Chapter 0040 The Truth
I knew in my heart that it was due to a Worm Katha , and if the victim didn't take the antidote for over half a month, they would die from the onset of the spell. The woman continued, "Since then, my mother always told me that men are no good. When I was nineteen, she started teaching me Burmese Katha (spellcasting) techniques, including Love Spells, Worm Spells, and Needle Spells. Later, heavy rain flooded the village in a mountain torrent. If I hadn't been working away from home, I would have died too. I was alone, drifting from place to place. A few months ago, I reached Bijie, Guizhou. My phone battery died, so I went to that matchmaking office to borrow a charger. Wang Hong was very enthusiastic and asked if I was looking for a partner, saying he had many excellent single men. I had been single for several years and had no relatives, so I was tempted. I casually looked at a few profiles and thought one man was quite good—him."
The woman pointed to the man lying on the bed. I nodded in understanding. The woman said, "After meeting a few times, I was very satisfied with that man and wanted to see his home. Wang Hong then drove me to this poor village."
I couldn't help but interrupt. "He did it to lure you into the village, didn't he?"
The woman sneered. "I came into this place and have never left. When I tried to run, this man beat me. He hit me especially hard, saying he paid for me, and if I disagreed, I had to refund the money. Wang Hong had already taken my leather bag, jewelry, and watch. Where did I have money to give him? So, I was beaten and cursed every day, and his family also joined in. One time, I finally found a chance to run out. Although the villagers are ignorant, they are very united. The whole village chased and blocked me, eventually successfully dragging me back. I was beaten again, and my arm was broken. If I hadn't been young and recently purchased, his family wouldn't even have treated my injury. Once my injury healed, I decided to seek revenge using a different method. Black magic practitioners must hide their Katha powder on their bodies. I hid mine in a secret compartment in the heel of my shoe."
"So you mixed the Katha powder into the water and gave it to your husband and his family to drink?" I asked.
The woman laughed. "After they got sick, no one bothered me anymore. While I was cooking and doing chores for them, I sprinkled the Katha powder into the well. Many people in the village fell ill."
I was puzzled. "The village was in chaos. You had every opportunity to escape, right?"
The woman looked at the man. "After I dated him a few times in Bijie City Central Park, when he learned about my background, he said one thing: 'From now on, my parents will be your parents. I will let you rely on me for the rest of your life.' I cried then, thinking I had finally found a home."
I said, "But you must know now that this man was lying to you!"
The woman replied, "I hoped I could change him, make him repent, and treat me as his wife."
I got agitated. "How is that possible? You know how Bai Laosan's wife died, don't you? The people in this village are extremely ignorant. How can you change them?"
The woman smiled. "Every woman in the world hopes for a good home, and so do I. I torment them with pain so they can change their ways."
The old man chopping something next to the large jar looked up at her, then lowered his head and continued chopping. I asked, "Is he that man's father?" The woman nodded.
I said to the old man, "Do the men in your village all buy wives from human traffickers with money?"
The old man didn't look up, chopping and nodding at the same time. I said, "You know this is illegal, right? Aren't you afraid of going to jail? What era is this? How can people still be so ignorant!"
The old man stopped moving, slowly put down the cleaver, and straightened up to look at me. "We are ignorant? If we don't buy women, our sons will never marry, and without wives, they won't have sons. Without descendants, the whole village will die out in a few years. You, a man from a big city, tell me what to do? We are ignorant!"
"How should I know what to do? Your poverty isn't caused by others, and human trafficking is a crime, period!" I said forcefully. The old man was about to say something, looked at the woman, and swallowed his words, grunting twice before lowering his head and chopping forcefully again. Just then, the young man lying on the bed suddenly screamed. His chest and abdomen bulged, as if countless fingers were poking outwards from inside. Before long, the man's skin ruptured, and leeches burst through the flesh, wriggling on his body.
My face turned pale with terror. The old man watched his son's agonizing screams and knelt before the woman, kowtowing repeatedly. The woman grunted a few times, walked to the man, pulled out a small glass bottle, opened the stopper, and poured a few drops of water into the man's mouth, making him swallow. The old man quickly ran over and squeezed the leeches on his son's body to death one by one. After about ten minutes, the man stopped moaning and gradually fell into a coma.
