activa-t Chapter 77 is strange
Chapter 77 is strange
The sky was damp and misty, with morning fog swirling around.
The deafening sound of gongs and drums, along with the exclamations of surprise, shattered the tranquility of Shiliang Village.
"The Luo couple have also disappeared without a trace, and even Luo Yixiang has not returned!"
The people of Shiliang Village spread the news rapidly, their panic evident in their expressions.
As for Luo Licheng's uncle, Luo Nanying, he hesitated somewhat. In fact, he hadn't slept all night, waiting to go to Luo Ji's house to investigate during the day.
Before dawn, he was already sitting upright at the village monument at the village entrance.
Just as he was about to set off, he was stopped by Luo Yixiang, who had come from behind.
"Nan Ying, it's only three miles to that nearly abandoned courtyard at the end of the village. I'll come back and go with you after I've searched for my son up the mountain without success."
"Until then, I hope you can stay at home and wait for my return."
Luo Nanying naturally understood Luo Yixiang's thoughts. He was treating the Great Immortal Cave and the Luo Ji family as his last hope.
"If you haven't returned by noon, I'll have to go no matter what."
Luo Nanying remained silent for a long time before finally uttering these words. It wasn't that he was unwilling to wait any longer, but the villagers wouldn't let him delay for long.
The thick fog showed no sign of dissipating. With noon approaching, Luo Nanying had no choice but to get up and prepare to go to Luo Ji's house.
The sound of gongs and drums reached Luo Nanying's home, making him even more nervous than before, as he was already somewhat uneasy.
"Clang"
The door was pushed open from the outside, and the person who came in was none other than the village head, Luo Guisheng.
"Nan Ying, something may have happened to Yi Xiang. I plan to gather the villagers at Luo Ji's house and go there together..."
Luo Nanying, who had been tense, finally relaxed a little.
"It seems I won't be able to wait for Yixiang to go with me."
Just then, Luo Yixiang's wife, Niu Cuicui, stepped across the threshold with red eyes and tears in her eyes.
"Brother Nan Ying, I'll go with you. If anything unexpected happens, you don't need to worry about me."
Having lost her husband and child in succession, Niu Cuicui was on the verge of collapse. Village head Luo Guisheng offered a few words of comfort, which finally managed to stop Niu Cuicui from crying.
Fortunately, there has been continuous rain recently; otherwise, the people of Shiliang Village, who had to abandon their work at home, would have been complaining bitterly again.
A large group of people marched towards Luo Ji's house.
Originally, Shiliang Village did not have a clear beginning or end. However, ever since the monks of Daruo Temple sealed the Great Immortal Cave, strange things have been happening frequently in that area.
Unable to bear the disturbance any longer, some villagers had no choice but to relocate.
It wasn't that they had enough savings to find a better place to live. Rather, they were so disturbed that they had no choice but to leave.
In the middle of the night, pots and pans would be overturned on the floor—that was commonplace; even while sound asleep, one would be dragged off the bed...
Although there was no danger to their lives, all of this was enough to frighten the villagers living at the end of the village into a state of extreme anxiety.
If such a situation hadn't been absent from the village entrance, Shiliang Village would likely have long been deserted...
...
"Clang, clang, clang..."
Outside the door, a crowd of people gathered, but no one approached them. Only Niu Cuicui and Luo Nanying knocked on the door knocker.
Luo Licheng, standing in the crowd, looked nervously at the wooden door covered in scratches.
"Who goes outside...?"
A slightly weak voice came from inside the crack, followed by the sound of a cane hitting the ground.
The wooden door creaked open and slowly slid open from the inside. Luo Ji's bloodless face looked particularly eerie.
In fact, this was not Luo Ji's original home, but a house that Luo Ji had commissioned the villagers to clean up before he started teaching.
The dilapidated roof tiles, rotten beams and pillars, and collapsed walls have long since made this house riddled with holes.
The villagers weren't unwilling to choose a more complete house for him, but the place was so open that he wouldn't be restricted everywhere and trip over pebbles, rags, broken bricks, and rotten wood.
Although the villagers of Shiliang Village repaired the nearly collapsed house, it was only barely enough to provide shelter from the wind and rain, and a place to live.
It used to look so neat and clean.
...
"This was clearly cleaned by a woman. No ordinary rough man would be so skillful, especially since Luo Ji has lost his sight."
"Seriously? What girl would be interested in Luo Ji?"
"I've long heard that books hold houses of gold and beauties like jade, and I never imagined it was so true. If only my young scholar could also find a beautiful bride through his studies."
"That's wishful thinking. Maybe that beautiful woman was abducted by Blind Luo."
Some people in the crowd made sarcastic remarks, after all, there are many people who can't stand to see others doing well.
"Mr. Luo, have you seen my Zhengyu? He's the tall, thin guy who's usually so quiet."
When Niu Cuicui talked about her children, tears welled up in her eyes again, and she covered her face and broke down in tears.
"After I sent them home yesterday, there was no further activity around."
"What happened?"
Luo Ji listened intently, but his brows furrowed slightly.
"Has he not returned home yet? I will certainly teach him well when classes begin."
"Mr. Luo, you are blind, how could you know if there are people hiding nearby? Why don't you call your wife out so that she can confront us?"
Someone in the crowd could no longer contain themselves and shouted loudly.
"Yes, yes, Mr. Luo is so stingy. He didn't even invite us to a drink on his wedding day."
Seeing that there was no danger around them, the fear that permeated the crowd quietly disappeared.
Luo Ji, who had been able to maintain his dignity as a gentleman, suddenly blushed.
He stammered for a long time but couldn't say anything, only his face, which had turned red and then white, was clearly visible.
Of course, Luo Ji couldn't possibly call his wife out. She was like a ghost, only ever appearing at night.
Even if Luo Ji didn't sleep all night, he would quietly fall asleep at dawn.
Over time, he stopped investigating the truth. As for Luo Ji, he accepted it even if his wife was an evil spirit.
After all, there were a frightening number of opportunities to harm him over those three years.
However, he was not harmed in the slightest, and even the rumors circulating in Shiliang Village disappeared without a trace.
After hesitating for a long time, he finally revealed the truth.
The lively and relaxed atmosphere of the crowd suddenly plummeted to freezing point.
"There's a ghost..."
Someone shouted something, and the crowd immediately erupted in chaos.
They looked at Luo Ji in fear, and even Luo Nanying and Niu Cuicui at the door were so frightened that they staggered back a few steps.
"Tap...tap..."
A sound suddenly rang out from the thick fog in the distance, and the crowd, already like frightened birds, scattered like birds and beasts.
The shoving of men, the wailing of women, and the crying of children all came together in a chaotic cacophony.
Amidst the pushing and shoving, the chaotic scene instantly quieted down.
Only the village chief Luo Guisheng, who had difficulty walking, and Luo Nanying and Niu Cuicui, who had not yet managed to escape, remained there.
A figure emerged from the mist, and a cold-faced swordsman with a knife led his horse out of the fog.
Atop a dark, magnificent horse sat a charmingly naive young novice monk...