Linbiangui Village-Infinite Streaming Chapter 9
byCrocodile Turtle Soul Suppression 1
“Don’t rush yet.” Wu Zeng stopped Chen Jin’s hand from opening the door. “Think clearly, what are you going to do once you’re outside?”
“Go back up the mountain…” Chen Jin stopped mid-sentence.
The pus-filled corpse from before had vanished, replaced by Sister A Ping, similarly festering. This meant that the mountain village world likely differed with every refresh, and different decisions made at every point in time could generate a completely new world.
So, was there any point in rushing up the mountain again this time?
Moreover, according to Sister A Ping, as long as this world remained unbroken, everyone caught within it would infinitely cycle through the fate of a tragic death. Therefore, the immediate priority was to avoid conflict with the villagers, investigate everything as soon as possible, and break the strange occurrence of this cannibalistic village…
But could Sister A Ping’s words truly be trusted? Chen Jin didn’t know what in this world was still real.
“Go back to the village.” Chen Jin’s face was expressionless as he slowly uttered three words.
“Let’s go.”
Stepping out the door, the two appeared at the boundary between the deep mountains and the pig slaughterhouse grounds. This time, it was earlier, just past eleven-thirty.
The two had intended to go into the slaughterhouse to inquire further, especially since the green-clad, masked figure they had just seen was highly bizarre. If they could investigate it now, their progress would surely advance significantly. However, they were disappointed.
The road leading into the slaughterhouse grounds was blocked. The open road surface was tightly sealed by dozens of sandbags, and two uncles sat by the roadside guarding it. One sentence blocked Chen Jin and Wu Zeng’s path forward: “We’re preparing the venue today; we open tomorrow.”
Descending the mountain, the area around the Reservoir felt spacious after the crowds had dispersed. The water surface remained a murky black.
Wu Zeng tossed a stone into the water. With a splash, the dense schools of fish scattered, revealing the originally emerald water beneath. The dark surface had been the stationary fish schools. “The fish density is too high. There’s not enough oxygen or food. Logically, their survival state shouldn’t be this good.”
“Reservoir fish in the countryside are usually fed by dedicated personnel, so food isn’t an issue. However, high density means more excretion, which is bad for water quality. Logically, this water should have started smelling bad long ago, but there’s hardly any odor now.” Chen Jin looked around. Aside from the smell of mud and water, the Reservoir was so clean that there was almost no fishy smell.
“Unless someone is regularly changing the water and the fish.” Wu Zeng jumped down from the concrete dam, landing in the muddy ground by the Reservoir edge. “That cost would be far too high.”
“Be careful.” The ground near the shore was soft and wet, not only slippery but also prone to inexperienced people mistaking floating debris clogged with silt for solid ground, leading them to fall into the water and suffer the consequences.
Chen Jin said this purely out of instinct. He genuinely didn’t want to see anyone else get hurt in front of him.
Logic told him he shouldn’t show his emotions so clearly, but the words were out, and there was no turning back, so Chen Jin merely pursed his lips.
“Worried about me that much?” Wu Zeng smiled slightly, nodding toward the shore to reassure Chen Jin. He squatted down and casually scooped into the water. A large, fat black fish was immediately flung onto the bank. The big fish was full of sharp teeth and thrashed continuously on the ground.
The area around Mengle Village primarily farmed tilapia, followed by the Wo fish. The Wo fish is a freshwater predator, a purely carnivorous fish, entirely black with flowing tail fins. Its meat is tough and bony, and it is generally used as an ornamental fish.
The fish struggled violently. Wu Zeng took a stick and shoved it into its mouth. Instantly, the tip of the wooden stick shattered into splinters. “Very strong bite force. No wonder it could crush that crocodile turtle shell.”
“This fish is a carnivorous ornamental fish, uncommon in the south. It’s mainly raised by people in the north. I wonder what purpose raising this kind of fish serves in Mengle Village? I doubt they sell it to northerners, though, since I can’t find any external sales channels online.” Chen Jin shook his phone.
Wu Zeng kicked the fish back into the water. When he tried to climb up, he found it wasn’t as easy as coming down. He looked up and smiled, asking Chen Jin for help, “Give me a hand, will you?”
Chen Jin hesitated for a moment, but finally bent down and reached out. Wu Zeng immediately latched onto him, gripping Chen Jin’s forearm tightly, their arms pressed completely together.
Chen Jin frowned but said nothing. He pulled back hard, and Wu Zeng used the leverage to climb up.
“Why are you frowning so much at such a young age?” Wu Zeng tilted his head, smiling as he looked at him, teasing, “Do you have that many things to worry about?”
Chen Jin pulled his arm free and turned away.
“Here.” Passing the patch of barren land, Chen Jin signaled Wu Zeng to stop.
“Fishy smell.” Just standing here, the stench aggressively assaulted their nostrils.
Wu Zeng looked at the bare patch of land. “Untreated dead fish are highly nutritious. If buried directly, they will literally burn the tree roots to death. Maybe dead fish were buried underneath, which is why it smells so bad.”
“However, villages usually build drainage ditches by the Reservoir to irrigate surrounding fields. Poor drainage can also easily cause a foul odor.” Chen Jin pointed to the back and side, where there was indeed a ditch. “Why don’t we just dig it up and see?”
It sounded easy, but without a hoe, digging up this small patch of ground with only their hands would be a huge ordeal.
