PWE – Chapter 37 You killed me, I want you to pay for my life

Xiao Wange laughed. “Aren’t you just a monkey? Seems this monkey actually has some self-awareness.”

“You—!” Zhan Hongjun grew even angrier. He raised the carrying pole in his hand and swung it toward her in fury.

Xiao Wange’s lips curled into a cold, mocking smile. Suddenly, she pulled out a small bell and gave it a light shake.

At once, a shadow darted out from within the bell.

That shadow shot straight toward Zhan Hongjun. Seeing it, he froze in terror, his breath catching. He tried to dodge—

—but the shadow was too fast. It was so fast he couldn’t avoid it at all.

In just a second, the shadow plunged into his body and took control of him.

“Do a good job,” Xiao Wange said, the corners of her lips lifting. “Once you’re done, there’ll be a reward.”

“Zhan Hongjun” nodded hard, turned, and bolted out of the courtyard.

Zhan Zeyan walked over to Xiao Wange, glanced in the direction “Zhan Hongjun” had gone, and asked, “That thing that came out of the bell just now—what was it?”

Xiao Wange replied, “It’s a hungry ghost I subdued at the Shi family’s place. That kind of ghost can’t reincarnate, so I let it stay inside this bell to be purified.”

After all, a hungry ghost had harmed people, and its soul was full of resentment. The bell itself had once been an evil object, but after Xiao Wange purified it, it became a clean spiritual tool. Using this sacred bell to purify the hungry ghost, its resentment would soon be completely erased.

“I see,” Zhan Zeyan said, giving her a glance. “Didn’t expect you could command ghosts as well.”

Xiao Wange smiled. “I helped it; it’s only right that it helps me with a few things in return. Come on, let’s go back inside and wait. The show next door is about to start.”

…

Around eleven in the morning, Xu Meifeng was about to make lunch when suddenly a furious voice shouted from outside the courtyard:

“Xu Meifeng! Zhan Songbai!”

Hearing that voice, Xu Meifeng froze. Wasn’t that the village butcher, Li Butcher? Why was he yelling so angrily, as if he wanted to skin her and her husband alive?

She lifted her foot and started toward the gate to see what was going on.

At that moment, a large group of villagers came storming toward her house, each carrying dead chickens and ducks.

All those birds had bite marks on their necks — clearly killed.

Xu Meifeng stared, stunned. What were they doing bringing dead chickens and ducks to her house? Were they… gifting them to her?

No — she immediately dismissed that ridiculous thought.

She didn’t have good relations with these people; why would they give her anything? Unless they were possessed.

Frowning, she looked at them and asked, “Everyone, what’s going on? Why are you here?”

Li Butcher was in front.

He threw the dead duck in his hand onto the ground at Xu Meifeng’s feet and roared, “Xu Meifeng! That damned son of yours, Zhan Hongjun, killed my ducks! You’d better give me an explanation!”

“Yeah! Zhan Hongjun killed my ducks too—you owe me an explanation!”

“And mine! He killed my laying hens! You have to pay for them!”

One after another, dead chickens and ducks were thrown at Xu Meifeng’s feet. Her breathing hitched, her blood rushing to her head, leaving her dizzy.

Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, “My Hongjun has always been a well-behaved boy. How could he kill your chickens and ducks? You must be mistaken—surely there’s been some mistake.”

“Mistake?! I saw it with my own eyes!” Li Butcher yelled. “He bit my duck to death! Xu Meifeng, don’t you dare deny it today—you can’t talk your way out of this!”

“I saw it too!” another villager shouted. “Your Zhan Hongjun is a monster! He bit the duck’s neck open and drank its blood! I’ve never seen a human drink blood before — what kind of creature is he?”

“I saw it too!” added another. “He was sucking the blood and laughing at the same time. It was terrifying!”

Xu Meifeng’s eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.

She glared at the villagers and snapped, “You’re all mistaken! My Hongjun’s a good boy — not some kind of monster! How could he drink blood? Stop slandering my son with such filth!”

“Xu Meifeng! I heard your son’s causing trouble?” The village head and party secretary had arrived, both looking grim. Clearly, the incident had angered them.

