Pan Mudan is dead!

Does that mean I started seeing ghosts when I was in Qingyang Town?

I lifted my shirt.

The morning sun shone on me.

The black Ghost Qi was gone.

And that strange red dot had also disappeared without a trace…

I stared at the new grave in front of me, lost in thought.

I knew it was Pan Mudan who saved me!

The snake demon, by a fluke, had sucked away the Ghost Qi in my body, but it left behind what might be an even more formidable demon Qi!

It was Pan Mudan who helped me absorb the Red Chain Snake’s demon Qi!

“Sis Mudan, thank you!”

I knelt down and kowtowed three times to the grave.

When I got up, I saw the grave surrounded by blooming peonies.

Bathed in sunlight, they were dazzlingly beautiful.

Just like Pan Mudan’s smile.

I gathered my thoughts and returned home.

In the main hall, Dad, Mom, and Grandpa were all there.

My parents are honest farmers, and Grandpa is a rag-picker.

At this moment, the three of them sat at the table with solemn expressions.

On the table, there was a gray cloth bag.

Inside was the 180,000 in cash I threw in last night!

“Little Yuan, why are you back?”

Seeing me, the whole family was surprised.

I had two purposes for coming home.

One was to deliver money.

The other was to say goodbye forever.

But now, as if by some twist of fate, I managed to keep my life, and thinking back on my recent experiences, I couldn’t help but feel my eyes redden.

“Little Yuan, what’s wrong?”

Seeing me about to cry, my mom quickly came over and asked, “Did something happen in the city?”

“Nothing!”

I wiped my eyes and said, “I’m fine!”

My mom asked, “Then why did you suddenly come back?”

I replied, “I’ve been driving a taxi recently, and today I just happened to pass by, so I came to check on home!”

“Oh, I see!”

My mom finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, “You must have started driving early and haven’t eaten yet, right? What do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you!”

“No need, I’ve already eaten!”

I shook my head, looking at the 180,000 cash on the table, hesitating whether to tell the truth.

If I told them, they would surely ask where the money came from!

But if I didn’t, I was afraid they wouldn’t dare to spend it!

Finally, my dad spoke up, “Little Yuan, you’re a college graduate. Suddenly, there’s so much money in our yard. What do you think we should do?”

I said, “We haven’t stolen or robbed anyone, so we should just spend it!”

At that moment, Grandpa took a deep drag from his old tobacco pipe and slowly said, “But it doesn’t feel right to spend it!”

I asked, “What’s there to feel uneasy about?”

Grandpa said, “Our Zhang family may be poor, but every penny we earn is honest! This money’s origin is unclear; we can’t take it, or it’ll bring bad luck!”

After hearing this, my parents quickly nodded in agreement.

I was speechless.

In today’s society, those so-called rich people, if they were to examine their consciences, how many of them could say their money was honestly earned?

Honest people can only suffer and toil all their lives!

Look at those unscrupulous developers who leave behind unfinished buildings; they fly in private jets, play with female stars, and travel abroad, living as lavishly as they please!

When you owe a million, you fear the bank.

When you owe a billion, it’s the bank that fears you!

However, the traditional mindset of my family isn’t something I can change in a few words.

Before I could speak, Grandpa stuffed the bag into my arms and said sternly, “Little Yuan, take this money and hand it over to the authorities!”

My mom interjected, “If you’re tight on money, using three or five thousand shouldn’t be a big problem!”

“Dad, Mom, to tell you the truth, I threw the money in!”

Finally, I told the truth.

“You threw it in?”

The whole family was surprised, waiting for me to continue.

I said, “When I passed by the house this morning, it was still dark, and the door wasn’t open. I thought it wasn’t safe to carry so much money, so I threw it in!”

Grandpa asked, “How did you make so much money?”

I smiled and said, “Grandpa, I’m a college graduate! I’ve bought a car, what’s this amount of money? And I’ll have to earn even more in the future! Keep this money and use it to repair the house, take care of yourselves. If you’re living well at home, I can work with peace of mind in the city! Also, to support my studies, the family has racked up some debts, it’s time to pay them back now, so we don’t owe anyone any favors!”

Seeing me say this, the whole family finally felt at ease.

After lunch, my dad urged, “Little Yuan, if you’re going back, hurry up while it’s still daylight!”

My mom glanced at him and said, “The child rarely comes back, why are you in such a hurry to send him away?”

“It’s not that I want to rush him!”

My dad said, “You know what’s been happening in the village lately!”

My mom then realized and hurriedly said, “Little Yuan, your dad is right, hurry back!”

I asked, “What happened in the village?”

My mom said, “Pan Mudan from the new Wang group behind us died!”

“Ah?”

I pretended to be very surprised and asked, “When did this happen?”

My mom thought for a moment and said, “About a month ago!”

I asked again, “How did she die?”

My mom said, “Pan Mudan had been married for several years but couldn’t get pregnant. The couple went to the hospital for a check-up and found out it was Tongzhu’s problem! Tongzhu couldn’t bear the thought of having no descendants, so he wanted to ask his brother Tiezhu for help. After much persuasion, Tiezhu finally agreed, but Pan Mudan refused!”

I said, “Of course she would!”

My mom continued, “Pan Mudan refused, and Tongzhu beat her every day. Eventually, she couldn’t stand the torment and drank pesticide to end her life!”

“Ah?”

I was shocked.

Although I already knew Sis Mudan had passed away, I didn’t expect there to be such a twist!

At that moment, my mom added, “However, drinking pesticide is what Tongzhu’s family claims. I heard that Pan Mudan was actually beaten to death by Tongzhu when he was drunk!”

Hearing this, I stood up angrily, clenching my fists.

Seeing me like this, my mom laughed and said, “What are you doing?”

I realized I had lost my composure and quickly sat down.

My mom said, “It’s as if heaven has eyes, Pan Mudan died, and not long after, Tongzhu and Tiezhu also died.”

I curiously asked, “How did they die?”

“That’s unclear!”

My mom shook her head, “But the villagers all say that the brothers were claimed by Pan Mudan’s ghost!”

My dad said, “Not only Pan Mudan’s ghost seeking revenge, but there’s also a snake demon in the village lately, said to be able to transform into human form and suck away people’s Yang Energy! Two young men from Wangxi group went to the back mountain to hunt birds, and three days later, they were found with only their skins left!”

“What a sin!”

Grandpa sighed and said, “I don’t know what sin our Wang family village has committed to have such strange occurrences! Little Yuan, listen to your parents and hurry back to the city!”

“Okay!”

I knew staying would only worry my family, so I got up and left.