Su Mu tightly gripped the rope, wrapping it around the ancient and heavy Luo Lu at the well's mouth, ensuring everything was secure. Taking a deep breath, he seemed to draw all his courage into his chest.
Carefully, he stepped onto the rope, slowly sliding down into the dark depths of the well.
When he finally reached the bottom, a damp and chilly air rushed towards him, the coldness creeping up his spine like a cold snake, causing him to shiver involuntarily.
The air was thick with a pungent mustiness that made him feel nauseous.
Su Mu quickly raised the flashlight in his hand, its weak beam flickering in the darkness like a candle in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment.
Nervously holding the flashlight, he cautiously swept the light around him.
The soil at the bottom of the well was wet and unusually soft, as if stepping on it would cause him to sink in and become trapped.
Scattered across this muddy ground were some dry and decayed branches and leaves, lifelessly lying there as if telling tales of time's passage.
Su Mu's gaze was drawn to the well walls, where he noticed numerous scratches of varying depths.
These scratches crisscrossed each other like a mysterious map, seemingly recording someone's desperate struggle for survival in this place.
Curiously, Su Mu reached out to touch those scratches, feeling their rough surface—uneven and clearly made by nails digging into the stone.
At that moment, a glimmer caught his eye. In one corner of the well's bottom lay an unremarkable stone.
However, what drew Su Mu's attention was not the stone itself but a piece of fabric as white as snow resting atop it.
This fabric sat there alone, looking as if it had been torn from some garment.
Su Mu hurried over, bent down to pick up the fabric, and examined it closely.
He saw that it was embroidered with exquisite patterns, with tight and even stitches that brought the design to life. As he looked at those familiar patterns, Grandma Wang's figure involuntarily surfaced in Su Mu's mind.
He remembered clearly that Grandma Wang loved to wear a white embroidered jacket, and the pattern on the fabric before him was strikingly similar to that jacket!
Could it be... could the person in the well be Grandma Wang?
Su Mu's heart sank, a sense of foreboding washing over him.
He continued to search the bottom of the well, hoping to find more clues.
At that moment, his flashlight illuminated a corner of the well, where something seemed to be reflecting light.
Su Mu walked over and discovered it was a silver ring.
He picked up the ring and noticed a small "Wang" character engraved on it.
This ring belonged to Grandma Wang's late husband!
Su Mu finally understood that the soul in the well was none other than Grandma Wang's husband!
But how could his belongings end up in the well when he had passed away many years ago?
Was someone trying to throw him in there on purpose?
Or... was there something more to this?
Su Mu felt that the truth was far more complicated than he had imagined.
He needed to uncover the truth quickly to resolve Grandma Wang's heartache and allow the soul to rest in peace.
Su Mu climbed out of the dry well and immediately went to find Grandma Wang to gather more information.
He cautiously asked her if she knew why her husband's ring would be found in the well.
Upon hearing this, Grandma Wang's face turned pale instantly. She trembled as she said, "This... this is impossible... My old partner... he clearly died of illness..."
Seeing the terror in Grandma Wang's expression, Su Mu felt even more certain that there was something else going on.
He decided to investigate the cause of Grandma Wang's partner's death, hoping to find some clues.
Returning to the clinic, Su Mu visited the nearby neighbors, hoping to gather some records about Grandma Wang's partner.
According to their feedback, Grandma Wang's partner was named Wang Desheng. He had been a carpenter during his life, known for his honesty and integrity, and had a good reputation in the community.
He had passed away five years ago one winter due to an illness, with the cause being a sudden heart condition.
However, Su Mu felt that things were not as simple as they seemed.
How could Wang Desheng's belongings end up in a dry well?
Moreover, the scratch marks on the well wall clearly indicated that someone had struggled before dying.
If Wang Desheng truly died of illness, how could there be scratch marks in the well?
Su Mu decided to visit several elders in the village, hoping to glean some clues from them.
The elders all had a good impression of Wang Desheng, stating that he was a good man and couldn't possibly have any enemies.
However, one elder mentioned that Wang Desheng had once had a dispute over a piece of precious wood, but the matter had eventually been left unresolved.
Precious wood? Su Mu's mind sparked with interest. Could Wang Desheng's death be related to this piece of wood?
Furrowing his brow, he fixed his gaze on the elder and continued to relentlessly question him about the details of this wood.
After much effort, he finally learned that this seemingly ordinary piece of wood was actually an extremely rare and mysterious type—Yin Chen Mu.
It is said that this type of wood possesses extraordinary spiritual qualities, capable of being crafted into powerful talismans for warding off evil.
Upon hearing this news, Su Mu couldn't help but feel a jolt in his heart, as images from the "Heavenly Secrets Medical Manual" he had once studied rushed to his mind.
According to the text, Yin Chen Mu is a special type of wood that grows in extremely dark and damp places. Due to its prolonged exposure to dense negative energy, it indeed possesses unique properties suitable for crafting talismans.
However, if one is careless during its use and fails to follow the correct methods and rituals, not only will it fail to exhibit its intended effects, but it may also bring about unforeseen disasters.
With this thought, a terrifying notion arose in Su Mu's mind: could it be that Wang Desheng met his tragic end because of this Yin Chen Mu?
Filled with confusion and a determination to uncover the truth, Su Mu resolutely embarked on a journey to investigate the matter further.
After extensive inquiries and following various leads, he finally succeeded in locating the person who had had a fierce argument with Wang Desheng years ago.
This individual was named Li Er Gou, a notorious scoundrel despised by everyone in the village.
When Su Mu confronted him and questioned him about Wang Desheng's cause of death, he noticed Li Er Gou's gaze instantly become erratic, his speech stammering and vague, as he refused to reveal any truth.
Seeing Li Er Gou's guilty demeanor only strengthened Su Mu's suspicions that he was somehow involved in this matter.
Thus, he continued to apply pressure discreetly, attempting to break through Li Er Gou's psychological defenses and coax him into revealing the hidden truth behind the events…
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