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墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
Under the dim light of dusk, I saw the face of Zhou Manman in the mirror—one half alluring and enchanting, the other half grotesque and hideous. It seemed as if something had sliced away half of her face, the cut so clean that I could see her cheekbone beneath, while the flesh above had rotted beyond recognition.
Zhou Manman's lips curled into a smile as she picked up something from the table and pressed it against her face. Within the cracks of her skin, it looked as if maggots were writhing.
I covered my mouth and stepped back, unable to believe, unwilling to accept that this woman, with whom I had shared six nights, was nothing but a repulsive corpse.
Having grown up in the mountains under my mother's influence, I wasn't an old-fashioned person, but I still believed that a couple should consummate their marriage on their wedding night. Moreover, I genuinely liked Zhou Manman; her beauty was undoubtedly among the top at school.
But how could I have imagined that she was already dead?
A dead person suddenly calling me in the middle of the night to save her—without a purpose, even she wouldn't believe it herself.
I recalled Guo the Blind's words: the more you know the truth, the more you will fear it.
Guo the Blind and Zhou Manman needed to absorb a person's Yang Qi to maintain their decaying bodies; otherwise, in the sweltering summer heat, a corpse would easily start to smell. The reason she hadn’t harmed me while sleeping beside me was that my blood flowed with my father's essence, combined with my own Pure Yang Energy. For a time, she couldn't move against me and gradually used her Corpse Qi to rot my flesh.
I should have realized it long ago—how could such a beautiful woman casually share a bed with a country bumpkin? Even if she had fallen for me at first sight, how could she have never shown any desire in that regard?
After all that had happened, not only did she not contact her family, but she also showed no opinion about the Bus Crash Incident.
Every night, I felt an unusual chill in the room. Yet I believed she was a kind girl and never thought she would harm me. That night when I saw her standing by the bed as if in a trance, I didn’t suspect anything. Even when holding her body in bed—feeling like I was embracing a corpse—I didn’t mind.
In this strange place called Futu Ridge, I maneuvered before Guo the Blind and Huang the Lame to clear her name. In the end, it was I who remained in the dark.
Sadness? Anger?
I took step after step back, growing cold and numb in the night.
A cacophony of voices and barking dogs erupted outside the door.
"Yang Hao's mom, are you home?" came the shouts of the villagers.
My mother rushed out from the main room, hurrying to my door. "Manman, you need to leave now; if you wait any longer, you won't be able to."
From her tone, it seemed she had known for a while that Zhou Manman was not alive. The door creaked open, and Zhou Manman stepped out. Her face was no longer the hideous sight it once was; her lips were red, her teeth white, and with a light touch of makeup under the moonlight, she looked stunning.
"Get out of the way!" The door was kicked open, and the village chief, Li Fugui, barged in with several villagers. Each held a snarling black dog on a leash. As soon as these dogs spotted Zhou Manman, they began barking furiously, straining against their restraints as if wanting to pounce on her.
Zhou Manman glared at the dogs, which immediately cowered and whimpered, backing away as if they had seen something terrifying.
"You've come back around; it’s you, the ghost!" Li Fugui said solemnly as he looked at Zhou Manman.
"I'm just here for revenge," she replied.
"Humans and ghosts are on different paths. The number of unjustly dead in this world is countless. If everyone acted like you and disrupted the balance between life and death, we might as well rename this world 'Ghost Realm'! Besides, I can see that your intentions go beyond mere revenge," Li Fugui countered.
"If it’s not for revenge, then what else could it be?" Zhou Manman shot back, her gaze briefly flicking toward me, revealing a complex sense of loneliness in her expression.
"Isn't it enough that you've been with so many people? You still want to seduce Yang Hao!" a woman scoffed, prompting a flurry of chatter among the crowd.
My mother pulled me aside and said softly, "Son, there may be more to Manman's actions than you realize. She's a good girl; if you just ask her to leave, she will."
"Mom, she's a ghost! Are you really suggesting I should fall for a corpse?" I questioned her angrily.
I did like Zhou Manman, but I had my limits. A person who had already died was fundamentally different from me; we were worlds apart. My feelings for her were merely infatuation; we hadn't shared years of understanding or deep bonds forged through life and death. I had even planned to propose when I met her parents. But she was clearly dead and yet still shared my bed, deceiving my feelings.
I wasn't a saint nor someone who could be easily manipulated. I yearned for a pure love like an ordinary person—not some melodramatic romance between a human and a ghost.
At that moment, Zhou Manman was surrounded by the villagers in the courtyard, her expression cold and devoid of fear.
The villagers were somewhat frightened and dared not approach.
Li Fugui said, "Her soul has been injured by me, and her body is decayed and weak. Capture her."
Upon hearing Li Fugui, the villagers exchanged glances and mustered their courage to move forward together to seize Zhou Manman.
"Just go!" I urged Zhou Manman. "I don't want to see you here again."
Although Zhou Manman was already dead, I couldn't bear to see her captured and burned by the villagers. She hated those who had ignored her plight when she was in danger and despised those who had forced her into a corner. Even if she had ulterior motives for being near me, I accepted it. If she could escape now, she might have a chance to be reborn; if she were burned alive, her soul would be lost forever.
Zhou Manman glanced at me, her expression softening, then turned and ran toward the wall. Her movements were light and graceful, like a cat as she scaled the wall.
"Trying to run?" Li Fugui sneered.
