Famine

Chapter 11

This feeling is very familiar.

So foolish yet so persistent. I can only injure him, not destroy him. Only Huang E can do it... After all, I'm just an ordinary person with a faint demonic aura.

Even though I dodged quickly, he still pounced on me suddenly, grabbing my thigh viciously and dragging me down. He choked me, his putrid, foul stench hitting my face, making it hard to breathe.

In the end, it became a physical struggle, and I probably couldn't even beat a five-year-old child in terms of stamina. Finally, I grabbed the moonstone and shoved it down the guy's throat. Only then did he open his eyes wide, grab his neck, and roll around wildly, finally getting a chance to escape.

I quickly ducked under the offering table. Tang Chen then noticed me and was shocked. "...Hengzhi?!"

Who has time for greetings and pleasantries? I ripped the talisman from under the altar. "Wang E," I roared, "come back!"

The desolate beast let out a sharp howl, snatching away the male master who was rolling around in agony... but then let out a terrified scream.

The decaying ghostly body crawled out of a neat and orderly skeleton, and within seconds it transformed flesh and bones into a naked and alluring woman.

A sense of desolation surged in like lightning. I immediately understood what had happened and knew that the situation was as serious as it could possibly be.

I immediately used the blood from my thigh to draw a peculiar mark on Tang Chen's snow-white coat.

The glamorous woman and Huang E both stared at me.

Huang E flew into a rage, and the alluring woman let out a series of loud laughs like a dog's bark. "This is truly a once-in-a-millennium spectacle! So adorable, so hilarious... Hahaha~ It's so funny that I almost can't bring myself to do it!"

Even without being reminded, I know this is illogical and idiotic. But I still pressed Tang Chen's head down, "This is mine! There's always a first-come, first-served rule!"

“According to the rules of the demon race, you are not wrong.” The alluring woman agreed with me, but then burst into laughter, “But as far as a human is concerned… hahaha, hahahaha~” She laughed until she was hoarse.

"It's almost dawn," I calmly reminded her. "The roosters have already crowed."

She wiped away her tears, forcing back a laugh. "I laughed so hard my arms and legs went weak, I didn't even have the strength to eat." She glanced at Huang E, this useless thing that was actually trembling. "For soul-parasitizing, you should at least find a normal human being, why did you have to choose such an idiot?"

Huang E blushed, both ashamed and angry. "What business is it of yours, you White Bone Demon?!" But her momentum had waned to the point of almost disappearing below the horizon.

The alluring woman chuckled coldly, "Since you've amused me so much, I'll let it go this night. Little girl, since you said Tang Sanzang's flesh is yours... and left a mark, you'd better spend your whole life cowering behind the old earth god's robe. Coming out means certain death~" She drew out the words in a seductive and coquettish tone before disappearing.

Tang Chen was probably seeing this kind of scene for the first time, and his eyes widened in disbelief. "...Am I dreaming?"

"That's right, you're dreaming..." I replied irritably, "Tell me why you and Xiao Lian are squatting here?"

It took him a while to understand what I meant. "...They insisted on coming to explore, but this place made me uncomfortable. Later, I got separated from Xiaolian and the others...Xiaolian fainted shortly after going up to the third floor. I wanted to take her out, but I couldn't find the stairs, and there were unseen things crawling around inside...I had no choice but to take her and hide under the altar..."

He gave a rambling explanation, staring at Huang E. Huang E, however, didn't seem pleased with Fei Fei; he too stared blankly, lost in thought.

He's incredibly lucky to have hidden for so long. The talisman that prevented Huang'e from entering must have been placed there by some master on the orders of the City God, right under the offering table. It not only blocked Huang'e's path but also kept that vengeful ghost out of reach... it probably even left that White Bone Demon without a henchman.

I glanced at the unconscious Xiao Lian; a loose rope was around her neck. It was probably the one the male homeowner used to hang himself…

She won't die anyway, let her stay unconscious a little longer. My mind is a mess right now, I don't want to soothe her screams or questions.

Who could manipulate the dead better than the White Bone Demon? She's probably subdued all the wronged ghosts in the house, including the vengeful spirits there, making them her accomplices. These accomplices are inherently dim-witted and reckless. Since she doesn't dare confront the old man directly, she drives these accomplices to fight her way through.

Judging from Huang E's pathetic appearance, he must be quite skilled... right?

Stunned for a moment, she finally managed to utter a string of profanities: "How dare you steal my food?!"

"I won't eat Tang Chen's food." I impatiently pushed her away and helped Tang Chen carry the unconscious Xiao Lian on her back.

"You've already marked it, and it's the mark of the Fiend Bird!" Another string of fluent profanities followed. "Do you know what you've done? What have you done? Huh?!"

Even after I took Tang Chen and Xiao Lian back to school (and finally managed to remove that piece of rope), Huang E wouldn't let me off the hook. He kept muttering and cursing for over half a month, he was furious.

