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A solitary grave stood in the cracked farmland, appearing particularly lonely and abandoned. In front of the grave, there was no tombstone, not even a wooden plaque with a name.
Xing Ruyi approached and took a closer look. This grave indeed matched the descriptions given by the fox earlier. First, there was no grass growing on it. Of course, this could also be related to the current drought; perhaps this grave, like others, was completely barren. Secondly, the grave was seeping water. The farmland nearby was clearly dry and cracked, yet this desolate grave occasionally oozed water. However, the amount was small and easily overlooked. As for whether the corpse inside the coffin had decayed, that could only be determined once the coffin was opened.
"Is the village chief playing a joke on us? If this is the chief's ancestor's grave, why is there not even a tombstone? Did you forget about it, or has it been swallowed by the cracks in the ground?"
"At this point, village chief, please stop joking with your guests. Your family's ancestral grave is clearly over there; it's the best piece of land in our village. This plot here belongs to Laiqi, right?"
Hearing one of his companions shout, Xing Ruyi finally noticed the person named Laiqi. He had long hair that covered most of his face, was of average height—not too fat or too thin—and wore clothes that were not particularly clean but also did not have the typical disheveled appearance of a rogue. He stood out very little among the crowd.
"This land was left by my parents. I'm also curious as to how the village chief's father ended up buried in my family's land. And where is my parents' grave?" Laiqi yawned and brushed his messy hair aside, revealing thick eyebrows and large eyes. "If I remember correctly, wasn't this grave originally for my parents?"
The village chief looked troubled; he couldn't admit nor deny it and just stood there awkwardly.
Laiqi waved his hand impatiently: "It's my own land and my parents' grave; it doesn't matter who else is buried here for now. I refuse to believe that whatever 'Drought Demon' exists only causes other lands to be barren while mine thrives—are you trying to bully me because my family has no one to defend it?"
With that, Laiqi snatched a shovel from one of his companions and began digging. The others nearby quickly forgot about the village chief's objections and joined him in digging.
They were all young and strong; although they were somewhat short on food due to the drought and often went hungry, digging up a grave was nothing compared to their usual work with the land. Each of them was skilled and agile, and before long they had unearthed the grave.
"Look everyone, this is clearly my family's coffin! Village chief, take a good look—this coffin must be at least ten years old! Did your father dig a hole over there just to sleep in my family's coffin?"
Laiqi laughed first, prompting his companions to join in.
What emerged from the ground was indeed an old coffin, coated with a layer of poor-quality black paint that had become mottled over time. The coffin showed signs of decay, and there were plenty of wood chips mixed in with the soil they had dug up.
"Ruyi, is your so-called 'Drought Demon' really inside this coffin?" Sun Mei asked cautiously while deliberately standing behind the fox. "Isn't this coffin supposed to contain Laiqi's parents? Could it be that Laiqi's parents have turned into the 'Drought Demon'?"
"You and your parents have become the Drought Demon, your whole family is the Drought Demon!" When Lai Qi heard Sun Mei's words, he glared at her fiercely, then turned his gaze to Xing Ruyi: "I don't know if you are a Master or not. In my eyes, you are just a young girl, one of those who live in the city, dressed in fine silk and satin, eating delicacies, and have never seen much of the world—only listening to stories from others. Do you know why I agreed to come? I came not to give the village chief any face, nor to help this village catch any Drought Demon. I just want to see what kind of ghost this Drought Demon is!
Was it yours just now? Is this Drought Demon in my parents' grave? I, Lai Qi, will open this coffin right now and let you see clearly whether there is a Drought Demon inside my parents' coffin. If there isn't, then this matter of digging up the grave will not end here!"
"Lai Qi!" The village chief's face darkened. "This young lady is a distinguished guest, specially invited by Sun Mei from her Maternal Family. You need to watch your words. Why did she come to our village? To dig up your parents' grave? She is here to help us with this drought; do you want to starve to death? If it were me, I would have dug up the grave already. If there were a Drought Demon, it would have jumped out by now, right? Since there isn’t one, let's fill this hole back up. Later, I will personally apologize to your parents; how about that?"
The village chief was clearly helping Xing Ruyi with her words, but secretly he was urging Lai Qi to fill in the grave. From his fleeting gaze, it was evident that he was avoiding and even afraid of Lai Qi opening that coffin!
This village chief definitely has something to hide, and that secret is likely concealed within this coffin before them. Could it be that the Drought Demon was created by the village chief?
Xing Ruyi was calculating in her heart while standing in front of the coffin, addressing Lai Qi: "I am quite certain that the Drought Demon is hiding in this coffin. As for whether it’s your parents or not, I cannot be sure since I am not familiar with them. If you don’t believe me, just open it for verification. If I am wrong, not only will I apologize, but I will also help build another grave for your parents. Today’s opening of the coffin can be considered as relocating their grave; how does that sound?"
"Hmph!" Lai Qi snorted coldly and made everyone around him step aside. He rolled up his sleeves and stood in front of the coffin.
The fox's expression darkened as she moved closer to Xing Ruyi, protecting her in her embrace before saying to Lai Qi: "The Drought Demon is indeed in this coffin; open it! Be careful..."
