### Chapter 139: Lu Liangting: I’ll Never Drink Again
The axe was usually meant for chopping firewood, so it wasn’t all that sharp. Yet, when it smashed into the old lady’s face, everyone in the spirit hall could hear the cringe-inducing sound of bones cracking. In fact, the pain inflicted this way was far worse than that from a sharp kn*fe!
The axe got stuck in her face, and the old lady let out a wail that sounded like a dying pig.
Nobody dared to intervene; they were all too horrified by the scene.
Bai Yu and Zhao Mingyue certainly weren’t about to help. They knew this old hag was getting exactly what she deserved. That axe should have landed on her face the moment she turned Feng Er’s mother into a simpleton and brought her home to be a daughter-in-law. It had only taken her nearly twenty years to get what was coming to her!
Possessed by Old Huang, Huang Lao San raised the axe again, cursing loudly.
“You wicked old hag! How could you be so black-hearted?”
“I’m gonna k*ll you today!”
By this time, the old lady had fallen to the ground, too weak to get back up. The fact that she wasn’t dead from a single axe hit was a testament to her incredible luck.
She clung to life, making faint, painful sounds—not that anyone felt pity. Anyone who knew the horrors she had inflicted felt nothing but satisfaction.
One axe after another came down, bl**d splattering everywhere, even on the coffin!
After who knows how many swings, Old Huang stood up, the old lady reduced to a grotesque mess of meat. His cold glare swept across the spirit hall and landed on Huang Lao Er. “You ungrateful son! I told you before I died, I’d leave you money to treat Feng Er better! But what did you do?!”
“I’m going to k*ll you!”
With the axe raised high, he charged at Huang Cheng, his body radiating black resentment.
Seeing their family fall apart like this would break anyone’s heart—how could he not feel resentment?
Thanks to that immense resentment, the coffin wouldn’t budge, staying put right where it was.
Huang Cheng’s face changed drastically. He had no idea how that sturdy door had opened. Weren’t people saying the door and yard were protected by talismans? Nothing evil could approach here, right?
Someone must have deceived him; it was too coincidental for such a mishap to occur on the last day. Nothing weird had happened in the days prior.
In a fit of rage, Huang Cheng kicked Old Huang to the ground. Without a second thought, he rounded the coffin, trying to escape from Zhao Mingyue’s side.
He wasn’t alone; everyone from the second branch of the Huang family came rushing over, their faces etched with terror. They were all startled by the scene, never having considered that they could have united and stopped Huang Lao San, who was possessed by Old Huang.
Bai Yu and Zhao Mingyue managed to sneak out of the spirit hall first, standing at the door.
Bai Yu glanced toward the entrance and swiftly pulled Zhao Mingyue to the safety of an awning, avoiding the rush toward the entrance.
It wasn’t just the heavy rain outside that concerned her; a vengeful ghost lurked out there! A pretty formidable Red-clothed one at that!
The entire family bolted out of the spirit hall, with Lu Liangting, slightly tipsy but clear-headed, caught up in the commotion.
“You ingrates! Today, I’m going to split you all in half!” Old Huang roared, swinging his axe out. His shout scared Huang Lao Er’s daughter so much she fell to the ground, trembling. As she clung to her father’s pants, he whipped around to see Old Huang standing there with the axe, and without hesitation, he stepped right on his daughter’s face to break free from her grasp and fled.
Internally, he was already cursing the people of the Ghost Domain, a bunch of flesh-eating monsters that wouldn’t leave a bone behind.
Survival was the main goal now; he’d figure it out later.
After all, the Ghost Domain folks had already forked over one hundred thousand. He could do anything with that money!
But in the next moment, he was met with a sight so horrifying that he froze at the entrance, unable to move.
A shadow appeared at the door, the silhouette clad in bl**d-red, hair disheveled and dark, completely obscuring her face. Her body hunched, fingers as long as talons nearly brushing the ground, emanating a visible aura of black mist that made anyone’s heart race.
As Feng Er pressed her face against the window on the third floor, she desperately tried to look down. The glass made it hard to see her mother. Completely oblivious to her own frail body and injuries, she grit her teeth and lunged at the glass.
Bang!
The glass shook but didn’t break.
It’s not as fragile as people think, and that little girl clearly isn’t as tough as she looks.
