"Quick! Run towards the end of the village!"
A crimson blood moon hung overhead, the tree shadows clawing and closing in on the four people sprinting desperately down the road.
Ming Zhang clutched a slowly burning Paper Talisman in one hand and a machete in the other, urging the Liu Family along, escaping through the back window with Sang Que and running onto the village's main path.
The group huddled around Ming Zhang, following closely, with the rolling black fog just three meters behind them, countless ghostly claws reaching forward, bringing a chill that sent shivers down their spines.
The dark handprint on Sang Que's wrist throbbed with a dull pain, filling her heart with unease, unsure of what to do next.
The howling wind screamed continuously, and Sang Que noticed that despite their age and the earlier tears shed in despair, the Liu Family were now running as fast as Ming Zhang.
The people here might have been accustomed to such things, knowing that encountering an Evil Spirit required silent resolve and running fast to survive.
As Sang Que ran, she discreetly observed her surroundings; the dirt road underfoot, flanked by low, dilapidated mud houses, gave the impression of a backward little village.
Every door was shut tight, once barking dogs now silenced into oblivion.
From the environment, the attire of Ming Zhang and the group, their accents, understanding of the Evil Spirits, and behavior, it was likely this was not her original world but another ancient world.
"Damn it!"
Ming Zhang suddenly cursed, noticing that not even two minutes into their escape, the talisman paper in his hand had burned more than halfway, and its burning speed was accelerating, the black mist behind them now two meters away.
Soon, they would be enveloped by the black mist, with no hope of escape.
Thinking of this, Ming Zhang turned without hesitation, kicking Old Liu squarely in the chest.
Old Liu, already frail, was caught off guard and sent flying over a meter away.
"Her father!"
The old woman from the Liu Family screamed, throwing herself to the ground weeping bitterly.
Sang Que stood frozen in shock, eyes wide.
Ming Zhang's eyes were cold and ruthless as he quickly retreated, the glow of the talisman paper distancing them further, the nearby black mist swiftly swallowing the Liu Family.
"Ahhh!!!"
Screams filled the air, piercingly loud, mixed with the sickening sound of flesh and bone being torn apart.
A swift river of blood ran out from the edge of the black mist, violently red and glaring.
"Are you looking to die? Catch up already!"
Ming Zhang shouted harshly at Sang Que, her face darkened as she clenched her fists and turned to follow Ming Zhang.
"It really works!"
Seeing the talisman paper in his hand burn more slowly, Ming Zhang was secretly pleased. He glanced back at the black mist, its pursuit slowed by the devouring of the Liu Family, regaining a full five meters of distance.
Ming Zhang saw the somber look on Sang Que's face, his eyes full of disdain, spitting in his heart.
If he hadn't brought those old fools, they wouldn't have outrun the Evil Mist. What a hypocrite!
The two ran like this for another two minutes, and amidst the dark night, a small blue-brick courtyard came into view.
Ming Zhang's talisman had only a little left, but it was enough to reach the blue-brick courtyard.
"See where that Evil Spirit is?" Ming Zhang quickly asked Sang Que.
Sang Que turned to scan the area; the black mist, now three meters away, didn't reveal the figure of the Ghost Child, but the handprint on her arm grew more icily cold, almost piercing to the bone.
Suddenly, a swooshing sound came from behind her, and while Sang Que looked back, Ming Zhang swung his machete, aiming for her neck from her blind spot.
If he killed Sang Que, he could take the treasure she carried without worrying about his master taking it all for himself, using her newly dead body to report back to his master. A perfect two-for-one plan!
With these thoughts, Ming Zhang's lips curled uncontrollably into a frenzied grin.
The sound of wind breaking came from behind, and Sang Que's eyes sharpened.
Clap!
Ming Zhang's hand was caught in midair by Sang Que, who had been on guard.
Ming Zhang's eyes widened in shock!
Sang Que sidestepped, took a step back, and flipped Ming Zhang over her shoulder, slamming him heavily to the ground, face up.
Then, with a swift motion, she brought the knife down, piercing through Ming Zhang's palm and pinning his entire hand to the ground.
"Scumbag!"
Sang Que spat out the words coldly, her movements seamless, flowing effortlessly.
After all, Sang Que had rehearsed this scenario in her mind many times.
Ming Zhang was stunned into silence for a moment, the sharp pain finally drawing a scream from him.
"Aaaah! You bitch!!!" Ming Zhang's eyes were bloodshot, and he cursed maniacally.
Sang Que showed no emotion, feeling not a trace of sympathy for this ruthless person.
Seeing a blue book in Ming Zhang's arms, she pocketed it along with the Money Bag at his waist and picked up the nearly burned out talisman paper, running without hesitation.
As long as the talisman paper was lit, it would work in anyone's hands.
"You bitch! Come back here! Bitch! Bitch!"
Ming Zhang shouted in terror, seeing the black mist closing in on him. He endured the pain, forcefully pulling his hand from the ground, scrambling to flee.
But Sang Que had already gone far, and without the protection of the talisman's glow, the black mist mercilessly engulfed him, just like it had with the Liu Family.
