Small town rest and remnant souls
Li Ye walked last, his gaze occasionally sweeping through the deep alleys of Qingwu Town—those pitch-black alleyways resembled dormant beasts. Though now free of fog, they still exuded an indescribable chill. He clenched the dagger in his hand, its silver coating gleaming in the sunlight. Yet, he couldn't help but feel a pair of eyes staring at them from the shadows. Their gaze was sticky and cold, like the dying look of Shui Xietong, or like the red thread that Hua Ling had wrapped around Zhao Lei's ankle, a thread he couldn't shake off.
"Li Ye, hurry up!" Xiuxiu in front turned around and waved at him, her red sleeves swaying in the air. "If you don't move now, the sun will set soon. The mountain road will be difficult to walk on at night!"
Li Ye responded, quickening his pace to catch up with the others. The mountain road outside Qingwu Town was just as Xiuxiu had described: rugged and slippery. The weeds along the roadside grew taller than a person, and the dew on the grass clung to my trouser legs, chilling me to the bone. After walking for over an hour, I finally saw the outline of the small town I'd seen before. The old locust tree at the entrance still stood crookedly, its branches draped with red ribbons that fluttered in the wind like waving hands.
Back at the inn, the old lady was sitting on a bamboo chair by the door, mending clothes. Seeing them come back, her cloudy eyes lit up, and she put down her needle and thread and came over to greet them: "You're finally back. Where's Xiuxiu?"
Xiuxiu jumped out from behind Lin Shen, ran to the old lady, and pulled her clothes: "Grandma! I'm here!"
The old lady hugged Xiuxiu tightly, tears streaming down her face. Her rough hands kept stroking Xiuxiu's hair: "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back... Grandma thought she would never see you again..."
Everyone felt a little sad when they saw the grandparents hugging each other. Su Wan walked forward and said softly, "Auntie, we would like to stay a few more days. Please forgive me."
The old lady wiped her tears and nodded. "Go ahead, stay here. The room is empty. If you don't mind, you can treat this place as your own home." She paused and added, "Don't go out at night. The town has been uneasy lately. People keep saying they see dark shadows wandering in the alleys."
Everyone's heart tightened, and they all remembered what the Evil Witch God said before he disappeared - his consciousness was still there, maybe it had attached itself to something and followed them to the town.
During dinner, the hotel suddenly lost power. The old woman lit a candle, and the flame flickered across the table, casting long shadows on the wall like twisted monsters. "This circuit keeps breaking down," the old woman sighed, getting up to get some spare candles. "Wait a minute, I'll get some."
As the old lady entered the kitchen, the candlelight suddenly crackled, and the sparks fell on the table and went out instantly. The room was plunged into darkness, with only the moonlight filtering in from the window, casting a pale white on the ground.
"Who?" Lin Shen stood up suddenly, holding the engineer's shovel tightly in his hand. "Who's outside?"
There was a rustling sound outside the window, as if someone was scratching at it. Meng Yao shrank back to Su Wan, clutching her arm tightly. "Is it... is it the evil witch god?"
Xiuxiu suddenly stood up, her black eyes gleaming faintly in the darkness. The peach wood sword in her hand hummed, and the patterns on the sword glowed red. "It's not the evil witch god, it's residual souls! Lots of residual souls!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the window was pushed open with a clang, and a cold wind rushed in, carrying with it a familiar smell of rotting leaves—the smell of vines in the alleys of Qingwu Town! Then, several black vines stretched out from the window, and the leaves on the vines seemed alive, wrapping around the crowd.
"It's Shui Xie Tong's vine!" Chen Ba shouted, pulling out a clay pot from his arms and opening the lid. The poisonous insect inside crawled out and slithered towards the vine. The insect landed on the vine and instantly began to bite it. The vine sizzled, and black juice flowed down the vine, landing on the ground, corroding tiny black holes.
Xiuxiu raised her peach wood sword and thrust it toward the window. Its red light instantly surged, and a shrill scream echoed from outside, like countless children crying at once. The vines quickly retracted outside the window and disappeared into the darkness.
The old lady came out of the kitchen with a candle. Seeing the open window and the black liquid on the ground, her expression changed instantly: "Is it... are those black shadows?"
Everyone nodded. Lin Shen walked forward, closed the window, and propped up the table. "Auntie, do you know when these shadows appeared?"
The old woman sighed and sat down in a chair. The candlelight cast a shadow on her face, making it look particularly old. "It was about three days ago, the day you went to Qingwu Town. At night, people heard children crying in the alleys, and some saw dark shadows swaying on the roadside. A few brave enough went to check, and they fell ill the next day with a high fever that wouldn't go away. They kept shouting, 'The water's so cold.'"
"It's the remnant soul of Shui Xietong!" Xiuxiu's voice was very certain. "Although his true body was destroyed by us, the remnant soul is still there. Moreover, it has absorbed the resentment of other evil creatures and has become even stronger!"
