Chapter Ninety-Three: Go Ahead and Use It, Sister Bai!
At 8 PM, a faint mist enveloped Ping Shan Village. Unlike the western village, the east was as quiet as a tomb. Aside from the rustling of bugs crawling nearby and the unsettling sounds of wax corpses shambling about, there was nothing.
After taking care of A She Godmother, most of the curse had lifted.
Although the village still had walking wax corpses, the danger had significantly decreased. Bai Yu decided to release her control over Zhao Mingyue’s body, allowing Mingyue to get used to her “upgraded” physique.
One more thing: Bai Yu couldn’t be entirely sure that Mingyue’s body was free of issues. She could only control the physical actions while having no real sense of its condition. For instance, even if Zhao Mingyue were freezing to d*ath, she wouldn’t feel the chill.
The moment Zhao Mingyue regained control of her body, her legs nearly buckled, and she almost face-planted into the ground.
During the time Bai Yu had been controlling her and she was mentally awake, it felt like sleep paralysis—her brain was working just fine, but her body was as stiff as a board.
Now, all she felt was pain, and it was intense.
Her muscles were sore all over, her feet felt as if they’d been filled with lead, and every step was a Herculean effort. But oddly enough, this pain was bearable; it was evenly distributed. If you asked her to pinpoint where it hurt most, she wouldn’t be able to say—because every inch of her was in agony!
Just as Zhao Mingyue felt her legs giving way, Bai Yu appeared, reaching out to steady her so she could adapt.
As soon as Bai Yu showed up, Zhao Mingyue seized her like a lifeline, throwing her whole weight against Bai Yu and refusing to let go.
“Bai Yu, my Sister Yu, I feel like I’ll never have to worry about losing weight again! As long as I want to shed some pounds, just hop into my body, and the results will be amazing! A few more times, and it’d be impossible not to lose weight!”
The mask melted into bl**d threads and vanished, revealing Zhao Mingyue’s pitiful little face.
“But I really have to thank you, Sister Yu. Without you, I might never have discovered that my body can pull off such incredible stunts.”
“I had no idea I could kick a hundred-pound corpse three or four meters away!”
Holding the woeful Zhao Mingyue, Bai Yu cleared her throat. “Ahem, the soreness you feel means you’re not completely done for. It shows your body’s limits are far from being hit.”
“Ah, so if I were weaker, I wouldn’t really be out of commission, right?”
“Absolutely not. The human body is fascinating, and I know how to handle things.”
After a heartfelt hug, Zhao Mingyue finally managed to stand upright. Sure, she was sore, but she could still walk with a bit of adaptation.
Maybe it was just a trick of the mind, but she felt an indescribable lightness. If the soreness disappeared, her physical capabilities could surpass many others!
Wasn’t that turning misfortune into fortune?
Or maybe, it was like opening up the meridians!
Zhao Mingyue watched Bai Yu pummel enemies and imagined how wonderful it would be to possess that level of power one day—at the very least, she wouldn’t be a burden! And even if she couldn’t become that strong, she could always improve her physical prowess.
She couldn’t fight, so why not let Bai Yu take over?
“Hey, Sister Yu, why did Lu Liangting get picked as the groom? There should be plenty of options available!”
As they made their way to the family banquet, Zhao Mingyue reflected on what had just happened.
“It’s about the body.”
“The body?”
“A She Godmother wants to impose her will, using the followers to act. She wants Lu Liangting’s body.”
“And the bride?”
“Came from the back village. Not sure what it is, but it definitely isn’t anything good.”
Bai Yu slipped back into Zhao Mingyue’s shadow. Her leather jacket was still on, only the mask was gone.
“And me? Why bring me back?”
“Also about the body. But A She Godmother would skip all the unnecessary rituals, keep it simple, and either possess you or directly use you as a sacrifice.”
Relying on childhood memories, Zhao Mingyue walked along the village’s narrow path. Her uncle’s family lived way off, making this path the closest.
She felt a flutter of fear walking through the village, even on this path.
This village had left an unnerving shadow over her.
In the silence, Zhao Mingyue felt chilly. She huddled deeper into her bl**d-thread outfit and turned her gaze cautiously around, instinctively searching for something.
Everything here hadn’t changed much, just drained of many colors, like the little pond up ahead.
The moonlight was dim, and the small pond looked dark and murky.
There used to be a fence around here, but now it was bare, even the nearby trees had withered away.
Zhao Mingyue’s gaze fixated on the pond. She slowed her pace, but her mind was screaming to get out of there.
The pond and its surroundings stirred deep-seated memories within Zhao Mingyue.
