Chapter 45: "Lienü Village"

The four people inside the room all followed Li Zhi’s gaze upward—and saw the pair of feet casting shadows against the door.

The three dyed-haired guys huddled together, shivering in fear. Then they heard Li Zhi speak, her tone calm as if chatting with friends, “Fang Lin, isn’t it tiring hanging up there? Why don’t you come down and we have a nice, civilized talk?”

Pink/White/Blonde Hair: “…?”

The knocking outside faltered for a second, then resumed with greater force. The thump thump was like the beat of a death drum, reverberating faster and heavier through the door.

A strand of white silk suddenly descended from above, seeming intent on breaking in. Li Zhi calmly stepped back two paces, quickening her speech, “We Chinese value courtesy before force. Why don’t you hear me out first and then decide if you want to fight?”

But clearly, Fang Lin wasn’t interested in being polite. In the terrified eyes of the three guys, the door slammed open with a crash. That silk, moving as if with eyes of its own, lunged for Li Zhi’s neck.

“Zhi—!” Pink Hair’s cry rang behind her.

But in the very next second, the entire world froze.

The wind outside, the swaying trees, the dangling feet in the doorway, and even the silk already curling around Li Zhi’s neck—all halted in midair.

Time stop. The world, paused.

In the exact instant she activated the Time Stopper, Li Zhi didn’t waste even 0.1 seconds. She strode out over the threshold and grabbed those dangling feet with practiced ease, dragging Fang Lin’s corpse down without the slightest change in expression.

Bang! Fang Lin’s stiff corpse hit the ground, bouncing slightly.

The livestream audience was collectively stunned:

【…………？】
【……？？？】
【Wait—what the—??】
【6666666666666】
【What are you all waiting for? Spam the chat with “Legend!”】
【Take my votes! From now on, I only vote for her!】
【Fang Lin… that must’ve hurt… oof.】
【Killing me—who would’ve thought of using a Time Stopper like this? Is Li Zhi’s brain just built differently from ours?!】
【LOOK! What’s she going to do next?!】

…

Onscreen, Li Zhi didn’t waste even a breath. Moving fast as lightning, she seized the white silk and began wrapping Fang Lin up, layer after layer. Her hands were steady, practiced, not a single tremor, like she’d rehearsed this a hundred times before.

Soon, Fang Lin was wrapped like a mummy, only her heavily made-up, corpse-spotted face still visible.

Ten seconds flew by. On the final second, Li Zhi finished with a neat bow tied at Fang Lin’s throat.

With a gust of wind, the courtyard came back to life. Pink Hair finally managed to scream the rest of his delayed cry: “—JIE?!”

His eyes nearly popped out of his skull, and he jolted up from his bedding like a carp leaping from water. “What the hell just happened?!”

There on the ground by the doorway, Fang Lin—wrapped like a cocoon, eyes burning with hatred—stared directly at the smiling Li Zhi crouched before her.

Li Zhi’s tone was gentle, as though offering friendly advice. “See? I said we could sit down and talk, but you had to start fighting first. So now we’re going to talk this way.”

The three dyed-haired guys practically crawled forward to kneel in worship. Chi Yi crept over, heart pounding. Even though she knew the plan beforehand, watching it succeed was something else entirely.

That was a hanged ghost!

And you just… tied her up like that?? Was this really okay?!

Outside, Fang Lin emitted a sharp, shrieking wail, struggling hard against the silk restraints.

Pink Hair recoiled, panicking, “Zhi-jie! She won’t break free, will she?!”

Li Zhi answered coolly, “The white silk is both her weapon and the thing that killed her. If it could kill her in life, it can bind her in death.”

Pink Hair looked awestruck. “Zhi-jie, how do you know all this? Where’d you learn it?”

Li Zhi smiled faintly. “TV shows. Evil spirits are usually afraid of whatever killed them.”

Pink Hair: “???”

“…Just kidding.” She added kindly, “But I did notice something strange yesterday when I tore the silk with scissors. Fang Lin reacted weirdly, so I figured she must fear or hate the white silk.”

Pink Hair groaned, “So you guessed?!”

Li Zhi: “Big assumptions, careful testing.”

