I never expected that Little Confused and the girl in ancient clothing would start fighting as soon as they met. The two of them seemed like natural enemies, like water and fire could never coexist.
However, what surprised me was that after fighting for a while, they suddenly turned around and charged towards me together.
I was sitting on a stone platform, and I immediately realized that I was about to be dragged into the fight. But before I could react, they grabbed one of my hands each and pulled me down to the ground.
"Let go of Yiwen, he's mine!" Little Confused screamed, her face covered in mud and sand, her eyes shining with a green light as she dragged me towards her.
At the same time, the girl in ancient clothing coldly snorted, "I've been waiting for hundreds of years for this opportunity. You won't be able to take him away from me. Let him go!"
I was puzzled by the girl's words and took a closer look at her. Her eyebrows were lush and green, giving her a somewhat heroic appearance that made her look like a boy instead of a girl.
Just as I was wondering what she meant, I felt my hands being pulled apart, my joints creaking painfully. I broke out in a cold sweat, wanting to scream and make them stop, but my body wouldn't obey me, and I couldn't utter a word.
In this situation, I felt like a piece of cloth being torn apart by two strongmen. I don't know why, but my body had become elastic, and I felt my arms being stretched longer and my body becoming wider, making me look like a monster.
Despite this, the two little demons seemed determined to keep going, grinding their teeth and pulling at me with all their might, as if they were intent on tearing me in half.
The tearing sensation grew stronger and I could hear the sound of my flesh and bones being ripped apart. The pain was unbearable and I finally understood what it meant to be "disemboweled by five horses". I guess those people who were executed by being torn apart by horses in ancient times must have felt the same as I do now.
A fear of death rushed over me, and I felt like I was going to be torn to pieces by the two little ghosts. Although they were tearing at my soul, it still caused me immense pain, and if my soul were truly torn apart, I would surely not survive.
I realized that I was dreaming at this point, but I couldn't control my dreams. I remembered something my grandmother had told me, that if I had a nightmare like this, I should recite the Diamond Sutra and the Great Compassion Mantra in my mind, and I would turn bad luck into good.
Desperate, I resorted to this and started reciting the Diamond Sutra. To my surprise, it worked. I felt a bright light descend from the sky, enveloping me and filling me with strength. I managed to break free from the two little ghosts' grasp and escape.
When I turned to look, I saw that Xiao Hutu had already fled, but the little girl in ancient clothes was still standing calmly by the well, watching me.
"Who are you? Why did you attach yourself to me? What's your name?" I asked the little girl.
"My name is Yun Qingyue," the little girl said, looking at me with red light flickering in her eyes.
"What do you want?" I asked her in confusion.
"I'm helping you," the little girl replied.
I was taken aback and was about to ask her more questions when suddenly a rooster crowed in the distance.
Hearing the rooster crow, Yun Qingyue sighed and said, "It's dawn. This opportunity has been missed again."
"What opportunity? Explain yourself!" I looked at her, furrowing my brow.
"Hmph, you'll understand sooner or later," Yun Qingyue sneered, looking at me. "Because you will belong to me sooner or later!"
"Nonsense, you little ghost!" I rushed towards Yun Qingyue, but my foot suddenly tripped, and I fell forward. Then, I woke up from the dream.
When I woke up, I found that it was already light outside and I felt much better. It seemed that the high fever had subsided, which I attributed to the power of the Diamond Sutra and the Great Compassion Mantra.
For this reason, I sat on the bed and recited the Diamond Sutra a few more times before getting up. My mother and grandmother had already started making breakfast, and Xiaoying had arrived early, probably wanting to play with me. However, Xiaoying's first question to me was whether I was leaving.
This reminded me that I had been at my grandmother's house for three days, which was the time we had agreed with Baixinghua. After that, my mother and I would be returning home. I felt a bit reluctant to leave, as my home was far from my grandmother's house and I rarely got to visit. I was surprised that Xiaoying knew I was leaving, but she told me that my mother had informed her.
"Cousin, can't you stay a few more days? You haven't taken me to catch crayfish yet," Xiaoying said, sounding a bit disappointed.
I also felt a bit sad, and told her that I would come to see her again in the future. Xiaoying pouted and looked aggrieved, which made me feel helpless. Fortunately, my mother came in at this time and told me to wash up and prepare to eat, so I took the opportunity to escape.
When I went out to the courtyard and saw the well and the green stone platform beside it, I couldn't help feeling uneasy, worrying that Yun Qingyue might suddenly crawl out of the well.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and I finished washing up and had breakfast. Afterward, my mother took me and we set off. My grandmother and Xiaoying accompanied us all the way to the village entrance.
As we were about to leave, a figure suddenly appeared from the trees by the roadside. When I looked closer, I realized it was Jietou.
"Jietou, what are you doing here?" I was inexplicably excited to see Jietou.
"I'm giving you this," Jietou came over and handed me a heart-shaped pendant made of red string. "This is a Zhuso. I've been wearing it since I was born. It can ward off evil spirits. You can have it. Also, I can't help you steal that thing, so this is all I can do. I hope you'll be safe."
"Thank you," I tightly held the Zhuso and looked at Jietou with a sense of gratitude. I knew he really couldn't help me steal the Purple Blood Jade, so I didn't blame him.
I put the Zhuso on my neck and Jietou nodded in satisfaction before running away.