"There are other outsiders?" Chen Ge and his group had entered the village primarily to find Fan Yu and Jiang Ling, so upon hearing that there were other outsiders, they perked up.
"Before you arrived, two children wandered into the village by accident after getting lost." A Qing recalled the events. "A boy and a girl. The boy was very thin and not tall, and the girl looked only four or five years old—like a porcelain doll, very cute."
"Fan Yu and Jiang Ling!" Hearing A Qing's description, Chen Ge grew even more certain of his guess.
He grabbed A Qing by his burial clothes. "Where are they now? Take me to them!"
"I'm afraid that's not possible." A Qing tried to pry Chen Ge's hand away, but after several attempts, he realized that this seemingly unimpressive man possessed astonishing strength. "Those two children were spotted by other villagers as soon as they entered the village. Later, the woman surnamed Zhu appeared and personally arranged lodging for them, then took the girl away."
"Jiang Ling was taken away?" Chen Ge was stunned.
"From what I heard, the woman surnamed Zhu wanted the girl to participate in the ritual as well. I thought it was strange at the time—it was the first time in decades that an outsider had been invited to take part in the ritual." A Qing struggled for a while before finally giving up, letting Chen Ge grip his shoulder as he grimaced in pain.
"Did that woman perhaps see through Jiang Ling's origins? Is she planning to offer Jiang Ling to the female ghost as well?" Chen Ge pondered. "Zhu Xinrou is right beside Jiang Ling, so she definitely wouldn't stand by and let Jiang Ling come to harm. There can only be two possibilities—the woman surnamed Zhu has a way to suppress Zhu Xinrou, or Jiang Ling is participating in the ritual voluntarily."
Fan Yu had left two words for him in the painting—come home. Their return to Living Coffin Village tonight likely had a reason, and coincidentally, the Strange Tales Association had also made their move on this very day, targeting Jiang Ling.
Everything converged at a single point, and the source of the secret lay somewhere within Living Coffin Village.
"In addition to being wary of the original inhabitants of Living Coffin Village, you also need to watch out for the Strange Tales Association."
Chen Ge released his grip and gently patted A Qing's shoulder. "If possible, try to bring the thin little boy out."
"Understood." A Qing rubbed his shoulder. "When the ritual begins shortly, the entire village will be affected. The ghost wall will break down on its own, and the things that normally sleep in every corner will awaken. You'll see the hidden side of this village."
He spoke quickly, constantly glancing outward. "Too many people have died in this village. The yin energy is far too heavy, and it has given rise to all manner of evil spirits. They will gradually awaken as the ritual progresses. You must be careful—don't provoke them. Once you've snatched the child, leave immediately."
"You've told us all this, but where exactly are we supposed to find the child?"
"The ritual begins at the ancestral hall in the center of the village. All the children will be placed inside the ancestral hall, and then the procession will head to the well where the female ghost took her own life. What you need to do is enter the ancestral hall while the procession is departing, find an infant with a copper coin hanging around its neck, and take it away."
A Qing paused for a moment, then reluctantly pulled a piece of cloth from his pocket. "The interior of the village is extremely complex. Some paths lead to vengeful spirits and monsters at their ends. If you want to get out, follow the route marked on this cloth."
He handed the cloth—covered in various lines and markings—to Chen Ge. "Please, you must take my child with you when you leave!"
After a few more words of caution, A Qing hurried away. Chen Ge studied the cloth in his hand—a rough map of Living Coffin Village, with more than twenty locations marked with red crosses.
"He actually trusted us this much? Gave us the map in advance without even worrying we'd just run off and leave his child behind?" Grandpa Bai took the map and studied it for a while, growing more alarmed the longer he looked. Many of the places marked on it were ones he had visited in his youth, though always during the day.
Chen Ge shook his head. "This man has been planning for a long time. He wouldn't make such a basic mistake. This is most likely a fake map—the real one is probably on the infant."
In the span of those few exchanges, the street outside had already changed.