Beginning with the Ubume Bird-Chapter 380 - 17 Strange Tales of a Night Watchman

Chapter 380: Chapter 17: Strange Tales of a Night Watchman

Chapter 380: Chapter 17: Strange Tales of a Night Watchman

“`

Rustle, rustle~

With a stick in his hand, Cao Yongchang squatted on the ground, poking at the old lady’s skin in the ice pit.

Once…

Twice…

Having just dealt with Head of Security Lin, Li Yan came over and shot him a glare, “What are you doing?”

Cao Yongchang threw away the stick and walked off after patting his buttocks.

Li Yan picked up the frozen stiff corpse skin from the pit. Villagers brought over a stretcher, placed the skin on it, and covered it with a white sheet.

This skin was to be taken by Head of Security Lin as evidence, sealed, and kept until the county officials arrived to decide what to do with it.

By now, it was already broad daylight and before long, Head of Security Lin hurried over.

“Lord Governor~ Lord Governor~”

Head of Security Lin only dropped his airs when speaking with Li Yan. He

approached with some difficulty, “It’s like this, Young Lady Zhen wants to take a look at the corpse skin. She says her husband has traveled far and won’t return for ten days to half a month; Old Madam Zhen died so unexpectedly, and she hasn’t even had a chance to see the face of the culprit, which feels disrespectful to her husband’s family. What do you think…”

“That seems reasonable.”

Li Yan nodded. Head of Security Lin quickly conveyed the message, and in about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yu Jie, her head bound with a white cloth and dressed in mourning clothes, walked in looking haggard.

“Benefactor above, please receive a bow from this unworthy girl.”

She cried as she knelt to bow but was caught halfway by Li Yan.

Yu Jie’er’s frail shoulders trembled.

“The skin is on the stretcher; if you want to look, do it here.”

Yu Jie’er nodded lightly, her fingers hesitated several times over the white sheet, but ultimately she gritted her teeth and gently lifted a corner.

The hair was dry and brittle, teeth and nails marred with cavities, carrying a faint scent of decay.

Yu Jie only took one look before turning pale with fright, her hand quickly withdrew, and she hurried to the side of a water vat, starting to retch uncontrollably, but suffering from the recent cold and shock with not a grain of rice for days, what Yu Jie’er threw up was nothing but clear water.

Cha Xiaodao came over, “Don’t force yourself.”

He pulled out the persimmon cake he had used before at Five Blessings Tower, “If you trust me, try eating this.”

Yu Jie didn’t dare to accept it, her expression hesitant.

Cha Xiaodao shrugged his shoulders, about to put it away, when Yu Jie’er called out and took the persimmon cake, giving Cha a sign of respect.

“Thank you, young master.”

“You’re welcome.”

Having said that, Cha Xiaodao walked away, heading to a secluded corner to quietly smoke.

Cha Xiaodao’s culinary skill had a miraculous effect. After eating it, it didn’t take long for Yu Jie’s complexion to regain some color, which made her feel even more embarrassed about her wariness towards Cha.

Li Yan frowned at this. He had stayed in Cha Xiaodao’s restaurant before, eating those treats as snacks. Cha Xiaodao’s persimmon cake was known for neutralizing poison and breaking curses, essentially a consumable item for removing adverse conditions. A simple nourishment shouldn’t have such a noticeable effect unless Yu Jie was poisoned or cursed beforehand.

Feeling a bit better, Yu Jie came back and insisted on looking at the skin again. Li Yan didn’t stop her, and this time Yu Jie looked longer. It was as though each glance was like being stabbed, each look made her turn her head in discomfort, but even so, she suddenly gasped.

“What’s wrong?”

Li Yan narrowed his eyes.

“I’ve seen that bracelet before.”

Yu Jie spoke haltingly.

“`

Li Yan took the bracelet off the withered arm of the corpse and held it out to Yu Jie, “Take a close look.”

