Chapter 41

The little girl loved playing games the most and hated being interrupted, especially when the game was this fun. Those humans were truly ignorant, daring to challenge her just to live a few more days. She hadn’t encountered such entertaining humans in a long time. She would grant their wish, watching them struggle in vain, their hopes crushed.

Souls filled with resentment and death were the tastiest. She would turn the human who dared harm her dolls into a doll himself, hanging him on a tree, ensuring he could never escape, living in eternal agony.

She giggled, initially planning to catch them herself but then changed her mind. She took a headless doll from a tree and commanded it, “Go bring those two intruders to me.”

The little girl floated in the air, holding the doll, looking down at the barely breathing humans on the ground. “Come on, say hello to your old friends. You used to play games together.”

The headless doll turned its small body towards the humans. Without a head, it had no face, so its emotions were unreadable. Its movements were stiff and slow, its eerie and tattered appearance sending chills down their spines.

Lu Jiangfei, Ke Minmin, Yuan Lu, Song Wei, and Tian Lang, who had been filled with despair, suddenly felt a surge of hope. Their bodies trembled with excitement. Was someone really coming to save them? Had they finally endured long enough for rescue to arrive?

The little girl grew even more delighted, watching the headless doll disappear into the forest. She smiled and said, “You must be very excited. I am too, because we’re about to have new playmates. We can play more games, and I’ll never be bored again.”

Her words made Lu Jiangfei and the others worry. If the rescuers weren’t strong enough, they wouldn’t just fail to save them; they might also get caught, leaving no chance for a second rescue attempt. What would they do then?

“I really enjoy watching you play games. It will be fun to see your rescuers fight among themselves.” The little girl clapped her hands and descended from the treetop. “Come on, let’s play house.”

She pulled a few dolls from the tree, holding a dirty doll with yellow curls. The doll’s hair was a tangled mess from years of exposure, its puffy dress torn, one hand missing, and its black eyes staring unblinkingly. Despite its expressionless face, it seemed to wear a cold smile.

The little girl said to Lu Jiangfei and Ke Minmin, “From now on, you’re the dad, and you’re the mom. This is your daughter. What are you waiting for? Hug your daughter and take her home. Don’t you love your daughter?”

Lu Jiangfei’s face was pale, his body cold, lips cracked. His wrist was wrapped in cloth, and he was extremely weak from blood loss and lack of treatment, barely holding on.

Ke Minmin wasn’t much better off. She had lost in the sixth round of rock-paper-scissors, losing almost as much blood as Lu Jiangfei. Yes, when Lu Jiangfei was being chased by the dolls, they had agreed that whoever got caught in the game would share their blood to water the flowers.

Lu Jiangfei’s situation had been critical. Though he had Talismans to temporarily fend off the ghost dolls, they were cunning. Dolls that had been quietly hanging on trees suddenly moved, all attacking Lu Jiangfei. Though repelled by a golden light, they kept coming in waves, and it soon became clear that Lu Jiangfei couldn’t hold out much longer.

The Talismans’ power was limited, and not all were effective. Lu Jiangfei was like a trapped beast, destined to end up like all those who had been thrown into the Bone Garden, becoming a gardener.

Ke Minmin clutched her head, her brain feeling like it was exploding. She trembled and said, “I want to help Jiangfei. I agree with him. If he loses blood, I’ll share half. I know if we lose one person per game, none of us will survive five games. To make it to the sixth, we must cooperate. None of us can make it alone.”

Tian Lang said heavily, “Yes, but if we lose too much blood, without food or water, and no treatment, we might not survive five games…”

Yuan Lu said, “Tian Lang, the issue isn’t surviving five games. If you get caught in the next game, can you escape? Do you have another plan?”

Tian Lang fell silent. Of course not. They had no chance against the dolls and the girl. They were outmatched.

Song Wei said, “Jiangfei is right. This is our best chance to survive longer. Either we all die, or we all live. I want to live longer. We’ve been missing for so long; someone will come to save us. Every extra day is hope.”

They finally agreed and made their request to the little girl.

