Zhou Tong Detective Series

Chapter 44 Zhou Tong Detective Series III: Paper Burner (3)
The bar is called "SAD BAR", which is a somewhat tacky name, but it is also suitable for its location. Of course, the sad place should be far away from the hustle and bustle.

But what aroused Zhou Tong's interest was not such a bar in a remote location, but a sign hanging at the door of the bar, which read: open 24 hours.The front of the bar is made of transparent glass, and Zhou Tong can see the environment inside the bar through the glass.

The interior design of the bar is very simple, with an oval bar in the middle, round tables and lounge chairs irregularly placed around it, and some comfortable sofas and long tables near the two sides of the bar.

Zhou Tong pushed the door straight and walked in. There was soft music playing in the bar, maybe because of the daytime, there were not many customers, only a few couples whispering in a remote corner.There is only one young waiter about 20 years old in the bar, who is in the middle of the bar, scrubbing glasses bored.But behind the bar, there was a girl with her head buried in her head drinking beer alone.

Zhou Tong walked to the bar with a smile on her face and sat down.

"I want a glass of beer!" Zhou Tong said to the waiter.

The young waiter put down the glass in his hand, glanced at Zhou Tong, then poured a glass of beer very skillfully, and handed it to Zhou Tong.

Zhou Tong picked up the beer glass, looked at the waiter and said, "Hello, I have something to ask!"

The waiter was stunned, but he still replied politely: "You're welcome! Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Did you work here last night?"

"No, those who worked last night have gone back to rest."

Zhou Tong was a little disappointed when he heard this.

"Then when will he come back?"

"tomorrow morning!"

Zhou Tong said "Oh", and then took a big sip of wine.

At this time, the girl who had been drinking on the opposite side suddenly said, "I was here last night, what do you want to know?"

It was only then that Zhou Tong noticed the girl opposite. She actually looked a bit like Yan Yongjie, but her skin was darker but smoother. She was the kind of girl who looked very healthy and full of energy, but she didn't know why. Drink alone here.

But the waiter nodded and said, "When I came to change shifts in the morning, I saw her sitting there drinking!"

"Thank you!" Zhou Tong thanked the waiter with a smile, picked up the glass and walked along the bar to the girl.

"Hello, my name is Zhou Tong. I don't know what to call a beautiful woman?" Zhou Tong always has a frivolous face when she sees a beautiful woman.

"Are you trying to pick me up, or are you trying to ask me a question?" the girl looked at Zhou Tong and said.

Zhou Tong didn't expect her to speak so directly, but he reacted quickly, and said with a smile: "It seems that these two things are not contradictory!"

The girl laughed when she heard him say that.

"My name is Chen Xiang, you are quite interesting, but what exactly do you want to ask?" The girl picked up the wine glass and touched Zhou Tong, then drank it down.

Zhou Tong also finished his drink, then sat down on the chair next to Chen Xiang, and asked in a low voice, "I don't know if you saw an old woman dressed as a Miao nationality who looked a bit scary at around 11:30 last night. Pass here?"

Chen Xiang hardly thought about it, and said casually: "Is it an old woman with a hatchet?"

"Yes, it's her!" Zhou Tong nodded quickly.

"Are you looking for her?"

"En." Zhou Tong said absent-mindedly. Although he knew that the old woman had indeed abducted here, he still had no clue to find out where the old woman was.

"Why are you looking for her?" Chen Xiang asked curiously.

When Zhou Tong was asked by her, she recovered from her messy thoughts.

"Oh, there is something I want to ask that old woman."

Chen Xiang looked a little surprised, she looked at Zhou Tong carefully, and then slowly said: "I know that old lady.".

"Are you kidding?" Zhou Tong looked at the girl in front of her in disbelief.

"No!" Chen Xiang said seriously.

"Can you take me to her?"

Chen Xiang was silent for a while, then looked at Zhou Tong with a very serious expression and asked, "Do you dare to go and see the corpse?"

