wanting to participate in the banquet.

But why would ordinary people want to attend the banquet of ghosts?

The old woman opened her mouth but found herself speechless. After a long time, she turned around and walked through the gates of Jiangshui Village, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

The two children looked at An Rugu curiously and followed the old woman into the village.

An Rugu watched their backs gradually disappear and put away her smile. As if having thought of something, she turned on her mobile phone and found the middle-aged man’s WeChat account—they had used WeChat to transfer money before.

She dialed the WeChat number. Soon after, the call was connected, and the middle-aged man’s surprised voice came from the other side of the call: “Master, why are you looking for me? Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Are you in Jiangshui Village now?”

The middle-aged man said with lingering fear, “How dare I stay there? I’m already in the city now.”

“I just saw an old woman who was over sixty years old, and she was accompanied by two children. The old woman had a big black mole the size of a fingernail on her forehead, and one of the children had a slight limp in his left foot. Do you recognize these people?”

A muffled shriek came from the other side of the phone. After a long time, the middle-aged man’s trembling voice came, “Well… I seem to know someone who looked similar to that.”

“Who is it?”

“It’s Lao Bai’s old mother who lived at the entrance of the village… His old mother went up the mountain one day to chop firewood. She slipped and fell down the mountain, and she couldn’t be saved. She had a big mole on her forehead. Prior to this incident, the fortune teller in the village said she would die suddenly, and it happened after all…. This…”

An Rugu was thoughtful. “There is also a child with a slight lameness in his left foot, and another child who is very thin. They seem to have a good relationship. They sing and play together. Do you recognize them?”

The middle-aged man thought for a long time, seemed to have thought of something, and took a breath of cold air. “… About five or six years ago, two children in our village went into the pond to catch lobsters, and they got into trouble and drowned. Later, our village head hung a sign near the pond, telling everyone not to go near it. One of the children who drowned was a little lame, and the other child was also a little thin, could it be them?”

“This possibility cannot be ruled out.”

Middle-aged man: “!!!”

I Livestream Divination to the World translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

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