Xishuangbanna Valley of Horrors

Chapter 26

"The Thirteen Pit of Resentment is actually an altar surrounded by many pits. The reason for casting spells on it is that each of the thirteen pits is filled with soaring resentment, which is beneficial to yin, evil, and malevolent forces. With these three benefits, the Soul-Binding Curse will be at its most effective. However, such sacrificial sites are extremely rare in the entire Southeast Asia."

After the old man finished speaking, he looked at her quietly and remained silent for a moment.

“Let me give you a map…” He was certain that the girl had made up her mind. “There are still thirteen pits of resentment in the mountainous areas of the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and the border area of Yunnan, China.”

With her great enemy at large, Ye Min recalled these past events and closed her eyes. "A teacher for a day is a father for life. Master, in truth, ending all this in this way... is what I've always hoped for... Since this hatred is insurmountable, let it consume me as well..."

"stop!"

2 Exorcists

Before the dead snake head in her hand could even be burned, a powerful, furious roar suddenly descended from the sky, interrupting Ye Min and Su Yan's inhuman ritual. The shock of this roar was far more devastating to Ye Min than the booming sound of the tangled lightning and electric net from the previous night. Ye Min could hardly believe her ears; the remaining six of them were all here—where did this unexpected obstacle come from?!

When she turned around, both she and Su Yan were taken aback!

"you!"

"dad?!"

The newcomer was an elderly man with a steady gait and vigorous spirit. He was Yang Guocheng, the father of the two men in front of him and Yang Feng, who was dying in the pit, and the father of three children.

He appears to be an ordinary person, but he is a legendary figure.

At this moment, his eyes, as sharp as an eagle's, blazed with a righteous aura that seemed to make even the darkness tremble. The normally eerie and terrifying altar also appeared to be intimidated by this aura.

Under their dual gazes, Ye Min's face turned pale, truly pale. "You... how did you get here?!" Her voice was filled with fear.

Section 208: Ritual (6)

The old man didn't answer Ye Min's question. He took a few quick steps to the altar and slapped her across the face.

"Smack!"

A crisp sound echoed through the woods. As soon as the sound subsided, a burning sensation spread throughout Ye Min's body. At the same time, Su Yan was so frightened that she climbed down from the altar.

The slap stunned Ye Min. She covered her face and stood there for a few seconds, then hysterically roared at the white-haired, youthful-looking but stern-faced old man in front of her, "Why did you hit me? Why did you..." Before she could finish speaking, two more severe slaps landed on her.

"Slap! Slap!"

"Do you know what you're doing?!" The old man's voice was even louder than hers, and he seemed extremely furious. Before Ye Min could react, he pulled something out of his pocket, ripped the silk thread binding it with his left hand, and with his right hand, he flung the thing away. It unfurled like a scroll, revealing rows of silver needles of varying thicknesses, gleaming with a cold light.

The old man shouted, then drew two silver needles, each about half a palm's length, and held them in his left hand. Giving Ye Min no chance, his right hand swiftly gripped her collarbone, tightening its grip. Ye Min felt as if she had been struck by electricity, her entire body losing all strength. But this wasn't the end. Amid Ye Min's cries of "What are you doing?", he steadily lunged behind her, grabbing her right hand from behind without a word. With a pull and a twist, Ye Min's palm was exposed against her back to the old man.

"Banbu aruopoluocha!" As soon as the old man finished speaking, two sharp silver needles pierced the tips of Ye Min's index and ring fingers respectively.

"Ah—" The pain was excruciating, her fingers piercing her heart. Ye Min's heartfelt cry of pain stunned Su Yan, who stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do. After Ye Min's pain subsided, the old man pulled out the silver needles, and blood immediately seeped from the needle marks on Ye Min's fingers.

The blood was black!

The old man seemed unsurprised. He took a deep breath, pinched Ye Min's bleeding right hand, and gently lifted her up, causing her to fall to the ground. After doing this, he stood in front of Su Yan and repeated the process. Only after both his daughters were lying motionless on the ground did he move to the pit behind the altar and swiftly pull Yang Feng up. After feeding Yang Feng an entire bottle of Banlangen (Isatis root) juice, the old man waited anxiously.

Section 209: Ritual (7)

After a short while, Yang Feng's complexion improved.

