Chapter Twenty-Five: The Shadow Womb

I never imagined that Aunt Hui, even with so many people carrying her, could still fall. The faces of those villagers were deathly pale, all of them lost in confusion. The old village chief glared at them and scolded, “Are you all just eating for nothing? Didn’t you hear there’s a child in Aunt Hui’s belly?”

The villagers looked even worse, as if terrified. One of them shivered and said, “This woman is as cold as a corpse. We didn’t feel anything grabbing her clothes, but the moment our hands touched her, we were scared out of our wits. When she coughed, she seemed to have enormous strength, as if something pushed us away.”

The old chief raised his cane, ready to smack the man on the head. My father, hands and feet bound, kept banging his head on the ground. He had stopped making threats by now and was pleading with the chief, begging him for the sake of the child not to let them take Aunt Hui away.

At that moment, Zhou Gang spoke up in a cold, sinister voice, “For the sake of the child? Did Liu the Mourner spare my uncle’s child? Six people in that family, plus my uncle’s father, seven in all, are dead. Wang Erjun already said it just now: not only did Liu the Mourner harm people, but he also worships ghosts. My uncle’s whole family was turned into ghosts by him! That night, it should have been Wang Erjun who died, because he knew about the ghost worship.”

“He was just afraid of being exposed! Now you tell us to spare her for the child’s sake—what about the lives of the others? Don’t their lives count?”

The villagers erupted into chaos. Aunt Hui was yanked up by force and carried away again. The old chief was speechless, following behind them with weary steps. Granny Li and the gentleman she brought kept close behind.

As they left the house, Wang Erjun spat toward our doorway. I struggled to get up, gritting my teeth against the pain in my waist and belly, and rushed to untie my father.

His forehead was streaked with blood, and he looked utterly broken and desperate. Once freed, he tried to dash outside to chase after them.

I grabbed his arm with all my strength, my voice hoarse: “Dad, it’s useless. The old chief can’t even stop them from taking Aunt Hui. Zhou Gang is ruthless—if we want them to let her go, Grandpa has to come out. But even if he wanted to explain now, no one would listen.”

My father’s eyes were full of despair. I managed to choke out, “Granny Li went with them. The gentleman the chief brought knows Granny Li well—she’ll find a way to take care of Aunt Hui.”

Suddenly, my father swayed and fainted. I couldn’t hold back my grief and broke down in tears. I dragged him to the bed, laid him down, fetched water, cleaned his wounds, and dressed them. He never woke up.

I sat beside him, feeling utterly helpless. This is the most painful thing—to watch disaster unfold and be unable to do anything.

If peace was to return to our home, if Aunt Hui was to be brought back, then Liu the Mourner had to appear and hand her over to the villagers.

Especially since Aunt Hui was truly pregnant—if anything happened, neither she nor my father would survive.

But Liu the Mourner had left so coldly.

What should I do?

Night fell before I realized it. I was numb, my stomach empty and hollow.

Just then, a knock sounded in the courtyard.

I jolted—who would come knocking at this hour? I ran to open the door.

Standing outside was none other than plump, round Granny Li.

She handed me a food box with a sigh. “Child, eat something first.”

A wave of bitterness rose within me.

“Don’t worry, your aunt is safe for now. After we brought her back, I checked her pulse and she’s awake again.”

Hearing this, I felt a small measure of relief, but worry still gnawed at me. “Granny, if Liu the Mourner doesn’t show up today, they’ll drown Aunt Hui in the river tomorrow.”

She patted my head. “Don’t worry, dear. I won’t let them do that. The gentleman the chief brought is from Zhou Gang’s village and he’s an old acquaintance. Zhou Gang will heed his words.”

“Granny, can you tell me why Aunt Hui’s injury has caused such a disaster?”

I couldn’t hold back any longer and asked.

She sighed. “That’s why I came tonight.”

My heart leapt into my throat.

“I never told you before, but I actually know Liu the Mourner. We crossed paths several times in our youth.”

“Did he harm anyone or not? I can’t say for sure. But the worst thing in this village isn’t the tragedy of the chief’s family, or even Carpenter Wang’s death.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Then what is it?”