Everyone was silent. They hadn't expected the remnant of Shui Xie Tong's spirit to have pursued them all the way to the town, even bringing harm to the people there. Su Wan felt bad as she looked at the old lady's worried expression. "Auntie, don't worry. We'll find a way to get rid of those remnant spirits."
The old lady nodded, then shook her head: "Don't force yourself. Those things are very evil. If it really doesn't work, just leave here and leave us alone."
At night, no one dared to fall asleep. Lin Shen and Li Ye took turns keeping watch, while Xiu Xiu placed a peach wood sword next to her pillow. The slightest movement would cause it to emit a soft humming sound.
Late in the night, Lin Shen was sitting on a chair keeping watch when he suddenly heard a dripping sound outside his window, as if someone were splashing water on it. Cautiously, he walked to the window and peered through the gap in the curtains. In the moonlight, a small figure stood in the alley, drenched in water, its hair draped across its face, obscuring its features. It was none other than the remnant of Shui Xietong!
The remnant of Shui Xietong seemed to sense Lin Shen's gaze and slowly raised his head, revealing a pale face. His eyes were completely black, devoid of white. Water droplets still hung from the corners of his mouth, as if he had just been pulled out of the water. He grinned at Lin Shen, revealing two rows of pointed teeth, then turned and ran down the alley, disappearing into the darkness.
Lin Shen immediately woke everyone up and chased after them with a shovel in hand. The alley was eerily quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing. The moonlight cast long shadows on the ground, as if they were following something.
"He's ahead!" Xiuxiu suddenly pointed deep into the alley, red light flashing in her black eyes, "He's running towards the river east of town!"
Everyone followed Xiuxiu, running toward the river east of the town. The closer they got, the more humid the air became, and a faint fishy smell grew stronger. The willow trees by the river swayed in the wind, and water droplets hanging from the branches fell to the ground, making a dripping sound that resembled the footsteps of the Water Evil Child.
"Over there!" Li Ye suddenly shouted, pointing to a willow tree by the river. Beneath the tree, the remnant of Shui Xietong was squatting on the ground, holding a red ball in his hand—the same ball of resentment that had appeared in the hotel earlier. He saw everyone and suddenly burst into a shrill laugh, so sharp it made anyone's scalp tingle.
"Shui Xietong! Stop playing tricks!" Xiuxiu raised the peach wood sword and ran towards Shui Xietong's remaining soul, "Today I must completely destroy you!"
The remnant of Shui Xietong suddenly stood up and threw the ball of resentment in his hand towards Xiuxiu. The ball of resentment drew a red arc in the air, and the human face on the ball opened its mouth and let out a piercing scream, like countless children crying at the same time.
Xiuxiu nimbly dodged the ball of resentment and thrust the peach wood sword towards the remnant soul of Shui Xietong. The moment the peach wood sword pierced the remnant soul of Shui Xietong, a "sizzling" sound was heard, and the remnant soul of Shui Xietong let out a shrill scream. Its body became somewhat transparent, but it did not disappear. Instead, it took a few steps back and dived into the river.
The river water instantly turned pitch black, as if stained with ink. Countless black vines stretched out from the water and entangled the group. "Be careful!" Lin Shen shouted, wielding his shovel and cutting off a vine. The vine fell to the ground with a sizzling sound and quickly turned into black ash.
Chen Ba pulled a clay pot from his bosom, opened the lid, and the poisonous insect inside crawled out and leaped into the river. The insect landed on the black water and instantly began to gnaw on the vines. The river made a sizzling sound, and the black vines quickly retreated into the water, and the river gradually returned to clarity.
The residual soul of Shui Xietong poked his head out of the water, his face became even paler, and the darkness in his eyes became darker: "You...you don't force me!" As he said that, he suddenly opened his mouth, and the water in the river instantly rushed into his mouth. His body began to swell, and soon turned into a huge water ball. The water ball was covered with black lines, like countless children's faces struggling in it.
"He's going to blow himself up!" Xiuxiu yelled, "Get out of the way! He's going to drag us all into the water!"
Everyone stepped back immediately, but the water ball was already rolling towards them, faster and faster, and the black lines in the water ball became clearer and clearer. Waves of screams were heard, as if countless children were crying at the same time.
Just as the water ball was about to hit Lin Shen, Xiuxiu suddenly rushed over, stabbing the peach wood sword into the water ball. "With my soul, I will draw the power of the peach wood and purify it!" Xiuxiu shouted. The red light on the peach wood sword instantly surged, and the water ball made a "sizzling" sound. The black lines began to fade, and the screams gradually subsided.
The water ball quickly shrank, eventually becoming a tiny droplet that fell to the ground and evaporated instantly. The remaining spirit of the Water Evil Child also vanished completely, leaving only the willow trees by the river swaying in the wind, as if mourning for the children who had passed away.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed on the ground. Xiuxiu's face turned pale, and the luster in her black eyes had disappeared. She leaned against the willow tree, gasping for breath. "Finally...finally, I've completely eliminated him..."
Lin Shen walked over and handed her a bottle of water: "Are you okay? Thank you so much for what you did just now."
