At night, I quietly crawled out through the prepared dog hole.

Li Pozi's house was easy to find.

Hers was the only old brick house in the village that hadn't been renovated and rebuilt.

Because she lost her husband early and had no children.

But no matter which family asked her to deliver a baby or perform a small ritual, she never took any money.

In this village that values money as life and is cold-blooded, she seemed out of place.

As soon as I entered, I saw Li Pozi sitting in the main room waiting.

In the large room, there was only a dim blue kerosene lamp, and a gust of eerie wind blew the offerings on the table.

A corner of red fabric peeked out from under a white cloth.

She didn't speak, just signaled for me to follow her.

There was actually a basement under the main room.

The rotting smell was so nauseating that I frowned and asked her suspiciously, "Granny, can you really save me?"

"Click—"

The door behind me closed.

Li Pozi slowly turned around, a crazed smile on her face.

Her sagging cheeks looked like decayed old wood, and she said, "You're not too stupid, but—"

"It's too late."

With that, my consciousness suddenly plunged into darkness.

When I woke up again, my hands and feet were tied with hemp rope, and seven silver needles were less than three centimeters from my heart.

In front of me, a red-clothed puppet was bathed in the moonlight.

The hole above my head was about half a person wide, probably hidden deep in a pile of firewood, so it hadn't been noticed.

Li Pozi laughed "Jiejie," "You're awake..."

I tried to calm myself down, "What exactly are you trying to do?!"

"My parents will definitely come looking for me when they find I'm missing!"

She approached the puppet carelessly, her withered hand, covered in brown spots, gently stroked its cheek.

"They can't even save themselves, you should worry about yourself."

"This is the Seven Needle Life Exchange. When the moonlight is brightest, it will be your death day."

She looked up at the moon, "It's soon! Very soon, my daughter will be resurrected, hahahaha..."

Daughter? Li Pozi has a child?

I looked at the puppet in shock. So, she really had a child. No wonder she was burning papers at the orphan tower that day.

"Baby, Mommy has found you a good body. You will definitely like it."

Forty years ago, the village's spirit puppet industry was just gaining some fame.

Li Nan got married into the village at that time.

She was young then, always holding some naive girlish fantasies.

Her mother-in-law respected her, her husband valued her, so she thought she had a good future.

She was the first bride to marry in, and the villagers were afraid their dark methods would be exposed, so no one told her the secret of the wealth.

For a long time, she took it for granted that spirit puppets were just finely crafted dolls made of special materials.

Li Nan's first child was a daughter.

She was fair and cute, and as a new mother, she was entirely focused on her child.

But the day after giving birth, her child died.

Her mother-in-law said, "The child was born weak and didn't live long."

She didn't even get to see her child's last moments.

They even pretended to comfort her, "You will have more children, don't be too sad."

Li Nan felt guilty and didn't mind the subtle changes in her family's attitude.

Soon, she was pregnant again.

That's when she first noticed something wrong.

The child was energetic when carried out, clearly a healthy baby.

But when handed to her, the child was weak and trembling.

Her mother-in-law and husband probably thought that since she had given birth and planted roots, she would be easier to control.

So, they no longer hid those filthy secrets from her.

The mother-in-law, who normally treated her like a daughter, became harsh, and the gentle, honest husband revealed his true nature, hitting her when in a foul mood.

After that, Li Nan learned the truth about her first child's death.

She thought of resisting, even escaping.

But every time she got caught, she received a severe beating, and the villagers all acted as accomplices.

Not only did she end up covered in bruises, but her daughter also suffered with her.

Over time, Li Nan became numb.

She pinned all her hopes on her daughter, wishing she could leave this sinful abyss on her behalf.

However, when her daughter turned seven, she died.