11
In the days that followed, I had Hắc Đại and Hắc Nhị bring meals to Linh Linh, and occasionally went over myself to check on her.
Meanwhile,
the rumors of a ghost
spread throughout the village, bubbling like a pot about to boil over.
Today, after returning from Linh Linh’s place, I discovered
that the entrance to the dormitory was completely blocked by people
.
At the front of the crowd were none other than
the village chief
and Auntie Wang and Uncle Wang.
The village chief wore a mild expression:
“Teacher Xiao Yang, Linh Linh has been missing for several days. Someone said you
hid her
.”
Auntie Wang planted her hands on her hips, spittle flying as she spoke:
“Chief, stop being so polite to her!”
“Someone
saw it with their own eyes
—this woman’s been sneaking around for days. Linh Linh is closest to her, so if she didn’t hide the girl, who did?”
“Doesn’t everyone find it strange? It was only after she arrived that all these
bizarre things
started happening in the village.”
“I think she’s
the ghost who killed those two men
!”
My face paled a little:
“Auntie Wang, don’t make baseless accusations!”
“This is a modern society. I’m just an ordinary teacher.”
“Just look at me—I’m weak and frail. Do I look like I could take on two strong men?”
The village chief looked troubled:
“Teacher Xiao Yang, but you’ve been acting rather suspiciously these past few days… How do you explain that?”
Uncle Wang cut off the village chief, fixing me with a look that said
he wouldn’t rest until he dragged the truth out of me
:
“What’s there to explain? Chief, I say
we arrest her first and question her later
.”
“Before you know it, a few more people in the village might
vanish
.”
The people behind him all chimed in, their eyes fixed on me like beasts watching their prey.
The greed in their eyes was no longer even hidden.
Seeing the situation, I understood perfectly:
no matter what the truth was, they were determined to pin the blame on me.
If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a reason.
I laughed coldly to myself, but on the outside, my eyes began to well up as if I were about to cry:
“Chief, all right… I’ll tell everyone the truth.”
“My sneaking around these past few days
really… did have something to do with Linh Linh.
”
12
“But…
it’s not what you think.
”
“My late paternal grandmother was known in the village as
a living saint. I learned a little fortune-telling from her, too.”
“While Linh Linh has been missing, I’ve been
worried sick
, too. As a teacher, I know I shouldn’t believe in superstition. I’ve always said there are no ghosts because I was afraid of frightening everyone.”
“But the longer we delay, the more dangerous it gets. For Linh Linh’s safety, I
had no other choice
.”
“These past few days, I’ve been searching for her
by following the direction indicated by my divinations
.”
I spoke with conviction and poise, my eyes full of sincerity.
A science teacher suddenly turning to mysticism left the villagers bewildered, unsure whether to believe me.
Seeing that they still weren’t quite convinced, I added:
“Zhang Wu, your face looks dark. Be careful—you’re about to
suffer a bloody mishap
.”
“Qian Chunmei, take another look at the soles of your husband’s shoes.
Is he hiding money there?
”
“Xiao Yu, your elderly mother
just fell in the courtyard
and still hasn’t gotten up. Are you sure you don’t need to hurry home and check on her?”
Before I’d even finished speaking, a stone
fell from the floor above
and
hit Zhang Wu right on the head
, blood streaming down his face.
Qian Chunmei flipped over her husband’s shoe sole, and sure enough,
found the money he’d hidden
. She grabbed his ear and gave him a thorough scolding.
Seeing that, Xiao Yu’s face changed. He tossed aside the stick in his hand and
ran home for his life
.
I smiled serenely, radiating the air of
a mysterious master
.
Hắc Đại had thrown the stone, he had hidden the money, and Hắc Nhị had seen Xiao Yu’s mother fall.
In an instant, everyone’s gaze toward me
changed completely
.
I turned to the village chief:
“Chief, congratulations. Your ancestors buried a
box full of gold ingots
in your courtyard. Try digging it up when you get home tonight.”
The village chief’s face lit up at that.
He cleared his throat:
“Everyone, you can go now. We’ve all seen Teacher Xiao Yang’s powers for ourselves.
She’s innocent
.”
Everyone gave up on arresting me and instead started fawning over me, eager to get on my good side.
Auntie Wang pursed her lips and timidly stepped closer:
“Then… Teacher Xiao Yang, can you
divine where Linh Linh is?
”
I shook my head slightly:
“I’m sorry, Auntie Wang. My latest reading says… she’s in the
southeast
.
She’s probably gone down the mountain.
”
13
With
reluctance
, Auntie Wang and the other villagers
slowly made their way back
.
After everyone had left, I took out a few sheets of paper and started doing a little “craftwork.”
I molded the paper into gold ingots, then
cast an illusion over them
—and they turned into
real gold ingots
.
Hắc Đại and Hắc Nhị carried the pile of gold and quietly
hid it in the village chief’s courtyard
.
That very night, the village chief’s household was abuzz with
astonishing good news
.
Before a crowd of onlookers, glittering gold ingots were dug up,
shining so brightly they nearly blinded the villagers
.
Quite a few people with
greedy intentions
were green with envy. Fortunately, the village chief’s household had plenty of strong men,
so bloodshed was avoided
.
Overnight, I
became famous throughout the village
.
No one dared treat me like an ordinary woman anymore. The village chief’s family even
treated me like an honored guest
.
