Chapter 20 Second Son
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In reality, the hour was already late.
It was now time for Yunxiao’s morning class.
Pei Jing had just arrived back and was preparing to depart.
The sky was a bluish-gray, with frost clinging to the grass and trees along the road, adding a touch of damp coldness.
Chu Junyu seemed completely unconcerned about his absence last night. However, Pei Jing earnestly began telling him about the incident that had occurred at the old man’s house in the Yunlan Mountain Range.
“Later, I went back there with Xu Jing, and there was indeed something strange about the mirrors in the old man’s room. The mirrors were placed opposite the windows and doors to ward off ghosts and spirits. The old man’s grandson, who was enlightened by a renowned monk when he was young, had spiritually sensitive eyes and was more attuned to the supernatural than others.
“But still, he died. The mirrors on the eaves of the house were shattered, and the ghosts and spirits emerged from underground. There were not many people in their family, and at that time, only two people could enter his room. So, I suspect that the child was harmed by someone close to him, most likely his Second Uncle.
“Either he was influenced by demons, or he was consumed by greed.”
Pei Jing walked along the road, absentmindedly plucking a stalk of dogtail grass and twirling it in his hand. He walked beside Chu Junyu, sharing his discoveries.
“Then, that same night, I ventured into the forest and truly encountered that ghostly creature. How monstrous it looks, with faces all over its body—no wonder it was afraid of mirrors. I suppose it was afraid of scaring itself. Originally, I couldn’t have defeated her, but I encountered a benefactor who saved my life and allowed me to escape the mountain unscathed. It frightened me to the core. I almost thought I was going to be devoured by that demon.”
He kept talking along the way, and Chu Junyu calmly commented, “You’re quite lucky.”
Pei Jing dropped the grass from his hand and walked over, warmly linking arms with Chu Junyu. “But this matter isn’t over yet. The old man’s second son will return next month. How about we go together to apprehend him? I’m afraid he might be possessed by ghosts, and I won’t be able to defeat him.”
In the instant he leaned closer, Chu Junyu’s steps paused.
The young man exuded vitality, his presence as fresh and pure as a clear brook flowing through the meadow.
His shallow gaze fell upon Pei Jing’s face. “Why should I?”
Pei Jing spoke matter-of-factly, “Because we have a good relationship.”
The sky was a bluish-gray, and the country roads were muddy. As spring and summer intersected, the evening rain drizzled down. A man, wearing a straw cloak, sat at the front of a carriage, returning to his hometown from a thousand miles away.
As he neared the village, the carriage gradually slowed down, especially when passing through a particular field. The man in the straw cloak held his breath. The field had long been abandoned, as it had experienced mysterious deaths. The villagers deliberately avoided it, and now it was overgrown with weeds. The spot where the boy was buried alive was marked by a scarecrow erected by a wandering immortal, claiming it was to guide the wandering souls.
In reality, he knew full well that it was a deception. He had paid the immortal to come. The purpose of the scarecrow was not to guide the spirits but to suppress the boy’s ghost, ensuring he couldn’t reincarnate or seek revenge.
He could only blame his own eyes, always able to see things they shouldn’t see.
He parked the carriage outside the house and called out, “Father,” but the old man didn’t respond. The man took off his straw cloak, revealing a menacing face, and entered the yard, searching for the old man’s presence in vain. He muttered to himself, his tone contemptuous, “Has he gone into town to sell firewood again? This old fool, how much money can he make from all this toil? Just blindly fussing around.”
After a day of driving, exhausted and parched, he entered the kitchen and buried his head in the water barrel, taking big gulps. Midway through drinking, he vaguely felt something soft brushing against his face. He opened his eyes to find the inner wall of the barrel covered in moss, making the water appear murky. But now, at the bottom of this murky water, a contorted body was wedged, a female corpse. The pitch-black eyes of the protruding corpse locked with his, her face swollen with a tinge of resentment upon prolonged observation.
Startled, the man let out a scream and accidentally inhaled a mouthful of water, choking and struggling to breathe. However, with a long history of mischief, he was no longer afraid of ghosts. He grabbed a brick from the nearby stove and turned his head, forcefully smashing the water barrel. As the barrel shattered, the female ghost inside vanished. He lifted his head and exhaled heavily, gasping for air.
Wiping his face with his sleeve, the man said, “What bad luck. You think you can take my life? Keep dreaming.”
After drinking the water, his eyes twitched, and he felt exhausted all over. Dragging his feet, he entered the house, where the old man was absent, and he had no immediate concern for the group of women in the carriage.
Back in his room, he kicked off his shoes and lay down on the bed, quickly falling into a deep sleep. He slept soundly until evening, as night fell, and the atmosphere of the room immediately changed. Moonlight seeped through the paper window, tinted with a bloody hue.
The man dreamt of his eldest brother.
In the dream, his eldest brother’s waist was snapped in half by a piece of wood, causing his body to twist and contort. Even when he was alive, his eldest brother was a dull-witted man who never understood anything. When questioned, he would wear an honest expression and ask, “Why did you kill my son?”
In the dream, the man couldn’t be bothered to disguise himself and sneered, “That little brat managed to survive solely due to his stubborn luck. What more do you want? I’ve had enough of living in this poverty-stricken mountain valley. Finally, I found a way to get rich. Whoever stands in my way will meet their demise.”
The eldest brother cried like a coward.
