PWE – Chapter 54 Don’t come any closer, or I’ll kill you with this!

But the head was far faster than Xu Gaoyi.

In less than three seconds, its mouth clamped down on his shoulder.

Xu Gaoyi threw his head back in pain, a scream tearing uncontrollably from his throat—

“Ahhh!”

The head bit down hard, tearing away a chunk of flesh before lunging again, aiming for his neck.

Tong Ningxiang, trembling in terror, fumbled a charm from her pocket and rushed toward him.

“Gaoyi!”

As soon as the charm neared the head, it sizzled with a sharp hiss—smoke rose, blue and acrid.

The head’s eyes flared with hatred. It turned to glare at Tong Ningxiang, baring its teeth as if it wanted to bite her, but it hesitated—afraid of the charm in her hand.

“Get back! Get away from me!”
Tong Ningxiang raised the charm high and swung it toward the ghostly head.

The head ground its teeth, clearly unwilling, but still retreated—sliding back into the wall where it had come from.

Qin Xiuwan looked at the charm and let out a cold, bitter laugh.

“Cousin, Xu Gaoyi really does treat you well. He used to treasure that charm like his life.
I once asked him for it, and he refused—said it had his birth characters written on it and would only work for him.
But now, it’s in your hands.
Heh… I suppose it has your birth characters written on it now, doesn’t it? Otherwise, how could it still work?”

Tong Ningxiang froze.
She looked down at the charm in her hand, her expression stiffening.

A moment ago, she hadn’t thought about anything except saving Xu Gaoyi—
terrified that he might be bitten to death by that ghost.
So she had instinctively pulled out the charm without a second thought.

It truly was a distinctive charm—its cord woven from black and red thread, unlike the usual single-color ones.
And there was a gold seal pressed into the talisman paper, said to have been added by the master who made it to strengthen its power.

Because of these unique features—and because Qin Xiuwan had seen it countless times—she recognized it at a glance.

Tong Ningxiang frowned, trying to explain,

“Xiuwan, this charm actually belongs to Gaoyi, he—”

“Gaoyi?”
Qin Xiuwan’s tone turned icy, her lips curling in a sneer.
“Before, I didn’t think anything of how you called him.
But now I realize—you sound awfully intimate when you say his name.”

Tong Ningxiang bit her lip, silenced by the accusation, unable to find a response.

Xu Gaoyi, flustered and panicked, turned to Qin Xiuwan.

“Xiuwan, please, listen to me—I can explain—”

“Explain? Explain what? After everything, what more can you possibly say?
Another lie? I’ve had enough of your lies!
If you love talking, then talk to your Tong Ningxiang! I’m done listening!”

Qin Xiuwan’s voice trembled with fury, her heart utterly hardened.
Just looking at Xu Gaoyi’s face now made her sick.
This man—who had deceived her again and again—
but for Tong Ningxiang, he’d shown real concern, real love.

If it weren’t love, he wouldn’t have panicked so badly just now,
nor would he have given her that charm—
the one he’d worn close to his heart for years.

She truly had been blind—
blind to have ever fallen for a man like this!

“Xiuwan—” Xu Gaoyi started again, but Xiao Wange interrupted sharply:
“Don’t waste your breath on that piece of trash. Let’s focus on waking your parents first.”

In Xiao Wange’s eyes, Xu Gaoyi wasn’t just trash—he was the filthiest kind.

She’d heard of men being scum before,
but she’d never realized that some could sink so low.
Calling him a “scumbag” was too kind—he was human garbage.

Qin Xiuwan turned to her.

“How do we wake them? Do we just… call to them like usual?”

Xiao Wange shook her head.

“No. You can’t wake them by calling. The Yin energy on them is too heavy—
their souls and consciousness are entangled and suppressed by it.
We need to remove the Yin energy first.”

“But sir had woken up before,” the housekeeper said quickly.
“He woke up earlier, but fainted again after seeing the head in the wall.”

Xiao Wange glanced at the wall—the head now hung limply, its hair covering its face.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, then turned to the housekeeper.

“Your master woke earlier because that head called him awake.”

The words made Qin Xiuwan and the housekeeper pause in shock.

“That head woke my father? Why? Just to frighten him?”

It hadn’t killed him—only startled him, almost like a malicious prank.

Xiao Wange’s eyes darkened.
She was silent for a moment before saying slowly,

“Let’s let it explain for itself later.”

Then she turned toward the bed and began casting a spell over the two unconscious elders.

Meanwhile, Xu Gaoyi’s expression twisted with fear and resentment.

He didn’t want those two old people to wake.
If they did, everything would be over for him.

Last night, he had planned to sell off the expensive machines in the factory—
turning them into quick cash.
But those machines were all fixed installations; dismantling them required skilled workers.
The few he hired suddenly backed out for unknown reasons,
so he and Tong Ningxiang had tried to do it themselves—
but they couldn’t manage even half a machine.

They’d been forced to give up.

This morning, as soon as the bank opened, they went together—
using the old couple’s ID cards, which they’d already stolen,
hoping to withdraw the family’s savings.

They thought it would be easy.
But the bank told them only the actual Qin family members—
the old couple, Qin Xiuwan, or her brother—
could withdraw the funds.

It was clear the Qins had anticipated betrayal and set precautions in advance.

So Xu Gaoyi had rushed home with Tong Ningxiang, hoping to convince Qin Xiuwan to help them.
But what awaited them was far beyond what they’d imagined.

