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墨書 Inktalez
"No need!"
Yin Yuan avoided eye contact, unwilling to look at Aunt Li's disemboweled body any longer.
"And what about you? How did you end up like this?"
Aunt Li paused for a moment, seemingly trying hard to recall. Just as Yin Yuan's patience was about to run out and the child in her arms was about to cry again, Aunt Li finally spoke.
"I can't remember clearly. I only recall hearing those villagers talking in a daze. At this point, we are all like grasshoppers on the same rope; if anyone breaks the secret and goes out, it would mean death for everyone. I also remember that I tried hard to lift my eyelids, but they were too heavy. I could only slightly open a narrow slit. Through that slit, I saw them covering me with something, like the tattered mat we use to cool off in summer at home. Then I heard someone ask where to bury me. The Village Chief was silent for a moment and said, 'That place will do; they have been separated for so long, they should finally be allowed to rest together.'"
"That place—could it be the grave that the Village Chief chose for you?"
"A grave? That place is at most a burial site for my child and me."
Aunt Li frowned slightly, but unfortunately, being neither human nor ghost, she couldn't even shed a single tear at that moment.
"When I heard the Village Chief's words in my daze, I knew my child had also been harmed by them. I felt an intense hatred towards them; I wished I could sit up and pounce on them, using my hands to scratch them to death one by one, biting them with my mouth until they were dead. But at that time, all I could do was think about it in my heart.
Although I could still barely open a slit in my eyes and hear their conversations, while still being able to think, my limbs felt as stiff as wood and couldn't move at all. I felt as if they carried me far away. Just as my consciousness was about to fade away, I heard the Village Chief speak in a very low voice.
I felt myself sinking and then smelled the stench of soil. By that time, my eyes could no longer open, but I still had sensations; I felt them pouring dirt over me, making me feel heavier and heavier. I desperately wanted to escape from my heavy shell.
At that moment, I saw a beam of white light; my child stood within that light. I wanted so much to grab him and hold him tightly in my arms, but my arms wouldn't move; even my mouth seemed glued shut."
"That is natural," Yin Yuan said while looking into Aunt Li's eyes. "Because at that time, you were already dead!"
"Dead! Yes, I must have been dead. No one can survive under the torment of these villagers, but heaven ultimately couldn't bear to see our family disappear without a trace, so I came back!"
Aunt Li let out a harsh laugh that sounded like tearing cloth from her throat.
Yin Yuan frowned and covered the Infant's ears with her hand before saying, "That's too unpleasant!"
Aunt Li abruptly stopped laughing and glanced at the Infant in Yin Yuan's arms before continuing, "When the moonlight shone on me, I woke up. I found myself lying on that tattered mat; beside it lay a curled-up skeleton with some ropes next to it. In my heart, I knew that was my child—the one these villagers had harmed years ago. But what could I do? I couldn't save him... My heart was filled with hatred, and my mind was dizzy from the moonlight shining on me. I felt a sickly sweet taste rising in my throat; I desperately wanted something to drink. When I returned home and saw those chickens in Wang San's family's yard, I almost pounced on them without thinking."
"What did it taste like?" Yin Yuan licked her somewhat dry lips.
"I can't feel any taste, but that biting sensation makes me feel exhilarated yet terrified. I feel like I've become a monster, a monster that even I would be afraid of. So I hid away, curled up in the cabinet at home, just like my child.
I waited and waited, through the night and into the day, and back to night again. As the urge to bite grew stronger, I involuntarily stepped out of the cabinet. Then I heard Wang San Niang crying and Wang San cursing in frustration. I finally understood why Master wanted me to become a monster. It wanted me to take revenge, to avenge these villagers!
Aunt Li pointed outside at the Village Chief and Wang San and his mother, still frozen by the Spell.
"If it's revenge, why not just kill them directly?"
Yin Yuan set the sleeping child aside and stood up, rubbing his sore arms. He recalled how Consort Ruyi had held him when he was just an Infant. He thought of his biological mother, the woman named Azure Luan, whose features were somewhat blurry in his memory but still quite beautiful.
After a brief moment of distraction, Yin Yuan turned his gaze back to Aunt Li. He clicked his tongue twice and said, "Is it because you're afraid?"
Aunt Li shivered involuntarily but did not deny it. Yes, she was afraid. Even though she knew she had become a monster and that her ultimate goal in staggering back to the village from the Tomb was revenge, there was still a hint of fear in her heart.
