Chapter 149 - Chapter 149: Strange Village, the Miner Ermao’s Figure

Chapter 149: Strange Village, the Miner Ermao’s Figure

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“What does this scarecrow mean?”

Li Yidao noticed that Zhang Goudan didn’t seem to find anything unusual, so he decided to ask.

Hearing Li Yidao’s voice, Zhang Goudan subconsciously hesitated for a moment, then smiled and replied, “I’m not exactly sure about the specific purpose of these scarecrows, but the elderly people in the village say they are used to scare away birds.”

“In this remote area, many birds come here and make a lot of noise. These scarecrows are not only at the village entrance but also in the fields on the hill behind.”

Zhang Goudan’s answer seemed reasonable.

Li Yidao nodded on the surface, choosing not to ask further questions. However…

Inside, he was growing more cautious!

Scaring away birds?

That could be a possibility!

Scarecrows did serve that purpose to some extent!

But!

This scarecrow was definitely not for that!

Why would a scarecrow used to scare away birds be crafted so meticulously?

Even its facial features were so clear!

Moreover!

Li Yidao noticed that no matter which angle he approached the scarecrow from, its eyes were always fixed on him, and its mouth held that eerie, unchanging smile!

This was definitely abnormal!

It was as if this scarecrow was alive!

He quietly heightened his guard and prepared to use the Blade of Death at any moment.

He would activate it when he felt a sense of impending death.

This would help him determine the nature of the crisis in this village.

“Brother Dao, my home is just ahead. Let’s go there now,” Zhang Goudan said, seemingly unaware of Li Yidao’s unease.

He was eagerly inviting Li Yidao to follow.

However, everything Zhang Goudan did now appeared normal and reasonable.

After all, his father’s body was at home, waiting for the funeral.

Naturally, he was in a hurry to get back.

Li Yidao didn’t say anything and continued to follow him.

But when they passed through the village… Li Yidao noticed that there were very few people in this village!

And there were no young adults!

Only some elderly people stood outside their houses, gazing outward. Each of them cast cautious glances at Li Yidao, and when they looked at Zhang

Goudan…

Their expressions seemed to carry a hint of fear?

To be honest, Li Yidao wasn’t sure if he was seeing things.

Why would there be fear?

That didn’t make sense!

Another five minutes passed.

Finally, Zhang Goudan, with Li Yidao in tow, arrived at his home.

Li Yidao looked at the Zhang family’s house.

It was a three-room house made of bricks and tiles!

In the village, this seemed to be one of the better houses, or at least not the worst!

However… the construction, orientation, and angles of this house were peculiar, not to mention the north-facing layout of the house.

What was even stranger was that the back of the house faced a distant mountain!

In contrast, the front faced the direction of the village entrance, where the scarecrow stood!

The most peculiar part was that when Li Yidao stood at the front entrance of the Zhang family’s house, directly facing it…

He noticed that the house and the distant mountain formed a special pattern through the angle of alignment!

It looked like a symbol or even a humanoid figure!

This sight caused Li Yidao’s pupils to dilate involuntarily.

This… was getting more and more bizarre!

Li Yidao suppressed the urge to observe Zhang Goudan’s expression and casually said, “Where is your father’s body? Take me to see it.”

“It’s in the yard. I’ve set up a mourning hall in there,” Zhang Goudan said, opening the courtyard gate and pushing it open.

However… the moment the courtyard gate opened, Li Yidao’s pupils dilated instantly!

In one corner of the yard, no, in three corners, were several scarecrows piled together.

These scarecrows appeared to be arranged haphazardly.

But no matter how Li Yidao looked at it, it didn’t seem normal.

Zhang Goudan walked into the yard with Li Yidao following closely.

He explained, “There are no birds to scare away in the fields right now, and these scarecrows take a lot of effort to make. Sometimes, they get damaged when placed in the fields. So, I brought them back.”

“But… I might not have a chance to put them back in the future…”

As Zhang Goudan spoke, there was a sense of sadness in his tone.

However, this time, his melancholic atmosphere didn’t affect Li Yidao in the slightest.

Instead, Li Yidao felt a chill enveloping his entire body!

This courtyard was very abnormal!

Li Yidao realized that he could actually use his Blade of Death at this moment

However…

The target for his ability wasn’t Zhang Goudan!

It was those scarecrows placed in the corners!

This sent a shiver down Li Yidao’s spine!

What was going on here?

Could it be that these scarecrows were alive?

With this unsettling thought, Li Yidao suddenly felt a surge of spiritual energy enveloping him!

He took a deep breath without Zhang Goudan noticing.

Then, he turned his attention back to the mourning hall.

However, when he observed how the mourning hall was arranged, he furrowed his brows and asked, “Why is your father’s body placed in this direction?” As everyone knows, mourning halls in the courtyard are generally set up on the east side, with the entrance facing west.

But now, Li Yidao noticed that the position of Zhang Ermao’s body had been rotated!

Not only that, it faced the direction of the scarecrow at the village entrance!

If there was nothing strange about this, Li Yidao would never believe it!

However…

Zhang Goudan appeared completely clueless at this moment, as if he didn’t understand anything. He wore a bewildered expression.

“What do you mean? Is there anything unusual about this?” Zhang Goudan asked, seemingly perplexed and ignorant of the situation.

Li Yidao didn’t say anything more.

He gave Zhang Goudan a deep look, then slowly walked to the side of the mourning hall.

Sensing the dense black aura surrounding the mourning hall, Li Yidao took a deep breath.

Soul Detection!

Advanced!

Looking at the ten-year lifespan consumption indicated by the system prompt, Li Yidao didn’t hesitate.

He used it directly!

As his lifespan decreased by ten years, Li Yidao observed as the black mist gradually became clearer.

And as the black mist cleared, he suddenly took a step back!

Taking a deep breath, he exhaled.

“Phew…”

This reaction left Zhang Goudan, who was standing nearby, completely baffled!

This time, Zhang Goudan was definitely not pretending.

He was genuinely confused by Li Yidao’s recent behavior!

As for Li Yidao at this moment, he was shocked because during the recent advanced Soul Detection, he saw a figure!

Zhang Ermao’s figure!

But that was not all!

What he saw was the figure of Zhang Ermao after he fell from the rooftop, the figure that was no longer human!

There were distorted skull and shattered facial features!

And that body was stained with blood!

The fact that Li Yidao didn’t scream was already commendable!

At this moment, he even doubted if his eyes were playing tricks on him…

But… under the effects of the advanced Soul Detection, Li Yidao knew that everything he had just witnessed was real!

Because now, the lifeless, vacant eyes of Zhang Ermao were fixed on him!