It must be said that Longn Village is indeed an odd place.
When Xian Qianling’s Harley motorcycle left the concrete road and turned into a slightly pitted dirt and stone mountain path, the scenery on both sides suddenly changed!
Until now, the journey had been through shaded vegetation and high mountains and long waters, but after driving a short stretch, a barren rock area appeared ahead. There were only strangely shaped rocks, and the earth was a mix of red and yellow, sowhat similar to the so-called Danxia landforms, yet you could be certain that such landforms could never naturally occur here.
After passing through this peculiar area, a series of undulating hills beca visible, still topped with bizarre rock formations.
Following the hills, there was a large expanse of terraced fields in full view, with farrs laboring in the fields. The rumble of the motorcycle caused them to turn their heads, and so barefoot children on the ridges laughed and ran down the slopes in groups.
Soon, a village appeared up ahead.
At the small clearing at the entrance to the village, there were already two police cars parked. You, with keen eyesight, quickly noticed Sun Mingyu and his colleague sitting behind an old wooden table near a big tree, apparently conducting an interview with the villagers—one asking questions and the other taking notes.
No sooner had Xian Qianling stopped the motorcycle than you leapt off and hurried toward Sun Mingyu.
Watching you rush off as if fleeing, a smirk appeared on Xian Qianling’s face as she chuckled quietly, "Still just a big boy, really, with such a tender face."
Hearing this, you stumbled and turned back to glare at her fiercely.
This shaless, crazy woman!
Seeing you approaching, Sun Mingyu stood up quickly, smiling broadly and reaching out his hand, "Chairman Li, I’ve been eagerly awaiting your arrival."
After exchanging pleasantries, you asked, "Did this village suffer a fire? Why is there a burnt sll as soon as you enter?"
Before Sun Mingyu could reply, the voice of Xian Qianling ca from behind you, "You’re right, this village indeed suffered a fire, and it’s almost a daily occurrence. There’s not a place inside or outside the village that hasn’t been scorched."
Your brows furrowed, "What happened? Could soone be deliberately setting fires?"
"Who would have ti to set fires deliberately in such a remote little mountain village? Moreover, so of these fires sotis ignite right under the villagers’ noses."
Looking around, you continued asking, "Were there any casualties?"
Sun Mingyu nodded, "Yes, two dead and five injured, one of them seriously, who is now being treated at Yuhang Second Hospital."
Seeing you fall silent, Xian Qianling said to Sun Mingyu, "Tell him the whole story."
The latter nodded and detailed everything he had learned about the situation.
Shijing Village, that’s the na of the village you’re in now, one of the six natural villages of Longn Village.
The villagers call these fires that seem to be everywhere, ’Ghost Fire.’
Unlike the phosphorescent fires found in graveyards, this ’Ghost Fire’ is far more dangerous.
Shijing Village was originally a quiet little village; the villagers worked from sunrise to sunset, leading lives that were ordinary, simple, and peaceful.
That was until three months ago when a company specializing in tourist resorts took an interest in the scenery of Hidden Dragon Canyon to the northwest of Longn Village. They planned to build a country road that would also cross Longn Village.
For the relatively isolated Longn Village, this was great news. No matter what, future travel for the villagers would be much more convenient, and tourism was sure to bring in extra inco, thereby improving the quality of their lives.
However, no one could have foreseen that the road construction would mark the beginning of their disaster.
At first, the roadwork proceeded smoothly, but one morning, a bucket-wheel excavator removed a mound of earth that had been obstructing the path.
As soon as the mound was flattened, a wisp of blue smoke began to rise.
That blue smoke lasted four days, uninterrupted by wind or rain. Afterwards, inexplicable fires began to break out in Shijing Village, and occasionally, Qingyang Village would also see ghostly flas, but perhaps due to the distance, their village didn’t experience them often, and the damage was not significant.
By contrast, Shijing Village seed to be targeted by the ghost fire, suffering from fires every day.
Hearing this, you asked, "Was there anything under that mound?"
Sun Mingyu shook his head, "The villagers thought they had offended spirits, and they even set up a shrine in front of the mound and presented offerings. We wanted to dig the mound open to check, but the village chief stubbornly refused. There was nothing we could do, so we had to ask for your help."
"So what are we waiting for, let’s just pick up a hamr and dig to find out."
With that, you turned around and walked toward a flat area so tens of ters away.
The location of the mound was indeed very close to the village; if it was hiding a ghost, at most it would cause illnesses or hauntings in the village. It was unlikely to result in fires everywhere.
Seeing you walking toward the mound, several strong young n imdiately ca over.
"Hmm? What’s going on?" you asked with a smile at the people in front of you.
"The village chief has already said that the altar cannot be disturbed, and we must not disturb the spirits beneath the earth," they said.
"How do you know that there are spirits below and not a demon?" you said with a smile.
One of the young n looked at you with a disgusted expression, "What would you city folks understand!"
"I don’t understand, yeah, I really don’t," you shrugged, yawning at Xian Qianling, "Well, I’m off then."
As you spoke, you turned and walked deeper into Longn Village.
Xian Qianling quickly grabbed hold of you, "How can you just leave like this?"
"If not leaving, what else am I to do here? Watch them play with fire?" you rolled your eyes and pointed at the villagers nearby, "Since they’re having so much fun with the ghost fire, you police shouldn’t stay here any longer either. The day after tomorrow, have the demolition office co over. By the ti they arrive, this place should almost be leveled."
"Fire! It’s on fire!"
In the middle of this conversation, thick smoke began to rise from the village.
"Quick, put out the fire!" Xian Qianling shouted urgently, turning to rush toward the village.
Swiftly, you grabbed Xian Qianling’s arm and said coldly, "Don’t go, let them burn it all down if that’s what they want, it’ll be more satisfying that way!"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Most of the houses here are wood-structured, if we don’t act quickly, the entire village could go up in flas!"
Watching Xian Qianling dash off to the fire with a group of policen, you smiled and, in front of the two young n, lifted your right leg and kicked the altar right in front of you hard!
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