The old man checked his pulse and, after confirming he was not in mortal danger, his tense face finally relaxed. He returned to Ye Min and Su Yan's side, "Gu magic? Siamese sorcery? These are all harmful things! How could you be so foolish?"

He looked at them, his eyes filled with heartache.

Even if you cripple our magic, we will not give up our revenge!

Ye Min saw the pain in his eyes, but it seemed like a great insult. Ignoring her disheveled appearance lying on the ground, her eyes blazed with anger as she gritted her teeth and retorted to her father.

"Oh, how could you be so foolish..." The old man shook his head, looking heartbroken, but of course, Ye Min wasn't buying it. Just as they were about to continue their conversation, I, on my deathbed, interrupted them.

"Grandpa...Grandpa, you've come..." Although I was under a spell, the burning, numb, and itchy sensations had faded considerably, and apart from the aches and weakness all over my body...I felt much better.

Thank goodness I didn't fall for that curse.

When I interrupted, the old man turned to look at me and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Much better..." I cleared my throat and noticed that Ye Min's fiery eyes had now shifted from the old man to me... Perhaps I should call her "Liu Yan".

I didn't know what to say to them, and as I was pondering this, the old man spoke again.

"You should rest for a bit, I'll handle it." The complexity in his eyes was no less than mine.

"I'm really fine now... I just have some questions I still want to ask..." No matter how hurtful the truth may be, I really don't care.

Listening to our conversation, Ye Min seemed much more composed. I saw her slowly sit up, hiding her bare face behind her back, her eyes becoming unusually resolute.

I recognize that kind of resilience; it's so profound.

A sudden, sharp pain shot through my heart, an indescribable sorrow spreading wildly within me. My eyes, suddenly reddening, left me feeling lost. I shook myself, feigning dizziness, and forced the tears back. If I cried out now, I would surely be seen as…

"Grandpa, what they said about half-siblings... is it true?" I asked the man we called "father" in front of me, pretending to be calm.

Section 210: Ritual (8)

“That’s right.” The old man was silent for a moment, then answered calmly.

The spring night, filled with warmth and tranquility, suddenly sent a chill through me. I abruptly covered my face with my hands. The old man, thinking something was wrong, stood up, but I stopped him with one hand.

"I'm fine...I'm okay..."

I just... sometimes find myself caught up in other people's sadness. Most of the time, those cowardly tears aren't for myself.

Suppressing my grief, I muttered to myself, oblivious to everyone around me, "If only this ceremony could proceed smoothly..." As I said this, I didn't care about the people around me at all, and said it with a smile.

“To achieve their goals…that’s only natural…isn’t it, Father?” I emphasized the last two words very heavily.

When you realize that the pain you are about to endure is not because you are wronged or innocent, but because you deserve it, would you still be able to remain calm?

The old man clearly understood what I meant and wanted to argue, but I cut him off with a look. Then, I staggered out from behind him and knelt dejectedly before my former "girlfriend." Under her burning, resolute gaze, I pressed my entire front body onto the earth before her.

"I'm sorry for making you suffer."

Those hurts that are now in the past, I really don't know how to make up for them... Even if you can't be forgiven, please forgive yourselves. Since you've already lost them, why continue to fuel this hatred, why punish yourselves?

As my face touched the cold ground, the discomfort in my heart froze. It was very quiet all around, and the only sounds in my mind were the rustling of leaves and... memories of this road trip.

It was very quiet all around.

"Xiaomin, I still have some questions." I straightened up and sat down in front of them. I didn't care what her name was; I was used to calling her that. Besides, I really wanted to ask about my questions.

Ye Min remained silent, seemingly still reeling from the shock. It was the girl with plain makeup who snapped out of her daze, asking me with a sharp yet adorable retort, "About what?"

I looked at her, remembering all the things I'd wanted to do to her along the way, and suddenly felt incredibly disgusted. A wave of overwhelming shame made me avoid her gaze. "It's about..."

Section 211: The Truth Behind the Truth (1)

"You want to ask about that ghost, right?" Ye Min was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses. She hadn't expected that the eldest son of the Yang family, who had almost died at her hands, would not only not pursue what she had done to him, but would also apologize, although it didn't have much effect... When she heard him say that he still had questions to ask her, she didn't think much of it and once again hit the nail on the head.

Without a doubt, Ye Min will always be the person who understands me best in this world, and I still believe that to this day.

