Chapter 79 Searing Tears

By the time the matchmaker finished speaking, Ye Yang had already stopped the car. The temperature inside plummeted to a bone-chilling level. Yet, I heard the sound of water droplets behind me.

Turning my head slightly, I saw drops of crimson liquid falling from beneath the female ghost's veil. They turned into wisps of green smoke upon touching the ground and dissipated into the air.

Shā qì (evil aura) transforming into tears!

The shā qì surrounding the female ghost behind me had reached an uncontrollable level and could erupt at any moment.

The matchmaker looked at my expression before continuing, "The people of Zaomu Village holed up in their homes for a whole day. It wasn't until night that we heard the wedding suona."

"At that time, nobody could make out what tune the suona was playing. All we knew was that it sounded like a ghost wailing, making everyone's heart crawl."

"Someone secretly peeked outside and just managed to say, 'Why are they circling the dead?' before being shot dead by someone outside."

"I heard Xue Li Hong shouting outside, 'No one is allowed to look out! Whoever looks will be shot dead. I'll take the bride and leave. You'll get every penny promised.'"

"After that, no one dared to look out. We don't know how long the wedding party circled outside before the suona faded into the distance. When Mei Zi was taken away, we heard a woman laughing outside. The laughter was more terrifying than crying. Later, some said it was Mei Zi laughing, and she would eventually come back for revenge."

The matchmaker spoke an old saying: It's not scary when the dead cry, but it's terrifying when the dead laugh.

A ghost's cry isn't necessarily frightening. Ghosts cry for many reasons, not always out of resentment. But when a ghost laughs, it means they want to kill. They only laugh when they have their revenge, and that laughter is enough to make your blood run cold.

The matchmaker continued, "The next morning, when we went outside, we found a bag of silver dollars at the village entrance. Xue Li Hong paid every penny he promised. The people of Zaomu Village divided the money."

"I didn't want to do it again after that one time. But Xue Li Hong kept coming to me. People who knew Zaomu Village had gotten money also came looking for me. Some even hoped I would approach them so their family could offer someone up for a big payday."

"What a sin!"

The matchmaker beat her chest and stamped her feet. "I knew it was a sin, but I couldn't refuse! If I did, Xue Li Hong wouldn't spare me, and neither would those who wanted to get rich."

"And so, I set up eight more matches!"

My face darkened. "Are you saying Xue Li Hong took nine lives in total?"

"Yes!" The matchmaker didn't dare look me in the eye. "Those brides were either tied up and drowned or poisoned to death... No matter how they died, as long as they were wearing a wedding dress and their faces were covered, Xue Li Hong would come to get them. That's how the nine brides died."

My face was as dark as water. "Who sent Mei Zi's coffin back?"

"I really don't know!" The matchmaker quickly said, "I hadn't arrived in Zaomu Village yet. Who knows where the coffin came from?"

"I really didn't want to come to Zaomu Village. I committed sins here, and I felt uneasy coming back. But the City God insisted I come, so I came. Only after I arrived did I hear that the people of Zaomu Village had almost been killed by Mei Zi."

Seeing that I wasn't speaking, the matchmaker quickly said, "You know the rest. It was all arranged by that Wang Peng. I was just following his orders."

I said in a deep voice, "You've been the land god of Zaomu Village for so many years. Didn't you know Mei Zi was buried in Zaomu Village too?"

"I knew!" The matchmaker said with a bitter face, "I even searched for Mei Zi's body. I turned the village upside down, but I couldn't find where Mei Zi's body was buried."

I nodded slightly. "You, get out of the car!"

The matchmaker seemed not to understand what I was saying. "You want me to get out of the car?"

"I said I would spare your life, and I won't break my word!" Without waiting for the matchmaker to ask again, I grabbed her by the neck and threw her out.

As soon as the matchmaker flew out of the car, the female ghost's shā qì (evil aura) suddenly erupted. The black aura, like billowing smoke, instantly blew off the dilapidated car roof. The female ghost also shot into the air.

Lin Zhao was about to act, but I stopped him. "Don't interfere!"

Before I could finish speaking, the female ghost swooped down from the air, extending a pale hand from the sleeve that had been blown open by the wind. She grabbed the matchmaker's head, seized her hair, and dragged her into the bushes.

The matchmaker shouted hoarsely, "Lord Li, you said you would save my life... You said you would save my life... You can't break your promise!"

I watched coldly as the phosphorescent flames burst out of the bushes, not saying a word. Lin Zhao said in a low voice, "Aren't you afraid the shā qì (evil aura) in the female ghost will dissipate?"

Afraid I wouldn't understand, Lin Zhao continued to explain, "From the matchmaker's words, what Xue Li Hong wants is the resentment trapped in the corpses. If the resentment dissipates, will these corpses still be useful?"