Chapter 89: The Second Disappearance.
The tranquility that blanketed the village during the night was incomparable. Its sparse population seemingly vanished entirely as twilight fell, and the sleepy elderly residents withdrew into their dreams, leaving behind a peaceful, deserted settlement that almost felt as though it existed in a different dimension. An eerie calm pervaded the surroundings, its stillness teetering on the edge of discomfort.
However, on the outskirts of the village, an anomaly shattered this serene tableau.
A solitary house stood out, its door yawning open, and the radiating warmth from within sliced through the cool stillness of the night. The heart of this house, its main hall, was dominated by a red lacquered coffin, positioned with meticulous precision. Its presence was accompanied by a couple of dwindling white wax candles, their flickering light casting eerie shadows that capered across the walls, filling the space with an indescribable sense of gloom.
Adjacent to the coffin, a table held up a portrait of a young man. Shrouded by the thick, night-time mist, only a vague silhouette was visible. A perturbing aura seemed to seep out from it, permeating the entire space.
“Where have all the villagers disappeared to? Isn’t it customary to have someone standing vigil through the night at a funeral?” The group of visitors stood at the threshold, peering inside with expressions of unease after absorbing the chilling scene.
“Since our arrival, this village has been puzzling. A ghost roams freely at night, and yet, the villagers seem to live their lives unfazed,” remarked Zhang Yiming, his tone grave, “I sensed this anomaly even during daylight hours. Everything seemed excessively normal.”
“Exactly, the extraordinary ordinariness of this place is downright disturbing,” Zhang Han concurred.
Their initial skepticism about the existence of a ghost had led them to question the villagers’ nonchalance. But the events unfolding that night had confirmed the spectral presence.
Any rational individual would have fled from a house haunted by a spirit. Even the oldest villagers, tethered to their roots, would be hard-pressed to tolerate such a haunting.