Chapter 54

We were all in the back seat, and the car wasn't very spacious. However, due to fear, neither of them dared to sit in the front, as they were afraid of seeing something on the front windshield. Not only did they refuse to go, but they also wouldn't let me sit up front.

There was no choice; I had to stay in the middle.

Huang Yiyi leaned against my chest, like a gentle kitten. Qin Luye deliberately kept some distance from me, but due to the limited space, her body was still pressed against mine. Luye was a slightly plump girl, with a bit of extra flesh, so even if she tried to keep her distance, it didn't help much.

"Li Yao, I have a question to ask you," Huang Yiyi suddenly spoke. After what had just happened, I knew Huang Yiyi was wide awake, and not just her; I found it hard to sleep as well.

"What?" I replied, not minding chatting with her.

"Did you lie to the Wang family?"

I was taken aback by her words. I had indeed lied to them, but how did Huang Yiyi know? Did the female ghost tell her something?

"Yes!" I didn't hide it but said it directly. "The female ghost haunting Wang Shuo isn't a malevolent spirit. She is the same female ghost who approached Wang Shuo eleven years ago. We didn't come here to seek help from a ghost but to find her remains. That night, I talked to her a lot and learned that she was very pitiful. So, I decided to help her. In other words, I'm not helping Wang Shuo but the female ghost."

"I knew it," Huang Yiyi's voice was calm. "I knew you felt the same way as me, that you really dislike Wang Hongwei and his family! I knew you weren't the kind of person who would do anything for money."

Huang Yiyi had a strong aversion to Wang Hongwei and Wang Shuo, so she was very suspicious of whether I was doing this for money. Now that she had the answer she wanted, it didn't matter whether I was helping the ghost or the people.

"Can you tell me what you talked about with the female ghost that night?"

I pondered for a moment and decided to tell them the story. I recounted everything in detail, also giving these two girls a heads-up about the true nature of the blind master they spoke of.

After hearing my story, the two girls were amazed.

After a while, Qin Luye murmured, "Mr. Li, you are truly a good person! Not only do you help people, but you also help ghosts! We've followed our master for so long, and all we've seen him do is catch ghosts. He never mentioned helping ghosts. I think what you're doing not only helps Wang Shuo but also the Wang family. But how could that blind master do such a thing! In the stories we hear, he is a great person, a true master. In the future, I will definitely tell others about his true nature."

Their beliefs were instantly shattered, and the image of the blind master in their minds turned into a demon. At least in the legends, the blind man was a true master!

Huang Yiyi, a sensitive girl, sighed and said, "I never thought the female ghost had such a tragic story. It's so pitiful! Li Yao, does that mean there are many more pitiful female ghosts inside?"

I nodded in agreement, as I had seen them with my own eyes.

"Then you must help them, save them, and help them find peace so they can be reborn," Huang Yiyi said excitedly.

I nodded but didn't respond further. It sounded easy to say, but it was far from easy to do. I still didn't know what kind of formation the old blind man used to build that palace.

We soon fell into deep thought, and after a while, we all drifted off to sleep, each lost in our own thoughts.

The next morning, when I woke up, Huang Yiyi was still leaning against my chest, and Qin Luye's head was resting on my shoulder. I wasn't sure if I had spent the night with both of them, but at least this terrifying night was over.

I woke them up, and after a quick tidy-up and a meal, I led them out.

Following the path from last night, the three of us set off. The journey was very difficult, as the path had long been overgrown with grass due to lack of use.

Although there were still traces of my run from last night, the dense grass made it hard to find a clear path.

"Wait!" After two minutes, Qin Luye called out, pointing to a sign. "This is the sign our village put up, prohibiting people from approaching this place."

It was a wooden sign with eight characters carved into it: "Haunted area, do not enter."

"Let's go!" I shook my head helplessly and led the two of them forward, through the thorny bushes, finally reaching the open land. It was truly a hidden paradise, a utopia.

Last night, it was too dark to see clearly, but today, everything was much clearer. The journey had been rough, but after the rough part, there was an open space.

This place used to be a village, but a very old one. The mud houses, though some walls still stood, were no longer in their original state.

The land was flat and suitable for living! The people who lived here were trying to avoid war.

Standing here, looking at the ruins, I could faintly see the bustling scenes of the past.

This place was once a peaceful haven, a utopia as described in Tao Yuanming's poetry. However, everything changed because of that person's intrusion. He destroyed the peace and turned this place into a sinister land.

"Ah, what's that?" Just as I was focusing on the energy, Huang Yiyi let out a gasp.

I followed her finger and saw the body of the female streamer Hong Hong.

"That's the body of the female streamer!" I had seen it last night, so I wasn't surprised.

"Ah! Did she really die here?" Qin Luye looked regretful.

"Yes, she died here."

"What a pity. She was such a good person, how could she die like this? Her live stream was the most genuine on the internet; no one else's was as real as hers."

I snorted and replied coldly, "Her death was her karma. Even if she didn't die here, she would have died somewhere else. She profited by disturbing the spirits, which is like a stranger barging into your home with a phone, making a fuss, and commenting without caring about your feelings. Could you accept that?"

"The spirits are bullied by ghost officials, malevolent spirits, and yin-yang masters. A regular person bullying them and profiting from their existence, leading to their revenge—do you think she is pitiful? If she is pitiful, who will pity the spirits who are disturbed?"

Faced with my questioning, Qin Luye lowered her head in fear.

"I'm sorry." I realized I had gotten a bit carried away. "I didn't mean it that way; I just couldn't control my emotions."

"It's okay, I think you're right!" Qin Luye said awkwardly. "But since she died here, should we report it to the police?"

"No need! We'll deal with it after we finish our business."