Chapter 88

The scene before her eyes was both unfamiliar and strangely familiar, leaving Gu Feiyin puzzled. The fragments that had once flashed through her mind were now overlapping perfectly with what she saw in front of her? Why? Could it be that what she was seeing now was actually her own memory? If that were the case, then the little girl who looked so much like her might really be herself?

Impossible…

She couldn’t help but glance at the tearful little girl standing before her and shook her head resolutely. They might look alike, but their personalities were worlds apart. Whether as a ghost or as a human, she had always been fierce.

Back when she was a ghost, she had once gnawed off half of a Malevolent Ghost’s soul in a fight, barely able to maintain even a human form. She was miserable, hiding in a pit for months before she could slowly recover. At that time, she didn’t even dare to leave the pit. Only when she was starving did she sneak out at night to find something to eat, fearing not only other Malevolent Ghosts, but also the Handsome Monk. After all, neither was easy to deal with. In such a weakened state, could she possibly resist them if she encountered them? She had barely survived those days.

And when she was human, she had faced several desperate situations of unemployment and the struggles of finding a new job. Not once had she ever cried. Even if she wanted to, she could never be this fragile-like a child.

Gu Feiyin felt that the little girl in front of her only looked like her. Whether there was any real connection was still hard to say.

While she was still in doubt, the situation on the other side had already become urgent.

Madam Gu had originally planned to have her daughter take the child and hide in the mountains. But her daughter-in-law Xiaoying had just given birth and was so weak she could barely walk a few steps. With chaos and violence outside, it would only make things worse for her. Madam Gu wanted her to hide in the cellar behind the courtyard, where some food and water were stored-enough for her to survive a few days. As for herself, she planned to use all the Gu Family’s assets to buy back her husband and son-she didn’t believe for a second that they were dead. That was just an excuse her husband had made up to trick her into escaping.

But now, with things so urgent, there was no time to think or ask questions. She pulled her daughter over, strapped the baby to her back, and told her: “Yin’er, you’re grown up now, and you’re an auntie, too. You must take care of little Bao, understand?”

The little girl wiped her tears, but her gaze was determined. “Mother, can I stay with you all? I’ll be good, I promise.”

“If you want to obey me, then follow Uncle Gu up the mountain.” Most people in the town had already fled there-it was much safer than staying here.

“Mother!”

Uncle Gu urged from the side, “Hurry! They’re already killing their way here. If you don’t leave now, it’ll be too late!”

Madam Gu swiftly tied the child to the little girl’s back and pushed her toward the back door. But time waited for no one. In the blink of an eye, people burst in from outside, shouting and kicking things over as they came: “Where are they? Hurry up and get out here!”

“I heard the Gu Family is pretty famous in Gu Family Town. Gu Xianxi’s wife is the former county magistrate’s daughter, and her dowry filled several carriages. If we find them, we’ll be rich!”

“Search everywhere, search carefully, and find all their valuables.”

“Big brother, don’t worry. We’ve already caught Gu Xianxi and Gu Chong. The Gu Family can’t have anyone left except a few weak women-what can they do? Even if we can’t find them, I bet they’re too scared to refuse to talk.”

“You talk too much! Go, bring Gu Xianxi and Gu Chong here. If any of them dare say no, kill them!”

Gu Xianxi and Gu Chong had already been beaten several times, their bodies covered in bruises, faces so battered they were unrecognizable, holding on only by sheer will. When they were dragged out, they collapsed onto the ground, unable to get up for a long while. Then someone threw a bucket of cold water on them, the shock making the Gu father and son cough awake.

Madam Gu had long heard the sounds outside, but there was no time to hesitate. She shoved the little girl out the door. “Yin’er, go!”

She slammed the door shut, bolted it, ignoring the little girl’s cries, and turned to run toward the living room! She hurried forward, seeing her husband lying on the ground. “Let my husband and son go. I’ll give you whatever you want.”

