Chapter 6: A Bloody Feast (Part I)

Volume One: Village of Still Waters

In this tiny village, there were no police. When something serious happened, it was the village chief who stepped in. After all, everyone knew everyone. Crimes like theft or murder were practically unheard of. So, when Yan Haotian went missing, it became a major event.

The villagers, out of concern and a genuine fondness for him, organized search parties to look for him across the surrounding areas.

And during the commotion of his disappearance, someone cried out in panic—

"This is Li Bing’s revenge! It’s her revenge!"

Luo Hengyan had accompanied Chief Zhang to investigate Yan Haotian’s home and recognized him as the middle-aged man they met the day before. As they stepped out, a tall, dark-skinned young woman suddenly screamed that chilling accusation.

Li Bing’s name had come up more than once now. Luo Hengyan, suspecting a connection with the blood-red instructions, asked without hesitation, “What do you mean? Who exactly is Li Bing?”

The dark-skinned girl—barely twenty—was just about to speak when a burly man beside her quickly silenced her.

“Aqin, don’t talk nonsense! That’s not true!” he scolded. Then he turned to the group. “Please, don’t mind her…”

“Who knows?” a cold voice cut in.

Luo Hengyan turned and saw Axiu—the same girl who had carried water buckets the day before.

“Axiu, you…” the burly man began, flustered, “What are you saying…”

“The village has seen strange things happen for years, hasn’t it? You’re all just too guilty to admit it out loud. But I know... This is Bing’er-jie’s curse on all of you!”

The villagers had now all gathered. Every gaze shifted to Axiu, but no one dared speak. Fear and unease filled the air.

Luo Hengyan realized there was indeed a deeper mystery at play. Rumors of ghosts might not be just that.

Could Li Bing truly be a restless spirit, seeking vengeance?

“Hmph! Stop spreading lies, Axiu!” A girl with glasses and short hair stepped forward, along with a plump man.

The man glared at Axiu. “Don’t forget—Li Bing killed herself. It had nothing to do with us!”

“Suicide?” Axiu's eyes burned with rage. “Song Tian, you’ve got some nerve. How did you treat Bing’er-jie? She grew up with all of us, but after what happened, everyone treated her like the plague! You mocked her, insulted her, even threw stones at her—I saw it with my own eyes!”

“You—” Song Tian tried to defend himself.

“So what?! She was the illegitimate daughter of a whore! Letting her stay in the village was already a favor! What more did she want?!”

“Say that again, I dare you!”

Axiu snapped. Burning with fury, she lunged at him. But the girl with glasses moved faster—stepping up and slapping Axiu across the face.

“Touch him and you’ll have to deal with me! Who do you think you are?”

“You… Ge Ling…” Axiu reeled, holding her cheek. But without warning, she threw herself at the short-haired girl, yanking her hair and shouting, “You’re guilty too! You helped drive Bing’er-jie to her death! I won’t forgive you either!”

Others rushed to pull Axiu away, but she was strong—clawing and scratching at Ge Ling’s face. Luo Hengyan was stunned. Just yesterday, he’d thought Axiu was a gentle, simple village girl. Now she was downright ferocious.

Even rural girls have gone wild these days? he wondered, almost in disbelief.

But he now understood the whole story behind Li Bing.

She had grown up in the village alongside the younger generation, closest to Axiu—like sisters. But after her mother drunkenly revealed that Li Bing was the child of an affair with an outsider, the villagers turned on her. In their conservative eyes, she became a symbol of shame.

Humiliated and ostracized, she couldn’t bear the weight. Eventually, she threw herself into the waterfall and ended her life.

Axiu had been the only one to help with her mother’s funeral, and later, her own.

But even if Li Bing had turned into a vengeful spirit, what grudge could she possibly hold against outsiders like Li Yin and the rest? Still, the apartment had sent them here for a reason. They weren’t likely to survive a month in peace.

Later, they questioned the village chief for more details.

Li Bing’s parents were both from the village. She was cheerful and well-liked growing up, with Axiu as her closest friend. The village youths closest in age to her included Zhang Hongwu and Zhang Suyue from the chief’s family, Liang Renbin, Song Tian and his wife Ge Ling, and the dark-skinned girl Tie Qin, whose father, Tie Mu, was a stonemason.

Five years ago, one drunken night, Li Bing’s mother let slip that her daughter was the product of an affair with a traveling outsider. Li Bing’s father flew into a rage and nearly beat his wife to death. He stormed out to hunt down the man—and never returned.

The mother and daughter became pariahs. Her mother died from grief and illness. Only Axiu helped with the funeral.

The year that followed was a living hell for Li Bing. People treated her like filth—avoiding her, insulting her, throwing things. A year later, she took her life under the waterfall.

Returning to the chief’s home, Luo Hengyan relayed everything to Li Yin and Qin Shoutian.

After confirming the room was secure, Li Yin lowered his voice. “I understand the situation now. We can’t stay here any longer.”

“Huh?” Luo Hengyan was puzzled. But Qin Shoutian already got the idea.

