Chapter 184: Relying On Each Other
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Huang Ming’s voice was choked with emotions. “Who killed them?”
Wei Shilai replied neutrally. “The first family was killed by an outsider. The second family was killed by their daughter. The third family was killed by their son with a hoe. The fourth family was killed by their retarded son.”
Huang Ming held his walking stick with both hands and trembled. He said in a shivering voice, “Is the son of the first family called Huang Yusheng? The daughter of the second family is Huang Jinzhi, the son of the third family is Huang Shantian, and the retarded son is Huang Daniu, right?”
Wei Shilai frowned. “Who killed them? What do you know?”
Huang Ming’s teeth chattered uncontrollably. After a while, he spoke up but his voice was still trembling. “Retribution. It’s all retribution.”
He reached out to search for something. Huang Niuniu seemed to know what he was searching for and quickly reached out her hand. Huang Ming grabbed his granddaughter’s hand and heaved a sigh of relief before opening his mouth. “Niu Niu, I’m the one who harmed you.”
Seeing Huang Ming’s reaction, Wei Shilai knew that he knew the truth. He was furious. “Huang Ming, I brought hundreds of people to protect you. If you want to be safe, tell me the truth.”
Huang Ming shook his head. “Sir, go back. You can’t help us with this. There’s nothing that mortals can do. Go back. Ghosts have come back to take lives.”
Wei Shilai looked at Wu Ju and Liu Sanniang who remained calm and said, “I brought psychics along with me. There are too many strange things about this matter. Hurry up and tell me the truth. Whether it’s a demon or a ghost, someone will be able to subdue it.”
“Are there really psychics in this house, Sir?” Huang Ming asked as he looked around.
Wei Shilai suppressed his anger. “Yes, we’re here to protect you and your granddaughter. What’s going on? You can’t hide anything. You have to tell us everything.”
Huang Ming hugged Huang Niuniu and said slowly, “It’s a long story, but if the psychics can subdue the ghosts, it’s naturally the best outcome.”
Huang Niuniu looked at Wei Shilai and then at her grandfather. She did not understand what the adults were saying, but she did not interrupt and listened quietly.
Wei Shilai looked at Wu Ju and Liu Sanniang. He had brought many trained constables with him. If Wu Ju did something that Liu Sanniang could not deal with, they would tie up Huang Niuniu and Huang Ming and guard them tightly for the night. That way, no one would die.
Wei Shilai said, “If you want to save people, you have to save yourself first. All the people who left Huanghu Village were killed. Tell me the truth. I want to see what kind of demon committed the crime!”
What kind of evil would be so ruthless as to take so many lives?
The four cases related to Huanghu Village were strange. If he could not find out the truth, he would not be able to feel at ease.
Huang Ming said, “Twenty years ago, in Huanghu Village, the mountains and rivers were beautiful and the land was fertile. There were fewer than twenty families in Huanghu Village. The entire village relied on farming to survive. There was an orphan in the village whose parents died early. He was collectively raised up by every family. He gave himself a name, Huang Lang’er. He said that he was a mountain wolf and would grow up to be a wolf king one day and give the entire village a good life.”
Huang Ming seemed to be lost in his memories. “When Huang Lang’er was 18 years old, he brought back a beautiful wife from the mountains. She didn’t know how to speak. Huang Lang’er was infatuated with this strange woman. Everyone said that this woman was a demon. They claimed so probably because of jealousy.
But Huang Lang’er didn’t mind. He then established a family and was quite diligent. His life was getting better and better. When the woman was pregnant in October, the oldest midwife in the village went to deliver the child. The midwife was so frightened that she fainted. She said that the woman was a weasel. After that, the midwife fell ill and remained bedridden till her death.”
“One night, when the midwife’s daughter-in-law woke up in the middle of the night, she found a weasel standing on the midwife’s chest. It looked like it was trying to absorb the midwife’s lifespan. She was frightened on the spot and hit the weasel with the teapot on the stove beside her. The weasel was scalded and ran away. When people rushed to Huang Lang’er’s house, he was applying medicine to his wife’s arm. There was a big blister on her arm that was clearly caused by the scald. With a demon in the village, who wouldn’t be afraid? When Huang Lang’er saw that the matter was getting out of hand, he said that his wife was not a demon, but a mountain god protecting this mountain.”
“Huang Lang’er knelt down and kowtowed to us. He promised that he would take his family to the deep mountains and would never harm anyone. His life was miserable. We had watched him grow up and couldn’t bear to see him starve to death in the mountains, so we did not ask him to move away. However, it was precisely because of this that we got ourselves into trouble. Demons are demons. They won’t hesitate to harm the people.”
“Three years passed after that. In the fourth year, three men in their prime died in the village. Their hearts seemed to have been pierced by sharp claws. When people went to question Huang Lang’er, he said that they deserved to die. He said that they were lusting after his wife. He spoke up for the demon and forgot the kindness that the villagers had treated him with. We were all mortals. How could we be a match for the demon? That was the first time I saw the demon. Its claws were like hooks, and its eyes were sinister and terrifying.”
“Everyone was furious, but they had no choice but to swallow their anger. At this moment, they all wanted to chase away Huang Lang’er but one dared to say a word.”
“In the same year, there was a drought. The well water dried up and the crops all died. We all knew that it was that demon who was causing trouble. In the entire village, only Huang Lang’er had a well where there was water. He said that his wife was the one who protected the well from drying up and wanted us to repay her kindness.”
“We weren’t fools. We knew the drought was the demon’s doing, but we couldn’t do anything to her. We secretly took our savings and invited a master to subdue this demon. Huang Lang’er and his son were humans. After his son was held hostage by us, Huang Lang’er regained his rationality and said he was willing to give his life for his son. When the master asked the demon to surrender, not only did she not stop, but she also flew into a rage and threatened to bring inferno on the entire Huanghu Village and burn it to ashes. That was the first time we heard her speaking human language.”
The fire burned fiercely. In order to subdue her, the master died with her. Us, ordinary people fled for our lives and escaped from Huanghu Village. Five families heard her curse. She screamed that she would come back for revenge and kill us all.”