She stared at them for a long time, then smiled coldly, “Alright, let’s see who dies first!”

She agreed, but because Lu Jiangfei’s Talismans had hurt her dolls, she bore a grudge against him, wanting to torment him, making him wish for death.

Like now, making him hold a doll as his child!

That wasn’t an ordinary doll; it housed a ghost!

Ke Minmin was on the verge of collapse. She could play tag, tug-of-war, even blind man’s bluff, but playing house with a ghost doll as her child…

She couldn’t do it. No matter what, she couldn’t do it!

The little girl raised an eyebrow, “What’s wrong? Don’t you want to play? Or do you want to water my flowers now?”

Lu Jiangfei staggered to his feet, reaching out, “Give it to me.”

The little girl beamed, tossing the doll into his arms. He held it, feeling its cold, soft body, its black eyes staring at him. He suppressed his discomfort, sitting back down, Ke Minmin cowering beside him, not daring to look.

The little girl laughed, “You’re a terrible mom, hating your own daughter.”

Ke Minmin bit her lip, her eyes filled with intense hatred. If not for this ghost, she would still be a beloved streamer, living well, eating good food, wearing beautiful clothes, loved by her parents and fans… Instead, she was drinking dew, gnawing on bark, playing games with ghosts… She hated her!

The little girl didn’t care. She looked at Yuan Lu, Song Wei, and Tian Lang, saying, “You don’t have daughters, but it wouldn’t be fair if you didn’t play house. How about I give each of you a little brother or sister? Do you want a brother or sister? You can choose anyone from the tree.”

All the dolls on the tree stared at Yuan Lu, Song Wei, and Tian Lang.

Yuan Lu: “…”

Song Wei: “…”

Tian Lang: “…”

They had all lost blood. Song Wei lost the tug-of-war, Yuan Lu was caught in blind man’s bluff, and though Tian Lang hadn’t lost a game, he had given some blood in the previous rounds, making him weak.

They looked up at the dolls on the tree. If they could choose, they wouldn’t pick any. But seeing the little girl’s expression when Ke Minmin refused, they knew not choosing meant being thrown to water the flowers.

Sure enough, the little girl’s smile vanished, her gaze chilling, “Don’t you want to play with me?”

Yuan Lu swallowed, “No, it’s just there are so many dolls, I don’t know which to choose. I need to think.”

Song Wei and Tian Lang nodded, saying they were just considering, not refusing.

The little girl laughed, “Smart. My dolls are the best in the world!”

Yuan Lu, Song Wei, and Tian Lang exchanged helpless looks.

Just then, a long shriek echoed from the forest, making everyone shudder. The little girl looked up, her pale face darkening.

“How dare they hurt my dolls! How dare they!” She kicked the doll at her feet, “Go, all of you, bring those insolent humans to me. I want them in my garden as fertilizer!”

The doll, the cleanest one in a little dress with a bow tie, rolled on the ground, then got up and disappeared with twenty other dolls.

Lu Jiangfei, Yuan Lu, and the others exchanged hopeful glances. Suddenly, Lu Jiangfei felt something cold on his neck. He looked down to see the doll’s hand on him, its black eyes staring. He almost threw it away in fright but held on, suppressing his nausea.

With the dolls gone, the little girl was ecstatic, “Let’s continue our game. Have you chosen?”

Yuan Lu, Song Wei, Tian Lang: “…” Can we not choose???

In the end, Yuan Lu picked a red-haired doll, dirty but intact. As long as he didn’t look at its eyes, it seemed normal. Song Wei and Tian Lang also chose relatively normal-looking dolls, but holding them, they felt a chill, a deep unease.

When the little girl saw that everyone else had dolls, she too grabbed a doll with no arms and, pointing at Lu Jiangfei and Ke Minmin, said, “Why are your dolls so dirty? It’s clear you haven’t taken good care of her. You need to hug her, kiss her, cheer her up, and make her delicious food and new clothes. You’re not qualified parents. Go water the flowers!”

