Everyone fell silent, an eerie stillness settling over the room.
The bespectacled man who had eaten his finger at the table took a step back, his face contorted in terror: "A...a ghost!!!"
As he spoke, he suddenly pulled a long-hidden dagger from his pocket, gritting his teeth as he swung it at Xie He, his eyes bloodshot. "It's you! It's you, isn't it! I knew something was wrong with you a long time ago! Why has this evil ghost let you go time and time again? You even got away with eating a finger..."
Xie He calmly dodged, then swiftly kicked the bespectacled man in the back of the knee from behind.
With a swift movement, he pinned the bespectacled man's hand behind his back, his pure black eyes fixed on him: "Attacking me? In a game, killing your teammates means you die too, right? Are you tired of living?"
His gaze swept over the room. These words weren't just for the bespectacled man; they were for everyone else present. The ghost lurked among the players, but if players mistakenly killed someone in the chaos, they too would be punished by the game!
His gaze was like a knife, and the surroundings fell silent instantly.
Yu You stammered in a low voice, "He killed the doll before, so he saved you guys, I guess. Since you wanted to kill a ghost, why didn't you go find one that was already a ghost, instead of guessing among the players..."
"Fine! I was out of my mind, let go," the bespectacled man said.
Xie He narrowed his eyes and pressed him down even lower: "And then?"
The bespectacled man awkwardly said stiffly, "Sorry."
Xie He then released his grip.
The bespectacled man obediently stepped aside, but he muttered to himself thoughtfully, "Fine. Fine. You all want to die. But I... I don't want to. I'm going to kill her right now!"
He suddenly gripped his dagger tightly and ran in one direction!
It was towards the courtyard on the first floor!
Xie He remembered that the mistress had gone to the courtyard after breakfast. He... was most likely going to kill the mistress.
Xie He quickly pulled Yu You and Xia Gu aside and whispered to them, "The situation has changed. You two need to go to the mistress's room first..." As he spoke, he handed the meal card to Yu You and gave him a few more instructions for the next move.
Yu You was shocked and surprised, but also excited. "...This works?! Amazing, bro. Be careful."
Meal card?
Seeing Xie He hand over the small meal card, especially Yu You's subsequent reaction, the viewers on the live stream were filled with confusion and anxiety:
[??? Why did he give the meal card to that person? What's he going to do?]
[Hilarious, he doesn't even want the card anymore, is he planning to run away????]
[That's so mean, bro, what are you whispering about? Let us hear it too, you're deliberately keeping me in suspense QAQ.]
Yu You and Xia Gu rushed to the mistress's room.
Xie He quickly went downstairs and chased after the bespectacled man into the yard.
From afar, he heard the bespectacled man's voice, filled with rage: "It's all your fault! Once you're dead, all this will be over! Die!"
Xie He's eyes narrowed.
This player was too impulsive.
He absolutely couldn't let him kill the mistress now. If she were deliberately killed, the baby ghosts and the evil ghost wouldn't be able to get their revenge, and their resentment wouldn't be appeased.
The players wouldn't be able to escape this instance.
But the bespectacled man had already pinned the mistress tightly to the grass. His eyes were bloodshot, his fingers pressed firmly against her shoulders, the dagger pressed against the tiny artery in her neck, about to sever her fragile throat.
The mistress cried out in despair, tears streaming down her face, repeatedly pleading, "Help! Help me!"
Xie He kicked the bespectacled man away.
The bespectacled man staggered several steps, the dagger clattering to the ground. He roared angrily, "It's you again! What are you doing?!"
The woman burst into tears, huddled to one side, covering her face, muttering under her breath, "You bunch of ingrates! I kindly took you in, even showed you around the blind box dolls, and you tried to kill me? Don't you have any conscience?"
Xie He, however, remained impassive, staring at the side of her neck where the cross pendant had slipped off.
Xie He walked over to the woman and knelt down beside her.
The woman said, "Stop pretending to comfort me. Liars, all of you are liars."
Unexpectedly, Xie He picked up a sharp dagger and slammed it into the cross.
