"White moonlight shines on the pond, little Bao drifts off to sleep. Night breeze blows, bamboo basket sways, little Bao eats his fill and grows tall. White moonlight shines on the pond, little Bao..."

The creaking sound of the rocking chair, accompanied by a gentle lullaby, echoed throughout the quiet and desolate village.

The moon had somehow hidden behind the clouds, and the night wind occasionally blew by, swirling up fallen leaves that seemed to have drifted from nowhere, sweeping across the overgrown stone path.

This is a small village along the Xishui River, nestled on the southern slope of Shiju Mountain. Xiang Wan discovered this place while tracking the evil spirit possessing San'er's body, and decided to find a place to rest.

I entered the village at dusk and walked around for a long time without seeing a single person. The village was paved with stone slabs, the walls were made of stone blocks, and the roofs were also built with stone slabs, making it look very unique.

The houses were no more than ten feet apart, with alleyways in front and behind for people to walk through. The village wasn't very big; after walking around for a while in the evening, I found that not a single window was intact. Either the window paper had been completely torn off by the wind, or the window frames were damaged. Looking into one house, I saw that the tables, chairs, and other items inside were all scattered haphazardly on the floor, but the door was tightly closed. All the gaps in the door and other drafty places were sealed tightly with red and white waxed paper, and many places were also covered with yellow talismans for warding off evil spirits.

Xiang Wan lightly jumped onto the roof and used her spiritual sense to explore the surroundings; almost every household was doing the same.

Finding no living people around, Xiang Wan found the house on the highest point, climbed through the window, found a sturdy chair, sat cross-legged on it, and closed her eyes to rest.

It was already the twelfth lunar month, and everything was desolate. After the sun had completely set, only a bleak scene remained in the village.

The window paper that hadn't yet peeled off the window frame occasionally patted against the wall, making a "pat-pat" sound, which, along with the plaintive and lingering lullaby, seemed to be keeping time for it.

"Xiao Bao, come back... Xiao Bao, Mom has made you something delicious, we won't go hungry anymore..."

A blurry figure drifted past the window, and the voice came from her mouth.

Xiang Wan got up, took light steps, and followed the figure.

"Little Bao, Mommy made you lots of delicious food. Eat slowly, okay?"

The sound came from a dilapidated house. Xiang Wan reached out and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" The voice inside sounded somewhat flustered.

"We've delivered something to your house, open the door quickly."

"No, I don't want to! Go away! Go away!"

The sound suddenly became sharp and piercing, so Xiang Wan simply kicked open the door, and a red figure quickly pounced on Xiang Wan.

The ghost-catching bag was already prepared; with one open pocket, the female ghost was captured inside.

"You wicked man, let me go! My child, my child is still outside. Xiao Bao can't be without his mother, please, let me go!"

"A child? You mean this mummified corpse lying in the cradle?"

"No—Xiao Bao isn't a mummified corpse, he's still alive! He…"

Xiang Wan affixed a talisman to the ghost, and the woman's voice stopped abruptly. She reopened her pocket, placed the ghost on the ground, found a chair, and sat down to carefully examine it.

The female ghost was dressed in a red dress, with her hair loose and her makeup exquisite. Even after using a talisman to suppress the ghost and remove her illusionary appearance, she remained unchanged.

"Tell me, how did the people in the village die?"

Xiang Wan changed the Ghost Binding Talisman, enabling her to speak.

"I have not harmed anyone, never."

Hearing this with such certainty, Xiang Wan scoffed, pinching a corpse-dissolving talisman between her fingers, about to stick it onto the mummified corpse.

"Don't hurt Xiaobao! The child is so small, don't hurt him!"

Xiang Wan paused, turned her head to look at her, and waited for her explanation.

"Ten years ago, I married into Xiaoye Village and gave birth to my son, Xiaobao, with a heart full of joy. But when Xiaobao was one year old, he fell seriously ill, and there was no cure. A fortune teller came here, and I was desperate, so I asked him for help. He was willing to help Xiaobao and gave me a pill, saying that as long as I took it, Xiaobao would live. What mother could bear to see her child suffer so much at such a young age?"

"continue."

"When I woke up, everyone was gone... My little Bao was still alive and well, he didn't lie to me. He's a very good boy, he loves to sleep, and he never cries..."

Xiang Wan's eyes flashed, and she held the Soul-Capturing Comb in her palm, handing it to the female ghost.

"Use it to comb your hair, and the child will wake up."

The female ghost stared intently at the comb, hesitatingly asking, "Is...is this real?"

"Just try it, and you'll see."

Without waiting for the female ghost's response, Xiang Wan picked up the comb and stuck it into the ghost's head.

"You jerk, you won't even take the bait!"

Suddenly, the female ghost's strength surged, shattering the ghost-binding talisman into powder. Her body stretched out in a straight line, and her hands, like soft noodles, circled and pinched towards the evening.

Xiang Wan didn't dwell on her any longer. She swept the exorcism sword across, and the tip of the sword, gleaming coldly, pierced into the chest of the mummified corpse.

A dagger pierced the wall behind Xiang Wan, just past her ear.

"Don't you have any compassion? She's wandering the earth for her child, how could you kill her child?"

Without a word, a young figure brandished his sword and slashed towards the evening.

Xiang Wan was too lazy to explain to such a hothead. She slapped him aside and raised the exorcism sword, stabbing it into the head of the dried corpse once more.

The female ghost let out a shrill scream, unable to maintain her form, and turned into a wisp of green smoke as she fled away.

Xiang Wan sheathed her sword and flew after him.

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