Chapter 76 Inhumanity If you get entangled with her, you'll be lucky to escape with your life...

"She deserves to die." Liang Youyi's weak, heavily injured voice came from the cave entrance. He had woken up at some point, leaning half his body against the cliff wall, as if he had no strength left to get up, muttering repeatedly, "She deserves to die."

They really deserve to die.

The wicked and rotten Sister Fang harmed both herself and others, and her death was full of twists and turns. It can be said that evil has its retribution, and this ending has slightly calmed the lingering anger of the wronged.

Upon hearing Liang Youyi's voice, Sun Xiaoniang and the others immediately fell silent, frozen like wooden stakes.

Liang Youyi said slowly, "Miss, I don't care who you are. This is a feud between me and the villagers of Fengkou Village. I hope you won't meddle in my business."

Liang Youyi did not look up when he sensed the other person approaching.

Bai Yuan looked down at him. Liang Youyi was only in his early forties, looking like a rough and weathered man with blood still wet on his lips, but inside he was incredibly resolute.

Bai Yuan solemnly stated, "Xiao Hua did not die at the hands of Wang Sanhu."

"Then tell me, who else could it be but him?" Liang Youyi didn't get a definite answer. "Wang Sanhu deserves to die. He harmed more than just Tao Hua."

Bai Yuan asked in confusion, "Who else?"

When Liang Youyi interrogated Wang Sanhu in the dungeon, he couldn't withstand the torture and confessed everything, including whose chickens he had stolen and whose cornfields he had broken into. He also revealed that when he went to a neighboring village to steal chickens and dogs, he saw a young girl sleeping alone at home and had evil intentions. He knocked her unconscious and raped her. Women value chastity the most, and the girl surnamed Huang was too afraid to make a sound. Until she found that she was pregnant, she threw herself into the river and committed suicide.

"Is the neighboring village the original village? What's the name of the girl surnamed Huang?" Bai Yuan was extremely perceptive, vaguely remembering that Old Zhang had said that Huang Dashan's daughter had drowned in the river two years ago.

Liang Youyi thought for a moment and said, "It seems to be called Huang something-Yun."

"Huang Xiaoyun".

“Yes, her name is Huang Xiaoyun,” Liang Youyi said. “What is your relationship with Wang Sanhu? Do you know what he has done? Why are you speaking up for him like this? Wang Sanhu deserved to die.”

A teenage girl like Huang Xiaoyun believed her reputation was more important than her life. For an unmarried woman to lose her virginity was considered a disgrace; not only her, but her entire family would be ashamed because of her. She would be scorned and gossiped about by everyone; the power of public opinion was terrifying. Her parents would be ashamed of her, or perhaps even beat her to death. The more Huang Xiaoyun thought about it, the more frightened she became. So, before anyone discovered her loss of virginity, she drowned herself in the river, forever keeping this secret.

The Huang family and everyone in the village assumed that Huang Xiaoyun had accidentally fallen into the river and drowned while washing clothes, and no one questioned or investigated the matter. The truth was buried with Huang Xiaoyun after her death, and only today was it brought to light by Liang Youyi.

"I'm not speaking up for Wang Sanhu, but I want to find the real culprit who killed Liang Taohua."

Liang Youyi looked up at Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan looked down at him condescendingly: "Wang Sanhu is dead, so be it. His death is nothing to regret. But the real murderer is someone else. Don't you want to find him?"

Liang Youyi stared at her blankly for a long time, then struggled to stand up, supporting himself against the cliff face. Because of the cramps in his stomach, he was hunched over and could not stand straight: "Miss, you...you didn't come here to save them?"

"I don't know them at all; whether I help them or not is just a side matter." Bai Yuan was simply summoned by someone who had been wrongfully killed. "I'm taking Doctor Ding with me. As for the other three, what do you plan to do with them?"

The three who thought they were about to be saved were stunned. What did he mean by "What do you plan to do with the other three?" It was like he didn't care whether they lived or died!

This was alarming, and the three of them rushed to call for help.

