Returning to the Village of Living Coffins,
The Village of Living Coffins was unlike any other location. Most of the ghosts there were connected to mountain folklore, each with their own unique characteristics.
"My completion rate on the Village of Living Coffins trial was very low. I only stepped inside that door for a peek before leaving—I never explored it thoroughly. Perhaps the secret of the Well Woman is hidden within."
The Well Woman had existed for an impossibly long time. She was deeply mysterious, knew many hidden truths, and had apparently even used the Blood Door to venture deep into the Blood City.
A night wind blew past. Chen Ge didn't feel any eeriness—just a pleasant coolness.
Led by Sister Jiang Ling, Chen Ge entered the Village of Living Coffins once more.
He dragged the Skull Crusher behind him and held the comic book in his hand, looking much like a community census worker as he went door to door, checking inside each residence.
Every household in the village had a coffin displayed in their main hall. Worshiping ancestors and revering the forebears—there was nothing inherently wrong with that. But because of the Well Woman's existence, these customs had been twisted. Combined with the door's ever-present influence, it had ultimately given rise to the unique location known as the Village of Living Coffins.
People living in big cities would never imagine that such a "hidden paradise" could be tucked away in the remote wilderness.
"Even after all this time, the Village of Living Coffins hasn't changed at all."
Revisiting this familiar place, Chen Ge felt a wave of emotion. He glanced at his comic book, packed full of captures, and felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
Having swept from the village entrance to the center, he noticed the white paper lanterns on the old mansion's gate swaying nervously. More and more silhouettes began appearing in the small square at the heart of the village.
The residents who lived here had gathered together of their own accord. They didn't look like they were welcoming Chen Ge—every one of them wore a dark, sullen expression.
History had a striking tendency to repeat itself. Something similar had happened the first time Chen Ge entered the Village of Living Coffins, except back then, the standoff in this square hadn't been between him and the villagers.
"A few of those faces actually look familiar." Chen Ge and Jiang Ling's sister took a step forward. "Don't stand there looking like you're furious but afraid to speak up. We don't have any deep grudge between us. Last time I came here, I was the one being chased by all of you."
As Chen Ge spoke, Red-robed ghosts stationed themselves around him, one after another.
The villagers became much more "obedient," looking for all the world like a humble, well-mannered folk.
On the other side of the village, a mansion gate swung open and a woman adorned with all manner of jewelry stepped out. Her surname was Zhu, and she was one of the people the Well Woman trusted most—she managed the village in the Well Woman's stead.
"Hello. We meet again." Chen Ge and his employees turned to look at the woman surnamed Zhu. Her face flickered with distress before she forced out a smile.
"Chen Ge, what are you doing here in the dead of night?" the woman surnamed Zhu said, bracing herself.
"Jiang Ling is doing perfectly fine. You don't need to worry about her." Chen Ge chatted about Jiang Ling for a while before gradually revealing his true purpose. "Actually, I came here today to have a discussion with the Red-robed ghosts in your village. Don't worry—it's just a discussion, nothing more."
Under a dark, windy sky, the villagers huddled together. The woman surnamed Zhu knitted her brow tightly. Anyone who didn't know the full story might have mistaken this for some unscrupulous developer trying to demolish ancestral homes and seize their land.
"She hasn't come out of that door since the last time she appeared. The Ghost Infant was taken away as well." The woman surnamed Zhu looked at the Red-robed ghosts behind Chen Ge, hesitated for a moment, and then told the truth.
There were two Red-robed ghosts in the Village of Living Coffins. The Well Woman's strength was unfathomably deep, but she had sustained severe injuries in her attempt to reincarnate as a human. As for the Ghost Infant, its power was quite ordinary—it was only slightly stronger than Nan Men.
"It seems she may have run into trouble on the other side of the door." Chen Ge thought for a moment. "There's no other way. It's almost midnight. If she can't come out, then we'll have to go in after her."
If he hadn't been so busy, Chen Ge would have gone back through the door in the Village of Living Coffins long ago.
"Is that really appropriate?" For the villagers of the Village of Living Coffins, the Well Woman was the deity of their village. Like the ancients who held sacrifices to the river god, they regularly performed rituals in her honor. The door was essentially the dwelling place of their "god."
"There's nothing inappropriate about it. If we get everything out in the open now, there won't be any misunderstandings later." Chen Ge remembered the door's location—his memory had always been excellent.
After obtaining the woman surnamed Zhu's consent, Chen Ge grabbed his backpack and, together with his employees, made his way to the home where the Well Woman had lived before her death. He found the door.
When midnight struck, with the help of several Red-robed ghosts, he pushed the door open and stepped through.
Dense blood mist enveloped his entire body. Chen Ge's pupils slowly contracted as he quickly sensed that something was wrong.
"How is this possible?"
The Village of Living Coffins on the other side of the door had been almost entirely leveled!
Terrifying claw marks scarred every surface, and countless gouges from chains crisscrossed the ground.
"The Village of Living Coffins behind the door… has been destroyed?"
Chen Ge could hardly believe his eyes. He ordered his Red-robed employees to stay close and remain on high alert.
"Blood threads and curses have soaked into the earth. Just standing here fills me with a deep sense of unease." Chen Ge studied his surroundings for a long time, his gaze drifting over the chains, the lingering curses, and the blood threads. "Could it be Dr. Gao? I saw him once in Liwan Town. Back then, he was holding his wife's head, his entire body wrapped in black iron chains."
By the time he had appeared in Liwan Town, Dr. Gao had already been an elite Red-robed ghost. He and
"The Ghost Story Association had indeed come to the Village of Living Coffins before, but they returned empty-handed that time thanks to my interference…"
The more Chen Ge thought about it, the more convinced he became that the culprit was Dr. Gao. But he couldn't understand why an elite Red-robed ghost like Dr. Gao would come to the Village of Living Coffins.
"Could it be that the Well Woman really did possess the method to bring the dead back to life? Whether alive or dead, Dr. Gao's greatest desire has always been to resurrect his wife. That is his deepest obsession, and for that obsession, he is capable of anything."
Human nature was complex, but at times it was also simple. Dr. Gao was the perfect example.
He had been the best psychiatrist in Hanjiang, and simultaneously its most terrifying madman.
Standing amid the ruins, Chen Ge's expression shifted between light and shadow. "When I completed the Village of Living Coffins trial, I encountered members of the Ghost Story Association. One was
If the suspect hadn't been Dr. Gao, Chen Ge wouldn't have wasted a single thought on it.