Kill It, and There Will Be a Way

His eyes widened as he watched the Gold Bars being stuffed into his pockets one by one. He felt as if he wasn't losing Gold Bars, but rather heavy stones that pinned him down, making him unable to move.

Hearing the Old Woman's words, Xiao Ran's expression grew even uglier.

The phrase "money to buy a life" made him recall some of the dark arts his Old Master had once told him about. The ritual involved deliberately dropping money on the ground, and inside the money bundle, a note would be found, saying something like, "Buying ten years of your life."

But that was just a rumor, a dark tale from the underworld. Moreover, those tricks required the person who picked up the money to spend it for the ritual to be considered complete.

This situation, however, was far more overbearing. The money was simply shoved into his pockets, pressing Xiao Ran's entire face pale.

By the time the eighth Gold Bar was being placed, the Old Woman looked at Xiao Ran's pale face. She weighed the eighth Gold Bar in her hand a few times before finally taking it back.

She chuckled, "Young man, your life is quite valuable. At such a young age, it's worth seven Gold Bars. It's a shame you're not from our line of work, otherwise, the little stock I have on hand might not be enough to suppress you."

As the Old Woman finished speaking, Xiao Ran suddenly felt his body lighten. The heavy weight he had felt moments ago seemed to have vanished.

"Ah! Cough, cough, cough..."

Xiao Ran's legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. He wanted to immediately pull the Gold Bars out of his pockets and throw them away, but to his surprise, the Gold Bars that had fallen into his pockets were now all gone.

Seeing that the Gold Bars had disappeared, Xiao Ran angrily looked up at the Old Woman.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry, child. I'm not harming you. Those Gold Bars are real. Once you've helped me, they will naturally return to your hands. Seven Gold Bars are enough for you to spend half your life. You're not at a loss."

"And what if I refuse!"

Xiao Ran's face darkened, and a fiery anger surged within him. One of his hands had already gripped the dagger in his pocket.

However, the Old Woman was not angered by his words. She merely raised a finger, and the suffocating sensation that had receded moments ago immediately tightened around Xiao Ran's throat.

"It's over, it really is money to buy a life!"

Xiao Ran's heart pounded. His heart turned cold. He had taken their money, and now his life was in their hands. His life and death were now likely in their hands, leaving him no room to resist.

With this thought, Xiao Ran forced a smile at the Old Woman. "Old Woman, please take back your money. I will help you with whatever you need."

"That won't do. We are people of principle. Doing business with money makes things reliable. If you don't take the money, I won't feel at ease."

Xiao Ran cursed the old witch in his heart. As expected of an old hag who had lived for so many years. Yet, on his face, he could only offer a forced smile, praising, "Old Woman, it would be wonderful if people outside were as principled as you are now."

"Hmph, hmph, that's right. Our trade is the most principled."

Seeing that Xiao Ran had backed down, the Old Woman's smile deepened. She then nodded towards Brother Tao.

Upon seeing this, Brother Tao and a few others stepped forward, helped Xiao Ran up, and produced prepared clothes for him to put on.

Xiao Ran looked. Weren't these Shouyi (Death Clothes)?

A living person wearing Shouyi meant they were treating him like a dead person.

But now that his life was in the Old Woman's hands, he could only let Brother Tao and the others do as they pleased.

Xiao Ran stood stiffly, allowing Brother Tao and the others to manipulate him. His eyes darted around as he asked the Old Woman, "Old Woman, didn't you say you wanted me to help exorcise an evil spirit? What is this for?"

In response to Xiao Ran's question, the Old Woman simply smiled kindly, offering no explanation.

This undoubtedly made Xiao Ran's heart sink again. If she wouldn't explain, it meant she had no intention of letting him live.

After the Shouyi were put on, Brother Tao and a few others grabbed Xiao Ran by the shoulders and walked him towards the Coffin.

"Wait, what are you doing!"

As the Coffin drew closer, Xiao Ran's face grew more and more grim. He turned back to glare at the Old Woman sitting on the chair, his eyes bloodshot, and he cursed fiercely, "There is no evil spirit at all! You are the biggest evil spirits!!"

Hearing Xiao Ran's words, Brother Tao and the others paused. Then, they exchanged glances and let out harsh laughter.

"Hahaha, this kid isn't stupid!"

Brother Tao laughed and said, "Kid, you refuse the path to heaven and insist on barging into hell. Don't worry, after this is done, we'll give you a grand funeral, erect a tombstone, write your biography, and even find you a wife. You'll live more comfortably than the living."

As he spoke, the Coffin was opened, and a stench of decay wafted out. Xiao Ran looked closely and saw a male corpse lying inside the Coffin. The corpse did not appear severely decomposed, but its head had been severed.

Without further ado, they threw Xiao Ran into the Coffin.

Another villager, carrying the backpack that had been taken from Xiao Ran, tossed it into the Coffin as well. He couldn't help but envy, "Big Brother has good fortune. Not only does he get a living person's body, but it's also such a young and handsome one."

"Heh, what's so special about that? Once Big Brother gets this body, he'll be able to walk out. What kind of bodies do you want then?" Brother Tao grinned.

