Chu Yu raised his hand and threw out two talismans, forcing the female ghosts back. Then, he took out the Demon-Subduing Flute from his Qiankun Bag and began to blow it.
As the flute sounded, an extremely powerful exorcising force spread outwards. The female ghosts immediately felt a splitting headache. They quickly covered their ears and howled in pain. Before long, Red Peony led them away and quickly disappeared.
The house where Chu Yu was located and the surrounding village quickly disappeared. When she came to her senses, she found herself standing on a hillside surrounded by rocks and weeds, with the tall maple tree not far away.
Chu Yu wiped away a cold sweat. She had successfully escaped from the ghost village. She should hurry down the mountain first.
She threw out a flying talisman, which flew down the mountain, and soon she arrived at the foot of the mountain.
It was already 2 a.m. Jiang Huai'an and Shen Moyang were sitting in a car not far away. Neither of them was asleep, and they were absentmindedly playing games on their phones.
Chu Yu walked to the car and knocked on the window: "I'm back."
The two looked up at her, their eyes lighting up.
Jiang Huai'an closed the game and exclaimed in surprise, "I thought you wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning, but you're back now. You're very efficient!"
Shen Moyang asked with concern, "How are you? Did you encounter those female ghosts? Are you injured?"
"I ran into them, but I wasn't hurt."
Chu Yu replied, opened the car door, sat down in the back seat, and told them about what happened on the mountain.
After listening, Jiang Huai'an was somewhat surprised, while Shen Moyang remained relatively calm.
He sighed, "Even you couldn't get it sorted out, so I guess this cemetery development project is doomed."
Chu Yu comforted him, "Actually, it's not difficult. As long as we resolve Hong Mudan's obsession, we might be able to convert them and send them to the underworld."
Shen Moyang raised an eyebrow: "That makes sense, but Hong Mudan didn't say, so you don't know who she's obsessed with, and how to resolve it?"
Chu Yu thought for a moment and calmly said, "Although she didn't say, we can check it ourselves. Senior Brother has a lot of connections in the Underworld, so let him help us check it out."
Shen Moyang's eyes lit up: "That's a good idea."
He immediately took out his phone and texted his senior brother, asking him to help him check.
After sending the message, he glanced at the time, yawned, and said sleepily, "It's getting late, let's go back to sleep first, and think of a solution after Senior Brother has investigated the matter."
"good."
Shen Moyang then drove away.
...
The senior disciple was very efficient. The next morning, he found out the life information of Red Peony and posted it in the Qingxuan Temple group.
Hong Mudan lived 800 years ago and was the most famous courtesan in Xuancheng at that time. She was exceptionally talented and beautiful, and many wealthy young men spent lavishly to win her favor. She was the most popular woman in the city.
Later, a wealthy young man named Wang spent a large sum of money to redeem her from her servitude and kept her as a mistress.
Not long after, Red Peony became pregnant. She thought that with a child, she would have someone to rely on, but unexpectedly, the young master Wang wanted to marry a noblewoman. The noblewoman was jealous and made the young master Wang get rid of Red Peony before she would agree to marry him.
In order to climb the social ladder, that young master Wang cruelly aborted Hong Mudan's child and sold her back to the brothel at a low price when she was seriously ill.
Back at the brothel, the young master's fiancée sent people to humiliate and beat her. She was beaten to the point of near death, but the brothel madam refused to spend money to save her and instead had her thrown into a mass grave.
She thought she was doomed, but unexpectedly, a down-on-his-luck scholar happened to pass by the mass grave and rescued her.
The scholar spent all his savings to treat Hong Mudan's illness. He was gentle and considerate towards her, and gradually, she fell in love with him.
After Hong Mudan recovered, she married him.
To allow the scholar to focus on his studies, Hong Mudan managed the household chores while also going out to do business to earn money.
The scholar was very talented. After passing the imperial examination, he went to the capital to take the final exam, but he never returned.
Red Peony waited a year, but unfortunately, she was discovered by the brothel staff. The madam sent people to arrest her and force her to serve customers again.
She suffered terribly in the brothel, hoping only that her scholar husband would return after passing the imperial examination and save her from the fire.
However, she never got to see it.
Her health was already poor, and the daily torment in the brothel eventually led to her death, and her body was once again dumped in a mass grave.
After her death, she harbored resentment and became a vengeful ghost, wandering the mass grave every day.
Later, she made the mass grave her home and sheltered women who fled there.
After reading about Red Peony's life story, Chu Yu and his two senior brothers fell silent.
Jiang Huai'an spat angrily: "Pah! No wonder Red Peony resents men so much. It turns out she only met the worst scumbags. Those scumbags deserve to die."
Chu Yu raised an eyebrow and said, "According to common practice, Hong Mudan's scholar husband never returned after going to the capital for the imperial examination. It is estimated that he became a Chen Shimei (a notorious figure in Chinese folklore known for abandoning his wife), married a noble lady after passing the examination, and completely forgot about his wife back home."
Jiang Huai'an said with disgust: "Pah, what a cliché scumbag."
Shen Moyang remained relatively calm. He picked up his phone and texted his senior brother: "Senior brother, have you found any biographical information about Red Peony's husband?"
The senior disciple replied: 【Found it.】
He sent over the scholar's biographical information, and after the three of them read it, they fell silent again.
Jiang Huai'an sighed: "So that's how it is. It seems to be a misunderstanding."
Chu Yu said in a deep voice, "I guess Hong Mudan doesn't know the truth. I'll go up the mountain tonight and tell her the truth."
Shen Moyang expressed his support: "Okay, I hope that after she knows the truth, she can let go of her obsession."
Jiang Huai'an, thinking that Chu Yu had to go to school, said, "You have class on Monday, why don't you go back to the capital in the afternoon, and I'll go up the mountain to find those female ghosts tonight?"
Chu Yu waved her hand: "No need. There are fewer classes on Mondays, so taking a day off is no problem."
As she spoke, she picked up her phone and sent a message to her counselor asking for leave.
Seeing that she had made up her mind, Jiang Huai'an shrugged: "Alright, you can go first."
At 11 p.m., Shen Moyang drove Jiang Huai'an and Chu Yu to the foot of that desolate mountain.
Before going up the mountain, Shen Moyang patted Chu Yu on the shoulder and told her, "Be careful. If Hong Mudan and the others are unwilling to listen to your advice, you should get away in time. If you encounter difficulties, send a signal and Lao Si and I will come up the mountain to support you."
Chu Yu nodded: "Okay."
She took a flashlight and hurried up the mountain.
The mountains remained eerily quiet late at night, with a chilly wind blowing.
Chu Yu hadn't walked far when familiar voices came from ahead. She followed the sound and saw the widow's village once again.
As I entered the village, just like last night, every household had red lanterns hanging in the air. The female ghosts gathered around the ancient well in the village, each busy with their own tasks, as if nothing had happened last night.
When Chu Yu arrived at the ancient well, the female ghosts who were chatting and laughing changed their expressions upon seeing her.
A female ghost with a gloomy face questioned her, "Why are you here again?"
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