For thirty years, he has roamed the Northeast, his divine might overwhelming all immortals under hea

After the incident of the corpse poisoning at Teacher Wang's house, the village was peaceful for a couple of months.

Grandpa Chen went from house to house instructing everyone that if any of their chickens, cats, dogs, or pigs died under mysterious circumstances, they should be taken outside the village and burned without a word, and not even the ashes should be brought home.

If anyone acts recklessly again, don't blame me, Old Chen, for turning against them.

Everyone was genuinely terrified. During that time, not even a single dead rat could be found in the village, and everyone was afraid of contracting the corpse poison.

My name, Li Shisan, has truly made a name for myself in Zhujiakan.

Before this, although everyone had witnessed my abilities, it was as if I had stumbled upon them by sheer luck.

But after what happened at Teacher Wang's house, whenever I went out on the street, whether it was a man carrying a hoe or a woman carrying a vegetable basket, they would bow and scrape to me from afar, calling me "Mr. Thirteen" repeatedly.

The eggs and millet in the house filled half of the kang (a heated brick bed), all of which were forced upon us by the villagers.

My father continued to smoke his pipe in silence. Although we no longer had to worry about food, my parents' faces showed even more worry.

My dad, in particular, never seemed to relax. Sometimes, while smoking, he would suddenly let out a long sigh, a sigh that seemed to release all the pent-up frustration in his heart.

I know what he's worried about.

It's just that it wasn't said out loud; perhaps that's the difference between a father and a mother.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, the corn cobs in the fields have grown firm and the air is filled with the scent of autumn harvest.

The large threshing ground at the south end of the village had long been cleaned up, just waiting for the crops to be harvested and piled up there.

After I finished offering incense and stepped out of the main room, I heard my father and mother arguing.

"Dad, if you ask me, Xiulian is a really good girl. She's pretty, can work, and most importantly, she has a big bottom and a thick waist, so she's sure to give birth to a boy. I'm hoping to hold my grandson."

"Let me tell you, don't mention this again."

My dad's voice suddenly rose eight octaves.

With a hint of anger.

"I'll get really angry if you bring it up again. That old Wang can decide to place an order whenever he wants and cancel it whenever he wants. What does he think our house is? His vegetable garden? He can do whatever he wants with it."

"Dad, is saving face really that important? More important than a good daughter-in-law? It would be such a waste if Xiulian married someone else. Look at all the kids in the village who are a year or two older than Thirteen, they're already running around everywhere. Even if they get engaged now, the wedding won't be until next year!"

"Hey, what's wrong with you? Did you take the wrong medicine today? You're so bored, always thinking about these useless things."

After my father finished speaking, he pushed the door open, and the door slammed against the wall with a loud "bang".

He bumped right into me; my dad's shoulders were strong, and the impact made me take two steps back.

"father!"

My father ignored me. His face was sullen, his mustache stood on end, and he walked out without looking back, still clutching his pipe in his hand, the pipe still emitting wisps of smoke.

He walked into the courtyard, found a stone stool to sit on, and started puffing away at his cigarette. The stuffy smoke seemed to permeate the stone stool itself.

"Thirteen, don't listen to your father."

My mother chased after me from inside the house and grabbed my hand. Her hand was a little rough, but it was very warm.

"I want to hear your opinion on your relationship with Xiulian. Xiulian is really a good person, and she's guaranteed to give birth to a boy. Besides, your Uncle Wang's family is a family that lives a good life, so how could Xiulian be bad?"

"Mother, let's figure out our relationship ourselves."

I gently withdrew my hand, my heart filled with mixed emotions.

"It's a fact that his family broke off the engagement; a forced marriage won't be happy. Besides, we don't know what Xiulian's own decision was."

"Oh, Mother just feels it's a pity."

My mother sighed deeply, her brows furrowing into a deep frown.

"Xiulian is such a good girl, so well-educated and reasonable. It's all her father's fault, that old Wang is such a snob! And your father, look at his stubborn temper, not even ten oxen could pull him back!"

My mother was extremely worried. As she spoke, she wiped her eyes with her sleeve, as if she had really suffered a great injustice.

"Mother, don't think about it anymore."

"No one can control matters of fate. It's all about destiny, isn't it? If you're destined to be together, you'll meet even if you're a thousand miles apart; if you're not, you won't meet even if you're face to face. As for Xiulian and me, maybe our time just hasn't come yet."

