The female ghost glanced at Zuo Zhu, but in the end, she let her off.
Thus, except for Demon Huo Fu, four people were dragged into the illusion.
Zuo Zhu felt the world shift, and the next second, she was inside the illusion.
Floating like a bystander, she witnessed the entire life of a young girl named Niuzi.
Niuzi grew up in this village, where everyone favored boys over girls. Her parents were no exception, raising her as a burden. She was always hungry, underdressed, and forced to do excessive chores, punished severely at even the slightest mistake.
One day, her parents fell to their deaths while gathering mountain goods, leaving her alone.
But the villagers did not help her; instead, they raided her home, taking her food and valuables. Some even set their sights on her.
This was considered normal in the village: a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl, slender due to malnutrition but still fair and delicate, attracted the attention of idle, unmarried men wandering the village.
One night, one of them climbed through her window and assaulted her.
Niuzi seethed with hatred and went to the village head the next day, seeking justice.
But the man’s family had seven or eight brothers. The village head, seeing her alone and defenseless, made excuses in front of everyone, even implying that she must have had some fault to be targeted.
So Niuzi was bullied for no reason.
That wasn’t even the worst part. The worst was that the incident became known to the whole village; everyone learned she had been violated.
By day, the woman whispered and pointed at her; by night, different men came to climb her window.
In the end, Niuzi smashed one of the men’s heads with a stone. Enraged, he strangled her to death.
…
When Zuo Zhu emerged from the illusion, her heart still raced.
She looked at the female ghost, hesitantly asking, “Are you Niuzi?”
The ghost sneered, “Do you think so?”
Zuo Zhu felt certain that the female ghost was indeed Niuzi.
In the comic, only the part where Qin Shou torments the lone girl and is eventually killed by her as a vengeful spirit was drawn, without detailing the ghost’s background.
Since Zuo Zhu had crossed into a world that was both a comic and a real existence, these background events naturally filled in.
The experience she just witnessed was perhaps the story Niuzi wanted them to see in her life.
Looking at the others, Lin Tianming and the rest had not yet emerged from the illusion. They appeared to be undergoing extreme suffering: their faces twisted, grimacing in pain, then numb with despair.
Most striking was Zhao Siyu, who had collapsed early, curling on the ground as if beaten.
Zuo Zhu subtly tugged Demon Huo Fu’s arm and whispered, “What’s happening to them?”
The female ghost answered first, her voice eerie: “They are all experiencing life as Niuzi. Everything she endured, they will endure as well.”
Zuo Zhu froze. “Then I…”
The ghost looked at Demon Huo Fu: “You should thank him. It was he who made me spare you.”
Zuo Zhu was moved to tears. She hugged the demon’s arm. “Child, I knew you still cared for your mother!”
Demon Huo Fu: …
Watching the others in agony, Zuo Zhu realized how fortunate she was to merely witness Niuzi’s life, rather than live through the pain herself.
Her heart swelled with gratitude, deliberately forgetting that not long ago, the demon had nearly bitten her arm off.
She felt touched again, gazing at him.
Demon Huo Fu stared back before suddenly opening his bloodthirsty mouth.
Zuo Zhu: …Farewell.
Her feeling of gratitude vanished instantly.
His kindness wasn’t because of any maternal instinct or having been touched by her soul over the past two days—it was likely just to keep his “food” in good condition.
Zuo Zhu averted her gaze and asked the female ghost, “Will they be okay?”
“If they cannot endure it, naturally they will suffer,” the ghost replied.
At that moment, Lin Tianming struggled and opened his eyes.
Seeing the familiar Zuo Zhu, he relaxed and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
“Have I come out of the illusion?”
Zuo Zhu nodded.
Lin Tianming looked at her curiously, “How come nothing happened to you?”
“Good question,” Zuo Zhu said shyly, hugging Demon Huo Fu’s arm. “Brother Huo pleaded for me, so I just observed Niuzi’s life instead of experiencing it myself.”
Lin Tianming choked, coughing, unable to swallow. He felt foolish for asking a question he already knew the answer to.
The experience inside the illusion had been almost unbearable for him as a boy.
In fact, as a male, he had relived Niuzi’s life completely: abused by her parents, enduring the vile acts of men, powerless to change anything.
The psychological shadow on him was severe.
His biggest worry was still Liu Minmin. If she could not endure such suffering, he didn’t know how he would bring her back.
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Liu Minmin emerged, appearing drained, the pain and beatings from the illusion carried into reality. She leaned on Lin Tianming to remain standing, unable even to mock Zuo Zhu as usual.
Next, Zhao Siyu came out of the illusion.
The female ghost, seeing her purpose achieved, giggled and pointed at the collapsed Zhao Siyu: “You think this man came for the first time? From the first day you entered the village, he targeted me. The next night, he climbed in through the window to take advantage of me.”
“I originally planned to let him enjoy himself a few more days before sending him away. But unexpectedly, on the third day, this woman followed him. I thought she might make a scene; even if not, he would still assault me. But she acted like a dog for him, guarding the door every night after discovering his actions!”
The ghost looked at Zhao Siyu, smug at her growing pale, panicked expression: “What are you afraid of now? You weren’t afraid of guarding the door before, and now suddenly you are?”
Even Lin Tianming and the others, who had been with Zhao Siyu, hadn’t expected her to act like this.
Previously, she had been silent and reserved, never leaving Qin Shou despite his lustful and violent behavior.
Now, upon discovering what he had done, she did not stop him—she colluded with him.
Zhao Siyu, having suffered in the illusion, could not speak.
The female ghost rolled her eyes and lifted Zhao Siyu into the air: “You have all experienced my pain. She colluded with that man. Shouldn’t she have died long ago?”
Without regard for the others, she bypassed Demon Huo Fu and vanished with Zhao Siyu in her grasp.
Her resolve to take Zhao Siyu was absolute. For days, Qin Shou had entered her courtyard, and this woman had always guarded the door outside.
Like the women in the village who had gossiped about her, the female ghost wished she could flay her alive.
…
After the female ghost left, Lin Tianming did not dare stay outside longer that night. He asked Demon Huo Fu a question, then helped Liu Minmin follow it back to their room.
The night was grueling. The demon, starving, had to care for this group of weak humans, his frustration mounting.
As Zuo Zhu slept fitfully, she saw Demon Huo Fu gnawing at her arm, then suddenly biting down.
You bastard son, trying to kill your mother!