Chapter 28: The Copper Bell Tolls, A Great Event Must Occur

  Many years ago, the arrival of the sixth-grade diviner Mo Qintian brought what strange things to this village?

  I asked in a low voice, "Did Mo Qintian make any money when he entered the village?"

  Old Eighth stopped and looked at me, saying sternly, "Make money? You're lucky if you don't lose your life!" He twirled his mustache and continued.

  Mo Qin Tian followed my grandfather back home and asked him without hesitation, "Old man, what do you want from me? Speak freely."

  My grandfather cautiously looked outside the yard, saw no one following, and then closed the door with a sigh of relief. He invited Mo Qintian to take a seat, and with a thud, he knelt down on the ground, "Sir, please lend us a helping hand, save our village!"

  Mo Qin Tian was pulled into the house by my grandfather, originally thinking it was just a matter of asking about physiognomy and divination. Who would have thought that my grandfather would say something so shocking? His heart tightened, he helped my grandfather up and said, "Old man, what's going on... you get up first, whatever you want to say, say it after getting up..."

  My grandfather stood up, his eyes filled with tears. "Alas! I'm afraid it's laughable to say this, but my ancestors were originally fortune tellers who traveled the world. However, by my generation, we only learned some superficial skills. Recently, I calculated that there is a great calamity in the village... After finding the location of the calamity, I wanted to use magic to resolve it, but unexpectedly not only did I fail to resolve it, but also lost all my abilities. Three of my seven souls and six spirits were pulled away, and I'm afraid my life won't last much longer..."

  "Huh? What's going on?" Mo Qintian was taken aback and asked.

  "Have you seen that crooked-necked old locust tree at the village entrance, sir? That tree... it can't be left standing, it's a source of great calamity!" My grandfather's expression was terrifying. "That crooked-necked locust tree was planted by my ancestor with his own hands at the village entrance, and has been alive for three or four hundred years. As the saying goes, 'a long life is an evil omen', that locust tree has become a monster!"

  Mo Qin Tian's face was solemn, and after a long while, he replied, "So the old man was referring to that crooked-necked locust tree at the village entrance? No wonder I noticed something unusual when we entered the village! Alright, you come with me!"

  In order to avoid causing panic among the villagers, my grandfather didn't take Mo Qintian there until after dark.

  They came to the entrance of the village and saw the gnarled and twisted old locust tree emitting a chilling light in the cold moonlight. Next to it, the ancient well's spring water gushed out from the source, exceptionally clear.

  As he approached, Mo Qintian suddenly discovered that within a hundred meters around the old locust tree, there was not a single living thing, not even a blade of dogtail grass!

  "Mountain goblin!" Mo Qintian spat out a few words with difficulty, cold sweat seeping from his forehead, staring at the ground around the locust tree that was emitting white light, biting his teeth and remaining motionless.

  "Hoot!" A sudden gust of mountain wind blew by, and the branches of the locust tree swayed with the wind. "Go!" Mo Qintian turned his head to grab my grandfather who was in a daze, his mouth making a low growl like a wild beast.

  My grandfather was frightened and took Mo Qintian back to the house, asking if he had a way to break the curse. Mo Qintian's face showed difficulty, and after a long time, he replied, "It's not that there's no solution, but this method is indeed perilous!"

  My grandfather saw Mo Qin Tian speak so solemnly, and suddenly came a cold sweat on his forehead, and replied, "No matter what method is used, please trouble Mr. to break the spell!"

  Mo Qin Tian didn't say anything else, and let my grandfather find a brass washbasin, a pair of silver chopsticks, a full Qing porcelain large bowl of fresh chicken blood that was red and black, plus a pinch of yellow incense and several paper money, and went to the village entrance again.

  Mo Qin Tian pinched three yellow incense sticks in his hand, knelt down, and respectfully kowtowed to the old locust tree several times. Then he stood up, took a deep breath, and suddenly released his grip like a springing iron rod. One hand picked up the brass washbasin on the ground, while the other hand inserted one finger into the blue porcelain large bowl, with the entire finger dipped in bright red chicken blood that was about to drip.

  He withdrew his arm, and his fingers flew as he wrote something on the bottom of the washbasin with a scratching sound. The sound of his fingertips rubbing against the copper basin was like gold and stone engraving, crisp and clear, making my grandfather stare in amazement!

  After about the time it takes to smoke a pack of cigarettes, Mo Qin Tian finally stopped. The index finger on his right hand, which had been drawing talismans, still didn't stop bleeding. Thin streams of fresh blood dripped from his fingertips onto the ground, but it was unclear whether it was chicken blood or his own vital energy.

  Mo Qin Tian crouched down, pinched a handful of incense ash, and scattered it into the blue porcelain bowl. He then stirred his finger, raised his head, and quickly swallowed a large mouthful of chicken blood. Afterwards, he tightly grasped a silver chopstick and rapidly circled around the old locust tree with a twisted neck.

  Mo Qin Tian spun around while tapping the copper basin in his hand with chopsticks, and as he spun faster, the tapping sound became more urgent.

