Chapter 119: The Nightmare Ends

In a short time, a large number of those spirits were cleared away. I was utterly shocked—there was no need for me to intervene; this guy could handle it all with ease!

A little female ghost flew up to Tu’e but was stopped two meters away. She waved her hands, struggling to get closer.

I stared at the little ghost’s face in disbelief. How could it be her? Why?

Tu’e chanted a spell, raising his hand as if to point at the little ghost. I hurriedly stopped him. “Don’t! Don’t harm her!”

Tu’e paused his incantation and looked at me curiously.

I looked at the little ghost. After all these years, she was still so small—her life frozen at that age, while I had grown so much.

“Yan Jie!” I called out to the little ghost.

I never imagined I would see Yan Jie again, and certainly not like this.

Her translucent face was expressionless, just as when the old witch took her away, obediently following orders like the other spirits around her.

I asked Tu’e, “Why have these ghosts taken this form? Is it still possible to help them move on?”

“Impossible!” Tu’e answered decisively. “Their souls have scattered, their consciousness gone. There’s no way to help them move on.”

“Is there really no hope at all?” I looked at Yan Jie, a wave of sorrow rising in my heart. She was my childhood playmate, and her parents raised me. All these years, I felt I owed her.

Tu’e thought for a moment. “If you really want to try, it’s not entirely impossible. You could capture them and slowly cultivate their souls, helping them regain consciousness. Given enough time, their soul and body might stabilize, and then they could be released. But it takes an incredibly long time, with no guarantee of success. Helping even one might consume a lifetime; for many, even ten lifetimes wouldn’t suffice!”

I hoped to reignite that possibility. “I don’t need them all. I only want one—only that ghost. Please.”

“All right, but you’ll need a container to house her. Do you have anything on you?” he asked.

I searched myself. I usually carried little besides my phone and wallet, but I did have some talisman papers.

“This will do.” Tu’e picked one from the papers I pulled out.

He bit his finger and smeared some blood on the runes, then folded the paper into a triangle. He beckoned Yan Jie with a finger; she immediately flew in and was sealed inside the talisman. He pressed a hand seal onto it and handed it to me.

The entire process was swift and efficient.

—

I stared at the talisman, my heart heavy with mixed emotions. I slipped it into the inner pocket of my jacket, close to my body. I would do everything in my power to help Yan Jie recover—this was a debt I owed her, and also Uncle and Auntie.

“Is that all?” Tu’e asked.

“Yes,” I replied. There was nothing else I could or would manage.

“Very well.”

Tu’e began chanting again, his hands moving in graceful gestures. Suddenly, all the spirits burst into flames. The surrounding area was engulfed in fierce fire—though strangely, there was no visible light. I realized then that was what he meant!

Under the blaze, all the spirits turned into white smoke, and the once imposing formation vanished.

As the spirits disappeared, the flames died down, and everything returned to its original state. The old witch stood in the corner, then suddenly turned and fled into the forest.

Tu’e chanted, raising his hand to point at her, just as he had done to the spirits before. The old witch let out a shrill cry and fell to the ground.

Does this trick work on the living too?

She twisted and writhed, struggling desperately in a grotesque way.

Tu’e kept chanting, his finger suddenly clenching into a fist. The witch’s screams grew even more agonized as her limbs contorted unnaturally, as if her joints no longer functioned, folding into a tangled mass writhing violently.

This was no human contortion. What on earth was this witch? Was she even human?

Her screams grew more intense, her body seeming to explode as countless tiny creatures crawled out from within, accompanied by black, shadowy forms of unknown nature. A fierce stench instantly filled the air.

I quickly covered my nose, but it was futile. The foul odor seemed to penetrate the skin itself, nearly overwhelming me.

Tu’e also appeared unable to bear the stench. He snapped his fingers at the witch, and she immediately burst into flames, burning along with the things crawling from her.

Startled, I blurted, “Stop! That’s murder!”

Tu’e held his nose, frowning at me. “She’s long ceased to be human. Only a breath remains. Her body is sustained by those things.”

I was stunned. “Not human? Then what is she?”

“Half human, half ghost, or perhaps a walking corpse.”

—

I watched the roaring flames, understanding at last that the old witch was such a thing—neither fully alive nor dead, beyond the laws of the living world, impervious to ordinary means of destruction.

“Is fire the only way to kill her?” I asked.

“Something like that. It’s the most effective method. But for an ordinary person, the fire must be large enough, or it won’t be fatal,” Tu’e explained.

Just like Grandpa and the others back then—the “folk method” Grandpa spoke of was essentially burning.

Suddenly, the witch stood up, her flaming body hurtling toward me, emitting a warped, terrifying shriek.

Caught off guard, I was pulled aside by Tu’e, who kicked the burning orb fiercely. The shattered remains scattered in all directions.

I looked at the fragments, utterly destroyed and gone. My childhood nightmare was finally over. Yet the scars it left would remain. I had to improve myself; otherwise, a year from now, I’d be dead too.

Besides, I had one more task: to help Yan Jie recover.

The old witch was reduced to ash. After the fire died out and Tu’e confirmed no embers remained, we left.

Back at school, Xiao Qingwan, Su Yi, and Gao Sheng sat beneath the tree by the back gate. Beside them was the ghost of Li Song’er. Broken talisman fragments lay scattered on the ground.

Xiao Qingwan smiled triumphantly at us. “If anyone wants to snatch ghosts from me, that kid’s still too inexperienced!”

Then, as if realizing she sounded too boastful, she glanced secretly toward Wei Er Ye and quickly fell silent.

Li Song’er looked at us, her lips like vermilion, smiling sweetly.

I felt guilty. “Sorry, your embroidered ball was taken.”

She shook her head. “It’s okay. I’ve already gone home. Thank you.”

During the day, the police removed the bodies. After confirming the cause of death, the families were notified to claim the remains.