Chapter Thirty-Three: Fleeing for Their Lives

My heart was in unbearable agony.

Aunt Hui died right before my eyes, and I was powerless to help her—could only watch helplessly as her essence was drained away by the shadow fetus.

Regret gnawed at me. If only I’d brought my father with me when I went to find Granny Li, none of this would have happened. Perhaps Aunt Hui’s life could have been saved as well.

All of this was the result of my own negligence.

Slumped on the ground, tears streamed down my face.

“Orphaned and destitute”—these words weighed heavily and truly upon me.

“Child, you must not lose your will to live like this. If you die, the Xie family’s line will end with you. Should your father die, he’ll find no peace in death. Their souls will be trapped in this village, unable to descend into the underworld, unable to reincarnate—doomed to be tormented by this shadow fetus for all eternity.”

Granny Li’s voice was hoarse and rasping.

“Even if you manage to escape, if you don’t leave behind descendants, your father’s spirit cannot reincarnate either. He’ll become a hungry ghost in the deepest hell, suffering until his very soul is destroyed.”

She paused, her voice growing even more gravelly. “Child, death is not the end. After death there can be rebirth, but if you surrender to despair, your father and Aunt Hui won’t even have that chance.”

Her words poured a thread of hope into my despairing heart.

“Granny, are you saying my father’s and Aunt Hui’s spirits cannot reincarnate?” I asked with difficulty.

“Your father’s lifespan was stolen. On the register of life and death in the afterworld, his time has not yet come, so the underworld’s messengers won’t claim his soul. His life has been transferred to the shadow fetus.

“Aunt Hui is a half-dead, living corpse—she should have died long ago. I don’t know what methods White Funeral Liu used, but the underworld’s messengers never came for her either. She can only wander as a lost ghost.”

“You must live. When you find a way to deal with the shadow fetus, come back and save their souls.”

“Child, if you die like this, how could you face your father, or the ancestors of the Xie family?”

The sky remained dark and gloomy—by rights, dawn should have come by now. Yet the somber heavens seemed to shut out any sunlight.

I staggered to my feet, fists clenched tightly, and said in a low voice, “Granny Li, can’t you and Mister Wang deal with them?”

Granny Li shook her head helplessly and sighed. “Shadow fetuses are usually easy to handle—before an evil ghost reincarnates in them, they’re weak and defenseless.

“But this one has extended its life with its own father’s yang energy. No matter what we do, it will be almost impossible to kill it today. Lifespans are mysterious and intangible. Earlier, any infant would have died, but this one did not. Instead, it drained its mother’s essence and killed another.”

“Look at the sky. It should be daylight, but sunlight cannot break through. This is the work of yin energy. Killing its father before birth, slaying its mother upon being born—its yin and resentment are so strong they reach the heavens. I’m not certain we can escape, but we cannot sit and wait for death.”

As she spoke, Granny Li walked out of the house.

I was sustained by hatred and the belief that I couldn’t let my father be denied even the chance of reincarnation.

Quietly, I told Granny Li that escape was still possible.

The female ghost was guarding the village entrance. She said that once the peach blossoms bloomed, we could leave before nightfall. I’d rushed back to try to save Aunt Hui and to find them and Wang Erjun.

Granny Li paused and looked at me, her gaze complicated.

“Child, remember my words. She can help you, but you cannot help her. Never promise her anything. Do you understand?”

My heart thudded, and I looked down, murmuring my assent. I didn’t tell Granny Li that Chan Shu wanted me to leave, but I didn’t, and that I’d promised her I would listen to her after I escaped.

I clenched my fists. I couldn’t obey her completely—my father and Aunt Hui were still waiting for me. At the very least, I had to survive and find someone who could deal with the shadow fetus and White Funeral Liu.

Except for Zhou Gang, all the other villagers had fled.

At this moment, Zhou Gang crawled out of my room, terror written across his face as he pleaded, “Please, take me with you—please!”

For once, Granny Li’s face showed a rare flash of disgust. She said, “Evil men are ground down by evil spirits—the more wicked the ghost, the more they delight in tormenting the wicked. Child, do you know why?”

I shook my head blankly as I helped Mister Wang to his feet.

He had regained consciousness, though his eyes remained shut. He gripped my arm with surprising strength.

“Evil spirits most desire rebirth, but they fear the underworld messengers the most. They’ve committed so many misdeeds they cannot reincarnate. If the messengers drag them to the afterlife, it’s only the oil cauldron and the tongue-pulling for them. There’s a saying: if an evil ghost kills a hundred evildoers, it can reincarnate into a good family in the next life.”

Mister Wang’s sudden speech startled me.

