Chapter Nineteen: Lady Li

Shen Chang’an sorted out his thoughts, but did not rush down the mountain.

If that man was no longer Wang Yi, then it was highly likely he had already been possessed by a malicious spirit.

But the question remained: where did such a vengeful ghost come from near Wang Family Village?

Ordinary resentful ghosts could merely blur vision or mislead people into mental confusion. A malicious spirit powerful enough to possess another’s body, and one born of intense hatred, was exceedingly rare.

Shen Chang’an turned the matter over in his mind, and then, struck by a sudden thought, hurried out of the house with the little fox, making his way swiftly to search the outskirts of Wang Family Village.

Once he’d found what he was looking for, he returned quickly.

At that moment, chaos reigned throughout Wang Family Village. Wang Yi lurked in the shadows, attacking from behind. Shen Chang’an pulled out a talisman he had treasured for a long time.

“By command!”

An invisible force descended. The talisman in Shen Chang’an’s hand ignited without fire, and instantly, a powerful pressure filled the air, blanketing all present. Any creature tainted with evil energy was crushed, rendered motionless.

This was still an Evil-Suppressing Talisman, but there were a few more words at its head:

Evil-Suppressing and Ghost-Dispelling Talisman of Mount Tai, Eastern Peak!

Shen Chang’an had created this talisman after long contemplation, repeatedly refining the Evil-Suppressing Talisman, until inspiration struck and he drew it in a single burst.

The Great Emperor of Mount Tai, Eastern Peak, governs life and death, commands all ghosts, and is the sovereign of the netherworld. A talisman drawn in his name carries truly formidable power. After drawing it, Shen Chang’an had needed three full days’ rest to recover.

Now, as he activated it, the effect was overwhelming—every ghost and evil entity in Wang Family Village was immobilized by its force.

“It’s you again, Daoist!”

Wang Yi’s eyes widened, bloodlust burning in his gaze as he looked at Shen Chang’an. The Daoist had foiled his plans time and again; Wang Yi wished nothing more than to devour him alive.

Shen Chang’an merely smiled, saluting calmly. “At last we meet, Lady Li.”

The little fox peeked from behind Shen Chang’an, puzzled as he looked at Wang Yi. “Brother Shen, isn’t that man a man?”

Shen Chang’an exhaled slowly and replied, “Wang Yi is a man, but the one possessing him is Lady Li.”

A flicker of surprise flashed in Wang Yi’s eyes—no, in hers, for she had not expected Shen Chang’an to know her identity.

“How do you recognize me?”

Shen Chang’an shook his head and sighed softly. “This morning, I escorted Little Fei to her next life.”

At these words, Wang Yi’s eyes grew moist, and tears began to fall in streams.

“Little Fei… Little Fei…”

She called her daughter’s name, her voice now that of a woman’s, no longer Wang Yi’s.

Lady Li was none other than Little Fei’s mother. When Shen Chang’an had searched the ruined house, he’d found a torn sachet embroidered with the character “Li.” Only then did he know Lady Li’s surname.

Now, as Shen Chang’an spoke Little Fei’s name, Lady Li’s body remained bound by the talisman, but tears streamed down her cheeks, and even the little fox was moved to sorrow.

Seeing this, Shen Chang’an felt a pang of compassion. He said gently, “Lady Li, I have already helped Little Fei depart. It’s said that on the Yellow Spring Road, kin may yet meet again. Why not follow her and leave this world behind?”

Upon hearing this, Lady Li stopped crying and turned furious, her voice cold. “What do you know? If you understood what I’d endured, could you still say such things to me?”

“I would hear it all,” Shen Chang’an replied, bowing.

“Very well, then let me tell you what the people of Wang Family Village have done…”

The Great Qian Empire was never a peaceful land. After its founding, it knew only a few decades of calm before falling into endless turmoil.

Years ago, Lady Li, Little Fei, and their family were driven from their home by war, forced to seek refuge in Wang Family Village.

But the journey was fraught with peril. Not long after arriving, Little Fei’s father died of exhaustion and illness.

Misfortune never comes alone. Just then, a great drought struck.

Though Wang Family Village was prosperous, even they struggled to withstand the drought. Worse still, the disaster came right after Little Fei’s family arrived. Naturally, the villagers blamed Lady Li and her daughter for bringing calamity.

Without a man in the house, a woman in such times had little hope. Lady Li managed to survive by washing clothes and doing odd jobs for food, but after this, no one would hire her.

In desperation, Lady Li was left with only one choice: to sell herself.

But with her daughter in tow, she could not go to the city and sell herself at a brothel. She could only receive men at home, exchanging her body for a meager meal.

Those who came were, of course, not city folk from a day’s journey away, but men of Wang Family Village who wished to enjoy the beautiful widow nearby.

By sacrificing her dignity, Lady Li and Little Fei managed to survive.

But then, fate took another cruel turn.

One day, a man, driven to poverty, was forced to leave Wang Family Village.

That man was Wang Yi.