The folks in Xiangxi have had the industry of expelling corpses since ancient times.The area along the upper reaches of the Yuan River in western Hunan is barren, and most of the poor go to eastern Sichuan or eastern Guizhou to make a living as peddlers, gather herbs or hunt. There are many mountains in those places, where miasma is very heavy, falciparum malaria is often prevalent, and the living environment is extremely bad. Except for the local Miao people, outsiders rarely go there.None of the Han people who died in those places was rich, and traditionally, the Han people have a deep concept of transporting corpses to their hometowns for burial. Use vehicles or stretchers to carry, so someone created this strange economic method to transport the corpse back home.It is particularly worth mentioning that this peculiar industry is only feasible in western Shonan.Because one is that only Xiangxi has a "dead corpse inn".The second is that only the people in western Hunan know to avoid them when they hear the Xiaoyin gong of the mortician.The third is that there are roads outside Xiangxi Village, and other provincial roads usually pass through the village. Of course, they will not allow dead bodies to enter the village.Fourth, when people in Xiangxi hear the sound of Yin gongs, they will take the initiative to lock up the dogs at home, otherwise, when the dogs come out, they will bite the dead bodies to pieces.Therefore, only Xiangxi has this very peculiar industry of exorcising corpses.

Zhou Tong has always regarded the matter of expelling corpses in Xiangxi as a trick for adults to deceive children, or as a folk legend. It is okay to listen to it as a story, but never take it to heart.But Chen Xiang told him that the old Miao woman was a mortician, and he had to wait until night to find her.

Of course Zhou Tong didn't take Chen Xiang's words seriously, he thought she was drunk and spouted nonsense.But Chen Xiang was very serious and enthusiastic, so he must have asked Zhou Tong to leave his address, and said to go to him at night and lead him to the old Miao woman.Zhou Tong smiled wryly and hurriedly said a few words before leaving the bar.

The night came faster than expected, and Zhou Tong, who had not gained anything all day, lay tired on the bed, and fell asleep drowsily.

I don't know when it will be, but it is still raining lightly outside the window, and a faint mist rises in the dark night, adding a mystery to the ancient city.

With a bang, a stone flew into Zhou Tong's room.

"Which bastard?" The stone just hit Zhou Tong's private parts, and he jumped to the window clutching the sore spot in anger, cursing without hesitation.

But he never expected that standing downstairs was Chen Xiang whom he met in the bar during the day.

Chen Xiang held up an oiled paper umbrella and looked at Zhou Tong with a smile on her face. Judging from her expression, she should have sobered up.

"Come down! Don't you want to find someone?"

Zhou Tong was in distress, and she didn't know why this wild girl was so crazy that she really came to her door.Although he doesn't believe in the so-called exorcism, but the matter has come to this point, he has no choice but to accompany her crazy once.

"wait for me!"

Zhou Tong looked at his watch, it was past twelve o'clock, and the door on the first floor of the hotel was locked. He didn't want to wake up the boss, so he decided to climb out of the window.Fortunately, he lived on the third floor and was not too tall. Even though it was a rainy night, he got down smoothly.

"Okay, where are you going to take me now?" Zhou Tong patted the dirty water on his hands.

"Can't you hear it?" Chen Xiang mysteriously pointed to the mountains and forests in the night outside the city.

Looking at the girl in front of him, Zhou Tong always felt that there was something strange about her, but he still held his breath and pricked up his ears as Chen Xiang said.

Through the accompaniment sound of the raindrops falling on the slate, a dull gong sound was faintly heard from a distance. If you don't listen carefully, it is easy to ignore.

"Follow this voice, we will soon find the person you are looking for!" Chen Xiang's eyes showed a look of excitement.

Looking at the deep mountains in the dark night, Zhou Tong shivered involuntarily in the rain.

The light rain, which was not very heavy at first, suddenly became hurried.Zhou Tong and Chen Xiang braved the rain to leave the ancient city of Fenghuang, followed by the strange sound of gongs, and entered an endless forest.

Chen Xiang seemed to be very familiar with the terrain here, and she had made full preparations. She walked in front, holding a flashlight, and led Zhou Tong through the path in the mountains.