In his hand appeared a black steel needle he had used against the ghost last night, with a red string tied to its end. The moment the needle was released, everyone heard a sharp sound followed by a scream from the other side of the wall.
The black needle pierced through the earthen wall. With a sudden tug from Li Fugui, the wall collapsed, and Zhou Manman was pulled back into the courtyard amidst the rumbling noise, landing on the ground in a disheveled state.
The black steel needle had penetrated Zhou Manman's leg, but there was little blood flowing from it. After death, the body becomes rigid and blood stagnates; Zhou Manman had been dead for some time now, and her blood should have already congealed. She relied on absorbing Yang Qi from living beings to keep her blood flowing. Now that her soul was injured, she could no longer maintain her decaying body, which was beginning to show signs of corpse-like symptoms.
"What a shame for such a pretty girl," said a burly man in his forties from the village.
Li Fugui looked down at Zhou Manman and ordered, "Bind her up and take her to the Wind Stabilizer to be burned."
Moments later, young and old from Bright Moon Village gathered at the village head's Wind Stabilizer. The ghost had been captured by Village Chief Li Fugui during the seventh night after death; tonight she would be burned before the entire village.
As night fell, under the bright flames, Zhou Manman appeared incredibly frail as she was once again bound to the Wind Stabilizer. The scene mirrored that of last time; the only change was in Zhou Manman's gaze—she looked at those accusing and cursing her without fear. My heart ached even more than it had before.
Widow Li and Dazhuang's parents cried out in the crowd, and soon people from ten miles around came rushing in. Before long, Yang Kuan's parents, Wang Hai's parents, and the families of the victims from the Bus Crash Incident also arrived.
"Kill this damn bitch! Tear her apart! Smash that shameless fox face of hers!" One villager, crying hysterically, ran towards Zhou Manman on the Wind Stabilizer.
Zhou Manman looked at the villager rushing towards her, a glint of green light flashing in her eyes. The villager suddenly flew backward, crashing heavily to the ground, clutching their throat and kicking wildly.
"This bitch dares to hurt people! How many of our loved ones have died at her hands? Let's all go and beat her to death!" A villager suddenly raised their hand, furious.
"She looks just like a shameless fox! Even in death, she's dressed up all flashy; it's clear she's nothing but a whore. No wonder those kids fell for her!" Another villager scoffed, revealing a contemptuous expression.
"Beat her to death! Beat her to death!" The crowd was incited, pressing forward.
The strong men surrounding the Wind Stabilizer warned everyone to back off. The crowd was dissatisfied and shouted loudly, insisting on killing Zhou Manman. Li Fugui waved his hand for silence, and gradually the clamor subsided.
Li Fugui raised his voice: "The murderer has finally been brought to justice. She has taken lives and committed heinous crimes. Today, in front of the villagers of Futu Ridge, I will burn this innocent-killing ghost alive!"
Tied to the Wind Stabilizer, Zhou Manman chuckled softly: "Innocent-killing? Every person I've killed deserved it. You are drenched in blood; you have taken far more lives than I have. What face do you have to accuse me here?"
"You are spouting nonsense! We know the village head well; how could he kill anyone? You won't stop even in death. You are filthy through and through; now that your end is near, you still want to smear good people's names!" An old farmer beside the village head shouted.
"Exactly! A worn-out shoe that has been played with by countless men—dying a thousand times wouldn't be unjust! She should die while riding a wooden donkey for seducing men!" Another woman said angrily.
"Li the Village Head, this ghost first killed a whole cart of our Futu Ridge people and then went on to murder so many others. Zhou Cheng's family from our village was wiped out by her. As the saying goes, debts must be repaid; she is an evil spirit that must be severely punished to appease the souls of the dead!" A villager from Dagu shouted loudly.
Zhou Manman snorted; she had no intention of explaining anything to the villagers. She disdainfully said: "A forsaken place inhabited by a group of self-degrading fools. I only regret not killing more of you to prevent further harm outside!"
Upon hearing Zhou Manman's words, the crowd erupted in curses and accusations. Meanwhile, Li Fugui turned to a young man nearby and asked, "Where is Guo the Blind? Why hasn't he arrived yet?"
The young man replied, "Village head, Guo the Blind isn't home. We've searched everywhere but can't find him; we don't know where he went."
"Where can we go at this time?" Li Fugui muttered to himself, furrowing his brows.
"Li the Village Head, burn this harmful female ghost to make her suffer in purgatory, so she can never be reborn!" another villager shouted.
Li Fugui looked at the angry crowd and said, "I originally planned to wait for Mr. Guo to arrive before burning this female ghost, but Mr. Guo has been called away on urgent business. It's getting late, and to prevent any changes, let's go ahead with your wishes and burn her now!"
The villagers cheered upon hearing this news, while Zhou Manman coldly observed their faces, listening to their unbearable curses, feeling desolate inside.
The strong men surrounding the Wind Stabilizer threw their torches at Zhou Manman, flames spreading and igniting the branches beneath her feet.
"Manman!" I shouted anxiously, pushing my way through the crowd. By the time I reached the Wind Stabilizer, Zhou Manman was already engulfed in the raging fire.
Zhou Manman's eyes were filled with sorrow as she looked at me emerging from the crowd, revealing a faint smile. Her beauty was striking, yet her expression was forlorn.
"Yang Hao," Zhou Manman said softly, "I never intended to harm you."
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