༺ 𓆩 Chapter 95 𓆪 ༻
「Translator — Creator」
᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ᠃
Among the dozen or so seats, two remained empty, which matched what Bai Yu had anticipated.
A room packed with vengeful spirits, each barely able to rein in their wrath. Yet the offerings had been neatly arranged, and the room kept clean and meticulously decorated. Who had done all that?
Granted, these ghosts retained fragments of their memories from life. Some even knew they were no longer alive. But to expect a roomful of wrathful ghosts to prepare sacrifices and tidy up after themselves was absurd.
At first, she had suspected that man — Zhao Yingcai. But he had already been killed by Mother Ashes-Tongue. That left only one living person. That man had not only orchestrated the ritual but moved with ease and confidence among such a deadly crowd. There was no way he was someone ordinary.
As for this person's identity, Bai Yu had her suspicions.
If her guess was correct, those talismans in East Village had all come from this person's hand.
The idea to bring Zhao Mingyue back had also been this person's suggestion. He wanted to use Zhao Mingyue to make some kind of deal with the evil god.
The fact that this man could draw talismans and harness Mother Ashes-Tongue’s power proved something else: in a way, he was the representative or spokesperson of the malevolent god who once ruled the village.
Bai Yu had started to suspect him the moment she confirmed that all the talismans bore the same hand.
In any case, this man would not be easy to deal with. Bai Yu believed he possessed powers derived from both evil gods — alone.
“I’ll handle the birthday ritual,” Zhao Mingyue said at last, after listening to Bai Yu’s deductions. Her eyes swept across the room, trying to figure out which of the cursed guests hadn’t yet arrived.
“But before that, I have questions,” she added, her tone sharp with barely contained urgency.
“My parents — was their death your doing? The last time I saw them alive, they were speaking with you!”
“And where is my sister? Give me back my sister!”
She could barely control her voice, emotion bleeding through her every word.
“My sister and I never did anything to deserve what you did to us! If you wanted to curry favor with the Mother Ashes-Tongue, why didn’t you offer your own children? What did bullying us get you?”
“You kept chanting and praying all day long, like the Mother Ashes-Tongue would actually hear you.”
“But when that old bastard really came demanding your family members, why were you so afraid?”
“Weren’t you the ones who claimed to be devout? Hah, what bullshit devotion!"
“You were just trying to use the Mother Ashes-Tongue’s power for your own gain — chasing after blessings that never even existed!”
“If you’re so damned pious, why don’t you go slice off your own children’s ears and tongues!”
“No, I think the reason the Mother Ashes-Tongue punished you was because you were never devout enough. That’s why you ended up like this — look at yourselves!”
“You still have some scraps of your minds left, don’t you? I don’t believe you can’t see what you’ve become. I don’t believe you’re truly satisfied with this so-called ‘eternal life’!”
“Say something! Open your wax-sealed eyes and tell me — are you proud of what you’ve become?”
"You don't want to face reality, do you? You want me to speak, don't you? Fine, I'll tell you what you are — nothing but a pack of servile dogs, and moreover, a pack of immortal servile dogs who can't even die, who can never find release!"
“What do you think your children and grandchildren would say if they saw you now? Your sons, your daughters, your grandsons, your granddaughters — what would they think?”
“When your grandchildren call you ‘grandma’ or ‘grandpa,’ would you even dare to respond in that twisted, grotesque form of yours?”
It turned out that sharp words really could silence fear.
Once Zhao Mingyue started speaking, there was no stopping her.
Every insult landed like a blade, cutting through the room full of ancient ghosts, leaving them fuming in silence; their anger could only show through flickering bulbs and howling gusts of wind.
Ordinary ghosts might not have been affected, but this wasn’t just any group of ghosts — her words struck home, over and over again.
And as she cursed, Zhao Mingyue began to feel more and more confident.
After all, she had Sister Yu backing her up.
If these spirits lost control and came at her, well, so be it.
Let them fight.
If they couldn’t be chopped down — then Sister Yu would be the one to take the loss!
And so, she didn’t stop there.
She even communicated silently with Bai Yu for a moment, asking what kind of words would provoke the ghosts into breaking their composure — then how to offer them hope at the very edge of collapse.
And so, guided by Bai Yu’s advice and her own instinct, she continued:
“What’s the matter? Did that hit a nerve?”
"Look at you lot — even as immortal servile dogs, you're still worthless. You were trampled underfoot when alive, and you're still being trampled underfoot in death."
“Yes, just like that. Keep staring at me with those angry eyes.”
“You’re jealous. You’re envious. You're wondering why I — chosen from birth to be Mother Ashes-Tongue’s maiden — am still alive, still human… while you’ve become nothing but eternal rot.”
“Well, I suggest you use what little sanity you have left and hold on tight. Because I can save you.”
“Do you want to become human again?”
Just those few words — and the waxen corpses, teetering on the edge of an outburst, froze in place.
“I grew up here. I bet you all studied me more closely than even my own parents did. So you must know — I used to be a timid child. I was afraid of you. I was terrified of this place.”
"I know your secrets, and I fear you, fear this place. So guess why I came back?"
“If I had the courage to return, and even speak to you this way… doesn’t that seem strange to you?”
“Let me tell you. I found a very powerful deity.”
“She protects me — always. And with her power, she could destroy you with the flick of a finger. That’s why I’m not afraid.”
“I came back for a reason. I know what you’ve become, and I know which one of my cousins is responsible for this.”
“I’m right, aren’t I? He did this to you.”
“And now listen closely — I have a way to save you.”
“Because you possess something I want. Tell me where my sister is. Help me find her — and I’ll set you free.”
“You’re still my elders, after all. You’re not strangers.”
“So here’s what I’ll do. I’ll save one of you first, to prove the power of the deity who stands behind me. That way, the rest of you can believe in what I say.”
“Who will it be? You decide.”
Once she finished speaking, Zhao Mingyue fell silent; the lights in the room, which had been flickering wildly with anger, gradually steadied. That, if nothing else, was proof that the ghosts had truly listened to her.
Even Bai Yu couldn’t help but ask, “Where did you learn that?”
"Aha, I learned it from a novel. The protagonist was a villain, and this was what he said when he was trying to deceive people. But you can't blame it all on me — weren't you the one who pointed me in this direction!"
Even she had to admit her speech had been absurdly dramatic, something straight out of a cringey fantasy. She’d felt embarrassed the moment the words left her mouth.
But for the sake of her sister’s whereabouts, she had endured it.
Her sister was the last family she had — well, used to be the last.
Now there was Bai Yu beside her.
But that didn’t mean having Bai Yu made her miss her sister any less.
After all, Bai Yu and her sister were not the same.
The bond between family… that was different.
Bai Yu was quiet for a moment, then said, “You made the right call. These ghosts are barely sane, too far gone to tell truth from lies. Maybe this really could work.”
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