White Hair muttered behind them, “More like big assumptions, bold testing…”

Sure enough, Fang Lin’s struggles proved useless. Her deathly pale eyes glared at them with deep resentment. Li Zhi remained unfazed, voice calm and negotiating. “Fang Lin, we’re not your enemies. Actually, we can work together.”

Pink Hair: “……”

Negotiating with a ghost. Incredible.

Li Zhi blinked. “I bet you didn’t hang yourself willingly, did you? You were murdered. That’s why you’re stuck here, right? And I’ll guess your killer is in this village.”

The resentment pouring off Fang Lin turned into an icy chill that sent goosebumps down their arms.

“And I’m guessing you don’t want to be buried in that ‘Temple of Chaste Women’—you don’t want to be sent to the so-called ‘Grave of the Pure,’ right? If I’m right, blink.”

Fang Lin: “……”

Audience: “……”

Barrage:

【Wait—ghosts can blink??】
【This isn’t your average ghost. This is a literary ghost.】
【Remember, these dungeon ghosts have consciousness. One of them helped players last instance.】
【Exactly. Some are evil, some are good, and some, like Fang Lin, are in-between. As long as the players find a way to cooperate within the rules, they can work with them.】

…

A moment later, Fang Lin stiffly blinked her lifeless eyes.

Li Zhi thought aloud, “I’m guessing two possible reasons. First, the one who murdered you is in that temple. Second, if you get buried there, your soul will vanish—maybe devoured, maybe sealed. Or both. Either way, you don’t want to go there. And we can help you.”

Finally, Fang Lin stopped struggling completely, staring at her with that chilling, oppressive gaze.

Li Zhi continued, “At dawn, they’ll bury you. If you agree to work with us, I’ll make sure they don’t move you to that temple. At least two days’ delay. But in return, for those two days, you can’t harm any players. And on the final festival day, you’ll help us deal with the person who killed you.”

Fang Lin’s painted mouth opened slightly, producing a guttural, broken sound—half rage, half anguish.

Li Zhi reached forward, patting the ghost’s bound hand as if sealing a deal. “Great. Glad we’re on the same page.”

Pink Hair: “…?”

HOW does that count as agreement?!

Li Zhi untied the bow around Fang Lin’s throat. “Okay, I’ll let you go. No more spooking us, got it? You can go, but stay close—I’ll call when I need you.”

The three dyed-haired guys shuffled backward nervously.

With a flick, Li Zhi undid the silk. Freed, Fang Lin floated upright, hovering off the ground, cold eyes locked on the living.

Li Zhi gave a light wave. “Go on. Bye-bye.”

Fang Lin gave a low bow before drifting away like smoke—but halfway through, Li Zhi called after her, “Wait! Leave me a keepsake.”

Fang Lin paused, then with a faint clink, something dropped to the ground.

Li Zhi stooped to pick it up—a soda bottle cap, a hole punched through the center, strung with a red thread. She inspected it, then tucked it away.

Behind her, Chi Yi clenched her fists, excitement on her face. Success!

Last night, when Li Zhi had whispered the plan to her, she thought it was absurd. But it worked.

The three dyed-haired boys were equally thrilled. “Zhi-jie, how’d you know she didn’t want to go to that temple?”

Dawn was breaking, faint light spilling across the courtyard. From the back came the sound of opera actors doing vocal warmups—the troupe always started their days early, disciplined and steady.

“She was always overshadowed by someone like Tao Yu—arrogant, stubborn. I don’t believe Fang Lin was ever a meek, obedient woman. Plus, remember what Tao Yu said? She’d rather rot in the wild than go to that cursed temple. Their rivalry over the years was intense, but deep down, they’re cut from the same cloth.”

Besides, Li Zhi never bought the suicide story. And Granny Zhenzhen’s words confirmed it.

Fang Lin hadn’t killed herself. She was murdered.

Some unseen force lurked within this village—silent, watching, waiting. It had shown itself only briefly the night Fang Lin performed, then sank back into hiding.

Granny Zhenzhen once said: No matter if you’re willing or not, in the end—you’ll die here.

Li Zhi now believed that force resided within the Temple of Chaste Women.

When would it strike again? Was it already watching them now?

For now, her priority was stopping Fang Lin’s burial.

