Chapter 17: The Secret in the Iron Box (Part One)

  My footsteps stopped immediately, and I took a closer look, feeling as if they were two oxen.

  Wu Lele also stopped and asked me why I wasn't walking anymore. I shone the flashlight in that direction and asked, "Can you see what's over there?" Wu Lele said it was a cow, right? I felt relieved, it really was a cow. It seems I was too suspicious and saw a snake in a cup.

  It wasn't until I walked past that I saw clearly, they were the two yellow cows of Qin Shu's family.

  It's strange that the two cows kept circling around a tree, I felt very familiar with this place, and after shining my flashlight, I realized it was where my father buried the yellow-skinned one at the same time as Da Hei hanged himself.

  How did the cow from Qin Shu's family get here? I looked at the mound of earth where Huang Pizi was buried, and to my surprise, someone had dug up Huang Pizi's grave, which had become a pit, and the Huang Pizi buried inside had disappeared!

  I was puzzled, where did the yellow skin go? Did it come back to life and crawl out of the pit by itself? But I didn't think too much about it, this yellow skin flew away and that's it, none of my business. The priority is to find Da Hei's soul. I saw Wu Lele looking around in all directions, her eyes wide with excitement, so I asked her where Da Hei's soul was. Wu Lele said there was no soul here, let's go back, and then she started walking down the mountain. I hurriedly called out: "Didn't you say Da Hei's soul was here?" Wu Lele stopped and said: "In theory, her soul should be here, but in reality, it's not here."

  What's going on here? I'm so angry, it feels like she played me.

  I drove the cattle to Qin Shu's home, and from a distance, I could hear their one-year-old child crying and throwing a tantrum. Qin Shu sat on a long bench sighing, while his wife held the child and breastfed him, complaining at the same time. When they saw me return with the cattle, they were surprised and asked enthusiastically where we had found them. I told them the truth, and after Qin Shu heard it, his face suddenly changed. His wife even scolded him shamelessly, saying that he had taken advantage of my father's funeral to take back a yellow cowhide that was supposed to be buried with him. After bringing back the cowhide, strange things kept happening at their home: their hunting dog started barking frantically at thin air, and their chickens and ducks were mysteriously bitten to death. The cattle they had driven up the mountain disappeared in less than ten minutes, and their child kept crying and throwing tantrums. Their home was filled with bad luck and unrest.

  Now his family's cow is "lost" again at the tomb of Huang Pizi, Qin Shu finally understood that these troubles originated from the Huang Pizi brought back by Qin Shu.

  Facing Qin Aunt's scolding, Qin Uncle knew he was in the wrong and sat there with his head down, not saying a word, continuously smoking cheap dry tobacco. I couldn't bear it anymore, so I advised him a few words. Since the matter had already happened, even if Qin Aunt scolded Qin Uncle to tears, it would be of no use. And Huang Pizi was a cunning and vengeful animal, if these things were really done by Huang Pizi, then it would still come to find Qin Uncle to settle accounts.

  Qin Shu raised his head and asked me what to do now, I said what else can we do? In fact, I don't understand either. Why not put that yellow skin back and let it rest in peace?

  "How's that? He's already sold it!" Qin Aunt shouted, and then glared at Uncle Qin fiercely. I smiled wryly and looked at Wu Lele, using my eyes to tell her, "You're quite capable, aren't you? Now it's your turn to take charge." Wu Lele said to Uncle Qin, "Go to the place where you buried the yellow skin and burn three sticks of incense, kowtow three times, and ask for its forgiveness..."

  "What are you talking about?" Qin Shu suddenly got angry, his eyes red with rage, and shouted: "I'm a human being, asking me to kowtow to a yellow-skinned kid? I've been hunting all my life, and I've never heard of such a thing!"

  I saw the atmosphere wasn't right, so I quickly pulled Wu Lele away. This Qin Shu is really something, in front of his wife he's all polite and courteous, not daring to fart, but towards Wu Lele's suggestion, even if it's not adopted, there's no need to get so angry.

  On the road, I said to Wu Lele, are these evil things really done by Huang Pizi? Is Huang Pizi really that powerful? Qin Shu just brought back a dead Huang Pizi and sold it, but Huang Pizi made his family restless, if Huang Pizi wanted to harm people, wouldn't everyone in the village be doomed?