Gu Xianxi and Gu Chong, who had been lying on the ground barely alive, were suddenly shocked awake. They struggled to raise their heads. The two who had been able to face death calmly finally broke down at the sight of Madam Gu. Their mouths were gagged, so they could only let out hoarse muffled cries, as if to say, “Why didn’t you leave? Didn’t we tell you to go? Why are you still here?”

Madam Gu shook her head. She couldn’t leave-she couldn’t abandon her husband and son.

“I know you want money. I can give you everything, but I only hope you’ll spare my husband and son, and spare the people of our town…”

The bandits burst into wild laughter, their dark faces full of malice. “You’re already a prisoner, and you still want to bargain with us?”

When they came, they set a fire for show, spreading rumors they were going to massacre Gu Family Town, but in reality, they only targeted a few wealthy families. Who cared about the poor? Their interest wasn’t in killing, but in money.

“The reason I know is because only I know where my dowry is hidden.” Madam Gu coughed a few times, looking every bit the delicate woman she was. “With the chaos now, who would leave valuables at home?”

Her words made them hesitate, a trace of doubt appearing on their faces. Madam Gu thought she finally had a chance, but then the bandit leader’s face grew cold and he pressed a knife to Gu Xianxi’s neck: “If you dare not tell me, I’ll kill him right now!”

Madam Gu’s face went pale and she nearly fainted, but she forced herself to stay composed. Though she had seen some things and was educated, she had never met people so desperate and ruthless. She trembled with fear and anxiety.

“You can’t do this!”

“Can’t do this? Hah, I’ll kill your husband, then your son. If you dare stall for even a moment, I’ll kill one of them!”

Madam Gu was so furious her breath grew uneven, but she held back. “If my husband and son die, I’ll just go with them-then you’ll get nothing. My life is worthless, what difference does it make when I die?”

The bandit replied, “Fine, let’s see who’s tougher. I’ll kill one first. Will you choose your husband or your son? What, can’t decide? Then I’ll choose for you. I’ll kill your son first, how about that?”

As he finished, a man holding a gun walked to Gu Chong’s side. The muzzle was still stained with blood and radiated a chilling coldness-just the sight of it was enough to make anyone shiver.

As the man gave the order, the cold, black muzzle of the gun was pointed mercilessly at Gu Chong. Gu Xianxi’s eyes snapped wide open, struggling to rise from the ground. Yet he was already battered and bruised-let alone standing up; he could hardly muster any strength at all, much less get to his feet.

Madam Gu also staggered, almost falling. She could no longer hold back and cried out loudly, “Stop! Stop!”

This was a contest of whose heart was colder. Even if Madam Gu had some experience, her resolve could never match theirs. How could she really stand by and watch her son die?

“You promised me that once you get the money, you’ll let my husband and son go and immediately leave Gu Family Town!”

“Save your own family first before talking about anything else!”

……

Gu Feiyin was watching anxiously from the side, nearly beside herself with worry. These desperadoes clearly had no intention of letting anyone go-this was just a temporary expedient. Once they got the money, she feared they would kill everyone.

Furious, she rushed over and swung her fists at those men, but her punches landed on empty air. She cursed Goddamn Heaven several times, but it didn’t help her vent her anger. She could only cross her arms and hover gloomily to the side, so angry her soul nearly left her body. Why hadn’t she woken up from this yet? Goddamn Heaven’s ways of tormenting people were truly endless.

While she was boiling with rage, the other side had already obtained the address and was gleeful. Madam Gu dashed to Gu Xianxi’s side, looking at his battered body with nowhere to start, finally unable to hold back her sorrow and bursting into tears. She tore the filthy rag from her husband’s mouth and said, “It’s okay, we’re-BANG!”

A gunshot rang out, cutting off Madam Gu’s words. Blood welled from her temple; her eyes widened, still glistening with tears, and she toppled over sideways.

Gu Xianxi’s eyes nearly burst from their sockets as he struggled to crawl over. “Huihui!”

Huihui was Madam Gu’s childhood name. Usually, Gu Xianxi was reserved and proud, always maintaining his composure and manners, rarely calling her that-at most, he’d address her as Madam. Now the name slipped out, showing how utterly distraught he was.