Bai Yuan ignored them completely, so the three of them begged Ding Langzhong, who had also been kidnapped, to save them from their predicament.

Doctor Ding looked around in bewilderment, wanting to untie the three men but hesitant to act rashly, especially since the kidnappers were still lurking at the cave entrance. The girl who had come to rescue him seemed to have an ambiguous stance, leaning more towards Liang Youyi. Caught in this dilemma, Doctor Ding assessed the situation and decided that, given his own precarious situation, it was best not to act rashly.

Although Liang Youyi was fierce and cruel, his actions were understandable. After all, the people of Fengkou Village were inhuman and harmed other people's daughters in such a way. It was intolerable.

Bai Yuan knew perfectly well that if Liang Youyi wanted to kill these three people, he would have already disposed of them in the mass grave. The reason Liang Youyi didn't even kill Cao Dali was because he didn't want to harm the innocent.

Such a person, who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment, always has a clear bottom line in his heart. Since Sun Xiaoniang, Ma Jianzui, and He Laosi never caused any substantial harm to Xiaohua, Liang Youyi should not have taken their lives.

Liang Youyi remained silent for a long time before saying, "The three of them cannot be released."

Upon hearing this, Sun Xiaoniang burst into tears: "We've told you everything we need to say, without hiding a single thing. Please, please spare us and give us a way out."

"Please, spare us!"

"We really never bullied Xiaohua."

Ignoring the commotion behind him, Bai Yuan raised an eyebrow and asked Liang Youyi, "Why?"

They refuse to kill or release them. How long do they intend to keep them tied up? Or are they afraid that releasing them will cause trouble?

Liang Youyi placed one hand on his stomach and hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Seven days ago, someone sneaked into the county government office in the middle of the night, cut open Taohua's stomach, and emptied her abdominal cavity."

Her belly was originally swollen; she was pregnant when she died, and the baby was probably still inside her when she died.

Bai Yuan was suddenly stunned: "What?!"

“I suspect Cao Dali, I suspect everyone in Fengkou Village. Taohua is already dead, why would anyone cut open her stomach and disturb her peace even in death?” Liang Youyi, pregnant with an unborn child, couldn't understand it at all. “Is it all just to snatch a stillborn baby?”

It wasn't a stillbirth. Bai Yuan's mind raced, and she suddenly remembered the several packets of placenta she had taken from the filthy corpses in the Bei Qu River Tomb, and the few Gu-attracting snake pills she still carried on her person.

Bai Yuan's expression darkened: "Is Liang Taohua's body still there?"

Liang Youyi: "At the county government office."

It seems she'll have to go there herself: "Around when did she die?"

Liang Youyi: "The coroner said it was about two years ago."

Bai Yuan: "She has been dead for two years, and you found her body half a month ago, yet it hadn't decomposed into bones?"

Liang Youyi pressed his lips together, suppressing his turbulent emotions and trying his best to remain calm and composed: "Perhaps due to the special geological conditions of the mass grave, coupled with the different burial locations, many bodies that have been dead for many years are dug up again for ghost marriages and secondary burials. This is a local custom. Some of the bodies that are dug up are mummies, some are wet bodies, and some are skeletons. Tao Hua's body was wet, and her body was not severely decomposed."

That's right, even mass graves contain filthy soil, which can nourish and nurture pregnant corpses that are carrying away evil spirits.

Bai Yuan's mind raced. Could it be that Liang Taohua's death was related to the Gu Master?

She seems to be causing trouble everywhere she goes.

The troublemaker Chen Ying was lying on a urn coffin, with countless bottles and jars of all shapes and sizes in front of her, all of them tightly covered.

This cave dwelling was purchased by her years ago; the dry well was turned into a cellar, where she buried some unclean things.

Chen Ying rarely lived in the cave dwelling; she often stayed in the cellar under the dry well, tinkering around with things whenever she had nothing to do.

She lifted the urn, dug through the filth, and stared grimly at the lump of flesh covered in red and white slime in the soil: "A bunch of troublemakers, ruining my plans!"