With each brutal collision, her forehead started to bleed, and the glass was soon spattered with bl**d. But she didn’t care.
At this rate, she’d probably injure herself worse than the glass before breaking through. An undeniable determination surged within her, a sheer will that drove her to keep smashing into it. She absolutely had to see her mother today.
At that moment, the bl**d threads on her head began to move, crawling toward her forehead, and the little girl was filled with hope.
“Sister!”
“Thank you, sister!”
She knew Bai Yu was helping her and, gritting her teeth, slammed into the glass once more.
This time, while slightly dizzy from the earlier impacts, she broke through without any real pain.
The little girl poked her head out and saw the bl**d-colored ghost at the door.
She recognized that frightful apparition—her mother.
“Mom.”
Having rammed her head until it bled, her body now peppered with wounds, both fresh and old, the little girl had fought so hard to hold back tears. But at that very moment, she could no longer contain herself, crying out heart-wrenchingly, enough to tug at the heartstrings of anyone who heard.
The Red-clothed ghost at the door tilted her head, gazing up at the frail girl on the third floor.
The girl’s resentment surged higher at that instant.
The distraction allowed Huang Cheng to backtrack, sealing the family’s fate amidst the rain, stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Behind them stood Old Huang, raging with the axe; ahead, the vengeful Red-clothed ghost.
Old Huang wasn’t so reckless now, watching the Red-clothed figure at the door as the bl**d on his axe washed away in the rain.
The Red-clothed ghost attempted to step inside but was blocked by an unseen force the moment she moved, her dark resentment thickening, but she still couldn’t walk through.
Huang Cheng’s eyes flicked around, and suddenly he had a brilliant idea. “Don’t be afraid! Listen to me! That ghost outside can’t come in! Let’s work together and restrain Lao San! Once morning comes, we can call the cops, and we’ll be just fine!”
For a moment, it really felt like things had stabilized.
One ghost couldn’t enter, and the other ghost was hesitant, knowing that alone, their power paled against so many. Not to mention all those strong young men around.
Huang Cheng led the entire family backward, retreating toward the spirit hall, while Old Huang also took a step back, axe still raised.
Just as he had said, the Red-clothed ghost couldn’t penetrate their defenses, and the ghost behind was intimidated by their unity.
That sense of surviving a catastrophe gradually restored Huang Cheng’s confidence. He stopped pretending and turned to glare fiercely at Feng Er on the third floor. “You little brat, if you don’t stop crying, I’ll go up and chop you into little bits!”
“No more crying! Get your b*tt back inside!”
As he spoke, he slapped Huang Tianhua, barking, “And you’d better keep that dead sister of yours from crying!”
The little girl upstairs sobbed desperately. Her crying could provoke the ghost outside; if it got out of hand, the ghost would be hell-bent on barging in, and that would spell trouble.
Just when Huang Cheng thought things would settle down, he suddenly noticed the youngest of the ghost-fighting trio—a small girl in a black dress with red eyes—stirring. He remembered how his son had said at lunch that he had a crush on her and wanted to find an opportunity to tie her up.
“Get back! You don’t belong here!”
Huang Cheng shouted angrily.
Bai Yu crossed her arms, stepping into the rain.
She was right behind Old Huang and kicked him hard in the back, sending him stumbling forward. Old Huang turned, his gaze fierce as he swung the axe around to identify who dared to kick him. But the anger died instantly once he recognized Bai Yu.
It was all just a matter of perspective—now, as a ghost, he saw Bai Yu, who looked like a child, as nothing but a “monster.”
Bai Yu stood in the pouring rain, arms crossed, looking down at him with an air of arrogance that completely overshadowed the towering figure of Old Huang.
“Get that ghost outside in here, or I’ll slaughter you.”
Old Huang froze, not doubting Bai Yu’s words, but he stayed put.
He knew all too well about resolving scores with those who actually held grievances.
Sure, he could let his daughter-in-law in, and killing his second son and daughter-in-law might not matter much, but these children—how could he k*ll them? If he let that ghost in, everyone would be doomed.
“Hmph.” Seeing Old Huang’s hesitation, Bai Yu slightly tilted her head. “Lu Liangting.”
Feeling a little fuzzy, Lu Liangting snapped back to attention upon hearing his name called, though he was yet to truly clear his head.
She’s calling me!
“I’m here!”
“Take down the talisman at the door and rip it off.”