Lu Jiangfei and Yuan Lu looked down at the dolls in their arms with widened eyes. Holding these Ghost Dolls was already too much for them, let alone kissing them…

Ke Minmin, standing cautiously beside Lu Jiangfei, asked in a hoarse voice, “What should we do? I don’t know how to console children.”

Lu Jiangfei was also at a loss, especially with this kind of child: “…Go pick some leaves and bring a rock over here.”

“Why do we need leaves and a rock?”

“…We have no choice but to cook first.”

All they could do now was delay. Time was what they needed, and help was already on its way. They just needed to survive a bit longer to see hope.

Ke Minmin, trying to suppress her panic, said, “…Okay, okay.”

Playing house was something they all knew, a game every child had played. They never imagined that one day, the children they’d be consoling would be so peculiar…

Ke Minmin moved a large rock to use as a table, picked some leaves to serve as plates, and also fashioned some sticks into chopsticks. Then, trembling, she said, “I’ll cook first. After eating, you go to kindergarten…”

Lu Jiangfei: “…”

The doll’s pitch-black eyes stared at her.

Ke Minmin: “…” If it weren’t for the fact that she had no tears left, she would cry again.

Elsewhere, Yuan Lu, Song Wei, and Tian Lang faced similar situations as Lu Jiangfei and Ke Minmin. They could only free one hand to pick up leaves, and weakened by substantial blood loss, they found it especially hard to perform any task while clutching such objects. No matter what they did, it seemed they were being watched…

All they could do now was pray that the two expected individuals would arrive soon, hoping they were ghost-catching masters, capable of handling the little girl in one fell swoop!

While they busied themselves, the little girl watched them with her doll, and suddenly pouted, saying, “Your dolls are so dirty, no one wants to play with you.”

Lu Jiangfei was startled, and Ke Minmin and Yuan Lu also looked at the little girl in confusion. In the next moment, the dolls they were holding began to emit a sharp, wailing cry. Their mouths weren’t moving, but they were making sounds, and as the crying grew sharper, their dark eyes began to bleed a crimson red, trickling down their cheeks…

Lu Jiangfei was so frightened that he almost threw the doll away, but he couldn’t because, in the eyes of the little girl, these dolls were their daughters. His intuition told him that throwing it would lead to disaster!

Yuan Lu and Song Wei also held back from throwing their dolls despite their panic. Tian Lang, who had always been terrified of doll-like toys, found holding one a significant challenge. He never expected the doll to suddenly cry out with a sound like a baby’s. He was so shocked that he trembled and threw the doll out!

The doll fell to the ground, its eyes askew.

The little girl clapped her hands and laughed, “You actually threw your sister out, haha, you really threw your sister out! You’re indeed an unqualified brother, a bad brother. I don’t want a bad brother here; you go water the flowers!”

Tian Lang: “…”

He swallowed his dry throat, still not recovered from the shock, while the dolls held by Lu Jiangfei, Yuan Lu, and Song Wei had stopped crying and instead emitted a giggling sound!

The entire forest seemed to be filled with that eerie laughter.

Lu Jiangfei hadn’t expected the game to end so quickly. He had hoped to delay a bit longer, at least until their rescuers arrived, so they wouldn’t have to shed another round of blood. The more blood they lost, the more dangerous their situation became, and even if they survived until help arrived, going into shock from excessive blood loss would be a grave loss.

Tian Lang also knew this, but in that moment, he couldn’t help himself because the crying doll with its bulging eyes seemed to be alive…

Tian Lang gave a rueful smile to Lu Jiangfei and Yuan Lu, wiped his face, full of fear and guilt, along with nausea and dizziness from too much blood loss and malnutrition.

He didn’t want this, but he was truly frightened…

The little girl’s giggling continued, and the dolls in the trees also giggled, saying, “Go water the flowers, go water the flowers, go water the flowers!”

Tian Lang got up, and Lu Jiangfei watched as he staggered up from the ground. Yuan Lu and others also stood up, Ke Minmin with wide eyes squatting behind, Lu Jiangfei said, “We should stick together.”