"No!!" the woman cried out.
A soft cracking sound reached her ears—the cross had shattered. The woman's eyes widened in horror, and she instinctively shoved Xie He.
"Are you scared?" Xie He remained unmoved, staring at her and chuckling. "Kindly taking us in? You just wanted to drag us down with you, feed us to the evil ghost, and use our deaths to save your own life! You put the fingers in our soup, then thought dying one by one was too slow, so you took us to see the blind box dolls."
The woman's eyes reddened: "..."
Her lie ruthlessly exposed, she was speechless, as if struck in the back.
Xie He smiled: "Five years ago, you killed your husband with your own hands—"
The woman was silent for a moment, her expression turning cold, then she roared: "That heartless man! He betrayed me! He never loved me, he was just playing around..." As she spoke, she couldn't help but cry, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
Xie He's expression was languid, but his eyes held a chilling darkness that pierced to the core: "He deserved to die, but you're no better. You had an abortion, didn't you?"
"..." The mistress froze, tears welling in her eyes, clearly not expecting Xie He to know this.
Xie He thought to himself, "Just as I thought."
The mistress had a child.
But the plump maid said she had never seen the mistress's child.
Why? Because the woman who owned the house never gave birth.
The boy doll in the storeroom was likely the dwelling place of the evil ghost.
It was entirely crimson, and placed among the dolls with severed arms and limbs, it looked as if it had no skin, its body limp and its limbs seemingly about to fall off at any moment.
That's because, before the boy was born, his limbs had been brutally crushed by surgical forceps.
The boy who was never born was… aborted.
Its ghost, however, grew to the appearance of a five-year-old over the past five years.
The game rules state: "The evil ghost only draws the most beautiful blind box doll; if it draws the wrong one, it will kill the incorrect doll." This makes sense.
The most beautiful blind box doll was actually the woman who owned the house.
In a child's eyes, the most beautiful and most desired thing is also their mother.
On the lawn, Xie He stared intently at the trembling woman: "You crushed your innocent, unborn child with surgical forceps. Couldn't you sense that he didn't love you? You only planned to have the child to bind him, didn't you? You never intended to raise it."
"Your son became a ghost baby after you abandoned him. Afraid of their revenge, you slaughtered hundreds upon hundreds of babies in the town, using their corpses to make oil for candles to suppress the evil ghost. You've done quite a lot, haven't you?"
The crowd listened to this accusation, a chill running down their spines. They hadn't expected this young man to have revealed so much of the backstory before them.
Xie He gazed at her coldly: "It's your turn to face it.Her ghost-suppressing cross has been destroyed by me. Come out if you hear me. Dear evil ghost, little boy—"
His tone was unhurried, nonchalant, even tinged with a hint of amusement, yet it sent shivers down their spines.
The woman quickly pushed Xie He away and scrambled to her feet: "Enough! You're crazy!"
Xie He had barely finished speaking when a blood-soaked infant appeared before them. Beneath its fragile skin, dark red veins gurgled.
The ghost dragged a trail of damp, crimson blood on the ground, its head tilted 90 degrees, as if its skull were broken, hanging precariously from its shoulder.
It mechanically walked towards the woman, whimpering, "Mommy, I'm in so much pain, please come and keep me company?"
"Keep me company..."
The woman clutched her head, retreating in despair, tears streaming down her face: "Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!"
Xie He stood to the side, silently watching the scene, a touch of emotion stirring within him.
How beautiful, how sweet and lovely this was—a family reunion.
The child, who had wandered alone outside for years, finally saw his elderly mother, tearfully pleading for a hug and comfort. His mother was moved to tears.
Xie He's phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and glanced at it.
System: [Congratulations player Xie He, main story background unlocked, points +60]
[Congratulations player Xie He, side quest "Helping the Baby Ghosts Return Home" progress +30%.]
[Current progress: 1/3, points +10]
A faint smile appeared on Xie He's lips. He knew that Yu You and Xia Gu had already completed the first step of their side quest—moving the corpse oil candles out of the mistress's room.
