C3 Life Continuing

Glancing around anxiously in the faint moonlight, I hadn't noticed when the dead infant had positioned himself behind me. His gaze was locked onto me, while his small, bruised hand pointed to the ground.

What could this mean? Was it possible?

I unearthed the ground beneath the infant's feet and to my horror, discovered another body—a five-year-old child.

Isn't that Mrs. Lin's little boy?

A year ago, Mrs. Lin's child vanished. We all believed he had been swept away and drowned by the river, but we never imagined...

Rooted to the spot, my shock and fear prevented me from sensing the creeping danger behind me. By the time I regained my composure, a tall shadow had materialized on the ground.

It was too late when I finally reacted. A sinister laugh echoed from behind, followed by a forceful blow to the back of my neck. Darkness enveloped me as I lost consciousness.

Upon awakening, I found myself bound in a gloomy, damp warehouse. It was still dark outside, and two figures sat indistinctly beside an oil lamp.

"Sunn Youde, what are you doing?" I exclaimed in alarm, noticing Sunn Youde with a silver needle in his hand, a sharp knife, and other ominous tools arrayed before him.

"What do you think? Hehe," Sunn Youde replied, his son, Sunn Xingwang, chuckling as he shook a glass jar in his hand.

"This... Is this jar filled with mercury?" I gasped, the realization of their intentions slowly dawning on me.

"Changsheng, I never expected you to come to me willingly. I've been wondering where I could find a child born in the Yin year, Yin month, and Yin hour," Sunn Youde taunted, advancing towards me with the sharp Xiaodao in his grasp.

"You... You're actually using ghosts to extend your lives! Help, somebody help me!" I screamed, but Sunn Xingwang swiftly silenced me. The vile father and son exchanged smiles as the gleaming Xiaodao pierced my flesh. Blood streamed down my arm, the pain forcing a grimace from me.

Just then, the warehouse door burst open, revealing a line of eerie paper effigies. These figures bore an uncanny resemblance to Big Brother Dazhuang, the male infant, and little fatty—all victims of the Sunn family's malevolent deeds.

The sudden appearance of these 'phantoms' sent the father and son duo running in sheer terror, but I quietly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that my foster father had arrived.

The Sunn father and son had committed countless misdeeds and were now frightened off by mere paper effigies, their guilty consciences getting the better of them. Meanwhile, my foster father seized the moment to rush in and rescue me.

We quickly fled the Sunn family's ancestral home. Despite my foster father's slender frame, he possessed remarkable strength. He was carrying two bodies with him—the dead infant and the deceased chubby child.

Watching my foster father's face shift between expressions, I felt a pang of guilt and was at a loss for words. But he didn't reproach me; instead, he spoke calmly, "Changsheng, burn these two bodies. Afterwards, we'll leave this village under the cover of night."

"Father, with your skills, why fear them? We could..." I began, but he cut me off with a furrowed brow, "No, there's surely someone powerful backing the Sunn father and son. We've ended Sunn Xingwang's life; Sunn Youde won't rest until he's avenged."

Once home, I quickly dressed my wounds and we found gasoline to burn the bodies. The moment the fire ignited, the corpses burst into a blue-purple blaze.

I could just make out what seemed to be two dark shadows drifting away from the burning remains.

Soon after, blood-curdling screams, like those of a pig being slaughtered, echoed from the Sunn family's old mansion. A cold smile crossed my lips; the Sunn father and son were finally facing their comeuppance.

"Father, it looks like the father and son are being haunted. I'll sneak over for a closer look. Maybe we won't need to leave the village after all," I exclaimed excitedly.

My foster father, his brow tightly knit, gazed at the crimson glow over the Sunn family's mansion and gave a noncommittal nod.

I hurried to the edge of the mansion and peered over the wall into the courtyard. There, I saw Sunn Xingwang, frothing at the mouth and his skin turned purple, as if possessed, lunging at any living creature to tear and bite.

A nauseating stench of blood permeated the air. Sunn Xingwang was found gnawing on their family's guard dog. His shackles were gone, a clear sign that he was no longer among the living.

"Get the master here, now! Hurry!" Sunn Youde yelled to those nearby, but one of them was fixated on something behind Sunn Youde, crying out in terror, "Second Uncle, watch out!"

The possessed Sunn Xingwang lunged at his own father, savagely biting off his ear. He chewed it briefly before spitting it out onto the ground, then, with his mouth dripping with fresh blood, he lunged for Sunn Youde's throat.

Despite the perverse satisfaction of seeing such a vile father and son turn on each other, the scene was excessively gruesome and horrifying. I couldn't bear to watch any longer.

Crouching down, I took a deep breath, hoping that with the demise of the Sunn father and son, Ms. Xiaofeng would finally escape the evil that had ensnared her.

Not daring to linger, I quickly got to my feet and ran towards home. But I hadn't gone far when I collided with a Taoist dressed in a green robe.