Volume One, Chapter Seventeen: Dreaming of Tang Xing’s Corpse Burning

I shook my head desperately! Even my grandmother-in-law was deceived by them! I am already dead—this is no prank! Unfortunately, no one can hear my voice!

Han Zhou instinctively stepped in front of Wan Yue. “Grandmother, Tang Xing is being willful! I will bring her back as soon as possible!”

A sharp pang hit my nose. Even now, Han Zhou still thought I had run away on a whim, never suspecting that something had happened to me.

Grandmother cast him a cold glance and turned to go upstairs.

Just as everyone sighed in relief, Wan Yue suddenly called out to her, “Grandmother, I’ve prepared a gift for you!” She produced an elegantly decorated Chinese-style gift box.

It looked refined and high-class.

Rong’s face lit up in admiration as she stepped forward to touch it. “What is this?”

Even as a noblewoman, Rong had never seen such a beautiful Chinese gift box.

Wan Yue spoke softly and gently, “It’s a white jade Guanyin.”

I looked at the gift box, a creeping unease settling over me.

Until the box was opened.

Hiss—

I gasped sharply!

My pupils dilated in shock!

My eyes fixed on the opened box, where nestled in yellow cloth lay a serene white jade Guanyin statue.

Wan Yue knew grandmother was a Buddhist and had specially sent it to her, but I felt a chill crawling down my spine.

That white jade Guanyin was made from my ashes!

She had the audacity to send a Guanyin statue made from my remains to grandmother!

Grandmother looked at the statue, initially intending to refuse, but an inexplicable force seemed to draw her closer.

She gently stroked the white jade Guanyin; the texture was exquisite.

Seeing her fondness, everyone smiled and stepped forward. “This is from the child’s heart. Please accept it.”

Han Zhou added, “Wan Yue put in a lot of effort to buy this fine piece. I heard it’s been worshiped for over a hundred years!”

Grandmother kept caressing the statue, and my spirit seemed to feel a warm presence.

It was as if grandmother wasn’t touching a white jade Guanyin, but my own body.

So vivid!

How could this be?

Grandmother, rare to see her in a good mood, finally said, “Butler, put it away.”

The old butler took the gift, and grandmother’s expression softened as she looked at Wan Yue.

In truth, if Wan Yue behaved properly, grandmother wouldn’t trouble her. But grandmother was astute and knew there was more beneath the surface.

“Wan Yue, you’d better pray for Xing’er’s safe return.”

With that warning, grandmother went upstairs.

Rong, watching grandmother vanish at the stairway, couldn’t help but complain, “Tang Xing disappeared, but you say it’s like you did it? You’re really senile!”

Words unintentional, but the listener took them to heart.

Wan Yue’s figure stiffened.

Rong noticed her change in expression and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Wan Yue made an excuse, “Nothing, maybe I’ve been standing too long. The baby kicked me.”

Hearing this, Han Zhou grew anxious and quickly helped her sit down. “Rest well. Don’t worry about these things.”

Wan Yue smiled weakly and looked at him pleadingly. “Han Zhou, please walk me back to my room.”

Han Zhou hesitated, caught between caution and concern.

After all, with the clan leader grandmother present in the Su family, he dared not be too bold.

Wan Yue seemed to guess his thoughts and nearly collapsed.

Han Zhou immediately steadied her, sighed deeply, and carried her back to the room where I used to stay.

I was forced to watch their tender moments.

I looked up at the sky, silently begging the heavens: When will the truth finally be revealed?

At that moment, my spirit seemed freed from its constraints, able to roam freely on the second floor.

I wondered if it was because of grandmother’s white jade Guanyin.

Just as I pondered, I heard voices from grandmother’s room.

I passed through the wall and saw grandmother carefully wiping the white jade Guanyin that Wan Yue had sent.

She sighed long and sorrowful, “That girl has never been this angry before. I wonder how long this anger will last?”

The old butler, gazing at grandmother with tenderness, handed her a cup of tea. “Miss Xing, those who do good have heaven’s protection. Isn’t Guanyin there to bless us?”

