Wanniang was dead.
Wang Fugui hadn't expected Qu Wan to be so resolute; she had hanged herself in the cell the very next day.
By the time he heard the news and rushed to collect the body, Qu Wan had already drawn her last breath. The people at the yamen had given the Qu family enough face; no one had touched Qu Wan's remains, and the coroner had even covered the body with a white cloth to preserve her dignity.
Wang Fugui held Qu Wan's corpse and wept bitterly.
He couldn't understand it. Why was Qu Wan willing to die rather than bow her head to him?
He had already made the arrangements; as long as Qu Wan was willing to hand over the immortal treasure, she could have lived. He hadn't originally intended to drive her to her death. Qu Wan's temperament was too fierce, and she had been pampered by Master Qu and Madam Qu since childhood. If she didn't suffer a bit and bear a tarnished reputation, she would never have settled down to live a proper life with him.
Holding the woman's ice-cold corpse, Wang Fugui pondered for a long time, yet he still didn't understand why Qu Wan chose death.
In the dim, cramped cell, a faint light flickered against the wall. From the corners came the occasional "rustle" of slithering snakes and scurrying vermin, making it feel as if he had returned to those years past.
Wang Fugui's mind was a bit hazy, but he could vaguely discern that he was dreaming. Since it was a dream, there was nothing to fear.
Over the years, Qu Wan had often entered his dreams, always staring at him with that face that refused to close its eyes in death, yet she could never do anything to him.
“Are you resentful that I haven't come down to accompany you yet? Wanniang, don't be in such a hurry. I'm slowly growing old too; two of my teeth have come loose recently. As the old saying goes, ‘When a person ages, their teeth loosen first.’ By the time I go down to see you, most of the teeth in my mouth will probably have fallen out completely.”
Wang Fugui looked at the corpse in his arms, stroking the woman's face through the cloth and sighing softly:
“All these years, I've constantly dreamed of you, yet you refuse to speak to me. You're just like you were before, always looking down on me, despising me for being a poor boy with no father or mother. But since ancient times, women are meant to be submissive and virtuous, serving their husbands and teaching their children. I didn't originally want to kill you; I only thought to teach you a lesson.”
“I had already found a scapegoat; the confessions, petitions, and witnesses were all prepared. If you had only begged me and said a few soft words, I would have testified that the mineral poison in the wine was planted by my master. But why were you so stubborn? You wouldn't even say a single soft word to me.”
“Look at you now. Nothing but a pile of dirt, without even an intact corpse to call your own.”
At this point, Wang Fugui began to laugh, looking immensely proud. “My Wang family now owns ten restaurants and eleven distilleries. The brand of ‘Immortal Brew’ has even reached Dongjing. I've done far better than when you were around.”
“My son, Wang Chen, became a scholar at a young age and even married the daughter of Lord Qi's maternal uncle from the Northwest Circuit Bureau of Military Affairs. His future is bound to be brilliant, and his path in officialdom will be smooth. If I didn't still hold onto the past and couldn't stop worrying about you, I would have taken my wife and children to Dongjing to enjoy a life of luxury long ago.”
The white cloth covering the corpse's face began to rise and fall slowly, though whether it was moved by the wind or something else was unclear.
“Hehehe, they say when a person dies, their lamp goes out. Even if you've become a ghost, you still have that same temperament—stubborn and arrogant. You get upset just because I said a few words.”
Wang Fugui stroked the female corpse's face as if whispering sweet nothings to a lover. “When you died back then, I invited an exorcist to take a look. This distillery's layout was arranged according to his instructions, and the furnishings in the house are all plastered with ghost-dispelling talismans. That's why you can't get in and can't find me.”
“However, that worm is indeed a treasure left by an immortal; it's a bit tricky to handle... But you needn't worry, I already have a good way to deal with it...”
Wang Fugui prattled on, talking to himself for quite a while before he finally noticed something was wrong. Why was this dream so long?
He felt his arms suddenly become empty; the female corpse had vanished, and the surrounding jail cell had also disappeared. In its place were the familiar furnishings of his bedroom.
Was the dream over?