My influence in the village rose
like a rapidly swelling tide
.
“
Teacher Xiao Yang
, can you tell me whether the baby I’m carrying is a boy or a girl?”
Uncle Wang and Auntie Wang
looked at me with hopeful eyes.
I cast a divination, studied the reading, and smiled:
“Congratulations, Auntie Wang.
It’s another girl this time.
”
Uncle Wang’s expression changed at once. He raised his leg and kicked Auntie Wang, knocking her to the ground.
“You unlucky woman!
You can’t even give birth to one son!”
“I paid sixty-eight thousand to buy you. You’ll have ten children before I let you leave!
”
Auntie Wang’s face went pale. She glanced at me.
Her meaning was crystal clear—she wanted me to
speak up for her
.
I turned my face away at once,
pretending I hadn’t heard or seen a thing.
I even kind of wanted to…
hum a tune
.
Let the wicked… teach one another a lesson.
The couple
retreated in disgrace, utterly humiliated
.
I opened the cabinet and took out a skeleton, gently fitting the bones together one by one.
It was Chi Hạ’s skeleton.
For the past few days, I’d sent Hắc Đại and Hắc Nhị out every night to search for her bones.
Her bones had been brutally chopped apart and scattered everywhere.
Now… at last, I’d nearly put them all back together.
It was time… to make my move.
14
At a thought, all the little paper figures on the table rose to their feet.
Eerie laughter rang out through the room.
I raised my hand, and one by one, the little paper figures leaped onto my fingertips and crawled up my arm, step by step.
They perched on my shoulders and head.
The flame inside the Eternal Soul Lantern flickered faintly. Two souls wailed mournfully within it.
It seemed the soul veins of those two human traffickers still hadn’t been fully refined.
I sighed softly. There were still far too few I could use.
But it was all right. After tonight, there would be a few more new friends in the Eternal Soul Lantern.
With Hắc Đại, Hắc Nhị, and the swarm of little paper figures, I stood atop the mountain, silently looking down at the houses below, each steeped in sin.
“Go.”
At my command, Hắc Đại and Hắc Nhị bowed, each taking a few little paper figures and quietly sending them into the houses, one by one.
Through the eyes of the little paper figures, I watched as I drained the blood from one house after another, leaving only dried corpses behind.
Tonight… was harvest night.
The next morning, before dawn had fully broken, the village chief hurried to my dormitory with a crowd of people in tow.
The moment he stepped through the door, the village chief froze.
“Teacher Xiao Yang… It’s only been one night… How do you look even more beautiful?”
I smiled gently.
“It’s all thanks to the good feng shui in our village. A place blessed with fine mountains and rivers nurtures its people.”
“But putting that aside… you’ve brought so many people with you, Chief. Is there something you need to discuss?”
When it came to the matter at hand, the village chief immediately grew serious, a tremor in his voice.
“Teacher Xiao Yang… no, Immortal Yang… please… save everyone. Save our village!”
“She… she’s come back for revenge!”
15
I put on a puzzled expression.
“Chief, don’t rush. Just take your time and explain what happened. Then I’ll know whether I can help.”
The village chief hesitated for a moment, glancing at the people behind him. Then he gritted his teeth and slowly began.
“Here’s what happened… You probably know the teacher who used to teach in our village, Miss Lam.”
“The truth is… she didn’t run away. She died in our village…”
Then the village chief began telling me about Miss Lam’s death.
Of course, it was a whitewashed version.
Murderers never admit they’ve killed anyone. In their telling, Miss Lam’s death was a “coincidence,” a “mistake,” an “accident.”
But that was all right. By skillfully guiding the conversation and observing their reactions, I’d pieced together the whole truth.
Half a year ago, Chi Hạ had come to this poor, remote village, full of passion and dreams of helping others.
At first, the villagers had seemed very friendly to her.
That made the naïve Chi Hạ let her guard down even more.
But before long, one family set its sights on her and wanted to take her as a wife.
Ironically, it was Da Liu’s family.
They were the ones who had kidnapped Chi Hạ, and now they wanted to kidnap me, too.
Da Liu’s mother lured Chi Hạ to their house and locked her in a dark cellar, intending to make her bear a child for her disturbed son.
Unfortunately, too many people lusted after Chi Hạ. As soon as they realized she was missing, the others made their move.
Uncle Wang led a group of people to Da Liu’s house and, under the guise of “justice,” forced them to hand Chi Hạ over.
After finally getting their hands on such a “prize,” Da Liu’s mother was naturally unwilling to give her up.
After many discussions, several families in the village reached a cruel decision: Chi Hạ would bear children for each family in turn.
Seven days a week—she wasn’t allowed a single day off.
After months of brutal torture, Chi Hạ was on the verge of a mental collapse.
Locked in a cramped cellar, she was raped and abused every day by the men who took turns with her.
The cellar walls were covered in the desperate scratches she’d carved into them.
Just like the marks I’d left inside my coffin back then.
Finally, one day, she found a chance to escape.
Sadly… she hadn’t gone far before they caught her.
What awaited her was an even more savage beating.
One of them hit her too hard and accidentally beat her to death.
The others panicked and rushed to the village chief for help.
The village chief hesitated for a long time, then finally decided to use a secret ancestral technique to dismember Chi Hạ and bury her in several different places.
They say… doing that would keep her from becoming a vengeful ghost.