Axiu cried for several days, and she also single-handedly organized Li Bing’s funeral.

　　After returning to the village headman’s house, Luo shared everything he had seen and heard withLi and Qin, who had just woken up.

　　Li first made sure the door was securely closed.

　　Then, lowering his voice, he said to Luo and Qin, "I understand the situation. We can't stay here any longer."

　　"What?" Luo hadn't quite processed it yet, but Qin already understood.

　　"Zhang Wu and Zhang Su... and their mother, Ying, all spoke harshly to Li Bing back then, didn't they?"

　　"Yes... so, you mean..."

　　"If Li Bing has indeed turned into a vengeful spirit seeking revenge, then there are three people in this house who might be her targets. If we stay here, won't we get caught up in it?"

　　Li's point was valid.

　　But... where else could they go?

　　"Axiu..."Li said without hesitation. "Her home is probably the safest because logically, Li Bing wouldn't take revenge on her."

　　"Huh?" Luo was stunned, then said, "But... but... she's living alone, with both her parents gone. The three of us, grown men, staying at her place..."

　　"We're talking about life and death here, and you're worried about that?" Qin adjusted his glasses and said, "Can you think of a place safer than Axiu's house?"

　　Indeed... in this remote village, if there was one place that could be considered absolutely safe, it had to be Axiu's house.

　　"But... are we just going to force our way in?"

　　"We'll talk to her," Qin said, also troubled. "She was quite friendly to us yesterday; maybe she'll agree. But, being in a conservative rural area, it's not common for someone to take in unrelated men, and it could cause gossip."

　　There was no other choice.

　　So,Li decided to approach Axiu himself.

　　Meanwhile, in the forest near the village...

　　"Are you out of your mind?!" Ling shoved the dark-skinned Aqin to the ground, scolding her. "Saying Li Bing is out for revenge? Aren't the ghost rumors bad enough already?!"

　　"But... but..." Aqin trembled and said, "Do you remember? Uncle Yan always scoffed at the ghost stories. He even said that if there really was a ghost, he'd like to meet it! He said that just a week ago!"

　　"So what? How could there be ghosts!"

　　"But... it's all so strange. The village headman's son-in-law... he died mysteriously too. People don't say it out loud, but everyone's worried... And it always happens within a month after Li Bing's death anniversary. This... this is too weird..."

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　　"Shut up!" Ling kicked her again in anger. "If you don't stop talking, you'll be sorry! Ghosts? Where are they? Li Bing, if you have the guts, come out and scare me right now! Ha, you don't have the guts... you don't... you..."

　　Ling's words trailed off.

　　Because...

　　She saw it clearly.

　　In Aqin's wide-open mouth, there was a pale, disheveled face!

　　"You..." Suddenly, Ling yanked Aqin up and demanded, "Open your mouth wider!"

　　"Sister Ling, what... what are you doing..."

　　"Open your mouth wider!"

　　But now, that face was gone.

　　Aqin's mouth looked normal.

　　But Ling couldn't believe what she saw was a hallucination because it was so clear!

　　Her eyes widened as she looked closely at Aqin's throat, almost pressing her face into Aqin's mouth.

　　But... nothing.

　　Ling started backing away, staring at Aqin in terror.

　　Gradually... she realized something was wrong.

　　"You're... why are you soaking wet!"

　　"Huh?" Aqin looked down and saw that indeed, water was seeping out from her body, soaking her clothes until they clung tightly to her skin.

　　And then, Ling saw something that made her blood run cold.

　　Aqin's wet clothes clung to her stomach, revealing the clear outline of a face underneath!

　　"Ah!" Ling screamed in terror, covering her face, then grabbed a rock from the ground, kicked Aqin down, and viciously smashed the rock into the face outline on her chest!

　　The rock had a sharp edge, and Ling stabbed it into Aqin's chest with all her might.

　　Aqin tried to stop her, but Ling, now completely deranged, was incredibly strong.

　　After a few blows, Aqin's chest was a bloody mess!

　　Ling didn't know how long she kept it up, but then she suddenly stopped, looking at Aqin's face.

　　By now... it was completely bloodless.

　　Her originally dark skin had turned ghostly pale, with blood pouring from her mouth.

　　Ling tore open Aqin's clothes, exposing her abdomen.

　　But now... she could only see the wounds she had inflicted, no trace of the face.

　　"A ghost... it was a ghost..." Ling muttered to herself, dropping the rock and shivering violently as she backed away.

　　"No, it wasn't me... Li... Li Bing, it wasn't my fault. You killed yourself; I only cursed and hit you, but I didn't kill you... It's not my fault, don't come after me, don't..."

　　Then, she scrambled to her feet and ran away as fast as she could.

　　……

　　"You can stay as long as you want."

　　Axiu's answer surprisedLi and the others.

　　"Really... it's okay?"Li asked again, "The three of us..."

　　"Sure." Axiu smiled and said, "You're reporters, right? As long as you expose the truth about what happened to Sister Bing, you can stay as long as you like."

　　They still think we're reporters...Li thought.

　　Do I really look that much like a tabloid journalist?

　　Axiu's house wasn't big, and it would be a bit cramped with five people staying there.

　　But since they only needed two people to sleep at a time, with the others on guard duty, it would work.

　　"Alright, we'll go pack our things. Thank you so much."Li thanked Axiu repeatedly. "We'll definitely pay you rent, don't worry, we won't take advantage of you."

　　AfterLi left, Axiu closed the door and bolted it.

　　Then, she walked back to the kitchen.

　　The kitchen in her house was quite large, with a big water tank.

　　Axiu walked over to the water tank, opened the lid, and looked inside.

　　A man's body was soaking in the water, his face now paler than paper.

　　This man... was the missing Yan!

　　"Uncle Yan, I haven't forgotten how you treated Sister Bing. You spread rumors about her everywhere, acting like a gossip queen. So..."

　　Axiu took out a pair of scissors, grabbed Yan's hair, pulled his head out of the water, and pried open his mouth.

　　Then... she inserted the scissors into his mouth and cut off his tongue!

　　"Sister Bing, don't worry." Axiu's pretty face twisted into a chillingly cruel smile. "Just send them all to me one by one. I'll take good care of them."

　　Then, she walked into the inner room, unlocked a cabinet, and took out a small bottle, placing the tongue inside.

　　Inside the cabinet were many other bottles, each containing a tongue!

　　She closed the cabinet and locked it, then suddenly heard a loud splash from the kitchen.

　　She quickly ran back, only to see...

　　The body in the water tank was no longer Yan, but the recently killed Aqin!

　　Axiu sneered and raised the sharp scissors in her hand once again...