Like Zhang Qin, she had been trafficked here, was alive, and had once tried to escape. She harbored a deep hatred for Zhou Family Village.
No matter what, Madman's Mother was a target worth trying.
But it was still dark outside, so Zhao Xun was in no hurry to leave.
He asked Long-Haired Female Ghost, "After spending so long there, did you find out how Madman's Mother survived that escape attempt over twenty years ago?"
"Yes," Long-Haired Female Ghost replied. "She knew the terrain better than any of us, and she knew much more about where to hide. She even remembered two safer trails. After seeing the villagers catch up and the wild animals attack, she knew escaping would be difficult, so she found a secluded cave and hid."
"To keep anyone from discovering she was still alive, she deliberately took off her coat, stained it with someone else's blood, and threw it on the ground. The severed limbs near it belonged to other people, but the villagers took one look and assumed she was dead."
"She hid for a night and intended to escape afterward, but she'd injured her leg while running. She couldn't get far, so she could only return to the cave and struggle through another day. When her leg became inflamed, she had no choice but to return to the village and hide deep in its abandoned section."
At this point, Long-Haired Female Ghost sighed. "And she stayed hidden for over twenty years. At first, some people still lived deep in the village, so she had to avoid them constantly. Later, many villagers moved away, and that area became increasingly deserted. That actually made her safer."
Zhao Xun listened quietly until Long-Haired Female Ghost finished, fully understanding what had happened.
The woman must have chosen to