Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Old Li strode over to Old Fourth Tian’s side in a single bound.
“Old Fourth, tell us everything you know, right now!”
“When lives are on the line, there’s no room for secrets!”
It took over half an hour before Old Fourth Tian finally regained his composure.
His spirit flagging, he began to recount the long-hidden secret of the Old Tian Family:
The entire affair had taken place a century ago.
At that time, the Old Tian Family was a prominent household, famous for miles around.
According to family seniority, the Female Corpse in the Iron Coffin was Old Fourth Tian’s Third Grandmother.
She had come from a theater troupe and was a great beauty.
However, she failed to observe a woman’s proper virtues. After marrying Old Fourth Tian’s grandfather, she struck up an illicit affair with an official’s son.
Furthermore, according to the elders, he wasn’t the only one she had been seeing!
In modern terms, Old Fourth Tian’s grandfather had been cuckolded so many times that his ‘green hats’ would have stacked up higher than a three-story building.
He could have practically reforested a desert with them!
Unable to do anything to the official’s son, Old Fourth Tian’s grandfather could only vent all his rage on the woman.
Even when she begged for mercy, Old Fourth Tian’s grandfather’s anger remained unquenched.
He ordered men to slash her face and cut off her facial features.
Finally, under the guidance of a rivers-and-lakes sorcerer, the woman was skinned and her tendons pulled. While still alive, she was nailed into the Iron Coffin.
Such a scandal, especially one involving a loss of life, was naturally not something the Old Tian Family would publicize.
They didn’t even tell their descendants.
Old Fourth Tian only vaguely knew that this had happened, but he had no idea where the Iron Coffin had been buried all those years ago.
If he had known it was buried at the bottom of the well in front of his door, he never would have let Tian Zhigang dig it up!
After hearing the story, the crowd fell into a collective silence.
One should not judge another’s choices without having endured their hardships.
Especially when it came to matters between men and women, it was difficult for outsiders to comment too much.
Besides, over a hundred years had passed since then.
After a long while, Tian Zhigang was the first to speak, though his perspective was rather peculiar:
“Old Li, Deaf Granny, Chief Zhou, comrades…”
“You must not tell anyone about this, or my political future will be ruined!”
Old Li gave a cold snort:
“Who would want to talk about your family’s sordid business!”
“The critical issue now is how to deal with the filthy things!”
Old Fourth Tian hurriedly chimed in:
“Yes, yes, yes, Uncle Li, you’re right!”
“We must deal with the filthy things first, or none of my family will survive!”
In this regard, Deaf Granny was the professional, so everyone turned their gaze toward her.
“The key right now is to burn the body first!”
“With the Gold-Silver Fan suppressing her, the filthy things don’t know yet that we’ve dug her up.”
“Otherwise, once it gets dark, we’ll be in big trouble!”
Old Fourth Tian asked tremulously:
“Old Auntie, what kind of trouble will there be after dark?”
Deaf Granny glanced at him:
“Soul-Corpse Fusion!”
“If that happens, this old woman won’t be able to handle her!”
Upon hearing this, Old Fourth Tian’s face turned deathly pale.
“Quick, quick, quick! Do exactly as Old Auntie says!”
“Burn the body immediately!”
At the Chaotic Graveyard outside the village, filled with countless ownerless graves from over the centuries, the Female Corpse was slowly reduced to ashes amidst roaring flames.
At the final moment, a shrill, piercing shriek suddenly echoed from the surroundings.
The hate-filled voice of the Female Corpse reverberated throughout the entire Chaotic Graveyard:
“You will all die!”
“After the sun sets, you will all die!!!”
As the fire died out, the voice vanished with it.
Deaf Granny’s face was full of worry:
“I knew she was fierce, but I didn’t expect her to be this terrifying!”
“To be able to manifest and speak in broad daylight!”
“It’s a good thing we found her early and burned her flesh corpse.”
Burning the Female Corpse not only prevented the Soul-Corpse Fusion but also effectively severed her roots.
At the very least, it cost the female ghost half of her cultivation.
Looking at the darkening sky, Old Li spoke up:
“What do we do next? Give us your orders, Deaf Granny.”
Deaf Granny replied as she started walking back:
“The filthy things harbor the greatest hatred for the Old Tian Family. She will definitely come to torment them tonight.”
“We’ll wait for her at Old Fourth Tian’s house!”
Deaf Granny’s words brought great joy to Old Fourth Tian, who nodded repeatedly:
“You all stay at my house tonight!”
“I’ll have my wife wrap dumplings for everyone!”
By the time the group returned to Old Fourth Tian’s house, Cadre Zhao, who had fainted from fright, had already woken up.
When he heard that the female ghost would be coming for their lives tonight, he was instantly struck with terror.
“No, I can’t stay here!”
“I’m going back to the township. I’m leaving right now!”
“Chief Zhou, I order you to escort me back immediately!”
Chief Zhou looked at Cadre Zhao with disdain.
“Our police station doesn’t report to you. If you want to go back, go by yourself!”
“You… you… you dare disobey me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll report you to my brother-in-law?!”
Chief Zhou didn’t bother to acknowledge him and simply turned his head away.
Seeing this, Cadre Zhao could only issue orders to Tian Zhigang.
“Zhigang, I order you to come back to the township with me to report to my brother-in-law!”
Tian Zhigang was suddenly caught in a difficult position:
“Leader, such a huge thing has happened at home, I can’t leave!”
“Besides, it’s almost dark; the road isn’t safe.”
“If you’re uncomfortable, how about I arrange for you to stay at someone else’s house for the night?”
“Once it’s light tomorrow, I’ll personally escort you back as early as possible!”