The woman said, "You also have a Worm Katha. The negative energy on you is not as heavy as theirs, so your symptoms are lighter. I can completely remove the spell from you, have the villagers send you out, and you must never return. If you agree, I will give you the Katha antidote powder." I said no. You have to remove the evil spell from the entire village. They are too pitiful.
The woman burst into laughter. "Just now, you called them ignorant and hateful, and now you feel pity? Suit yourself. Anyway, when your stomach hurts so much in a few days that you gnaw on a grinding stone, don't come begging me." I thought, it's better to have it resolved. Once I'm out of the village, I'll contact Frank Fang and have him resolve the spells for the villagers. So I agreed. The woman said she would have Grandpa Hong send someone to find Wang Hong tomorrow to pick me up, and she would give me the antidote before I left the village.
The woman escorted me back to the room, bringing a lock with her. Before leaving, she locked the door as before. A thought suddenly occurred to me: this woman, at a young age, was proficient in Burmese Katha techniques. If I could cooperate with her long-term in the future, wouldn't I generate continuous wealth? So I called out to her through the window, persuading her again to abandon this village. The place was isolated, and the villagers were ignorant and cruel. I urged her to remove the spell from the villagers, leave here, and cooperate with me in the future. The woman looked at me, smiled, and turned to leave.
Four days passed like this. After breakfast, Frank Fang still hadn't arrived. I was starting to despair. Even if Frank Fang had seen my text message the day after I escaped and immediately started moving, flying from Thailand to Guangzhou, transferring to Guiyang, and then getting from Bijie City to this village, two days and two nights should have been enough. It was impossible for him not to be here yet.
By noon, my stomach started to ache faintly. Just then, Wang Hong's car drove into the village. He got out and walked to the window, holding my mobile phone. "That night, your friend named Frank Fang called me back. That guy has a foul temper. As soon as I told him the situation, he started cursing and threatening to chop me into pieces and feed me to the dogs if a single hair on you was harmed. I urged him to come and rescue you as soon as possible, but he hung up. I've called him every day since, but he won't answer. It seems he won't be able to help you. Do you have any other saviors?"
I smiled bitterly, saying I didn't. Sweat started dripping down my forehead. Wang Hong snorted. "Then don't blame me for being heartless. Suffer slowly on your own. When you pass out from the pain, I'll have someone carry you over."
"You're a human trafficker, but you lied to me, saying you opened a matchmaking office?" I challenged him. "You profit from such immoral deeds. Aren't you afraid of retribution? There are so many resentful spirits in the village, some of whom you trafficked here and were either beaten to death or starved by their husbands. Aren't you afraid they'll haunt you?"
Wang Hong curled his lip. "Ghosts are scary, but I'm more afraid of poverty! In this world, it's better to be dead if you don't have money." I was already on my knees, too pained to speak. Wang Hong looked at me through the window, a helpless expression on his face. "Think carefully again. Is the only person you know this man named Fang?"
I thought of Uncle Xie, but I didn't know if he could get involved in this mess. I weakly beckoned to Wang Hong. Wang Hong ordered someone to open the door. Grandpa Hong also came over. Wang Hong knelt in front of me and asked, "What's the matter?"
But I was too pained to speak. Wang Hong shouted anxiously, "What's his name? Is his number saved in your phone? I'll call for you!" Just then, a commotion erupted from the village entrance. Two villagers ran over and said something to Grandpa Hong and Wang Hong. Wang Hong's face lit up with joy. "That's great! Heaven is watching! He couldn't have come at a better time! Mr. Tien, a man named Frank Fang just drove in, asking for Tien Chi. Is he your friend?"
I was secretly delighted but still unable to speak, so I could only nod slightly. Grandpa Hong said something to Wang Hong, pointing at me as he spoke. Wang Hong nodded repeatedly, waved his hand, and instructed people to carry me onto the bed. Shortly after, the sound of a car engine grew closer. I heard Frank Fang's familiar voice: "What a hellhole! It's so hard to find! If I hadn't hired a guide, I wouldn't have found this place in a year! Where is Tien Chi?"