Chapter Thirty-One: The Ghostly Wife's Fury

“Wife, stay here, I’m going out to take a look.” Though Wei Qi had told me not to leave, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy. The awakening of this malicious spirit was not unrelated to me; if Wang Ying and I hadn’t come here, he would have remained undisturbed. Whatever happens, I can’t let this evil spirit harm the villagers.

“Husband, I’m coming with you. If it really is that bastard, I want revenge. How dare he kidnap me?” Wang Ying clung to my arm.

I shook my head immediately. I could go out, but she absolutely could not. Her body hadn’t fully recovered yet; no matter what, she must not go outside. Yet this girl was stubborn—whether out of concern for me or lingering resentment toward the evil spirit, she insisted on following.

After the cold wind passed, the pitiful howling of dogs outside ceased. I listened intently, but there was not a sound. Peering through the window, nothing stirred beneath the pale moonlight; it seemed even the evil spirit dared not act rashly.

Wang Ying held me tightly, stepping in time with me as I moved. Seeing the quiet outside, I gave up the idea of going out. We lingered together for a while before separating for the night. I had hoped to share a bed with her, but this mischievous girl refused, saying maybe another time. I didn’t press her and settled on the sofa. Wang Ying, worried for me, insisted I take the bed, but how could I let her sleep on the sofa? Even female spirits need warmth from a man.

That night, as usual, I didn’t sleep well, lingering in a haze, ears straining for sounds outside. I’d made up my mind—no matter whose relative this evil spirit was, if it bullied the villagers, I would subdue it with my sword, Longyuan. Yet tonight was strangely quiet, even more so than usual.

Early the next morning, while Wang Ying was still resting, I slipped out quietly. The gray dawn wrapped the village in a faint mist; the streets were deserted, not even a chicken in sight. Fear crept over me. Could it be… overnight…? No, surely not.

Sweat broke out on my brow as I hurried to Wei Qi’s house, pounding on the door. Wei Qi, bleary-eyed and with his buttons undone, came out. Dark circles ringed his eyes; clearly, he hadn’t slept well.

“Da Chuan, what’s the matter so early?” Wei Qi yawned, visibly exhausted.

“Something feels off on the street. Not a soul, and it seems not even any livestock left.”

Wei Qi smacked his lips. “Go back and rest. Let me sleep, and I’ll tell you later. I battled that evil spirit all night—villagers are fine, but all the livestock are dead.”

All night, and the livestock perished. The spirit’s resentment was truly overwhelming.

“Not exactly. Only the livestock in homes with talismans on their doors survived. But few in the village have them,” Wei Qi sighed.

Seeing his fatigue, and knowing the villagers were unharmed, I let him rest until noon. When I returned home, Wang Ying was already awake, brushing her teeth, humming like a real girl.

Seeing me, she spat out the foam, rinsed her mouth, and came to embrace me. “Darling, what’s wrong? You look troubled.”

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“The evil spirit really came last night—killed a lot of livestock.”

“No people hurt?”

“Uncle Qi said not yet. We’ll see by noon.”

Wang Ying handed me a towel. “Wash your face, don’t look so worried. With Uncle Qi here, that evil spirit won’t amount to much.”

I thought so too—at worst, I’d go to the village chief’s ancestral grave and overturn it. Nothing too serious. Having slept poorly, I lay down for a nap while Wang Ying cooked. I hadn’t fallen asleep when the village loudspeaker blared, summoning all able-bodied men to a meeting at the committee.

As an outsider, just a passerby, I wasn’t required to attend, so I continued resting. Just as I was dozing off, violent knocking startled me awake.

I scrambled up, and as I reached the door, saw Wang Ying already opening it. The village chief, leading a group of sturdy men, barged in and seized me.

“Tell us, what did you do last night?”

I was utterly confused. I admitted Wang Ying and I were outsiders, but the events of last night had nothing to do with us. The chaos was caused by his prematurely deceased brother, not us.

As I was about to protest, Wei Qi burst in, gripping a kitchen knife, his face furious. “Let him go! Anyone who harms Da Chuan or my sister-in-law will answer to me!”

Wei Qi’s fierce loyalty worked—the men holding me released their grip.

“Third Uncle, I told you, your ancestral grave is smoking. Your deceased brother has become an evil spirit. If you don’t act soon, it won’t just be livestock dying—humans could be next,” Wei Qi said earnestly.

“Nonsense, pure superstition. Stop this nonsense. I’m a party member, I don’t believe in that. This was caused by those two outsiders—they’re taking revenge,” the village chief glared at me as if I’d personally killed his dog.

“Wait. Yesterday, I gave everyone talismans. Who listened and put them on their doors? I guarantee, any house with a talisman is unharmed—their livestock survived.”

Wei Qi’s words stirred the villagers into heated discussion. Some had indeed put the talismans on their doors, and their livestock were fine.

---

“Uncles and elders, I grew up an orphan in this village, living off your kindness. I would never deceive you. The chief’s ancestral grave is the issue. His brother died young, and when buried, a plow was pressed down. Now, after so many years, he’s become a vengeful spirit seeking revenge. If you trust me, persuade the chief—either arrange a ghost marriage for his brother to bring him peace, or scatter his soul. Otherwise, it’s only a matter of time before the village is destroyed,” Wei Qi urged, seeing the villagers waver.

The chief, angered by Wei Qi’s words, barked, “Wei Qi, I’ve never wronged you! Why are you fixated on my ancestral grave? Just wait!” With a dramatic flourish, he stormed out.

After he left, the villagers began to debate, splitting into two camps—some sided with Wei Qi, others with the chief. Amidst the commotion, police cars arrived, and Zhang Qi entered with seven or eight officers.

Without a word, they handcuffed Wei Qi and me. “You two disregard the facts, incite the masses—go cool off for a couple of days.” Perhaps remembering the last incident, they didn’t dare treat Wang Ying roughly.

“Stop! Arresting villagers in broad daylight—what crime have they committed?” Wang Ying stepped forward, eyes blazing.

“Inciting rumors and chaos. We suspect them of coveting villagers’ property and murdering livestock. Their distributing those worthless talismans is evidence,” Zhang Qi said smugly, clearly eager for a chance to teach us a lesson.

“Zhang, I’ll say it again—last night, they handed out talismans to help the villagers. The livestock deaths are unrelated to them; it’s your chief’s deceased brother, now an evil spirit, causing trouble,” Wang Ying retorted.

Zhang Qi sneered, “Bold lies in broad daylight. You claim there are ghosts—show me one, then.” It was a common response; most who hadn’t seen ghosts would say the same, especially someone as arrogant as Zhang Qi.

Wang Ying bit her lip and glanced at me.

I knew this stubborn girl was about to separate her spirit from her body. In weather like this, such a separation would be harmful to her soul—and more importantly, she shouldn’t reveal herself in front of so many villagers. They were simple folk, without much education or belief, and if she split herself here, it would frighten them. In this age of the internet, rumors would spread like wildfire.

So I quickly stopped her. “Wife, go inside. Uncle Qi and I haven’t done anything—we’re only helping the villagers. Don’t be afraid.”

Unexpectedly, Wang Ying came up to me and said, “Husband, in this world, only I can bully you. No one else can, and anyone who tries will pay the price!” With that, she marched straight toward Zhang Qi.

“Zhang, do you really want to see what a ghost looks like?” Her demeanor was icy, her fierce gaze reminded me of Shang Xiaoyun’s husky—thinking of that husky, split in two, sent a chill down my spine.