Translator: Cinder Translations
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Unlike the woman who should have been the focus, Chen Xiaomeng's attention was entirely drawn to Jiang Cheng. She stared at his profile in silence.
The sharpness he displayed after entering the room really caught her off guard. For a moment, she truly felt as though Jiang Cheng was an intruder, a ruthless thug who had come to kill and silence a woman.
In her nightmares, she had seen many vicious people. Most of them were driven mad by their tasks, but Jiang Cheng was different. The malice in him was innate.
She had no doubt that if the woman had shown any resistance, Jiang Cheng would have done exactly as he said—killing her with a knife or snapping her neck.
"Is the man from this afternoon still nearby?" Jiang Cheng asked.
The woman widened her terrified eyes, her lips trembling. It wasn't until Jiang Cheng loosened his grip slightly, allowing the woman to breathe, that she nodded vigorously, as though coming back to life.
"Is he someone sent by the village chief?"
The woman nodded again.
"Is anyone else at home besides you?"
The woman hesitated, then shook her head violently.
"Think carefully before you answer," Jiang Cheng's fingers tightened slowly.
To the woman, this young man, who looked decent, now appeared to be a devil.
His thin lips moved slightly, and every detail was reflected in her eyes. "If I find out you lied, the consequences will be dire."
Her pupils shook violently, and tears filled her eyes, but she still nodded, her gaze pleading.
"I will loosen my grip from now," Jiang Cheng said slowly, "but if you scream..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but he knew the woman understood.
Jiang Cheng gradually released his hold, and after a few seconds, he asked in a low voice, "Who else is in the house?"
"My daughter Hong Hong... and Hong Hong's grandmother," the woman replied.
When Jiang Cheng entered, he noticed another door in the room was blocked by a quilt. He glanced at it, then turned to the woman. "Are they in there?"
"Yes," she said, her face suddenly anxious, trying to add something but Jiang Cheng interrupted her.
He lowered his voice, "As long as you answer honestly, they won't be harmed."
The woman swallowed cautiously.
She looked young, probably around 30, but her complexion was poor—dark and yellowish, with noticeable crow's feet. Her hands were covered with frostbite, almost merging into patches.
The burden of life had weighed this poor woman down, especially in such a village.
After confirming that no one had been drawn to the earlier noise, Chen Xiaomeng approached. She kept her distance from Jiang Cheng, his behavior earlier making her uneasy.
"We have questions for your mother," Chen Xiaomeng said, staring into the woman's eyes.
The woman shook her head, sobbing softly, "You won't get anything out of her. My mother can't speak, her throat is damaged."
"She can write it down."
"My mother can't read."
Chen Xiaomeng took a deep breath, feeling her limited patience about to run out. Every minute they wasted here was another minute of danger. They still needed to hurry back to Anping Town, hoping to finish the task before the village chief and others figured out what was going on.
Sensing the change in Chen Xiaomeng and Jiang Cheng's expressions, the woman quickly spoke, "Wait, don't rush. I know what you're trying to ask. My mother has unintentionally revealed some things about that incident."
Chen Xiaomeng's eyes brightened: "You know what we want to ask?"
The woman sighed, glancing nervously out the window as if fearing eavesdroppers. "What else could it be? You're the pigs the village chief brought back, right? You're here about the ghost, aren't you?"
"Pigs?" Chen Xiaomeng asked curiously, "What does that mean?"
The woman pursed her lips, "It's a long story. There hasn't been a villager killed by a ghost for a long time. The ones who die are all outsiders like you, hired by the village chief for a high price. You people serve as shields for the village, and they call you 'pigs'—used as scapegoats."
Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. "Does everyone in the village know about this?"
"Yes," the woman nodded, but then noticed Jiang Cheng's changing expression and became nervous.
"I don't agree with what they're doing, and neither do some others, but... but there's nothing we can do. You saw this afternoon, the village chief controls us. We can't even contact you!"
"What do you know about the ghost?"
"The ghost is vicious, but only targets the Qian family, especially the men. The entire Qian family was almost wiped out by her," the woman said, her eyes darting around, and her voice turning strange. "They say the ghost's name is Zhao Xiangmei. She was a human trafficker who tricked women into coming to the village and was beaten to death. But..."
Chen Xiaomeng asked quickly, "But what?"
"But my mother says Zhao Xiangmei couldn't have written a blood letter before she died!" The woman looked up, her eyes clouded with doubt. "She said she knew Zhao Xiangmei and that she couldn't even read!"
Someone who couldn't read couldn't possibly have written a blood letter!
Jiang Cheng stared into the woman's eyes, a ripple of emotion passing through his calm gaze. "Your mother is...?"
The woman bit her lip and after a long pause, said in a heavy tone, "My mother was one of the 29 women Zhao Xiangmei trafficked."
The atmosphere in the room shifted abruptly.
"If your mother suspects Zhao Xiangmei isn't a ghost, then who does she think the ghost is?" Jiang Cheng asked.
"I don't know," the woman shook her head. "But it's definitely one of the 29 women."
"Not all 29 women were saved?" Chen Xiaomeng furrowed her brow. "Did someone die?"
The village chief had said all 29 women were rescued, but it seemed he hadn't told the whole truth.
"No," the woman said, giving Chen Xiaomeng a strange look. "All 29 women are alive."
Chen Xiaomeng widened her eyes.
But Jiang Cheng seemed to have figured something out. He stroked his chin and said to the woman, "Your mother suspects Zhao Xiangmei took the identity of one of the 29 women, escaping legal punishment. The woman whose identity was stolen became the scapegoat, and her parents—misled—beat her to death. Her resentment turned her into a ghost."
The woman was surprised. She hadn't expected this man to guess almost everything without her saying a word.
"Do you have any proof?" Jiang Cheng asked, raising his chin.
(End of the Chapter)
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