  Wu Lele said: "Don't underestimate small animals, they have great abilities, no worse than humans."

  "So you're that little animal?" I felt Wu Lele's words were a bit strange.

  Wu Lele immediately laughed and said: "Me? How could I be? I'm a human being."

  After returning home, my mother was holding a flashlight and was about to come find us. Seeing that we were back, she told us to go to sleep. I wickedly thought, since there are only two beds at home, would mom arrange for Wu Lele to sleep with me?

  It's just a fantasy, something that wouldn't happen in real life. Mother called Wu Lele to her room, and I returned to my bedroom, taking out the iron box I found in the cave today, studying it carefully, when suddenly there was a knock at the door. I opened the door to see Wu Lele standing there, and I was slightly taken aback - what could she want from me so late at night?

  Wu Lele said: "Can't sleep, want to talk to you."

  I didn't refuse, and after she came in, I closed the door with a swing of my hand.

  Wu Lele looked at the iron box on my bed, picked it up and asked what it was. I said I found it in a cave today. Wu Lele put it to her ear and shook it, saying that there seemed to be something inside, let's open it and see. I said it can't be opened. Wu Lele fiddled with the iron box for a while, suddenly raised the iron box and was about to smash it on the ground, I hurriedly grabbed it from her, asking what she wanted to do. Wu Lele giggled and said: "I'm just teasing you, I know how to open it." She handed me the iron box as she spoke.

  I thought she had opened it and was surprised for a while, but after taking it over, I was about to praise her when I found that this hadn't been opened at all? It was still the same as before. So I asked her why she didn't open it. Wu Lele said seriously: "You want me to open it, but you have to agree to one condition." I asked her what the condition was, and she said word by word: "My condition is very simple, you have to listen to me from now on." I said you're kidding, but Wu Lele said seriously: "I'm not kidding. If I guess correctly, this iron box must be hiding some secret mechanism, maybe it's a treasure of the century." I looked at her and asked with interest: "Then what?"

  "Then——" Wu Lele also looked at me and asked: "Don't you believe me?"

  I said you must have watched too many movies, your imagination is not bad, I think there will be a devil locked in this iron box. Wu Lele glanced out the window and whispered to me with a smile: "Your mother is eavesdropping outside." I looked out the window and found that there was indeed a familiar figure outside, so I said to Wu Lele: "It's late, go to sleep, my mom thinks we're doing something in here?"

  "What did we just do?" Wu Lele asked foolishly.

  What can a young man and woman do when they live together in the same room at midnight? I don't know if she's really stupid or pretending to be. Seeing that I didn't say anything, Wu Lele said mysteriously: "I'll tell you a secret."

  "What secret? What's the big secret?"

  Wu Lele said: "Since I woke up from my illness, I found out——" When she said this, she looked at me and my heart skipped a beat. Maybe it was because of guilt, thinking about what happened that night, could it be... Then I heard Wu Lele say: "I discovered I have an extra ability."

  "Special ability?" This was beyond my expectation.

  "Yes, for example, if I touch this iron box, I can see the story that happened on this iron box."

  This is absolutely a scam, but I still asked with interest: "Then tell me what story happened on this iron box?"

  Wu Lele took the iron box again, turned it over and looked at it carefully. I suddenly thought of someone - Holmes, who could infer the origin of an object from its appearance. Did Wu Lele also know this method?

  "A bloody case occurred on this iron box." Wu Lele stared at the iron box seriously and said: "Many people used to fight each other for it, even gods, demons, ghosts and monsters were involved. Its appearance was accompanied by blood rain and ghostly laughter."

  I have to say that Wu Lele has a rich imagination and is good at telling stories, but it's a bit exaggerated. If she exaggerates too much, it sounds fake, so I don't believe what she says at all.

  Wu Lele continued: "This iron box last appeared more than 30 years ago, when it fell into the hands of a group of bandits. The leader of the bandits killed all his opponents and even his own subordinates and sworn brothers for it, but just as he was about to leave the cave after killing the last person, he saw a scene that shocked him so much that he was frightened to death. From then on, this iron box has been hidden in that cave until you found it, and now it can finally see the light of day again."