Gu Chong let out muffled cries, his eyes bloodshot, staring at the man with a look that wished to devour him alive!

But in the next instant, there were two more gunshots in quick succession.

……

The Little Girl, running back regardless of everything, saw her mother fall, her father dead, her big brother dead, and blood everywhere-so much blood, as if a river had burst its banks. All around, people were laughing and jeering.

“Kill those who are worthless, too-so they don’t become a problem later.”

After this job, they’d have enough money to buy passage abroad. By then, even if the world was in chaos, with the sky high and the sea wide, wouldn’t they be free to fly wherever they wished?

The Little Girl stood dumbfounded, staring blankly at her mother-who had just been talking to her-lying with eyes wide open, her face and eyes stained red with blood, unmoving, utterly lifeless. Her father and big brother lay nearby, their bodies a mess of wounds. She stood frozen, unable to move.

The bandits who had planned to search for gold and jewels-someone suddenly glanced back and spotted the Little Girl standing not far away. His eyes lit with wicked intent: “There’s a young woman over there! Looks like she’s only fifteen or sixteen, probably never been touched by a man. Maybe we should…”

“Enough, enough. Get the money first. Once we’re rich, what kind of women can’t we have? Don’t get greedy and end up with nothing. Qing Country is finished, our nation’s done for-if you stay here, you’ll never be anything but a slave!”

“So what, let her go?”

“Kill her.”

……

The Little Girl ran, her body thin and frail. She couldn’t think of anything-she only knew she had to escape; she couldn’t die.

But she was ultimately too weak. No matter how fast she ran, she couldn’t outrun those burly men. As they closed in, guns pointed at her back, the Little Girl dove to the left, hiding under a stone stair.

But someone was coming from ahead.

She had no way out.

She shrank into the corner, eyes wide open, red with fury, glaring at them like an enraged little wolf cub.

“You killed my father and mother, killed my big brother! I’ll kill you! Even as a ghost, I won’t let you go!”

“I’ll become a ghost and make sure you have no grave to rest in!”

“I’ll become a ghost…”

“BANG-”

……

Gu Feiyin had followed the Little Girl all the way, watching helplessly as the Little Girl took a bullet through her forehead, sitting there against the wall, lifeless.

Yet her body sat stiff and upright, her head not even drooping. Her eyes were wide open, as if even in death, they were still watching them. Blood streamed from her forehead along the corner of her eyes, as if the dead were weeping blood…

This eerie scene made a few of the men who’d done the deed shudder. They’d killed many before, but never seen anything like this. It gave them the creeps.

“Let’s go, let’s go! What are you staring at? Don’t you want to go abroad?”

“Move it!”

The group hurried away, not daring to look back.

Gu Feiyin clutched her head and collapsed with a thud, not knowing why. Clearly it was the Little Girl who’d been shot in the head, yet she felt the pain herself-worse than having half her body devoured. But wasn’t she dreaming? How could it hurt so much in a dream, and why hadn’t she woken up from the pain?

She rolled on the ground in agony, unable to stop a sharp, drawn-out wail from her throat, as if that might lessen her pain a bit.

As she wailed, she suddenly heard the cry of a baby. Looking up, the sound came from behind the Little Girl-from the infant?

At that moment, she saw a ghostly shadow drift out of the Little Girl’s body, shrouded in ghostly energy, Resentment Energy soaring skyward, eyes blood-red, bloody tears falling from them. She floated lightly into the air, her fingernails long and sharp, dark green in color.

Gu Feiyin stared in shock-Malevolent Ghost?

But Goddamn Heaven, why did her head still hurt so much?

She followed the Little Girl, watching as she charged into the group of bandits, moving like a phantom, brandishing her dark green claws, killing them all one by one.

One, two, three, four, five, six…

She killed one and ate one. Those newly dead souls were all devoured by her, gulped down mechanically, as if without end. In the moment they were torn and swallowed, the souls could still be heard crying and begging for mercy.

“Help! Help me!”

“Spare me, please, spare me…”

“Don’t eat me, don’t eat me!”

Not one was spared.