Xie He had thought that helping the baby ghosts return home should involve two steps:
1. Revenge
2. Returning Home
But why was the progress bar showing three steps? Then he understood.
Those babies were all turned into corpse oil candles, forced to share a room with the people who killed them every day—how disgusting!
Therefore, the last step was to escape the room.
***
As the evil ghost approached, the woman retreated hastily. In the nick of time, she finally remembered to chant an incantation.
With each incantation, the surroundings darkened, and the air grew chilling. A chill ran down everyone's spines, and they took a step back.
Unexpectedly, a surge of black mist suddenly billowed in from the second-floor window, filled with the faces of countless infants, looking utterly terrifying—baby ghosts!
Controlled by the woman, they swooped down from the window, shrieking as they lunged at the evil little boy.
The little boy also transformed into a thick cloud of black mist, and the two clouds of black mist quickly began to wrestle.
The woman tried to escape in the chaos, but Xie He blocked her way.
The young man toyed with a dagger in his hand. He was tall and slender, and as he approached, the silver chain on the side of his trousers swayed gently, gleaming with a cold, sharp light.
His pure black eyes glanced at her casually, seemingly with a smile. The woman, staring at the dagger in Xie He's hand, was on the verge of despair. Completely disregarding her image, she cried out, "You destroyed my cross! You madman, what more do you want?!"
She stared at the cold, gleaming dagger in Xie He's hand, suddenly becoming alert, her eyes turning bloodshot as she roared, "You don't intend to kill me, do you?! You're dreaming! If I die, the infant ghosts and evil ghost will all go out of control! Then, all of you will be buried with me!"
Her words had barely left her lips.
Xie He, however, calmly looked at her and pointed upstairs.
The woman looked up and saw thick smoke billowing from her room, her eyes widening in shock.
"..." Her heart sank.
Xie He smiled, his eyes crinkling, and said, "Unfortunately, we've already burned your corpse oil candles. It looks like the fire is spreading quite quickly."
The infant ghosts' corpses were candles; with their bodies destroyed, the infant ghosts went out of control!
On the other hand, with the offering candles burned, the evil ghost, no longer suppressed, will completely spiral out of control, becoming so powerful that no one can resist him!
Xie He smiled and said, "...Oh dear, it seems a bit too late. Even if they didn't kill you, they'd all be out of control. It feels like the baby ghosts, without the cross, is no match for the evil ghost. You'll soon be reunited with your son; how enviable!"
His tone was light, yet every word pierced the mistress's heart.
Watching the black mist surrounding the baby ghosts shrink, about to be defeated by the evil ghost, despair filled the mistress's eyes.
Would she die...? No, no!!
She had killed so many people just to survive. Even if she became neither human nor ghost, she would cling to this world!
The mistress clenched her fingers, her face suddenly changing. She recalled a curse she had once read about an evil ghost: "Wraith, wraith, I will take your spirit, bestow upon you soldiers and generals, and place you under my care to assist me in my duties ①. I will nourish your soul with my body!"
"Baby ghosts, I offer my soul as a sacrifice. I beg you to help me kill the evil ghost, and this madman!!"
Xie He: "..."
Crack. Crack—
The mistress's entire body was contorting strangely, her joints cracking as if they were breaking.
The vengeful spirits of the baby ghosts, like burning smoke bombs, swarmed into her body, fiercely devouring her soul.
Her elbows were completely behind her back, a position no normal person could achieve.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!" she screamed in agony, her skin ashen, her face increasingly grotesque.
Witnessing this, Liao Mingze's face turned ashen. He quickly said in a low voice, "Let's go!"
The other players followed Liao Mingze, running hurriedly into the house, trembling with fear.
"Giggle, giggle..."
Finally, when the woman opened her eyes, her skin had swollen and turned bluish-purple, her eyes a deep, bloodshot red, making her look especially terrifying.
After the soul sacrifice, the baby ghosts all pressed against the woman.
Having devoured the woman's soul, the baby ghosts grew even stronger, completely merging with her.
