Chapter 96: Chapter 96: The Fall of the Goddess

The two of them picked up their pace, running through the pitch-black village.

The girls locked away in narrow rooms were unwilling to trust them at first, but soon, more and more wanted to escape…

Once freed, the girls stepped onto the dirt, their faces streaked with tears.

Lilia gripped Hou Xiaobei’s hand tightly. “That should be about all of them. Hou Xiaobei, didn’t you make a plan with Ya Lun? When is he coming to get us out of here?”

Hou Xiaobei spoke coolly, “Why do you ask about Ya Lun first? Are you in love with him?”

Lilia paused, then nodded, a shy expression appearing on her face.

The mere mention of his name brought a look of pure bliss to Lilia’s face. “Ya Lun and I grew up together. He’s the village’s Saint Heir. I see him as a god…

He’s gentle, kind, cheerful, and handsome. If he knew what happened to me, his heart would definitely ache for me!

Also, when I was very little, he said… he said he would marry me…”

Hou Xiaobei gave a sarcastic smile. “I’m so happy for you!”

Hou Xiaobei squeezed Lilia’s hand in return.

The other girls were still nearby. They didn’t dare to move too quickly, but their faces were filled with anticipation and the hope of a new life.

A blissful smile spread across Hou Xiaobei’s face.

The next moment, Hou Xiaobei suddenly shrieked, “Saint Heir! Priest! Come out! The Goddess is trying to run away with these women! They’re all here! Lock them up! Watch them closely! See if they dare to run again!”

Lilia’s eyes widened in shock. “Hou Xiaobei! You…!!”

Before Lilia could finish, a mob of villagers rushed out and surrounded them.

Ya Lun walked to Hou Xiaobei’s side and wrapped an arm intimately around her waist. “Good girl. I’ll get you out of here.”

Hou Xiaobei flashed a spiteful, triumphant smile. “These girls tried to escape. You’ll have to watch them carefully from now on.”

“No,” Ya Lun said casually. “It’s too much trouble to lock up the disobedient ones. The village has pig cages. Let’s just throw them in the river.”

In the thick, white fog of Mute Village, the girl stood silently by the river, a trace of sorrow on her face.

Before them was the long-tongued ghost, half her body submerged in the water.

The girl clapped her hands in realization. “In that case, you’re Hou Xiaobei!”

The long-tongued ghost stared at them blankly, not saying a word.

Shen Zhiyao suddenly spoke up. “This isn’t Hou Xiaobei. This is Lilia, the girl who was betrayed by her best friend and died a horrible death. She’s also the ghost…”

The long-tongued ghost, as if still not satisfied, continued speaking, “I can’t accept this… I really can’t… They stuffed me into a pig cage…”

“The pig cage was crammed with people. Hou Xiaobei stood on the riverbank, watching us and smiling…”

“The other girls wanted to claw their faces… but they couldn’t reach… and then… then they clawed my face… and they pulled out my tongue…”

As these tearful words faded, the ghost’s memories continued to awaken.

The female ghost, or rather, the long-tongued ghost, wept two lines of bloody tears.

Many years ago, torches burned by the river. Lilia was slashed multiple times with knives before being stuffed into a pig cage with the other girls and thrown into the water.

They struggled and screamed in agony, but could only watch helplessly as their lives slipped away.

The ghost spoke: “So… my death… was caused by my best friend… Now that I have my memories back, I should be sad, but why do I feel such bitterness? It’s so bitter I can’t bring myself to accept this truth…”

The ghost glanced at the girl and said, “Thank you!”

With that, the blood-soaked ghost said no more and submerged herself in the river.

As the story concluded, everyone in the livestream chat was a blubbering mess:

[Waaaah… Lilia is so pitiful! She was the Goddess, but she was tricked by her best friend and drowned to death…]

[Ahhhh—I don’t think ghosts are scary at all, people are the scary ones! I need to be on guard around my best friend now. What if she kills me…]

[No, no, no, that’s just an isolated case. It was her misfortune to be born in that era. You’re different; you were born in the best of times.]

[Lilia’s story is just too tragic! So pitiful! If I were Lilia, I’d be in complete despair!]

The girl spoke softly, “Host, is there any way to lessen her suffering? Can you help her soul pass on?”

Shen Zhiyao glanced at the cold surface of the lake. “Her soul has already scattered. There’s no need for that.”

As soon as Shen Zhiyao finished speaking, the fog in Mute Village began to disperse. The village brightened, and the resentful energy slowly started to fade.

[Whoa, you guys, look! The fog in the village is clearing up like crazy! Did the host do that? Oh my god! How did she do it from so far away!]

[Holy crap, I noticed that too! The host’s fingertips are glowing. Is that the light?]

[What is that light on your fingertips? I want it too!]

[I want it +1]

[+2]

[…]

[+10000]

Shen Zhiyao said, “This is an exorcism charm. It also offers protection. Tonight, I’m putting ten exorcism charms into the lucky bags. Go ahead and try to get one, as a thank you for all your long-term support!”

The viewers all expressed their thanks and swarmed to join the frenzy of snagging a lucky bag.

Getting one of these lucky bags was a long shot. There were 300,000 people watching the stream tonight, and the host was only giving out 10. Wasn’t that a one-in-thirty-thousand chance? You had to be fast!

The security guard, Old Zhang, was also in the stream, trying frantically to get one, but he failed.

He slapped his thigh in frustration. “Argh! I should’ve been faster! With an exorcism charm, I wouldn’t have to worry about attracting evil spirits at home anymore. Argh! Just not my lucky day!”

Jin Huai Zhong was speechless. ’Did I hire a competitor for myself, or did I find Shen Zhiyao a loyal fan?’

Shen Zhiyao limited the number precisely so they wouldn’t be misused. A quantity of 10 wasn’t many, so it wouldn’t be a big problem.

The girl, having had a firsthand experience with the exorcism charm’s power, was naturally grateful to Shen Zhiyao. She immediately sent a Douyin Number One and thanked her repeatedly.

Shen Zhiyao said, “Alright, you’ve all had your fill of the tea from the first story. Let’s connect with our second viewer.”

For the second consultation, Old Zhang, unsurprisingly, was not chosen.

He seemed very annoyed, yelling over and over, “My luck is so terrible! I can’t get picked at all!”

Jin Huai Zhong shouted, “Speak properly!”

Old Zhang jumped, only then realizing he was trying to win a slot for his boss. Even if he got it, he couldn’t just ask whatever he wanted.

Jin Huai Zhong pressed his throbbing temples and then called the manager of the tech department at the Douyin platform. “I need to get a lucky bag. I don’t care what your department has to do, just make sure you get this lucky bag for me!”

The tech department sounded hesitant. “Mr. Jin, this is a bit difficult to arrange.”

“Difficult or not, get it done! I don’t care what methods you use, you have to get me that lucky bag tonight, or your whole tech department is fired!”

For tonight’s stream, Jin Huai Zhong had specifically ordered the tech department to be on standby at the company.

His theory was that Shen Zhiyao was choosing who to connect with herself. The fact that they hadn’t been picked twice now only confirmed Jin Huai Zhong’s suspicion.

The second connection appeared quickly. It was a young woman wearing heavy makeup, staring intently at her phone screen. When her own face appeared, she cried out, “Ahhhh! I got picked! I finally got picked!”

Shen Zhiyao asked her routine question, “Nanbowan, what would you like to ask about?”

Nanbowan glanced toward the window, lowered her voice, and said mysteriously, “My residential complex… is haunted…”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep