C2 Identifying Yin and Yang

After I had buried the coffin, I left the eerie graveyard behind. The little courage I had mustered up was now slowly ebbing away, especially considering the sinister and malevolent deeds the father and son duo of the Sunn family were orchestrating in secret.

Fear wasn't the only thing gnawing at me; I was also deeply concerned that I wouldn't stand a chance against these bullies on my own.

Feeling deflated, I trudged along the path home, my spirits low. As I passed by a cornfield, I caught sight of two familiar silhouettes.

What are the odds!

I furrowed my brow. One was Sunn Youde, and the other, to my surprise, was Ms. Xiaofeng's father. They were tucked away behind the cornstalks, engaged in a hushed conversation.

I crept closer, initially thinking Sunn Youde was planning to discreetly offer Ms. Xiaofeng's family some money to settle the issue quietly. But the truth was far from what I had imagined!

I could hardly believe my ears. The very person who had thrust Ms. Xiaofeng into this nightmare was her own father! He had drugged her and delivered her into the hands of the Sunn family.

Ms. Xiaofeng's father, clutching a wad of cash, walked off humming a tune, leaving me in shock. They had arranged for Ms. Xiaofeng to be delivered to the Sunn family's old mansion the following night.

At fifteen, I was faced with the harrowing reality of human nature's dark side, and little did I know, this was merely the beginning...

I clenched my fists. I couldn't let these monsters harm the innocent and kind-hearted Ms. Xiaofeng any further.

With the fiery courage of a young bull, I resolved to sneak into the Sunn family's old mansion under the cover of night. But first, I needed to head home to get ready.

As fate would have it, as I passed by the Sunn family's old residence, I spotted Sunn Xingwang, a man in his twenties, standing at the gate.

I froze, staring at him in disbelief.

"Hey kid, what are you gawking at? You see something on my face?" Sunn Xingwang barked.

"There's a ghost behind you!" I retorted coldly, my gaze fixed on him.

"Damn you, cursing me? You little curse-bringer! I'll beat you to a pulp!" Sunn Xingwang threatened, grabbing a broom from beside the door.

I let out a cold laugh and quickly ran off. Sunn Xingwang didn't pursue me; he was too busy looking over his shoulder with a guilty conscience.

What I had said was the truth. Although I can't see actual ghosts, I can discern the Yin and Yang shackles on people. The chains on Sunn Xingwang were alarmingly short, indicating his imminent death. But what truly terrified me was the sight of an infant with a ghastly green complexion and bloodied eyes holding the end of the iron chain.

This revelation left me both shocked and bewildered. Earlier that evening, when Sunn Xingwang and his father had defiled Ms. Xiaofeng, his life shackles had seemed quite long. How could they have shortened so drastically all of a sudden?

It made me recall the bizarre events that had unfolded around Sunn Xingwang three years prior, though the circumstances were completely reversed then. Back then, the chains behind Sunn Xingwang had been shrinking, signaling his approaching death, yet overnight, they inexplicably lengthened.

Was it possible that what Big Brother Dazhuang had told me after his death was true? Were the Sunn family really sustaining Sunn Xingwang's life by nurturing a ghost?

Just two nights ago, Big Brother Dazhuang had unearthed the corpse of an infant in the Sunn family's old house's courtyard, only to be murdered by Sunn Xingwang and his father. Before his death, Big Brother Dazhuang confronted them about why they wanted to kill him. They confessed without reservation, convinced that the dead tell no tales...

After returning home, I quickly ate and then sat in silence, waiting for the deep of night to arrive.

The old wall clock struck eleven, and with the village and its animals asleep, I stealthily slipped out of the yard with only a shovel in hand.

In the dead of night, I arrived at the Sunn family's old house and stealthily climbed into the courtyard. Locating the old wall Big Brother Dazhuang had mentioned, I began to dig.

My heart pounded as I felt an unmistakable presence of Yin Qi below. Soon enough, I uncovered the infant's corpse, buried in the earth. The body was unnaturally preserved, its skin a dark, purplish hue, emitting a peculiar and eerie stench of decay.

A chill ran through me. It appeared that Big Brother Dazhuang was right; the dead baby hadn't decayed because its body was filled with mercury. Could it be that Sunn Youde had used the dead infant to extend his son's life?

If that were the case, would Sunn Xingwang perish tonight if I took the dead baby and secretly cremated it? Could Ms. Xiaofeng then break free from the grasp of the Sunn father and son?

With these thoughts, I swallowed hard and gathered the courage to unearth the eerie dead infant. But just then, the door to the wing of the Sunn family's old house creaked open, and someone emerged.

My heart skipped a beat. I didn't get a chance to see who it was before I quickly ducked into a corner, only to watch a shadowy figure make their way into the outhouse.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I was ready to take the dead infant and make a swift exit. But to my horror, when I looked down, the infant had vanished...