Wang Fugui opened his eyes in a daze, but before he could speak, he was bound by something snake-like and hoisted straight up to the ceiling beam!
“!! Mmph! Mmph!”
His world spun as he was left dangling. The immense pressure on his neck made it impossible for Wang Fugui to speak, and his skin, which had been pampered for years, was scraped bloody by the hemp rope—
He began to struggle, his feet kicking in the air. A boundless sense of suffocation washed over him; he couldn't even make a sound to call for help!
This wasn't a dream!
Someone!
Someone!!
Wife, save me!!
Wang Fugui saw Madam Wang, who had shared his bed for decades, lying on her side and sleeping soundly, seemingly hearing nothing at all.
Outside the room, the night-watch servant took advantage of the downtime to gossip with a companion. It was as if a wall stood between the inside and outside of the door; not a single sound could escape.
Saliva poured from Wang Fugui's mouth, and because of his extreme terror, large tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes.
Who was it?
Who?!
Who wanted to harm him!
He could give money!
He had so much money!
He couldn't die!!
“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!”
Wang Fugui was now fully awake, desperately clawing at the hemp rope around his neck, his fingers digging into his skin until they left bloody gashes!
The hemp rope tightened bit by bit. His eyes began to fill with blood, his eyeballs bulging as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. His tongue felt numb, and waves of pressure surged from his back to the back of his head, reaching straight for his brow!
Drip... drip...
His snow-white undergarments were stained by a yellow liquid, which fell to the floor and gathered into a small puddle on the expensive Persian carpet.
Scenes from the past flashed before his eyes. In utter despair, Wang Fugui unconsciously began to pray to the Buddha:
Bodhisattva! Lord Buddha!
Heavens above!
No matter which deity it was, if he could be saved today, he would surely offer a great reward in the future!
Unexpectedly, the hemp rope around his neck seemed to possess a life of its own and slowly loosened—
“Mmph, mmph!”
Seeing a glimmer of hope, Wang Fugui was overjoyed.
He kicked his legs frantically, struggling to escape from the rope. Whether it was the protection of the heavens or if his time truly hadn't come, he actually managed to break free!
Thud!
Wang Fugui's entire body hit the floor with a loud crash.
He was in a wretched state now, covered in tears, snot, and filth; there was nothing dignified about him.
But no one noticed anything unusual in the room. Madam Wang remained fast asleep, and the servants waiting outside the door were still chatting and laughing.
Exhausted in mind and spirit, Wang Fugui was just about to call for help when he turned his head and suddenly found himself face-to-face with another person.
It was a face that was both familiar and strange. Fox-like eyes, a pointed chin, and delicate cherry-red lips.
Her complexion was deathly pale, and on that stark white face, her pitch-black eyes—lacking even a hint of white—were wide open. Around her neck was a deep, purplish-blue bruise that went down to the bone.
She began to smile at Wang Fugui.
“Wang Fugui, why did you kill me?”
“Wang Fugui, why did you kill me?”
“Wang Fugui, why did you kill me?”
Wanniang.
It was Wanniang's face.
A thunderclap seemed to explode in Wang Fugui's mind, striking him like a bolt from the blue. He felt as if his internal organs had been soaked in bitter wine and ruthlessly mangled together!
Before he could answer, the hemp rope slithered over like a snake again, quietly coiling around Wang Fugui's neck.
“Shh, don't scream. I won't let you die so quickly.”
Wanniang gently stroked Wang Fugui's neck, her icy fingers brushing over his eyes. Her sharp, long nails descended, ruthlessly carving out five bloody furrows:
“In these thirty years, I haven't spent a single moment without thinking of you—my dear husband. Everyone says you are honest and loyal, a worthy son-in-law, yet it turns out you have the heart of a jackal and the soul of a wolf.”
She laughed, and the long tongue hanging before her chest began to sway, thrusting violently toward Wang Fugui's chest:
“Then let me dig it out and see if that black heart and liver of yours are truly rotten...”
Wang Fugui's eyes widened. He no longer had the strength to struggle and could only watch as the female ghost's long tongue drew closer and closer to his heart...
As a sharp pain struck, he didn't even have time to catch his breath before he fainted from the agony.
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