Xiuxiu took the water and shook her head: "I'm fine, I just consumed too much energy, I just need to rest for a while."
The sky gradually brightened, the eastern sky turning pale, and the sun shone on the river, casting a golden glow. Everyone stood up and walked towards the town. Although exhausted, they felt a sense of relief. They had finally completely eliminated the remaining spirit of the Water Evil Child, and the people of the town were finally safe.
When they returned to the hotel, the old lady saw them coming back and hurried over to greet them: "How is it? Have those shadows been eliminated?"
Everyone nodded, and Su Wan smiled and said, "Auntie, don't worry, we have completely eliminated those residual souls, and there will be no more trouble in the town in the future."
The old lady was so happy that tears came to her eyes. She held Xiuxiu's hand and kept thanking her: "That's great, that's great... Thank you so much..."
In the next few days, everyone rested in the small town, and Xiuxiu was finally reunited with her grandmother. Every day, she accompanied the old lady to mend clothes at the door, and occasionally played with the children in the town. There was always an innocent smile on her little face, and she looked no different from an ordinary child.
But Lin Shen knew they couldn't stay here forever. The Evil Witch God's consciousness was still there, and he might return at any time. Furthermore, there were still remnants of other evil spirits in Qingwu Town. They had to find a way quickly to completely eliminate the Evil Witch God and restore peace to Qingwu Town.
That night, everyone sat in the hotel courtyard, staring at the moon in silence. Su Wan suddenly spoke up, "We can't stay here forever. The Evil Witch God will return sooner or later. We must take the initiative and destroy him completely."
Lin Shen nodded. "I thought so too. But the Evil Witch God's consciousness is currently attached to something. We can't find him at all. How can we take the initiative to attack him?"
Xiuxiu suddenly raised her head, her black eyes flashing red: "I know where he is!"
Everyone looked at her, their eyes filled with surprise. Xiuxiu explained, "My peach wood sword can sense the aura of the Evil Witch God. Last night, I sensed his presence beneath the stage in Qingwu Town. There seems to be an underground secret room there, and he's likely hiding inside."
"The underground secret room under the stage?" Li Ye frowned. "Why didn't we find it when we went to the stage before?"
"That secret room is very hidden," Xiuxiu said. "Only on full-moon nights will a crack appear in the floor of the stage, through which we can enter the secret room. Tomorrow is the full-moon night, so we can use that night to go to the secret room under the stage and look for the evil witch god."
Everyone nodded and decided to go to the stage in Qingwu Town tomorrow night to completely eliminate the evil witch god.
The next night, the moon was round, like a giant silver plate, hanging in the sky, casting a cool, clear moonlight. Everyone packed up their belongings and headed towards Qingwu Town. Xiuxiu walked in front, the peach wood sword in her hand humming softly, the patterns on the blade glowing red, as if guiding their direction.
Arriving in front of the Qingwu Town stage, moonlight shone on it, illuminating it with a pale white. As expected, a crack appeared in the floor of the stage, and from the crack emanated a cold, chilling aura, mixed with a familiar, rancid odor—the breath of the evil witch god!
"This is it," Xiuxiu pointed at the crack, "Go down from here and you'll reach the underground secret room."
Lin Shen walked over and touched the edge of the crack. It was freezing cold, like ice. "Everyone, be careful," Lin Shen said. "After you go down, try to follow me closely and don't get separated."
Everyone nodded and jumped down into the crack one by one. Beneath the crack lay a narrow tunnel. It was dark, illuminated only by the red light of Xiuxiu's peach wood sword. The tunnel was damp, the walls covered in moss, and the soil beneath their feet was soft, requiring careful steps.
After walking for about ten minutes, the tunnel suddenly widened, and a huge secret chamber appeared before their eyes. In the center of the chamber stood a stone platform, upon which sat a black pottery jar. Black mist continuously seeped out of the jar, filling the chamber and forming a vague human figure—the consciousness of the Evil Witch God!
"You're finally here," the Evil Witch God's voice came from the shadows, low and hoarse, "I've been waiting for you for a long time. This time, I won't let you get away!"
Xiuxiu raised the peach wood sword, her eyes becoming firm: "Evil Witch God, today is the day you die!"
The Evil Witch God let out a piercing laugh, and the black fog swirled with his laughter. The temperature in the chamber dropped instantly, and white frost began to form on the ground. Black lines were interspersed within the frost, like the symbols of a curse. "Death date?" The Evil Witch God's voice was filled with sarcasm. "With just you guys, you still think you can get rid of me? How ridiculous!"
As soon as he finished speaking, countless black vines suddenly sprouted from the chamber's walls. The leaves on the vines seemed alive, wrapping around the group. "Be careful!" Lin Shen shouted, wielding his shovel and cutting off a vine. It fell to the ground with a sizzling sound and quickly turned into black ash.
The battle between the people and the evil witch god began again. This time, they had no way out and could only fight with all their might to completely destroy the evil witch god, restore peace to Qingwu Town, and avenge their fallen companions.
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