There was moonlight that night. The bright moonlight shone through the window, illuminating the room.
However, he didn't see anything.
After waiting for a long time, he still didn't see anything.
He pinched his arm. It hurt. It wasn't a dream.
He jumped off the bed and walked to the door. He looked outside. Under the moonlight, the courtyard was empty. There was only the sound of leaves rustling in the night wind.
The wind could only be considered a breeze. It couldn't blow open the door.
He thought that the door must have been pushed open by something.
The next day …
In the afternoon, the warm sun made people sleepy. He took advantage of his old rooster's nap and suddenly caught it. Then, he used a needle to pierce its big red comb. He let out a stream of blood and let it drip into the enamel bowl.
Then, he threw the rooster away and ran to his bedroom with the bowl. He peed into the bowl and then put the bowl under the bed.
The mixture of a boy's urine and the blood of a rooster's comb was said to be masculine. When smeared on the eyelids, one could see ghosts.
He heard this method from outside. Whether it worked or not had to be tested.
That night.
He lay on the bed in his clothes. He didn't sleep. He closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.
In the middle of the night.
He heard a creak and the door opened again.
He was excited and nervous. He opened his eyes and saw that the door was half open. However, there was nothing outside the door.
He secretly reached his hand under the bed into the enamel bowl. He dipped some of the mixture into it and wiped it on his eyelids. When he opened his eyes again, he was stunned.
He saw a person standing inside the door.
That person looked exactly like him.
Face shape, facial features, height, fat, thin, age, they were all the same.
It was the same person.
As if it was himself.
Lin Fan stared at the other person. His hair suddenly stood on end. All the hair on his body stood on end.
If the other person was an unfamiliar ghost, perhaps he wouldn't be so nervous. In fact, not to mention Lin Fan, anyone who saw someone who looked exactly like them would be shocked. It would leave an indelible shadow in their heart.
Moreover, the person Lin Fan saw now was not a human.
The man looked at Lin Fan with shock and resentment. He did not speak, and there was fear and fear in his eyes.
Lin Fan looked at the other party in shock and stammered, "Who, who are you?"
The other party did not reply.
Lin Fan's mind went blank for a moment before it suddenly became clear. He suddenly thought of a possibility. The person in front of him should be the soul of his previous life.
"You, are you Lin Fan?" Lin Fan rolled off the bed.
With a nervous look on his face, he turned around and ran out of the door.
"Don't run!" Lin Fan chased after him.
It was already midnight.
The village was completely silent. There was not a single person on the streets, nor was there any light.
There was only the moonlight, the night breeze, and the barking of dogs.
The other party ran out of the village. Under the moonlight, Lin Fan saw that he did not have a shadow. He was clearly a ghost. Moreover, his running speed was very fast. His feet did not touch the ground. It was as if he was riding a scooter in his previous life.
If it was in the past, Lin Fan would definitely not chase. But now, he did not know where his courage came from. He quickly ran after him.
This matter was too strange. He wanted to find out the truth.
Sanmiao Village was not big. It only had a hundred or so households. At the east, south, and west side of the village, there was an ancient temple.
The temples were tall and majestic. There were clay statues of gods inside.
In the past, the temples were full of incense. The village also gave offerings to the temples. The villagers prayed for rain and disaster. It was all very effective. No strange things happened.
But now, the offerings had not stopped. The gods did not show their spirit!
One chased and one chased. They quickly ran out of the village. Lin Fan saw that the other party was actually running towards a temple. This made Lin Fan very surprised.
Logically speaking, the other party was a ghost. He was most afraid of temples. No matter where he ran, he would not run into a temple. Wasn't that seeking his own death?
Could it be that it was as the people said? The patrolling gods in the temple had all run away. This ghost went to the temple to steal incense and offer offerings?
With such doubts in mind, Lin Fan walked towards the temple. The temple was grand, but it was not large. There was no courtyard. The main temple and two side temples added up to a total of nine rooms. There were two large trees in front of the temple. Under the dark purple night, it was silent.
It looked mysterious and terrifying.
Before Lin Fan could walk over, he heard footsteps. He quickly hid behind a large tree. At this time, he saw two people walking over.
When Lin Fan looked over, he saw Village Chief Xu Mingkuan and the mysterious old man. Xu Mingkuan was holding a bucket in his hand. It looked a little heavy. The old man was carrying a bag on his shoulder. He did not know what it was.
Seeing these two people appear, Lin Fan could not help but be startled. He seemed to have thought of something. When he saw them enter the temple, Lin Fan's face shook. He felt that his previous guess should be right.
The moment the doors of the temple were opened, Lin Fan could smell the stench of blood coming from within the temple.
Then, the door of the temple closed, and a bit of light came out of the temple. He tiptoed to the door of the temple, and the smell of blood became even stronger. Looking through the crack of the door, he did not see the soul of his predecessor.
He saw Xu Mingkuan holding a bucket and dipping a brush into the bucket. Then, he brushed it on the statue. What was brushed on the statue was a dark red color, like paint.
But Lin Fan did not think so. He thought that it was blood. Otherwise, he should have smelled paint instead of blood.
After thinking of this, his heart thumped. He thought to himself, "Is that human blood or the blood of some animal?"
What was Xu Mingkuan's intention to brush blood on the statue?
He looked around and saw the mysterious old man. He saw the old man sitting behind a table. The table was covered with a yellow paper. The old man held a cinnabar pen in his hand. He quickly drew a circle of runes on the edge of the paper. Then, he wrote a person's name in the center of the blank space. That name was: Zhang Xiaoshan.
After seeing this name, Lin Fan's heart jumped.
A thin and weak figure appeared in his mind.
Zhang Xiaoshan was a boy in the village. He was twelve years old. Because of tuberculosis, his body was very weak. He had been using Chinese medicine.
After the old man finished writing, he picked up the yellow paper and directly pasted it on the forehead of the statue that Xu Mingkuan was painting.
Then, he sat back in front of the table. He held a shabby yellow thread-bound book. After a few glances, he began to recite in an unpleasant voice.
After hearing that voice, Lin Fan realized that he was reciting scriptures. Lin Fan had never heard that voice before. It sounded like crying, like a resentful ghost crying at night. Lin Fan felt goosebumps all over his body.
He really couldn't listen to it anymore. He was afraid that the two of them would find out, so he turned around and left.
But he didn't walk far before he heard the chanting stop. Then, he heard the old man call out a name, "Zhang Xiaoshan, Zhang Xiaoshan …"
The voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to have magical power. It spread far and wide in the quiet night and spread throughout the village.
Hearing this, Lin Fan's heart thumped. He seemed to understand everything. Then, he ran to Zhang Xiaoshan's house.