Chapter Twenty: Something Happened (Part Two)

"I told you I wouldn't harm him. Now do you believe me?" The Third Aunt glanced at Lin Ran, who could wake up at any moment, then turned to Guo Ting as she spoke.

With that, the Third Aunt reached above Guo Ting’s head and pulled off a tuft of something furry, like the tail of some small animal, no longer than a finger joint. The moment that furry thing was taken away, Guo Ting found she could move freely again.

Guo Ting’s large eyes flashed with anger as she glared at the Third Aunt. The Third Aunt met her murderous gaze with a shake of her head and a faint smile; women, she thought, really know how to hold a grudge.

Just as the Third Aunt turned to leave, Guo Ting, without warning, reached out to grab her shoulder, wanting to teach this sly and sarcastic man a lesson. But just as her hand was about to touch the Third Aunt’s shoulder, something unbelievable happened—the Third Aunt, as if she had eyes in the back of her head, shifted her body slightly and avoided Guo Ting’s grasp.

Guo Ting was startled for a moment but quickly recovered. Her outstretched arm swept sideways, aiming directly for the Third Aunt’s neck. A flicker of surprise crossed the Third Aunt’s eyes; she hadn’t expected this young girl to react so quickly. Smiling slightly, the Third Aunt slid to the right in a strange, fluid motion and dodged again.

"How is that possible?" Guo Ting stared at the Third Aunt in disbelief. She’d never seen anyone move like that.

"Stubborn girl, don’t think I hesitate to deal with you just because you’re a yin-blooded woman! An unawakened yin-blood like you—I could crush you as easily as an ant!" The Third Aunt’s eyes flashed green like those of a wild beast, emanating a chilling and intimidating light.

"Guo Ting! Enough of this nonsense!" At that moment, Lin Ran woke up.

"Lin Ran! You’re awake!" Guo Ting hurried to his side and helped him sit up. In that instant, the Third Aunt’s eyes returned to normal.

"Third Aunt, you’re here!" Lin Ran looked at the strange middle-aged man before him, unsure of how to describe the odd feeling in his heart. Just a few days ago, he had looked down on this folk shaman, but now she had just saved his life.

The Third Aunt looked at Lin Ran with a kindly smile and nodded.

For a moment, Lin Ran didn’t know what to say. Everything that had happened in the past few days was simply too unbelievable.

"Oh, right, Ran! Where is the jade I gave you?" The Third Aunt suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

"It broke," Lin Ran said quietly after a pause.

"It broke? How did that happen?" the Third Aunt asked.

Lin Ran hesitated for a moment, then told her everything that had happened over the past few days. He knew that if he wanted to get rid of whatever was haunting that villa, only the Third Aunt could help him. So he held nothing back.

"You’re sure you saw it?" the Third Aunt asked, frowning slightly after hearing his account.

"Yes," Lin Ran replied with certainty.

"I saw it too!" Guo Ting chimed in beside him. The memory of that day was still vivid in her mind.

"Third Aunt, was that thing a ghost?" Lin Ran asked, since only he knew about it so far.

"Yes. It’s also called a vengeful spirit. These things are troublesome," the Third Aunt nodded.

Lin Ran and Guo Ting exchanged glances, taking a deep breath and seeing the shock mirrored in each other’s eyes. Even with the Third Aunt’s confirmation, it all still felt unreal.

Just as Lin Ran was about to ask more, the door to the hospital room burst open, and Fan Beixiao rushed in, flustered.

"Guo Ting! Something’s wrong! Officer Wang is leading people to the villa!"

"What?"

"Lin Ran, you’re awake! Think of something—how can we stop them?" Fan Beixiao pleaded anxiously.

"This is bad! If we don’t stop them in time, something terrible will happen!" Guo Ting’s face went pale.

"There’s nothing I can do! This isn’t something we can handle!" Lin Ran sighed, fully aware of how terrifying that thing was. No weapon could deal with it.

"Then what do we do? Are we just supposed to watch Officer Wang and the others walk to their deaths?" Fan Beixiao said.

"Third Aunt! Is there really no way to deal with this vengeful spirit?" Lin Ran turned to the Third Aunt. Right now, only this mysterious woman might have a solution.

"There is a way," the Third Aunt said, looking troubled, "but I need someone to assist me."

"Who?" Lin Ran asked.

"You," the Third Aunt pointed at him.

"Me? How can I help?" Lin Ran looked at her in bewilderment.

"Exactly! Ran’s in no condition to even walk! How can he help you?" Fan Beixiao finally noticed the unfamiliar man in the hospital room.

"Only you can help," the Third Aunt said with a mysterious smile. "Because your other identity is linked to all of this."