Chapter 109: Joyful Wedding, Mourning Cry 40
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Just as Yan Shixun was shaken by his discovery and his nerves relaxed slightly, Yang Duo, who had been staring at him all along, suddenly attacked.
The red brick walls along the village road trembled and rotated, blood flowing from the cracks and forming into blood-red figures, slowly encircling Yan Shixun.
They had no features or skin, leaving a trail of dripping blood wherever they went.
Meanwhile, doors of every household in the village suddenly swung open, and a chilling wind blew out from the ancestral halls. Corpses rose from their coffins, stepping out of the doorways draped in white cloth and yellow paper, appearing on the village road.
Yan Shixun quickly sensed that something was amiss, and as he turned around, he saw corpses and blood figures emerging from all directions.
While Zhang Wubing and Yang Tu, who had been trembling against the brick wall, were caught off guard by the blood figures, they hadn’t even realized what was happening when they came face to face with featureless faces, screaming in terror for help.
Yan Shixun’s attention was divided.
With her bright red lips curled into a sinister smile, Yang Duo let out a loud scream, swiftly rushing towards Yan Shixun as if she were an arrow, her hand gripping her own neck until it was cut by the golden light, while her other hand, with sharp red nails like daggers, extended straight towards Yan Shixun’s chest.
Yan Shixun, who had instinctively turned towards Zhang Wubing, quickly snapped back to attention, his eyes sharp as he stared directly at Yang Duo. The stone fragment that had been clenched in his palm was immediately raised to block Yang Duo’s approaching fingertips.
“Crack!”
The sharp nails clashed against the stone fragment, emitting a piercing sound as they shattered upon impact. However, they did not stop the fiercely approaching nails, which pierced directly towards his chest.
The nails tore through Yan Shixun’s clothes, causing a sharp pain in his chest.
Yan Shixun reached back and grabbed Yang Duo’s wrist, a bright, sharp light flashing in his previously serious eyes. As he watched Yang Duo about to succeed, he chuckled lightly.
“Although I knew you wouldn’t surrender easily, I actually hoped you would show some residual kindness towards others, at least refraining from indiscriminate killing. But as expected, hope is just wishful thinking.”
Yang Duo sneered, dismissive. “At this point, you still want to reason with me? Weak humans, placing their hopes on others!”
“No.”
Yan Shixun’s grip was strong, rendering Yang Duo unable to move forward with her attack, struggling to break free. He chuckled lightly, lowering his gaze and leaning forward slightly, speaking deliberately in front of Yang Duo.
“I am… giving you a chance to live.”
“——Have you heard of the ‘Evil Spirit Bone Transformation’?”
Under the blood moon, Yan Shixun tilted his head slightly, a playful smile playing on his lips.
Enveloped by a vast amount of Yin energy, Yang Duo had almost absorbed all the resentment and obsession accumulated in the village cemetery. Those tumultuous emotions had completely overshadowed and erased her original rationality and memories.
As Yan Shixun had questioned her before, the hazy state of her mind had caused her to forget who she was.
But in this chaotic state, Yang Duo’s intuition for danger became even more acute. She had almost sensed the danger the moment Yan Shixun uttered the words “Evil Spirit Bone Transformation”.
But it was too late.
Yan Shixun grabbed her wrist, not to push her back, but with an unstoppable force, he directed Yang Duo’s long nails to continue piercing towards his own chest.
The nails broke through the skin, and warm blood trickled down his chest along the muscles’ texture.
As the blood stained Yang Duo’s fingers, it sizzled like oil on hot skin, emitting a “sizzle” sound. Yang Duo’s once fair and beautiful fingers were severely burned under Yan Shixun’s blood, emitting a strong smell of charred flesh.
Yang Duo stared at her fingers rapidly turning into charred black bones, her eyes filled with fury. “What have you done?!”
The pain in his chest intensified, and even the Yin energy flowing into his body through the scratch from the pseudo-evil spirit made Yan Shixun uncomfortable, causing him to furrow his brow, feeling the cold breath flowing along his veins.
But upon hearing Yang Duo’s inquiry, Yan Shixun smiled gleefully, his eyes gleaming with the red light of the blood moon, sharp and bright.
“As for exorcising evil spirits, of course, I am… going to slay evil spirits.”
