16
After hearing the village chief’s story, I smiled and assured him I would do everything I could to help them.
Only then did everyone leave, reassured.
That night, the village chief had a strange dream.
In the dream, an old Daoist with a beard as white as snow appeared before him.
The old man sneered, mocking them for mistaking a murderous vengeful ghost for an immortal, and warned that the day of their deaths… was fast approaching.
The village chief panicked and immediately prostrated himself before the “Immortal,” begging him desperately to show them the way.
The old Daoist stroked his white beard, his expression inscrutable, and spoke slowly:
“That ghost comes from a mixed-up background, and her foundations are still weak.”
“All you have to do is get one of her hairs and burn it with a peach branch, cinnabar, and realgar. Then recite the Diamond Sutra forty-nine times. That will dispel her resentment and keep her from harming anyone else.”
The village chief nodded vigorously and was about to ask something else when the old Daoist waved his sleeve:
“Heaven’s secrets must not be revealed too freely. You’ll have to handle the rest yourselves.”
“You must exorcise the ghost quickly. Any later… and it’ll be too late.”
With that, the old man’s figure gradually faded away into the white mist.
The village chief woke with a start. It was still pitch-black outside.
He sat bolt upright and chain-smoked one water pipe after another before finally making up his mind.
“Woman, go fetch that Da Liu fellow and a few others. There’s something important I need to discuss with them.”
17
I sat by the window, my eyes black as ink, quietly watching the village chief’s house.
That damned man who called himself my husband had already been swallowed whole by me, yet he still wouldn’t stay dead.
Somehow, he’d managed to split off a wisp of his soul and escape the Eternal Soul Lantern.
Then he’d pretended to be an immortal and appeared in the village chief’s dream, plotting to deal with me.
What a pity… I’d meant to save a few of them for later.
But never mind.
This time, I wouldn’t use a paper doll. I’d go to the village chief’s house myself.
At that moment, the village chief, Da Liu, Uncle Wang, and several others were gathered together, discussing how to deal with me.
Their faces were full of fear and disbelief.
“Village chief… is what you said true? Is Teacher Xiao Yang really one of those things?”
The village chief took a deep puff of his water pipe, his face dark and sinister:
“Even a dead dog needs treating like a living person. For now, we’ll do what the dream said.”
“If the dream was a lie, that little Xiao Yang still can’t be allowed to live. Then… we’ll take care of her the old way.”
They all nodded and began figuring out how to get a lock of my hair.
I chuckled softly, my icy laugh echoing through the room.
“No need to discuss it any longer. I’ve brought it to you myself.”
Their faces instantly went deathly pale. They huddled together, glancing around in panic.
Countless strands of hair dangled from the ceiling, each like a noose, slowly tightening around everyone’s neck.
“Well? Is this enough hair? If it isn’t, there’s more.”
As soon as I finished speaking, even more strands began worming into their mouths, ears, and nostrils.
The village chief most of all.
The hair burrowed deep into his brain, coiling and twisting wildly.
I gently closed my eyes and silently followed the flow of energy, searching for the wisp of soul my ex-husband had escaped with.
Found you.
The next instant, I crushed the wisp of soul and swallowed it whole.
At the same moment, the village chief’s whole body shriveled, leaving him a desiccated corpse.
That night, seven wicked men in the village chief’s house died sudden, unnatural deaths. Uncle Wang was the only one spared.
18
Satisfied, I went back to my room.
I hadn’t been asleep for long when a knock at the door woke me again.
As soon as I opened the door, the village chief’s son dropped to his knees in front of me, his face even paler than mine.
“Teacher Xiao Yang! Teacher Xiao Yang, please save us!”
“My father and the others… they were all killed by a vengeful ghost last night!”
I helped him up and was about to offer a few words of comfort when Uncle Wang rushed over, eyes bloodshot and looking deranged:
“Don’t trust her anymore! She’s the evil spirit! We’ve all been fooled by her!”
“I saw her drain the village chief and the others dry with my own eyes last night! She turned them into mummies!”
The village chief’s son froze, instinctively taking a step back.
I remained impassive, my voice calm and unhurried:
“Actually, I was just about to tell everyone about that.”
“The vengeful ghost has possessed Uncle Wang. He was the one who killed the village chief and the others.”
“What did you say?!”
Uncle Wang glared, furious and aggrieved. He looked ready to charge at me and kill me, but didn’t dare take another step. All he could do was stand there, snarling curses.
The very next second, his expression suddenly changed.
His eyes went blank and lifeless. He grabbed a nearby knife and lunged at one of the villagers, bringing it down on them.
Chaos erupted.
I immediately raised my voice and shouted:
“Everyone, don’t panic! I’ll help you subdue the vengeful ghost!”
At my direction, the villagers worked together to overpower Uncle Wang and tie him up tightly.
