Chapter 89
Chapter 89
Cheng Miao heard Su Shuang gasp and Lin Zhu shout a warning. She steadied herself without turning, gripped Zhang Qiao with one hand, and cried, “Zhang Yan, don’t you want to see your best friend and the man you love?”
The freezing wind stopped just behind her. An unnerving, rattling laugh sounded. Cheng Miao drew the Fishbone Dagger, walked two steps forward, and turned.
Behind her stood the ghostly woman who had led Cheng Miao and Lian Ge to the altar. She carried no lantern now. Her long hair had parted to either side, revealing a horrifying, skinless face.
Zhang Qiao’s face had been left disfigured after treatment. Zhang Yan’s looked freshly flayed, still steaming, with blood vessels visibly pulsing.
No matter how nauseating the sight, no one dared retch in front of the ghost. Their faces turned blue as they forced down the sickness.
Without her hair in the way, Cheng Miao immediately noticed several ribs missing from the ghost’s chest. Zhang Qiao’s Lantern had yet to burn, so Zhang Yan’s spirit had not been fully released.
“Did you say… Zhang Yan?” Zhang Qiao had gone still the moment Cheng Miao spoke. Now, facing the terrifying ghost, tears filled her eyes and overwhelmed her instinctive fear.
“Are you… Ah Yan?” Zhang Qiao’s voice was extremely hoarse, probably damaged by her screams at the time. With the ghost before her, the sound carried a different kind of terror.
Zhang Yan’s spirit stood silently, looking at her former best friend.
She had never spoken before, conveying her meaning through a lantern. Without one, she had no way to communicate with Zhang Qiao.
“Zhang Qiao is your best friend. She was skinned for trying to help you. Zhang Guo is the man you loved. Your death drove him mad.”
Standing before Zhang Yan beneath enormous pressure, Cheng Miao softened her voice. “We’ve destroyed all the lanterns and freed you. We also rescued them. All we ask is that you let every one of us leave.”
Cheng Miao felt the Friend of Ghosts buff stir within her, settling her nerves.
Zhang Yan’s lidless eyes stared fixedly at her. After a moment, the flesh-wrapped head nodded.
Everyone relaxed. Cheng Miao signaled Qin Wen, Qin Wu, and Su Shuang. Su Shuang thanked her repeatedly, then turned and stepped out of the village.
When his figure vanished beyond the entrance, Cheng Miao finally felt reassured.
With a twitch of her fingers, she produced Zhang Qiao’s Lantern, made from Zhang Qiao’s skin and her best friend’s bones, and handed it to Zhang Qiao.
“This is the final lantern. Once it’s destroyed, your friend can enter reincarnation.”
Zhang Qiao accepted it with trembling hands, tears flowing over her uneven cheeks. “I didn’t know. I never realized I had trapped you for so long…”
Seeing Zhang Qiao’s grief, Zhang Yan’s spirit made several hoarse sounds. The lantern prevented her from approaching, so she only shook her head to show that she did not blame her.
Cheng Miao’s heart ached. She accepted the torch Qi Jiajia offered and gave it to Zhang Qiao. “Let her rest. Zhangjia Village is destroyed. You should leave soon and find somewhere new to begin again.”
Zhang Qiao wiped her face and took the torch.
Zhang Guo had hidden behind the players, screaming in terror from the moment Zhang Yan’s spirit appeared.
Now that everything seemed settled, Qin Wen pushed Zhang Guo forward. The man might be insane, but Zhang Yan had been his beloved. “That’s your betrothed. Say goodbye.”
“No! No! A ghost! The lantern ghost!” Zhang Guo clutched Qin Wen’s sleeve and refused to approach.
At that moment, Zhang Yan turned toward him. A sinister laugh rose from her throat.
“Hee, hee…”
Zhang Guo suddenly leaped in terror, then crashed to the ground as though struck by unbearable pain. He rolled, screamed, and wailed.
Countless cuts appeared across his body before their eyes. In moments, he became a bloody mass, capable of only weak pleas for help.
The sudden reversal horrified everyone. Then Zhang Qiao spoke, her voice filled with hatred. “Everyone thought he went mad because he loved Ah Yan so deeply. The truth is, whenever outsiders came, he was the one who lit the lanterns at night to kill them!”
Zhang Guo had loved Zhang Yan, but not enough to stake his life on her.
After Zhang Qiao’s face was skinned for helping Zhang Yan escape, he surrendered.
He joined the villagers in their crimes. Because Zhang Yan still cared for him and could never bring herself to kill him, he assumed responsibility for lighting the lanterns at night.
Zhang Guo had gone mad from fear and guilt.
Yet even in madness, he remembered to light the lanterns and harm others so he could remain alive.
The players said nothing. They did not know how to judge him. In a village where right and wrong had been twisted for a century, perhaps no one could preserve their kindness or sense of justice.
“Ah… Ah…” Zhang Yan did not spare the bloodied Zhang Guo another glance. She raised one skeletal hand, signaling Zhang Qiao to destroy the lantern.
Sobbing uncontrollably, Zhang Qiao lit it with trembling hands. Cheng Miao saw relief appear in Zhang Yan’s eyes.
Zhang Yan’s spirit vanished. The fire engulfing Zhangjia Village grew larger, painting the entire sky red.
The players felt as though they had lived through another lifetime. At last, they had cleared the instance.
“We’re leaving. We owe you this time. I hope we can work together again someday.” Qin Wen looked drained. He was extremely capable, but with his brother beside him, he could never fight without restraint. This instance had been exceptionally difficult for him.
Cheng Miao nodded and watched Qin Wen disappear through the village entrance with Qin Wu.
Lian Ge, who had been silent nearby, suddenly asked, “Do you no longer plan to leave?”
Cheng Miao spun around and found that Zhang Qiao had dropped the torch and was walking toward Zhangjia Village, now a sea of flames.
“Zhang Qiao!” Cheng Miao took two steps forward, but the heat forced her back.
Zhang Qiao turned. For a fleeting instant, her indistinct face seemed to smile. “My wish has been fulfilled, and Ah Yan is free. There is nowhere else I want to go. Miss Cheng, thank you.”
Cheng Miao said nothing. Biting her lower lip, she watched Zhang Qiao’s back disappear into the raging flames.
After a while, Cheng Miao sighed and looked at the remaining players with a strained smile. “It’s her decision. We should respect it.”
Lian Ge tapped the ground with one delicate cloth shoe and swayed toward the village entrance. She waved to Cheng Miao. “Cheng Miao, I’ll remember you. I hope we meet again.”
Cheng Miao watched the painting-like beauty leave as well. Then she turned smiling eyes toward her teammates. “Let’s go too. We finally cleared it.”