"Don't... don't come any closer..."
"We were wrong, Yu Nian. Calm down. We're really not demons. Please don't kill us!"
But Yu Nian just sneered and didn't stop her action. "Do you know how Cui Wan felt now?"
The moment she finished speaking, Yu Nian raised her broadsword high and aimed it at their heads, slashing down.
Bai Jiming and Zhang Li closed their eyes in panic, as if they could already foresee their brains splattering everywhere.
"Aaaaah!!!" The shrill scream pierced the sky.
But after waiting for a long time, the expected pain didn't come. The broadsword hung just an inch away from their foreheads.
Seeing that their heads were still on their necks, the two immediately slumped to the ground. Then their legs trembled non - stop, and a warm and stinky liquid soaked their pants.
They were so scared that they peed their pants!
In the distance, Yan Qing's smile froze on his face. He really didn't expect things to develop like this. But it didn't matter. Since Yu Nian didn't pick the herbal medicine, she would be trapped in the illusion forever!
On the field, Yu Nian disgustedly dropped the machete in her hand. She didn't look at Bai Jiming and Zhang Li who were shivering on the ground anymore, and led Cui Wan and the others striding towards Granny Qiu's house.
The contestants who were originally surrounding the house subconsciously stepped back one after another when they saw Yu Nian coming, making a wide path for her.
A Heng witnessed the whole scene. He looked at Yu Nian and said with a smile.
"None of you found the herbal medicine. You're doomed to stay here."
Yu Nian looked calm and said lightly, "We saw Xiaoyan."
"..... What did you say?"
Yu Nian continued, "You should know that Xiaoyan's soul hasn't left. She's been lingering here for so many years. If you want her to reincarnate, let me in."
A Heng was stunned for a moment. Maybe it was just Yu Nian's illusion, but there seemed to be a flash of deep sorrow in his eyes.
After a long stand - off between the two, A Heng finally stepped aside and silently made way for everyone.
As soon as they walked into the house, they saw Granny Qiu standing there with a serious face. When her eyes fell on the pearl in Yu Nian's hand, she instantly became restless.
Her wrinkled skin turned as pale as paper in an instant. Black mist coiled around Granny Qiu, like countless extended chains, exuding an extremely evil aura.
The contestants had never seen such thick black mist before, so they all stopped in their tracks.
At the same time, Granny Qiu suddenly opened her eyes. It seemed that she remembered something extremely painful. She covered her face and let out a shrill scream!
Her voice was extremely shrill and highly penetrating. Some cultivators with lower cultivation levels couldn't resist it, and blood slid from their noses and mouths!
Qi Rongsheng covered his ears and cursed, "This old woman is too evil. Who can gag her?"
The next second, Yu Nian stuffed a ball of linen into Granny Qiu's mouth.
"Sorry for the offense."
Granny Qiu: ???
Qi Rongsheng stared at her in disbelief. "I was just making a joke. I didn't mean for you to really gag her..."
The other contestants were also stunned. What kind of operation was this? Didn't the village head tell them not to provoke Granny Qiu? Who would apologize while gagging someone like Yu Nian?
However, this method seemed to work surprisingly well. Yu Nian had densely written runes on the linen, which actually imprisoned Granny Qiu in place.
Yu Nian ignored Granny Qiu who was struggling frantically and walked towards the stairs.
The wooden steps creaked as Yu Nian walked up to the second floor.
The style of the second floor was similar to that of the first floor. There were creepy dolls everywhere. Only large pieces of black cloth were hanging on both sides of the corridor. The moment Yu Nian pulled down the black cloth, she saw a photo frame.
There was no photo in the frame, but a portrait sewn with colored silk threads.
A tall man stood seriously in the front, and a five - or six - year - old girl stood beside him, timidly looking at him.
Yu Nian walked to the end of the corridor and without hesitation placed the pearl in the circular gap under the doorknob.
The door opened, and countless dust fell rustling. It seemed that no one had been here for a long time.
