Chen Xiaomeng’s attention was fully on Jiang Cheng. She looked at the man’s profile silently. The sharpness exhibited by the man after he entered the house was beyond her expectations. For a moment, she really thought Jiang Cheng would kill the woman. In the nightmare realm, she had met many extremely evil people. Most of them were made crazy by the missions. However, Jiang Cheng was different. The evil in him… was innate.
She had no doubt that if the woman resisted, he would live up to his threat and kill her.
“Is the man from the afternoon still around?”
The woman widened her eyes in fear. Her lips couldn’t stop trembling. Jiang Cheng slowly eased his grip around her neck. She gasped for air, and she shook her head heavily.
“Was he sent here by the village head?” The woman nodded.
“Are there other people here other than you?” The woman was startled and then shook her head vehemently.
“Think about it first before answering,” Jiang Cheng cracked his knuckles. In the woman’s eyes, the handsome man was the devil. His thin lips moved. Every detail was reflected in her eyes. “If I find anyone else here, the consequence will be bad.”
The woman teared up. In the end, she had to nod. Melancholy filled her eyes.
“I will slowly let go now.” Jiang Cheng looked at her and uttered slowly, “But if you scream…” Jiang Cheng didn’t need to finish to drive the point across. He slowly let go. Then, he asked in a growl, “Who else is at home?”
When Jiang Cheng entered the house, he noticed a door blocked off by a blanket hung on the wall. He turned his head and asked the woman, “Are they in there?”
“Yes.” The woman answered. Then, she anxiously wanted to add something but Jiang Cheng didn’t give her the chance. He said, “As long as you answer me honestly, they will be fine.”
The woman swallowed cautiously. She didn’t look old, at most 30. However, she was pale and fragile. There were wrinkles around her eyes. The frostbites on her hands were conspicuous. The pressure of life suffocated the poor woman, especially since she lived in this village.
After confirming the sound didn’t draw anyone else over, Chen Xiaomeng walked over. She maintained a distance from Jiang Cheng. She did not like the man’s actions.
“We have some questions for your mother.” Chen Xiaomeng stared into the woman’s eyes.
The woman shook her eyes and silently wept, “You can’t. My mother’s throat is ruined. She can’t speak.”
“Mother is illiterate.”
Chen Xiaomeng took a deep breath. She felt like her patience was being exhausted. Every second they wasted meant extra danger to their lives. They had to rush back to An Ping Town and finish the mission before the villagers realised they were gone.
At that moment, the woman noticed the changes in Chen Xiaomeng’s face. She quickly said, “Don’t worry. I know what you want to ask. My mother has accidentally revealed some details about that to me before.”
Chen Xiaomeng’s eyes flashed, “How do you know what we want to ask?”
The woman sighed and glanced out the window with fear as if worried that there were people listening in. “What else can it be?” She whispered, “You’re pigs captured by the village head. So, you must be here to know more about the female ghost.”
“Pigs?” This was Chen Xiaomeng hearing this term. “What does that mean?”
“That’s a long story. In any case, it has been a while since the ghost has murdered any of the local villagers.” The woman pressed her lips. “The deaths only involve outsiders like you who are invited over by the village head. It’s outsiders like you who die in place of the locals. Therefore, you are referred to as pigs to be slaughtered.”
Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. “Does the whole village know about this?”
“Yes.” The woman nodded. Then, she noticed the man’s gaze change, and she became nervous. “I… I didn’t approve of this. Some of the other villagers didn’t approve of it as well. But… there are no other choices. You saw it this afternoon. The village head has all of us under his control. He doesn’t even allow us to interact with outsiders!”
“What do you know about the ghost?”
“The ghost is very vicious, but she only targets the people of the Qian Family, especially the men. The large Qian Family has been practically wiped out.” The woman’s eyes darted out. She continued in a dark tone, “They all said the ghost’s name is Zhao Xiangmei. She was the human trafficker who tricked the women to come to this village. She was beaten to death, but…”
Chen Xiaomeng instantly said, “But what?”
“But my mother didn’t agree.” The woman raised her head. “They said Zhao Xiangmei left a bloody curse on the stone plaque beside the mountain pool before she died. However, my mother said that from what she knew… Zhao Xiangmei was illiterate!” How could an illiterate person write down a bloody curse?
Jiang Cheng stared into the woman’s eyes. His gaze rippled, “And your mother is…”
The woman bit her lips. “My mother is one of the 29 women kidnapped by Zhao Xiangmei.”
The atmosphere tensed.
“Since your mother suspects Zhao Xiangmei is not the ghost, who does she think is the real ghost?” Jiang Cheng asked.
“No idea.” The woman shook her head. “But it has to be one of the 29 women.”
“Haven’t all of them been rescued?” Chen Xiaomeng frowned, “Did someone die?” It was the village head who told them about this. Then again, he was a liar.
“No.” The woman studied Chen Xiaomeng. After some time, she added, “All 29 of them are still alive.”
Chen Xiaomeng widened her eyes.
However, Jiang Cheng seemed to understand something. He scratched his chin. “Your mother suspects that Zhao Xiangmei managed to disguise herself as one of the 29 victims to escape the punishment of the law. The woman who had her identity stolen by Zhao Xiangmei was instead beaten to death by the mob of angry parents, who were too riled up to identify the falsehood. After that, the victim came back as a ghost due to resentment.”
This time, it was the woman who was shocked. She hadn’t said much but the man had already guessed almost everything.
“Do you have evidence?” Jiang Cheng looked at the woman and raised his chin.