From this point of view, there is a problem with this Tuyu Valley. If we want to unlock the secret of Laogui, it is necessary for us to go there in person.
This time it was estimated that I would have to deal with the local villagers, so I bought two boxes of Soft China at a roadside store, and then I took a taxi with Lonnie and rushed to Tuyugou, a hundred miles away!
After getting off the bus, it was already getting dark. Not far away, there was a row of low houses. Every household in the village had their doors and windows closed, and there was no light at all.
It was only faintly possible to hear cries coming one after another from the village!
Lonnie and I looked at each other and walked along a path towards Tuyu Valley.
After passing through the houses on both sides of the path, we arrived at the center of the village in a short time.
There is a small square here with three incense sticks stuck in the center. Many villagers are surrounding it, kneeling on the ground, crying and talking.
Lonnie and I walked over quietly, and only then could we clearly hear what the villagers were crying about.
"God Turtle, please come back quickly, we can't live without you!"
"The Turtle is gone, what will we do in the future?"
"The turtle has left and the evil ghost has come to the world. It seems that Tuyugou is about to face a disaster!"
Listening to the villagers' cries, I couldn't help but feel puzzled, a magical turtle?
Could it be the one that Gao Huihuang bought from the fish market to make soup?
It seemed that I had to ask the local villagers for confirmation. Thinking of this, I walked up to an old man and patted his shoulder gently.
The old man was crying until he had runny nose and tears. He slowly turned around and glanced at Lonnie and me. A trace of doubt suddenly appeared on his wrinkled face.
"Who are you?"
the old man asked us.
"Uncle, we came from the city to camp nearby. We just heard crying in the village, so we came over to see what happened."
I quickly said to the old man.
"Oh, it turns out you are from the city..."
The old man sighed and said slowly: "You should leave quickly. We in Tuyugou will soon be in disaster!"
"What's wrong, sir, why do you say that?"
I asked a little confused.
"Because our turtle, who has guarded our village for decades, left."
The old man said with a helpless expression.
"What turtle? Why will the village be in disaster if the turtle leaves?"
As I spoke, I handed over two cigarettes.
The old man was a little impatient at first, but when he saw me handing over a cigarette, he couldn't refuse, so he took it and then told me about the past of Tuyugou.
It turns out that the information Gao Huihuang sent me before was not wrong. This Tuyu Valley was indeed ransacked by a group of bandits more than 80 years ago. Except for those who learned the news in advance and ran out to seek refuge, the entire village was massacred. Once empty, hundreds of people died!
After the robbers killed the villagers, they chopped off their heads, threw them into an old well in the house of an old rich man at the west end of the village, and then walked away.
In this era of war and chaos, this kind of disaster was not uncommon. After the bandits left, the villagers who were hiding returned to the village one after another, collected the bodies of their relatives, and continued to live a tenacious life.
But not long after, strange things began to happen in the village. Many villagers disappeared for no reason. Many people said that they often saw people coming out of the old well in the middle of the night and wandering on the street.
The villagers panicked at around 10 o'clock, so they invited an old Taoist priest from a nearby town to help with methods to liberate the souls of the dead.
The old Taoist priest walked around the old well, but shook his head and said that the resentment of those who died in vain was too heavy and could not be transcended. Over time, they would inevitably turn into evil ghosts and could only be suppressed.
Immediately, the old Taoist took out a small turtle from his arms, tied it with a red string, and put it into the old well.
Afterwards, he asked the villagers to buy tributes every year and hold a ceremony to worship the turtle, so that the Tuyu Valley would be safe for a hundred years.
Five days ago, it was the day when the village held a ceremony to sacrifice the turtle. Everyone beat gongs and drums, pooled their money to buy tributes, and wanted to hold a lively ceremony. But just before the ceremony, people discovered that there was a tortoise in the well. The turtle is missing!
"The turtle has been deep at the bottom of the well. How did you find that it was missing?"
I asked the old man with some confusion.
"The turtle is extraordinary. Its shell can emit green light. Every year when the ceremony is held, we have to look into the well. Only after we see the green light emitted by the turtle will we hold the ceremony."
The old man explained: "But before the ceremony was held a few days ago, everyone was surprised to find that the green light could no longer be seen in the well. Only then did everyone know that the turtle had left!"
"The old Taoist once said that once the divine turtle leaves midway, the dead souls in the well will resurrect within three days. By then, the entire Tugu Valley will face a disaster, and no one will be spared!"
At this point, the old man turned pale, looked at Lonnie and me, and shook his head feebly.
"Young people, please leave quickly. Don't let yourself suffer unreasonable disasters because of what happened in our village."
"Thank you for informing me, sir. You should also be careful."
I cupped my hands and took Lonnie away.
After pulling Lonnie away from the square, we did not leave Tuyugou, but took the opportunity to turn into a nearby alley.
"Ni, what do you think?"
I asked Lonnie.
"I think we can go look for clues in the old well. Maybe we will find something."
I nodded: "It makes sense, I think so too."
So, Lonnie and I walked towards the west end of Tuyu Valley according to what the old man said. After a while, we arrived outside the village.
Sure enough, there was a dilapidated house outside the village, standing in the night.
This house has seven entrances and seven exits, with high walls and red tiles. It can be seen that it must have been a wealthy family decades ago, but the two walls have collapsed and the house has long been dilapidated. It is unknown how long it has been abandoned.
Lonnie and I walked through the collapsed wall and walked into the yard. We saw luxuriant grass in the yard and a sycamore tree planted in the southwest corner. Sure enough, there was an old well under the tree, covered with a big stone.
Before I even got close, I could feel that there was a sinister aura constantly emanating from the old well.
It seems that there is indeed something evil in this old well.
Lonnie and I walked in and walked around the mouth of the well. We were thinking about whether to go in and check, but at this moment, a frightened voice came from outside.
"Who are you?"
I looked up and saw a villager holding a flashlight, shining the light on Lonnie and me.
I was about to explain, but the villager had already shouted loudly.
"Someone, come quickly! There are two thieves here!"
Not long after, all the villagers who were holding a sacrificial ceremony nearby came running over.
