This matter is too peculiar! The coffin was buried underground, in the backyard of the Xie family's home. It's impossible for anyone to have dug up the coffin, yet the body inside is missing!

A chill ran down my spine. Something doesn't seem right about this!

Uncle Xie's wife began wailing heartbreakingly, clutching the empty coffin and crying hysterically.

The crowd fell unusually silent, with only the sound of Uncle Xie's wife's cries echoing in the dark night.

Uncle Xie's son, Xie Qiang, suddenly approached me and pushed me. "Kid, I heard it was your rotten idea, right?"

Rotten idea?! Did I make a mistake?

That's impossible. I followed the instructions in the "Three Pure Books" precisely. How could there be a problem?

There are two possibilities: either the "Three Pure Books" is fake, and its content is deceiving, but that possibility is clearly not valid since Old Lame Ku wouldn't give me a fake book.

So, the only other possibility is that someone tampered with it during these seven days!

But this is the Xie family's own backyard. Besides their own family, no one else could enter, let alone tamper with anything. So, this possibility is also invalid.

Could it be Xie Qiang himself?

That's also unlikely. Who would dig out their own father's body from the coffin?

I scratched my head vigorously. Something was definitely wrong. This shouldn't have happened under normal circumstances.

Xie Qiang wanted to attack me, but Mayor Yu rushed over and stood in front of him, scolding, "Qiangzi, step back. We haven't figured out the whole story yet!"

Xie Qiang clenched his lips and pointed at me fiercely, saying, "You better find my father's body, or... you won't be able to stay in Hongqi Village!"

Xie Qiang was around seventeen or eighteen years old at the time, studying at a vocational high school in the county. I heard he often got into fights at school, earning the reputation of being a "big brother" there. Despite his young age, he exuded the air of a "gangster." But in front of respected elders like Mayor Yu, he didn't dare to be too impulsive.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Mr. Yu walked over with a gloomy expression. "Yang Cheng, what's going on? Where is Uncle Xie's body?"

I rubbed my head, almost crying from the desperation. I said, "Mr. Yu, I don't know either. This... this is too strange..."

Mr. Yu sighed and patted my shoulder. "Remember, now the whole village knows you're the disciple of Old Lame Ku. You must not mess up this matter. Now that Uncle Xie's body is missing, I know it's not your fault. But do you think others will see it that way?"

At this point, Mr. Yu paused and raised two fingers. "Two days! Yang Cheng, I'm giving you two days. You must find Uncle Xie's body, otherwise, how can I explain to everyone?"

I nodded, understanding that Mr. Yu was giving me a way out. Essentially, he was helping me resolve the situation.

The villagers gradually dispersed, leaving the empty coffin abandoned on the ground, all alone.

I hurriedly returned to my own home, feeling indescribable emotions as if a heavy stone was pressing on my chest, making it difficult to breathe.

I poured three large cups of cold water directly into a glass and drank them all in one go, trying to calm myself down.

My mother snatched the glass from my hand and scolded me: "Didn't you have a stomachache a few days ago? Drinking cold water in the middle of winter, it's no wonder your stomach hurts!"

Feeling wronged, I remained silent and went back to my bedroom, locking the door. Unable to hold it in any longer, I threw myself onto the bed and burst into tears.

For a thirteen-year-old child, it's hard to bear the criticism and doubts coming from all directions.

Although no one has openly criticized me today, those skeptical glances weigh heavily on me. I know that everyone is doubting me.

Because it was my suggestion to "insert the corpse upside down," now that Xie La'er's corpse has disappeared without a trace, naturally suspicion falls on me.

To be honest, I regret it now and want to slap myself. I was too meddlesome, thinking that after reading "The Three Pure Ones," I had become capable and had to give my opinion and advice. Now, it has backfired. Even though I had good intentions in helping others, there is nobody who appreciates me.

A pair of gentle hands gently patted my back. Without turning around, I knew it was Liu Qingqing comforting me.

Liu Qingqing said, "You are a brave man. There's no obstacle you can't overcome. Crying is a sign of weakness! Stop crying and tell me what happened. Maybe I can help you!"

I raised my head, rubbing my swollen eyes, and told Liu Qingqing about tonight's events.

Liu Qingqing listened silently and involuntarily furrowed her brows, "Xie La'er's corpse has disappeared? It was placed in the coffin, and the coffin was buried underground. How could it be gone?"

With a mournful face, I said, "Everyone at the scene saw it. The coffin was indeed empty, and Xie La'er's corpse is missing! Now, Lord Yu has given me two days to find Xie La'er's corpse. Where am I supposed to find it?"

Liu Qingqing paced around the room, pondered for a moment, and said, "Don't worry, let me think of a solution for you. I believe it should not be difficult to find Xie La'er's corpse!"

Liu Qingqing tilted her chin and said, "Come on, why are you still dawdling?"

I asked foolishly, "Where are we going?"

Liu Qingqing said, "We're going to find corpse!"

It was a cold winter night, pitch dark in the rural area, deathly silent.

Surprisingly, Liu Qingqing brought me to the outside of Xie's family courtyard. Even inside the courtyard, it was pitch black, occasionally hearing Xie La'er's wife crying. In the deep night, it was truly eerie.

I was puzzled, not understanding why Liu Qingqing brought me to the outside of Xie's family courtyard.

Liu Qingqing said, "I'll ask someone to see who took away Xie La'er's corpse. A dead person can't just disappear without reason, someone must have tampered with it!"

I watched as Liu Qingqing put her little finger into her mouth, lightly biting it, and squeezed out a drop of blood that fell to the ground.

Confused, I looked at Liu Qingqing, wanting to ask what she was doing. Liu Qingqing said, "Shh, don't speak, just watch!"

Before long, the ground beneath our feet suddenly formed a small mound. The mound slowly moved as if something was trying to crawl out from it.

I stared intently at the mound, and it suddenly burst open, causing me to take a step back in fright.

A bald head emerged from the mound, followed by a small old man with a bald head and wearing a gray robe, resembling "Old Master" from the comic strip, who leaped out of the ground.