Yan Shixun’s low chuckle caused a vibration in the space between his chest. He bent down, leaning close to Yang Duo’s eyes, his magnetic voice asking softly, “Have you ever seen an evil spirit survive in human form? I am one.”
“Yang Duo, did you think I would stand before you without any defenses? No offense, but I am not an inexperienced fool fresh out of the gate.”
Yan Shixun murmured softly, “I have to commend you. Drawing us into your world was indeed a clever move. I cannot smoothly use the power of spells and divination, nor can I communicate with the heavens and earth. But…”
He sneered, his gaze disdainful. “Why would I need those external forces?”
“I myself am the best method for killing ghosts.”
A large amount of blood flowed from Yang Duo’s eye sockets. Her face was grotesque, with sharp fangs visible between her open red lips, giving her a look as if she wanted to devour flesh and blood.
But Yang Duo did not continue her attack on Yan Shixun. She was stunned by Yan Shixun’s almost reckless exchange of injuries and words. His words also made her start to fear the madman before her.
Yang Duo began to desperately try to pull her wrist back, but Yan Shixun’s immersion in her world, unable to freely use the power of spells, did not mean that his physical abilities were ineffective.
His palm forcefully gripped her wrist, leaving indentations. The blood flowing from his chest wound snaked down her arm, but it seemed to ignite like flames along the way, even setting ablaze her crimson wedding gown.
The entire blood-red world shook and trembled, nearly shattering.
But Zhang Wubing and Yang Tu, who had no means of self-defense, were caught by the blood figures, their throats choked. Their mouths and noses were submerged in blood, unable to breathe. The suffocating pain made them struggle desperately, their limbs flailing in wild resistance. However, each time, the blood figures simply passed through their arms made of blood, returning empty-handed.
Zhang Wubing’s vision was a sea of blood. He weakly reached out toward Yan Shixun, opening his mouth to cry for help, but all that came out were a series of bubbles. His windpipe was flooded with blood, his lungs filled with the taste of blood.
Yan Shixun noticed the commotion over there, and the corpses that had long been dead were also converging on them from all directions.
They would soon be surrounded by these things, but unlike him, Zhang Wubing and Yang Tu couldn’t save themselves.
Yang Du smirked, a triumphant smile spreading across her lips. “You smooth-talking liar, you’re about to pay the price for your arrogance. Even if you kill me now, so what? Your friends won’t survive either! I said this suffering, I want everyone to experience it with me.”
Yan Shixun gritted his teeth, turning his head slightly to glance at Zhang Wubing and Yang Tu out of the corner of his eye, quickly estimating how much longer they could hold on.
Thirty seconds? No, at most twenty seconds. Zhang Wubing and Yang Tu would soon succumb to suffocation shock.
In that brief moment when Yan Shixun’s mind wandered as he pondered, his grip on Yang Duo’s power slackened for an instant, less than a second. But Yang Duo, who was staring at him intently, immediately seized the opportunity and exerted all her strength in a sudden struggle.
Yan Shixun quickly snapped back to attention, turning his gaze towards Yang Duo, his hand reaching out again towards her.
However, Yang Duo suddenly dispersed into countless droplets of blood, falling into the pool of blood covering the ground.
Yan Shixun only managed to grasp a handful of blood.
Seeing that he couldn’t stop Yang Duo in time, Yan Shixun immediately switched tactics. With a swift motion, he turned towards Zhang Wubing. Dipping his fingers into his own blood on his chest, he then drew a series of exorcism symbols in the air with graceful movements.
The blood transformed into golden light as the spell was cast in one go, shooting straight towards the blood people entangling Zhang Wubing and Yang Tu.
The blood people had no thinking ability whatsoever; they were merely walking puppets. They were caught by the spell without any delay, losing their human form immediately and reverting back to blood, splattering onto the ground.
“Cough, cough…”
Without the force constricting him, Zhang Wubing sat down amidst the pool of blood, feeling weak all over. The near-asphyxiating pain made him clutch his throat, desperately gasping for fresh air.
Yang Tu fared no better.
As Yan Shixun walked over the blood-stained ground, he reached out to the two on the ground, “Can you still stand?”
He lowered his gaze, murmuring softly as if to himself, “Dealing with spirits always carries unknown dangers… Some ghosts, even if there’s a chance to save them, it’s already too late.”