Zhou Tong was full of doubts, but he still patiently followed Chen Xiang, walking hard in the rain.

Turning over a mountain, a bolt of lightning suddenly burst out in the sky. With the light, Zhou Tong saw a strange and terrifying scene on the mountain road not far away.

A "dead man" was wearing a long and bulky black robe with no sleeves. He looked a bit bloated. His head seemed to be a little dark and bulging. It was covered by a straw hat, which was slightly turned back.The upper body was stiff, but moved forward step by step rhythmically.In front of the black robe was an old lady wearing a rain hat and a raincoat. There was something like a bamboo basket on her left wrist. She was holding an old lamp in her hand. There is a small gong hanging on it.The old woman held a dark wooden stick in her other hand. After walking a few steps, the old woman beat the gong.The way the old woman walks is also very strange, she always leans her body, facing the man in the black robe with a rather half face; her eyes are fixed on the black robe and behind her, and she turns her head to look forward from time to time.Every time they walked not far, a small piece of paper floated down from the old woman.

"Now you believe what I said?" Chen Xiang said and turned off the flashlight in his hand.

"How is it possible?" Zhou Tong touched the rainwater on his face fiercely, convinced that he was not dreaming, nor was he delusional.He couldn't forget the appearance of the Miao old woman he saw last night, so he was almost sure that the old woman who was driving the corpse in front of him was the same person as last night.Zhou Tong didn't hesitate any longer. Although he was a little scared, he mustered up his courage and ran forward, trying to stop the old Miao woman.

Chen Xiang didn't expect Zhou Tong to be so bold, or reckless, to run up there without any scruples.

All I heard was the sudden rapid sound of the gong, followed by the "dead man" wearing a black robe who seemed to come alive suddenly, turned around and rushed towards Zhou Tong.

Although Zhou Tong has experienced many strange things, but he has never encountered such a terrifying scene before, and he was dumbfounded for a while.But soon he came back to his senses, out of instinct, Zhou Tong didn't care whether the guy in the black robe was a real dead person or a fake dead person, so he flew forward and kicked him.

"Grandma!" Chen Xiang also yelled loudly at this time, and rushed over.

Zhou Tong seemed to have kicked an iron plate, instead of kicking the black-robed "dead man", he fell on the wet muddy ground.

"Grandma, don't hurt him!" Chen Xiang hurriedly helped Zhou Tong who had fallen to the ground.

The sound of the bronze drum also stopped at this time, and the "dead man" in black who was still slowly moving towards Zhou Tong suddenly lost his center of gravity and fell backwards.

"Xiang'er!" The old Miao woman had a surprised expression on her withered face when she saw Chen Xiang coming from behind.

Zhou Tong, who was still in shock, looked at Chen Xiang, then at the old Miao woman, wondering what the relationship between these two people was.

"Xiang'er, what are you messing around with?" the old woman asked angrily.

Chen Xiang pouted, and coquettishly ran to the old woman's side, took her hand, and said: "I just want to scare him, who knew he would mess around!"

"Scare me?" Zhou Tong looked at the guy still lying on the ground, thinking about the scene just now, he was almost scared to pee his pants.

"It's you!" The old lady saw Zhou Tong's appearance clearly at this time, and it turned out to be the young man she met by the Tuojiang River last night.

Seeing that the old woman recognized him, Zhou Tong immediately carefully walked around the corpse lying on the ground and walked to the old woman. He really had too many questions to ask the old Miao woman.

"Your old man posed a big riddle to me last night, but I'm too stupid to guess the answer, so I came here to ask for your advice." Zhou Tong forced a smile on his terrified face.

"Number of days, since that's the case, come with me." The Miao old woman sighed, and struck the gong again, and the black-robed corpse lying on the ground stood up again in a daze, following the rhythm of the gong beating. , slowly began to move...

Chapter 5
On a rainy night with thunder and lightning and strong winds, three people and a dead body shuttled through the dense forest path. If someone saw this weird scene at this time, they might be scared out of their wits.