I guess she was so angry that she went to the old man to complain. They clearly don't get along.

The old man beckoned me over, and his face turned green.

"...You made a mark on Tang Sanzang's clothes?!" He roared.

I have completely lost hearing in my left ear, and now I am starting to worry about the possibility of becoming completely deaf.

"Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" I argued. "If I hadn't made a mark first, that White Bone Demon would have just eaten me without even a chance to talk... It's my fault for tearing up the talisman. Since I made a mark first, according to the rules of demons, she should have negotiated with me first, and only resorted to violence if negotiations failed..."

"That's the rules of monsters!" the old man shouted even louder. "You're a perfectly good girl, why are you following monster rules?! You think he's the only one? Idiot! Once you've marked him, it's for life! Anyone who wants to eat Tang Sanzang has to get past you, they'll have to come and negotiate with you and fight to the death! I told you not to let him die in school, who told you to carry him for life?! Huh? You brat! Don't expect me to protect you! Don't I have enough to do? Huh?"

Of course I know. I've known Huang'e for so long, don't I know what she's thinking? She's tried to mark Tang Chen more than a hundred times, but unfortunately, her killing intent depends on me.

I didn't want to kill Tang Chen, but in this life-or-death situation, how else could I protect this good person? As a result, everyone criticized me. Of course, I don't think Shuo would criticize me… but she already knew I would carry Tang Chen's burden for the rest of my life.

I suddenly felt sad.

"Speak up, girl! Weren't you so eloquent? Now you're all mute?" the old man continued to scold.

"I wouldn't dare trouble the old man." I said, feeling a bit stifled. "I'm happy to do it, and I'm willing to accept the consequences."

This is the first time I've ever known that even gods swear.

"...Don't you even know your own limitations before spouting such big talk?! Idiot! Moron! Mentally challenged...You think you can just say you don't need anyone's protection? Am I your pet dog?"

The more he cursed, the further he strayed from the topic, and he truly lost his temper.

My first semester of university ended bleakly, caught in a pincer attack by the old man and the desolation.

However, this haunted house adventure had some aftereffects.

Those idiots who were happily cursing me discovered they'd been wandering around the haunted house for almost four hours. If I hadn't gone, they probably would have stayed there for who knows how long… Tang Chen didn't say anything, but Xiao Lian exaggeratedly claimed I'd saved them, causing quite a stir, and I suddenly became the "supernatural girl."

The angry curses of Huang E were still ringing in my ears when people came to me seeking solace and advice. Some even asked me mysteriously if I knew how to cast talismans or curses, and if I could help them take revenge.

I'm so glad the semester is over, and I've found refuge at Shuo's place. She kindly rented me a small room upstairs for the winter break, but she always smiles very broadly when she sees me.

All I can do now is pray that this unfortunate rumor will die down by the end of winter break.

Why is my college life like this... I'm so frustrated I could cry.

(The Haunted House Ends)

The Ninth of the Desolate Era

A week into the semester, nobody remembered my real name.

I'm not saying my classmates treat me like I'm invisible like before; if that were the case, it would be great. Now they all call me "Silent Girl".

What makes me want to swear the most is that I'm so unlucky to have the surname Lin.

I didn't want to agree, but my roommates who ate with me enthusiastically agreed for me. I could only silently pray that the goddess Mazu understood that it was just a childish jeer, and that I had no intention of plagiarizing my name's copyright.

If this unfortunate nickname had any positive outcome... it was that after two days of wild, chaotic laughter, she finally forgave my "food-stealing" sin. She was so happy that she spread this hilarious gossip everywhere, even mentioning it to the old man.

When I went to offer incense on the 16th, the old man looked at me and said, "Oh~ the supernatural girl Lin Moniang has arrived."

…I really wanted to smash the bottle in my hand right on His head, but I didn't have the guts. Amidst the desolation and the old man's loud laughter, I poured the wine with extreme humiliation.

"Girl, why the long face?" The old man was in a good mood. "The Empress's given name has disgraced you? Nobody would even think of that! I mentioned it to her correspondent at the Lukang branch a while ago..."

"What?!" I screamed. Losing face at school was bad enough, but to lose face in Lukang? And in front of the person in question?

"What's the panic?" The old man said calmly, pulling out a sachet. "The Empress is so compassionate. After laughing, she even gave you this sachet for protection. She said, 'This child has such a hard life, so I'll lend her the name. She can't be protected for long, so this sachet will shield her.' See how kind the Empress is! You should readily agree from now on..."

Then, the old man burst into a burst of wild laughter, his snow-white beard flying wildly.

I awkwardly accepted the gift, then bowed in gratitude towards Lukang, my heart filled with complex emotions.