“…It’s too late. What she’s done has gone beyond redemption.”
“Cough, cough, cough. Brother Yan, what did you say?”
Yan Shixun pulled Zhang Wubing up, but he remained limp, leaning against Yan Shixun without any strength to stand on his own.
“No, it’s nothing.”
Yan Shixun quickly composed himself, appearing calm as if nothing had happened.
“Wait, Brother Yan, you’re injured!” Zhang Wubing looked at Yan Shixun’s chest, alarmed. “You’re bleeding! What should we do,Brother Yan? I don’t have a first aid kit.”
Yan Shixun paid no mind, using both hands to tear off a piece of fabric from the hem of his shirt and tightly wrapping it around his chest, hastily fashioning an improvised tourniquet.
Fortunately, the wound wasn’t too deep. Feeling the pain and sensing the danger Yan Shixun was in, Yang Duo refrained from exacerbating his injury, desperately trying to prevent it from worsening.
Although the chilling aura still lingered, coursing through his veins, making Yan Shixun uncomfortable, he had no time to dwell on it now.
As for the symbols Yan Shixun conjured moments ago, not only did they obliterate the blood creatures threatening Zhang Wubing, but all the blood creatures summoned by Yang Duo reverted back to blood. The lifeless corpses also lost their animating force, falling limp into the blood river.
Yang Tu looked around in panic, his tongue tied with fear. “Brother Yan, are we trapped in Yang Duo’s world? Is this what Yang Yun was talking about?”
His voice trembled with tears. “What do we do now? Yang Yun said he could save us as long as we didn’t get trapped, but we’re already here. Are we going to die?”
Yan Shixun tilted his head slightly, his gaze coldly scanning the corpses littering the ground.
Yang Yun had long known that Yang Duo would become an evil spirit.
Why?
As an evil spirit, Yang Duo could freely manipulate everything within her domain, including life itself. That’s why she was able to change everything around them just now, controlling blood and corpses to attack them.
A vengeful evil spirit’s influence is no less than that of millions of fierce ghosts. But…
Yang Duo has not truly become an evil spirit yet.
Attaining godhood is never easy. Just like the legend of the carp leaping over the Dragon Gate, to become a god, one must undergo the final ritual.
——The ritual of death.
Perhaps the scene he witnessed, where the villagers sent Yang Duo off to her marriage, was for this purpose.
Yang Duo needs to repeat the process of her death, thereby severing her last connection to the mortal world. Only then, when the dusk of this day arrives, will her karmic cycle be complete.
But it was suddenly disrupted by the TV crew and him entering the Family Tomb Village.
“It seems the laws of heaven and earth forbid you from becoming a god, Yang Duo.”
Yan Shixun murmured with a low, disdainful chuckle. “The heavens don’t require an evil spirit to slaughter the mortal realm, so I was guided here. You see, between heaven and earth, there are no coincidences.”
Yan Shixun didn’t spare another glance at the corpses, indifferent as he turned and strode towards the ancestral hall, his robes swishing sharply.
Since Yang Duo needed to become an evil spirit through a ritual, she would undoubtedly need to return to her burial ground. Even if he temporarily lost track of Yang Duo, she would eventually appear at the ancestral hall.
He would be there, waiting for Yang Duo to arrive.
And then, he would prevent everything from happening.
Zhang Wubing and Yang Tu hurriedly followed suit.
The ancestral hall appeared long abandoned, with the plaques covered in dust.
However, oddly enough, the door to the ancestral hall was slightly ajar, revealing a narrow gap wide enough for one person to pass through.
Frowning, Yan Shixun lowered his gaze and noticed the footprints left in the dust outside the door.
They seemed to belong to an adult male, judging by the size of the shoe prints, along with another footprint that looked more like… a larger-sized women’s shoe?
The villagers who had just come to escort the wedding procession to the ancestral hall hadn’t even entered before Yang Duo, who had sensed his presence, killed them. Logically, they wouldn’t have had the chance to leave footprints near the entrance.
Unless someone had already entered the ancestral hall before them.
Yan Shixun pushed open the door of the ancestral hall expressionlessly, his muscles tense as he scanned the interior vigilantly.
The dusty flagstones clearly revealed footprints, and beside the footprint resembling a women’s shoe, there were some scuff marks, as if from a skirt brushing past.
