After becoming a ghost, hold the boss's thigh tightly

The moment Mu Qing and Qiu Mian stepped into Baiyan Village, they were deeply attracted by the unusual tranquility and the accumulation of years. As the sun sets, the old houses are arranged in an orderly manner, and each brick and tile is full of traces of history, as if telling stories of the past. The whole village is shrouded in a layer of light golden light, giving people a sense of tranquility and peace.

However, what puzzled them the most was that there were no young people in the village. Instead, there were a group of amiable, wrinkled old people, whose eyes revealed an indifference to life and an indescribable mystery. These old people were dressed simply, moved slowly, but their faces were filled with satisfied and peaceful smiles.

"Qiumian, look at this village," Mu Qing said softly, "Why is there not a single young person?" He looked around in confusion, trying to find some clues to explain this strange phenomenon. Qiumian frowned and fell into deep thought: "The atmosphere here is a bit weird and makes people feel uneasy. We have to be careful." She held the weapon tightly in her hand and observed the surrounding environment vigilantly.

The two walked cautiously on the streets of the village, feeling an invisible pressure gradually enveloping their hearts. The old people's eyes would occasionally fall on them, but they did not show hostility or enthusiasm, just quietly watching them pass by. This indifferent attitude made Mu Qing and Qiu Mian feel more and more that this village was hiding unknown secrets.

Qiu Mian frowned, as if she had encountered some problem. Her eyes were full of doubt and thought. She lowered her voice and replied softly, "This is indeed unusual. We can't let this clue go easily. We need to understand the situation more deeply. Remember? We pretended to be strangers before. Maybe we can take this opportunity to ask the villagers for some information."

The night gradually enveloped the earth and the sky was swallowed by darkness. Qiu Mian and Li Bai decided to find a place to spend the night in the village. Fortunately, they found a hospitable old man and were taken in by him. The old man invited them to stay at his home and prepared a sumptuous dinner for them.

During the meal, the old man talked to them enthusiastically. When talking about the village's reputation for "longevity", the old man's face was filled with a proud smile. However, in his expression that was inadvertently revealed, Qiu Mian keenly captured a trace of unspeakable sadness.

Mu Qing frowned slightly and looked at the old man thoughtfully. He knew that if a village did not have new life, then the village would soon decline. And this situation was often related to some mysterious legends or taboos.

"Our Baiyan Village has been known as a longevity village since ancient times. The elderly can live to be eighty or ninety years old, or even longer." The old man said slowly, with a hint of pride and emotion in his eyes. He paused and continued, "But it's strange that in recent years, there have been almost no newborn babies crying in the village, and there are fewer and fewer young people..."

Mu Qing's heart moved, and he took the opportunity to ask, "Uncle, have you ever heard of any rumors or taboos about newborns?" He felt that perhaps these rumors and taboos were the reason why there were so few newborns in the village.

The old man shook his head and sighed, "Alas, I also heard it from the older generation. It is said that a long time ago, a disaster happened in the village and many people died. Since then, a saying has been circulating in the village that for every child born, an old person will die. Therefore, no one dares to have children easily, for fear of bringing misfortune to the village."

Mu Qing couldn't help but frown after hearing this. Although this statement was a bit absurd, it might be regarded as the truth in this closed mountain village. She decided to investigate the authenticity of this rumor to see if there really was some mysterious force affecting the fate of the village.

After learning about this background, Mu Qing and Qiu Mian incorporated more discussions about the village history and the origin of the heart lamp into their conversation, while also guiding the villagers to begin reflecting on the truth behind this tradition.

As night fell, the villagers gathered again, and the heart lamps slowly rose, illuminating everyone's face with a warm and mysterious light. Mu Qing and Qiu Mian mixed in the crowd, but their hearts were surging.

"Uncle, I heard that our village used to pray for good weather by offering sacrifices to the river god, is that right?" Mu Qing thought of the river god temple and asked softly to an old man beside him.

The old man nodded, a trace of sadness on his face: "Yes, that was the rule a long time ago. At that time, the village was always hit by floods, and everyone thought it was the angry river god, so they used their young lives to appease its anger. But every time they saw those innocent children being sent to the altar, everyone's heart was as painful as being cut by a knife."

"What happened later? How did this custom change?" Qiu Mian asked curiously.

"Later, a stranger came to the village. He said he had a way to keep us safe without angering the river god," the old man recalled. "He brought this heart lamp and said that as long as we offer sacrifices to the heart lamp on time every year, we can get the protection of the river god. We tried it, and sure enough, since then, the village has never been hit by floods again. But..."

At this point, the old man's voice choked up. He looked at the old people sitting around the fire with expectant faces and continued, "But gradually, we found that the number of newborns was getting smaller and smaller. Those young people who left the village to go to other places were able to give birth to children smoothly. We began to wonder if all this was related to the heart lamp, but we dared not give up this hard-earned peace easily."

Mu Qing and Qiu Mian looked at each other and saw determination in each other's eyes. They knew it was time to reveal the secret and let the villagers face the truth.

"Uncle, maybe we can find a way to solve this problem together." Mu Qing said gently, "The heart lamp may really give us protection, but it may also unknowingly deprive us of our future. We should face all this bravely, for the village and for those unborn children."

