Chapter Sixty-Seven: Liu Yue

Wang Erjun’s reaction froze me in place. A strange, indescribable feeling welled up in my heart. We had survived together, coming back from Baihu Village, stared death in the face, seen every sort of ghost imaginable—our lives once tied together. Yet now, Wang Erjun was actually afraid of me?

At this moment, his expression shifted again, anxious and fearful. “Xie Yuan…I…that’s not what I meant…”

“There was a ghost woman crawling on your back just now…” Wang Erjun finally said, and my face changed again. I had vaguely suspected as much; otherwise, why would the villagers be so terrified? What startled me was that the ghost woman dared to act so openly, with Chanshu absent from my side. Unable to see ghosts, I had no way to defend myself against her. Perhaps the commotion in Wang Erjun’s house had drawn the villagers, giving her the chance to climb onto my back.

The ghost woman wanted to kill me, but controlling Wang Bing hadn’t worked, so now she sought to use the villagers? Aunt Wang was crying, crawling to Wang Erjun’s grandmother, trying to stop her from bowing. Wang Erjun helped his grandfather, hesitating to speak. Aunt Wang looked at me through tears, as if wanting to say something. Wang Erjun suddenly took a deep breath, his voice hoarse: “Xie Yuan, let me take you to Granny Li’s house first. My grandparents are too old, reasoning with them won’t help anymore…”

I sighed inwardly, not blaming Wang Erjun, but my hatred for the ghost woman was growing. My mother’s death had been because of her. Previously, with everything happening in Baihu Village, I hadn’t had time to deal with her, even as she pursued me relentlessly. Now she still wouldn’t let go. Especially since my mother’s Three Corpse Spirit was in her possession—if I wanted to rescue Chanshu, I had to face her.

My thoughts raced. Before Wang Erjun finished speaking, I nodded, saying, “I understand. It’s fine.”

A hint of gratitude showed on his face. Aunt Wang kept her head down, silent. Hearing I was leaving, Wang Erjun’s grandmother finally stopped bowing. Wang Erjun came to help me outside.

It didn’t take long to reach Granny Li’s fish pond. The pond’s surface was calm, betraying nothing of the coffin hidden below. Little Black lay on the far side; when it saw us, it stood up, not barking but glaring fiercely at Wang Erjun.

“Go back, I’ll go alone,” I said, taking a deep breath. Wang Erjun nodded, forcing a smile, “That dog really holds a grudge.”

I told him not to worry—after all, with so many elders and villagers, I didn’t mind. Wang Erjun’s gratitude deepened; he said he’d bring dinner that night.

After he left, I entered the bamboo house. Throughout this, Little Black didn’t even lift its head. Once Wang Erjun was gone, it settled back, as if asleep.

It was past midday; Granny Li hadn’t returned. Though I’d seen countless ghosts in Baihu Village, a sense of oppression lingered in my heart. Now the ghost woman was but a fragment of a soul, yet already difficult to deal with. I couldn’t let more of her soul escape.

I took out my talisman brush and paper, laying them flat on the table. In the ink dish, some blood-ink remained, nearly dried. I breathed deep, dipped the brush, and drew a Thunder Talisman. This talisman required my blood and the extraction of soul essence—dangerous to draw in times of crisis, and it always left me weakened.

I clearly remembered: seventy percent middle finger Yang blood, thirty percent tongue-tip extreme Yang blood, and the Thunder Talisman could be preserved long-term. As I finished, I felt a pulling force in my consciousness and instinctively resisted. That sensation vanished.

Immediately, the Thunder Talisman I’d drawn on the paper faded soundlessly, leaving the sheet blank, as if nothing had ever been drawn. I was stunned. Was it impossible to draw the talisman without extracting soul essence?

I narrowed my eyes and drew another Thunder Talisman, this time not resisting the pull. A streak of blood light flashed across the talisman, and it trembled—the talisman remained.

My breath quickened. As I picked up the talisman, an odd sensation arose, as if it were an extension of my body. My consciousness felt a bit muddled, but much better than before.

A complex feeling stirred within me. It wasn’t that the Thunder Talisman used less soul essence, but that after absorbing other souls several times, my own soul had grown much stronger.

After drawing two more, I began to feel dizzy. The blood-ink was completely depleted. I took several breaths and put away the brush and talismans; now, facing the ghost woman alone, I finally had a means of self-defense.

Yet I still didn’t know if the Thunder Talisman could destroy her fragment of soul.

I exhaled, preparing to rest in the inner room. But as my pupils contracted, I realized—there were two shadows beneath my feet. The other shadow was slender, definitely not Granny Li!

Someone was standing behind me!

It couldn’t be Chanshu; ghosts cast no shadows!

I spun around.

Behind me stood a pretty young girl. She wore a floral dress, delicate features, less than one meter sixty tall. Petite, but with a slender waist and unusually long legs. Her large eyes blinked at me.