At first glance, it seemed like a woman’s.
But… Size 44 women’s shoes, isn’t that a bit exaggerated?
Yan Shixun pondered with a question mark in his mind as he followed those footprints, wanting to see who would dare to freely roam in the world controlled by the Yin god and enter the ancestral hall, while carefully inspecting the rows of memorial tablets placed inside the hall.
Immediately, Yan Shixun realized that something was amiss in the ancestral hall, furrowing his brow lightly.
He had seen ancestral halls before, but usually there would be incense, candles, and sometimes even perpetual lamps burning besides the memorial tablets.
But in the ancestral hall of the Family Tomb Village, there wasn’t a single stick of incense, and the candles had long since toppled over, covered in dust. The altar was draped with spider webs, showing signs of neglect for a long time.
The interior of the ancestral hall was dim, the memorial tablets half-hidden in the darkness, their names resembling pairs of eyes silently watching the visitors.
Only in the courtyard, the blood-red moonlight cast its glow on the flagstones, faintly illuminating a figure half-hidden in the darkness.
The person stood with their back to Yan Shixun, facing the wall of memorial tablets, their gaze fixed upward. They appeared remarkably calm, as if everything had settled into dust, oblivious to the danger they were in.
Yan Shixun’s footsteps faltered, his wary gaze shifting from the person’s back, gradually becoming hesitant.
The silhouette seemed oddly familiar.
It resembled… Yang Yun, who had disappeared from the farmstay.
Yan Shixun stood silently in the darkness, intending to observe what Yang Yun was up to. However, he only heard a long sigh from Yang Yun.
“Mr. Yan, you’ve come.”
Yan Shixun stepped out expressionlessly from behind the concealed pillar, steadily approaching Yang Yun. “From your tone, it seems like you already knew I would come.”
“How could I not? After all, your bodies are still sleeping in my farmstay.”
Yang Yun’s gaze shifted from the memorial tablets, apologetically meeting Yan Shixun’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I thought you were outsiders. She shouldn’t have targeted you as long as you stayed inside the farmstay. I could have ensured your safety. But clearly, I underestimated her madness.”
“She?” Yan Shixun furrowed his brow. “Yang Duo?”
Yang Yun looked steadily at Yan Shixun, then chuckled. “It seems Mr. Yan has already encountered her.”
“Which means you knew about Yang Duo becoming the Yin God,” Yan Shixun pressed on. “And what about Jiang Yanran?”
Yang Yun nodded, with a strange sense of calm on his face.
It was like the final confession of a dying person, where everything had lost its meaning, and speaking to anyone no longer mattered.
“How could I not know?” Yang Yun sighed. “I am deeply guilty.”
“If Mr. Yan encountered Yang Duo, then you must have visited Yang Duo’s house?” Yang Yun continued. “Perhaps Mr. Yan doesn’t know, but Jiang Yanran is the new wife bought by Yang Duo’s father. And the person who sold Jiang Yanran to Yang Duo’s father, Yang Mian… is also the one who sold my mother to my father.”
“If Yang Duo and her mother hadn’t been buried alive, Yang Laosan wouldn’t have bought a new wife, Jiang Yanran wouldn’t have been trapped in the village unable to leave, and wouldn’t have died here. And if my father hadn’t done what he did to Yang Duo, if I had been a little braver, not just thinking about my own and my mother’s safety, but helping others and changing something… maybe things would have turned out differently.”
“My mom wouldn’t have died.”
Yang Yun’s calm voice carried a profound exhaustion, as if he had witnessed the destruction and tragedy of everything firsthand, powerless to stop it, and ultimately crumbling into despair himself.
“Mr. Yan, I was an unfilial child. I once said I would take my mom away from Family Tomb Village, to find her real parents and family. But, I misspoke.”
Yang Yun hung his head low, his tone filled with sorrow. “I was worthless, a coward, so in the end, I have to pay the price for the wrong decisions I made. I didn’t help others, so I lost the only person I cared about.”
According to what Yang Tu and Yang Yun said earlier, wasn’t Yang Yun’s mother said to have died of a sudden illness?
Yang Yun’s current despondent demeanor, coupled with the scene in the old farmstay resembling a crime scene, suggested that there was more to Yang Yun’s mother’s death than met the eye.
After some thought, Yan Shixun asked, “So, did you kill those villagers to avenge your mother?”
