The Dark Nature, Killing Hearts

Since the story is also set in a rural area, Xiao Hu imagined it and could already picture it.

He began to listen attentively, not daring to utter a sound for fear of interrupting the story.

Yu Xing's voice was deep, drawing Xiao Hu's imagination. He said, "After giving directions, the woman went home and quickly forgot about the old woman. The next day, the woman was still walking home late when she saw the old woman in black standing on the grave again. The old woman asked her again, 'How do I get to the village?'"

"Although the woman found it strange, she pointed out the way again. This time, after returning home, she kept the matter in mind."

On the third day, the woman continued working until moonlight. As darkness fell, she walked alone along the path. Passing the cemetery, she indeed saw the old woman dressed in black. The old woman approached and asked the same question—"How do I get to the village?" By this time, the woman was terrified. She didn't answer, but instead asked, "What are you doing in the village?"

Yu Xing paused here, leaving everyone in suspense.

The purpose was obvious. Having only listened halfway through, Xiao Hu scratched his head anxiously, repeatedly asking, "And then? What's the old woman doing in the village?"

"The old woman didn't answer the woman, but just repeated the question: 'How do I get to the village?'" Yu Xing narrowed her eyes. "The woman, afraid she had seen something unclean, didn't answer and hurried home, looking back as she went. She saw the old woman standing on the grave, but didn't chase after her; she just kept staring at her. When the woman got home, she told her husband, who was lying in bed, about it. Her husband's face changed drastically. He asked what the old woman looked like, and then said..."

He stretched out his hands and spread them out in front of Xiao Hu: "If you see her again tomorrow, don't answer anything she asks you. Just ask her to show you her hands. If she has hands, she's a person; if she doesn't, she's a ghost."

"Well..." Xiao Hu listened nervously, waiting for Yu Xing to say what would happen next.

On the fourth day, the woman saw the old woman again at the grave. The old woman approached and asked the same question, "How do I get to the village?" The woman didn't answer but asked the old woman to hold out her hand. The old woman listened, slowly extended her hand, and said—

Yu Xing's voice grew softer and softer, building up all the suspense. He leaned closer to Xiao Hu, and seeing that Xiao Hu was listening intently, he suddenly raised his voice, quickly pointed his hands at Xiao Hu's neck, and imitated the old woman's voice, saying, "I'll strangle you!"

"Ah!!!"

Yu Xing's deliberate scare came too suddenly, and the distance was so close that the shock was real. Xiao Hu screamed and sat down on the ground in fright, looking at Yu Xing in terror.

After a couple of seconds, seeing the smile on Yu Xing's lips, Xiao Hu realized he'd been tricked. A wave of grievance and shame washed over him. He scrambled to his feet and yelled at Yu Xing, "You big liar brother! I hate you!"

Then he ran away without looking back, as if he never wanted to see Yu Xing again.

Yu Xing stood up, watched the child's retreating figure, and chuckled softly.

"This is your reward, you little brat... Hating me is the best reward. Stay away from me as soon as possible, or else, when I lose control, I might do something far more terrifying than your mother or your peers."

Having wasted the time of the story, Yu Xing picked up the medical kit again and walked towards the river.

He wanted to see how the Witch Doctor planned to give her "skin" to the real shaman in the water.

The most likely scenario is that the Witch Doctor won't take action directly by the river, because sending him back to the village to get the medicine kit was a way to get rid of him so that she could confirm with Shiwei whether his appearance was satisfactory enough.

It's probably not easy for Water Ghost to change its skin; it would require a lot of preparation, perhaps even some kind of sacrificial ritual. Otherwise, Shiwei wouldn't still be soaking in the water to this day.

Presumably, after treating the Witch Doctor's wounds, the Witch Doctor would use this to get closer to him, laying the emotional foundation for later coaxing him to cooperate in the rituals.

After passing through the forest, Yu Xing returned to the lakeside.

The Witch Doctor is no longer here. Although he walks at a leisurely pace, he hasn't wandered around in the woods. Presumably, he's still within the time frame the Witch Doctor calculated. So, the Witch Doctor who "can't walk because of her leg injury" must be not far from here.

He recalled the reason why the water Water Ghost in the lake was angry, and deliberately looked at his reflection in the lake, letting out a barely perceptible sigh, "So handsome... It's strange that someone as familiar with the riverside environment as the Witch Doctor would come here wearing a cheongsam without any protective fabric, and even get hurt by the sawgrass. Is she trying to take this opportunity to get closer to me?"

"Actually, she's quite good-looking. Although she's a bit older than me, as long as she's good to me, I'm open to it. Hmm, if she still says she can't walk on the way back, I'll carry her. It's not a bad deal."

Ripples faintly appeared on the still lake.

Yu Xing was certain that the Water Ghost could hear him. Call him cunning or sinister if you will, he just felt happy when the Water Ghost got angry.

Because whether it's Water Ghost or any other kind of ghost, once they become ghosts, their personalities become much more negative. Rage, cruelty, suspicion, possessiveness... these are all commonplace.

He could tell that the Witch Doctor genuinely liked Shiwei.

Although he doesn't know the reason for this strong feeling, compared to the devoted Witch Doctor, the Water Ghost Shiwei is clearly on the uneasy and suspicious side.

Despite Shi Wei's outward coldness and cruelty towards the Witch Doctor, Yu Xing keenly sensed his inner turmoil. He feared the Witch Doctor's departure, so he resorted to force to prevent Witch Doctor from leaving, much like a possessive person who, in order to keep their loved one by their side, would break the leg of their beloved and imprison them.

Even if the Witch Doctor doesn't mind, Shiwei herself will always mind, magnifying her own shortcomings and unable to give the Witch Doctor the slightest bit of trust.

The Water Ghost was bothered by the Witch Doctor's disdain for his face, which was ruined by water, and was also jealous of Yu Xing for having such a beautiful face next to the Witch Doctor.

Suspicion and jealousy are a perfect match, and always the most easily exploited aspects of human nature.

Therefore, even if the Witch Doctor and the Water Ghost wanted to harm him, he would not show them any mercy. One of them had lured the villagers to cut off their own flesh as offerings and provide food, while the other had even eaten living people directly—these were unforgivable sins.

Yu Xing happy to kill them by destroying their spirit, to give these two wicked people some trouble before they could lay a hand on him.

He ignored the ripples in the lake and walked upstream as if he hadn't seen them.

The river water became clearer the further upstream you went; it seemed that once you got away from the lake at the very end, everything would return to normal.

After walking another hundred meters or so, Yu Xing saw the Witch Doctor's back to him.