The people chatting were local helpers.
In feudal times, wealthy households had two types of servants: one type were maids and servants who had sold themselves to the master, and the other were hired helpers.
Those who had sold themselves were essentially slaves; their life and death were decided by the master. They received no wages, and their marriages and funerals were not their own to decide.
It sounds tragic, but in reality, if they encountered a kind master, they would at least not starve. They would also receive some gifts during festivals, and in times of famine, their lives would be much better than ordinary people's.
Of course, there was a threshold for selling oneself into slavery—one had to be good-looking.
Wealthy families would even say, "So many people want to kneel, but they don't even have the connections!"
Like the few people chatting, these were helpers hired by wealthy families when they were short-staffed, doing tasks like sweeping, cleaning, and repairs. It was a clear transaction, essentially short-term labor.
Most of the gossip and rumors about wealthy families originated from people like these.
Because those who had sold themselves lived and ate at the master's house, and their life and death were decided by the master.
If they were caught gossiping, their lives might be in danger.
However, helpers, who moved between various wealthy households, would gather for a small chat before returning home after finishing their work. After a few drinks, the gossip would naturally spread.
At this point, these few people had already had three rounds of drinks, their faces flushed, their hearts warm, and they were a bit muddled.
Seeing Li Miao approach with wine, and recognizing from the wine pot that it was good wine they usually couldn't afford, they naturally didn't refuse.
They quickly made a spot for Li Miao, and one after another, they recounted the story of the "haunting."
This Wu Yuanwai was a famous wealthy man in Pingshan Garrison, owning thousands of acres of fertile land, and his mansion was resplendent.
The process by which Wu Yuanwai's ancestors accumulated their wealth was, in fact, extremely brutal.
The primitive accumulation of capital is bloody, and in feudal times, it was especially stark.
Thousands of acres of fertile land certainly didn't fall from the sky; they were often acquired through cunning and plunder.
The splendor of the mansion also wasn't something inherited from birth; every bit was stripped from people.
Fortunately, Wu Yuanwai's ancestors were intelligent people who knew that the key to passing down wealth was not to accumulate more wealth, but to make everyone believe that "you deserve to have so much money."
So, he began to befriend officials and powerful figures to gain some backing.
Below, he also began to curb his habits and accumulate good deeds, offering porridge during major famines. If a tenant was a few days late on rent, he would have his subordinates visit and say things like, "Even the landlord's family doesn't have surplus grain," and proactively grant an extension.
This continued for two or three generations, and by Wu Yuanwai's generation, his reputation in Pingshan Garrison became, "No wonder he's rich."
Wu Yuanwai himself wasn't very intelligent; he wasn't good at studying, so he honestly lived as a wealthy old man in Pingshan Garrison, and his life was quite comfortable.
But starting a month ago, Wu Yuanwai's life began to become difficult.
It started with the guards in the mansion; when they patrolled at night, they always felt a chill and a sense of dread, but couldn't find a reason.
Later, the flowers and plants in the mansion also began to wilt.
A few more days passed, and when the servants cleaned the courtyard, they always found animal carcasses in some nooks and crannies.
At first, they were snakes, insects, rats, and ants, then birds, and later, wild cats.
One should know that it was already late autumn, and the weather was getting colder, so ordinary carcasses would usually take two or three days to start decomposing.
These carcasses, however, looked as if they had been dead for some time, already infested with maggots, rotting and stinking.
Initially, the servants thought that perhaps some wild cats had dragged the carcasses in and not finished eating them, or that some mischievous children had thrown them over the courtyard wall, so they didn't pay much attention.
But after cleaning one batch, another batch died the next day, and the carcasses became more and more numerous, making the formerly serene courtyard reek.
After more than ten days of this, Wu Yuanwai finally couldn't stand it anymore, so he had the guards stand watch in the courtyard at night to see what was going on.
And that's when trouble started.
According to the night watchmen, that night was exceptionally cold, and the moon was obscured by clouds.
The entire courtyard was lit only by lanterns; a group of people were scattered throughout the courtyard, barely able to make out each other's figures, and couldn't even clearly see the faces of those opposite them.
Standing in the courtyard, smelling the faint stench of decay, everyone felt a chill.
Just as they were trying to stay awake until the fourth watch, thinking the night would pass like this...
Meow~~
In the silence, a cat's meow was heard.
A large, pure white cat walked over from the courtyard wall, its two eyes emerald green, like two points of ghostly fire floating in the air.
The large cat's movements were stiff, completely unlike the agility of an ordinary wild cat; instead, it limped, almost like a corpse that had just learned to walk.
A guard, holding a lantern, bravely went to look, but then screamed "Mama ya!" and fell to the ground in fright.
The large cat's flesh was decayed, and it was emaciated; a piece of flesh had fallen off its face, revealing its pale teeth.
Its abdomen was empty, its dry intestines dragged along the ground, and its ribs protruded unevenly from its chest.
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That large cat was clearly a corpse!
Its eyes were staring fixedly at that guard!
Upon hearing this, Li Miao, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally, glanced at Xiao Si who was whispering to Wang Hai, then turned and poured a cup of wine for the speaker.
"And then?"
The person drank the wine, lowered his voice, and continued to speak.
The guard screamed and fell to the ground, and the remaining people rushed over to help him.
People in this era were generally superstitious; at most, they had heard a few ghost stories from their elders, so they had never seen such a scene.
As a result, they were all frozen in place by the large cat, not daring to move.
The large cat stopped when it saw people, its two green eyes staring unblinkingly at them.
On its half-fleshless face, a stiff, human-like smile clearly appeared!
Meow—!!!
With a hiss, it pounced towards the group of people!
Among the guards, there was an older man who had been a wanderer in his youth, experienced and brave. He used the long pole in his hand to block it in mid-air.
Crack.
There was a crisp sound, and the cat's corpse was split into two.
The upper and lower halves of the large cat fell to the ground, still struggling, trying to crawl towards the people.
Everyone was pale with fright, and the timid ones even vomited on the spot.
It was the old guard who called for dry grass and lamp oil and burned the corpse.
The group waited until dawn to report to Wu Yuanwai. Wu Yuanwai initially didn't believe them, but the group all swore that they had seen it clearly, so he no longer doubted them.
He publicly rewarded the old guard twenty taels of silver, gave him a few days off, and told him to rest at home for a while.
But after a few days, the old guard didn't return, no matter how long they waited.
When Wu Yuanwai sent people to check on the old guard's home, they found that the old guard had already died at home, and his entire body was too rotten to be recognizable.
The flesh on his face, just like that of the large cat, was half missing.
