PWE – Chapter 9 Cursed Hand and Betrayal Revealed

“What is it?” Shi Xiaohong came over with the hoe and glanced inside.

That one look made her gasp and draw in a sharp breath. Her face went pale as she stammered in shock:
“Th-this-this…”

Little Jinzhou was very curious too and wanted to look, but Xiao Wange covered his eyes:
“Zhaozhao is still a child, he mustn’t see this.”

Then she told Shi Jinzhu and the others:
“Hurry up and take it out. Once it’s out, burn it.”

Shi Jinzhu didn’t dare touch the thing. It was a rotting severed hand. Beside it was a small paper packet, which she also didn’t dare touch, certain it contained something just as frightening.

It was Father Shi who had the courage. He plucked a few leaves from a tree in the courtyard, wrapped the severed hand with them, and picked it up.

Mother Shi prepared a brazier. Father Shi placed the hand inside, but instead of catching fire, it released a thick, dark smoke that made everyone shiver.

Father Shi turned to Xiao Wange:
“Comrade, this thing doesn’t seem to burn. Could it be… some kind of evil object too?”

Xiao Wange nodded:
“Mm, it is. This was cut from a freshly dead body, and it’s been cursed. That’s why it’s full of baleful energy. If you dig it up and don’t burn it within half an hour, it will transform into a deadly ghost claw that can kill.”

“What?!” Mother Shi and Shi Jinzhu froze in terror, quickly stepping several paces back, afraid the hand might leap out and attack them.

But Father Shi’s face darkened. He clenched his teeth, brows furrowed:
“Who would be so vicious as to try to harm us like this?”

If not for this young comrade today, if they had discovered and dug out this severed hand on their own, they never could have destroyed it. In the end, it would have turned into a ghost claw and taken their lives. He couldn’t understand—he’d always been kind, never made enemies. Who would hate them so much to do this?

Xiao Wange looked at him:
“You still haven’t guessed who it is? Seems you trusted that person very much.”

At her words, Father Shi’s breath hitched. A certain figure suddenly flashed through his mind.

Mother Shi thought of the same person. They looked at each other and saw the same shock in each other’s eyes. Could it really be him?

Meanwhile, the hand in the brazier was smoking even more heavily, the black fumes thick enough to contaminate the whole house. Xiao Wange’s face darkened. She covered Zhaozhao’s eyes with one hand, formed a spell with the other, and sent it toward the hand. Instantly, the hand burst into crackling flames and burned to ash in moments.

The stench was revolting. Zhaozhao wrinkled his little brow, covered his nose, and said:
“Mom, it stinks!”

It was even worse than manure in the village, so foul it made him want to vomit.

Xiao Wange gave him a glance:
“Cover your nose tight. The smell will go away soon.”

“Mm.” Zhaozhao nodded and pressed his nose even harder.

He wanted to see what the adults were burning, but since his mother said no, he obeyed.

After the hand was destroyed, Father Shi breathed a sigh of relief and went to pick up the small paper packet. Opening it, he found it filled with strands of hair.

Staring at it, he said in confusion:
“Hair? Could this also have been taken from a corpse?”

Xiao Wange arched a brow and looked at him:
“You don’t even recognize your own hair?”

Father Shi: “…” That was his hair?

Hair all looked the same to him—how could he tell?

But realizing his hair had been buried together with that severed hand made him sick. He gagged, nearly vomiting.

Xiao Wange had Shi Xiaohong dig under another flowerbed. This time, they unearthed not a hand but a baby’s finger, with another packet of Father Shi’s hair beside it.

Altogether they dug up twelve spots. In the first pit was the severed hand; in the others, baby fingers—each one accompanied by packets of Father Shi’s hair.

The family was bewildered. Why bury hair together with severed hands and fingers? What was the point?

Xiao Wange explained:
“The person who set this formation clearly targeted your family, wanting your lives. The hair represents Mr. Shi. By burying his hair with these severed remains, the spirits drawn in would naturally seek him out. Since Mr. Shi shares close ties with his wife and daughter Jinzhu, the spirits would also find them.”

