Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Gou Village Chief's intentions were clear: he wanted to pin the male corpse discovered in the Laiqi family's ancestral grave on Sun Mei's deceased father-in-law. However, he had overlooked the presence of Xing Ruyi and her group.
Most villagers were easily swayed, but Xing Ruyi and the officials from the Yamen were not so easily fooled. Now, he realized that his recent actions resembled a failed scheme that instead raised suspicions about his motives.
Lowering his head, his eyes darted around before he finally lifted it to look at Xing Ruyi and the officials. He forced a bitter smile and said, "I was just anxious to catch the murderer. Besides, if this person was indeed killed by the old man, even if he is dead, his family might help cover up the truth to prevent secrets from being revealed. After all, country folks value this greatly."
"From what Gou Village Chief is saying, this dead person was buried by Sun Mei? Tsk tsk. May I ask, dear officer, does helping to bury a victim count as being an accomplice? Shouldn't they also be taken to prison? Could they face execution?"
The officers were honest men; upon hearing Xing Ruyi's question, they nodded in agreement.
Sun Mei grew anxious and rushed in front of Gou Village Chief, pointing at him. "Gou Dasheng, I never expected you to be this kind of person, heartless! Sir, this man killed Gou Dasheng; I saw it with my own eyes! He killed my father-in-law! My father-in-law did not hang himself!"
"Foolish woman, what are you talking about? You can't just slander someone!"
Gou Dasheng's eyes turned red with anger as he grabbed Sun Mei by the neck.
"Sir... it really was him... he killed him!" Sun Mei struggled while still pointing out Gou Dasheng's crimes to the officers.
"Sun Mei, are you seeking death?" Gou Dasheng's eyes glinted with murderous intent. Unfortunately for him, there were many onlookers present; he couldn't just kill Sun Mei in public. Just as the murderous look crossed his face, an officer stepped forward and placed a knife against his throat.
"Gou Dasheng, what are you doing? Do you intend to kill someone in front of the magistrate?"
Gou Dasheng reluctantly released his grip. "Sir, even if I Gou Dasheng killed this person and am indeed a murderer, she Sun Mei is just as guilty. My motive was greed; what about her? She killed her own father-in-law! Not only her father-in-law but even her dead husband is on her conscience. If murderers are to be executed, then let’s take her head along with mine; we can keep each other company on the road to the underworld!"
"Sir! Sir! Please do not listen to Gou Dasheng's nonsense; he is framing this woman! He is truly framing her!"
"Whether it's framing or not will be verified later. Sun Mei, Gou Dasheng, come with us to the county office."
Gou Dasheng raised his eyes and glared at Sister Sun with resentment. "You fool, you’ve doomed me! Even in the Underworld, I won’t spare you!"
Sister Sun shrank her neck, lowered her head, and followed behind the constable. As she passed by Aunt Wang, she suddenly knelt down with a thud, repeatedly bowing her head.
"Once I leave, I fear I won't return. Please take care of my child, Aunt Wang. I ask for nothing else but to ensure he has enough to eat and is raised to adulthood. Even if I am guilty, the child is innocent. I beg you, I truly beg you!"
"Sister, I only ask you one thing: did your father-in-law and the child's father really die because of Gou Dasheng? Were they harmed by you?"
"I didn’t want this; I was forced!" This statement was an indirect admission.
Aunt Wang stumbled slightly, nearly fainting. Steadying herself, she looked at Sister Sun and said, "Go on. That child is my cousin's bloodline; as long as I have food to eat, he won't suffer."
"Thank you, Aunt Wang. Your kindness will be repaid in my next life, even if it means becoming a beast of burden!"
After Sister Sun finished speaking, she got up and covered her face, sobbing.
The case was tried quickly. The reason was simple: both Gou Dasheng and Sister Sun were unwilling to give in during the court proceedings, each revealing secrets about the other. It seemed they both had resigned themselves to death and had no intention of leaving a way out for themselves. Their only hope was that the other's crimes would be deemed more severe than their own so that they would be executed first.
The Wandering Daoist was killed because he spoke carelessly while drunk and revealed his wealth.
Gou Dasheng loved money; when he saw the black beads in the Wandering Daoist's hand, he was tempted to claim them for himself and then decided to kill.
The Son-in-law's Father was killed because this honest man inadvertently picked up one of those black beads and recognized it as belonging to the Wandering Daoist.
That evening when the murder occurred, after a hearty meal and drink, the Wandering Daoist took out the string of donkey hoof beads passed down from his Master to show Gou Dasheng. These beads were a Taoist treasure. Although Gou Dasheng's eyes were on the black beads, his mind was filled with visions of golden riches. So, while the Wandering Daoist was drunkenly asleep, he planned to steal that string of beads.
When he made his move, he inadvertently startled the Wandering Daoist, who pulled him back. Not only did the bead break, but Gou Dasheng also felt a murderous intent due to his greed.
After killing someone, it was natural to feel anxious, but the most crucial thing afterward was to bury the Corpse. Coincidentally, while Gou Dasheng was moving the Wandering Daoist's body to prepare for its disposal, he encountered the Son-in-law's Father, who was helping with the night watch in the village.
