Chapter Nine: The Madwoman

The power of the Filial Ghost was likely terrifying.

Chu Tiange had drunk the ghost tea brewed by the old woman, and under the nether chill, not a single anomaly on his body could be detected. Moreover, despite the presence of three ghosts here, the Filial Ghost dared to ignore them and enter the room directly, proving its strength was far more dreadful than theirs.

Such a ghost, coming to claim a life—unless Lu Shiqi emerged from the coffin, Chu Tiange was certainly doomed.

Soon, Chu Tiange reached the front yard, where he saw the old woman carrying a wooden basin out from the kitchen. She noticed his gaze, her expression changing abruptly, and hurriedly retreated back inside.

“What’s going on? These two ghosts look at me as if they've seen a ghost themselves. How strange.” Chu Tiange walked out of the residence, utterly puzzled.

The morning wind was chilly on his face; the town was quiet, with only the occasional bark of a dog or crow of a rooster breaking the silence. Everything seemed normal, nothing on the street appeared changed, yet Chu Tiange knew that after last night, something had certainly shifted.

He wandered the town, confirming at least one thing: the hour of the rabbit was safe.

This mountain town was small—one could as well call it a large village, composed of seven or eight smaller hamlets. It took about half an hour for Chu Tiange to map out its terrain and the layout of the villages.

The eight hamlets bore the surnames Wang, Zhao, Li, Sun, Qian, Zhang, Ji, and Jia, all clustered around the central market square.

Every household had white silk draped over their doors. Clearly, someone had died not long ago—and it seemed to have been a collective passing.

As daylight gradually brightened, the sun rose but was blocked by the mountains. Chu Tiange returned to the town center, where only a single shop stood along the street.

Now, pedestrians began to appear in succession. There was but one breakfast shop in the entire mountain settlement. Oddly, even at six o’clock—the hour of the rabbit—no smoke rose from any household chimneys. Instead, everyone came to this shop for breakfast.

Chu Tiange spotted the old man he’d met the previous night among the customers.

The old man saw him too, holding a bun and walking over.

“Young brother, where did you go last night? Old Ma searched high and low for you.”

“Last night, I happened to run into Uncle Sangui. I wanted to bid you farewell, but when I turned around, you were gone. My apologies,” Chu Tiange replied with a smile.

“So that’s how it was.” The old man nodded, warmly offering the bun in his hand. “Have a taste of our town’s buns. We may not be wealthy, but the one good thing is, these buns are free. Try one—they’re made from pork slaughtered early this morning, delicious and fragrant. Once you taste it, you’ll be dreaming about it tonight!”

The bun must be quite tasty; Chu Tiange noticed everyone who entered the shop was eating with oily lips, especially the old man, whose neck tumor was glistening with grease.

As Chu Tiange reached for the bun, a pungent, bloody odor assailed him. Suddenly, a pair of hands as pale as paper appeared before his eyes.

“Hehehe, white and plump, rosy and lovely, what a good child. This bun is for baby to eat.”

A woman snatched the bun away, crazed and laughing, and threw it into a corner of the shop, where a black cat crouched.

“You mad woman, let me beat you to death!” The old man’s face turned ferocious at the sight of her, as if he truly meant murder.

“Hehehe, eat the bun~~ White and plump. Cat eats the plump.”

The woman ran off, giggling.

The commotion drew many eyes. Everyone stopped eating, turning their heads in unison like puppets to stare at Chu Tiange and the old man. Their pupils held not a single trace of emotion.

Chu Tiange frowned, watching the direction the woman left. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the black cat grab the bun and, in a few bites, devoured half of it.

A piece of meat caught Chu Tiange’s attention—it was shaped like a chrysanthemum, resembling a human's rear.

“Damn it, next time I’ll beat that mad woman to death,” the old man spat thick phlegm onto the ground, his tone venomous.

“Let it go, it’s just a bun,” Chu Tiange said calmly.

“Such a pity for that good piece of meat.” The old man looked at the bun, now nearly gone thanks to the cat, with regret. “Never mind, young brother, wait here, I’ll fetch you some more buns.”

Chu Tiange did not refuse.

The old man wrapped several buns in paper and handed them over.

“Thank you, sir. May your business prosper. I’ll take these back and eat with Uncle Sangui,” Chu Tiange said, bowing in thanks.

“Heh, once you’ve tasted them you’ll know I’m no liar—you’ll be dreaming about them tonight,” the old farmer beamed, reminding him, “Be sure to eat them!”

“By the way, judging from your hands, you must be a butcher?” Chu Tiange asked as he was about to leave, suddenly recalling something.

“Sharp eyes, you saw right through me. Old Ma’s indeed a butcher. I believe in Buddha, strive to do good deeds, so the buns are free. It’s charity, a bit of virtue,” the old man replied with a smile.

“Doing good is admirable. Looks like I should learn from you and accumulate some virtue myself.” With that, Chu Tiange turned and left.

He ducked into a side alley, cursing under his breath.

“Virtue, my foot!”

“Hehehe.”

As Chu Tiange muttered, a chilling giggle echoed from the alley.

Rather than fear, Chu Tiange looked directly toward the sound.

The red-clad, disheveled woman stood at the end of the alley, grinning as she watched him.

It was the madwoman he’d encountered at the mountain town’s entrance.

“Are you waiting for me?”

The townsfolk seemed utterly abnormal, devoid of emotion. By comparison, this madwoman was almost more normal.

“Buns… can’t eat… if you eat, you’ll ascend to heaven!”

She muttered as she ambled toward Chu Tiange, dancing an erratic jig.

Chu Tiange watched her approach, and when she drew near, he finally spoke: “It’s almost the hour of the dragon. If you can understand me, wait here at the hour of the rooster. I can help you with anything, even leave this place. But in return, you must help me with something.”

In the funeral of the Filial Son, key figures included Ma the butcher and the Great Filial Son.

And the madwoman, if his guess was right, was the bride brought into the family by the Great Filial Son.

Suddenly, the madwoman pressed her face close to Chu Tiange’s, her eyes glinting with an eerie light that made his skin crawl.

She stared intently at him, lips curling into a sinister smile.

“Good child, tonight I’ll bring you to the bridal chamber,” she whispered in his ear, her voice like a murmur from the depths of hell.

With that, she turned and ran toward the corner, vanishing into the darkness like a shadow.

Chu Tiange looked up, seeing the clouds part slowly overhead. A streak of golden dawn spilled through, bathing the mountain town in a golden hue.

Soon, the sun would rise.

During the day, except for the hour of the rabbit, the sun could not be seen.

Chu Tiange hurried back to the residence. When he pushed open the gate, two greedy ghosts were staring hungrily at him.