When they stepped into the room, they suddenly stumbled over something. When they looked up again, Yu Nian's perspective suddenly changed. She seemed to be trapped in a small body and was watching what happened back then as an onlooker.
She lowered her head and saw her cloth hands.
Yu Nian: ... It turned out to be a doll.
The glass filled with water on the table was shaking violently. The air pressure in the room was terrifyingly low. The man's scolding and the woman's screams kept coming from outside.
The little girl who was shorter than the table staggered towards Yu Nian, picked it up and quickly hid in the wardrobe.
The little girl carefully opened the wardrobe door a crack, and her big eyes stared at what was happening outside without blinking.
"Slut! Tell me, whose child is she?"
The woman's face was covered with bruises. Before she could say a word, nosebleed slid down, staining her crossed collar and pleated skirt red.
The next moment, wine bottles were smashed to the ground one after another. The man picked up a bench and smashed it against the door again and again.
"Not saying anything, huh? Then I'll kill this bastard and you today!"
Every time the man roared, the little girl's body trembled. She reached out to cover Yu Nian's ears and shivered.
With a "swish", the scene in front of them changed again. The girl seemed to have grown a bit and had become very beautiful, but there was always an indelible sadness between her eyebrows.
The girl affectionately held the cloth doll's hand and poured out her heart.
"A Heng, your eyes are so beautiful. A Heng, I like your eyes. They're like the sea, as if they can tolerate all the sins in the world." She paused and hesitated a bit. "Can a person like me, who is born with sin, also be redeemed?"
The moment she finished speaking, a thunderbolt flashed across the sky. Suddenly, the woman's scream came from outside, "Xiaoyan, run!"
The girl reflexively trembled. She hugged the cloth doll tightly and, taking advantage of her small size, hurriedly hid in the rice vat.
Outside the rice vat, the man called out softly, "Xiaoyan, where are you? Are you playing hide - and - seek with Dad? I'm coming to find you."
Xiaoyan covered her mouth tightly. Her heart was pounding as she listened to the approaching footsteps. She didn't dare to make a sound.
"Xiaoyan," there was a hint of smile in the man's tone. "Didn't Dad tell you that you should hide your shoes well when playing hide - and - seek? Leaving them outside casually will get you caught."
Xiaoyan suddenly widened her eyes. The next second, a big hand suddenly reached into the rice vat, grabbed Xiaoyan's hair and dragged her out.
The man's tall figure loomed over Xiaoyan. The stench of alcohol rushed towards her. He snatched the doll from Xiaoyan's hand and hacked it to pieces with a machete.
Yu Nian gasped. She could feel herself being dismembered.
The man casually threw the doll aside and then suddenly smiled at Xiaoyan. "It's your turn."
Fists rained down on Xiaoyan. Several of her teeth were knocked out, and blood kept gushing out of her mouth and nose.
It hurt so much... she was so scared... who could come and save her?
In a daze, Xiaoyan turned to meet the eyes of the cloth doll.
At this moment, Yu Nian could actually clearly hear the girl's thoughts.
A Heng, can you save me?
A Heng, please protect Mom for me.
Xiaoyan looked up at the man who was constantly punching and managed to spit out a few words, "You're not my dad..."
You're a devil, the source of my lifelong pain.
The man's fist suddenly stopped in mid - air. His eyes were about to pop out. These words completely enraged him. The man took out his belt and roughly wrapped it around Xiaoyan's neck.
Taking advantage of the alcohol, he wantonly vented his inner anger. The belt tightened more and more, and Xiaoyan's breathing became weaker and weaker.
In her dying moments, Xiaoyan thought vaguely that it was said that people who were strangled would look very ugly, with their tongues and eyes falling out. She mustn't let the kids in the village see her in such a sorry state...
Her thin arms and legs struggled a couple of times and finally fell silent.
The man was stunned. He looked at his hands in horror and panicked, throwing the lifeless Xiaoyan beside the doll. Warm blood kept sliding from the corner of Xiaoyan's mouth, soaking the doll and permanently covering those blue eyes.