The little girl said, “Wrong, your doll is also dirty; you didn’t kiss your daughter. You’re not a good father; you also lost. You go water the flowers too! And you, and you, all of you are unqualified; you all go water the flowers!”

Lu Jiangfei and Yuan Lu looked at each other, their eyes wide with horror. What did this mean?

It was initially just a game that required one person to water the flowers; why did it now need all of them?

…What did this mean?!

The little girl, still giggling, said, “Just think of it as if we played several rounds of games at once. You all failed. Go water the garden! My garden needs some new flowers; I’m tired of the old ones.”

Lu Jiangfei was silent. If they all lost now, it meant they each had to bleed five rounds. They were doomed!

Ke Minmin, weak, her face pale, suddenly sat down on the ground. She was intentionally getting them all killed!

They had barely survived until now, rescue was on the way, they were about to be saved; why did it have to be this way?

As Lu Jiangfei, Yuan Lu, and Song Wei held the dolls, they flew out and hovered mid-air, now not crying but smiling coldly, as if they enjoyed watching an interesting game while they became the real clowns.

The little girl, seeing the humans’ faces collapse into despair, was pleased. Holding her doll, she joyfully spun around in mid-air and asked darkly, “Are you standing there because you don’t want to help me water the flowers? Don’t you feel honored to become my flowers? Do I need to send you there myself?”

Tian Lang stumbled and fell, and Yuan Lu and others quickly helped him up. Lu Jiangfei said sternly, “You never mentioned that this game would take five of us to water the flowers.”

The little girl giggled, “Not five, four. You and her only need one person to water the flowers. If someone doesn’t want to go, ask your good friends for help!”

Ke Minmin, momentarily dazed, suddenly realized what was happening and looked up at the little girl!

The little girl giggled and made a face at her.

For a moment, everyone looked at Ke Minmin.

Ke Minmin’s gaze was blank. At that moment, she became the target of everyone’s arrows. She remembered Xu Hong’s girlfriend, that girl whose name she didn’t know died so desperately and pitifully, pushed into death by her boyfriend; she remembered Yan Dan, remembered Yan Dan’s wide eyes at death, remembered the blood so red and thick; she remembered every time she bled, even the breath she took was filled with a nauseating smell of blood; she remembered surviving these days on tree roots and dew, so cautiously and desperately waiting for someone to come and save them…

She hoarsely said, tugging at her lips: “…We thought we had a chance, but it was just her playing with us, she did it on purpose, she just wants us to turn on each other!”

The little girl smiled brightly, “What do you mean on purpose? I don’t know what you mean?”

Ke Minmin gritted her teeth and stared at her, “You’re so vicious at such a young age, you must have been a bad child who did terrible things, nobody liked you, no one wanted to play with you, no one wanted to be your friend, so you became a ghost after you died, forcing us to play with you, you’re a freak! Heaven will take you!”

The little girl’s smiling face changed, her pale face expressionless, her cold eyes staring at Ke Minmin. She suddenly vanished and reappeared in front of Ke Minmin, her hand gripping Ke Minmin’s neck: “Shut your mouth, I don’t like you, go water my garden!”

Ke Minmin, terrified but with madness in her eyes, had had enough, she knew she would die, but she didn’t want to die so humiliated, “Did I hit a nerve? No one played with you, no one liked you, so you made so many dolls to keep you company… even if I play with you, I still hate you, I don’t want to play with you at all!”

Lu Jiangfei, shocked, moved forward to stop Ke Minmin: “Minmin, don’t talk nonsense!”

Provoking the little girl like this was not wise; it was self-destructive, or maybe she was truly fed up. But rescue was imminent; they still had hope, and they mustn’t give up as long as there was a sliver of chance.

Yuan Lu and Song Wei also moved forward to help, but the little girl’s face darkened, and with a wave of her hand, Lu Jiangfei, Yuan Lu, Song Wei, and Tian Lang were all flung against a large tree trunk, crashing down hard-

“Cough, cough!”