After a brief thought, she turned toward the back courtyard, Chi Yi and Pink Hair following close. The morning breeze still carried a chill. By the time they arrived, Tao Yu was already braiding her hair, glaring when she saw them. “Great, seeing you people first thing in the morning never means anything good.”

Chi Yi gave her sweetest smile. “Sister Tao Yu.”

Tao Yu sneered. “Say it. What is it this time? I’m telling you right now—I’m not performing another stupid ghost show.”

Chi Yi quickly explained, “No, no, this is something else entirely.”

“I knew it!” Tao Yu snapped. “You people just love dragging me into messes, don’t you?!”

Li Zhi finally spoke, choosing her moment. “Sister Tao Yu, Fang Lin’s supposed to be buried today…”

Tao Yu’s eyes sharpened. “So?”

Li Zhi hesitated just enough to sell it. “I… I dreamed of her last night.”

Tao Yu frowned. “What?”

“I dreamed of Fang Lin. She told me she didn’t want to be buried in that temple. She begged me to help her.”

Tao Yu stiffened. This was still a superstitious era, and dreams of the dead carried weight. Li Zhi calmly pulled out the bottle cap. “And when I woke up, this was in my hand. Do you recognize it?”

Tao Yu’s expression shifted instantly. “This… This is Fang Lin’s soda bottle cap!”

Her hand trembled as she took it, tears forming. “We grew up in the troupe, never had treats. But she always loved soda. That cap—it was from the first bottle she ever bought after earning tips. She wore it for years…”

Tao Yu raised her head sharply. “What else did she say?”

Li Zhi, stone-faced, delivered the final blow. “She said… she believed you’d help her.”

“Damn that woman!” Tao Yu cursed, eyes reddening. “What do you need me to do?”

Li Zhi leaned close, whispered instructions. Tao Yu listened, nodded, then brought out her best stage makeup supplies. “Use this. It’s the best I’ve got.”

Thanking her, they hurried to the hall where Fang Lin’s coffin lay.

The village was stirring, lanterns glowing, chimney smoke curling into the dawn sky. Everyone busy with autumn harvest. No one was there yet.

Inside the hall, Fang Lin’s corpse lay dressed in ordinary clothes, her face wiped clean, exposing delicate features now marred by corpse spots and bruises from the strangulation.

Without wasting time, Li Zhi smeared makeup across the pale face—painting horrific streaks of bloody tears and contorted features. Bloodied handprints were added to the coffin’s inner walls, a grotesque scene completed.

Even knowing it was makeup, Pink Hair shuddered.

“That’s enough, Zhi-jie. Too much, I’m gonna faint…”

Li Zhi admired her work, nodded in satisfaction. “Perfect. Let’s go.”

They slipped back like ghosts themselves. Breakfast was quiet, normal. But as full daylight broke—

“Boss! Boss, come quick!!”

Li Zhi and Tao Yu shared a knowing glance.

“What’s going on?” Uncle Kuang stood up in confusion.

“Go see for yourself!”

By the time they reached the hall, even the village chief was there. “Boss, look.”

Kuang stepped forward, confused—then screamed and nearly collapsed when he saw the horrific, bleeding corpse.

“MY GOD!”

Tao Yu caught him, expression pale but eyes sharp with hidden satisfaction. “Could… could it be the dream was real?!”

“The dream?” The village chief’s expression darkened. “What dream?”

“I dreamed of Fang Lin,” Tao Yu whispered. “She said she couldn’t rest until she finished that performance.”

Perfect tears, perfect acting. She could’ve won an award.

The players added fuel: “Wouldn’t burying her disturb the other virtuous women in that grave?”

Finally, the village chief struck his cane down with authority. “Then we delay two more days! After the festival, we bury her!”

Tao Yu bowed toward the coffin. “Fang Lin, just watch. I will finish your song.”

Meanwhile, Uncle Kuang gave her a suspicious look. When did you two ever get along?

Li Zhi stood aside, sighing meaningfully. “With Sister Tao Yu’s promise, Fang Lin should rest easy. Chi Yi, go fetch water to help clean the body.”

As the villagers drifted away, Chi Yi fetched water, and the group carefully wiped away every trace of makeup from Fang Lin’s face.

No evidence left.