Chapter 5 - The Grave People
Since the Red Rain incident, the world had become strange, with the successive appearances of three types of monsters: 'Demonic Creatures,' 'Nightmares,' and 'Grave People.'
Demonic Creatures were people who had undergone mutations after consuming excessive amounts of Red Rain.
Initially, they retained some sanity, but as time passed, their temperament gradually became ferocious and bloodthirsty, eventually losing all reason, becoming neither human nor ghost.
They might develop two heads or multiple eyes, jump like grasshoppers, or dive like fish...
Ordinary people found it extremely difficult to deal with them, and only cultivators could eliminate them.
Nightmares were monsters encountered by people who, after consuming Red Rain, inadvertently fell into Red Rain dreams.
Simply put, they were killed in their dreams.
There was only one piece of information about them:
【These monsters are manifestations of the victim's inner demons!】
What were inner demons?
Hatred, greed, delusion, obsession, resentment, infatuation, and so on, all belonged to the category of inner demons.
For example, if someone deeply hated or feared a certain person, over time, that person would become an inner demon. Even during sleep, that person would appear in the form of nightmares.
Even if that person was already dead, they would still linger in the victim's mind.
Another example was if someone was extremely greedy for a certain treasure but couldn't obtain it. Over time, they would develop a serious inner demon that was difficult to eliminate.
This was the case with Lin Jiao Yue.
Because her food was laced with drugs containing 'Red Rain' components, she fell into a coma and began having nightmares, thus entering a Red Rain dream.
And the Nightmare that tried to kill her in the dream was Lin Jiao Yue's inner demon.
This was also why, after the Nightmare appeared, Li Nan Ke didn't immediately kill it but instead observed it carefully first.
He wanted to know what Lin Jiao Yue's inner demon was.
After all, as the renowned daughter of a wealthy family in Dongqi County, she had fine clothes and good food, and there should be very few people who would offend her.
Why would such a carefree young lady have such a serious inner demon?
Was it fear of someone? Or hatred and jealousy towards someone?
Or was it... an obsession with someone?
Unfortunately, he couldn't discern it at that time and had to act to save Lin Jiao Yue when her life was in danger.
Apart from 'Demonic Creatures' and 'Nightmares,' the most troublesome for the Night Patrol were the 'Grave People.'
They truly showed people what 'coming back from the dead' meant.
The various cases were horrifying.
In the tenth year of Tianwu, Old Man Ding, a fisherman, heard someone knocking on his door in the middle of the night.
When he opened the door, he found his son, who had drowned three days ago, standing outside!
In the twelfth year of Tianwu, Shopkeeper Hu, a cloth merchant, saw his wife, who had been poisoned half a month ago, sleeping next to him in the middle of the night.
In the early years of Yuanfeng, the villagers of Lao Wen Village in Xiang Prefecture saw their village chief, who should have been dead for six days, in the middle of the night.
...These 'resurrected' monsters were called Grave People.
Ten days later, they would disappear on their own.
However, anyone who came into contact with them would turn into a pile of bones after ten days, unless the 'resurrected' monster was eliminated in time.
Unlike Demonic Creatures, these Grave People looked no different from ordinary people.
They didn't possess demonic powers or mutations, and they retained the memories and even emotions of the deceased, just like living people.
This was the most troublesome aspect for the Night Patrol.
With emotions involved, some people would deliberately conceal the truth, ultimately leading to disaster.
For example, the cloth merchant, after seeing his beloved wife resurrected, secretly hid her in the inner room of the backyard and chose to conceal it from others.
As a result, ten days later, he turned into a pile of bones at home.
Of course, there were also cases where the person was unaware.
In the early years of Yuanfeng, Mrs. Xu, who was weaving cloth at home, saw her son, who had gone to the capital to take the imperial examination half a month ago, suddenly return home. She was overjoyed.
But ten days later, Mrs. Xu and fourteen other people in town who had come into contact with her son all turned into piles of bones.
After an investigation by the Night Patrol, it was discovered that her son had been killed by bandits on his way home after the examination.
Most importantly, Grave People were not aware that they were already dead.
They would appear out of thin air in places where the deceased had been. Although they possessed the memories and emotions of the deceased, their memories of their death were blank.
Their minds were also in a confused state when they first resurrected.
They only vaguely remembered what they were doing before they died.
This was unless they saw their own corpse or learned from others that they were already dead.
This was the case with Mrs. Xu's son. After being 'resurrected' in the wilderness, he only remembered that he was in a hurry to go home after the examination, but he didn't know that he had already been killed by bandits.
He returned home in a daze, ultimately causing the death of his mother and other friends.
As for how Grave People appeared, the Night Patrol, after detailed analysis, gave a preliminary answer.
It was that as one thought about something constantly, it would manifest in their dreams, leading to resurrection!
For example—
Mrs. Xu accidentally drank medicinal herbs mixed with 'Red Rain' components and fell into a Red Rain dream.
She was kind and had no inner demons, so no Nightmare appeared.
However, because Mrs. Xu missed her son who had gone to the capital for the imperial examination very much, she dreamed of her son in the Red Rain dream, which ultimately led to the resurrection of her dead son.
The same was true for Shopkeeper Hu, the cloth merchant.