Zhou Gang was even more terrified. He wailed, “Mister Wang, we’re from the same village! I have money, plenty of money! My uncle’s dead, all his gold bars and coins are mine! Take me with you—I’ll give you half, half of everything!”

Mister Wang replied coldly, “I’m half-blind already. I can’t help you. You’re on your own.”

Granny Li led the way. I supported Mister Wang behind her.

Zhou Gang shouted after us, “Xie Yuan! Take me with you! If you do, I’ll give you half the gold bars—you’ll never want for food or clothing again!”

I glanced back at him with indifference. “If you hadn’t taken Aunt Hui, none of this would have happened to my family. I wish you a thousand deaths.”

Zhou Gang’s face went deathly pale. He tried desperately to get up, but his legs wouldn’t obey—the shadow fetus had clearly harmed him as well.

“It’s all a misunderstanding—a misunderstanding! I was blinded by hatred. The real culprit is White Funeral Liu; he destroyed both our families! Xie Yuan, please—”

I ignored him.

Soon we reached the gate. Behind us, Zhou Gang’s curses and venomous threats trailed after us, wishing me a miserable death.

Granny Li said hoarsely, “Let’s go call Wang’s fat boy and his mother. As we leave the village, knock on every door—take as many villagers with us as we can.”

A few steps brought us to Carpenter Wang’s house.

Uneasy, I whispered that Wang Erjun had been possessed by a ghost. Would he wake up?

Mister Wang interjected, “The shadow fetus is gone. The evil ghost will want to reincarnate in him and needs protection. Whatever ghosts remain, White Funeral Liu will take them with him to prevent any mishap. This is our last chance to leave.”

I pounded on Carpenter Wang’s door.

After a moment, the door opened.

It was Aunt Wang.

The moment she saw me, hatred flared in her eyes as she tried to slam the door.

I reached out and blocked it.

Aunt Wang’s voice was thick with resentment. “What are you doing here? Haven’t enough of my family died for your sake? Do you want us dead as well?”

When I brought them back to the village, Aunt Wang had been kind. Now, her hatred ran bone-deep.

My heart twisted with guilt.

Granny Li spoke up. “Wang’s wife, Xie Yuan’s father and Aunt Hui are dead. Something terrible is about to happen in the village. Xie Yuan risked his life to come back and save you and your son. He’s not the villain here; the Xie family is ruined because Erjun went to warn others. The real blame does not lie with you. Get your son now, and leave the village. The rest can be dealt with later.”

Even as Granny Li finished, the sound of bitter weeping came from within.

I pushed the door open. Aunt Wang was crouched on the floor, sobbing.

Granny Li went over to help her up.

Aunt Wang’s voice trembled. “Erjun is missing. Please, find him. He came back earlier, completely distraught, saying he regretted warning anyone, that it had brought ruin to the Xie family. After that, he changed—like someone possessed. He went out and never returned.”

A chill ran through me—an ominous feeling rising.

The last I saw of Wang Erjun, he was with the old village head, trying to stop us.

Where could he be now? Was he still with the old head?

Granny Li helped Aunt Wang up and said in a low voice, “We have to leave now. We’ll search for him on the way.”

Aunt Wang stood, casting a complicated look my way, then followed Granny Li out.

I rasped, “Granny Li, you take Aunt Wang and Mister Wang. Call for the villagers as you go—they may not believe me. I have to find Wang Erjun.”

Granny Li’s face changed slightly.

Aunt Wang began to tremble, tears streaming down her face. She knelt before me, pleading, “Xie Yuan, please—I beg you to find Erjun. I’ll repay you with my life if you do.”

She knocked her head against the ground.

My heart ached all the more. “Aunt Wang, none of us wanted this. Please, leave with Granny Li. I swear I’ll find Erjun and bring him out.”

As I spoke, I let go of Mister Wang, intending for Granny Li to support him.

But Mister Wang didn’t let go.

He was silent for a moment, then said, “I share some blame for all this. If I’d listened to Granny Li more and stood up to Zhou Gang instead of indulging him, things might not have come to this. You’ll be in danger alone—I’ll go with you.”

I’d never thought much of Mister Wang before.

But these words changed my opinion of him.

“I can handle this alone. Your eyes—”

I shook my head.

Mister Wang’s voice was calm. “Eyes can see people, but not everything else. Even as a blind man, I’m more useful than you blundering around this village sightless.”

Granny Li frowned. “Child, go with Mister Wang. It will ease my mind. But time is short—whatever the shadow fetus becomes, it could trigger new disasters. You must be out by noon at the latest.”

I nodded silently.

Suddenly, Mister Wang said, “I need something.”