“Let go of me!” I screamed in terror.
But that hand gripped my wrist so tightly it hurt, leaving a dark bruise that looked frightening.
“Yaoyao, you’re such a disobedient child. What’s wrong with helping Grandma? I’ve watched you grow up since you were little, and now you won’t even do me this one favor. Grandma is very sad.”
The kindly smile on her face was gone, replaced by something almost sinister. Her cloudy eyes gleamed with a sharp light.
My earlier scream had been loud, but it hadn’t startled my mother. It seemed that no matter how loudly I shouted, she wouldn’t hear me.
I forced myself to calm down, replaying the events of the past two days in my mind.
This “Grandma” had appeared once last night and now again. She must have some purpose for me, and that purpose was likely to get me to help her with something.
I tried to suppress my wildly beating, fearful heart. Even though I knew the figure before me might not be human, I still had to stay calm.
I took a deep breath, my ears filled with the sound of my own heartbeat, and asked, “What kind of help?”
The gleam in Grandma’s eyes grew even brighter. The way she looked at me now was like gazing at a delicious feast. I watched as she stuck out her tongue and licked her lips, her voice raspy as she said, “Yaoyao is so cute, like a soft white bun. Let Grandma take a bite.”
I, “?!”
My mouth fell open in shock. “Huh?! Grandma, that’s not right, is it?!”
Was this old lady some kind of pervert?!
The thought flashed through my mind, and I remembered how Song Lin had held me and tried to bite me before. Suddenly, it dawned on me—this old lady was probably just like Song Lin, coveting my flesh!
So what was so special about my body? Why did it attract the covetousness of other “beings”?
Nothing like this had ever happened before. It was only after I took off the Yupai at that gathering that all these strange things started happening around me.
Right, the Yupai!
Where was my Yupai?
Yu Qingzhou had given it back to me last night, and I had obediently worn it. But now the Yupai was gone again!
Oh no, oh no—Yu Qingzhou was definitely going to twist my head off!
As this thought arose, I found it strange. Shouldn’t I be afraid of the “Grandma” in front of me right now? Why was I thinking about Yu Qingzhou threatening to twist my head off?
It seemed that, deep down, I still found Yu Qingzhou more terrifying than this old lady!
“Just one bite, one bite is all,” Grandma said greedily, as if glued to me.
At the same time, I saw Grandma open her mouth, revealing two sharp fangs gleaming coldly. As those fangs drew closer, I frantically shook my arm.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo—” The loud crow of a rooster echoed from the yard once more.
I snapped my eyes open again, reflexively sitting up in bed. My head was drenched in cold sweat, and no one was by the bed. The Yupai around my neck was gone. Had I been dreaming within a dream?
I couldn’t stay in the room any longer. I opened the door and ran into the yard. In the center of the yard, a large red rooster crouched, looking somewhat listless. My mother was squatting beside it, examining it.
“Mom,” I called out hoarsely.
My mother immediately looked up at me. "Why didn't you sleep a bit longer?"
"Mom, I dreamed about that grandma I mentioned before. She had sharp teeth in her mouth, and she tried to bite me. It was terrifying," I said, trembling. "If it weren't for the rooster crowing, I might still be trapped in that dream."
This big rooster had been with our family since I was ten. Over the years, we had taken good care of it, feeding it well. Several batches of chickens had come and gone in our household, but only this big rooster remained.
Hearing my words, my mother suddenly understood. She said seriously, "No wonder it suddenly crowed at noon—it must have sensed something unclean! By the way, where is your Yupai? Why did you take it off again?"
I shook my head frantically. "I didn’t, I didn’t take off the Yupai. It… it just disappeared. I don’t know how it vanished…"
At that moment, I had never seen my mother look so serious. She grabbed my hand and said, "Come on, let’s go find Mr. Guo!"
Mr. Guo had moved to our village about ten years ago and was a well-known Kanshi Xiansheng in our area. According to my mother, he was the one who handled the Chongxi ritual for me when I was a child. Whenever neighbors encountered strange occurrences, they would also seek his help.
When we arrived at Mr. Guo’s house, he was having lunch. But upon seeing my mother and me, his expression changed slightly, as if the braised pork on his chopsticks had lost its flavor.
Before my mother could speak, Mr. Guo spoke first. "As soon as I saw that the Yupai was no longer around Jing Yao’s neck, I knew something had happened."
My mother immediately said, "Mr. Guo, please save my daughter. She’s not even twenty yet, in the prime of her youth, and she hasn’t seen enough of this world… Please save her! I’m willing to give anything to save her!"
"Mom…" I pursed my lips, tears streaming down my face, moved by her words.
Mr. Guo’s gaze swept over me. "Well, now that Jing Yao has grown up, there are some things she should know."
I tightened my grip on my mother’s hand, feeling even more nervous upon hearing Mr. Guo’s words.
"Back then, Jing Yao was not only plagued by Xiebing but also because she was born near a lonely grave. One of her three souls and seven spirits was taken by a wandering ghost at birth. Moreover, due to the inauspicious timing of her birth, she has a Four Yin constitution. She was supposed to die at the age of ten, but thanks to the Dragon King Yupai, Jing Yao was able to grow up safely."
"But now that the Yupai is gone, the Four Yin energy can no longer be suppressed. She’s like a piece of fragrant steamed bun, attracting all kinds of ghosts and monsters to fight over her. Without that one soul and without the Yupai, Jing Yao probably won’t live much longer."
At this point, Mr. Guo sighed heavily with resignation. "Right now, I don’t have any solutions…"
My mother’s eyes widened suddenly, filled with shock and disbelief. "My… my daughter will die?"
Mr. Guo nodded. "Yes, unless the Yupai is recovered or…"
He paused mid-sentence. "Forget it. The other method… I don’t think it’s feasible."
"Mr. Guo, please tell us. No matter how feasible it is, I want to try," I said, looking at Mr. Guo with determination.
I cannot currently place my hopes on the Yupai. That jade token is quite strange; even though I wear it on my person, it still manages to disappear on its own. So relying on the Yupai is not a viable option.
That leaves only listening to Mr. Guo's remaining solution.
Mr. Guo hesitated and asked me, "Jing Yao, my girl, are you really willing to try?"
"Yes!" I nodded even more firmly.
Mr. Guo fell silent. It was only after a long while that he said to me, "The other method is to completely become the Dragon King's woman, marked with his seal."