Jiang Cheng raised the corpse's hand. There was a noticeable temperature difference between this hand and his own, but that wasn't what Jiang Cheng was focused on. He gently stroked it with his fingers, a strange look in his eyes.

Tang Qisheng reacted quickly, pressing, "Brother Jiang, did you find something?"

Pulling the corpse's hand out, Jiang Cheng looked at everyone, his voice lowered, "Look at his hand, can you see anything?"

Looking at the old man's calloused hand, Fatty couldn't help but feel moved. "So many calluses. He must have lived a hard life."

Raising his granddaughter alone in this environment, it was easy to imagine how much the old man had suffered. Fatty had done many jobs and met many people like this, so he understood the hardships and helplessness of life.

Seeing Fatty forget the pain so quickly, Jiang Cheng gave up. He looked at the others, and after a moment, Shao Tong saw the clue. He took the old man's hand, looked at the back of it, and then turned it over to examine the palm. Compared to the calloused back of the hand, the old man's palm was much softer.

"Something's definitely wrong. This old guy isn't a fisherman."

Fatty was the first to not understand Shao Tong's words. He mustered his courage to examine the old man's hand. After a few seconds, Jiang Cheng explained for him, "For fishermen, pulling nets and rowing boats are basic skills. Over the years, their palms will develop thick calluses due to friction, especially the palms. But look, his palms are very soft."

"The calluses on his hand are on the back, concentrated on the knuckles and joints, forming a layer of hard callus."

Jiang Cheng turned the corpse's hand over, letting everyone see the back of the hand clearly. Everything was as he said.

Just listening to Jiang Cheng's words, Fatty sensed a subtle aura. It seemed that this Grandpa who came to him in a dream was hiding secrets, "This kind of callus on the back of the hand, is there... is there any significance?" Recalling what happened last night, Fatty asked cautiously.

"This man isn't a fisherman; he's a martial artist, a real hard-training one." Zhang Qizheng suddenly said. He was the oldest and most experienced of the group. He pinched the corpse's joints a few times, and after a moment, he was even more certain, "There are also thick calluses on the knees and elbows. I shouldn't be wrong. This man is an external martial arts expert. He doesn't practice with weapons, specializing in fist and foot techniques to toughen his body. Looking at this golden silkworm cocoon, he must have considerable skill."

It wasn't strange for an external martial arts expert to appear in this unremarkable fishing village. What was strange was that he had died here silently, as a fisherman.

At this time, Yao Shunyu squatted down and found a pair of cloth shoes under a broken chair. The cloth shoes were dirty, and the soles were covered in mud.

Only Grandpa and the woman lived in this yard, so these cloth shoes must belong to Grandpa. However, the wet mud on the soles made everyone's hair stand on end. There were also a few broken blades of grass mixed in with the wet mud. The blades of grass were green and fresh, as if they had just been broken off recently.

But looking at Grandpa's condition, it was clear that he had been sick for a long time and was very ill. Could such a person... really wear shoes and walk around?

In other words, was the guy who could wear these shoes and walk around still Grandpa?

At that moment, the sound of percussion came from outside, the tempo was fast, coming closer and closer. A funeral procession was heading this way.

Everyone couldn't help but be stunned. They hadn't expected the funeral arrangements to be so hasty. The person had just died, the corpse was still warm, and they were already holding the funeral.

"What's going on?"

Tang Qisheng couldn't understand. Even though there was only one granddaughter in the family, it shouldn't be a problem to find a few younger villagers to keep vigil.

Jiang Cheng beckoned everyone to restore the corpse to its original state, put the arm back in the quilt, and straighten the limbs. He felt uncomfortable looking at Grandpa's slightly open eyes, so Fatty reached out to close the old man's eyes. Finally, Jiang Cheng covered the old man's face with the quilt and tucked the corners neatly.

After doing all this, everyone left the room, pretending that nothing had happened, and the percussion sounds had already reached the gate of the courtyard.

Everyone who entered was wearing mourning clothes. Fu Qing and Ah Sheng, who they had seen yesterday, were also in the procession. Some people were holding white banners, some were carrying copper basins, and others were carrying paper money and incense. Xiu Ling followed at the back, supported by several people.

Without any greetings, the procession in mourning clothes went straight into the room, but after lifting the quilt, Fatty was dumbfounded by the scene before him. The corpse, which had just had its eyes closed, was now wide-eyed, baring its teeth, with a ferocious expression. Its left arm was slightly raised, its index finger extended, pointing in a stiff posture to one side of the room.

Following the direction of the finger, a painting hung in the dimly lit corner of the room. The painting depicted an old man sitting upright in a master's chair, with a young woman standing beside him.

But strangely, the originally peaceful scene revealed a sinister air. Everyone quickly discovered the problem. Although the old man in the painting seemed calm, his eyes were full of fear, and the woman standing beside him was smiling, but that smile was chilling.

The old man was Grandpa, and the woman was his granddaughter, Xiu Ling.

The people in mourning clothes skillfully helped Grandpa take off his old clothes, then washed his body with water from the copper basin, and then put on new clothes. This series of actions was quite efficient.

Soon, this group carried Grandpa's corpse out the door. Jiang Cheng and the others made the excuse that they wanted to see Grandpa off one last time, since they had met by chance, but they were flatly rejected. "The villagers are enough to take care of the village affairs, there's no need for outsiders to help."

Jiang Cheng stood outside the courtyard gate, watching the funeral procession play music and gradually walk away. He didn't see a coffin. They were just carrying the corpse on a door plank, simply covered with a piece of white cloth. The percussion band was playing very hard, giving the feeling that this wasn't a funeral, but a grand celebration. The figures in the procession were uniform, each step precisely on the beat.

Fatty winked at Jiang Cheng repeatedly. There were still some villagers left in the yard busy, so it wasn't convenient to say some things. Jiang Cheng and the others made the excuse that they were tired and went back to their rooms to rest.

Closing the door, Fatty said nervously, "The road the funeral procession took was the same one Grandpa took me on last night. I remember it clearly. That road leads to the entrance of the village."

After a long silence, Jiang Cheng looked at Fatty and said, "Maybe Grandpa didn't want to harm you last night. He just wanted to tell you something, probably a secret about this village."

"That's very likely." Yao Shunyu said solemnly, "And Grandpa's actions just now were clearly hinting at us that there might be a mystery in that painting."

Li Bai and the others were still outside dealing with the villagers, buying time for Jiang Cheng and the others. Everyone had noticed the painting and hoped to find an opportunity to investigate it.