The sudden turn of events left me utterly stunned. Whether it was the ghostly fire floating in mid-air or the eerie paper figures carrying the sedan chair, everything felt bizarre. The kind of eerie sensation it evoked made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and it felt as though a cold, invisible ant was crawling across the soles of my feet.

I wasn’t exactly scared, nor was I particularly terrified. It was more like an unnerving, creepy feeling that pierced straight into my mind.

“Who dares to perform such tricks in front of this Taoist priest?!” Su Qing shouted in a stern voice.

"Hehehe..." An old woman’s sharp, high-pitched voice came from the sedan chair. Her laughter was so grating that it sent shivers down my spine, especially with the four paper figures carrying the sedan, making the scene all the more chilling and otherworldly.

"You little girl, even your master wouldn't dare to shout like that in front of me," the old woman finally spoke, but still did not show herself. The paper sedan seemed weightless, and there was no sign of movement inside, while the ghostly green fire flickered, resembling a burning human skull floating in the air.

"Who does she think she is, acting all high and mighty and playing these tricks?" Su Qing muttered, clearly not convinced. But not having figured out the other party’s true nature, she dared not make any rash moves.

“Ghost fire guides the way, paper figures carry the sedan; she’s a ghost witch!” The short man, Xiao Zi Xing, seemed somewhat afraid of the old woman, hiding behind me and saying nothing.

From what Xiao Zi Xing said, it seemed like he knew exactly who this old woman was.

“Xiao Zi Xing, come out! This tattoo shop has been closed for twenty years, and Tang Yun is no longer here. Who is in charge now?” The old woman, as if recognizing Xiao Zi Xing, called out.

Xiao Zi Xing, still hiding behind me, didn’t dare to come forward, but his hand shakily pointed at me, as if to answer her.

“Ah, judging by your age, you must be Tang Yun’s grandson?” the old woman asked from the sedan.

I didn’t answer her immediately. Instead, I turned to Xiao Zi Xing behind me. “Xing Shu, do you know who this woman is?”

Xiao Zi Xing nodded. He explained that this old woman’s nickname was "Ghost Witch," but no one knew her real name.

The Ghost Witch had once been a southern shaman. When she was 28, she married a 60-year-old paper craftsman, who was renowned for his incredible paper-making skills. Legend had it that the paper people he created could move and act just like real humans—extremely sinister. The young Ghost Witch married him out of greed for this craft.

After the Ghost Witch gave birth to a son, the old craftsman finally passed on his paper-making skills to her. She then combined her shamanistic practices with his paper craft to create a new form of dark magic.

Her magic was so dark that it was said that the Ghost Witch could turn the paper figures into "ghost soldiers" to kill people. There was a chilling rumor about a village that was slaughtered overnight, with not a single soul left alive. Among the bodies, investigators found many paper figures.

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Of course, in this era, it would be difficult to convict someone based solely on a pile of paper people and rumors. A single woman massacring an entire village was nearly impossible, so the Ghost Witch had never been charged.

Moreover, she wasn't just evil in her magic—she was also ruthless in her actions. She had married the old craftsman simply to steal his skills. Once she had learned the craft, she turned both him and his son into paper figures and burned them at her doorstep.

After hearing this, Xiao Zi Xing nervously shrank back, clearly terrified of the Ghost Witch. He said that in the past, when my grandfather was still running the shop, the Ghost Witch had come a few times to ask for a "ghost tattoo." But my grandfather had always refused, and she had never dared to make trouble in front of him. After being rejected, she slunk away each time.

The more I heard, the more horrified I became. What did the Ghost Witch want here tonight? Was she here for another "ghost tattoo"?

I didn’t want to give her one, but I didn’t have my grandfather’s skills. If I rejected her, would I suffer consequences?

I glanced at Su Qing. Could she handle this?

"Speak quickly. Are you Tang Yun’s grandson or not?" The Ghost Witch's voice became shriller as she demanded an answer.

"Yes, I am Tang Yun’s grandson, Tang Hao. May I ask why you’ve come to visit so late?" I answered, though my mind was racing, calculating how to handle the situation. If she wanted a ghost tattoo, should I do it? If I refused, what excuse could I use?

To my surprise, the Ghost Witch wasn’t here for a tattoo at all. She was here to stop us from interfering with Xu Meng’s situation.

She said that it would be best if we stayed out of Xu Meng’s business. Xu Meng had been chosen by the Lin family. The Lin family's only son, Lin Feng, had died suddenly, and it was the Ghost Witch who had used a "body borrowing" spell to briefly resurrect him. After that, Xu Meng had become pregnant with the corpse fetus. That fetus was the last heir of the Lin family, and if we meddled, the consequences would be on our heads!

It turned out that the powerful figure behind this whole scheme was the Ghost Witch! She was willing to treat Xu Meng like a tool for the Lin family’s bloodline without regard for her life!

“But Xu Meng didn’t agree to this, did she?” I couldn’t help but ask.

The Ghost Witch let out a sinister laugh. "You know better than I do what kind of person Xu Meng is. After all, her body has already been used. She was born under a bad star, cursed with a miserable fate. She was born at midnight, a time when the yin energy is strongest, making her the perfect candidate to carry a corpse fetus. There is no one else more suitable than her."

Her words were cold and emotionless, as if Xu Meng's life meant nothing at all—she was just a vessel for the Lin family’s bloodline.

"Once the fetus is born, Xu Meng won’t need to do anything. I have ways to nurture it into a living person. In the end, the Lin family will reward her with money. Isn’t this a win-win for both sides?" The Ghost Witch said, her tone filled with satisfaction.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She was making it sound so reasonable, but it was all just a way to exploit Xu Meng for the Lin family’s benefit.

“Wait a minute, about Lin Feng’s corpse fetus—if it was borrowed from another person’s body, how could it be Lin family’s?” I finally couldn’t help but ask.

"Heh, you don’t need to worry about that. I have already handled everything," the Ghost Witch said with a sinister smile. "I had Chen Xiaomei from the entertainment club secretly add witchcraft water to Xu Meng’s drink for a week. Her body has already been completely controlled by me. The fetus, of course, will belong to the Lin family."

So, Chen Xiaomei was working for the Lin family too! No wonder she wouldn’t dare speak out, not even willing to die for it. The Lin family must be even more ruthless than Boss Li from the entertainment club, and she was simply too scared to defy them.

The Ghost Witch sneered. "I’m telling you all this because of the respect I have for your ancestors. But if you insist on meddling, I won’t be so merciful next time!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the sedan chair suddenly burst into flames. The four paper figures were instantly reduced to ashes. The ghostly fire dimmed and fell to the ground, revealing a burnt skull.

I froze. Was there no one in the sedan just now? Then who was speaking?

The Ghost Witch was terrifying beyond words. I had no doubt now—this was just the beginning. Something far darker was coming.