…Actually, you gods are just bored and spreading this as a new joke, right? It's really rare to find someone so stupid that they would carry Tang Sanzang's flesh as a demon for their entire life.

But who am I? I'm just a jinx possessed by a cursed bird. What could I possibly say no to the old man? Who told me to stuff three more people under his altar… I killed the husband in the haunted house, and now the wife and two children's salvation seems a distant dream…

If I don't take this responsibility, who will?

The number of people under my control has now surged to nine. If the old man says he doesn't want them, will I even survive a moment longer? Why do I always seem to be creating trouble for myself...?

As a result, the nine ghost messengers under my command laughed heartily with the old man, including my shikigami, Ara-Ara, making quite a scene.

It's getting sadder and sadder.

Even more tragically, the unfortunate nickname "Lin Moniang, the Supernatural Girl" had already spread throughout the entire campus. The original inhabitants were laughing so hard they were doubled over, and they decided to make the nickname truly live up to its name.

I feel increasingly powerless in the face of such a ridiculous group of people making a fuss.

My once quiet, almost invisible campus life has been completely destroyed. People keep coming to me to ask about my studies, future prospects, and love life. I can politely decline, but "secrets must not be revealed" is a great shield.

But people kept coming to have their frightened spirits calmed.

I glanced at her, feeling utterly powerless. Our campus is a notoriously haunted place. All sorts of vengeful spirits seem to thrive here. An old man presides over things; although these vengeful ghosts dare not harm anyone, they can frighten people and cause minor ailments—the old man doesn't care. They're really patient; they seem happy even with that.

But this involves cause and effect, what can I do?!

The classmates who brought her all looked at me eagerly, and the local residents also wanted to know what I was going to do. As a result, a large circle of people, both dead and alive, surrounded me with great momentum, while the vengeful spirits of that female classmate brandished documents and bared their teeth and claws.

“…I don’t know how to perform a ritual to calm the spirit.” I said weakly.

A murmur of discontent rose from the crowd, while the vengeful spirit was smug.

I was explaining to my female classmate and her close friends that I really couldn't perform a ritual to ward off evil spirits when the calamity flew back to join the fun. The problem was that the vengeful spirit shouldn't have been so smug, provoking the calamity's temper.

She looked down at the vengeful spirit, saying, "You should stay away from me when you see me. Who are you trying to scare with that tattered document?" She did so without any politeness, tearing the document issued by the underworld to shreds.

I was terrified. The vengeful spirit was terrified too. He could still cry out loud... but with so many people (whether dead or alive), I couldn't shed a tear.

"...Huh?" The girl with teary eyes exclaimed in surprise, "My head doesn't hurt anymore! I...feel so good...Thank you! Thank you, thank you!" She shook my hand frantically, her face covered in tears and snot, "You're amazing! You really are the supernatural girl Lin Moniang!"

…I'm not that unlucky supernatural girl! And this is a matter of life and death! I've offended the underworld!

The matter was taken to the underworld by the vengeful spirit, and the old man actually stepped in to settle it. In the end, I cut off my hair and nails and burned them as a sign of repentance, offering ten years of good karma as compensation, and only then was the matter resolved.

These classmates knew nothing about the immense sacrifice they made. More and more people came to have their spirits exorcised, even those from outside the school. But the story spread far and wide, and when those who came to have their spirits exorcised stood before me, after receiving a single glare from the evil spirits, their vengeful spirits would clutch their documents and tremble, deciding to behave themselves until graduation.

…This is all a misunderstanding! Help!

This terrible trend only ended when I had a car accident.

Actually, the accident wasn't serious (compared to previous ones), and it was my own carelessness. I knew the White Bone Demon was lurking, so I shouldn't have thought that since it was daytime, everything would be fine. And of all days, it happened to be a total solar eclipse, which I didn't notice.

As a result, I was stunned when she pounced on me at the sharp turn. But she also suffered, after all, the sachet given by the Holy Empress herself was no ordinary item. She roared and her entire arm caught fire, and the cowardly Huang E took the opportunity to launch another sneak attack.

Her injuries were far more serious than mine. I only had a few scrapes and a sprained ankle. She burned an arm and had one of her eyes gouged out by Huang E.

He was so proud of himself that he said it would take three to five years to recover.

"...I had just graduated at that time," I said irritably.

Her face immediately fell.

I limped along, pulling my motorcycle along, and rode down the mountain as usual, without even going to the hospital. Anyway, Shuo's medical skills were better than a doctor's, and she wouldn't charge me for applying ointment or bandaging my wound; she even gave me herbal tea for free.

But she wrapped my feet up like a mummy.

"...Does it have to be this exaggerated?" I was completely dumbfounded. As the saying goes, experience is the best teacher. This is just a sprain; there's no dislocation or fracture.

"This is for your own good," she laughed. "Do you still want to cut your hair? It's already this short."