Finally, after a difficult trek, a thatched hut appeared in front of them.

The old woman of the Miao nationality who walked in the front led the corpse lightly and skillfully to a place with a roof outside the thatched house, which looked like a sheepfold. Then she took off the soaked black robe for the corpse, and took out a dry Cloth, began to wipe the body.

"Let's go inside first!" Chen Xiang seemed to be used to seeing it, not surprised, and urged Zhou Tong to go inside to avoid the rain.

At this moment, Zhou Tong's curiosity was far greater than his fear. He observed the corpse carefully, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, as if he didn't hear Chen Xiang's words.

"Scared?" Chen Xiang patted Zhou Tong who was in a daze.

Zhou Tong shook his head and smiled wryly.

Chen Xiang thought he was frightened, so he dragged Zhou Tong into the thatched cottage.

The thatched cottage looks simple on the outside, but it is very neat and clean inside. The skeleton made of bamboo is also very strong. After the thick thatch is covered, the house is sheltered from wind and rain, warm and dry, and very comfortable.

"I heard you calling her grandma just now, so are you her granddaughter?" Zhou Tong asked while taking the dry towel from Chen Xiang.

"Well, I grew up with my grandmother since I was a child." Chen Xiang said and put down her coiled hair. The black hair was as smooth and charming as satin. Although it was wet by rain, it could still smell a faint fragrance.

"Then you will also drive away corpses?" Zhou Tong hoped to know the secret of killing corpses from Chen Xiang.

"No, grandma never asked me to learn this, she hoped that I could live a normal life." Chen Xiang went to the back room, gently closed the curtain outside, and then took off the wet clothes.

The curtains were not thick, and the candlelight in the thatched cottage made Chen Xiang's uneven body faintly visible.

Zhou Tong stood outside, her face flushed, her heart beating fast, but she couldn't bear to look away.

With a sound of "呲", the door was pushed open, and the old woman came in from the outside after drying the body.

Only then did Zhou Tong turn sideways in embarrassment.

"Sit whatever you want." The old lady pushed a rattan chair in front of Zhou Tong without any hassle.

Zhou Tong did not delay, and sat down as promised.

Only then did the old woman take off her rain hat and raincoat, and then sat down on the edge of the bed with a bowed waist, looking very tired.

"I've seen the girl you're looking for." The old woman spoke in a calm tone.

When Zhou Tong heard her say this, although he looked nonchalant on the surface, his heart arose.

"It was about a week ago at night. I remember that day was the same as now. It was raining. I drove the corpse to Wu Village. When they heard the Yin gong, they didn't avoid it and rushed out rashly. So I was particularly impressed. .”

"Grandma, you said 'they' just now, who is the woman in the photo with, can you describe that person for me?" Zhou Tong took out Ai Chen's photo again and asked hastily.

At this time, Chen Xiang changed her clothes and came out from behind. When she saw the photo in Zhou Tong's hand, her rosy face immediately turned pale.

Although Zhou Tong found something wrong with Chen Xiang's expression, his attention was still on Grandma's side, waiting for her to continue talking.

However, Chen Xiang suddenly grabbed the photo in Zhou Tong's hand, her dilated pupils and trembling body undoubtedly showed her great fear.

"Go out..." Chen Xiang suddenly whispered softly as if talking to himself.

"What?" Zhou Tong looked at Chen Xiang in confusion.

"Get out! I'll let you out!" Chen Xiang suddenly pulled Zhou Tong up like an erupting mountain torrent, and desperately drove him outside.

Zhou Tong was overwhelmed by Chen Xiang's sudden change. Originally, with his size and strength, Chen Xiang couldn't push him out anyway, but Zhou Tong who was confused at this time was more like a man who didn't know what he did wrong. What happened to the child, helplessly but obediently let Chen Xiang push him out.

With a "bang", the door of the thatched cottage was slammed shut by Chen Xiang, and Zhou Tong didn't even have time to ask.

(End of this chapter)