The violent impact made them feel as if their internal organs were shattered. For a moment, they couldn’t get up, only watching as the little girl choked Ke Minmin, watching Ke Minmin’s face turn redder and redder…

What to do? What to do…

Lu Jiangfei lay on the ground, tasting blood in his throat, his blood surging, and he vomited a mouthful of fresh blood!

He looked up, wanting to say something to control the little girl’s anger, but then he saw something that made him freeze. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things…

-Behind the little girl, a giant doll was slowly walking towards them. No, it was a Long-haired Woman covered in dolls; dolls hung from her body, and about twenty dolls floated above her head, including some he recognized, like the Headless Doll and the doll in a suit… the very ones the little girl had sent out!

He had fully experienced their capabilities over the past few days: immense strength, fast, appearing and disappearing unpredictably, and only obeying the little girl. Although they couldn’t speak, they could understand their conversations.

Now they flew in the air, bringing a Long-haired Woman back?!

…What was going on?!

The Long-haired Woman floated mid-air, expressionless, her long, dark hair fluttering, her dark eyes filled with a bizarre excitement and coldness, a terrifying look, like a bloodthirsty, greedy monster!

Lu Jiangfei smelled a scent thicker than blood.

He was filled with doubts. Could this Long-haired Woman be allied with the little girl, possibly the legendary sister?! At this moment, he felt utterly hopeless. One was already too much for them to handle; another would surely spell their doom.

Could it be that their time had come?

Not only did Lu Jiangfei see it, but Yuan Lu, Tian Lang, and Song Wei, who were lying on the ground, also saw it. Their eyes widened in terror, and for a moment, they were too shocked to speak, unable to comprehend why the Long-haired Woman appeared here.

Even Ke Minmin, who was being strangled by the little girl, saw the eerie Long-haired Woman. Her eyes widened in horror, forgetting to breathe.

The little girl seemed to sense something was amiss. She turned around and saw her Dolls had brought back a Long-haired Woman. But the woman’s gaze was bizarre, staring at her as if she were some kind of delicacy.

The little girl sneered. This Long-haired Woman was human, and as long as she was human, no one could be her match. Didn’t those stinky Taoists from the mountain fail to deal with her? Besides, the woman was now bound by her Dolls and had no Taoist items on her. What was there to fear?

“So, you’re the one who intruded into my Doll Forest. Where are your friends? Are they dead already? So useless! I was hoping you’d all play games with me.”

“…”

The little girl watched as the Long-haired Woman floated before her, her dark eyes fixed on her, voice cold and stiff: “Smells good.”

The little girl: “…???”

Just as she was pondering, the Long-haired Woman suddenly lunged forward, opening her gaping mouth to bite! The little girl was truly shocked. Was this woman crazy? Was she making a desperate struggle by trying to bite her?

How foolish.

Generally, humans couldn’t grasp ghosts because ghosts were intangible, mere wisps of energy. So, while surprised, she didn’t dodge, thinking this person was courting death. Her resistance was amusing, perfect for playing games.

However, as she thought this, the Long-haired Woman grabbed her arm, biting down on her head with a fierce pain that made her scream in agony.

“Ahhh-!!”

Her head was missing a chunk, and upon closer inspection, there seemed to be a tooth mark.

The little girl, in pain, slapped the Long-haired Woman, channeling her century-old cultivation, enough to send a person flying dozens of meters, taking their life.

But instead of sending the Long-haired Woman flying, she was punched several times, and the woman opened her mouth again, biting off another piece of her head.

The little girl realized she had met her match. She hadn’t suffered such a loss in ages, and her fury surged, blood tears flowing. She inhaled sharply, screaming loudly-

The Dolls on the surrounding trees emitted the same scream, rushing toward the Long-haired Woman! Soon, she was covered in Dolls, stacked one on top of the other, almost enveloping her entirely, seemingly trying to suffocate her.

Yet, despite this, the Long-haired Woman held onto her arm, forcing the little girl to sever her own limb to escape.

Floating in the air, the little girl was furious, Resentment Energy spilling out. She touched her head, missing two chunks, and looked at her severed arm, eyes full of malice, wanting to tear the Long-haired Woman to pieces.