The man in the iron mask placed the food from the food box on the table.

Chen Ying grew angrier the more she thought about it, and slammed her hand on the table, saying, "If those people hadn't dug up the body, this pregnancy would definitely have been successful! Look at this placenta, it's all wrinkled and already starting to deflate."

The man in the iron mask set out the chopsticks and began to communicate with her using sign language.

Chen Ying said, "The government officials dug it out half a month ago. By the time we arrived, it was too late. The pregnant corpse had been out of the filth for seven or eight days, just like a live fish out of water for seven or eight days. What use is it now! A pregnant fetus has to drain the mother's body to produce a worm. I finally got them to lay eggs, but all my efforts have been in vain at this point! I'm really..."

Chen Ying was nearly furious, wanting nothing more than to smash the coffin, yet she couldn't bring herself to do it, after all, she had painstakingly nurtured it for two long years. Desperate, she buried it in the filthy soil, hoping to salvage it, but the placenta grew more wrinkled and shriveled each day, suggesting there was little hope of saving it.

"This is inhuman work." Raising a Gu spawn is incredibly difficult, like a scholar who studies diligently for decades but fails to pass the imperial examinations—a complete waste of effort. Chen Ying felt it would be much easier to be a Gu sorceress; she could simply catch a handful of poisonous insects, put them in a jar, and reap the rewards. Unlike her, she did nothing but commit murder and other heinous acts, accumulating countless evil deeds but gaining nothing in return. The thought made her want to vomit blood; she wished she hadn't taken this wrong path.

Chen Ying was depressed for many days and still couldn't get over it. The only consolation was that she successfully retrieved a few packets of the inoculant from the river tomb. Otherwise, she might have gone to kill those who did bad things to vent her anger.

The man in the iron mask communicated with her using sign language.

Chen Ying waved her hand: "I have no appetite, give it to those two to eat."

Speaking of those two, Chen Ying looked up and stood up on a whim: "I'll go."

Chen Ying carried the food into a cramped room. A dim oil lamp shone from the niche in the wall, its flame barely visible. Qin San was diligently taking care of Lu Bing, who was unable to care for himself, and was feeding him water when he saw Chen Ying enter. Startled, Qin San's hand trembled, and he accidentally spilled water on Lu Bing's clothes, scrambling to wipe it off.

Chen Ying frowned, looking down on Qin San: "Clumsy."

As soon as she approached, Qin San shrank into a corner like a mouse seeing a cat.

Chen Ying put the food box on the ground and scrutinized Lu Bing, who had a stubble beard. He looked like a homeless man, slumped and dejected, and was really not likable.

Unlike the timid Qin San, Lu Bing completely ignored her.

Chen Ying said, "I've brought you your food."

The prisoners could only sit or lie on the ground, without even a straw mat to cover them. Lu Bing turned a deaf ear and didn't even lift his eyelids.

Chen Ying squatted down and opened the food box: "It's all delicious food, with fish and meat. I was just thinking about it, and since you're injured, I'll have to ask Acong to give you some good food in the future."

Chen Ying knew he would react this way, so she wasn't annoyed: "Your friend, Zhou Yaren, went to Fengkou Village."

As expected, Lu Bing reacted immediately. This person was too easy to manipulate. Before, when he was threatening to starve himself, she made Qin San accompany him without eating or drinking. As a result, he gave in within two days.

While Lu Bingken was eating, Chen Ying snorted disdainfully, "That's all the ambition he has."

People with soft hearts are the easiest to deal with. Chen Ying could easily manipulate him. She knew that Lu Bing was not afraid of death, but he was afraid that the people around him would die because of him. Chen Ying thought to herself with disdain: What's the use of just risking your own life? You have to be willing to risk other people's lives too. And you still want to oppose me?

Lu Bing scolded her for being inhuman. Chen Ying thought about it over and over for several days, and finally laughed in anger. She said to A Cong, "If a Gu Master had humanity, wouldn't that be the end of the world? What's the point of raising Gu Masters then?"

