Chapter 153: The Ancestral Hall

Rest assured, I don't need you to take responsibility!

During the few days Yin Cheng spent searching for Xiaoxiao, he had wandered through the entire Mazhuang Village, including the forbidden ancestral hall, which he had managed to sneak into as well.

He told me he had climbed in secretly, but before he could look around for long, someone discovered him and beat him out.

"Seriously, I really doubt Mazhuang Village is anything normal. Have you ever seen guards inside an ancestral hall?"

I shook my head, though I did know a thing or two about ancestral hall culture.

In the past, my grandfather had taken on a few matters regarding ancestral sacrifices, so I understood the importance of an ancestral hall to a family or a village much better than the average person.

Some people believed that for descendants to enjoy smooth and prosperous lives, the founding ancestors had to live comfortably, which is why many put a lot of effort into their ancestral halls.

"We've arrived, right ahead!"

Following the direction of Yin Cheng's finger, a courtyard situated in a lowland came into view.

I reached out to scratch my head and gave Yin Cheng a thumbs-up: "You certainly know how to find things. This place is at least a dozen kilometers away from Mazhuang Village, and you actually managed to track it down."

"Three kilometers, I searched for it bit by bit."

I still admired this fellow quite a bit: "Alright, you don't need to follow me any further. If you don't want to go back, you can just wait for me here."

Yin Cheng shook his head and asked, "Can't you just let me come with you? I won't mess things up for you!"

I knew that even if he agreed now, he would surely follow me secretly in a moment.

Instead of letting Yin Cheng become a variable, it was better to keep him by my side.

"You can come, but you must not act impulsively, and definitely don't take out any knives. I'm just going to the ancestral hall to see what's happening, the people inside aren't necessarily bad!"

"Okay!" Yin Cheng's eyes rolled as he said, "If they are bad people, you just say you're ready to eat meat, and I'll know!"

What kind of secret code was that? Shaking my head, I led Yin Cheng toward the ancestral hall of Mazhuang Village.

At the entrance of the Mazhuang ancestral hall, three Mercedes-Benz cars were parked. Inside the hall, gongs and drums shook the air, periodically accompanied by sounds of crying.

"What is this smell, so pungent."

I glanced at Yin Cheng and said, "The smell of paper money, a lot of paper money."

I narrowed my eyes and looked at the tightly closed gates of the Mazhuang Village ancestral hall, continuing, "It seems something major has happened in Mazhuang Village."

I pushed the door open. The moment the heavy doors swung wide, everyone's gaze inside locked onto me.

I remember the last time I was the center of attention like this was when I got into a fight at school and was dragged onto the podium on the playground to be criticized by the principal.

Anyway, I really didn't like this feeling.

"Mazhuang Village is sealed off. This is no place for outsiders, get lost right now!"

Before I could even speak, a middle-aged man wearing mourning clothes shoved me toward the doorway.

Just as he tried to slam the door shut, I pressed my hand against it. The man exerted all his strength, only to find that he couldn't budge the door even an inch.

He looked at me in astonishment. I grinned and smiled at him: "If I leave, even more people in your Mazhuang Village are going to die."

With a burst of strength from me, the middle-aged man staggered back a few steps. After steadying himself, he was too shocked to speak.

I led Yin Cheng into the ancestral hall of Mazhuang Village, ignoring the various looks the others were casting at us.

My eyes swept across them continuously.

Having dealt with the Cicada Society for so long, I had gradually discovered a pattern.

To identify members of the Cicada Society, it wasn't just about the steel pins embedded in their browbones.

They also carried a very strong, heavy stench of corpses.

In this moderately sized ancestral hall, it seemed nearly everyone from Mazhuang Village had gathered.

Unfortunately, I didn't sense anything unusual about any of them.

In other words, these people were all normal human beings.

"Who are you, breaking into the ancestral hall of Mazhuang Village!"

The speaker was a man in his fifties wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

Judging by the respectful attitude of the people around him, I was certain he was the master of Mazhuang Village.

I glanced at him and said, "The fact that I've come now means there is still room for maneuver. If someone else had come instead, there probably wouldn't be any room for negotiation left."

"You..."

The middle-aged man hadn't expected me to speak with such nerve.

Just as he wanted to say something, I cut him off directly: "I heard something happened here, so I just came to see if you need any help. If you don't need it, I actually have a favor to ask. I want to find Lin Feng. Does anyone here know her?"

"Lin Feng?"

When I mentioned this name, the middle-aged man's expression shifted drastically in an instant.

"Of course there is something! Mister, judging by your expression, you do know her, right? Then spit it out, where is she now?"

"I don't know where that person is! If I find her, I'll personally drag her to the police station myself!"

I was somewhat surprised that he could say such words.

"As for the two of you, what is your purpose in looking for Lin Feng? If you don't make it clear, I'm afraid neither of you will be walking out of this door!"

With a wave of the man's hand, someone immediately bolted the ancestral hall's heavy doors shut!