"With your looks and courage, you dare call yourself a Master," Lai Qi mocked as he reached to move the coffin lid. With a creak, the coffin shifted slightly, revealing a gap.
At that moment, Sun Mei suddenly shouted and pointed at the coffin. Everyone looked down and saw two bright red dots emerging from the dark coffin. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was a pair of blood-red eyes staring coldly at them.
"What is that thing? How did it get into my parents' coffin?" Lai Qi exclaimed as he moved to push the coffin aside, but the fox was quicker and pulled him back.
"Don't move!" The fox said while also pulling Xing Ruyi back a step. "It's the Drought Demon!"
As soon as the fox finished speaking, everyone saw the gap in the coffin widening more and more. Soon after, they could clearly see what was inside the coffin. It appeared to be a person covered all over with grayish-white fur. A pair of hands tightly gripped the edge of the coffin; the front half looked human while the back half resembled that of a monkey. Its eyes were frighteningly red as if suffering from red-eye disease; its mouth was wide open with bared teeth, looking like it wanted to jump out and bite someone.
"What... what is this thing?"
"Did you not hear what that young man just said? This is the Drought Demon!"
"The Drought Demon looks like this? It’s neither human nor beast, and certainly not a ghost. Honestly, it looks really ugly!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down. Can’t you see it staring at us? If it pounces, it’ll bite your neck off like that mutt from Sun Mei's family!"
"Y-You can't scare me like that!" The man picked up a shovel to point at the creature in the coffin while covering his neck with his hand. Slowly, he moved closer to Xing Ruyi. "Miss, what exactly is this Drought Demon? It looks like it's wearing a burial shroud."
"The Drought Demon is a type of evil entity in legends, but some people also refer to zombies as Drought Demons. This one here is a zombie. To put it simply, it's a monster that forms after a person dies." Xing Ruyi gestured for those holding tools to step back. Then she removed a hairpin from her head and used it to cast a spell, drawing a circle on the ground and instructing everyone to stand inside it.
"Miss, what does drawing a circle on the ground mean?"
"This is a barrier. As long as you stand inside the circle, the Drought Demon won’t be able to harm you."
"This is the barrier?" The man who had approached Xing Ruyi squatted down. "I've been to the city and heard scholars there say that when deities want to deal with someone, they set up barriers. But how can your barrier just be a simple circle drawn on the ground? Is that hairpin on your head also a magical tool?"
"Yes, you're correct; this hairpin is indeed a magical tool!" Xing Ruyi pointed at the circle she had just drawn. "If you don’t want to end up like Sun Mei's dog, you better stay inside the circle obediently. Otherwise, I can't guarantee you'll make it home alive."
The man who had wanted to ask more questions quickly shut his mouth after hearing Xing Ruyi's words, his expression turning grim. Although they knew they were supposed to capture the Drought Demon before coming here, the village chief hadn’t mentioned that capturing it could cost them their lives.
In the meantime, the creature had already poked its head out from the coffin. Its appearance in the sunlight was even more horrifying than when it was hidden inside the coffin. Xing Ruyi could hear some people’s legs trembling and others grinding their teeth in fear.
Xing Ruyi pouted and said to the fox, "You never told me that the Drought Demon would look like this. Honestly, it's kind of disgusting. After I capture it, I might as well skip dinner."
The Fox raised an eyebrow, "Did I not tell you to be mentally prepared?"
Xing Ruyi quickly moved to stand behind the Fox and pointed at the menacing Drought Demon, "This thing looks too disgusting; I really can't handle it. How about you take it? Don't worry, I won't steal your credit."
"Are you really not going to take it? This thing is a once-in-a-hundred-years find!" The Fox crossed its arms and stood still.
"Not taking it! Not taking it! Absolutely not!" Xing Ruyi shook her head repeatedly. "It's just too disgusting. I never expected the village chief's father would turn into this. Honestly, it's shocking!"
When the village chief saw the Drought Demon, he didn't react much at first, but upon hearing Xing Ruyi's words, his eyes widened immediately.
"What are you talking about, girl? How could this thing possibly be my father?"
"Whether it is or not, can't you see for yourself, village chief? Are you saying you don't even recognize your own father?" Xing Ruyi leaned out from behind the Fox and pointed at the object around the monster's waist. "That jade piece is half of a pair; it matches perfectly with the one hanging from your waist. Don't tell me that jade piece on you came from Laiqi's parents."
"Of course not! That jade is a family heirloom!" The village chief hurriedly clarified, glancing at the Drought Demon. Upon seeing it, he nearly collapsed to the ground.
The monster before him could only be his deceased father! Although he had changed in appearance, he was still his biological father; just one glance revealed some familiar features. Not to mention the half piece of jade around its waist and the shroud that his wife had personally made for his father.
The village chief pounded his chest in despair as he looked at the Drought Demon and exclaimed, "My lord! How could my father have turned into such a monster!"
"Gou Dasheng!" Laiqi grabbed the village chief's clothing and pulled him out of the barrier. "You better explain to me why your dead father is appearing in my parents' coffin! Did he really crawl up from underground?"
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