I hastily jumped into the grave and felt around in the murky liquid for a long time, but to my surprise, apart from the body, I couldn't find the leg bones I needed.
Just when I was perplexed, a very strange sound came from above.
I raised my head sharply and saw a head full of black hair above me at some point. Those unusually large eyes were looking at me, and two long fangs were glinting in the midday sun.
A ghoul!
"Damn!" I shouted, stumbling and almost falling into the coffin.
I don't know where I got the courage, but I forcefully slapped the coffin hard on the face of the ghoul.
The coffin hit the ghoul's face hard, and it let out a piercing scream, and was directly knocked away by me. Seizing the opportunity, I scrambled out of the grave.
Glancing back at the ghoul writhing on the ground, I didn't care about the leg bones anymore, I picked up the coffin and ran towards the village.
As the wind rushed past my ears, the ghoul screeched and quickly flew towards me from behind. It was fast, far beyond my reach.
"Wow!" it screamed, leaping into the air and blocking my escape route.
I quickly stopped and put a halt at a distance of about two meters from it, holding the coffin in front of me tightly and staring at it.
Up close like this, I realized that the ghost fetus looked much like a human, except for some differences in its eyes and teeth, and a very strange nose that seemed to have no bridge, with two nostrils jutting out prominently on its face.
"Come here!" I shouted, knowing that it was born just yesterday and not that easy to kill me.
The ghost fetus turned around on the ground like a beast, making a 'wuwu' sound in its throat.
I squinted, ready to strike with all my might if it pounced on me.
After a tense standoff of about ten minutes, just as I was about to attack, the ghost suddenly made a strange cry, giving me a fierce look, then turned and ran into the grave.
Before I could react, I saw my grandfather running towards me, holding a hoe in his hand.
"Grandpa, I saw the ghost fetus just now!" I yelled, raising the coffin and then throwing it on the ground.
My grandfather, with a grim expression, looked around and asked if I had retrieved the last leg bone.
I gasped and said there was no leg bone in the coffin. My grandfather squinted at the direction the ghost fled and muttered that it had really become clever, knowing what we wanted to use to destroy it.
Realizing the ghost was formidable, I anxiously asked my grandfather what to do next. He, however, was not panicked, saying that the ghost was not yet strong enough to appear in front of him and that, in this situation, we could only dig up the ancestral grave of a wealthy household in the village.
Of course, only I could do this task, as my grandfather did not want anyone else to mock him. He even said that even if I had to amputate my leg to get rid of the ghost, he would not flinch.
Carrying a shovel, I followed my grandfather to the ancestral grave of another family. Along the way, I nervously looked around, fearing that the ghost might suddenly appear and attack me from behind.
I was relieved that the ghost did not dare to come near with my grandfather by my side.
Upon arriving at the ancestral grave, my grandfather pointed to the innermost tomb and instructed me to start. The grave was well maintained, and I quickly dug out the coffin.
After prying open the coffin, I found that the family had preserved the body quite well, as it was mummified, not completely decomposed like I had feared.
But dealing with a body that did not rot was too gruesome, especially removing the leg bone.
My grandfather was waiting above, and time was of the essence, so I raised the shovel, closed my eyes, and calmly chopped at the mummified leg.
The sound of the bones breaking was clear and distinct.
I quickly climbed out with the bloody leg and filled the grave without even putting the lid back on. Everything seemed seamless, and I carried the leg bone and followed my grandfather back home.
Upon our return, Du Xiaolan and my grandmother were anxiously waiting in the yard. After removing the flesh and blood from the leg bone in the orchard, I took it back.
My grandfather had everything ready and, after checking the sky, sat down on a stool and smoked his pipe, saying, "Mingyang, it's still early now. Go back and rest for a while. We'll go back and deal with that ghost fetus tonight."
I quickly stood up from the stool, asking, "Why don't we do it now? The yin energy is strong at night, and if it gains the upper hand, we'll be at a disadvantage!"
"You don't understand," my grandfather shook his head. "Although the yin energy is strong at night, the ghost fetus will definitely absorb it recklessly to become stronger. At that time, we can launch a surprise attack. Moreover, during the day, it's very alert and will avoid us as long as I'm in a place it can sense."
I nodded thoughtfully. It seemed that my grandfather's explanation was hard to refute.
After drinking a glass of cold water and taking a cold bath, I returned to the room and lay down on the brick bed.
Grandpa came back inside after nagging with grandma about something, he seemed to have no concern about the matter at all. He quickly fell asleep and started snoring while lying on the brick bed.
After staying up all night last night, I soon fell asleep on the brick bed.
I had a very comfortable sleep, and when I woke up, it was already past ten in the evening. Grandpa sat on the brick bed, leaning against the wall, looking at me and asked, "Mingyang, are you afraid?"
"Not afraid!" I propped myself up and shook my head firmly.
Grandpa nodded with relief, "Good. Tonight, I am only seventy percent confident that I can get rid of that ghost. If I fail, I will drag it. After you go back, take your grandma and leave here as soon as possible, and don’t hesitate for a moment."
"Grandpa..."
Before I could finish my sentence, Grandpa waved his hand to stop me from speaking and sighed, and then said softly, "Mingyang, don't say anything. I have self-awareness. I once calculated my fate, and there is a disaster in my fate. Without the help of a master, I cannot avoid it. And this ghost is obviously my disaster, but that master has not appeared until now."
Grandpa's words made me even more worried. This disaster is not a joke. Since I was little, I have heard many similar rumors, but very few people actually managed to pass through the disaster.