CHAPTER 67: CHAPTER 50: YIN CHILD VS. VILLAGE RESENTMENT

Blood loss and fatigue made Sang Que’s vision blurred, her heart beating a little fast, and the Yin Child was vaguely restless.

Village resentment, right here!

The power of the Yansheng coin was insufficient to open the gate to Black Mountain Village, and with no final retreat, Sang Que, who should have been nervous, suddenly relaxed, sat down on the sofa to rest, using the pure white lace doily on the sofa to wipe off the blood on her body.

The TV screen paused noticeably, then continued to play.

Sang Que wiped as she watched, the image showing Xu Shufen, Zheng Letian, and a man in a shirt and trousers exuding a tough guy vibe.

Brother Wu Jun that Zheng Letian mentioned? He was in his photo album too.

The black-and-white footage flickered like a haunted videotape, without sound, showing the three of them placing offerings around the village and performing rituals.

Then the three stood in front of Brother Watch Shop, Xu Shufen holding a Mountain God Statue covered in red cloth, Zheng Letian looking up, while Zheng Wujun held a black ruler in his hand.

Finished wiping the blood, Sang Que tossed the doily aside, feeling her heartbeat growing stronger, making it hard to breathe, her body weak and breaking into a cold sweat.

Sang Que pressed her heart, took a deep breath, then pulled a Snickers bar from her bag, tore it open, and began to eat.

Rustle...

The TV was snowy; Sang Que ignored it, taking two bites of the Snickers, then opened another bar slowly.

The TV returned to normal, showing the three of them opening the door to room 404 and stepping inside, the scene flashing as Zheng Letian dragged Xu Shufen out the door, both collapsing to the ground.

Inside the room, a mass of hair moved eerily, wrapping around Xu Shufen’s legs, pulling her back; Zheng Letian rushed to grab Xu Shufen.

Sang Que squinted slightly, catching a glimpse of two small children around three years old appearing by Xu Shufen’s feet, tearing apart those strands of hair.

After being saved, Zheng Letian supported Xu Shufen as they quickly left.

Bam!

Something fell from above; Sang Que looked down, seeing a tiny white worm wriggling on the half-eaten Snickers bar in her hand—it was a maggot!

More maggots rained down from above, continuously like a downpour, soon filling the entire room with densely packed, writhing maggots, with plenty falling on Sang Que as well.

Sang Que looked up, her pupils trembling.

Countless strands of hair crisscrossed the ceiling, entangling a man, penetrating through his mouth, ears, eyes, and nose, gutting him open, the maggots falling from his body.

Zheng Wujun!

Rustle...

Amidst the TV’s static noise, the hair writhed and stretched, blood oozing from all four walls, all the furniture and items rapidly decaying, soaked through with blood, the maggots on the floor submerged.

The TV switched channels again, this time showing a person’s perspective, shakily pushing open the door to room 404, revealing an 80s styled room, a long sofa facing the TV, Sang Que’s head with a cap sticking out of the sofa.

Creak—Creak—

Sang Que heard the door behind her open, a cold wind brushing her nape, as the viewpoint on the TV drew nearer, a chilling oppressive feeling gradually closed in, enveloping her.

Bloodstained hair emerged from the sofa’s crevices, slowly approaching Sang Que’s body.

Thump! Thump!

Sang Que heard the sound of a heartbeat, from her own body and from the room itself.

She finally realized that what she saw outside the Skywell Building earlier, that black cocoon resembling a heart, was right here.

Or rather, this room was that heart-like black cocoon, and she was inside it.

Bam!

A hand pressed down on her shoulder, cold, heavy; Sang Que found herself unable to move.

The TV showed the back of her head, a cold and slippery sensation came from her wrists and ankles, almost there.

Sang Que no longer suppressed her mental fatigue and physical exhaustion, letting out a yawn.

"If you want it, do it yourself."

Sang Que murmured, her right hand in her pocket, slowly closing her eyes.

The moment she stepped into this room, she felt the Yin Child’s restlessness, just like when she first entered Yan Daozi’s room, developing a strong desire for something here.

The ’village resentment’ appeared in the form of a heart, though not the original heart the Yin Child was missing, it nonetheless had a fatal attraction to it.

Countless strands of hair instantly bound Sang Que tightly, climbing up her body, about to enter through the wound on her neck when Sang Que opened her eyes again.

Her eyes were hollow, lifeless, unfocused.

Sang Que grabbed the hand on her shoulder; in an instant, the human-like shadow behind her shattered into pieces, scattering like paper ashes.