Yu Jie shrank her neck but still took it. She examined it for about a minute and then suddenly started nodding, “Indeed, it’s his, that watchman’s, the one who struck the hours!”

“What? The madman who came to our village two months ago?!”

Head of Security Lin also came over.

Li Yan turned to look at him, “Head of Security Lin knows as well.”

“Yes, everyone in the village knows.”

“Tell me about it.”

Li Yan and Cha Xiaodao exchanged a glance.

That night, Cha Xiaodao caused a huge commotion at the Five Blessings Tower gathering, and among the forty-eight heretics from Outside of the Pass was a watchman!

Head of Security Lin, of course, spared no detail, and with Yu Jie chiming in, Li Yan roughly understood the sequence of events.

As it turned out, the Zhen Residence was newly built in February. Right after construction, there was a local custom; when a new house is built, a watchman must be invited to patrol for three days to let the nearby demons and ghosts know that it is a yang residence, which also serves to ward off evil spirits.

The duty of striking the hours originally stemmed from shamanistic practices, and ordinary people could not take on this task. Ten miles to the north of Niutoulan, there was such a watchman who possessed the capability.

This watchman was handsome, but had lost six wives; everyone in and out of the village found it ominous, and naturally, no girl was willing to marry him.

He was hired by the Zhen family to strike the hours for three days, and on the third day, when it was time to settle accounts, he claimed the payment was too little.

He declared that underneath the house ran a malignant water vein, and beneath it lay an old mountain corpse, marking it as a site of great misfortune.

Official Zhen, by building his house on this land, would suffer financial loss and shortened lifespan, and within three generations, his family would surely fall into decline. However, he had already communicated with the surrounding demons and ghosts on behalf of the Zhen family, telling them to live in harmony with the Zhen family. This had taken a tremendous effort, far beyond the ordinary compensation of striking the hours and warding off evil spirits.

Old Madam Zhen didn’t think much of it and simply assumed the watchman was scheming for more money. Since her family could afford it, she offered double the usual pay, but the watchman still found it too little.

Official Zhen was influential in the area and had extensive connections; he wouldn’t be bullied like this. But Madam Zhen was kind-hearted and asked the watchman to state his desired compensation.

When the watchman opened his mouth, not only did Official Zhen lose face, but even Madam Zhen turned pale.

Firstly, he demanded half of the Zhen family fortune.

Secondly, he wanted the life plaque bestowed to the elder Lord of the Zhen family by the Divine Emperor upon his retirement.

Thirdly, he demanded Official Zhen’s wife, Yu Jie’er, to accompany him in a year of rollicking pleasure.

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Official Zhen immediately declared, “Beat him, and if he dies, I’ll bear the responsibility.”

In the end, they reported it to the authorities. Official Zhen used his money to accuse the watchman of extortion. The watchman was sentenced to fifty severe lashes, and the government officials received a handsome bribe. This beating nearly killed the watchman.

The watchman’s back and buttocks were miserably bruised and swollen, and eventually, he was carried back to his original village. Even so, he continued to rant, insisting that the Zhen family would be destroyed within a year. Witches and shamans are generally like this, so Madam Zhen didn’t take it seriously.

However, strangely enough, since this incident, Yu Jie, who was originally frail, became even more prone to illness.

The incident was quite a stir at the time, and many people had watched the excitement; this bracelet was indeed worn by the watchman…

…

“I think this affair is eight or nine times out of ten the work of that watchman.”

Cha Xiaodao crossed his arms.

Li Yan said, “Whether it is or not, is that watchman still around these parts?”

Head of Security Lin hesitated, then shook his head, “After that, the watchman from the northern village vanished without a trace.”

Li Yan waved his hand dismissively, “Just report the truth, and neither the government office nor the Dragon Tiger Office will ignore it.”

Cao Yongchang shivered, “And what about us?”

Li Yan looked at him with a meaningful gaze, “We must set out on our journey…”