"No, I won't," Hua Gu shook her head. "But my mother will." "Oh, and can she break curses?" "Heh, anyone who sets their own gu can break it. If it’s one set by someone else, that’s another story; it depends." "I see," I thought about telling her about my elder sister, wondering if her mother could help.

But the words caught in my throat, and I swallowed them back. My sister's life hung in the balance over the next few dozen hours; if they couldn't help and we wasted precious time, wouldn't that doom her? I steered the conversation toward Hua Jinlan.

At the mention of that name, her brow immediately furrowed, and every word she spoke became guarded. In the end, nothing was revealed beyond the fact that she raised gu in the mountains—exactly what Ah Li had told us. I sighed toward the heavens.

Who could tell me how to save my sister! Wang Jue patted my shoulder and said, "Don't lose heart, there must be a way. Someone will investigate last night's incident; we'll see what comes of it then." Just as he spoke, a noisy crowd approached from outside the courtyard.

As they drew near, we saw the Village Chief leaning on his cane at the very front—speak of the devil. "What happened last night?" he demanded, pointing his cane at us sitting on the threshold. The posture was infuriatingly arrogant.

Suppressing my anger, I replied, "I don't know the exact details, but it seems that person climbed out of the coffin and started hacking at everything with a sickle." "Hmm," he lowered his cane, pondering for a few seconds, then asked, "Did anything unusual happen in the mourning hall before that?" At his question, Wang Jue and I both felt a chill run down our spines. That tone—could it be that something similar had happened before? I tried to recall the scene clearly: Wang Jue was feverish and unconscious beside me.

What was it that made me look toward the door? Ah Li! Yes, it was Ah Li!

I was wondering if Ah Li would bring food, and as I leaned out the door to look, a black cat darted past. Immediately after, the scarred man stood up. "A black cat darted across the main hall.

After that, the uncle in the coffin stood up." "Black cat!" The crowd instantly erupted in murmurs. Wang Jue and I jolted again. "Quiet," the Village Chief raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop talking.

"You two come to my house. Hua Gu, clean this place up. Tonight, a few of us will go into the mountains to find Hua Jinlan." With that, the Village Chief limped out of the crowd, leaning on his cane, with Wang Jue and me following close behind.

Everyone along the path watched us. Leaving the courtyard, we took a few turns, winding our way to the Village Chief's house. It was clearly the home of a wealthy family: two stone lions guarded the entrance, a three-story Western-style house stood within the compound, the walls were covered in climbing loofah vines, and the branches of a cherry tree, heavy with fruit, stretched over the wall.

Such a beautiful villa would fetch three or four million in Xiangcheng. "Daddy..." As soon as we entered the yard, a little girl ran forward and threw herself into the Village Chief's arms. Wang Jue chuckled softly.

I smiled too. So Ah Li's father was the Village Chief. I hadn't expected this man, already in his twilight years, to have such a young daughter.

Well, the trend of old men with very young wives was certainly popular now, leading to children who looked like grandchildren. Men should wait until they were forty to find a twenty-year-old wife; only then could they buy a villa as lovely as this one. The Village Chief lovingly stroked Ah Li's head, leaned down with difficulty using his cane, and said to her, "Daddy needs to talk with these two uncles for a while.

Why don't you go play outside?"