As her body gradually solidified and her hair grew wildly, her blind eyes erupted with crimson light, filling me with dread.
What exactly had happened to her? Why did she transform like this whenever the old house west of the village was mentioned? It was the same when she was alive; she would become enraged and violent at the mere mention of the old house west of the village. Was the old house west of the village her sole taboo?
"Clang!"
At that moment, I saw Zhang Dabiao raise his mountain-splitting saber, a look of indifference on his face.
"Brother Zhang, what are you doing?"
"We can't wait any longer. The resentment within her is growing stronger. If we wait any longer, it will be more troublesome to deal with, so we must strike first."
In just these few breaths, the resentment emanating from Old Mrs. Wang was so substantial that it caused frost to form on the ground of the small courtyard, and even a breath would produce white mist.
"Be careful. Don't kill her, or we won't be able to find out about the matter of the old house west of the village."
Zhang Dabiao nodded, indicating he understood.
"I say, what are you doing? Are you going to kill someone right in front of me?"
Just as Zhang Dabiao was about to make his move, Old Ghost, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke.
I had always been wary of this uninvited Old Ghost. I still didn't know his name or his identity.
He appeared to be a kind old man, but who knew what his intentions were?
I tightened my grip on the willow branch, guarding against Old Ghost's potential attack, and said, "We don't intend to kill her. We just don't want her to be controlled by resentment and become a malevolent spirit that slaughters living beings."
At this point, Zhang Dabiao had bitten his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of vital blood onto the mountain-splitting saber. With a powerful, sweeping motion, he swung the saber towards Old Mrs. Wang.
"Stop, you..."
The moment Old Ghost moved to intervene, I knew there was no time for hesitation. I immediately swung the willow branch towards him.
He likely knew the power of the willow branch in my hand, as he turned and dodged it with a swift movement.
I inwardly cursed "Bad," but then I abruptly turned back, reaching out with my right hand, not expecting to hit him.
"Ah!"
I looked back and saw Old Ghost rolling towards the wall, a pained expression on his face.
On his left arm, there was a red mark, as if it had been burned by a branding iron, but it disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, I couldn't help but think, "This Old Ghost's cultivation is truly profound. People say that a strike from a willow branch can diminish a ghost's power, but this Old Ghost, after being struck, only cried out at first and then seemed completely unharmed."
Fearing that Old Ghost might suddenly attack, I quickly tried to persuade him, "Old Ghost, I know your cultivation is deep. We truly have no intention of killing her. We just don't want her to become an evil spirit."
Old Ghost hesitated for a moment, then stood up and looked at Zhang Dabiao.
"Hmph, ghosts do not harm people, yet people intend to harm ghosts. I thought you were different from others. I didn't expect you all to be birds of a feather."
"I don't want this either, but you must also understand that if she is controlled by obsession, even if I don't kill her, she cannot escape a fatal end."
Old Ghost seemed about to say something more, but he suddenly stopped, a strange expression on his face. I looked behind me.
Fearing a trap, I didn't turn around but asked, "Brother Zhang, is it done?"
"Yes, it's done."
Hearing Zhang Dabiao's reply, I felt a wave of relief. At the same time, I quickly turned around to see what had become of Old Mrs. Wang. If she had truly become an evil spirit controlled by obsession, then I would have no choice but to eliminate her on the spot.
At this moment, Old Mrs. Wang had returned to her original appearance, but her body was even more ethereal, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.
"Hmph!"
Old Ghost snorted coldly and instantly appeared beside Old Mrs. Wang, placing his hand on her back.
Seeing that Old Ghost wasn't going to attack, I breathed a sigh of relief. "Brother Zhang, how did you do it? Why does Old Mrs. Wang look so listless?"
"It's nothing much. I just struck her with the back of my saber."
While we were talking, Old Ghost had already stabilized Old Mrs. Wang's body, and it appeared much more solid than before.
Seeing her somewhat dazed gaze, I frowned. "Old Mrs. Wang, are you alright?"
Old Mrs. Wang's voice sounded weak, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness. "What happened to me?"
I was somewhat taken aback. "You don't remember anything that just happened?"
Old Mrs. Wang shook her head. "I don't remember."
Looking at the bewildered expression in Old Mrs. Wang's eyes, I felt she wasn't lying.
But I was now in a difficult position. After the previous experience, I was hesitant to continue questioning Old Mrs. Wang.
What if she entered that possessed state again? She wouldn't survive a second strike from Zhang Dabiao.
Just as I thought the situation had reached a dead end, Old Ghost, standing behind Old Mrs. Wang, suddenly spoke, "Ask whatever you want to ask. I guarantee she won't be like that again."
My heart leaped with joy. "Really?"
As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted it. Didn't that clearly show my lack of trust in Old Ghost?
Although I didn't know if Old Ghost was a "good" or "bad" person, judging by his actions, he at least didn't seem to intend me harm.
"Believe it or not. If you don't, then forget it."
Seeing Old Ghost turn his head away, I gave an awkward laugh and quickly pressed Old Mrs. Wang for information about the old house west of the village.
"Alas! This matter is a long story. If I have to tell it, it goes back more than ten years..."
I remember that year, the rain seemed to fall from the heavens for over a month, causing a mountain flood that devastated Molu Village.
Although no lives were lost, more than half of the houses were washed away. However, because the old house west of the village was close to Qingfeng Mountain and its terrain was higher than other areas, it was spared from the disaster.
At that time, my wife was the village head. After the rain stopped, he went from house to house, arranging for those whose homes were destroyed to stay with those whose homes were intact. He even housed the elderly, women, and children in his own home.
He also organized the able-bodied young men to clear the silt washed down by the flood, and arranged for the women and older children to gather the families' grain and other supplies for unified distribution.
As everyone was clearing the silt, they unearthed a coffin. This caused everyone to stop their work. Those with quick legs hurried to find the village head.
Even though the coffin's exterior was scratched by mud and stones, and its paint was almost entirely gone, it remained intact.
Wang Fugui, as the village head, had traveled extensively in his youth. Although he hadn't learned much in terms of practical skills, his discernment was far superior to that of the villagers in Molu Village.
He recognized at a glance that the coffin was made of genuine Southern Sea Pear Blossom wood. This type of wood is highly resistant to corrosion, does not attract insects when used for furniture, and keeps the deceased preserved for a hundred years when used as a coffin.
Even at that time, such a coffin could fetch a sky-high price.
However, Wang Fugui did not harbor any malicious intentions. In his view, the deceased deserved respect, and coupled with rural superstitions, he feared that opening the coffin might bring retribution. Therefore, he arranged for over a dozen men to carry the coffin to the back mountain and bury it anywhere they found suitable.
Naturally, no one disobeyed the village head's orders. These dozen men carried the coffin, along with shovels, to the back mountain.
It was on the way to the back mountain that a major incident occurred.