He clenched his fists, glancing toward the bed,
willing the two elders to stay lost in darkness forever—
to die quickly and make his troubles vanish.

But his wish was not granted.
Within three minutes, both of them stirred and woke.

“Dad! Mom!”

Qin Xiuwan rushed to the bedside, tears streaming again—
this time from sheer relief and joy.

Mu Yunhao also stepped closer.

“Auntie, Uncle,” he greeted politely.

Father Qin sat up slowly and helped his wife sit too.

Mother Qin rubbed her forehead, frowning slightly.

“I felt something holding my consciousness down,
keeping me from waking.
But then suddenly, it lifted—just vanished. That feeling…”

“Mom, it was Comrade Xiao!” Qin Xiuwan said quickly,
pulling Xiao Wange over.
“She’s the one who helped! You and Dad were overcome by Yin energy—it was eating at your minds.
Thankfully, Comrade Xiao was powerful enough to dispel it and bring you back.”

Her gratitude toward Xiao Wange bordered on reverence now.

Both elders immediately turned to thank Xiao Wange earnestly.

Then Father Qin frowned.

“But how did our home get so filled with Yin energy? And… the ghost—there’s a ghost in our room!
It’s on the wall, a human head with—”

He turned mid-sentence—and saw the drooping head still on the wall.

His breath caught. His whole body shuddered violently.

“Dad, don’t be afraid,” Qin Xiuwan reassured him quickly.
“With Comrade Xiao here, that thing won’t dare hurt you.”

She was terrified too, but she trusted Xiao Wange completely.
After what she’d seen today, she knew—
ghosts weren’t the scariest thing in the world.
Human hearts were.
When a human heart turned cruel, it was far worse than any ghost.

“Yes, Uncle, don’t worry,” Mu Yunhao said softly with a reassuring smile.
“Comrade Xiao is very capable—she’ll protect us.”

Father Qin drew a deep breath, forcing down his fear.

“Comrade Xiao,” he said,
“can you get rid of that thing? Just looking at it makes my blood run cold.”

Neither he nor his wife doubted Xiao Wange’s ability despite her youth.
Some true masters, after all, hid their power behind an unassuming face.

She turned to the head—and it lifted its face at last.
What had been a blur of blood and mangled flesh began to clear.

Its eyes met hers, and blood-tears trickled down its cheeks.

Xiao Wange sighed softly.
Turning to the others, she said evenly,

“It’s a victim too.
The one who wronged it… is Xu Gaoyi.”

Shock rippled through the room.

“He hurt it?” Qin Xiuwan asked.
“Who is it, then? Why would Xu Gaoyi harm it?”

Xiao Wange frowned and looked at Xu Gaoyi.

“Why don’t you tell them who it really is?”

Earlier, when the head’s face was blurred, Xu Gaoyi hadn’t recognized it.
Now that its features had reformed, he did—and his blood ran cold.

He stared at that familiar face, his expression twisting with panic and darkness.
Grinding his teeth, he forced out,

“I don’t know it! It’s just some wandering ghost!
How could I possibly know a thing like that?!”

“Is that so?” Xiao Wange’s voice was laced with quiet menace.
“Maybe you don’t know it—
but you surely know Tong Ningxiang, don’t you?”

Tong Ningxiang’s breath caught.
It felt as though invisible fingers were tightening around her throat.

She clenched her fists hard, inhaled sharply, and shook her head.

“I don’t know it either. I’ve never seen it before. I have no idea who it is.”

“Ahhh!”

The head shrieked from the wall, furious.
Its twisted mouth gnashed and it lunged forward,
as if ready to tear them both apart.

Tong Ningxiang flinched violently, lifting the charm again.

“Don’t come near me! I’ll destroy you, I swear!”

The head glared at her hatefully—but stopped short.

Seeing the two of them standing together,
and the charm once worn by Xu Gaoyi now hanging from Tong Ningxiang’s hand,
Mother Qin’s brows drew together.

“You two… don’t tell me—”

“Mom! They’re a pair of shameless adulterers!”
Qin Xiuwan cut in, voice trembling with rage.
“They betrayed me—and she’s pregnant!
Three months along!”

Both elders stared in stunned disbelief.

“What? They’re together? And she’s pregnant?!”

“That’s right.” Qin Xiuwan sneered.
“Xu Gaoyi dotes on her—always protecting her.
And she clearly loves him too.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have risked her life to save him just now.”

“You two… you’re disgraceful!” Mother Qin’s face flushed crimson with fury.

Father Qin’s expression darkened.
He had long suspected Xu Gaoyi was no good—
but to think Tong Ningxiang, the niece they’d raised like their own child,
was just as vile…

Tong Ningxiang’s lips trembled; she wanted to speak but couldn’t.

Then Xiao Wange said coldly,

“Your family has suffered terribly at Xu Gaoyi’s hands.
But the ones who suffered most… were his first wife and their child.
He killed them both—with his own hands.
And his methods were inhumanly cruel.”

The room fell silent.

“What?!” cried Mother Qin.
“He had a wife before? And a child?!”

Qin Xiuwan gasped, her voice shaking.

“Comrade Xiao… is that true? He really had a wife and child—and killed them?”

Xiao Wange nodded gravely.
She pointed toward the head on the wall.

“That’s his wife.
And as for the child…”

She raised a hand and cast another spell.

From the wall burst a small ghost—its form frail, its appearance heartbreakingly tragic.

Even the hardened elders of the Qin family felt their breath catch painfully in their chests.