Chapter Forty-Four: The Mysterious Woman

  The village chief, Dai Yongguo, suddenly turned around and gazed at the sea of people below the stage, his face as calm as still water, with an especially majestic demeanor. "According to our village's rules, today we will carry out the punishment of lingchi on the young man. If anyone has any objections, they can speak up now. But after the execution, if anyone still dares to utter a second word, that person will be considered an enemy of all the villagers, and he will be the second one to suffer lingchi!"

  I really wanted someone in the audience to plead for the young man at this moment, but there was a dead silence. Even the tall uncle standing on stage didn't move or say a word.

  He didn't say that he and Xiaoge were as close as liver and gallbladder, sharing life and death together? Why is he not moving at all now? He's deceiving me! My heart has cooled to the extreme. It seems that in this village, indeed no one can be trusted with what they say!

  The village chief rubbed his eyes and said to Gaba uncle standing beside him, "Since everyone has no objection, Gaba, you come and do it?"

  I saw Gabada's uncle's face with a strange expression, his muscles moved twice, then shook his head, "Village chief, I am a doctor, only save people and do not kill people!"

  The village head looked at him and turned around, saying, "Yang Zheng, Yang Zheng, come here!"

  No one responded after half a shout, and Village Chief Zou frowned, raised his voice, "Yang Zheng, where are you?"

  A villager replied, "Yang Zheng just left, don't know where he went!"

  The village head's face suddenly turned red with anger, and someone in the crowd couldn't help but chuckle, "The bronze bell tolls a warning, an old well claims a life; the back mountain is haunted, chickens and dogs are restless; birthday guests arrive, the whole village is desolate, the whole village is desolate... Slice by slice, chop by chop, fun, fun, I'm coming, I'm coming."

  My heart skipped a beat, and this voice was actually the maid who had been missing all night! What happened to that silly look she had in Dead Village? She's clearly gone crazy!

  The little girl clapped her small hands and squeezed out of the crowd, took a few steps to climb up onto the high gallows, snatched the shiny cow ear knife from the village chief's hand, and laughed, "Let me do it!"

  The young man looked at the girl and let out a long sigh before closing his eyes.

  The village chief, Hu Ge, clapped his hands and laughed, "Good, girl, only you, this madman, are most suitable for doing such things."

  My heart is cut like a knife, why is it Yatou?

  The girl smiled foolishly, holding the cow ear knife and circling around the wooden stake tied to Xiaoge several times, muttering to herself, until she reached Xiaoge's ear.

  The little brother frowned and dodged the scolding of Ya Tou, who suddenly shouted loudly, "First knife, cut your brain gate, let you forget this life." The cow ear sharp knife in his hand quickly swept across Xiao Ge's forehead.

  The young man let out a loud roar and broke free from the thick rope, scaring the servant girl who screamed and ran to hide behind Gaba's back.

  The little brother panted without getting up, smiled miserably and said, "Girl, come again!"

  Four burly men tied the broken rope again and bound Xiao Ge to the wooden stake. Ya Tou waited for a long time before timidly emerging from behind Gaba Shu's back, walking to Xiao Ge's side, raising the ox-ear knife and shouting loudly, "Second knife, cut your Renzhong acupoint, make you not meet in the next life." After finishing speaking, he used the ox-ear knife to slash another cut on Xiao Ge's Renzhong acupoint.

  My heart is in great pain, if I had known it would be like this, I'd rather die together with my little brother! I can no longer bear it, I pulled out the dagger hidden on me, pushed away the people standing in front of me, and rushed to the execution platform like a madman. With one push, I knocked Xiaotou to the ground and shouted loudly, "Enough! Let him go!"

  The girl was so frightened that she shouted loudly and ran down from the gallows, hiding in the crowd under the platform.

  The little brother saw me appear on the gallows, and a hint of imperceptible color flashed in his eyes. He gritted his teeth through the pain and said, "Lan Tian, why haven't you left yet?"

  Looking at the faint blood oozing from his forehead and philtrum, my heart was torn apart. "Little brother, don't worry about me, if I'm going to die today, I'll die with you, and I won't let anyone treat you like a beast."

  Little brother shook his head, "Lan Tian, you're wrong, I never missed you, I just want to settle the scores of this life in this life... You leave, you leave, I don't want to see you again!"

  The young man's face was extremely cold and expressionless, with blood smudging his handsome features, making him look terrifying.

  "Is the vendetta of this life settled now? I stood there stunned, holding up the shining dagger in my hand and shouted loudly, 'No! I don't care if you've been concerned about me or not, but I couldn't just watch you die a painful death right in front of me!'"

  The little brother actually turned his face to one side and no longer looked at me.

  I forgot to be afraid and shouted at the village chief, "Village chief, I beg of you not to carry out the punishment of lingchi on my brother, I am willing to die with him quickly!"

  The village chief took a few steps back, seeing my desperate look, and shouted angrily, "Who do you think you are? Can you change the village rules that have been set for thousands of years just because of you? Hmph, since you want to die, I'll fulfill your wish!" After finishing speaking, he ordered, "Tie up this ignorant kid for me!"