During their casual conversation, a black bead fell out of Gou Dasheng's pocket and was picked up by the Son-in-law's Father. Although Gou Dasheng didn't show any outward signs of distress, he secretly harbored murderous thoughts.
The next day, Sister Sun came to ask Gou Dasheng for help because her child was ill. She hoped to borrow some Silver Coins from him for medical treatment, promising to repay both principal and interest after the autumn harvest.
Gou Dasheng had long been infatuated with Sister Sun's beauty, and seeing her come to him directly, he intended to take advantage of her need for money. However, what Sister Sun did not expect was that after Gou Dasheng succeeded in his scheme, he would use this situation to threaten her.
Under Gou Dasheng's threat and in order to borrow Silver Coins for her child's treatment, Sister Sun had no choice but to open the door for him, becoming an accomplice in the murder of her Father-in-law.
On the night Grandfather Sun's Sister was killed, Sister Sun deliberately encouraged her Father-in-law and husband to drink heavily. The local liquor was homemade and very potent; after just one bowl, both her Father-in-law and husband were drunk. Gou Dasheng used three knocks as a signal for Sister Sun to let him in.
Afterward, Gou Dasheng entered Grandfather Sun's Sister's room and covered her face layer by layer with rice paper soaked in alcohol until she suffocated. Then Sister Sun helped Gou Dasheng create a false impression that her Father-in-law had died accidentally, hoping to deceive her husband.
However, shortly after the Son-in-law's Father was buried, Sister Sun's husband began to notice some inconsistencies at home. He was an honest man and would never connect his father's death with Sister Sun. But as an accomplice, Sister Sun became fearful and secretly sought out Gou Dasheng for advice. Gou Dasheng then insisted on eliminating her husband as well and promised Sister Sun that once this matter passed, he would take her as a secondary wife.
At this point, it seemed that Sister Sun had no other choice but to follow Gou Dasheng's orders and conspire to murder her husband.
As for why they moved the Wandering Daoist's body to Lai Qi's family's Ancestral Tomb, it was to evade suspicion.
Originally, after the Wandering Daoist died, Gou Dasheng hid his body in a coffin prepared by his father during his lifetime within the Gou Family ancestral hall. Later, when his father passed away, in order to benefit future generations—essentially for his own gain—he followed the Daoist's wishes and secretly buried his father's Corpse in Lai Qi’s parents' coffin. As for the Wandering Daoist’s body, it was buried under the pretense of being interred in his father's name.
Of course, Gou Dasheng knew that the coffin did not contain his biological father’s remains; thus he did not bury it in his own Ancestral Tomb but instead disposed of it elsewhere, claiming it was a feng shui treasure site chosen by the Wandering Daoist.
Later, during a severe drought in the village, Sister Sun heard about the events that had transpired in Maternal Family and specifically returned to find her Brother, inviting Xing Ruyi back. The issue with the Drought Demon was subsequently resolved.
Gou Dasheng's biological father had transformed into the Drought Demon, which was discovered in the Ancestral Tomb of Lai Qi's family. Consequently, the villagers began to think about another grave belonging to Gou Dasheng's family. It seemed inappropriate to create a ceremonial grave for his father, but Gou Dasheng was also unwilling to consider the Wandering Daoist's Tomb as his father's. Especially since that place was chosen at random, he worried it would affect his family's future prosperity. Additionally, feeling guilty about his actions, he constantly feared that the Wandering Daoist's corpse would be discovered.
Taking advantage of several days of heavy rain when no villagers were outside, he secretly buried the Wandering Daoist's corpse in the grave of Lai Qi's parents. When asked why Gou Dasheng chose Lai Qi's Tomb again, he claimed it was for revenge. He sought to retaliate against the Wandering Daoist for his underhanded tricks that turned his father into a Drought Demon. Thus, he buried the Wandering Daoist's Corpse there as well, hoping it would also become a Drought Demon and be eliminated.
Gou Dasheng, the village chief, certainly had a peculiar way of thinking. However, it was precisely because of his foolish actions that Xing Ruyi and her companions easily unraveled the case involving White Fox.
Gou Dasheng believed no one knew of his actions but forgot that foxes are cunning and perceptive. In reality, his secret transfer of the Wandering Daoist's corpse had long been known to the foxes. As for Lai Qi's dream, it was orchestrated by Li Mao under the fox's instructions.
"Although this case has been resolved, I still have a question in my mind. I can't understand why that Wandering Daoist deceived Gou Dasheng into burying his own father in Lai Qi's parents' Tomb. Was it due to his lack of skill in magic or was it intentional? Did he originally plan for Gou Dasheng's father to become a monster?"
Xing Ruyi rested her head on the fox's lap while gazing at the scenery outside and asked.
The fox gently stroked her hair and replied, "Both reasons could be true! However, I think that Daoist probably did not foresee that tomb would not nurture life but instead turn an ordinary corpse into a Drought Demon. This brought an unwarranted disaster upon the village, and the Daoist’s death was both man-made and destined; it was also a form of punishment from above!"
"Ah!" Xing Ruyi sighed softly and suddenly thought of another question: Was it the Daoist’s death that brought disaster to this village or did the village itself have underlying issues that led to the Daoist’s demise?
Zhuang Zhou dreamed of being a butterfly; it is both reincarnation and cause and effect!
Comment 0 Comment Count