Acong expressed his strong agreement.

So Chen Ying felt comforted, thinking to herself, "What do laymen know? Of the three great evil arts of Yunnan, the Gu technique is little known, almost extinct, precisely because those who enter this path must be utterly devoid of conscience. And she was that chosen evil seed." Chen Ying's self-positioning was extremely clear and precise; she believed she was perfectly suited to take this inhumane route, and she felt a strong sense of mission. After all, the first step in Gu induction was to produce worm eggs in a pregnant woman's womb, and then bury them in filthy soil to cultivate. The slightest mistake during this process would lead to failure, which was extremely time-consuming and costly—costing other people's lives.

Although they both play with insects, she is different from those Gu keepers. Chen Ying thinks that Gu keepers are no different from cricket fighters and are not worthy of being compared with Gu magic at all.

Because it is so difficult to raise a fetus of a spirit, our ancestors would seek out absolutely secluded places, such as river mounds, which are inaccessible to ordinary people, thus leaving behind invaluable legacies for future generations.

Under the dim light of the oil lamp, Chen Ying stared at Lu Bing's anxious gaze and smiled: "Didn't you ignore me?"

Lu Bing asked hoarsely, "What are you trying to do?!" Was he trying to threaten him with Zhou Yaren again?

"Nothing much, just bringing you food," Chen Ying said. "You're so listless every day, it's really boring to see you like this. Officer Lu, don't you want to get back on your feet?"

His tendons and veins were all severed, leaving him a cripple. The culprit came here to crocodile tears. What good could he possibly be up to?

Lu Bing didn't respond at all.

Chen Ying didn't mind. She smiled and said, "Young Master Lu, if you say something nice, I'll help you heal your hands and feet."

"Dream on." Not to mention that his meridians were completely severed and incurable, even if they could be cured, he would never back down to Chen Ying.

Lu Bing was prepared to have food dumped on his head, but this time Chen Ying didn't get angry with him. Instead, she scrutinized Lu Bing for a long time, then suddenly leaned closer and said out of the blue, "Officer Lu, I think you are definitely a promising talent."

But what talent? He must have something wrong with his ears.

They were so close that Chen Ying's nose was almost touching his face. Lu Bing didn't know what inexplicable madness she was having again, so he turned his head away to create some distance.

Chen Ying stood up without a care, instructed Qin San, who was standing to the side barely daring to breathe, to feed her, and then turned and stepped out of the cramped room.

Qin San felt ice-cold all over. Only when she could no longer hear Chen Ying's footsteps did she slowly squat down next to Lu Bing and pick up the chopsticks and rice bowl from the food box.

Lu Bing brought a piece of food to his mouth, but he had already lost his appetite: "You eat it."

Qin San then silently put it down again. She lowered her head and spoke in a low voice after a long while: "My elder brother was killed by her."

Qin San later realized that he had hated the wrong person.

Lu Bing couldn't see Qin San's expression at that moment; he could only stare at the top of her head.

In their current predicament, it's impossible to say who is better off than whom; he's even more miserable than Qin San, and he simply can't offer a single word of comfort or consolation.

Lu Bing racked his brains, but still decided to remind Qin San: "You can't hurt her, so don't risk your own life." Just like him, he tried his best but couldn't do anything to her, and ended up in this state, barely surviving under the nose of his enemy every day, it was worse than death.

“If you have the chance,” Lu Bing said, “you should run.”

Qin San looked up at him, her eyes red-rimmed: "If I run away, what will you do?"

"I can't run away now." Lu Bing lowered his eyelashes, waiting to see when Chen Ying would give him a quick death.

These words filled Qin San with terror, and she dared not think further: "Your friend, is he here to rescue me...?"

Lu Bing didn't let her finish speaking: "I hope he never gets bitten by Chen Ying, that poisonous snake."

Qin San immediately understood that Constable Lu would rather die than have that person come.

This venomous snake is vicious, cunning, treacherous, and cruel. If you are bitten by it, you will either die or be severely injured.