Wang Laodao put away his stance and walked up to me: "What is that thing on your chest? How could it be so powerful?"

I remembered that on the first night of avoiding calamity, the fox-faced old lady gave me an ancient mirror, saying it was a Bagua Heart-Guarding Mirror.

At the time, I didn't understand its profoundness. Now it seems that this mirror protected my heart, preventing it from being easily taken by bad people.

"I don't understand. Zhang the Paper Man dug out my heart to resurrect Bai Yulan. What are you after?"

Wang Laodao laughed wickedly: "Of course, it's to turn you into a ferocious ghost when you die. What could be more rage-inducing than watching yourself being disemboweled, your heart gouged out, and your bones ground to dust? See that..."

He proudly pointed at the female ghost in the red dress: "This is my proudest creation, completely mindless and at my command. When she died, her husband was cheating with someone else. I didn't have to do much. She turned into this on her own. Now, with a skin of Bai Yulan, it easily fooled that idiot Zhang the Paper Man! You will end up like this too, so cheer up."

In his mouth, human lives are just things to be exploited. This man has long abandoned all scruples to practice dark magic!

Wang Laodao pointed at my chest, and a streak of golden light emerged from it.

He exclaimed: "It's the Bagua Heart-Guarding Mirror! Where did you get this?!"

He examined the mirror for a long time, then treasured it and put it into his pocket: "But it doesn’t matter now. Without this magical device to protect you, let's see who can save you!"

I opened my mouth wide, astonished that this Heart-Guarding Mirror was so easily taken away?

My body hadn't fully recovered; I couldn't even move. Wang Laodao could kill me with one hand!

Just when I was in despair, lamenting "My life is over!", a mixed-breed fox jumped down from a beam.

"Old geezer, look at your granny!” It spoke human words, extended its sharp claws, and scratched Wang Laodao's face a few times. Then, it gracefully landed on the ground.

The fox transformed into the appearance of the fox-faced old lady, still smiling cheerfully. She pointed at my forehead.

"Hehe, girl, I told you not to open the door for anyone."

Instantly, a power flowed into my body, like finally releasing a binding.

I moved my stiff joints and dodged behind the old lady.

"So it was you, old witch!"

Wang Laodao was not surprised at all by the appearance of the fox-faced old lady.

"Years ago, you secretly destroyed the formations I set up, let go of the five children, and prevented my merits from being complete! Now that my skills are about to be perfected, you come to disrupt my plan again as I'm about to sacrifice them!"

"Nonsense! What kind of dark and evil rubbish do you dare to call a skill?"

The fox-faced old lady sneered, turning her head to look at Zhang the Paper Man, who was lying on the ground: "Only this fool with mere mortal eyes truly regards you as a life-saving deity!"

The old lady's voice was old and sharp, with a tone full of contempt.

"I don't believe that after all these years of your beastly training, you haven't done a single heaven-defying, atrocious act?"

Wang Laodao was furious and commanded the female ghost to attack her.

The fox-faced old lady lifted her hem, and dozens of little foxes emerged, chattering and swarming up to tear the female ghost to pieces.

I remembered the little fox that blocked the road on the day of the substitute's burial—turns out it was also her doing!

I tried to digest their conversation, stringing together the events that had transpired.

Years ago, Wang Laodao practiced dark arts and set up formations in a theater, causing a fire.

Everyone in the formation died, helping him to perfect his skills and transform from human to demon, achieving immortality.

But the fox-faced old lady saw through his trickery and secretly sabotaged the formation, letting us five children escape.

So, in the past ten years, the reason we were taken for our lives is that Wang Laodao and Zhang the Paper Man colluded together, plotting the whole thing.

Wang Laodao exploited Zhang the Paper Man's longing for Bai Yulan, deceiving him into believing that obtaining one of our hearts would resurrect Bai Yulan, even blaming her death on us!

Zhang the Paper Man's room always had incense burning to ensure Bai Yulan's remnant soul wouldn't dissipate!

Ridiculously, that remnant soul wasn't even Bai Yulan's. Judging by what just happened, Zhang the Paper Man was being used.

They killed Sun Xue and couldn't wait to extend their claws towards me.

The so-called calamity avoidance was just waiting for me to turn into a living dead...

All that stuff about disturbing divine secrets, the substitute, the five days of calamity avoidance—total nonsense!

I was both furious and sorrowful. Sun Xue and I suffered this pathetic curse for ten years! It turned out to be just a play directed by two madmen for their selfish gain!

I felt a deep injustice for Sun Xue, for the other dead companions, and for the dozens of lives lost in that great fire!!!

But why did the mysterious fox-faced old lady, whom I had met only a few times, help me so much? Was it simply because she knew my grandma?