Chapter Ninety-Nine: Rebirth from a Nightmare

“Grandma Chen, is everything you said really true? Then my father, my father he...”
“No one can escape this curse. The day the offerings cease, it will find a way to take your life.”

Dazhuang slapped his forehead in shock.
“So, so my uncle’s death was caused by this female ghost’s curse!”

Chen Bailian sighed deeply but shook her head silently.
“So that’s the origin of this female ghost. Maybe she really was a jiao, not just the old stone mill at the village entrance that had become enchanted over time. But I wonder what she went through to become such a cruel and violent spirit!”

Master Huo snapped his fingers and sneered.
“You brat, a fierce ghost with such heavy resentment cannot be reasoned with. The only way is to exorcise it as quickly as possible!”

“Maybe, maybe she had some unavoidable hardship,” Cui Yue shook his head, unwilling to dwell on it.

“Hmph, that’s just womanly compassion. This ghost has imprisoned the entire village, killing at will and drawing on yin energy and souls to strengthen itself. Its crimes are unforgivable. If it goes to the underworld, its soul will surely be scattered!”

Everyone shuddered at Master Huo’s words, falling silent for a moment.

“Grandma Chen, you don’t have to fear that ghost anymore. We have already exorcised it. From now on, Shangwan Village can finally break the curse and live anew.”

Cui Yue hurriedly comforted her.

“Wh-what?”

Chen Bailian’s expression changed, her breath came rapidly. She thought she must have misheard due to her failing eyesight.

Everyone quickly recounted the events of the previous night in detail to Chen Bailian, naturally altering the part about Cui Yue swallowing the ghost.

Chen Bailian had lived in fear and anxiety for decades, barely surviving. Suddenly hearing this news stirred overwhelming emotions, and she threw her head back, wailing loudly—a cry filled with the blood and tears of all Shangwan Village’s history.

Cui Yue and the others looked on with mixed feelings, never imagining that this small village had endured such suffering. For nearly a century, it had been shrouded in darkness.

After a long while, Chen Bailian’s emotions settled somewhat. She grasped Cui Yue’s hand and confirmed once more:

“You mean that ghost will never return, and Shangwan Village will finally have good days ahead!”

“Yes, exactly! Grandma Chen, our Shangwan Village will no longer suffer.”

Chen Bailian produced a cloth bag from her bosom and opened it, revealing a pair of delicate embroidered pink mandarin duck shoes.

Everyone was astonished—could this be another pair?

Chen Bailian raised her hand and cast the shoes into the nearby fire basin.

The fierce flames engulfed the shoes, twisting and warping them until they turned to ashes.

She let go of all attachments, cast off all burdens, and felt an unprecedented lightness in her heart. This was a different world—they would start anew.

The next day remained cloudy and gloomy.

---

Cui Yue and the others busied themselves with burial preparations when Dazhuang rushed in, panic-stricken.

“Bad news! Something’s happened!”

Dazhuang’s face was pale, his voice trembling.

Cui Yue furrowed his brow, a bad premonition creeping over him.

“Quick, tell us what happened!”

Zhang Hao urged anxiously.

Dazhuang trembled as he said,
“Grandma Chen... she passed away this morning... she died without rest!”

“What?!”

Everyone froze, unable to believe the news.

“How is that possible? She was fine just yesterday...”

“Nonsense! She was perfectly fine last night...”

No matter how unwilling they were to accept it, the fact remained.

Early that morning, Chen Sanwa, Chen Bailian’s nephew, came to fetch water. Upon pushing open the door, he found Chen Bailian sitting in the courtyard—dead for some time, her eyes wide open in death.

Chen Sanwa was terrified and fled to spread the news.

“So the curse on Shangwan Village hasn’t been broken after all. Could Chen Bailian have been silenced by the ghost for revealing the village’s secret?”

Zhang Hao analyzed grimly.

“No! There must be something we overlooked.”

Master Huo’s face darkened; even he had been deceived and missed something crucial.

“What could it be?”

Cui Yue pondered deeply, recalling every detail and every word from the previous night.

“Things we picked up must not be burned... the curse was supposedly lifted... that embroidered shoe...”

What was the connection among these?

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Cui Yue. Something was wrong!

“Zhang Hao!”

“Yeah?”

“Do you remember last night when we went to that side room and saw the embroidered shoe on the altar?”

Zhang Hao looked confused and even more puzzled.

“Yes, yes... but what does that have to do with anything?”

“Do you remember that the shoe itself carbonized, turning into powder?”

“Yes, that’s right. When we saw it before, it was perfectly fine!”

Cui Yue slapped his thigh, almost leaping up.

“Exactly! That’s the problem!”

Seeing that no one else understood, Cui Yue urged,
“Logically, if the ghost was truly subdued, its bonded talisman should have turned to ashes. But the other shoe that Grandma Chen took out last night was still brightly colored and intact!”

“So Grandma Chen died because she burned the ghost’s true bonded talisman and was cursed!”

Zhang Hao suddenly understood, a chilling horror dawning on him.

“Exactly!”

Cui Yue affirmed.

“Cui Yue’s reasoning makes sense. This curse remains extremely dangerous. Everyone must be very careful!”

Master Huo nodded, then turned to Dazhuang with instructions.

“Dazhuang, quickly inform the villagers that the curse is not broken. Do not burn any offerings recklessly. We must investigate thoroughly before making any decisions.”

Hearing the gravity of the situation, the others hurried off to notify the villagers.

“Master Huo, is there any way you can help us? We can negotiate the price,” the mother of Xiaofeng said anxiously, her last hope resting on this oddly dressed yin-yang master.

“Hmph, I will see this matter through today. If this spreads, it’ll ruin my livelihood! We can discuss the price later.”

Hearing this, Cui Yue scarcely recognized the disheveled man before him. How had he suddenly changed from the mercenary he was before?

As Cui Yue was still lost in thought, a voice whispered into his ear:

“Cui Yue, do you have the courage to come with me and see for yourself?”

Master Huo toyed with a ring on his finger, deliberately goading him.

“Hmph, don’t underestimate me from the crack of the door! I was just about to say the same!”

Cui Yue’s chest burned with rage. It was because of him that Chen Bailian was cursed and died full of hatred. He wished he could tear that woman in green to shreds, scattering her soul to the winds!