She looked at the Long-haired Woman surrounded by Dolls, now unable to see even a strand of hair.

“You wretched human, I’ll kill you. I’ll make you a Puppet after death, hang you on a tree, let the Dolls torment you daily, never allowing you peace!”

“You want to save people? Stop dreaming. I want you all dead. I’m done playing with you!”

The little girl was in a rage. Lu Jiangfei, Yuan Lu, Tian Lang, Song Wei, and Ke Minmin watched this terrifying yet dramatic scene with wide eyes. They thought the Long-haired Woman was with the little girl, but after one encounter, the woman had bitten the girl, forcing her to sever an arm!

And from the little girl’s words, the Long-haired Woman seemed to be human?

Yet, surrounded by Dolls, she was likely doomed…

The little girl seemed to think so too. After venting, she felt somewhat relieved, preparing to dismember the Long-haired Woman, torturing her to death.

She approached, sneering: “No matter your skills, you’re a dead person now. Today, you won’t leave the Doll Forest alive!”

As the little girl reveled in her triumph, the Dolls stacked on the Long-haired Woman began to fall, one, two, three, four, five… The Dolls that had flown toward her now dropped to the ground, lifeless. Only the initial Dolls wrapped around her and the twenty or so floating remained, with the severed arm in her hand.

The little girl stared in shock, not understanding why this happened. The Long-haired Woman licked her lips, her gaze growing colder and more bloodthirsty. The girl shivered, pointing at the fallen Dolls: “How did you do that? Who are you?”

She smirked, biting the severed arm: “Hmm?”

The little girl: “…”

Lu Jiangfei, Yuan Lu, Song Wei, Tian Lang, Ke Minmin: “…”

The little girl commanded the Headless Dolls: “Strangle her, kill her now!”

But the Dolls remained motionless, once obedient, now quietly floating beside the Long-haired Woman.

“These Dolls got beaten silly. Now they listen to me, not you.”

“…”

The little girl looked at her arm, then at the Long-haired Woman’s casual demeanor, her anger surging. She screamed again, her fury restoring her missing head and arm, charging at the Long-haired Woman.

This time, she would make her pay.

But the Long-haired Woman didn’t dodge, grabbing the charging girl, seemingly afraid she’d escape. She lunged at the girl, using the severed arm to pummel her, not caring where she hit, just striking. As she did, she opened her mouth again, biting off half of the girl’s forehead!

The onlookers shivered, but the woman licked her lips, unsatisfied…

The little girl screamed again, struggling wildly, dragging the Long-haired Woman up and down in the air, sometimes crashing into tree trunks. Yet, no matter how she struggled, she couldn’t escape the woman’s grip. She tried to vanish, but couldn’t, feeling her Soul Power weaken with each hit, growing feeble.

Lu Jiangfei and Yuan Lu were terrified, watching the intense battle between the little girl and the Long-haired Woman. The commotion was huge, silencing the Dolls on the trees, afraid to make a sound…

The Long-haired Woman was more formidable than the little girl, seemingly colder and more ruthless. Her swift consumption of the girl showed her decisiveness. If they fell into her hands, they’d be doomed instantly.

Seeing the little girl falter, her voice dwindling, she began to plead, begging the Long-haired Woman not to eat her, offering the five humans as food.

Lu Jiangfei and Yuan Lu exchanged glances, supporting each other, ready to flee. Though knowing their chances were slim, they’d struggled for so long, unwilling to just wait for death.

But as they rose and took a few steps, the Long-haired Woman noticed their intent. Holding the little girl’s collar and the severed arm, chewing something, she turned her cold gaze on them: “Where are you going?”

Everyone: “…”

Lu Jiangfei swallowed his nonexistent saliva, coughing painfully. Yuan Lu and Song Wei supported Ke Minmin, glancing back, their legs weakening, “We, we, we…”

The Long-haired Woman, holding the dying little girl, floated over. Her gaze cold, her long hair swaying, she seemed wrapped in darkness, adorned with many Dolls, holding the severed arm like a snack…

Ke Minmin couldn’t bear the shock any longer, her legs giving way, fainting.