At that moment, the vengeful spirit of his sister-in-law appeared, far more ruthless than the weak and useless eldest brother. His sister-in-law had been a shrewish woman in life, and as a malevolent ghost, she was exceedingly vicious. Her bloodshot eyes were filled with rage, her nails were dark blue, and she lunged forward, exclaiming, “Return my son’s life!”
However, it was just a dream, and she couldn’t harm him in the slightest. Nevertheless, the sensation of being choked by an evil spirit was vividly clear. His body convulsed on the bed, and he abruptly woke up, drenched in sweat.
Upon awakening, the lighting in the room flickered. His throat felt dry and parched, and suddenly, he felt a chilling sensation behind him. It reminded him of that time in the Yunlan Mountains when he stumbled into a forest and made a deal with that female ghost. He hadn’t been bothered by ghosts and monsters since then, so why was this happening today?
He got out of bed and heard the sound of sharp nails scratching against the window. As he focused his gaze, he noticed numerous blood-red arms of women pressing against the paper window. Fortunately, they seemed to be blocked from entering. Slow to react, the man turned his head and saw a mirror hanging on his wall, emitting a faint white light, which his little nephew insisted on placing in every room.
If it hadn’t been for the later request from the female ghost, he wouldn’t have known that these mirrors had the power to ward off evil.
“You can only blame yourself, but I guess it’s inevitable with those eyes of yours causing trouble.”
Ever since his nephew mentioned the woman on his back, he knew he couldn’t keep him. He lowered his head, put on his shoes, and muttered, “I’ve already sacrificed my two wives for this. Killing you won’t make much of a difference.”
In the moment he bent down, something fell from the sky and shattered upon hitting the ground. He gazed blankly ahead at a fallen mirror. It had dropped from the roof, reflecting a mass of red. Cold sweat formed on his forehead, and a shiver ran down his spine.
He looked up.
On the eaves of the house, a ghost in a red dress crawled on all fours, her black hair covering her face. She lowered her head, revealing a twisted smile that reached her ears.
In the dead of night, the man let out a horrifying scream, reminiscent of a slaughtered pig!
The vengeful spirits, lacking intelligence but still full of resentment, gathered here in the Yunlan Mountain Range. They flooded into the man’s room like a tidal wave, tearing him apart and staining the entire house red with blood.
Outside the house, Pei Jing, Chu Junyu, and the old man slowly emerged.
The old man stared blankly ahead, emotionless in his dry eyes, as the flames rose high into the sky.
Pei Jing: “Your second son has a wicked nature. This is just punishment for his crimes.”
In an instant, the old man aged ten years, closing his eyes as tears streamed down his face. “Since he was a child, he had a crooked heart. As he grew older, he became even more idle and addicted to gambling. I always wondered where he got the money to pay off so many debts… Now I know… sigh.”
The old man trembled and said, “It’s just a pity for my grandson.”
Pei Jing remained silent.
Once the second son was devoured completely, the resentment of the vengeful spirits seemed to dissipate. The eastern sky turned pale, and the sun appeared, causing the women and infants to disintegrate into dust one by one.
They turned the second son’s room upside down, revealing an entrance.
Venturing inside, they found a cellar. The cellar reeked of unbearable stench, and it was filthy and pitch-black. Piled together were a group of pregnant women, disheveled and lifeless, yet their bellies still wriggled. Pei Jing closed her eyes and, with a single stroke, slit open one woman’s belly.
Instantly, a one-meter-long green worm wriggled out from inside, presumably the Mother Gu that Ji Wuduan had mentioned.
Following the old man’s instructions, Pei Jing set fire to the house. She hoped that the women who had been victimized could find peace in the afterlife, no longer condemned to wander as vengeful spirits.
After rescuing the abducted girls from the carriage, they were overwhelmed with fear and gratitude, kneeling down in tears and repeatedly expressing their thanks. Pei Jing, who had long distanced herself from worldly affairs, gave them some silver coins and guided them to the nearby town before departing.
It rained continuously for several days. While passing by the place where the child had died, on their way back to Yunxiao.
Pei Jing walked into the field and pulled out the scarecrow. In the drizzling gray rain, the soul of a well-behaved-looking boy gradually emerged from the hole. He had always been missing two souls and one spirit, and even after being enlightened by Wu Sheng, he still retained a trace of innocence and ignorance.
The boy had short, fair hands and feet, appearing exceptionally small. His jet-black, bright eyes blinked incessantly as he looked at Pei Jing, unsure of what to do. Even in death, he harbored no feelings of resentment.
Pei Jing could see a golden Buddha light at the center of his eyebrows. It should have brought lasting blessings, but it had unwittingly attracted demons and monsters.
The boy stood frozen in place.
Pei Jing chuckled lightly and pointed a finger at the boy’s forehead.
In a voice only audible to the two of them, he softly said, “Go.”
The boy blinked in confusion, and a white light converged into his forehead. Suddenly, he seemed to have a moment of profound realization. He respectfully bowed to Pei Jing and involuntarily walked toward a certain direction. His figure gradually faded into the greenish misty rain.
On the way, Pei Jing pondered, “That old man spent his whole life accumulating virtuous deeds and doing good, but in the end, he was destroyed by his second son. I really don’t understand. They were all decent people, so how could they raise such a beast?”
Chu Junyu’s lips curled into a scornful, cold smile as he replied, “Perhaps some people are inherently wicked.”
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