The evil ghost roared and lunged at the woman, who easily slammed it against the wall, a sinister grin spreading across her face.
The evil ghost howled a few times, seemingly enraged. Its black mist swelled and grew larger, but it only dared to roar at the woman before realizing it was outmatched and rushing into the house to find the other players!
Light bulbs flickered and crackled throughout the house, and objects rained down everywhere. The players scattered in disarray.
Liao Mingze, retreating into the house, drew his snake-bone whip and fought back fiercely.
***
On the other side, the woman grinned maliciously, then suddenly turned her head, staring at Xie He.
Two streams of bloody tears flowed from her crimson eyes.
The live chat gasped:
[Holy crap! Blood streaming from her eyes! That scared me to death!!!]
[Good heavens, the mistress is offering herself to the ghosts just to kill the young man!]
[It's all over, it's all over! Even the evil ghost can't defeat the current mistress. The young man doesn't have a single item; he's doomed!!]
System: [Congratulations player Xie He, you have gained 100% hatred points from the female ghost (baby ghost).]
[Female ghost (baby ghost) combat value: 100]
[Your combat value: 20]
[Congratulations, your victory rate is: 0. Please keep trying!]
Xie He: "..."
The mutated mistress suddenly turned her scarlet eyes, staring at Xie He, and launched an attack on him with a sinister smile.
"!"
Seeing a clump of black hair suddenly rushing towards him, Xie He quickly ran into the house!
He was about to run upstairs when the long black hair, like a vengeful ghost's hook, quickly wrapped around Xie He's wrist from behind and grabbed him tightly!
"Swoosh—"
Xie He cut off a strand of hair with his dagger, only to have new strands quickly entangle around it.
The woman walked towards Xie He step by step, the wooden planks of the stairs creaking and groaning.
Beneath her pale skin, countless tiny faces of infants were reflected, their bodies groaning in agony, a truly gruesome sight.
Her hair continued to entangle Xie He, like an endless weed.
The areas where the black hair tangled began to sizzle and burn, leaving red welts.
Xie He could only keep cutting the hair.
He knew that retreating like this wasn't a solution; he had to confront the woman directly!
The lights in the stairwell flickered. He grabbed the handrail and suddenly stopped.
The woman's expression froze for a moment.
Xie He was already gripping her hair tightly, completely ignoring the blood dripping from his burning palms.
He wrapped his hair around his hand and yanked the mistress towards him. She screamed in pain.
With that hideous face so close, Xie He showed no fear. He raised his dagger and plunged the tip into her heart!
"Pfft—"
However—
The dagger pierced her heart, but she seemed oblivious, not a drop of blood flowing. She looked down at her chest, her smile growing even more grotesque: "You can't kill me! Hahahaha…"
She had now completely transformed into a ghost, immortal and indestructible.
Xie He's expression darkened for a moment.
He knew things were going badly.
He tried to run, but the mistress had already attacked him. She grabbed Xie He by the neck, her fingers tightening suddenly, her long nails digging into his skin.
Now possessing the power of a ghost, her strength was astonishing; she slammed Xie He to the ground.
Crack—!
The stairs shattered violently, countless cracks spreading out, a thin layer of dust rising.
"Cough, cough cough." Xie He coughed a few times, bracing himself on his arms.
He couldn't hold on any longer and suddenly bent over, spitting out a handful of dark red blood, mixed with internal organs.
He chuckled lightly, casually wiping his lips with the back of his hand.
The comments section exploded:
[No!!!!! My heart aches for him so much.]
[What to do, what to do, I'm so worried, I wish I could jump into the screen and wipe the blood away for him.]
[Hahaha, I think he's going to die.]
The mistress stared at him, mocking, "Weren't you so amazing? Get up!"
Xie He supported himself with his arms, swaying as he stood up, still maintaining that nonchalant smile.
As the ghostly aura emanating from the mistress pressed down upon him, Xie He felt as if his entire body was bound, his lungs about to explode, and his face deathly pale.
He was slammed against the stair railing by the mistress's hair, his bones feeling like they were about to break!