As I was comforting my mother, the front door was pushed open.

"Thirteen, is Thirteen at home?"

"They're here."

I stepped out of the house and saw that it was Brother Sanlu. He was still wearing a suit and leather shoes, but he was accompanied by a woman.

He was accompanied by a woman who wore a floral long dress made of polyester, a material only found in the city, which looked smooth and slippery.

Her fair skin stood out among the rural people, and she wore sunglasses that covered most of her face.

She was wearing a pair of spotless white leather shoes.

She was dressed very stylishly, like a lady who had stepped out of a magazine.

"Brother Sanlu, what brings you here?"

"Come in quickly."

I greeted him with a smile. Brother Sanlu had been busy with the construction of the factory at the site. It had been a long time since I last saw him ask me about Xiulian.

What's more, he brought a woman with him today.

"The three donkeys are here."

My mother came out too.

"Come inside and sit down."

"Hello, Auntie, I need to talk to Thirteen about something."

"Alright, you guys chat, I'll go get some tea."

"Auntie, you don't need to be so polite."

"Come on, Brother Sanlu, have a seat."

Brother Sanlu didn't introduce the woman next to him, so naturally I didn't ask.

I turned around and poured two bowls of water.

"Here, have some water. This is from our own well; it's cool and refreshing."

After everyone was seated, Brother Sanlu explained why he had come today.

"Thirteen, I've come today to ask you for a favor."

Brother Sanlu's tone was somewhat urgent.

"Beg me? Brother Sanlu, what's there to beg about? Just tell me what you need, and I'll do it if I can, and if I can't, I'll find a way."

I spoke firmly, and Brother Sanlv smiled, his expression seemingly much more relaxed.

"This is the woman next to me. She's the vice president of my company who came here with me to build the factory. Her name is Zhu Xiaoxiao. Something strange has happened to her recently. I can't really explain it. Why don't you let Xiaoxiao tell you?"

Brother Sanlu was still a little embarrassed to talk about it, which left me at a loss for what to do.

"Xiaoxiao, tell me, this is your own brother, a shaman from Zhujiakan, who can keep your secret."

Upon hearing the word "secret," I began to have some idea of ​​what was going on, after all, she was a woman, and she didn't look very old.

"Thirteen, something's wrong with this woman. She's carrying a ghost child."

Huang Dalang's voice suddenly rang out, startling me.

The bowl I was holding almost fell to the ground.

"What? A ghost child?"

My heart was in turmoil, but I kept a straight face.

"Well, you should ask her about the details. This ghost fetus has been in her womb for some time now."

My heart sank; the living person was harboring evil intentions.

A ghost fetus is an extremely yin entity.

Some infant spirits (evil spirits) seek out mothers and are born through living people; others are wandering ghosts that possess living people and are conceived through their wombs.

Once the ghost fetus is full-term and breaks out of the body, the living person becomes nothing more than an empty shell, their soul scattered, without even the chance to be reincarnated.

After all, to a ghost child, a living person is merely a vessel.

"Hello, Mr. Thirteen."

As I was lost in thought, Zhu Xiaoxiao took off her sunglasses, revealing a pale face.

Her eyes were large but lacked vitality; they were sunken, and her dark circles looked as if they had been painted with ink, making her resemble a giant panda.

I reckon that's why she wore sunglasses, afraid of being seen by others because of her dark circles.

Her lips were also bloodless, chapped and peeling, and she looked extremely haggard, which clashed with the stylish floral dress she was wearing.

"Hello!"

I steadied myself and tried to make my voice sound as calm as possible.

"Here's what happened."

Zhu Xiaoxiao's voice trembled slightly, and there was a hint of fear that she could not hide.

"I came here with General Manager Sun. We have different roles. He is mainly responsible for the construction of the factory, while I am mainly responsible for some logistical work, such as purchasing supplies and arranging accommodation for the workers. I rented a house in the county town, in the staff housing near the county hospital, and I live alone."

I glanced at Brother Sanlv, feeling a little dazed, but then I immediately remembered that Brother Sanlv's real name was Sun Youcai, and the "General Manager Sun" that Zhu Xiaoxiao mentioned must be Brother Sanlv.

"About two months ago, one night I got home quite late because of some reports. It was completely dark, and several of the streetlights were broken and flickering, which was quite scary."

Zhu Xiaoxiao swallowed and continued.