Behind her came Ming Zhang's screams, Sang Que furrowed her brow, decisively bypassing the Taoist Temple and running towards the path leading outside the village.
Finding herself here inexplicably, after experiencing the previous events, Sang Que knew that whether being chased by Evil Spirits or following Ming Zhang to see his master, she'd surely die. She had long seen through Ming Zhang's calculating eyes.
But now, how could she survive?
"Find the Ghost Child's killing pattern?"
Thinking of the blue-black handprint on her wrist, Sang Que felt that understanding the pattern was useless; the Ghost Child had marked her and was certain to kill her.
A dead end!
A sense of despair and helplessness arose spontaneously, Sang Que slowly stopped her steps, under the huge blood-red full moon, golden wheat fields stretched endlessly outside the village.
Rustle!
The waves of wheat undulated, intertwining deeply and shallowly.
A ragged scarecrow stood in the center of the wheat field and suddenly turned its head 180 degrees, its faceless face staring at Sang Que.
Shadows like paper ashes soared, emerging from various parts of the wheat field, converging into distorted, slender human shapes that stumbled toward her.
Sang Que's breath tightened, her heart pounded furiously, she swiftly distanced herself from the wheat field, the talisman paper in her hand burned out, the black mist was only two meters behind.
She couldn't escape!
Thinking of her disabled mother waiting for her to return home, without her protection and care, her mother would live a difficult life alone, no matter what, she couldn't die here.
A burst of courage exploded from the depths of her heart, Sang Que's eyes reddened, she gritted her teeth, deciding to fight for it!
The last glimmer on the talisman paper disappeared, Sang Que forcibly tore off the Yansheng coin from around her neck, the red string wrapped around her fingers, the Copper Coin placed in her palm, she turned to watch the approaching black mist.
Countless ghostly hands waved frantically, almost reaching Sang Que.
The cold aura made her hair stand on end, her body rigid, a tremendous fear grew uncontrollably.
Suddenly, the cold feeling behind her intensified, Sang Que turned around again.
The Ghost Child with hollow eyes stood behind her, expressionless, raising its head, quietly staring at her.
Beneath the Ghost Child's right shoulder was an extra arm that didn't belong to her, very long, trailing to the ground, Daoist robe sleeve.
Sang Que's eyes stung, blood tears streamed, the Ghost Child approached step by step, countless blue-black hands scrambled out of the hole in her abdomen.
Just as those hands were about to touch Sang Que, she raised her right hand, aiming the Yansheng coin at the Ghost Child, quickly chanting the spell engraved on it.
"Thunder, Thunder, kill ghosts and suppress spirits... In the name of Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad, act swiftly as commanded!"
"Forth!"
As the final word fell, a blood-red brilliance erupted from the square hole at the center of the Yansheng coin, whipping up a whirlwind that instantly engulfed everything around her.
The black mist disappeared, the whirlwind halted.
The shadows in the wheat field lost their target and reverted to ashes, scattering, the eerie scarecrow stood alone in the blood-red moonlight.
Waves of wheat surged, a rustling sound echoed.
The surroundings were utterly empty, as if nothing had ever happened.
*
In the morning, roosters crowed three times.
As the first rays of dawn illuminated Black Mountain Village, villagers rushed out from their houses, finding the gruesome bodies of the Liu Family and Ming Zhang outside.
Ming Zhang was the disciple of Yan Daozi, who was akin to a guardian deity of Black Mountain Village.
Without Yan Daozi, the government would never send anyone to oversee a remote village like Black Mountain, even if everyone perished at the hands of Evil Spirits, no one would care.
The villagers hurriedly went to inform Yan Daozi, expecting him to fly into a rage, killing to vent his anger.
Unexpectedly, after viewing the bodies, Yan Daozi's face turned pale, worry and fear flickered across his brow.
"I didn't expect this Yin Child to arrive so quickly."
Yan Daozi, dressed in Daoist attire, had a gaunt appearance, a goatee on his chin, his body exuding a strong odor of decay.
He obviously knew the origin of the Yin Child and feared it greatly.
Yet, the Evil Spirits he controlled didn't detect even the slightest hint of Yin Child's presence in the surroundings, but the gruesome state of the corpses was undeniable.
"Strange!"
Who could have expelled the Yin Child that even the Evil Suppression Bureau couldn't handle?
Yan Daozi noticed the fruit knife embedded in Ming Zhang's right hand, raised his brows, and pulled it out for inspection.
The handle was made of wood, the blade was bright as snow, reflecting an image clearer than a copper mirror, the edge was also very sharp, not made from iron, it was material he had never seen before.
Last night, there must have been another person here!
"Did any of you see who Ming Zhang was with last night?"
Yan Daozi inquired of the surrounding villagers, they all shook their heads; due to the Evil Mist, last night they only heard a few sounds, seeing no one.
"Could it be... she appeared again?"
Yan Daozi remembered something, a glint flashed in his eyes, then he instructed the villagers.
"From today, carefully patrol inside and outside the village, report immediately if any stranger is found."
Yan Daozi pocketed the fruit knife and left, missing the sight of a villager within the crowd whose brows furrowed, displaying a peculiar expression.