A glimmer of hope flashed in the old man's eyes. He held Mu Qing's hand tightly and said excitedly: "My child, you are right! We can't go on like this. I am willing to work with you to find a way to give the village a new life!"

As the old man finished speaking, the surrounding villagers also cast their eyes of approval. They began to realize that the long-term peace may have been bought at the expense of the future. Now, it is time to make a change.

Therefore, with the joint efforts of Mu Qing, Qiu Mian and a group of brave villagers, they embarked on a journey to find a way to lift the curse of the heart lamp and save the future of the village. This journey will not only be an exploration of the outside world, but also a profound test of inner faith and courage.

The next day, when the people gathered in the streets, knelt respectfully, and waited for the legendary heart lamp to appear, Mu Qing and Qiu Mian also mixed in the crowd and watched quietly. With a strange sound of wind, a heart lamp emitting a faint light slowly rose up. The light seemed to contain some indescribable power, which made people feel awe and vaguely uneasy.

"Look, that's the heart lamp." The old man explained to the two in a low voice, with both awe and helplessness in his eyes.

Mu Qing and Qiu Mian looked at each other and had already made up their minds. They knew that in order to solve the secret of this village and allow new life to continue, they must find a way to lift the curse of the heart lamp. And this adventure has just begun...

As night fell, the whole village was shrouded in darkness, with only the heart lamp emitting a faint and mysterious light. Mu Qing and Qiu Mian stood on a high point in the village, their figures seemed a little lonely under the moonlight. The two of them stared at the heart lamp quietly, as if they could see another world through it.

There is a faint glow around the heart lamp, like a layer of gauze, giving people a dreamlike feeling. In this layer of glow, there seems to be an indescribable power flowing slowly, attracting their attention. This power makes people feel familiar and strange at the same time, like an ancient and mysterious mystery waiting for people to solve.

Mu Qing tightly grasped the wooden sword in her hand, and an inexplicable impulse surged in her heart. She wanted to get closer to the heart lamp to feel its power, but at the same time she was wary of unknown dangers. Qiu Mian stood silently by the side, with a hint of worry and uneasiness in her eyes. She didn't know what this heart lamp meant, nor did she know what would happen next.

Just then, a breeze blew gently, blowing up the corners of their clothes. The wind brought a slight rustling sound, as if nature was telling them something. Mu Qing took a deep breath and tried to calm her inner restlessness. She decided to put aside her doubts for the time being and focus on the scene in front of her.

"What should we do?" Qiu Mian asked in a low voice, with a hint of hesitation in his voice.

Mu Qing pondered for a moment and said, "Let's observe first to see if there are any other abnormal situations. If not, we can consider approaching the heart lamp."

Qiu Mian nodded in agreement. So, the two of them continued to stand there, staring at the heart lamp quietly, waiting for possible changes...

"Look, the heart lamp seems to be absorbing something." Mu Qing frowned, her eyes fixed on the mysterious heart lamp. She pointed her finger at the heart lamp, her eyes full of doubt and vigilance.

Qiu Mian closed her eyes, and with her keen perception as a ghost cultivator, she took a deep breath and said, "Yes, that is indeed the power of faith. The villagers' awe of the Heart Lamp and their devout prayers are constantly being transformed into powerful wishes, which are being silently absorbed by the Heart Lamp."

"Not only that, I can also feel the strong ghost and yin energy contained in this place." Mu Qing's voice revealed a hint of uneasiness, and she added.

The two looked at each other and understood the worry in each other's eyes without words. They realized that there must be some unknown secrets behind this heart lamp. After careful consideration, they decided to use the cover of night to quietly approach the heart lamp and try to uncover the mystery.

The village fell into silence. Mu Qing and Qiu Mian moved carefully, avoiding the eyes and ears of the villagers. Finally, they came to the bottom of the heart lamp and carefully observed its every move.

The wishes absorbed by the heart lamp were like tiny streams, gradually gathering into a powerful force. These wishes flowed silently and finally drifted into the river beside the village.

Mu Qing and Qiu Mian watched everything in front of them silently, their hearts full of doubts. Why did this seemingly ordinary heart lamp absorb the power of faith of the villagers? And where will these wishes flow?

Just as they were thinking, suddenly, the heart lamp flashed a dazzling light. At the same time, a gloomy cold wind whistled past, making people feel cold.

Mu Qing and Qiu Mian felt a tightness in their hearts. They knew that things were becoming more complicated.

"It seems that the answer is in the river." Qiu Mian whispered, and then cast a spell. His figure gradually became blurred and finally disappeared into the air, leaving Mu Qing alone waiting there.

Not long after, Qiu Mian returned from the river. His face was solemn, as if he had encountered something bad. After he got ashore, he immediately said to everyone: "I found a broken palace, which was full of decay and ruin. Further ahead was a black cave, and inside... there was a corpse with a human head and a fish body."

Hearing this news, everyone felt a chill run down their spine. Especially Mu Qing, who asked in surprise, "A human head and a fish body? Isn't that the river god worshipped in the temple? How did it appear here?"

Others also expressed doubts and concerns. They had always believed that the river god was a god who protected them, but they did not expect to see its body here. This made them begin to doubt whether their beliefs were correct, and they were also worried that there were greater secrets and dangers hidden behind the body.