  Those big men rushed up and tied me tightly with the little brother on the wooden stake.

  With the little brother back to back, I knew that I was going to die soon, but there wasn't a single thread of fear of death in my heart. "Little brother, I'll die with you, and now you won't have to suffer from the pain of being sliced into pieces anymore!"

  The little brother didn't answer me, his eyes still gazing into the distance.

  I don't know what he's thinking in his heart at this moment, but the thought of being able to die with him makes it worthwhile to have known him and been brothers.

  The village head's sinister voice rang out again, "Young man, it's not that I don't want to let your friend go, but he's eager to seek death himself, so it's not my fault. I'll make sure you die quickly, without a hint of pain! Heh heh..."

  Since I have to die, then let me die? I closed my eyes.

  Heavy footsteps approached the wooden stake where I and Xiao Ge were tied, probably those four burly men? I could even feel the faint chill emanating from the ghost-headed knives in their hands...

  I'm going to die? Little brother won't have to suffer from the pain of being cut by knives anymore... This is the only thought left in my mind.

  Just as I was desperate to die, a sharp and shrill voice suddenly rang out, "You bunch of turtle sons of bitches, aren't you all eager to crack the secret of the ancient well's evil legend? Let him go, and I can tell you... tonight at midnight, Broken Soul Cliff!"

  The voice was sharp and thin, obviously a woman's, pinching her throat to speak, exactly the mysterious woman who reminded the village chief to search for the Three Steps to Soul-Stabbing Stance on Xiaoge's body last night!

  Who is it? I was bewildered in my heart, opened my eyes and looked down at the stage, but saw that the crowd below was looking at each other in confusion, not knowing where the voice came from!

  I focused my gaze on the village chief, whose face turned red and white in succession. He suddenly turned his head around and loudly addressed the crowd of villagers below, "Everyone, you all heard it just now, someone said they can solve the ancient well riddle that has been circulating in our village for thousands of years! This is a great thing! Think about it, this ancient well riddle has always bound our Huanglong Village generation after generation, making everyone live in inexplicable fear and panic. Now that someone says they can solve it, as the village chief, I should naturally put the overall situation first. I've thought about it, let's do what that person said earlier, temporarily release Xiao Ge and his friends, and make a decision again after going to Duansheng Cliff tonight. What does everyone think?"

  The villagers under the platform discussed and debated, suddenly like a pot of porridge bursting open, with all sorts of opinions. In the end, they still reached a consensus, since the village chief had spoken, there was no second word, and they did as the village chief said.

  The village chief nodded in satisfaction, just about to let the burly man on stage untie the ropes binding me and Xiao Ge, when that sharp, thin voice rang out again from among the crowd below: "Don't try to trick me! Tonight, at Duanhun Cliff, I only need you and Lan Tian to come. If there's one extra person, I won't be waiting!"

  The voice disappeared instantly after finishing speaking.

  I was stunned for a moment. Who is she? How did she know my name? Do I know her? Why did she only allow me to follow the village chief to Duanhun Cliff?

  I couldn't understand, but when several burly men untied the ropes from me and Xiao Ge's bodies, I knew that our lives were temporarily safe.

  At this time, Gabadai, who had been standing on the stage and remained silent, spoke up, "Village chief, look...the young man is injured, should I take him back to the medicine hut for treatment?"

  "The... " The village chief hesitated and did not speak.

  "Village chief, rest assured, I'm just treating the young man's wounds, nothing else... Besides, aren't you taking Lan Tian to Duanhun Cliff tonight? With him by your side, what are you worried about?"

  The village chief nodded, "Alright, after all, the young man is a capable and promising person from our village. Even if he has committed a capital offense, we can't let him die a slow death before things are clear. Ga Ba, take the young man back to the medicine hut, as for his friend Lan Tian, I'll take him back to the stone house!"

  Uncle Gaba nodded and replied, "Yes."

  I glared at Gaba uncle with anger, thinking to myself, you said that you and Xiao Ge were friends who had been through thick and thin, but where in the world can you find a friend like you? However, he was able to say that he would take Xiao Ge back to the medicine shop to treat his injuries, and my anger subsided a little.

  Gaba uncle roughly stopped the bleeding wound of the little brother, and then took the little brother back to the medicine hut. Throughout the whole process, the little brother didn't look at me once from start to finish.

  What's wrong with him? Is he trying to clear his relationship with me and hoping the village chief will let me go? It must be... But how could the village chief possibly let me off? Tonight, Duanhun Cliff, I have no choice but to go with him!

  The crowd under the stage dispersed in an instant after Gaba Uncle took Xiao Ge away, leaving only me and the village chief on the entire gallows. He looked at me coldly, "Leave?"

  "Go to Shi Wu's house?"

  "Where else can you go if not to the stone house?" The village chief immediately changed his expression to a fierce one, "You'd better not play tricks on me, kid. Today, honestly stay in the stone house and don't go anywhere. Tonight, follow me to the Cliff of Broken Souls! Otherwise, heh heh..."

  What if not? However, I still didn't dare ask. In Huanglong Village, I know that what he says is the king's law! Taboo of yin soul

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