  Nor did he know how many rounds he had turned, just when my grandfather was dizzy, Mo Qin Tian suddenly stopped his feet, "puff" a sound, and sprayed out a big mouthful of chicken blood, right on the trunk of the old locust tree.

  Something unbelievable happened, after a cold and piercing mountain wind blew by, my grandfather actually heard a mournful cry of "Ah..." coming from the trunk of the old locust tree, the cry was heart-wrenching and ear-piercing, as if someone's throat had been torn apart.

  Mo Qin Tian suddenly became limp and weak all over, collapsing to the ground as if his bones had been shattered.

  My grandfather was frightened out of his wits and rushed forward to help Mo Qintian up. But Mo Qintian pointed at the copper basin with difficulty and said to my grandfather, "Quick... throw it into the old well!"

  My grandfather didn't dare to be slow, nor did he care about anything else, picked up the copper basin and threw it into the old well with one hand, then carried Mo Qintian back home.

  Mo Qin Tian was seriously ill, and when he left the village, he told my grandfather that in order to keep the village safe forever, a copper bell must be cast and hung on that crooked-necked locust tree. From now on, every time a male is added to the village, a red silk cloth must be tied to the locust tree... Moreover, remember that except for the ancient well water with curses written on the copper basin that can never be drunk, if the copper bell warns, something big will happen in the village...

  "The bronze bell tolls, must something big happen?" I cried out in a shrill voice.

  Grandpa Ba saw me looking so dispirited and asked, puzzled, "What's wrong? This is the motto that has been passed down for hundreds of years in our village, isn't it?"

  "But...? When we walked into the village today, that bronze bell suddenly fell down......" I stuttered.

  "What did you say?" The old man's face turned pale in an instant, as if he had aged ten years at once. He trembled and asked, "The bronze bell fell down... Young fellow, is this true?"

  The little brother seemed to be annoyed that I had accidentally mentioned this matter, and glared at me fiercely, answering, "Old Eighth, it's...it's true!"

  "Bad things, bad things, this is really bad. I thought things wouldn't be so terrible... What to do now? How should we handle it?" He said as he stood up, his cloudy eyes filled with anxious expression.

  The little brother didn't make a sound, but my heart was like fifteen buckets of water, churning up and down. What I was thinking in my heart was that the bronze bell hanging from the crooked neck of the old locust tree wasn't actually used to gather villagers as the little brother had said, but rather it was something that Mo Qintian, a sixth-grade master, had used hundreds of years ago to suppress mountain spirits and demons!

  But is this matter really as serious as what Old Man Ba said? Will something big really happen in the village? If these things had happened in the past, I wouldn't have believed them even if you killed me, but since I've had that strange experience before, I know that there are indeed many supernatural powers in this world...

  I was shocked and sat there in a daze, no longer daring to make a sound.

  The young man cleared his throat and suddenly said, "Eighth grandfather, don't be too anxious. As the ancient saying goes, 'When soldiers come, we will block them; when water comes, we will dam it.' I just don't believe that an ordinary mountain spirit can eat everyone in our village! I've decided to put down my current tasks and guard the village for a while!"

  "Alright, alright, if you can stay in the village, I'll be much more at ease..."

  Grandpa Ba reminded little brother to go to his house tonight and then left, Rocky hasn't come back from going out yet, Little Brother and I chatted idly.

  "Little brother, aren't you supposed to take me to Bincheng's Halfway Street? Why did you stay here?" I expressed the doubts in my heart.

  The young man sighed and replied, "I originally wanted to ask Old Man Ba if he recognized the sketch left by my grandfather and whether it held any secrets before leaving. But now that something has happened in the village, I don't feel right about leaving immediately. Don't worry, once I've taken care of this matter, I'll take you away at once!"

  Actually, for me, whether I go early or late doesn't make much difference. But as soon as I think of that mysterious person's text message about Bin Cheng Half Edge Street No. 18, it drives me crazy!

  What kind of place is it? Can it let me know the truth about the strange experiences I had before?

  After dinner, Xiao Ge and Yan Long whispered a few words in low voices and went out the door. I knew they should have gone to that Eighth Grandfather's house.

  I lay alone in bed, too afraid to sleep, staring blankly at the moonlight shining through the window with wide open eyes.

  Everything that has happened over this period of time flashed before my eyes like a movie rewinding... Now, little brother brought me to this eerie Huanglong Village, I don't know if it's good luck or bad luck.

  They waited for a long time but didn't see Xiao Ge and them come back.

  Time passed slowly in the midst of torment, and I was a bit dazed. Just as I was dozing off, I suddenly heard a mournful sound coming from outside, and my sleepiness vanished instantly. I opened my eyes wide and hid myself under the covers, not daring to show my head.

  "Uggghhh..."

  That sound was terrifyingly abnormal, like a ghost wailing. A sound like this, no need to ask, must be some filthy thing screaming!

  This village is dirty from the start!

  I want to stick my head out of the quilt to take a look, but I don't dare to, heaven knows if those things have come in.

  I'm terrified to the extreme! Once a person is terrified to the extreme, they're not afraid of anything anymore. My mind has been liberated, and I think, if I die, so be it, I really can't take it anymore! The yin soul is forbidden.

  ———————————————————————————————