Chapter Forty: The Fragmented Soul

My pupils contracted, a nameless sense of dread creeping over me.

That man looked wild and deranged, his soul evidently incomplete—otherwise, Little Black would never have bitten him. Wang Erjun picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it at the man, cursing loudly, “Wang Bing, get lost with your madness! Come back cursing my brother again and I’ll tear your house down, you hear me?”

So the crazed man’s name was Wang Bing?

Wang Bing dodged the stone, shouting even more fiercely, “Whatever belonged to my old man is dead! Gone with that man! He was no good either! Your mother’s bound to end up in Wang Deshui’s bed before long!”

Wang Erjun’s face changed abruptly; his eyes reddened, and he grabbed a large stone, sprinting toward the fishpond bank.

My eyelids twitched madly. Wang Bing might seem insane, but his words were clear and pointed.

The affairs of Baihu Village had stirred up a great commotion. I had no idea if any villagers had come or gone these last few days.

Though the old peach tree had called for souls, with everyone having left at that time, the villagers would have been safe.

But the news of Carpenter Wang’s death—surely it would spread. The village head’s entire family had died unnaturally; there was no way to keep that hidden. Wang Erjun dashed up to the fishpond and seemed about to smash Wang Bing’s head with the stone. Wang Bing swung a stick desperately at him, but Wang Erjun simply shoved him into the pond.

“If you keep running your filthy mouth, I’ll burn your courtyard down tonight! Don’t think I won’t!” Wang Erjun shouted, eyes blazing.

Just then, Little Black suddenly leapt into the pond, swimming doggedly toward Wang Bing.

Wang Bing was terrified, clearly afraid of Little Black.

He clawed at the bank, trying to climb out, but Wang Erjun kicked him hard in the shoulder and upper body.

“We’re going to meet someone soon. I went to find him last night. As for ‘her,’ I’ll tell you everything when the time is right,” Granny Li said suddenly.

I bit my lower lip and nodded.

She sighed. “Erjun must have told you some things. Wang Bing is one of them. Ten years ago, he was only twenty. After he went in there… he’s been like this ever since…”

My face shifted slightly. I forced a smile. “Granny, don’t worry, I’ll do as you say.”

Compared to Chanshu, she had saved me.

Granny Li had rescued me several times. If I hadn’t brought her back, none of us would have escaped. I trusted her completely.

Chanshu was a female ghost?

And she might have harmed many people? If her help had always been a prelude to harming me, how could I ever trust her?

And then, when she saved me, there was what Liu from the funeral said.

“Would an old ghost really take a liking to my grandson?”

“When I’ve taken his lifespan, his soul will be yours, just as you wanted. Isn’t it his ghost you’re after?”

“Granny… those who’ve gone mad, are they all missing their souls now?” I couldn’t help but ask.

Granny Li nodded with a sigh, “No soul, only the corporeal spirit. We must go. I’ll explain everything when the moment is right.”

At that moment, Wang Erjun finally let Wang Bing go.

Of course, Wang Bing’s face bore the marks of several heavy kicks, and Little Black had left a vicious bite on his backside.

He fled in panic, not daring to look back.

“Little Black, don’t bite so hard next time,” Granny Li said softly. The big black dog immediately drooped its tail, whimpered, and slunk to the door of the bamboo hut, lying down.

Suddenly, I realized Wang Bing had come for me.

His curses had been aimed at me.

Was it because he’d seen me trying to follow Chanshu into the courtyard last night?

There was no time to dwell on it. Granny Li walked ahead, and I hurried after her.

A chill of fear I’d never known before crept into my heart. Only after seeing those who might have been harmed by Chanshu did I feel this dread.

I still had my father and Gray Aunt’s souls to save. I was the only hope of the Xie family—I couldn’t end up like Wang Bing.

Crossing the fishpond, I saw Wang Erjun’s face was still flushed, the tips of his ears red.

Wang Erjun would never have gotten so hysterical just from being cursed at. The real trigger was what Wang Bing had said about Wang Deshui.

That was the man who pursued Aunt Wang. Last time I came, he’d lied, saying Aunt Wang’s whole family had left.

“Damn Wang Deshui, pestering my mother every day—why doesn't the ghost woman drag him in!” Wang Erjun muttered angrily.

Granny Li’s voice was gentle, “Chubby Wang, don’t let your mother’s affairs trouble you so. These past years, she’s cared for her elders alone and endured much hardship. Now, with so much misfortune, if she finds a companion in the future, perhaps she can share her burdens.”

Wang Erjun’s eyes suddenly reddened—not the flush of rage, but the tears of grief.

The next moment, he wept as he walked, sobbing with pain.

I sighed. Of course I knew why he cried.

These past days, he’d been teetering on the brink of collapse.

Especially in our escape—Carpenter Wang had sacrificed himself to buy us time. Remembering his final words was enough to break one’s heart.

Before long, we reached the pass at the top of Wangjia Ravine.

Descending the left side was the Wang family’s settlement.

Across the road, on the slope, hung a wooden plaque with neatly written characters:

"Wang Family Ancestral Hall." “There are about a hundred households up and down Wangjia Ravine,” Granny Li said gently, which eased my heart a bit. “The mountain is big and the homes are scattered. Not as many people as Baihu Village, but here, almost everyone’s surname is Wang. Every household is related in some way.”

We walked down the mountain road for twenty-odd minutes, stopping before a house built into the hillside.

It was an old-fashioned home, with two timeworn vermilion pillars flanking the entrance.

“Wang Family Ancestral Hall.”

The red lacquered black characters had weathered over the years.

“Granny… are we here to see Elder Wang Ninth?” Wang Erjun, who’d stopped sobbing on the way down, asked.

My heart gave a little start—was there someone in Wangjia Ravine like Granny Li?

She nodded.

Wang Erjun’s face turned awkward. “Granny… didn’t Elder Wang Ninth…?”

Granny Li smiled and shook her head. “You children know so little.”

She entered the ancestral hall.

As soon as I followed, a thick scent of incense filled my nose.

On both sides of the courtyard were several candle stands, bristling with burning sticks of incense.

The main hall ahead was filled with memorial tablets, arranged from high to low.

A man in greyish-white, like a Daoist’s robe, was sweeping the floor inside. Here on the wooded mountainside, where leaves fell constantly, the courtyard and hall were spotless.

The sweeper was an old man, his hair completely white.

This must be the Elder Wang Ninth Erjun had mentioned.

His robe had faded to that color, who knew how many years he’d worn it.

“Uncle Ninth, I’ve brought the two children,” Granny Li announced with a cough.

Elder Wang Ninth lifted his head. His gaze landed on me, and I felt as if my every secret had been laid bare.

Wang Erjun’s voice was hoarse and uneasy. “Grandpa Ninth…”

“I’ve heard about Baihu Village from Xiaohua. Xie Yuan, come here and let me have a look,” Elder Ninth said.

I stepped forward, and he scrutinized me from head to toe.

For some reason, a deep unease welled up within me.

Just then, Elder Wang Ninth spoke. “Child, come with me into the house. There are some things I’d like to ask you.”

Granny Li nodded at me.

Wang Erjun still looked uneasy, as if he had something to say but dared not.

My anxiety deepened—was there something wrong with Elder Wang Ninth?

Just then, Wang Erjun leaned close and whispered in my ear, “Elder Wang Ninth once went into the ghost woman’s house too… and more than ten years ago, he was on his deathbed… everyone in the village thought he’d died…”

“Erjun, let Xie Yuan speak with Elder Ninth first,” Granny Li interrupted, urging me inside.

I took a deep breath and stepped into the inner room.