Chapter 10

--

Xiang and Madam Li's Reunion

Xiang carefully administered the medicine to Madam Li, and after some time, Madam Li regained consciousness. Seeing her mother awake, Xiang immediately hugged her tightly and said, "From now on, never leave me again."

Madam Li, still disoriented, began to cry softly. "I'm fine, Xiang. Don't worry about me. How are you? Are you okay?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

Xiang, still a bit angry, replied, "I'm fine," though her words didn't fully convey the worry she had been feeling.

Xiang was indeed unharmed, except for a small injury on her hand. When Madam Li noticed the bandage on her daughter's hand, she asked, "What happened to you?"

Xiang hesitated but didn't want to worry her mother further. "It's nothing, just a small injury. It's already healed," she said, avoiding further details.

Madam Li was still concerned. "How did you get hurt?" she pressed. Xiang paused, struggling with whether or not to share the truth. But she chose silence, deciding not to tell her mother anything for now.

After a brief conversation, Jiya entered the room and suggested that Madam Li rest. As Madam Li exited, her husband, Mr. Li, was waiting for her outside.

He asked, "Why didn't you tell me everything? Where did you go?" Xiang, determined to protect her mother from worrying further, responded firmly, "I didn't want her to know, at least not yet. She's still weak."

Mr. Li sighed, understanding but concerned. "If she finds out, she will be angry with me. She'll think I put you in danger. If anything happened to you, she would never forgive me."

"Forget about it, Baba," Xiang replied, trying to calm him. "Nothing happened. Everything is fine now."

Xiang then led her father to meet a boy she had brought along. "This boy wants to stay with us and learn from the master," she explained.

Meanwhile, Doming had also arrived. He greeted Mr. Li politely and, after a moment of silence, asked, "Please, allow me to stay. I can do a lot for you." At first, Mr. Li hesitated but, seeing the boy's persistence, he finally agreed.

"Alright," Mr. Li said, "You can stay here, but you will live in the back of the house. Our home is large enough to accommodate you."

Doming was thrilled and rushed to Wen Shia, declaring, "I'm no longer homeless! I have a place now!"

Wen Shia didn't acknowledge him, deliberately ignoring his enthusiasm.

"Wen Shia," Doming asked, "Will you accept me as your student?"

Wen Shia immediately refused. "You think you know everything, but what could I possibly teach you? I cannot be your master."

With that, Wen Shia slowly stood up and walked out of the room. "I have work to do," he said, his voice distant.

As evening settled in, the family had dinner together. Later, everyone went to their respective rooms to sleep.

---

The Terrifying Dream

That night, Xiang had a vivid and disturbing dream. The mysterious woman appeared again, and this time, she seemed to have fully taken control of Xiang. The woman laughed ominously as she recounted the horrors she had committed. In Xiang's dream, she saw the woman mercilessly killing many people. The nightmare was chilling, and Xiang awoke with a start.

It was now morning, around 5:00 AM. The noise outside caught her attention. Startled, Xiang rushed outside to see what was happening.

A crowd had gathered at her doorstep, some people crying and others looking terrified. "Something's happened," one of them said. "Many people started dying suddenly. A woman was seen killing them!"

Xiang listened in shock as a woman cried, "My husband was killed by a woman last night! She was completely black, her face hidden, and she wore black and blue clothes. She crushed the garden with her hands."

When they reached the bodies, the gruesome sight was clear: the victims' necks had been snapped, and strange handprints were left on them. The people around grew increasingly afraid.

"Is this another attack from the Demon Plane?" one of the villagers asked. "Could it be someone with demonic powers? We need to catch them quickly."

Xiang, shaken by the description of the woman's clothes, felt a chill run down her spine. She had seen a similar figure in her dream the previous night, a woman dressed in the same colors. The connection made her even more uneasy, but she said nothing.

As the villagers speculated about the source of the killings, Xiang couldn't shake the feeling that the dream and the events unfolding were somehow connected.

---