Chapter 114: Am I Beautiful? [3]

The woman in the water vat wore an eerie smile, her eyes locked intently on Yan Yu.

"Am... I... beautiful?"

Yan Yu stared back at that face—a face he had seen before, in the photograph he discovered in the thicket next to the mortuary. This woman was Ye Han, his mother’s former roommate!

Was Ye Han already dead?

Butcher Li, witnessing the woman in the vat, was paralyzed with terror. Before he could even scream, Yan Yu felt a searing heat at his throat. The butcher reached up, his hand coming away drenched in blood. His throat had been slit; he could not produce a sound. Yet, as Yan Yu was currently possessing the butcher’s body, he felt every bit of it.

The pain was agonizing. But Yan Yu knew that worse was yet to come.

Butcher Li’s body stumbled backward involuntarily, collapsing into the woodshed. He slumped against a stack of firewood, staring at the water vat in helpless, soul-crushing fear.

A pale hand emerged from the vat, veins bulging beneath skin drained of all color. Ye Han climbed out slowly, her movements unnatural; she walked on tiptoes, head tilted back, hands suspended in the air as if she were still submerged in water.

"Don't... don't... don't come over..." Butcher Li’s throat was severed, his voice bubbling out from the wound, choked by bloody foam.

Ye Han approached him with a ghastly gait. The butcher’s eyes darted to the side—his wife and child were in the house only a dozen yards away, but he was unable to cry out for their help. Every second was a slow, agonizing torture.

Finally, Ye Han reached him. She crouched down, tilted her head, and rasped in a wretched, piercing voice, "Back then... it was you... who brought me... here..."

Butcher Li could no longer speak. Yan Yu desperately wanted to know what the butcher was thinking, but that specific portion of the memory was missing.

"I have waited... for eighteen years... and now... I can finally... have my revenge!"

"All of you... must... die!!!!!"

"DIE!!!!!"

Ye Han suddenly dissolved into a plume of black mist. Following this, a figure leapt into the courtyard. It was Ji Mengjie!

Possessed by the vengeful spirit, Ji Mengjie was instantly under Ye Han’s control. Her expression twisted, fangs sprouted from her mouth, and her fingernails grew several inches long. Like a wild beast, she lunged at the butcher, her fingers easily slicing through his abdomen before she pulled with savage force—

*Riiip—*

It sounded like a fragile plastic bag being torn open. Butcher Li lowered his head weakly; he could see his own chest cavity laid bare, his internal organs clearly exposed.

"Die! Die! Die!"

"You are all the sinners who killed me!"

"Everyone must die!"

As Ji Mengjie spoke, she began frantically pulling the organs from the butcher’s body. Yan Yu felt as though he were a machine, and Ji Mengjie was methodically removing his parts. His body grew light. Empty.

Yan Yu felt his eyelids grow heavy. He closed his eyes, knowing the memory was ending, and he had endured enough of this torment. However, in the final second before he shut his eyes, he caught a glimpse of a figure crouching on the butcher's perimeter wall.

It was the madwoman!

She was perched on the wall, witnessing the entire scene. More than that, she felt no fear—she was simply giggling at Butcher Li.

A chill ran down Yan Yu’s spine.

...

"Hah... hah..."

Yan Yu sat on the ground, gasping for air. His forehead was slick with cold sweat, his hands pressed tightly against his chest, as if fearing he too might be disemboweled.

Zhao Qingqing, seeing his state, hurried over to embrace him. The bone-chilling cold of her touch snapped Yan Yu back to reality.

"So cold," Yan Yu murmured.

Where Zhao Qingqing held him, his back felt as if it had been frostbitten by dry ice, a searing, tearing sensation. Zhao Qingqing quickly let go, lowering her head. "I'm sorry... my body... the Yin energy is too strong."

Yan Yu finally caught his breath. He reached out to stroke her hair, speaking softly, "It’s okay. If it weren't for your Yin energy, I wouldn't have woken up so quickly."

Zhao Qingqing nodded, asking timidly, "What were you doing just now?"

"Entering the soul to discern grievances, reviewing the memories of the deceased."

"You have such a skill?" Zhao Qingqing was startled. "Then, husband... does that mean you could see the memories of my death as well?"

Yan Yu nodded slightly. "Many years have passed. Even if I used the technique on you, I fear there wouldn't be much information left to see. But, once we return, we can try."

"Okay," Zhao Qingqing said, still yearning to understand why she had died.

Yan Yu continued, "In Butcher Li’s memories, I saw my mother’s roommate, Ye Han."

"How could she be in this village?" Zhao Qingqing wondered.

"Ye Han is dead. She came to claim Butcher Li’s life; it seems he played a part in her death."

Yan Yu’s brow furrowed. Although he had witnessed the event, many questions remained. Because the butcher’s inner thoughts were missing, Yan Yu had experienced everything as a mere observer, yet the pain of his chest being torn open had felt entirely real. Without knowing the butcher’s perspective, he couldn't grasp why Ye Han had sought vengeance against him.

It seemed another person was involved.

"The madwoman we saw at the village entrance earlier—she watched the entire murder. She wasn't afraid at all; she just crouched on the wall and sneered at the butcher."

Zhao Qingqing shivered, then realized, "Wait, she’s a ghost too, what would she have to be afraid of..."

"She was right there, at that moment..."

Yan Yu looked toward the northern wall and recoiled in shock. The madwoman was perched there again, giggling at Butcher Li’s corpse, exactly as she had the night before!

Butcher Li’s wife seemed to notice something. When she looked up and saw the madwoman grinning at her husband's body, she flew into a rage. She grabbed a fire poker and charged out!

"You madwoman! Did you kill my husband? I’ll kill you for this!"

The woman kicked the gate open, marched to the north wall, and dragged the madwoman down, kicking her stomach twice. "You bitch! You jinx! What are you laughing at?! Are you happy that my husband is dead?"

"Heehee... hee-hee-hee... eeya—" The madwoman spat out a mouthful of blood, likely from internal injuries, but she continued to giggle mindlessly.

"Still laughing? See if I don't beat you to death!" The widow, consumed by fury, raised the fire poker to strike!

"Stop!"

Yan Yu rushed over, grabbing the widow’s arm. He shouted to the fatty and the others behind him, "What are you staring at? Come help!"