Chapter 127: The Custom of Walking Marriage

"Why is it called the Village of Women?" Hua Yuyan asked.

"The name speaks for itself," Coffin Li replied. "It is said that ever since the Qing Dynasty, there hasn't been a single man in that village. Young or old, every resident is female. Furthermore, the women of that village never marry outside, and naturally, no one from the outside dares to take one as a wife."

This was quite strange. Two questions immediately sprang to mind: first, if they were all women and never married out, how did they sustain their population? Second, why did outsiders fear marrying them?

I voiced these questions. Coffin Li smiled strangely and said, "That village has a custom of 'walking marriage.' Any young, strong outsider like yourself can stay the night in the village, and I'm sure you understand what that implies. Of course, it is precisely because of this that everyone in Cangmang Town knows that no matter how beautiful those women are, who would dare to marry one?"

I had never heard of such a custom. However, Coffin Li had just mentioned that those who died bizarrely had all lost their lives after staying overnight in the Village of Women. Did this mean their deaths were linked to their stay?

When I asked, Coffin Li replied that while such rumors circulated, there was no proof, as no one had actually died inside the village itself.

"Then what does this have to do with the Demon Clan?" I asked.

"The cause of those deaths mirrors the legends of how the Demon Clan kills," Coffin Li said, gesturing for us to drink our tea, though neither of us moved. "They use a malevolent aura to drain a person's life force. Those victims all appeared to have died from having their vitality sapped."

Realizing we wouldn't get any more leads, Hua Yuyan and I left the coffin shop. Since all the strange happenings in Cangmang Town seemed to stem from the Village of Women, I suspected that Taoist Li and Niu Dahuang were, in all likelihood, there as well.

Once we were out in the alley, Hua Yuyan remarked, "Lin Yi, I don't think that Coffin Li is a good person."

"You're right," I agreed. "He lured us there for no reason and told us all those things; it wasn't just to make friends."

After we left, inside the coffin shop, Coffin Li picked up the teacup he had used and poured the contents onto the ground. As the water hit the floor, a cluster of small black insects crawled out and scattered.

"Those two are quite vigilant," he muttered.

At that moment, another person emerged from the back room—it was Ma Zhenlei.

Ma Zhenlei gave a sinister smile. "They can dodge the first day, but not the fifteenth. With Brother Luo's layout, isn't this Lin Yi already in the palm of our hands?"

Coffin Li turned back, reached behind his ears, and peeled off a human-skin mask, revealing a different face. Dropping the mask into a nearby coffin, Luo Jinhong said, "Rest assured, Sect Leader Ma. I, Luo Jinhong, have never failed a task. This time, Lin Yi won't leave Cangmang Town alive!"

Ma Zhenlei walked over to a black coffin in the courtyard, tapped on it, and asked, "How does Brother Luo intend to handle these two?" As he spoke, he pushed open the lid. Inside lay Taoist Li and Niu Dahuang, motionless and deathly pale.

Luo Jinhong walked over. "No rush. They are still of use to me."

He pulled a bottle from his sleeve, uncorked it, and two blood-red centipedes crawled out. They slithered along the coffin and crawled into the nostrils of Taoist Li and Niu Dahuang.

After a fit of coughing, both men sat up. Luo Jinhong looked at them and commanded, "Come out!"

They stood up and stepped out of the coffin, their eyes vacant, heads bowed, waiting for further instructions. Ma Zhenlei watched with amazement.

"Brother Luo, these two are highly skilled in Taoist arts, especially the priest. Can your method really control them?" Ma Zhenlei asked deliberately.

Luo Jinhong sneered. "Sect Leader Ma, set your mind at ease. The puppet gu I create with blood centipedes is no ordinary thing. If they possess the skill to break my control, the poison of the centipedes will take their lives instead."

"Brother Luo is truly thoughtful. I am impressed!"

Ma Zhenlei looked at the discarded mask and asked, "Brother Luo, that is a fine item. Could you make a few more?"

"Of course. Whose appearance would you like?" Luo Jinhong replied.

Ma Zhenlei glanced at the two puppets. "Whoever Lin Yi is looking for in Cangmang Town, we shall become them. Wouldn't that make him impossible to guard against?"

Luo Jinhong grinned craftily.

***

Back on the streets of Cangmang Town, the restaurant owner, panting and drenched in sweat, finally caught up to us. I apologized and paid the bill. After a brief chat, I asked him about the Village of Women.

The owner seemed to have endless things to say about the place, but as soon as I asked about the bizarre deaths of those who had stayed there, he turned to leave, calling us bad luck. It was clear he knew something. Hua Yuyan stepped forward and, with a few quick moves, subdued him.

Terrified, the owner stammered, "W-what do you want?"

"Nothing much, just asking questions," Hua Yuyan said.

We repeated the questions we had asked Coffin Li, though his answers were largely the same. He even drew us a map to the village on a piece of paper.

We reached the vicinity of the village by midnight. It was a long journey.

The restaurant owner had warned us that the Village of Women was an ominous place. Men were generally fine; they could stay for a night and leave the next day. But if a woman went there, she would never be able to leave; she would become a member of the village forever.

It made me uneasy. When I asked why, the owner explained that the women of the village were masters of gu poison. They generally didn't target men because they allowed them to stay, but they wouldn't tolerate a man living there indefinitely. However, if a woman entered, they would use gu insects to control her and keep her in the village.

Although the village was dangerous, many men were curious enough to stay the night, which supposedly allowed the village to survive. But given the recent deaths of over a dozen people, I doubted anyone dared to go there now.

It was late. The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. The entire village was shrouded in darkness. I noticed an abundance of paulownia trees of all sizes, and even more clustered near the core of the village.

Paulownia trees... they reminded me of Weiyang, though this place clearly had no connection to that forest.

I had intended for Hua Yuyan to wait outside while I scouted the village, but she insisted she had to watch over me for Weiyang’s sake. It was an argument I couldn't refute.

We had just started to enter the village when, suddenly, a rustling sound erupted from the surrounding woods. A dozen women emerged, surrounding us. They were dressed in Miao attire and held short Miao blades that shimmered with a cold, ghostly light in the night.

Hua Yuyan scanned them and whispered to me, "Look, all young and beautiful. The rumors are true. Lin Yi, you’re in for a treat!"

I glared at her, having no appetite for such jokes.

"Who are you, and what is your intent, intruding upon the Female Dong Village at night?" one of the Miao women asked, her voice as icy as the blade in her hand.

So, it was called the Female Dong Village; "Village of Women" was just what outsiders called it.

Before I could speak, Hua Yuyan pointed at me and answered with a smile, "It’s him. He heard that men can stay the night in your village, so he’s curious and wants to stay for the night!"

"I... Yuyan, what are you saying?" I was speechless.

She winked at me.

Before I could utter a word, the Miao women all stared at me. I felt goosebumps rise on my skin, as if I were being put on display.

A moment later, the leader walked over, looked me up and down, and gave me a strange look.

"Very well. You lot, tie this man up and bring him into the village to the Flower Pavilion. As for this woman, tie her up as well—she is not to enter the village; take her to the Insect Room outside."