Chapter 115: Retrieving Bones from the Well

Cui Yue was startled, his footing faltering for a moment. He waited, but the black-skinned wild boar remained in the same posture, showing no signs of breathing or movement. Cui Yue swallowed hard, shone his flashlight closer, and realized that blood had dried in the boar’s seven orifices; it had been dead for quite some time.

"Phew, you scared the life out of me!" Cui Yue exhaled, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. "Piggy, piggy, you can't blame me for this. Every grievance has its author and every debt its debtor. If you want to seek vengeance, go find Old Freak Huo; he’s the one who beat you into a bloody mess!"

Cui Yue walked over and nudged the boar with his foot, intending to move it aside, but even with all his might, he could only shift it a few centimeters. "Huff, why is it so heavy?" Breathing hard, he decided to temporarily abandon the effort of moving the massive carcass.

The village well was conical, narrower at the mouth and widening as it descended. As Cui Yue searched the bottom with his flashlight, he suddenly spotted a small white object amidst a pile of rubble. He hurriedly cleared away the stones, revealing a fragment of a human hand bone.

"That's it! This is it!" Cui Yue was overjoyed. He had actually found the remains of Wei Luoyang at the bottom of the well!

Without hesitation, he began digging through the debris, piling the stones to one side. Gradually, a complete female skeleton was revealed. The bones were shattered throughout; the thigh bone was broken into three pieces, the ribs had collapsed, and the most lethal injury was a large hole in the skull. On the stone wall beneath the finger bones were many erratic, deep claw marks. It appeared that she had not died instantly when thrown into the well; in her agonizing final moments, she had frantically clawed at the walls with her fingernails before being buried alive by the barrage of falling rocks.

Staring at the scene, Cui Yue felt a lingering sense of turmoil. He could vividly imagine the woman’s despair and utter hopelessness. She had gone from heaven to hell, suffering torture beyond measure. Deep in the ancient well, who was it that sighed? Let no one speak of the sorrows of the world, for they weigh too heavy to settle.

"Hey, you brat, have you found it yet?" Old Freak Huo’s voice boomed from the well mouth, echoing against the walls.

"Found it! Just a moment, I’ll tie the rope, and you pull it up!" Cui Yue shouted back.

Cui Yue took off his outer garment and carefully collected the remains of Wei Luoyang piece by piece, terrified of leaving anything behind. Suddenly, he noticed a dark, dull box pressed beneath the skeleton. He reached out and pulled it free, discovering it was an exquisite iron casket. It was pitch black, decorated with intricate patterns, and featured a unique, unfamiliar locking mechanism in the center.

Cui Yue frowned, weighing it in his hand. What could this be? He held his flashlight up to examine it more closely and noticed a line of small, engraved characters: *Look upon the Luo, where the waters flow deep and wide.* The inscription was signed with three characters: Pei Wending!

"This? This is Pei Wending's iron casket!" Cui Yue was puzzled. What was inside, and why keep it in an iron box? Perhaps it was a token of their love.

He suddenly recalled the strange key Pei Yusheng had been clutching tightly before he hanged himself. Could it be that one? With this thought, he frantically dove into his jacket pocket, rummaging around. "Phew! Thank goodness, it’s still here!" He let out a long breath, holding the rusty, peculiar key in his palm.

He carefully inserted the key into the lock and gave it a gentle turn. "Looks like it fits!" With a soft *click*, the spring in the hidden lock reset, and the box sprang open. Cui Yue stared at the casket, his heart in his throat, debating whether he should open it. Finally, he steeled himself and slowly lifted the lid, his entire body tense.

*Creak.* He squinted, fearing what he might find. But everything was as it should be.

Inside the casket lay a crystal-clear, warm white jade pendant. It was carved with a beast-mask pattern—a narrow-topped, wide-bottomed head of an unknown creature—executed with extraordinary skill; just a few strokes brought the image to vivid life. Alongside the pendant was a letter, but due to its extreme age and poor preservation, it crumbled into fine powder the moment Cui Yue’s finger touched it, leaving only a few illegible scraps.

As he stood there in a daze, Old Freak Huo’s booming voice returned from above. "Brat, are you done? If you don't come up now, I’m leaving!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Get the rope ready!"

Cui Yue hurriedly stuffed the iron casket and the jade pendant into his pockets and bundled the remaining bones in his jacket. Once prepared, he tied the hemp rope around his waist and gave it a few tugs to signal Old Freak Huo. "I'm coming up, pull!"

After a while, Old Freak Huo finally managed to haul Cui Yue out of the ancient well with great effort. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of the wounds on Cui Yue’s chest from the previous night—the deep punctures had already healed on their own, and his muscles and bones seemed stronger than before. Old Freak Huo stared at Cui Yue’s retreating back, his expression unreadable.

Beyond Yunshan Village, in a secluded spot, a new grave had been erected in a hollow near Chicken Peak Mountain, nestled among the sprawling ranges. Old Freak Huo wiped the sweat from his forehead and pointed to the mound, gasping for breath. "Five peaks encircle this spot; it avoids the malevolent spirits and holds the wind and gathers the breath. It is a prime burial site." He turned away, muttering to himself, "I’ve lived a long life, but this is the first time I’ve dug a grave for a female ghost!"

Cui Yue thought for a moment, then took out the iron casket and jade pendant, burying them in the mound before scattering a layer of yellow earth over them. A heavy, indefinable weight remained in his heart.

*Look upon the Luo, where the waters flow deep and wide.*

"Here, with the cliff as your canopy and the flowing water as your song, you may rest in peace and watch the clouds drift by. If one day you should find reincarnation, may you never again know such a life of sorrow."

Cui Yue spoke these words silently and bowed three times. Without the storm and the wind, how could one know the length of the road in the world of men?

In Shangwan Village, at dusk, in front of the mourning hall.

Tonight was the final night of the vigil for Xiaofeng’s father; the burial was scheduled for the third hour of the *hai* period tomorrow. Besides Dazhuang and a few others, Secretary Chen and Chen Sanwa were there, helping prepare the necessities for the funeral.

"Brother Chen, I really don't know how to thank you. If not for your hard work, we orphans and widows wouldn't know what to do." Xiaofeng’s mother held Secretary Chen’s hand, expressing her gratitude over and over.