"Is that all? Not very impressive?" His pale lips parted slightly, but his eyes held a mocking glint.
The mistress scoffed, "Still being stubborn even when you're about to die."
Xie He strained to reach into his pocket.
With all his might, he pulled out the rotting offering, and with his last ounce of strength, hurled it at the mistress!
The mistress dodged quickly, and Xie He seized the opportunity while she regained her senses, sprinting towards the blind box room!
The mistress's face froze for a moment, then she dragged her feet after Xie He. Light bulbs flickered and crackled in her wake.
Things around her collapsed, turning into a chaotic mess of ruins.
Bang!!
Xie He flung open the door to the blind box room.
The mistress rushed in after him. The thought of driving Xie He to his doom filled her with excitement.
"Run—! Keep going!" The mistress laughed sharply, slamming the door open.
But when she saw the scene inside—
The mistress froze.
The mountains of corpse oil candles were all perfectly intact, placed quietly under the incandescent light, like pieces of warm jade.
"Fine, you dared to deceive me, today is your death day!" Realizing she'd been tricked, the mistress unleashed her black hair again.
Just as thousands of black hairs, baring their fangs and claws, were about to attack Xie He!
Xie He, however, leaned calmly to the side, casually raising his eyes: "Baby ghosts, do you want revenge on this person?"
The menacing strands of hair, so close yet so far, suddenly fluttered down to the ground. The baby ghosts clinging to the woman suddenly stopped, as if weighed down by a mountain.
“!”
The woman’s expression changed drastically.
Xie He coughed a few times, chuckling softly, “I didn’t burn your cor—” He paused, realizing the word “corpse” wasn’t quite right, and said, “…your body.”
He chuckled, his face pale, yet with a different kind of nonchalant arrogance.
He pulled a pendant from his pocket.
The pendant swayed gently in his hand, a perfectly intact peach wood cross hanging from its base.
The moment the woman saw the cross, her eyes widened in horror, and she instantly realized… she'd been tricked!
Xie He chuckled at the woman, the body housing the baby ghosts: “The necklace is in my hands. Now, I am your master—”
His tone was light, yet resolute.
Two bells dangled beside the cross, jingling melodiously like wind chimes as Xie He gently shook them.
At the same time, the shattered cross around the woman's neck transformed into a thin slice of potato chip.
[Holy crap, holy crap, so cunning!! Did he switch it when he destroyed the woman's cross??]
[Wait… he transformed this cross with his meal card, right? But he gave the meal card to Yu You before going downstairs. That means this guy planned this all along… meticulous planning, chilling to the bone!!]
Hearing the word “master,” the baby ghosts inside the woman's body all cried out excitedly. Their new master was Xie He.
He was a tall, slender young man.
He stood by the window, a gentle breeze ruffling his hair. His pure black eyes held a hint of nonchalance, yet his gaze upon all living beings instilled fear in the ghosts!
The female master, now completely transformed into a ghost, twisted her limbs grotesquely.
With a thud, she knelt heavily before Xie He!
The house trembled, a thin layer of dust rising from the ground.
—That was a ghost, recognizing its new master!
[Ahhhhhh, I fucking want to kneel down and watch, so cool!!!]
[Awesome!! Lord of Ten Thousand Ghosts!!]
[Ahhhhhh, holy crap! He...he actually took in so many ghosts and became their master?! Isn't he afraid of a backlash?! I'm absolutely amazed!]
The woman was still conscious, but she couldn't control her body, which had already been sacrificed to the baby ghosts.
Her expression instantly turned terrified, her eyes filled with fear.
Xie He stood before her, looking down at her, his eyes dark yet calm: "The grievance has its source, the debt its debtor—"
"The innocent children who died unjustly in this town, and the little boy, I grant you permission—"
Xie He wiped the blood from his lips, his dark pupils reflecting everything before him.
His voice was low, casual yet resolute.
Like a creator delivering judgement, the blade fell.
"Seek revenge on her—!"
Author's Note:
①: Excerpt from Baidu Encyclopedia 《養靈咒》
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