“Got it!” Lu Liangting answered without hesitation, braving the heavy rain toward the door, ignoring Old Huang and Huang Cheng and Huang Hai entirely. In fact, even that Red-clothed ghost didn’t seem so scary anymore. Little did he know where his newfound courage came from.
But let’s be honest, at this moment, he truly feared nothing!
Huang Cheng watched Lu Liangting approach and panicked. “You dare!”
He tried to stop him but didn’t notice that bl**d threads had wrapped around his feet. Stepping forward resulted in a solid fall, his forehead crashing hard against the concrete ground.
Ignoring Huang Cheng, Lu Liangting reached the entrance.
“I know you’re that little girl’s mother. Listen, I’m on your side. You heard the other one inside. I’ll tear down the talisman, and you can come in. You can take revenge for any grievances you have.”
He added, “I really mean it. And do think twice about attacking me; the one inside… her temper is… quite fierce. Don’t try to challenge her, or you won’t even get to see your daughter.”
He almost blurted out, “The one inside has a nasty temper.”
Standing safely under the eaves, Zhao Mingyue couldn’t help but cover her face at Lu Liangting’s words.
This guy hasn’t sobered up yet; he needs to listen to what he’s saying!
It’s making it sound like her sister is the true evil spirit here!
The Red-clothed ghost took two steps back, nodding slightly.
Lu Liangting was really bold. He stepped out, back turned to the ghost, searching for the talisman. Surprisingly, he found it—the tiny, inconspicuous paper was stuck right on the door frame.
He couldn’t figure out why this talisman only targeted the Red-clothed ghost while Old Huang and Bai Yu were unaffected.
But, then again, that wasn’t even the main point.
The focus was on Bai Yu—that was perplexing too.
In a daze, Lu Liangting leapt up and yanked the talisman off the door without thinking twice, tearing through it in a few swift motions.
Buzz!
As soon as the talisman came down, the Red-clothed ghost erupted, her dark energy hissing as it corroded the rainwater. With her ghostly claws raised, she charged into the yard, zeroing in on Huang Lao Er!
The thick, tangible black smoke surged past him, making Lu Liangting blink, finally feeling the grip of fear.
That ghost had been just a couple of meters away, and he’d been turned away from her…
No wonder Old Yang had been whispering warnings in his ear…
“Who are you?!”
Just as Lu Liangting snapped back to reality, he was met with a booming voice, and another Red-clothed figure charged toward him, colliding with him and sending him flying into the yard, crashing face-first into the rain-soaked ground.
He had no idea that, under the watchful eyes of the two little girls on the third floor, he had finally mustered some bravery, only to eat dirt instead.
His thoughts were simple.
From now on, I will never drink again…
Slow to react and his head still foggy, he realized he could have dodged that last Red-clothed ghost. Yet, under the influence of alcohol, the first thought that popped into his mind seeing her was, “Oh, great, now there’s another Red-clothed ghost.”
On this rainy night, three masked figures in black appeared at the door.
Exactly at nine o’clock, punctual as ever, but the plan had gone awry; their contact, Old San, was dead.
In the courtyard, Huang Cheng was pierced through by the ghost’s nails, feeling an icy thrill as his arm got ripped off, a gaping hole torn in his belly, bl**d soaking everywhere, and something important was gruesomely punctured. All because he had done something nasty to a ghost in life—long story short, Huang Tianhua was actually his child with the ghost.
In the courtyard, Huang Cheng was drenched in bl**d from the ghost’s attack, for the wrongdoings he had done in life—bluntly speaking, Huang Tianhua was his son by the ghost.
The ghost hurled Huang Cheng’s wife against the iron fence, and since it wasn’t sturdy enough to withstand an adult’s weight, she wound up painfully entangled. Any slight movement would only worsen her injuries.
Those blades? Yeah, she had just installed those herself—only now was she getting a taste of her own medicine.
Bai Yu lowered her arms, bl**d threads coalescing in her hands, forming a long blade.
“Mingyue, take care of those three masked guys behind us.”
“Understood.” Zhao Mingyue pulled her magic wand from her bag.
It was designed in a cute, girly style, but nobody would doubt its lethality.
“Hey, sister, what do you think hurts more: getting smashed by an axe or a hammer?”
·
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Waaah, it’s still nine-thirty!
Yes, nine-thirty!