“Zhang Hongwu, Zhang Suyue, and their mother Zhang Yinglan… they all tormented Li Bing, right?”

“Yes... so that means…”

“If Li Bing is truly out for revenge, then this house has three of her targets. And if we stay, won’t we be caught in the crossfire?”

Li Yin made a solid point.

But… where could they go?

“Axiu’s place,” Li Yin said at once. “It’s the safest bet. Li Bing has no reason to harm her.”

“Huh? But… she lives alone, and we’re three grown men. Isn’t that inappropriate?” Luo Hengyan asked.

“At a time like this, you care about that?” Qin Shoutian adjusted his glasses. “You have a better suggestion?”

Indeed, Axiu’s house might be the only truly safe place in Youshui Village.

“But… we can’t just barge in, can we?”

“We’ll talk to her,” Qin Shoutian said, though clearly uneasy. “She seemed kind yesterday. Maybe she’ll agree. But villagers are conservative… letting unrelated men stay might raise eyebrows.”

There wasn’t any better option.

So, Li Yin approached Axiu personally.

Meanwhile, in the forest near the village—

“You trying to get yourself killed?!” Ge Ling shoved Tie Qin to the ground. “Talking about Li Bing’s revenge like that? You trying to stir things up even more?!”

“But… but…” Tie Qin trembled. “You all forgot, didn’t you? Uncle Haotian used to mock the ghost stories. He even said just last week: ‘If there’s a ghost, I’d like to meet it!’ Remember?”

“So what?! There are no ghosts!”

“But it’s so strange… The chief’s son-in-law died mysteriously too. People don’t talk about it, but they’re scared. And every time… something happens within a month of Li Bing’s death anniversary. Isn’t that just too weird?”

“Shut it!” Ge Ling kicked her again. “You’ll die if you don’t stop talking, huh?! Ghosts? Where are they? Huh? Li Bing? Come scare me now if you dare! Hahaha—what? You can’t?! You—”

Ge Ling stopped mid-sentence.

Because she saw it—clear as day.

A ghostly white, long-haired face staring out of Tie Qin’s wide-open mouth.

“You…”

Ge Ling yanked her up. “Open your mouth. Wider!”

“L-Ling-jie… what are you doing…”

“Open it!”

But the face was gone. Her mouth looked normal again. But Ge Ling refused to believe it was a hallucination. It was too real.

She leaned closer, trying to look into Tie Qin’s throat.

But there was nothing.

Ge Ling backed away in terror, staring.

“You… why are you soaking wet?!”

“Huh?” Tie Qin looked down. Sure enough, water was pouring from her skin. Her soaked clothes clung to her body.

Then Ge Ling saw it—her worst nightmare.

On Tie Qin’s abdomen, beneath the wet shirt, a human face began to bulge.

“Ahhh!”

Ge Ling screamed, grabbed a rock, kicked Tie Qin down, and smashed the rock into her chest—right where the face was.

Again and again, the sharp edge tore into flesh.

Tie Qin tried to resist, but the frenzied Ge Ling was far too strong.

By the time it was over, Tie Qin’s chest was a mangled mess. Her face had gone deathly pale. Blood poured from her mouth.

Ge Ling yanked open her shirt—only to see the wounds she’d made. The face was gone.

“Ghost… it was a ghost…”

She dropped the rock, trembling violently. “Not my fault… Li… Li Bing… You killed yourself… I cursed you, I hit you, but I didn’t kill you… Don’t come for me… don’t…”

She scrambled to her feet and ran, terrified.

“You can stay as long as you like,” Axiu said, smiling.

“Really?” Li Yin asked again, surprised. “All four of us?”

“Sure. You’re journalists, right? If you can report the truth about Bing’er-jie and expose this village’s sins, then stay as long as you want.”

Journalists? Li Yin thought. Do I really look that much like a tabloid reporter?

Axiu’s home was small—five people made it cramped. But with two on watch each night, it was manageable.

“Alright, we’ll get our things. Thank you so much,” Li Yin said gratefully. “We’ll pay rent, of course—you won’t lose out.”

After he left, Axiu locked the door and returned to the kitchen.

There stood a massive water vat.

She lifted the lid.

Inside, submerged in the water, was Yan Haotian. His face had turned paper-white.

“Uncle Haotian… Did you think I’d forget how you treated Bing’er-jie? You spread rumors like a gossiping hag. So…”

She pulled out a pair of scissors, grabbed his hair, pried his mouth open—and cut off his tongue.

“Don’t worry, Bing’er-jie,” Axiu whispered, her beautiful face twisted into something chilling. “Send them to me, one by one. I’ll take care of the rest.”

She went into the inner room, opened a locked cabinet, and placed the tongue in a jar.

The cabinet was filled with jars—each containing a human tongue.

She shut it, locked it.

Then—a splash echoed from the kitchen.

She ran back—

In the vat, Yan Haotian was gone.

Now floating in the water—

Was Tie Qin’s corpse.

Axiu grinned, raising the scissors once more…