"Yes, that's right." Since all of this was orchestrated by my sisters, then all the incredible things that have happened must be directly related to them. I'm not really interested in the results; I just want to know how these two seemingly weak women managed it. After all, in this world, only the human heart drives things; there are no real ghosts.

Although... I still believed in that thing until yesterday... but... that was purely due to being misled...

So now I'm really curious about the process.

Ye Min gave a half-smile, her expression a mixture of sadness and helplessness. She glanced at the silent old man standing behind me, then helped Su Yan to her feet.

“That is our mother,” she said.

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Truth Behind the Truth

As soon as I finished speaking, Ye Min's previously calm emotions began to fluctuate noticeably.

"You doubt those black magic techniques that have been passed down for thousands of years?" she said, her eyes sharp.

1. The Mystery of the Witch

2. The Mystery of His Origins

3 Mysteries of Ancient Sites

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Truth Behind the Truth

1. The Mystery of the Witch

Tonight is a night to remember, because most of our conversations tonight were filled with one emotion: shock. This was true of Ye Min's revelation of the truth, the old man's admission of his sins, and my sincere apology after learning what had happened. And now, Ye Min has revealed yet another truth, which has shocked us all, especially the old man.

"What did you say? Wan'er is here too?" Before I could even question him, the old man asked first, his tone very excited.

"Please don't call her that..." Ye Min, her face bare, her once-gloomy eyes now blazing with fury, gritted her teeth and said to the old man, word by word, "You...don't...worthy!"

Knowing he was in the wrong, the old man didn't know how to face his angry daughters. Just then, his son spoke up, so he wisely shut his mouth and stopped interrupting.

Section 212: The Truth Behind the Truth (2)

He thought, "It's probably easier to communicate with people my own age."

I was also taken aback, and immediately asked, "What...what's going on?" Judging from the old man's and Ye Min's excitement after hearing the unfamiliar name he called out, the one chasing us must be my unheard-of "half-mother." But I never imagined it would be her... Now I'm even more curious about the mystery. Could she also be one of the masterminds behind this conspiracy? Thinking of Lin Pang's tragic death, I suddenly got goosebumps.

I was about to ask again, "Is your mother a ghost?", but then I thought better of it.

"Have you forgotten what She Tong told you so quickly?" Ye Min looked at me, her eyes dim. Seeing my puzzled expression, she continued, "About what he told you about my major at school."

Then I remembered that She Tong had mentioned to me that his girlfriend was a medical student majoring in psychology. I didn't need to care about her, so I didn't think much of it... but so what?

"I know about psychology, but that discipline represents advanced science and technology. How could it possibly have anything to do with that?" I was still puzzled. How could medicine and psychology possibly be related to witchcraft or anything like that?

"With advanced science and technology, can't we use it to create something? Like ghosts?" Ye Min dismissed my question with a strong sense of provocation.

I really wanted to argue with her, but I lacked solid evidence to support my point. I was still a bit hesitant about this issue; who knows if the old man hadn't shown up in time, I might now be one of those "high-tech products" she was talking about. However, given the current situation, I had to stick to my position…

So I frowned, looked very seriously into Ye Min's eyes, and said, "There are no ghosts in this world."

If this were a movie shoot, if I weren't the male lead delivering this line, if I happened to see this scene... I... Hey, now's not the time to laugh at myself. I composed myself and waited for Ye Min to finish her sentence.

"Hmph, isn't the wickedness of human hearts more terrifying than ghosts?" Ye Min questioned, glancing at me. Her appearance made it easy to imagine what she used to be like—she must have been a proud and self-centered ice queen.

Section 213: The Truth Behind the Truth (3)

It's the type of thing that makes me extremely nauseous.

"Yes, yes, yes..." I don't deny that, but, "But haven't I been trying my best to protect you all the way?" I felt a little sad when I said this. Ye Min's extreme behavior hurt me to some extent. Who says people's hearts are made of ice?

"Didn't you abandon me in the end?" Ye Min's tone was icy, and her words shattered my sadness.

I was speechless for a moment and had no way to answer.

Seeing that I didn't even have the intention to refute her, Ye Min felt a surge of disappointment and gave a cold laugh. After the laugh, I heard her say, "Do you know about hypnosis?"

Hypnosis?

Yes, it's hypnosis.