Chapter 2 The Fish Basket Village

Old Liu nodded as I nodded and continued, "Fish Basket Village is actually the Navy Camp! The ancestors of the villagers were all guards of the Navy Camp."

Old Liu pointed at the window and said, "Fish Basket Village is actually lower than the riverbank. Do you believe it?"

I couldn't help but frown. When I came, I did see the whole view of Fish Basket Village from a high place, but I didn't see that the terrain of Fish Basket Village was lower than the river surface. Moreover, this kind of thing is impossible.

It is common sense that water flows to low places. Fish Basket Village has not built any dikes from top to bottom. If Fish Basket Village is lower than the river surface, it should have been flooded long ago.

Old Liu smiled and said, "I knew you wouldn't believe it. Actually, I don't believe it either. But, that's what our Liu family ancestors said."

"At the beginning, there were seven warlocks in the Water Guard Camp. Don't look at the fact that there are only seven people in the Water Guard Camp, but it is a serious military camp. My Liu family ancestor was the ba zong (battalion commander) of the Water Guard."

"According to our ancestors, Fish Basket Village used to be a swamp! Later, I don't know how, the water suddenly receded and became dry land. After the Water Guard Camp qianzong (regimental commander) personally inspected it, he led the people from the Water Guard Camp to build barracks here and took root!"

"Later, the Qing Dynasty was over, and this place was no longer a barracks. However, the descendants of the seven Water Guard Camps were still there, and this place became Fish Basket Village."

Old Liu took up his wine glass and took a sip.

I also listened quietly to the other party, waiting for him to continue. There must be more stories in the Water Guard Camp.

According to the official ranks of the Qing Dynasty, the commander of a camp should be a qianzong (regimental commander), but Liu's ancestor was only a ba zong (battalion commander), which was one rank lower than the qianzong.

I'm sure the Liu family is not the protagonist of the story, at least not at the beginning.

Old Liu continued, "After the Water Guard Camp took root in Fish Basket Village, it gradually branched out and became a village. The seven families passed down the skills of guarding the water. If the seven families hadn't suddenly died overnight, we wouldn't be trapped in this village."

I raised my eyebrows. "You mean, the heads of the seven warlock families all died suddenly overnight?"

"Not only the heads of the families, but even the warlocks with some skills are gone." Old Liu took a sip of wine and said, "Our Liu family was able to pass down part of our skills because my old grandfather covered my great-grandfather with a quilt before he died, and he survived."

"My great-grandfather said that his father covered him with a quilt at the time, and then lay on the quilt himself, knocking him unconscious. When he woke up, the old grandfather was already dead. That's how my great-grandfather got his life back."

"That year, most of Fish Basket Village was having funerals!"

Old Liu sighed and said, "Since then, the people of Fish Basket Village have never been able to get out again. As long as they leave the village for more than ten days, they will definitely die outside. Dying a violent death, dying of illness, or even hanging themselves, in short, they will not die well!"

Old Liu said, "My old grandfather left too early and didn't pass on all his skills. From my great-grandfather's generation, my family became half-baked warlocks."

"It's funny to say that I, a half-baked warlock, ended up guarding the village."

I asked in a deep voice, "What are you guarding?"

"Watching that fish!" Old Liu said, "I'm telling you, I'm telling the truth about watching that fish. When that fish comes out, someone in the village will definitely die. My grandfather also said that if we destroy that fish, we can get out of the village."

I nodded slightly, "What's going on with the restrictions outside the village?"

"I don't know!" Old Liu shook his head and said, "I only know that those restrictions were left by our ancestors. They said it was to block ghosts. If a ghost enters the village, this village will be finished. The ghost won't leave until it kills all the warlocks in the village."

I asked again, "Have ghosts ever entered before?"

Old Liu said, "They came in twice. Once was when my old grandfather's generation of warlocks all died; and once was when I was a child. That time, my father was gone."

Old Liu said, "I kept trying to get you to leave because I didn't want you to die here, because you are also a warlock."

I frowned immediately, "Have foreign warlocks died in the village before?"

Old Liu said, "That's when my father died. At that time, my father discovered signs of ghosts entering the village, so he asked the people who came to the village to collect fish to invite a few experts from outside. As a result, my father and five experts were all gone."

Tears welled up in the corners of Old Liu's eyes. "My father is gone, and my son is gone. There is only me, an old man, left in the family. Sometimes, I think, just don't pass on apprentices. When I close my eyes, maybe the ghosts outside won't look for us anymore."

"But I'm still scared! I'm afraid, what if I'm wrong? If I die, who else in the village will have magic? If the ghosts come in and kill everyone they see, the villagers will have no way out."

After Old Liu finished speaking, he began to pour wine into his mouth. I turned the wine glass, "Do the villagers know about these things?"

Old Liu gave a bitter smile and said, "How can they not know? If no one knew, where would so many strong laborers in the village come from? Wouldn't they all go out to work?"

"But, the villagers will definitely not tell outsiders the truth."