"Do you know what the most ridiculous threat from a Daoist is? It's that saying 'I won't let you go even if I become a ghost.'"
Yin Yuan yawned, stretched his arms, and then transformed from a very handsome Child into a very handsome young man before Aunt Li's astonished eyes. He turned around, changing his childish outfit into a blue robe commonly worn by men during the Golden Tang Dynasty, and stood before Aunt Li.
"Do you know why that saying is ridiculous? Because a coward will remain a coward even if they become a ghost. Someone who doesn't dare to kill while alive certainly won't have the courage to do so after becoming a ghost! No! They wouldn't dare either. They are afraid—afraid that if they kill their target, that target might turn into an even more vicious ghost and devour them whole.
You are the same, Aunt Li. So even though you know you've become a monster and that those villagers can no longer harm you, you are still afraid. But you're better than I imagined because after some attempts, you finally took action.
You first targeted the easiest person to attack—Wang San's wife. She is not Wang San, with his strong physique; she is not Wang San Niang, with her fiery temper. She is kind-hearted and timid, pregnant as well. Just catching a glimpse of you frightened her so much that it caused her to lose her baby."
"I didn't mean to scare her!" Aunt Li defended herself. "At that time, she was still underage and had nothing to do with Wang San's Family. In fact, when I was being harmed, she even spoke up for me out of kindness. But she was just a Woman, and no one listened to her or wanted to listen. My child is gone; I couldn't just watch her give birth to Wang San's child."
"Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned; this child survived while the kind woman you spoke of perished." Yin Yuan pointed at Wang San Niang: "You've told me quite an intriguing story; now I will fulfill my promise to you. Wang San Niang is right there; you can reach in with your hand and pull out her Heart, examining it closely under this moonlight to see if it is black or red."
Aunt Li hesitated as she looked at Yin Yuan.
Yin Yuan frowned as he glanced at her severed arm and cast a Spell, causing it to grow back: "This ghostly arm is temporarily borrowed from you. As for how to extract the heart, I shouldn't need to demonstrate for you, right? I saw how deftly you handled extracting Mother Wang's Heart, so it seems you've practiced quite a bit on those animals. Here’s your chance; it's right before your eyes—and it's only once!"
Yin Yuan pointed outside: "It's almost dawn; when daylight comes, the underworld's Ghost Messenger will come for you. By then, if you want revenge, it will be too late."
Aunt Li's eyes flashed with a fierce light as she quickly rushed to Wang San Niang's side.
"Wait a moment!" Yin Yuan called out to her. "Do you know why I chose this moment to grow up?"
Aunt Li stiffly shook her head. In her mind, this child had always been growing up; she had never seen a child suddenly grow up like this one, as if it were faster than pulling seedlings to help them grow. She knew in her heart that Yin Yuan was not an ordinary person, but she did not understand what kind of person Yin Yuan was. Therefore, she dared not answer the question that Yin Yuan had just asked her, nor did she know how to respond.
Yin Yuan suddenly smiled, slightly lowering her head to look into Aunt Li's eyes. "Because Consort Ruyi said that children should not see bloodshed. I originally planned to wait until Consort Ruyi married Father Fox before growing up, but now, in order for you to fulfill your wishes and leave for the underworld without regrets, I had no choice but to bring this plan forward. See? I'm considering you, aren't I?"
Aunt Li could only nod in agreement.
"Since I am considering you, you should also consider me. Earlier, you caused this child's mother to lose her soul and no longer have the chance for reincarnation. Now, I will allow you to take Wang San Niang's heart for your child's and husband’s revenge, but you cannot harm this child or Wang San any further."
Aunt Li let out a deep sound from her throat.
Yin Yuan extended her index finger and shook it. "Did you forget? This child is the one I saved; I must leave someone to take care of him so he can grow up smoothly. Moreover, I've already heard your story. After you go to the underworld, I will ask that Constable outside, who happens to be my Uncle Chang, to help seek justice for you. You know that for a Constable, unless there is a major case that attracts attention from above, it is difficult to be noticed and promoted. Since you owe me a favor, you should repay me as well."
Yin Yuan moved her fingers, freeing the previously restrained Wang San Niang.
"If you have understood my words clearly, you can go seek revenge now. Of course, if you do not agree, that's fine too; at worst, I will take both of you." Yin Yuan said while licking her lips. "I haven't tasted human blood in a long time."
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