"Huh? Is that so? Where did Gou Danzi go?" My reminder drew surprised glances from everyone.
They had all been busy attending to the awakened children, comforting them and asking if they wanted food or drink. The matter of soul-snatching was serious; if left unattended for too long, it could cause permanent damage to the children.
"Qingyun, you think the one who snatched the children's souls, the person behind it, is Gou Danzi?" The village chief, after ensuring his grandson was alright, relit his pipe and took a puff before speaking meaningfully.
I shook my head and smiled, saying that while one could eat more, one shouldn't speak carelessly. Without evidence, one shouldn't just guess based on one's own thoughts.
The village chief awkwardly tapped his pipe and then went with his wife to check on his grandson, as a grandchild was his root, and damaged roots could not be restored.
"Qingyun, do you think that bastard Gou Danzi is the one who did this dirty deed? If you say it's him, I'll personally squeeze his two 'dog eggs' until they turn yellow." Brother Zhang's face was flushed. Although his family wasn't a single heir for nine generations, his wife and he had tried for many years and only had this one precious son. They had even consulted my master for a divination to see if they could have a second child, and the result was that fate decreed only one.
If this child were lost, the Zhang family would be without descendants, and the resentment was understandable.
I shook my head and said that it was hard to say for sure, as I had no concrete evidence. As for who was responsible, it was best to let the person involved speak for themselves. If I made a mistake, wouldn't I become a sinner in the village?
My words made the faces of those present change colors like a dyeing workshop, from red to white. Even Grandma Liu, the village chief's wife, was so embarrassed she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
Whether in life or in dealing with matters, things are often not clarified by a few words. Gou Danzi, who had just accused me of harming these children, had suddenly left, making everyone feel deceived.
"Qingyun, did Gou Danzi really do it?" The village chief struck his pipe against the edge of the kang, almost knocking off the brass pipe bowl, showing how angry he was.
He had initially believed I wasn't responsible, but Gou Danzi was eloquent, and coincidentally, I had returned from outside, a wild immortal appeared at home, and these children had fallen into a trance. All these reasons combined. Even if someone didn't believe it, the facts were laid bare.
I thought for a moment and said, "Not necessarily. Everyone knows what kind of person Gou Danzi is. Even if he wants to become a spirit medium for a wild immortal, he needs an immortal to accept him. He's a drunkard, either drinking or on his way to drink. How could such a person become a spirit medium? Let's wait until he returns."
"That guy runs faster than a rabbit, how could he come back on his own? You wait, I'll go to his house and drag him back."
I stopped Brother Zhang, who was about to go out to find him, and said, "No need to go. I estimate he'll be back soon."
"What do you mean? If he made a mistake, he'd come back on his own..."
Before Brother Zhang could finish, Gou Danzi's roars were heard from the village chief's courtyard, his voice mixed with fear and panic.
"Don't come near me! I tell you, I am a spirit medium for the Grey Immortal. You are offending the Grey Immortal by doing this!"
But the reply was a chorus of "squeaking" sounds, one of which was particularly loud, sounding almost like a person speaking.
"He's back."
We went out of the house and into the courtyard. Gou Danzi was jumping and leaping like a monkey, not at all human, as if being chased by something.
Only I could see that he was being chased and bitten by a group of Huang San's disciples. To others, it looked like Gou Danzi had gone mad, muttering nonsense and shouting curses.
After coming out, I gave Huang San, who was standing outside the courtyard, a look, signaling him to leave.
Huang San nodded reluctantly. Being called a "yellow weasel" by Gou Danzi at my doorstep earlier had touched his nerves. While he knew it was a yellow weasel, it was one thing to say it behind his back, but to say it to his face was too much. It was like slapping him in the face. Who could tolerate that?
As soon as Huang San left, Gou Danzi visibly relaxed. Seeing everyone looking at him with surprise, he gave an awkward smile and said, "I was just performing a ritual to pray for these children. Please excuse my behavior."
Gou Danzi's words made everyone laugh, though the laughter sounded somewhat strange.
"Uncle Gou, your divine dance was truly eye-opening, something I've never heard of or seen before. But if you dance like that without your immortal's permission, won't he cause trouble for you?"
Performing a divine dance sounded simple, but the organizer behind it was a wild immortal. Simply put, the wild immortal used their abilities to control the spirit medium and perform a dance of blessings.
Gou Danzi's face turned red at my words because he knew that while others might not have seen what he had just experienced, I definitely saw him being chased back by a pack of yellow weasels.
"Ahem... My household immortal is good-natured. I saw you return the souls of those children, so I thought I'd offer a prayer for them. Alright, the prayer is done, and I should be going home. I haven't eaten yet. Ha... Goodbye, everyone!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gou Danzi turned to leave. But he stopped at the doorway, his eyes wide as if he had seen something terrifying, and then, with a look of near tears, he retreated.
"Why aren't you leaving? Are you preparing to offer another prayer?" I looked at him with a mocking expression.
Gou Danzi's face immediately darkened. Others didn't understand the meaning of my words, but he did. He knew I was mocking him. While the words were easy to say, they were unpleasant to hear, but he had no choice but to swallow them.
"Heh heh... It's not that. I was just thinking that I haven't eaten yet. The children are awake, so shouldn't the village chief arrange a meal?"
Shameless. Utterly shameless. I had seen shameless people, but never one so utterly shameless. Su Dan Novel Network.
The village chief's face was darker than the bottom of a pot. If he hadn't considered his position as village chief and his prestige, he would have loved to slap Gou Danzi twice.
"Gou Danzi, I'm asking you, was it you who snatched my grandson's soul?" The village chief cut to the chase.
Hearing this, Gou Danzi jumped up on the spot, his voice filled with indignation, "Village chief, you can eat more, but you can't speak carelessly. Although I want to be a spirit medium in the village, I wouldn't use such despicable means. Didn't Song Qingyun do this? How can you wrongly accuse me?"
"Then write a few words."