Lying in the Coffin, Xiao Ran heard their words and his heart sank even further.

The Old Woman's methods were insidious and unpredictable.

Who would have thought that a small Gold Bar could cost him his life?

It was too late to regret it now.

As soon as Brother Tao and the others closed the Coffin lid, the light inside the Coffin instantly dimmed.

Brother Tao looked at the closed Coffin lid and patted the dust off his hands with satisfaction. Suddenly, he saw a few people nearby preparing to hammer in the Coffin nails. His expression changed drastically, and he kicked one of them to the ground.

"Idiot, if you nail it shut, how is Big Brother supposed to get out!"

Brother Tao cursed profusely, then turned to the Old Woman, his face immediately shifting into a fawning smile. "Old Woman, it's all done. Let's begin, lest there be further complications."

"Mm!"

The Old Woman nodded. Although she didn't think there was anything to worry about, the kid's life was valuable, but after weighing seven Gold Bars against it, she figured he wouldn't be able to make much trouble.

Not long after, the villagers, holding lanterns, surrounded the Coffin in a circle.

"Huala la la..."

A cascade of white paper money rained down like snowflakes, and the villagers' eyes grew fervent under the lamplight.

"Seventh day of the seventh month, a celestial marriage, oh ox, oh ox, where are you? You stole the fairy's clothes, the wolf is paired, the sheep is paired, the fairy fell to the mortal realm, and can never return to her dreamland..."

The eerie ballad echoed through the mountains and the graves, mingling with the villagers' whispers.

"Guang!!"

Lying in the coffin, Xiao Ran vaguely felt it shake, as if someone had lifted it. The entire coffin felt light.

Not only the coffin felt light, but Xiao Ran himself also felt a sense of weightlessness.

In a daze, he suddenly heard someone calling his name by his ear.

Immediately after, his body felt like it was being yanked up by a tremendous force, pulling him down.

In an instant, his ears were filled with piercing screams. In the pitch darkness, it felt as if countless hands were reaching through the gloom, grabbing at him, trying to tear him to shreds.

Xiao Ran wanted to struggle, but when he looked down, he discovered seven Gold Bars wrapped around his ankles. Their heavy weight felt like two large stones, dragging him down to hell.

"It's over!"

Seeing this, Xiao Ran's heart sank to his feet.

It was at this moment that Xiao Ran suddenly felt a surge of warmth, followed by the sensation of a hand supporting him.

Vaguely, a woman's shadow appeared beside him, her hands supporting him as he rose.

But just as he tried to get a clear look, the woman's shadow dissipated. Yet, he could still feel the warm power surrounding him.

"What was that??"

The sudden change surprised Xiao Ran. He hurriedly searched for the source of this warm current. He felt around his body and finally discovered that the source of the warmth was coming from his pocket.

"My pocket??"

Xiao Ran thought for a moment. Besides that fruit knife, there was only one other item in his pocket.

Was it that diary?

Just as Xiao Ran was wondering, he heard the "Guang!" of a night watchman's drum. Following that, a faint light pierced the darkness, and a figure carrying a gong and drum slowly walked towards Xiao Ran.

That person was none other than Li Ji, whom he had met the previous night.

As the light shone on Xiao Ran, Li Ji's expression didn't seem surprised. He simply sighed faintly, "I told you, you shouldn't have come here."

Li Ji shone the light from his hand around Xiao Ran, and the darkness enveloping him receded like a tide.

Only then did Xiao Ran realize that he had returned to the village.

It was the same intersection, a scene eerily similar to last night.

However, upon closer inspection, Xiao Ran quickly noticed the changes around him. The village before him was even more dilapidated than before. Several houses had turned into ruins, and a pungent smell of burning filled the air.

"This..." Xiao Ran couldn't help but feel confused.

Li Ji followed his gaze, nodded, and said, "Perhaps, this is how this place was originally."

Hearing Li Ji's words, Xiao Ran was taken aback and then asked, "So, those villagers I saw during the day, were they people or..."

He didn't say the last word, "ghosts," because he was unsure himself who was human and who was not.

Li Ji understood Xiao Ran's meaning. He narrowed his eyes and explained to Xiao Ran, "They are people, but also not people. They've been trapped here for over a hundred years, they're practically rotting."

After speaking, Li Ji also shook his head, saying with a hint of melancholy, "Let alone you, sometimes even I can't tell."

Li Ji led Xiao Ran further up. When they reached an inconspicuous dirt slope, he pointed downwards.

Xiao Ran looked down and saw the villagers surrounding his coffin, jumping and dancing as if performing a ritual. A piece of cowhide was placed on top of the coffin.

"These people are trapped here, unable to leave, unable to die. The only way to escape is to become living people. You were tricked by that Old Woman; she wants to use your body to bring her son back to life."

Xiao Ran frowned upon hearing this, his eyes fixed on the coffin. "So, there are no evil spirits at all. They are beasts worse than evil spirits themselves."

"Then is there no other way?"

"A way?"

Li Ji pondered for a moment, then pointed at the Golden Toad in the Old Woman's arms. "See that toad? Kill it, and there will be a way."