Xu Meifeng quickly turned to them. “Village Head, Secretary, these people brought dead chickens and ducks here, accusing my Hongjun of killing them and drinking their blood! How absurd! My Hongjun is a perfectly good boy—how could he do such a thing? They’re making up lies to smear him!”

“Who’s smearing him?!” Li Butcher shouted, eyes bloodshot. “Your son’s a monster — a heartless beast!”

Xu Meifeng gritted her teeth, just about to retort — when her “well-behaved” son came running from afar.

Zhan Hongjun’s mouth was ringed with dried blood. Seeing it, everyone shuddered in disgust.

He ran up to the courtyard gate, glanced at the chickens and ducks on the ground, picked up a duck — and bit down on its neck.

Then he began sucking, clearly drinking the duck’s blood.

Everyone stared in horror. Xu Meifeng’s face went deathly pale; her body swayed unsteadily.

Her son—what was wrong with him? Why did he look like a monster, sucking blood like that?

“Village Head, Secretary! You saw it yourselves—we weren’t lying! Zhan Hongjun’s a monster! Look at him—he’s still drinking blood!” Li Butcher shouted.

Even the usually composed village head and secretary were stunned.

How could a normal person turn into something like this?

“Hongjun! Hongjun, what’s wrong with you?!” Xu Meifeng cried, clutching her son’s shoulders, her voice breaking with distress.

Zhan Hongjun let out a strange laugh, dropped the duck, and grabbed a hen instead.

He grinned eerily and said, “Delicious… delicious.”

Hearing those words sent chills through everyone. Goosebumps rose on their arms as they rubbed them in revulsion.

Meanwhile, next door in Zhan Zeyan’s house —

Xiao Wange lifted her eyes toward Zhan Zeyan, a faint smile on her lips. “The show’s begun next door. Come on, let’s go watch.”

She took Zhaozhao’s hand and headed for the door.

Zhan Zeyan’s gaze softened as he looked at her back, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He quickly followed her out.

His mother was already in the neighboring courtyard. Today’s “show” had been prepared especially for Xu Meifeng — to expose her crime of murder!

Xu Meifeng stared at her son’s strange behavior, and suddenly a terrible realization struck her.

Her face went rigid. Grabbing her son’s arm tightly, she hissed, “You… you’re not—”

—that woman, Wen Feilan?!

Wen Feilan — Zhan Zeyan’s mother.

But she didn’t finish her sentence. The village head and secretary were still there; if she blurted out that name, it would raise suspicion.

“You recognized me?” “Zhan Hongjun” lifted his head, smiling at her with eerie delight.

Xu Meifeng’s pupils shrank. Terror filled her eyes, and she shoved him away with a scream.

“Ahhhh!”

Her shriek was sharp, echoing with raw fear.

“What’s going on, Xu Meifeng?!” a villager asked nervously. “Your son—he looks like he’s possessed!”

Ordinary villagers like them were terrified of such things, yet curiosity kept them rooted. They wanted to see what was really happening — what kind of spirit had possessed Zhan Hongjun.

“Yes, Xu Meifeng, I think he’s possessed too,” another villager said, frowning.

Xu Meifeng trembled violently, her throat so dry she could barely swallow.

“Xu Meifeng, you vicious woman! You killed me — now pay with your life!”

A chilling voice rang through the air.

Hearing that familiar voice, Xu Meifeng’s eyes widened again, her face draining of all color.

She turned toward the sound — and saw a woman standing in the middle of the courtyard, dressed in burial clothes.

It was Wen Feilan.

Seeing her, Xu Meifeng screamed, stumbling backward in panic.

But Wen Feilan suddenly glided forward and blocked her path. “Xu Meifeng! You killed me — now I’ll take your life!” she hissed, stretching out sharp claws toward her.

“Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me, please!” Xu Meifeng screamed, darting frantically around the yard trying to escape.

The villagers — who couldn’t see Wen Feilan — only saw Xu Meifeng thrashing and screaming wildly, and they frowned in confusion and alarm.