She said, “Remember the old peach tree at the village entrance? Even dead, it sprouted new buds. That’s a very strange thing, and it doesn’t want anyone to leave—it steals people’s souls.”

I nodded, chills prickling across my skin.

“Dead wood sprouting, corpses borrowing life, vengeful spirits reborn, evil ghosts finding new vessels.”

She suddenly recited those words.

A cold shiver ran up my spine. I didn’t dare interrupt.

“I wasn’t sure before. But when I saw your aunt was pregnant, and the medicines she drank, I understood everything.”

“Liu the Mourner didn’t steal the years himself, but he helped someone who did. The one stealing life isn’t human, but a vengeful ghost in this village! The stolen years weren’t for itself, but for your aunt.”

Her words made me collapse to the floor, eyes wide. “That’s impossible! Aunt Hui’s so young… why would she need stolen years? Is she lying to us? And Liu the Mourner—he doesn’t even care about her…”

I couldn’t grasp any of it, utterly lost.

Granny Li spoke more gravely. “Exactly. She doesn’t know she’s gained years for no reason. The answer lies with her body. She’s been drinking medicine brewed from grave grass for years. I told you: that medicine is too yin, it prevents women from conceiving. After all these years, she shouldn’t have been able to get pregnant, or even survive. She’s alive, yes, but her body is like a corpse. Do you understand why?”

My face went pale. “Because of stolen years?”

She nodded. “Liu the Mourner made his daughter drink that medicine, then stole years to keep her alive, turning her into a living corpse. Soaked in yin energy, she should have died, but with stolen life, she lingers on—neither dead nor alive. That’s a living corpse. If such a corpse becomes pregnant, the child inside gathers all that yin and resentment. The child, not even born, is already a ghost fetus, without a soul of its own.”

“Such a ghost fetus is the prize of every vengeful spirit. They can reincarnate without entering the underworld, clinging to that fetus. The yin energy keeps it from dying, and the ghost that possesses it will live again.”

I trembled all over, speechless with terror.

She sighed heavily. “It’s my fault for not being more vigilant. When I saw the old tree sprouting, I should have warned you at once. Now it’s nearly too late.”

I steeled myself and asked, “Then what do we do now, Granny?”

Her voice was grave. “A living corpse can give birth prematurely—the earlier, the more resentment the fetus absorbs. If the mother dies, the resentment can burst through the heavens. The gentleman and I will do everything to protect Aunt Hui from harm.”

“Child, you must find Liu the Mourner, then through him, find the vengeful ghost. If it wants to possess the fetus, it must rid itself of its yin energy. It will be hiding somewhere, very weak, waiting for its chance. Liu the Mourner is surely guarding it. Look for the place in the village with the most cats—they’ll be hiding there. Throw this onto the ghost, and it’ll be powerless.”

She handed me a small bottle of murky yellow liquid, foul and greasy like some kind of oil.

Cold sweat drenched me. Granny Li fixed me with a deep look. “Child, remember what I said—you’ll be safe.”

“And keep your stolen longevity bowl with you at all times. Old Zhou will come for you again; when he does, give him half a bowl of blood, and he’ll leave.”

After saying this, Granny Li glanced warily behind me.

I spun around, but there was nothing there.

When I turned back, she was already disappearing into the night.

Standing at the gate, fear and dread gnawed at me. What Granny Li said was grave and frightening. If that ghost is reborn, will everyone in the village die? How could Liu the Mourner do such a thing—let his own daughter… carry a ghost fetus and even plan to kill her?

I clenched the bottle tightly. Where in the village were the most cats? Was Granny Li so sure I’d be safe because of that ghost woman, Chanshu?

My stomach was empty. I squatted, opened the food box, and devoured everything in it.

The more I thought about Granny Li’s words, the more terrified I became. I couldn’t wait—I didn’t dare to. I even thought about catching Liu the Mourner myself. If Granny Li was right, the vengeful ghost was so weak it couldn’t harm me. And I had the ghost woman with me; maybe I could capture Liu the Mourner!

If I caught him, I could trade him for Aunt Hui’s safety!

I wolfed down my meal, then prepared to head for the place Granny Li mentioned.

But just then, I saw Wang Erjun standing still on the road in front of my house, staring straight at me. He beckoned me over.