CHAPTER 24: CHAPTER 17: LIGHTING THE HEART LAMP

"Mother..."

"Shou’an, you’re awake, that’s wonderful, Shou’an is awake, awake, sobbing..."

In the inner room of the He Family, Qin Fangru tightly embraced the just-awoken He Shou’an, unable to suppress her sobs, while He Erniang covered her mouth and cried by the side. He Baosheng, with reddened eyes, looked at the three of them with a silly smile.

Old Man He stood at the doorway, wiped the moisture from his eyes, turned around and went to offer incense at He Youniang’s memorial tablet in the hall.

At the table, Sang Que blew out the soul lamp and collapsed onto the stool, feeling that the soul lamp had drained her spiritual power, leaving her dizzy.

Skinny saw this, quickly took the water jug, poured a cup of water for Sang Que and handed it over, his eyes full of disbelief. He hadn’t even considered that Sang Que could succeed; if it had been him doing it... he wouldn’t dare!

"Why are you soaking wet, where did you find Shou’an’s soul?"

"The lake... cough cough..."

Sang Que drank water too quickly and choked, not finishing her sentence.

Skinny and Kou Yushan, who were beside them, were shocked and wide-eyed. Skinny exclaimed, "You went into the lake? Didn’t you encounter the Water Ghost? Even Yan Daozi wouldn’t dare go near that place, it’s impossible!"

Kou Yushan was speechless. He had thought Sang Que was formidable, but hadn’t expected she was this formidable, not even fearing the Water Ghost. But she was the temple priest’s daughter, surely favored and protected by the Witch Lady.

"Mother... I saw the Witch Lady..."

He Shou’an murmured in a dazed state in Qin Fangru’s arms, shocking everyone in the room. Qin Fangru quickly interrupted.

"You mustn’t talk nonsense, we can no longer worship the Witch Lady now."

Before the Witch Temple was abolished, the villagers of Black Mountain would mainly worship the Witch Lady during festivals; almost every household had a Divine Statue of her.

When He Shou’an’s grandmother was still alive, she also told He Shou’an many stories about the Witch Lady. In He Shou’an’s heart, the Witch Lady was always a benevolent Ghost God.

Hearing He Shou’an’s words, Sang Que recalled the figure she saw protecting He Shou’an—could that be the Ghost God from the Witch Temple? Was it also the one who saved her?

Sang Que tried hard to remember, but her brain throbbed painfully; she couldn’t recall the figure’s appearance, or perhaps she simply couldn’t see clearly.

"Mother... I also saw Brother Tiancong, Brother Tiancong took me to play by the lake and he said he wants to go home too..."

He Shou’an weakly added in Qin Fangru’s arms, causing Qin Fangru and others to turn deathly pale.

He Shou’an was referring to the Zhao Family’s missing Zhao Tiancong.

"That Zhao from the Zhao Family, cough... what does he look like, cough cough..." Sang Que put down the cup and asked.

Kou Yushan described Zhao Tiancong’s features and what he was wearing the day he went missing to Sang Que.

After hearing this, Sang Que sighed, "He’s in the lake."

Everyone in the room widened their eyes at this, and Skinny swallowed hard, "No, did you really go into the lake?"

Sang Que couldn’t explain in detail or had the energy to say much, so she just assumed she did, after all, she did see the Water Ghost.

Beside the heated kang, He Baosheng, who had previously wanted to summon souls himself, turned pale with fear. If he had taken things to summon souls earlier, he would have faced certain death.

Moreover, dying at the hands of the Water Ghost would also turn him into a slave of the Water Ghost, leading family or villagers to become sacrifices for the Water Ghost, creating endless troubles.

Thinking of this, He Baosheng immediately knelt at Sang Que’s feet.

"Great gratitude to Yu Niang, I previously offended you, I hope Yu Niang can forgive me. From now on, I will repay you like a horse and ox for your kindness."

Sang Que was at a loss, while Qin Fangru put down the child, pulled He Erniang, and they both knelt, continuously thanking Sang Que.

"Thank you Yu Niang for saving our Shou’an today. From now on, our lives belong to you, whatever you say we will do, never saying no!"

He Erniang didn’t know what to say and just followed her parents’ lead, bowing her head, sincere gratitude in her eyes.

At that moment, Sang Que didn’t know if it was an illusion; she felt a warm current surge from her heart, pressing the coldness even deeper within her.

The three continued to bow, and Sang Que hurriedly stood up, reaching out to help them.

"Stand up, no need..."

Sang Que rose too quickly, causing blood to rush to her head, abruptly feeling the world spin as darkness crept in from the periphery of her vision, leaving only sharp ringing in her ears.

*

In a daze, cold wind brushed against her face.

Rumble!

A bolt of lightning tore through the darkness, making Sang Que shudder and suddenly wake up, taking in her surroundings with a start.

She was once again in that bottomless, boundless abyss... the Nine Netherworld!

This time there was no falling; beneath her feet was a staircase inexplicably standing in mid-air, ethereal, like mist.

In the dark mist, there were blood-stained, intersecting sharp black iron spikes everywhere, resembling a forest of brambles, both majestic and terrifying.