The village chief’s son wiped his sweat and looked at me pleadingly:
“Teacher Xiao Yang, what should we do now?”
“Well…”
I hesitated briefly, putting on a troubled expression.
He understood at once:
“Just tell us. We’ll do exactly as you say!”
“All right. The vengeful ghost and Uncle Wang have now completely fused. They can’t be separated.”
“The only way to root out the vengeful ghost… is to burn him to ashes.”
“But… if we do that… Uncle Wang will die too.”
At that, the villagers all went pale, and Auntie Wang nearly fainted on the spot.
No one said a word.
The whole village… was waiting for someone to step forward and give the go-ahead.
19
The village chief’s son clenched his teeth and said quietly:
“My father was the village chief. Let me bear the burden of this cruel decision.”
“After Uncle Wang dies, we’ll build him a small shrine to honor his contributions to the village for generations to come.”
I nodded slightly and had the villagers erect a cross in the middle of the village, then bind Uncle Wang tightly to it.
The village chief’s son lit a torch and threw it onto the pile of straw beneath the cross.
The fire crackled and popped, mingling with Uncle Wang’s heartrending screams.
He glared around at them, viciously spitting out curses:
“You lot are helping the enemy! Sooner or later, you’ll regret it!”
“You’re all going to hell! Not one of you will escape! I’ll be waiting for you down there!”
It was as if the whole village… had suddenly suffered collective amnesia.
Not a soul mentioned what had happened that night. As for Uncle Wang’s death—not a word.
And the vengeful ghost killings stopped without a trace.
Except for Auntie Wang.
After watching her husband burn alive, she went mad.
The villagers returned to their old “peaceful” lives.
And the crimes… began to stir once more.
One family excitedly brought home a young woman, publicly claiming she was their newlywed bride.
And she was… a college student, too.
They invited me to choose an auspicious wedding date, and I gladly accepted.
The girl was like a terrified little rabbit, trembling all over, her body covered in bruises.
Her hair was a tangled mess, she was filthy, and her eyes showed fear and wariness whenever she looked at anyone.
I smiled and said to her:
“I’m a volunteer teacher. I came here to teach.”
The student’s eyes suddenly lit up, a faint glimmer of hope shining in them.
When no one was paying attention, she timidly asked me:
“Could you help me get home?”
I shook my head, my voice calm:
“I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do.”
The light in the girl’s eyes… went out at once.
And she had no idea that a tiny red speck… had appeared on the hem of her clothes.
20
A strange livestream suddenly appeared on the largest streaming platform in Country Z.
Its title was “A Woman’s Life in the Deep Mountains.”
At first, no one paid it any attention.
But gradually… viewers began to sense that something was off.
The woman on the livestream was often beaten and humiliated by her husband and mother-in-law, and was even chained up in the family’s courtyard.
And was there anything normal about the way that mother and son talked?
Things like, “Keep a close eye on that woman. If she won’t obey, break her legs.”
And, “Our new daughter-in-law is way better than the girl Old Wang bought last year.”
The content was so vile that the livestream was banned immediately.
But the clip went viral across the internet, and the discussion around it grew hotter by the minute.
“This girl was definitely kidnapped! Has her family seen this livestream?”
“Where are the authorities? Investigate this, now!”
“Does anyone still have the video saved? I want to see it.”
The police didn’t disappoint the public. After a period of careful digital tracing, they finally located the village.
At the time, the villagers were happily feasting and drinking.
A team of police officers suddenly raided the village and immediately took everyone into custody.
They dug a great many bleached bones out of the village grounds.
I cooperated fully with the investigation, providing countless leads.
With ample physical evidence, the villagers were put on trial for human trafficking.
All the women who had been sold there were rescued.
Some clung to their families and wept. Some were too ashamed to go home and chose suicide. Others refused to testify for fear of what would happen to their young children.
As for Linh Linh, she was taken to an orphanage.
Before leaving, one of the officers turned back and asked me:
“Teacher Xiao Yang, that livestream… you were the one who posted it, weren’t you? We looked into it, and the original volunteer teacher never came here. Who are you, really?”
I just smiled:
“I’m just an ordinary public school teacher.”
21
Now, that village had become a true ghost town.
Everyone—guilty or not—had been taken away.
I burned the entire village to the ground, the roaring flames consuming every trace.
Black smoke billowed upward, as if carrying all the crimes to the heavens.
“Missus, where are we going next?”
I didn’t answer. I only tightened my grip on the necklace around my neck—made from Chi Xia’s bones—and carried the Eternal Soul Lantern in my other hand as I walked out of the sea of flames.
Toward the depths of darkness.
I am a demon who crawled up from hell. Naturally, I must head for the hell on earth.
“Where is the next place steeped in sin?”
The End.