Wang Yi was even more incompetent than Wang Sheng; he owned less, and the drought quickly left him penniless. The villagers despised him, and he could borrow nothing. Left with no choice, he decided to leave.

But rather than blame himself, Wang Yi blamed others, convinced his misery was brought by Lady Li and the drought she “caused.”

Before leaving, he went to Lady Li’s house, intent on stealing her money.

He bound Lady Li and ransacked the house, but found nothing. She had only ever earned enough to barely survive; if no one came for a few days, she had to dig wild vegetables in the hills.

Angry at finding nothing, Wang Yi decided to stay, hoping to extort some money when others arrived.

Then, unexpectedly, Little Fei came home early.

Normally, Lady Li would send Little Fei out when she had “guests.” But this time, the girl returned sooner than expected, ruining everything.

Afraid Little Fei would run and alert others, Wang Yi, without thinking, pushed her. By cruel chance, the back of Little Fei’s head struck a stone slab. With only a groan or two, she died.

Panicked, Wang Yi decided to dispose of the body, knowing discovery would mean certain death. In Wang Family Village, no one would cover up for him; he was already hated.

So, in an unthinkable act, Wang Yi chopped Little Fei’s body into pieces—right in front of Lady Li.

He believed that only by scattering the remains in the mountain, letting wild beasts carry them away, would he leave no evidence.

He wrapped the parts in a bundle and headed for the back hills.

Not long after Wang Yi left, someone else came to Lady Li’s house. Finding her bound and the house bloodstained, he freed her and asked what had happened.

Lady Li told him everything, hoping for vengeance.

But the man hesitated, then said the matter was grave and must be discussed with others.

He told Lady Li to wait, hurried back to the village, and gathered the men who had “visited” Lady Li. They talked things over.

And then, they came together and killed Lady Li.

Yes, they simply murdered her while she was still bewildered, carried her body to the back hills, and buried her.

Their reason was simple: If Lady Li lived, she would expose everything, and their shameful acts would be revealed. Though such things were not unheard of, there’s a difference between a secret everyone knows and one that’s openly admitted.

If word got out that they had all been abusing a widow, their reputations—and the village’s—would be ruined. So, without much hesitation, they killed Lady Li.

Unlike Wang Yi, these men had standing in the village. Even if someone suspected, no one would report them, nor would anyone risk offending them for the sake of two outsiders.

On the hills, they even ran into Wang Yi, disposing of the body. He dared not say a word, abandoning the bundle and fleeing.

After they buried Lady Li, they hypocritically gathered up Little Fei’s remains, took them home, and gave her a proper grave.

Their actions made little sense on the surface. In truth, they simply reasoned that if anyone investigated, they’d find Little Fei’s body first and blame Wang Yi for everything. After all, Wang Yi had intended to come back and kill Lady Li, too.

But the villagers were utterly indifferent to Lady Li and her daughter. Even when both disappeared, no one cared; in fact, many were glad the “shameless pair” were finally gone.

Without a report, no official would bother with the case. In those times, there were simply too many such injustices; even the reported cases overwhelmed the authorities.

Lady Li had watched her daughter murdered and dismembered before her eyes, only to be killed herself by men she’d hoped would help her. The hatred she accumulated was unimaginable.

When her resentment reached its peak, it turned to venomous malice.

Ironically, the men of Wang Family Village saved themselves by accident; had they buried Lady Li’s body nearby, her poison would have spread, killing them all.

Years later, Wang Yi—unable to survive elsewhere—returned, avoiding the main roads and passing through the hills, where Lady Li possessed him.

Yet even then, because she felt unworthy to face her daughter, Lady Li did not seek Little Fei, not until Shen Chang’an sent the girl to the underworld.

Perhaps, if mother and daughter had met, Lady Li’s resentment would have finally faded.

As the story ended, the little fox could not help but wipe away tears, weeping for Lady Li’s tragic fate.

But Shen Chang’an remained calm, unaffected.

“Daoist,” Lady Li demanded, “do you mean to tell me that what I’ve done is wrong?”

Shen Chang’an nodded. “Indeed, you are wrong—grievously so.”

“You!” Lady Li’s eyes blazed, fixed on Shen Chang’an as if to pierce him through.

Shen Chang’an exhaled and spoke slowly, “If you killed Wang Yi for revenge, or slaughtered those who harmed you, or even, in your rage, wished to destroy the whole Wang Family Village—I could still understand.”

“But what wrong had the she-demon done you? Why take her life?”

Lady Li laughed coldly. “She fell in love with Wang Sheng and colluded with the villagers. Her death was well deserved.”

“You lie! My Sister She-Demon was the kindest person—how could you claim she deserved death?” The little fox, roused from sorrow, remembered that her beloved elder sister had died at this woman’s hands.

Shen Chang’an sighed. “You killed Wang Yi and called it revenge. You killed the villagers and called it retribution. Then you slew the innocent she-demon, claiming she conspired with your enemies. Next, the merchants who traded with the village would not be spared, nor their friends, nor their friends’ friends…”

“From the moment you began harming innocents, you ceased to be an avenger. You are simply a twisted, contaminated, wretched... ghost.”