“Little Moon.”
Just as she snapped back to reality, about to flee, she suddenly heard a sound—soft and ethereal. The catch? She recognized that voice all too well.
She instinctively slowed down and turned her head toward the little pond.
The voice appeared and vanished in an instant, almost like a figment of her imagination. Just as she was about to leave, the voice called out again.
“Little Moon! Little Moon!”
The voice was clearer now, urgent. Zhao Mingyue’s eyes widened in shock as she froze. She was sure it came from the pond, and it belonged to her dear friend who had drowned here.
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the calm, dark water of the pond began to bubble ominously, and a round object started to surface. It was way too dark for Zhao Mingyue to make out what it was, but it looked vaguely like a ball.
“Little Moon, don’t go! Help me, please! I’m your best friend!” The child’s voice was laced with tears, but soon that wail morphed into resentment. “Didn’t you say… you’d always play with me?”
“Why did you leave me behind?”
As those words were spoken, the “ball” in the water slowly turned, and when Zhao Mingyue saw it clearly, her pupils constricted in horror as she staggered back two steps.
That was no ball at all; it was a human head, and she had just glimpsed a swollen, decaying face.
“Are you not afraid of me?!” The pond bubbled, the head spinning slowly. If one looked closely, they’d see the bubbles were coming from the lips of that head.
“Let’s go. You have a good friend.”
Bai Yu gently patted Zhao Mingyue’s shoulder, offering consolation.
This ghost didn’t appear to harm Zhao Mingyue; it was simply there to scare her into leaving, just like that ghost by the bridge earlier.
If it really meant to do Zhao Mingyue harm, it would’ve done so already.
It turned out that even in this cursed, slowly suffocating village, there was a glimmer of warmth, albeit a somewhat terrifying one.
Zhao Mingyue glanced at Bai Yu, coming back to her senses. Understanding Bai Yu’s intent, she pressed her lips together and softly said, “Thank you, Little Ru. I’ll always remember you; you’re forever my friend. But I need to head back now. Don’t worry about me; I’ll be okay.”
The head stopped spinning, urgency evident in its eyes. “Don’t go! Please don’t…”
But before it could finish, something underwater yanked it down violently, silence swallowing it whole, and the surface returned to calm.
“Little Ru!”
“Don’t go near! There’s more than one thing down there.” Bai Yu held Zhao Mingyue’s shoulder firmly.
Zhao Mingyue fell into silence for a long time before ultimately turning to leave.
What else could she do? Should she ask Bai Yu to dive in and save a ghost?
Honestly, she’d rather have Bai Yu help her escape than deal with this.
“That kid was named Little Ru. She was the first friend I made after coming to this village, and we were really close. Then, in July that year, she was found drowned here.”
“Her parents cried so much, pointing at me, claiming I was the one who killed Little Ru.”
“I didn’t know what to do. I just cried and kept apologizing.”
Standing far away in front of a three-story house, Zhao Mingyue looked up at the dim light illuminating the interior. “That was at my uncle’s house. They suggested just sending me back to the back village, and it was only because my dad pleaded that anything settled down.”
The entire village was cloaked in darkness, except for the courtyard of the village chief and the funeral in the western village. Strangely, this three-story building was brightly lit.
With that, she stepped toward her uncle’s house.
8 PM was already rather late, but considering it was an old man’s birthday, it should have been lively. Zhao Mingyue’s absence wouldn’t really change anything.
In the household, Zhao Mingyue’s position had always been the lowest tier—oh, they surely wouldn’t miss her! After all, Zhao Mingyue was favored by the Evil God, and her uncle could easily benefit from selling her out.
Truth be told, Zhao Mingyue’s uncle and family indeed thought that way.
Knowing there was a conspiracy brewing, Bai Yu simply wanted to gather details about the secrets surrounding Zhao Mingyue.
She had learned quite a bit about Ping Shan Village and uncovered part of the truth. Yet, the mystery surrounding Zhao Mingyue remained—Bai Yu was still unsure about which Evil God resided within her, or if it was one of the four she had heard about.
The being inside Zhao Mingyue was powerful—much stronger than A She Godmother.
These several Evil Gods were all about equal in strength, and Bai Yu felt it was essential to investigate Zhao Mingyue’s inner entity more deeply.
“Do you need me to take control?”
Bai Yu asked.
“Not for now. I have some things I want to confront them about!” Zhao Mingyue resolved firmly. “I’ll gauge the situation; if it feels off, you can take over anytime.”
“The people in the room—you decide! If you think it’s necessary to eliminate them, then do so.”
“This time, I’m counting on you, Sister Bai!”