"As I was walking, I kept feeling like someone was following me. The feeling was very strong, like a pair of eyes were staring intently at my back, and it was chilling. I looked back many times, but each time there was nothing there, not even a ghost in the street. At the time, I thought I was just hallucinating because I was tired from working overtime, so I didn't pay much attention to it."

"I fell asleep incredibly quickly that night; I drifted off to sleep as soon as I lay down."

Zhu Xiaoxiao's voice grew softer and softer, and the fear on her face intensified.

"I don't know how much time passed, but I felt someone taking off my clothes. Those hands were very cold, like ice cubes. When they touched my skin, I shivered. I wanted to struggle and scream, but my body felt like it was filled with lead, so heavy that I couldn't move. My consciousness remained in a hazy state, like I was dreaming, or like I was awake."

"I feel like I'm just a puppet being manipulated, with no power to resist at all."

Zhu Xiaoxiao's tears flowed down, dripping onto her floral dress and spreading into a small water stain.

"That man then did that to me... His body was so cold, so cold that it chilled me to the bone. I could feel his presence, but I couldn't see his face. I tried to open my eyes to see who he was, but my eyelids felt like they were glued on, and I couldn't open them no matter what I did."

"It felt so real, so real that I thought I wasn't dreaming."

Zhu Xiaoxiao said, sobbing.

"He stayed on me for a long time, so long that I almost froze. As he left, I thought I heard him whisper something in my ear. He said... he said, 'Wait for me, we'll see each other soon.'"

"When I woke up the next day, it was already noon."

Zhu Xiaoxiao wiped away her tears, her voice still filled with fear.

"I immediately checked my clothes and found that they were still on, all the buttons were fastened neatly. I was relieved that it was just a nightmare, a very real nightmare. But when I lifted the covers, I found that the blankets beneath me were soaked, not with sweat, but with a cool dampness, as if they had just been pulled out of the water."

"I didn't think much of it at the time, so I took the blanket off and washed it."

"But ever since then, I've had this dream every night, and each time it's become more and more vivid. The coldness of his hands, the chill of his body, and the words he whispered in my ear are all etched into my mind, impossible to shake off."

"At first, I could manage to go to work, but later, I couldn't sleep well every night, and my energy during the day got worse and worse, and my complexion became more and more unpleasant."

"My colleagues all asked if I was sick, and I could only make up an excuse that I was too tired from working overtime lately. I didn't dare to see a doctor, afraid that people would notice something was wrong."

Three days ago, I realized my period hadn't come.

Zhu Xiaoxiao's voice suddenly rose a few decibels, carrying a hint of hysteria.

"I panicked immediately. My period was almost ten days late this month. I rushed to the county hospital for a checkup, and the doctor did an ultrasound and told me I was pregnant!"

"How could I possibly be pregnant!"

Zhu Xiaoxiao stood up excitedly, waving her hands.

"I've always lived alone here. Aside from work-related interactions, I've never had any intimate contact with any man! Mr. Sun can testify to that; he works with me and knows my every move!"

"I don't dare tell Mr. Sun either. This matter is too embarrassing and too bizarre."

Zhu Xiaoxiao sat down, her shoulders slumping.

"But later I just couldn't take it anymore. I was tormented by that nightmare every night, and I had to pretend to be calm and go to work during the day. I was on the verge of a breakdown. After thinking it over, I finally told Mr. Sun, because this couldn't go on."

After Zhu Xiaoxiao finished speaking, she took out a neatly folded piece of paper from her handbag and handed it to me.

That was a diagnosis certificate issued by the hospital, which clearly stated: early pregnancy, five weeks.

After Zhu Xiaoxiao finished speaking, she put her sunglasses back on, as if she didn't want me to see her face, which was filled with fear and exhaustion.

"Thirteen, take a look at this matter..."

Brother Sanlu looked at me with eyes full of expectation and anxiety.

"I'm Xiaoxiao's boss, and Xiaoxiao is also my friend. It's not easy for her, a city girl, to come to this poor, remote place. You must help her!"

"Um………"

I pondered, gently tapping my thigh with my fingers.

This matter is extremely troublesome. The ghost fetus is not like an ordinary evil spirit; it has already become connected to Zhu Xiaoxiao's body. If we are not careful, it could cost Zhu Xiaoxiao her life.

I need to think of a solution carefully; I can't act rashly.

"Brother Sanlu, come here for a second."