“Don’t rush. It’s broad daylight. We’ll come back tonight.” Wu Zeng looked up and saw an old man walking toward them from a distance.
The old man was shirtless, hunched over, carrying two buckets on a shoulder pole, tightly covered with lids. At first glance, the old man looked as if he would be crushed by the heavy load, but he walked with steady, powerful steps.
“Grandpa! Do you need help?” Wu Zeng said, circling behind the old man. A wave of fishy stench hit them, far surpassing that of the barren land.
Wu Zeng raised an eyebrow at Chen Jin. Chen Jin immediately understood: he wanted him to talk to the old man and distract him.
This sudden, unprompted synergy felt incredible.
“Grandpa, where are you going? We can help you.” Chen Jin stepped in front of the old man, blocking his path.
The old man slowly raised his head, his face deeply furrowed. Seeing two young outsiders, his expression darkened. “Get out of the way, don’t cause trouble!” (In local dialect: 一邊些克，麽來亂!)
Wu Zeng took the opportunity to quietly reach out and open the back bucket. Chen Jin glanced over, and the contents of the bucket came into full view—it was minced meat, chopped into tiny pieces, but the raw material was clearly crocodile turtle, as some small, unchopped claws were sticking out of the meat, gazing up at the sky.
Wu Zeng quickly put the lid back on, his movements light enough not to attract the old man’s attention.
Chen Jin awkwardly stepped aside, clearing the path for the old man.
The old man rolled his eyes at the two of them and walked straight ahead.
It wasn’t until he reached the shore where the crocodile turtles were released this morning that the old man put down the pole and buckets. He opened the lid, scooped out a large spoonful of minced meat, and tossed it into the Reservoir. The Wo fish surged up again in a dark mass, making the entire water surface look like it was boiling.
“Logically, the price of crocodile turtle isn’t low. Why bother using it to feed these fish?” Wu Zeng checked the market price of crocodile turtle, which was significantly higher than the Wo fish.
The crocodile turtle is one of the largest freshwater turtles in the world. Due to its strange appearance, it is often mistaken for a mutated lizard in the wild. Some remote areas near the border believe it to be the reincarnation of Fu Xi and Bi Xi, used for soul suppression and warding off evil. It is often kept in local temples where people pray and worship. Under normal circumstances, it can live for a very long time. Furthermore, there are rumors in the border regions that the crocodile turtles raised in temples, having received the sincerity of people’s prayers, will yield orange ash upon cremation after death. This ash is said to have a fragrant smell and possess the effects of prolonging life, warding off evil, and dispelling enchantments. Some herbal merchants offer a recycling price for crocodile turtle corpse ash of up to 3,000 yuan per hundred grams, making it far more valuable than gold.
Chen Jin pulled out the research materials he had gathered. Since the crocodile turtle was so valuable and even used for blessing and warding off evil, using it to feed fish made even less sense.
“That’s strange. Then there’s a lot to investigate here, especially since the people in this village don’t look like they’re rolling in money.” Wu Zeng raised an eyebrow.
“The crocodile turtle is not native to the border region. It was introduced from neighboring countries around 1970-something. The belief that the crocodile turtle wards off evil was also transmitted from Mian Jing at that time, along with the establishment of crocodile turtle farming in the border area…” Chen Jin suddenly paused. He quickly opened his phone and searched.
Sure enough, the Mian Jing region has historically practiced the custom of erecting turtle shell tombs, where naturally deceased crocodile turtle shells are sealed and erected on walls to serve as tombs, worshipped annually to suppress evil spirits and pray for peace.
“We came out of the Coiled Turtle Tomb entrance and immediately returned to the bathhouse, indicating that the outside is no longer Mengle Village territory. According to the map, it should be Mian Jing territory.” Chen Jin continued, looking at the map. “A group of foreigners built their soul suppression tomb on Mengle Village land, border drug trafficking, and the tragic deaths of human mules. This might be what they fear.”
“At least three-tenths of Sister A Ping’s words are true now.” Wu Zeng looked directly at Chen Jin, his eyes bright and clear, reaching deep inside.
And what about you? Are you real? Chen Jin lowered his head, avoiding Wu Zeng’s gaze.
“The belief you just mentioned about the crocodile turtle warding off evil isn’t working in Mengle Village, after all. The villagers don’t treat the crocodile turtle as a god; it’s being cyber-sacrificed and chopped up to feed the fish. The crocodile turtle’s status has plummeted. Should they start believing in the Wo fish for blessings, considering how well they’re being fed and cared for?” Wu Zeng didn’t mind, continuing the conversation based on Chen Jin’s previous statement.
“The villagers still fear the crocodile turtle, as they don’t dare to trespass into the Coiled Turtle Tomb rashly.” Chen Jin shook his head and continued, “Religious customs often undergo localized modifications when transmitted to new places. To figure out what the crocodile turtle represents in the village, we still need to go into the streets and talk to people.” Chen Jin finally had a legitimate opportunity to conduct his research, though his current state of mind and reasons were completely different.
“Student Chen Jin, do you think the locals eat crocodile turtle?” Wu Zeng suddenly asked as they walked.
Chen Jin thought back. “They shouldn’t. Before I entered the village, I ate in town, and the two truck drivers at the table behind me were chatting. They said their turtles usually end up in the mouths of Yue Dong people.”
“Yue Dong, huh.” Wu Zeng looked thoughtful. They hadn’t even had time for breakfast this morning, rushing to catch the Jitu Fen sacrifice.