She continued:
“Notice that the spirits didn’t kill you outright. They only appear each night to frighten you. Prolonged terror weakens a person’s spirit and drains their yang energy. With weakened yang, death isn’t far. In the end, even without being devoured, you would die on your own. The one who arranged this wanted you to suffer long, tortured nights until you died in misery. That person… really hates you.”

Mother and Father Shi shivered all over.

If it was truly the person they both suspected, why would he hate them so deeply? They had never wronged him.

Yet he hated them enough to try to kill them, and with such a sinister method! They could hardly believe it.

Xiao Wange added:
“And there’s also a Wealth-Draining Formation. Whoever did this utterly despises your family—not only trying to kill you with a Yin-Gathering Array, but also scheming to ruin you financially.”

Father Shi forced down his complicated emotions and asked:
“Then… how do we break this wealth-draining formation?”

Xiao Wange glanced around, then raised her brow:
“Remove the twelve peony pots in your courtyard. Their placement forms the Wealth-Draining Array. If you really like them, just rearrange their positions.”

At this, Father and Mother Shi’s expressions changed instantly.

Mother Shi clenched her teeth, fury in her voice:
“It’s him! It really is him! I never imagined he would try to harm us like this!”

Father Shi’s brows locked tightly, his face dark and heavy.

Shi Xiaohong and Shi Jinzhu, curious, asked:
“Who is it?” They had their guesses but feared saying them aloud.

Mother Shi said bitterly:
“It’s You Bifang! That bastard!”

She recalled how one morning she and her husband had woken early to find You Bifang moving the peony pots in their courtyard. He had said the arrangement didn’t look good, and that shifting them would make the display prettier.

At the time, they had trusted him completely as their best friend, never suspecting anything. But now it was clear—he had moved them to set up the Wealth-Draining Formation.

If they had doubted before, they now had no doubts left. Even if they wanted to believe otherwise, they couldn’t.

Shi Jinzhu whispered:
“Uncle You? Was it really him?” She had guessed as much, but hearing her mother say it still left her in disbelief.

Shi Xiaohong frowned:
“You Bifang? How could it be him? Our family treated him so well. Why would he harm us?”

She recalled how her eldest brother, Shi Tian’ao, had lent You Bifang money when he couldn’t afford to marry. Later, when You’s family perished in a fire, Shi Tian’ao had taken him in, treating him like a brother, giving him work as a manager at his restaurant despite his lack of ability, buying him things, caring for him. And this was how he repaid them? Was he even human?

Xiao Wange gave a faint smile and reminded:
“You can always ask him directly. But he isn’t someone to take lightly—be careful when you face him.”

Shi Tian’ao nodded solemnly:
“Thank you for the warning, comrade. I understand.”

He then pulled a thick wad of cash from his pocket and handed it to her:
“We owe you so much today. Without you, I don’t dare imagine the consequences. Please take this as your reward.”

Xiao Wange glanced at the notes. The largest were fifties, with several of them—at least a few hundred in total. She didn’t refuse, took the money, and smiled slightly:
“If you need me again, you can find me in Danshui Village.”

Shi Tian’ao nodded quickly:
“Alright.”

Xiao Wange noticed their wounds—marks from ghostly bites. Ordinary medicine wouldn’t work; it would only worsen them.

She asked Shi Jinzhu to fetch cinnabar and yellow talisman paper. Drawing several charms, she burned them and dropped the ashes into water, then told the family:
“Drink this charm water. It will heal your wounds.”

Shi Jinzhu, Shi Tian’ao, and the others drank without hesitation.

At once, they felt a warm current flow through their bodies, easing their pain. Looking at their wounds, they saw the black miasma had vanished. The pain was gone, and the gashes began to close rapidly.

Within ten seconds, only faint marks remained.

The family stared in wonder, then exclaimed:
“Comrade, you’re incredible! Just one bowl of charm water healed us. This water is like the holy nectar from the Bodhisattva’s vase! Tell us—are you a celestial being? A god come down from heaven?”

Xiao Wange: “……” Just a bowl of charm water and they were this shocked? They hadn’t even seen her real skills yet.

She was about to respond when suddenly—

The so-called “master” fell to his knees before her with a thud, clutching her leg and crying out:
“Master! Your disciple has finally found you, finally found you!”

Xiao Wange: “……???”