My heartbeat steadied—was she from the village, here for Granny Li?

I exhaled and asked, “Are you here for Granny Li? She’s not home.”

The girl smiled sweetly. “What’s your name?”

I frowned slightly but answered, “Xie Yuan.”

Her eyes sparkled. Suddenly she said, “You’re not from Wangjiaya.”

I wasn’t someone who turned others away, but right now, I didn’t want to chat. “I came from Baihu Village. If you’re looking for Granny Li, you can wait a bit.”

She pouted, “You really don’t know how to cherish a beauty. I want to talk to you, and you’re trying to send me away?”

I was taken aback.

She reached out her hand, “My name is Li Yue, and I’m not from Wangjiaya either.”

I didn’t take her hand, a hint of caution in my eyes.

Li Yue laughed, “You’re so guarded. What kind of talisman were you drawing just now? Very mysterious—it even draws on soul essence. But if you use it too often, your soul will dwindle and eventually you’ll die.”

My expression changed.

This girl wasn’t ordinary; she’d seen me draw the talisman and immediately grasped its secrets.

“Did you just come from Baihu Village?” she asked before I could respond.

My wariness deepened.

Li Yue put her hands behind her back, “It’s strange. We went to Baihu Village, but it wasn’t there.”

“I don’t know what you mean. If you want to see Granny Li, come back tonight. Please leave now.”

Her words unsettled me further. She wasn’t an ordinary person—why was she searching Baihu Village? Was she looking for Mr. Wang?

I didn’t want to get involved in any of this.

After speaking, I stepped forward and reached for the door.

Li Yue looked startled, as if she hadn’t expected me to shut her out. Her expression grew anxious, “Hey, why are you like this—?”

I ignored her, closing the door.

“You have someone in Baihu Village called Liu the Funeral Master—do you know him? Did he leave with you?”

The bamboo door was knocked several times. Her words made my face change again.

I didn’t reply.

After a while, she stopped knocking. Through the gap in the door, I saw no one outside.

My brows furrowed—this woman was searching for Liu the Funeral Master? Even if she went to Baihu Village and found it gone, how did she locate me so quickly? Had she followed us all along? What was her relationship with Liu?

A faint unease crept in.

And she immediately saw my Thunder Talisman extracting soul essence…

I had no mood to rest.

Not long after, Granny Li finally returned. She looked less exhausted, but her face still lacked cheer. When she entered and saw me, her gaze was complicated.

I was about to tell her everything that had happened, and that the ghost woman had emerged.

But Granny Li suddenly said, “Xie Yuan, I want to talk with you. Ask you a few things.”

I took a deep breath, and she looked at me intently, “Are you really Xie Yuan, or someone else?”

Her sudden question made my heart jolt.

After she spoke, her tone softened a bit. “I just want to know if you’re still that child.”

I bit my lip, shook my head, and replied hoarsely, “Granny, I don’t know what you mean. If I’m not Xie Yuan, who else could I be?”

I nearly blurted out the truth, but my mother’s warning echoed in my ears—I couldn’t tell anyone about this.

Granny Li reached out, gently touched my head; the complicated look in her eyes faded.

“It’s nothing, I was just asking,” she said.

“Why are you here?” she paused, then asked.

I relaxed, recounting everything that had happened. Regarding the ghost woman, Granny Li’s gaze grew grave; as for the girl Li Yue, Granny Li shook her head and said she didn’t know her.

She told me to wait until nightfall.

Here was safe—the ghost woman, with only a fragment of soul, couldn’t do much. If the girl returned, we’d clarify her purpose without getting involved.

But if we told her nothing, she would surely return, relentless.

Then Granny Li suddenly said, “Child, if you want to live a normal life, there’s another choice for you.”

I didn’t wait for her to finish before shaking my head.

“I have to return to Baihu Village. There’s more important things to do—and Grandfather Nine isn’t dead.”

I’d overlooked this before, thinking I’d search for Wang Grandfather Nine’s remnant soul after dealing with everything else. But seeing Granny Li’s state, I felt increasingly uneasy.

Sure enough, as I finished my words, Granny Li’s eyes widened.

I took a deep breath, “Granny, I know something about you and Grandfather Nine. Don’t worry—if he survives, I won’t ask anything more of him. You’re both old; you should have peaceful days.”

Granny Li’s eyes reddened, her voice trembling, “Really? You’re not lying?”

I nodded. This time, I didn’t hide Chanshu from her; instead, I took out the hairpin from my chest.

“She isn’t the ghost woman’s second soul. It’s complicated, but Grandfather Nine should still be alive. In the things he left behind, there’s a remnant soul.”

Granny Li’s despair vanished instantly.

“Good…good…child, let’s not wait here. Let’s go to the ancestral hall and wait for nightfall.”

She pulled open the door.

Across the fish pond, two people stood.

One of them was Li Yue, who waved at me.