On the day He Shiqi was born, an extraordinary event occurred. All the village dogs barked and gathered at the He family’s house to witness He Shiqi’s birth. From then on, wherever He Shiqi went, the dogs followed him. Sometimes, they would even catch rabbits from the mountains and bring them to He Shiqi as offerings.

So, He Shiqi knew all the dogs in the village. They were all his brothers, and they had played together since childhood.

He Shiqi immediately went to the side of Wang Cai. Wang Cai looked at him with a mournful whimper, extended his tongue to lick He Shiqi’s hand, as if bidding him farewell: Brother, I’m leaving first. In the future, let Hei Gou, also a dog will catch rabbits for you to eat.

He Shiqi scratched his head in confusion. “Ah Cai, why are you crying? Haven’t you eaten? Go eat quickly.” Saying this, he untied Wang Cai’s leash.

Everyone was focused on Li Xiangu setting up the altar for the ceremony, so no one noticed He Shiqi releasing the dog.

As soon as Wang Cai’s leash was untied, he didn’t even look back and darted into the doghouse.

He Shiqi waved and smiled, “Go eat quickly and don’t go hungry again.” After saying that, he turned his head to continue searching for Lian Youyou, but he saw that Lian Youyou had already squeezed to the front and was approaching Liu Qiang’s body.

“Offer the incense to the heavens,” Li Xiangu raised her hand, and her attendants brought three tall incense sticks, each about half a meter in length. Li Xiangu held the incense sticks and bowed, inserting them into a huge incense burner. Then, with her hands raised towards the sky, she began to chant, “En~~~ Ah~~~”

The villagers who were watching became nervous, watching with rapt attention. Even though Lian Youyou was almost at the body, no one noticed her.

“Heavenly spirits~~~ En~~~ Earthly spirits~~~ Ah~~~” Li Xiangu chanted while jumping. The chants were somewhat unclear, and to others, it might have seemed like she was chanting about what to eat today.

Li Xiangu suddenly stopped mid-jump, her snow-white eyes staring straight ahead. She exclaimed, “What are you doing?!”

Everyone followed Li Xiangu’s gaze and saw Lian Youyou reaching out to touch the body. Everyone’s eyes showed fear, and they gasped in shock.

Someone actually wanted to touch a corpse? How bizarre!

Lian Youyou’s hand froze in midair, and she stared at Li Xiangu with wide eyes. Then, suddenly, she smiled at Li Xiangu, but a hint of coldness flickered in her black eyes.

Instantly, Li Xiangu felt an inexplicable sense of fear. This fear swept through her entire body with that smile from Lian Youyou. Her white eyes widened in terror. She felt as though Lian Youyou could see through her completely, uncovering all her tricks, making it impossible for her to continue in the world of swindlers.

“Whose girl is this? What’s she causing a commotion for!”

“Quick, take her away! She’s disrupting the ceremony!”

Everyone was frightened, not because Lian Youyou dared to touch the body, but because they were afraid of angering Li Xiangu.

As expected, Li Xiangu was furious. 

“Who is this foolish girl causing trouble here and provoking the spirits!”

No one knew who established this rule, but whenever Li Xiangu chanted her incantations, it meant that the spirits were starting to possess her. Which immortal would be willing to possess an old woman going through menopause? 

Liu Qiang’s nephews immediately rushed forward angrily to drag Lian Youyou away.

“What are you doing?” Suddenly, a shout rang out. 

He Shiqi dashed out, blocking Lian Youyou and yelling, “None of you are allowed to touch my master! Back off!”

Everyone was stunned. Wasn’t this He Shiqi the village fool?

“Oh! Isn’t this the fool from the next village?!”

“Right! It’s him, famously good-looking, but sadly a fool.”

“This fool is actually protecting that girl. Could it be that he’s a foolish girl too?”

“That’s a foolish girl for sure.” the villagers from the southern village chimed in, joining in the spectacle, which drew the attention of everyone around.

The villagers began to talk.

“Yesterday, Ah Qi carried her down from the mountain. She’s a foolish girl. The He family wants to keep her as a wife for Ah Qi.”

“Oh~~~” Everyone nodded in realization. However, they didn’t notice that Mr. and Mrs. He, hiding behind the crowd and they’re also trembling. They wouldn’t dare to let their son marry a demoness.

“She, she’s not a foolish girl,” Lin Yuniang stammered, attracting everyone’s attention. When they heard her words, they all looked at her. 

Trembling, she pointed toward Lian Youyou in the yard, “She, she, she might be… might be…” Lin Yuniang trembled and didn’t dare to say that Lian Youyou was a monster. She cowered behind her old man, stealing glances at Lian Youyou with fear.

Might be what? The villagers were puzzled. Did Ah Qi’s mother go mad today? Why couldn’t she speak clearly?

Lian Youyou stood behind He Shiqi, her right hand touching her chin, still gazing at the decaying, bloated corpse of Liu Qiang. Her expression sent shivers down people’s spines. Who in their right mind would stare at a corpse like that?

“Hey! Where’s the black dog? Why isn’t it here!”

Finally, someone realized that the black dog was missing. The yard erupted into chaos. The black dog was crucial for the ceremony. Without it, it was like making medicine without its main ingredient which caused panic among the villagers.

“Quick, find it!”

“How can we ward off evil spirits without the black dog!”

“Everyone, go catch another one! If we can’t get rid of this evil spirit, our entire village will be cursed!”

Amid the chaos of people coming and going, only Lian Youyou stood steadily. She raised her hand and suddenly lifted the white cloth covering Liu Qiang’s body.

Oh, in the midst of summer!

A body left out for a day would already smell bad!

Why was it covered? Apart from showing respect for the deceased and not scaring people with the sight of the body. There was also the purpose of containing the stench of the corpse.

When Lian Youyou lifted it, it was like removing the lid from an outhouse. It released an indescribable foul smell that instantly filled the entire yard. Those searching for the black dog stopped in their tracks, and the villagers outside the yard covered their noses.

But even so, the enthusiasm of the onlookers to continue watching the spectacle didn’t waver. They covered their noses and persevered through the stench. How bored must they be on this mountain?

“Ah! You crazy woman! Ah Qiang!” Liu Qiang’s mother immediately screamed and lunged at Lian Youyou, “You crazy woman! Crazy woman!”

“What are you doing!” He Shiqi roared, standing in front of Liu Qiang’s mother and protecting Lian Youyou, “You’re the crazy old lady! Stay away from my master!”

He Shiqi’s fierce shout startled the Liu family members.

Throughout history, common folk had an unexplainable fear of fools.

“Don’t make a scene.” Just as everyone was dumbfounded, Lian Youyou suddenly raised her hand. But her gaze was still fixed on Liu Qiang’s already cold, blackened face. “I just want to see how he died. Shh…” Lian Youyou raised her index finger and turned in a circle in the yard.

Everyone stared at her blankly, stunned by her words. What? Was this crazy woman trying to see how Liu Qiang died?

In the next moment, Lian Youyou placed her hand above the already cold, and darkened face of Liu Qiang.