Yang Yun smiled lightly. “Mr. Yan sees through it. Indeed, Mr. Yan is the strangest but also the smartest person I’ve ever met. How could you not figure it out?”
“Mr. Yan can freely accuse me, but I don’t believe I did anything wrong.”
Yang Yun’s expression was open. “They deserved it.”
“Has Mr. Yan ever experienced the pain of losing a mother?”
Yang Yun walked over to the table where the plaques were placed, and without any respect, he casually sat down, looking up at Yan Shixun. “When I returned from outside the village, they all said my mother died of a sudden illness. I felt guilty, thinking it was my fault. It wasn’t until half a year ago when I invited those uncles from the village who claimed to have helped my mother to have a drink, but to my surprise, they got drunk and spilled the truth.”
“My mother didn’t die of sudden illness at all, they, they killed my mother!”
Amidst the clinking of glasses, the drunken middle-aged man patted Yang Yun on the shoulder, boasting to him, claiming he should be grateful.
He said his mother had a bad fate, killed his father, and now that he had built such a big business, his mother’s bad luck could ruin his success or even kill him. He and the others, seeing that he was also a male member of the Yang family, helped him out by getting rid of his husband-killing mother, so that no one could hinder him anymore.
Yang Yun couldn’t describe how his blood turned cold bit by bit when he heard those words, even ceasing to flow.
The person in front of him was still smiling, had been kind to him in the past, but the words he uttered made even demons recoil.
That was… my mother.
Yang Yun trembled all over, his eyes turning red with suppressed emotions.
That was his mother, who had endured a lifetime of suffering for his sake!
Before he left, she had stood at the doorway smiling, waving at him. Excitedly, he had promised to find information about her biological parents in the city and take her to reunite with the family she had been taken from after she was abducted.
But he had returned with a bag full of documents, filled with joy at the thought of bringing his mother to her family. Yet, to his dismay, all he found was a lonely coffin awaiting him.
He hadn’t even been able to see his mother one last time.
The person before him smiled so irritatingly. Why were these murderers able to laugh without a shred of guilt, while his mother lay buried beneath the ground, unable to see her biological parents and family one last time? The gap between heaven and man seemed insurmountable.
Yang Yun’s heart surged with anger as he looked at the drunken and slow-reacting villagers. Finally, he picked up the farm tools from outside…
“After killing them, I saw Yang Duo. She was wearing a bridal gown standing behind me, thanking me because the Yin energy produced from killing six people became the last drop in the pool, finally filling it up and reaching the critical threshold. As a result, she could gain even greater power, breaking free from all suppression and constraints.”
Yang Yun shook his head slowly, as if the memory was extremely painful for him. “From her, I also learned about what my father did back then—before Yang Duo died, they had been tormenting her for a long time. And my father, along with those people, were also killed by Yang Duo.”
“Yang Duo told me that because I inadvertently helped her, she allowed me to seek revenge against her. But…”
Yang Yun bowed his head in anguish, burying his face in his hands. “How can I even think of seeking revenge! My father, he was a beast! Yang Duo was only sixteen back then, she was still a little girl, how could they bear to do such a thing!”
“I am a person full of sins, without my mother, my last remaining resolve became meaningless. So, I took my own life, in front of my mother’s grave.”
His lips trembled as Yang Yun looked up at Yan Shixun, tears welling in his eyes. “But I am a useless waste, everything I’ve done was wrong. I thought that after I died, I could go and see my mother, apologize to her in person, and see her one more time.”
“But Yang Duo gained power, she killed everyone in the village, even those who tried to escape over Moon Mountain were hanged by her in the trees. Everyone in the Family Tomb village, including those who had died before, became nourishment for Yang Duo, turning her into some sort of Yin God. This has trapped all of our souls here, unable to leave.”
“I can’t even see my mother again to apologize to her. The sins of my life are unforgivable now. But…”
Yang Yun choked up, “I miss my mother so much. I want her to pat my head again, to call me ‘Xiao Yun’ one more time.”
“Mr. Yan, since you were able to return safely after encountering Yang Duo, it means you are no ordinary person. The questions you asked me during the day, I have also figured out later, you have already sensed the abnormalities in the village. I know, you must have the ability like those masters.”
