"Help!"
"Help!"
Uncle Laogen was terrified and desperately trying to crawl out from under the table.
However, in extreme fear, his limbs became weak, and he was pinned to the ground by a single claw of the demonic cat, unable to get up.
"Pour water quickly!"
Seeing this, the old village chief stomped his foot, stepped out from behind the water vat, and splashed water from a basin toward the demonic cat.
No matter how much of a scoundrel Uncle Laogen was, he was still a life, and as the village chief, he didn't want to see another death in the village.
A few of the elders followed his example, mustering their courage to step forward and splash water as well.
But most of the water was blocked by the table.
Only half of Uncle Laogen's body managed to crawl out, flailing like a fish deprived of oxygen. The demonic cat pressed down on him viciously, its claws digging into his skin.
The more he struggled, the more it hurt.
"I was wrong!"
"No matter if you're my old lady, Big Flower, or my wife, I was wrong!"
"Please forgive me."
Old Root Uncle pleaded for mercy with a mournful voice.
The Cat Fiend was covered in wounds, with several parts of its flesh seemingly burned by sulfuric acid. Its face, which resembled both a human and a cat, was filled with hatred, and there was not a hint of wavering in its expression.
It opened its mouth, and the sharp teeth made Old Root Uncle's soul shiver with fear.
Boom!
At that moment, a flash of lightning shot over.
Immediately after, Old Root Uncle felt someone grab his shoulders and pull him forcefully outward.
Then, he was surrounded by water everywhere.
After a brief moment of chaos, the house fell silent.
Uncle Gen, panting heavily, thought he was saved, but a searing pain shot through his leg. When he looked down, his heart sank.
The cat spirit was viciously biting into his leg, and had been dragged out from under the table along with him.
It was covered in black soot, its flesh completely corroded by water, exposing its white bones.
Yet, even in that state, it did not let go.
"H-help, help me..."
Uncle Gen trembled, nearly fainting.
Lu Fei scooped up a ladle of water and poured it over the cat spirit's head.
The cat spirit finally stopped moving, its last gaze seemingly directed at the drawer containing the portrait.
These terrifying creatures were finally dead.
The old folks relaxed their bodies, revealing their miserable state, and a mix of emotions welled up within them.
Cats are more sentimental than humans.
Repay kindness with kindness, and avenge wrongs with vengeance.
What's detestable is that Uncle Lao Gen lacked responsibility, implicating the whole village.
"This corpse can't be kept; we need to burn it as soon as possible."
Lu Fei pulled Uncle Lao Gen's leg out from between the cat spirit's sharp teeth, had Huzi find some glutinous rice to apply to the wound, and after drawing out the corpse poison, he bandaged it.
Throughout the entire process, Uncle Lao Gen did not utter a word, as if his body was still there, but his soul had already departed.
That night.
The old folks built a fire and cremated the corpse.
Uncle Lao Gen's house was in complete disarray.
Everyone had tidied up the house, and the sky was already bright.
The sun scorched the village like a fireball, with no sign of rain at all.
The good mood from defeating the cat demon vanished instantly under this heat.
"Young Master, we've dealt with the cat demon, but what's the cause of this drought?" The old village chief's eyes betrayed deep fatigue.
"What sins have our village committed for Heaven to punish us like this?"
"Village Chief, don't think such thoughts! How could a disaster be the fault of the village?" Lu Fei wiped the sweat from his forehead and squinted at the cracked land outside.
"This unusual drought must have some cause. As long as we find the source, we can solve it."
"Yes, Village Chief, Mr. Hu and I will think of a way to deal with the drought," Hu Zi also consoled, "We've worked hard all night, everyone should go back and get some rest."
Everyone sighed and went back home to rest.
Lu Fei and Hu Zi went to the car to take a nap with the air conditioning on.
Huzi was weighed down with worries, his body tired but unable to sleep.
They had clearly performed a drought burial, and it looked like it was going to rain, so why did the next day continue to be dry?
The poultry and livestock in the village were eaten by the cat spirit, so what exactly caused the drought?
Huzi's mind was in a complete muddle, and he couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried.
In the midst of his anxiety, he felt Lu Fei sit up.
"Boss, did I disturb you?"
"No." Lu Fei shook his head and looked out the window, "Huzi, take me to the graveyard again. Maybe we missed something."
"Okay."
Opening the car door, a wave of heat rushed at them.
The two of them and the dog braved the scorching sun and arrived at the graveyard.
Most of the trees nearby are almost dead, there's no place for shade.
After walking in the graveyard for a few minutes, they felt as if a layer of oil had been baked out of them.
Lu Fei suddenly stopped again at Old Gen's mother's grave.
"Boss, have you noticed anything?" Hu Zi asked, wiping his sweat.
"Hu Zi, don't you think the color of this grave's soil is different from the others?" Lu Fei squinted his eyes.
"It was turned over not long ago, it's normal to have a color difference." Hu Zi looked and saw that the soil on Old Gen's mother's grave seemed fresher compared to the others.
"That's not right. With such a strong sun and dry weather, no matter what's inside, the surface soil should be as dried out as the others.",
Lu Fei found a stick and bowed respectfully towards the grave.
"I apologize for this.",
Then, he used the stick to push aside some of the soil on the grave.
The soil inside was much darker and moist.
The deeper we went, the more humid it became.
"Moist soil on a grave is one of the characteristics of dry bone burial!" Lu Fei was shocked and confused, "But Old Gen's mother's remains were cremated. How could there be a dry bone burial in this grave?"
"I don't know. Could it be a mistake?" Hu Zi also found it hard to believe.
So many people were watching at that time, and everyone in the village knew Old Gen's mother. How could there be a mistake?
Moreover,
Dahua avenging Old Gen's mother was proof that her remains had been cremated, wasn't it?
"No matter what the reason, we will know for sure if we dig up the grave and open the coffin again." Lu Fei waved his hand, "Hu Zi, go and get the tools and call the others quickly."
"Yes!"
Hu Zi rushed back to the village in a hurry.
In a moment, the old village head and a few others, carrying tools like hoes and shovels, rushed to the grave site with weary bodies.
"Young sir, what's the situation? Why do we need to dig up the grave again?" The old village head, leaning on his hoe, panted and wiped his sweat.
The other elderly men also looked at Lu Fei in confusion.
"Perhaps there is another case of dry burial," Lu Fei said, pointing to the moist soil of the grave.
"What?"
Their faces changed drastically.
"Oh, my God! What did our village do to deserve this, one after another!"
"Let's dig it up first!"
Lu Fei took a shovel and started digging first.
Having been troubled by the village's problems for so long, he also wanted to find out the truth as soon as possible.
The others quickly followed suit, and together, they dug up the grave with all their hands and feet. The deeper they went, the more moist the soil became, and the elders all felt that something was amiss.
There were even signs of water seeping through the bottom layer of the grave soil.
This was too unusual!
As the grave was dug up, a thin coffin was exposed to the daylight.
"Open the coffin!"
Lu Fei nodded.
Hu Zi pried open the coffin lid with force.
Everyone looked into the coffin with both tension and curiosity.
But at this sight, everyone was dumbfounded.
Inside the coffin, there was no dry burial; only an urn remained.