Xiao Jinxu squeezed Jiang Wuyan’s hand, attempting to convey everything he was seeing to her.
Jiang Wuyan: "..."
Did he think she possessed telepathy?
However, a tiny, miniature bird—which had landed on her hair along the way and remained motionless—was doing the job. To any onlooker, it looked like nothing more than a hair ornament. This little bird was "transmitting" the scene to Jiang Wuyan.
With a hint of naivety, Xiao Jinxu asked Tao Youcai in a puzzled tone, "What is happening? What is wrong with her?"
Tao Youcai gave a cryptic smile. "This woman is an ominous creature."
Xiao Jinxu looked confused. "Ominous?"
"Indeed. She was born in sin; her very existence is an abomination. But it matters not. We at Huiyang Village never abandon anyone. The God’s Messenger has decreed that as long as she serves faithfully with a pure heart within the Mountain God Cave, there will come a day when her sins are cleansed."
Having said this, Tao Youcai shook his head with a sigh. "Yet, she doesn't know what's good for her. She actually thought about running away!"
Jiang Wuyan pinched Xiao Jinxu’s hand in return.
Xiao Jinxu winced silently. It hurt, but he couldn't react; he could only hold her hand tightly to keep her from acting out. He looked at the woman. "What will happen to her now?"
"Do not worry, it will be fine. The God’s Messenger will grant her eighteen lashes of the Bone-Cleansing Whip to purge her filthy soul, which has been bewitched by demons. Then, she may return to the Mountain God Cave."
As Tao Youcai explained, the man who appeared to be a shaman—the God’s Messenger—put away his bell and pulled out a whip. He walked behind the "ominous" woman and struck her hard with the whip.
The woman did not cry out, but the only evidence of her agony was the uncontrollable trembling of her body each time the whip landed. By the eighteenth lash, Jiang Wuyan could even smell the scent of blood, yet the men gathered around erupted into enthusiastic cheers, as if they had truly driven out a demon.
The God’s Messenger then burned a paper talisman, dropped it into a bowl, grabbed the woman by her hair to pull her head up, and forced the talisman water into her mouth. He tossed her carelessly onto the ground and gestured to two men waiting nearby. They walked over and dragged the limp, lifeless-looking woman into the dark opening of the cave.
However, the ritual of "exorcising the demon" was not over.
The God’s Messenger took out his handbell again. He circled the bonfire, shaking the bell while jerking his body as if he were having a seizure, shaking his head and swaying.
Suddenly, he stopped. With his eyes closed, he walked in a certain direction while shaking the bell, as if he had received some sort of instruction.
He stopped in front of Xiao Jinxu, snapped his eyes open, pointed two fingers at him, and bellowed, "Evil creature! How dare you appear before me!"
Xiao Jinxu jumped, looked left and right, and pointed at himself in a panic. "Me?"
The God’s Messenger signaled for him to step aside, revealing Jiang Wuyan, who had been hiding behind him.
Blind and unaware of her surroundings, Jiang Wuyan was startled when her husband suddenly stepped away. Frightened and disoriented, she gripped her blind cane with one hand and reached out with the other. "Husband?"
"Aiyah, aiyah, aiyah!" The God’s Messenger stared at her with an expression of great alarm. "This is a star of misfortune, a Plague Ghost!"
Hearing the term "Plague Ghost" again, Xiao Jinxu’s brow twitched.
Jiang Wuyan grew even more terrified. She pulled her hand back, hugged her blind cane to her chest, and cowered. She looked so pitiful, like a kitten shivering in the snow, but the God’s Messenger showed no mercy. "You, since birth, have been destined to curse your six relations—cursing your father, mother, kin, and friends. You bring disaster to everyone near you! You are a demon, a demon!"
"..." For a fleeting moment, a fierce expression crossed Jiang Wuyan’s face, and her hand, gripping the cane, had already released a hidden mechanism—
But when Xiao Jinxu looked closer, she had already lowered her head, looking utterly terrified, weeping and calling out, "Husband... Husband..."
He rushed to her side and grabbed her arm again. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Husband is here."
He turned to face the God’s Messenger, indignant. "Why are you spouting such nonsense? My wife is perfectly fine; she is not this 'Plague Ghost' you speak of!"
"If she were not a Plague Ghost, why would you have fallen off a cliff and ended up here, suffering such trials?"
Xiao Jinxu was stunned.
The God’s Messenger continued, "Why don't you think back carefully? Since you married her, have you felt that your career has stalled, your household has been in turmoil, and you’ve faced one stroke of bad luck after another? You should be grateful that you haven't been married long; her most malevolent power has yet to manifest. Otherwise, would you even be alive today?"
Xiao Jinxu could not help but follow his train of thought. He seemed to recall something, and he looked at his wife with a mix of surprise and suspicion.
Jiang Wuyan shook her head repeatedly at him, tears flowing from her eyes and dripping off her thin chin—a picture of fragile, rain-drenched pear blossoms that would move anyone to pity.
Xiao Jinxu turned back to the God’s Messenger, his voice full of reluctance. "If... if what you say is true, is there any way to fix it?"
The God’s Messenger was firm. "For someone with such a malevolent fate, the best way is, naturally, to eliminate her as soon as possible..."
"No! You cannot take my wife's life!" Xiao Jinxu cried out in alarm. "God’s Messenger, you must have a way, don't you? That woman from before—didn't you say she was possessed? Didn't you help drive the demon out of her?"
The God’s Messenger sighed. "You are a man of deep affection. Very well. I will try my best to help you."
He looked at Jiang Wuyan again. "Then please, Madam, accompany me into the Mountain God Cave."
"No, no..." Jiang Wuyan gripped Xiao Jinxu’s hand tightly. "Husband, no... I’m scared..."
Xiao Jinxu looked at the cave, gritted his teeth, and pried Jiang Wuyan’s hand off his arm. "Don't be afraid, my wife. This is for your own good. Once the source of your misfortune and chaos is expelled, we can live a good life together!"
"But... but..."
He held her hands. "Do it for me, okay?"
Jiang Wuyan was ultimately persuaded by her husband’s words.
Tao Youcai smiled and said, "I will take the Madam inside. Do not worry, brother."
He reached out to steady Jiang Wuyan’s arm. She flinched at the touch of a strange man and instinctively tried to pull away, but in the end, she endured it, though one hand remained clutching Xiao Jinxu.
Xiao Jinxu continued to soothe her with soft words, yet bit by bit, he pried her fingers loose, allowing her to be led away by Tao Youcai.
Jiang Wuyan followed Tao Youcai, cowering slightly. As she reached the cave entrance, she turned her head back toward where she thought Xiao Jinxu was standing. Though she was blind, her eyes were filled with fear, as if she were pleading for her husband to call her back.
But Xiao Jinxu stood where he was, not moving an inch, merely calling out, "My wife, I will be right here waiting for you!"
Jiang Wuyan could only drift, with a heart full of disappointment, as Tao Youcai led her slowly into the darkness of the cave, where not a sliver of light could penetrate.