In Yang Yun’s eyes as he looked at Yan Shixun, there was a sense of desperate helplessness. “Mr. Yan, please help me, help me leave this place!”
Tears of blood flowed from Yang Yun’s eyes. “I want to see my mother. I don’t want to be trapped in a place full of enemies forever. Mr. Yan, I beg you!”
Yan Shixun, who had been silent and motionless, began to stride toward Yang Yun slowly. “You think I can help you, so you’ve told me everything, and you want me to help you leave the Family Tomb Village and head to the underworld.”
“But, Yang Yun.”
Yan Shixun sighed softly. “You and Yang Duo have a karmic connection. She has become the Yin God, and you are an unavoidable anchor. It was your killings that gave her enough Yin energy. Even if you are taken away by the ghost officers, all that awaits you is centuries of torture. You may not be able to see your mother again.”
“Your mother has never committed any wrongs in her life. She will have her chance to reincarnate, perhaps now she is already on her way.”
“I don’t care!” Yang Yun exclaimed emotionally. “Wherever my mother is, I’ll be there! I don’t want to stay a second longer in this place that ruined her life. Even if I have to atone for my sins, I refuse to be trapped here forever!”
“Jiang Yanran told me that dusk is when Yang Duo’s power is at its peak. By then, she will successfully become the master of this area as the Yin God, and all Yin energy will be drawn here and unable to escape.”
Yan Shixun spoke calmly, “Yang Yun, from your hands, the strongest Yin God has emerged.”
Yang Yun stared at Yan Shixun, looking disheveled and utterly despairing, as if driven mad. “How… how could this happen?”
However, Yan Shixun slowly reached out his hand to Yang Yun, his slender palm extended upward, as if waiting for Yang Yun to grasp it.
“Fortunately, fate still has its way. Nothing is set in stone yet. You made a mistake unintentionally, but there is still a chance to rectify it.”
“Yang Yun, help me destroy the Yin God,” Yan Shixun lowered his gaze, his voice heavy. “In return, your soul will gain freedom, heading to the underworld to face your judgment.”
“What’s wrong with seeking revenge for your mother?”
He whispered: “The underworld will give you a fair judgment.”
Overwhelmed with emotions, Yang Yun trembled so much that he could hardly speak. Clear tears streamed from his eyes, trickling down his cheeks and into his mouth.
He opened his mouth, but ended up crying and laughing at the same time. “Thank you, thank you, this is more than enough.”
Without hesitation, Yang Yun reached out and firmly grasped Yan Shixuan’s hand. He said solemnly, “I will help Mr. Yan destroy the village and the Yin God!”
Yan Shixuan stood tall and straight, his expression serious as he responded, “I will not disappoint your trust.”
The contract of yin and yang took effect, an irrevocable force.
The heavens and earth seemed to gaze down, and spirits and gods turned their attention to this place.
Beyond the distant mist, Ye Li slowly opened his eyes, his gaze icy and imposing.
…
For Yang Duo, becoming an indispensable part of becoming the Yin God was the ancestral hall.
She died here, all her pain and struggles were here, so she had to pass through her own pain here and move towards a new path.
Therefore, for Yan Shixun, stopping Yang Duo, the ancestral hall was also the most important place.
Yang Yun also knew this, so he waited at the ancestral hall, wanting to take the opportunity to destroy the ancestral hall and the Yin God, setting his soul free.
It was because of this that Yang Yun witnessed what happened before Yan Shixun arrived.
“Mr. Yan, two celebrities from your program just entered the ancestral hall. It seems to be that one called Lu Xingxing and another called Zhao Zhen.”
Upon hearing Yang Yun’s words, Yan Shixun’s eyelids twitched, feeling that he might be facing something strange.
— Although there are two sets of footprints, after Yang Yun mentioned Lu Xingxing and Zhao Zhen, it seems that they both match. But the problem is, one of them is wearing women’s shoes and a skirt!
What are these two people doing?
Yan Shixun didn’t show his surprise, he just nodded to Yang Yun, temporarily entrusting Zhang Wubing and Yang Tu to him, and went to find those two.
Since Yang Duo could come to the ancestral hall at any time, Lu Xingxing and Zhao Zhen, who knew nothing about it, were in danger. He had to find the two of them quickly.
