Chapter 28: Vengeance Across Generations

Green Dragon Mountain, the ancestral burial ground of Gourd Village, was where Guo Guixiang appeared. Besides her, several villagers were also present, burning paper for their ancestors, clearing weeds, and tending to the graves.

Guo Guixiang approached a neglected grave on the outskirts of the ancestral cemetery, alone. Next to this grave stood a large locust tree, its lush branches completely shrouding the tomb. The hemp rope hanging from its trunk was in tatters. Seeing this, her expression darkened.

She began searching carefully around the abandoned grave for something but found nothing. Finally, she sat on the ground, her face pale, and muttered to herself,

"The Plowhead Talisman has vanished. It seems this calamity cannot be avoided."

After a long while, she finally stood up and went down the mountain.

It was said that some malicious ghosts refused to leave the world of the living, and the underworld messengers ignored them. In such cases, people would use the Plowhead Talisman to suppress them—but only if they knew the ghost’s birth date and time. If the talisman were nailed to the grave, the wicked spirit would be unable to escape and cause harm.

"Shouzheng, why didn’t my grandmother return with you?"

Er Niu saw Zhang Shouzheng outside his yard and immediately came to greet him. Zhang Shouzheng blinked, and a faint blue light flickered in his eyes. He noticed the same dark aura of misfortune on Er Niu’s forehead as on Granny Guo, though Er Niu’s was much weaker.

"Come inside, Shouzheng; have some fruit," Tingting stood at the door, supporting her pregnant belly, and beckoned to Zhang Shouzheng.

Hearing the word "fruit," Kong Kong, perched on his shoulder, darted inside without hesitation, grabbed a big apple, and munched away. Tingting glanced at the scene, amused and helpless. The small monkey by Zhang Shouzheng’s side was well-known in the village. Sometimes it came down the mountain, and the villagers often fed it fruit, so Kong Kong was unafraid.

"Tingting, your baby must be due soon," Zhang Shouzheng asked, eyeing her rounded belly.

Tingting nodded, her face glowing with happiness. "Yes, especially yesterday—the little one was moving so much, almost eager to come out. But Granny said the child mustn’t be born within these two days, or disaster will strike."

Her face clouded with worry; Granny’s words always proved true. She knew her own body well, and the birth was drawing near.

"Don’t worry. With me here, I’ll do everything I can to protect you," Zhang Shouzheng grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth.

Soon, Granny Guo returned. Finding Zhang Shouzheng at her home, she was surprised; after he declared his resolve, Guo Guixiang could only sigh and began recounting the grievances of the Broken Sword Sect.

"Shouzheng, your senior brother was right. Only a seven-year-old boy escaped, and that boy was my husband, Liu Yanzong. At first, Yanzong thought things would be peaceful, but Qingya still came for us. To shield us from Qingya’s pursuit, Yanzong faced her alone, handing me the sect’s treasured sword and token. I fled with Yu’an, who was just born."

"Grandma, my father was very young then. Did grandpa die at that time?" Er Niu interjected, his face showing a trace of anger.

Guo Guixiang nodded, sighed, and continued, "Yes, Yanzong disappeared after that. I thought the most dangerous place was the safest, so I returned to the Broken Sword Sect’s vicinity and settled there. Yu’an married and had children, and I taught him all my swordsmanship and monster-banishing arts. Yu’an was talented; he met your mother while traveling, and then you were born. I thought the matter would end there.

But Qingya, our nemesis, appeared again—the same wicked ghost. With our combined strength, we managed to drive her away. Your mother was also from a Daoist sect, but suffered severe injuries and proposed a plan: dig up Qingya’s remains and nail her down with the Plowhead Talisman, preventing her from causing harm.

The older the talisman, the more effective it is. We found Gourd Village and used its generations of ancestral graves to suppress Qingya. What we didn’t know was that Yu’an’s mother sacrificed her life, sealing all her magic into the Plowhead. Afterwards, she fell gravely ill and never recovered. Yu’an took her to seek help from wise masters, but they vanished without a trace."

At this point, Guo Guixiang was in tears. From her husband to her son and daughter-in-law, all had left her—such heavy blows.

"Grandma..." Er Niu knelt before Guo Guixiang, sobbing uncontrollably. It turned out the story of his parents’ accidental deaths was fabricated by his grandmother; this was the truth. Tingting came to comfort Er Niu, but after just two steps, she suddenly clutched her belly and cried out in alarm.

Guo Guixiang’s face changed; she wiped away her tears and stood, checking Tingting’s condition. She realized her water had broken.

"Er Niu, Shouzheng, help Tingting inside. I’ll fetch Madam Xia," Guo Guixiang’s face was expressionless. One calamity after another, there was no escaping misfortune. The worst had come—Tingting was about to give birth. Normally, this would be a joyous occasion, but now, no one could feel happy.

After settling Tingting, Zhang Shouzheng went to the yard. Madam Xia arrived after noon, and once noon had passed, a gloomy wind began to blow around. Er Niu boiled water, Guo Guixiang assisted inside, and Zhang Shouzheng, unable to help, guarded the yard.

Tingting’s cries of pain rang out. The village wasn’t large, and soon many villagers gathered, carrying gifts—red items and eggs—with smiles on their faces. The arrival of a newborn was a cause for celebration.

Before long, the yard was crowded. At that moment, Zhang Shouzheng felt a slight weight on his shoulder; Kong Kong climbed onto him, chittering quietly, afraid someone might overhear. Zhang Shouzheng turned to look at the monkey and saw terror in Kong Kong’s large, bright eyes; the little monkey pointed into the crowd.

Following its gaze, Zhang Shouzheng saw a peculiar woman among the villagers. In the summer heat, she wore a red, patchwork jacket and black pants. Her face seemed familiar.

She had long hair reaching her waist, delicate features, and her cold eyes were fixed on the house. Sensing Zhang Shouzheng’s gaze, she suddenly turned and gave him a sinister smile.