Grandmother smiled faintly. “Yes, it’s strange—the Guanyin looks pure and flawless, but upon closer look, it carries a faint pink hue. Amazing. I wonder where this statue was made?”

My gaze fell on the white jade Guanyin, and I bitterly smiled.

I remembered the group of people who had drained my blood.

That faint pink tint must be my blood fused into the porcelain.

If grandmother knew the white jade Guanyin was made from my ashes and fresh blood—

She would surely be heartbroken.

The butler turned on the computer and frowned as he viewed the footage from the secretly installed pinhole camera.

“Clan leader, look.”

Grandmother took the computer and saw that just as she had gone upstairs, Han Zhou brought Wan Yue up. She was so furious she spat blood!

“Hmph, that little vixen is truly cunning! Luckily, Xing’er isn’t here! Otherwise, she’d be furious to death!”

Grandmother coughed violently.

I remembered this was an old illness of hers, one that hadn’t healed in decades.

“Madam, please take care of yourself. What goes around comes around; no one escapes heaven’s justice,” the butler comforted, patting her back.

I clenched my fists in fury. I had lived a life of kindness—why was I the one who died? Not Wan Yue!

I looked up to the heavens. Are you really blind?

Suddenly, thunder rumbled across the clear sky.

It startled grandmother deeply.

She solemnly placed the white jade Guanyin on the Buddhist altar and lit incense to pay respects.

Unexpectedly, the incense stick snapped.

The butler stepped forward, placing the broken incense in front of grandmother.

Her face turned pale.

“It is said that when lighting incense, the greatest taboo is three lengths and two breaks. Could it be that something has happened to Xing’er?”

Grandmother’s heart pounded wildly, a deep unease creeping over her.

“Old Li, immediately have our people search for Xing’er’s whereabouts. Quickly!”

Her hands trembled as she held the incense.

The butler was equally frightened.

“Yes!”

As the butler left, grandmother stared at the sky heavy with dark clouds, her face ghostly pale.

“Xing’er, you mustn’t be in danger!”

I almost wept with emotion.

I thought the first to realize my misfortune would be Han Zhou or my parents.

Never did I expect it to be grandmother, the clan leader.

She tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Worried about her frail health, I recalled how, when I was little, grandmother would hold me and rhythmically pat my back.

I imitated her and gently patted my own back.

Although I knew it wouldn’t help, I felt I had to try.

So I did.

Sure enough, grandmother’s drowsiness overcame her, and she fell asleep.

I don’t know how long passed before heavy rain began to fall outside.

Thunder roared loudly, and suddenly a scream came from the next room.

I hurried over to find my mother pale and terrified, rushing out of her room and vomiting into the toilet!

Then came Tang Yu.

My mother vomited for a long time before walking out absentmindedly.

Everyone was shocked by their screams.

Especially Tang Feng, who frowned and scolded sharply, “What kind of ghosts are your two? Stop scaring me!”

Hearing “ghosts,” Rong’s eyes widened in fright, her whole body trembling. “He’s right! It was Tang Xing. She appeared in my dream. I saw her body dissected, her organs torn out, blood everywhere. She had a child in her womb. Tang Xing lay cold in a pool of blood, begging me to save her!”

Rong’s vivid description made Tang Feng’s face turn pale. “You’re just dreaming what you think about during the day.”

Rong shook her head, speaking mysteriously to Tang Feng, “I really saw it!”

Tang Yu, having finished vomiting and clutching his aching stomach, echoed her words.

“Dad, that cursed woman—is she in trouble? What we saw was exactly the same! Could she have come back as a ghost to claim a soul?”

“Don’t scare me, you brat!” Rong glared at him in fear.

Tang Yu wiped sweat from his brow. “She even said she’d drag me to hell and make me pay!”

Tang Feng’s expression darkened.

Han Zhou arrived late, his forehead covered with cold sweat.

Everyone gasped.

“Han Zhou, what’s wrong?”

He frowned deeply. “I dreamed Tang Xing’s body was burned.”