Compared to the potential danger that Yang Duo might bring, Yang Yun, who had already formed a trust contract with him, was obviously more reliable. He didn’t know if he would encounter danger on the way to find people, so leaving Zhang Wubing and Yang Tu here was safer.
Moreover, Yang Yun and Yang Tu were good friends to begin with, and Yang Yun had made a promise to protect him.
After explaining everything, Yan Shixun turned and followed the footprints left on the bluestone, heading in the direction the two had gone.
There were no lights in the ancestral hall, just empty darkness echoing with footsteps.
After passing through the long corridor, the footprints left by the two stopped at the steps of the corridor.
Then Yan Shixun saw it, the land in the courtyard was dug open, with piles of soil beside it, and shovels of earth were thrown up from the underground, indicating someone was down there.
Accompanying the sounds coming up, there was a familiar voice.
“Lu Xingxing, focus. Stop messing around with your talismans; didn’t we just verify that they’re useless now? Just stick to manual digging.”
“How long are you going to dig like this, one shovel at a time? Once my Vajra talisman kicks in, it’ll flip this whole area in no time.”
“Sounds great, but it has to work first!”
It was indeed Lu Xingxing and Zhao Zhen.
Yan Shixun raised an eyebrow, agilely dodging the soil thrown from below, and walked over with long strides. “You two.”
He stood at the edge of the pit, looking down at the two startled figures below.
“Care to tell me what you’re doing?” Yan Shixun’s smile lacked any warmth. “I didn’t know you guys had a hobby of digging holes to bury yourselves.”
Yan Shixun’s gaze swept over the spot where the two were standing, and the faint traces of half a coffin were emerging from the mud, with the corners of the coffin nailed with nine-inch nails judging by the faint rust stains.
And standing inside it, Zhao Zhen, with his sturdy and broad male frame, was wearing a large red bridal gown, looking quite similar to Yang Duo but far less delicate and glamorous. Now, smeared with mud, he looked even more disheveled and dirty.
Yan Shixun froze, feeling a pang in his eyes.
— So, was that what he saw, the footprint of women’s shoes?
“Mr. Yan!” Zhao Zhen exclaimed with surprise after a brief moment of confusion.
……
Yang Tu, who had originally been protected by Yan Shixun behind him, was dumbfounded after hearing the conversation between him and Yang Yun.
Even though Yang Yun’s expression remained unchanged and he was still smiling when looking at him, Yang Tu felt embarrassed and remorseful, almost wanting to bury himself in a hole.
“Um…” After a long while, Yang Tu rubbed his nose and stuttered as he asked Yang Yun, “So, did you kill those people?”
Yang Yun nodded, calmly stating, “I didn’t tell you the truth not because I wanted to hide it, but because you live in a better village, and there’s no need to involve you in these matters.”
“I’ve done a lot of wrong things and harmed many people, but I don’t want my friends to be implicated by me.”
Yang Tu hastily grabbed Yang Yun’s hand, “What are you talking about? Aren’t we friends? I didn’t know before, I’m sorry about your mother…”
Yang Yun smiled and then turned to look at Yang Tu, saying, “There’s nothing for you to apologize for…”
Suddenly, his eyes caught a flash of red, and all words came to a halt.
Yang Yun’s smile faded, his expression gradually turning serious, his body tensing up.
Yang Tu felt puzzled and turned to look behind him.
Then he saw her, Yang Duo, who had just escaped from Yan Shixun’s grasp and disappeared, standing not far behind him.
Yang Duo stood silently in the shadows of the ancestral hall, bathed in the blood-red moonlight. Her once beautiful and delicate wedding gown was now marred by burn marks, and her charred and skeletal arm hung at her side, contrasting sharply with her fair and lovely face.
Blood flowed down her red wedding gown, gradually submerging the floor of the ancestral hall inch by inch.
Her expression ice-cold, Yang Duo looked at Yang Yun, her voice hollow and chilling, “You, too, betrayed me?”
Yang Yun shook his head slowly, “I didn’t want to either. If it were up to me alone, I would willingly atone for my sins here forever. But I also need to go see my mother. She’s never visited me in my dreams, and I miss her.”
Yang Duo’s face twisted into a grotesque expression, horrifying, “You betrayed me—you deserve to die!”
Before she finished speaking, Yang Duo’s figure turned into a streak of red light, swiftly rushing toward Yang Yun.
“Bang!”
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