A pair of ghostly, blue-green shriveled hands emerged from Sang Que’s abdomen, grabbing different strands of hair and forcefully pulling them inward.

Sang Que, once the prey, had now become the hunter!

The entire room shook violently; furniture toppled, teacups flew around, the walls cracked, and blood on the floor churned like boiling water.

Sitting steadfastly on the sofa, Sang Que remained unmoved, the hair binding her trying to retreat.

However, the Yin Child’s grip was strong, never letting go of what it held, pulling at the hair bit by bit to absorb the ’village resentment.’

Sang Que’s consciousness wavered between the village resentment and the Yin Child’s tug of war, as she ’saw’ scattered images from the village resentment.

A little girl watched her mother in a white dress chatting and laughing with a stranger uncle, whispers enticing her by her ear, a black thread silently invaded her heart.

The power of the village resentment suddenly intensified, and two of the Yin Child’s shriveled arms were entwined, melting into blood.

Immediately, visions of the Nine Netherworld Hell appeared before Sang Que, where black iron thorns grew madly and pierced into her body.

Blood spilled freely, the excruciating pain sharp as a dagger, blood dribbled from Sang Que’s mouth as the Yin Child gained strength.

New arms appeared from Sang Que’s abdomen, forcefully pulling the hair out from the walls.

The entire wall collapsed with a crash, revealing a ruinous space behind, countless strands of hair wrapping around a heart-like black cocoon, pulsating fiercely.

Sang Que ’saw’ again, villagers pointing at the fat butcher, his eyes bloodshot, the same whisper echoing in his ears, anger boiling as he overturned the pork stall, black threads invading his heart.

There was Xu Chunxia with the matchmaker’s mole, Liang Qiao Min of Aunt Qiao’s Tailor Shop, the two brothers from the Brother Watch Shop, and the diverse people living in the Skywell Building, and indeed in the entire Xujiawan Village.

Their anger, grievances, arguments, sadness, all transformed into resentment, becoming nourishment for the ’village resentment.’

These images and voices from the quarrels pounded at Sang Que’s head, her mind dazed.

In the Nine Netherworld Hell, the black iron thorns continuously branched and grew inside her, penetrating every part of her body, igniting her soul with extreme pain, rapidly releasing her suppressed fears.

This fear and pain were exactly the power the Yin Child needed the most.

Sang Que gradually lost awareness of the outside world, her last strand of consciousness flickering under the protection of the Heart Lamp, resisting the stormy tearing of the Yin Child and the village resentment.

Sang Que gritted her teeth and held on; she didn’t know how long had passed, but suddenly her whole being felt light from soul to body.

In the midst of the pitch-black vision, a ray of light burst forth, slowly expanding outward; she saw the small Yin Child standing in that ruinous room holding a pitch-black, pulsating heart.

The Yin Child had won!

Sang Que’s right hand twitched, her palm hot as if on fire, this warmth spread through her entire body, swiftly dispelling the chill and pain, restoring her strength and consciousness.

Sang Que opened her palm, seeing the pattern of a Yansheng coin, her eyes suddenly brightened.

Four complete trigrams!

Indeed, with the Yin Child she controlled engaging other evil spirits and ghosts, her Yansheng coin could also absorb power.

Thus, since the Yin Child was controlled, it remained quiet, partly due to lack of interest in bullying the weak, and partly because taking action would replenish the power of the Yansheng coin.

It was as if the Yin Child trapped itself, the more effort it put in, the tighter the bind!

The ability of the Yansheng coin to suppress evil spirits was simply unbeatable for them, leading only to passive resistance.

So initially, when she was at her weakest, the Yin Child never resisted, staying quietly until being released, then starting trouble, trying to kill her to escape.

But now, the Yin Child had already escaped from her body and obtained the ’village resentment’s’ heart.

If the Yin Child placed the heart inside its body, could her four trigrams still suppress it?

The Yin Child was far smarter than she imagined!

In the distance, the Yin Child looked at Sang Que with hollow eye sockets, its mouth opening impossibly wide, raising the heart it held.

Sang Que’s heart leapt to her throat instantly.

Clang——

A sudden chime of a clock rang out; the black heart in the Yin Child’s hand vanished unexpectedly.

Beneath the collapsed wall, the shattered clock’s minute hand moved, stepping back one notch!

It reversed to the time when she came in, one minute to twelve!

Thump! Thump!

The sound of the heart beating and the rustling of hair filled the room once again.

An overwhelming feeling of despair gripped Sang Que uncontrollably.

The village resentment had revived again!