Because he deeply missed his wife, after accidentally consuming Red Rain, he unintentionally resurrected his wife in the Red Rain dream.
In addition to coincidences, there were also people who deliberately 'resurrected' their relatives or loved ones.
Knowing that it would lead to disaster, but in order to see the person they missed again, they risked consuming 'Red Rain' to resurrect them, ultimately resulting in tragedy.
Of course, not everyone could be resurrected.
Only those who died accidentally during the third watch of the night had the possibility of being resurrected.
Those who died of old age, illness, or even suicide could not be resurrected.
For example, the cloth merchant's wife was poisoned by a maid and died suddenly around the third watch of the night.
Similarly, Mrs. Xu's son, because he was in a hurry to go home, chose to travel through the wilderness during the third watch of the night and encountered bandits.
In summary, these three types of monsters could be simply described as:
Demonic Creatures: Mutated humans.
Nightmares: Monsters in dreams, manifestations of inner demons.
Grave People: Deceased people 'resurrected.'
But no matter what kind of monster, they all originated from the 'Red Rain.'
…
By dinner time, the sky had completely darkened.
The night was pitch black, as if thick ink had dripped down from above, painting it a uniform black, with only the cold moon hanging high.
Grandpa Turtle was still lying in front of the door, eyes slightly closed, resting.
Sister Goose stood proudly under the moonlight, her somewhat blurred and slanted shadow imprinted on the surface of the pond.
Both inside and outside the house, it was peaceful.
Li Nan Ke trimmed the candle wick, took the bowl and chopsticks handed over by his wife, and said with a smile,
"This is what they call a 'candlelit dinner.' It has a unique romantic charm."
The couple sat facing each other at the table.
Although they didn't reach the point of 'raising their bowls to each other's eyebrows' in mutual respect, the atmosphere was hardly romantic.
"Were there any patients this afternoon?"
Luo Qian Qiu asked.
Li Nan Ke shook his head and answered honestly.
"I was a bit tired, so I closed the door and slept. As for whether anyone knocked on the door, I don't know. You know, I sometimes sleep very soundly. I'm afraid I wouldn't wake up even if the sky fell."
Then, the man joked, "But you can ask Sister Goose or Grandpa Turtle. They should know."
Luo Qian Qiu smiled gently and gave him a playful look.
"Does my husband always enjoy teasing people like this? Why don't you go and ask them yourself?"
"Of course I can, but asking them requires technique."
"What technique?"
Luo Qian Qiu's curiosity was piqued by her husband, her ethereal and gentle eyes looking at him inquisitively.
Li Nan Ke spoke freely, "Didn't you say they are divine beasts? It just so happens that I know a method. First, we cook them in a pot. Once they are cooked into meat broth, we just need to drink it and we can meet and communicate with them in our dreams."
The man's tone was full of teasing, but it also seemed to carry a hint of seriousness.
It was as if he had really considered doing this.
Knowing that her husband was joking, Luo Qian Qiu still showed an expression of interest.
"Is it really that magical?"
"Why don't we try cooking this old turtle first?"
Li Nan Ke looked at Grandpa Turtle, who was lying at the door with his eyes closed, resting, and licked his lips, instigating his wife.
"Setting aside other things, drinking the soup would be a truly wonderful experience."
Perhaps sensing the man's greedy gaze, Grandpa Turtle quietly retracted his head into his shell.
Sister Goose hesitated for a moment and also hid in the pond.
Luo Qian Qiu shook her head helplessly, picked up a piece of crab meat, and put it in the man's bowl, her gentle voice carrying a hint of reproach.
"If you really cook and eat them, Master will probably break your bones and throw you into a wolf's den to be eaten."
"Is Master that fierce?" the man asked curiously.
"Yes."
The woman nodded slightly. Afraid of disturbing her husband, she deliberately took the candle and walked to the corner table to read.
Perhaps because he was too mentally exhausted, or maybe due to the effects of the calming incense, Li Nan Ke soon fell into a deep sleep, even snoring softly from time to time.
The moonlight was clear, the candlelight hazy.
The moonlight squeezing in through the window blended with the candlelight, illuminating the woman's fair neck, making the delicate veins faintly visible.
Luo Qian Qiu didn't put down the medical book in her hand until the cicadas started chirping outside.
She looked at her sleeping husband on the bed for a while, then got up and quietly walked out of the room.
The cool breeze brushed against her soft hair.
In the deep night, the mountain peaks in front of her loomed like ghosts, seemingly covered with a layer of grayish-silver light, ethereal as smoke.
Luo Qian Qiu gazed at the bright moon, lost in thought.
At this moment, she was like a white jade statue, standing quietly and gracefully.
She watched as the thick clouds in the distance gradually approached, watched as the moon, like a frozen disc, was slowly swallowed, watched as the night grew darker...
Suddenly, the faint sounds of gongs and drums came from the distant city streets, each struck three times.
Midnight had arrived, the third watch!
Luo Qian Qiu took a deep breath and turned back into the room.
She skillfully retrieved a half-foot-long sharp awl from under the table and walked gracefully towards the bed.
The man on the bed was breathing deeply, sleeping soundly.
The woman untied his inner garment, exposing half of his body, and raised the sharp awl high, murmuring,
"Husband, the third watch has arrived. It's time to depart."
With that, she abruptly plunged it into the man's heart!