Another person was Lu Jia.
She washed herself thoroughly and put on clean clothes. Her slender neck was bound by a rope used for tying pigs, and she hung from the ceiling beam.
The moment Shu Yun was killing others was also the moment she ended her own life.
The moment the old woman pleaded in pain was precisely when she found complete liberation.
When Shu Yun came out, Ning Wei told her, "Lu Jia is dead."
Shu Yun lowered her gaze, slowly pushed open the door, and saw Lu Jia swaying in the air.
Shu Yun seemed to have expected this. She asked Ning Wei for help, and together they laid Lu Jia on the ground.
She reached out and touched Lu Jia, then shed a tear.
Ning Wei didn't know what to say. She thought Shu Yun had once hated Lu Jia. If it hadn't been for her kindness, they might not have been caught, and she wouldn't have suffered such abuse.
Perhaps it was the hatred growing in her heart every day that had sustained Shu Yun and allowed her to live until now.
For some reason, Ning Wei still felt a sense of pity for Lu Jia.
She looked to be only in her twenties, her beautiful youth cut short here.
If it weren't for Wang Jianye, she might still be traveling all over the country, taking beautiful photos.
Recalling Lu Jia's words, her dream was to become a travel blogger, but alas, she no longer had the chance.
Ning Wei slowly withdrew from the Li family's courtyard. It was still early, so she wandered around the village.
Shu Yun had already tidied Lu Jia's clothes, presumably intending to bury her properly.
Every house in the village had a cart, specifically used for transporting grain from the fields. Now, it had a new purpose: transporting bodies.
Some had died instantly from a single blow, while others had been dismembered into several large pieces.
All these bodies were dragged to the threshing ground and thrown into a pile, instantly igniting a raging fire.
The light of the fire illuminated their path to a new life.
Countless bodies were thrown into the flames, which grew larger and larger. The air was filled with the smell of burning flesh, with a peculiar fragrance that made them linger, unwilling to leave.
Time was up, and Ning Wei had to leave.
As she walked out, Yanzi suddenly called out to her.
"Ning Wei, thank you. Without your help, we might never have found release."
"What do you plan to do from now on?" Ning Wei asked Yanzi.
Yanzi touched her belly, a motherly glow on her face. "I originally planned to take this unwanted child with me to die. But Shu Yun hoped I would give birth to it. We've all agreed to stay here and spend the rest of our lives. Life outside the mountains no longer concerns us. People like us will not be accepted by the outside world."
This was the consequence of being trafficked. Even though they had avenged themselves, the physical and emotional scars had made them fearful of others' gazes. They could never go back.
Perhaps staying here was their best option.
Behind Ning Wei was the fire. She turned her back on it and strode out of the village.
Outside the village, the passengers were growing impatient.
The faint sounds from within the village made them anxious, and the huge blaze filled them with dread.
It wasn't until Ning Wei appeared that they breathed a sigh of relief.
Someone asked Ning Wei, "What on earth happened tonight?"
Ning Wei replied, "There's a wild flower on the mountain that has anesthetic properties. I went to pick a lot of it in the middle of the night, and it came in handy at the sacrificial feast."
"And this fire, what is it burning..."
The person dared not finish. Ning Wei helped him complete the sentence, "It's burning bodies. From now on, this village will have no adult men."
The passengers didn't know what to say. They could only suggest getting on the bus first.
They even dared not look at Ning Wei, for all of this was her doing. The concept of all the men in a village being dead was staggering!
Ning Wei was even more ruthless than those trafficked women!
They followed the path they came on towards the bus station. Along the way, they encountered many female ghosts. They didn't attack, but rather seemed to be waiting for someone.
When Ning Wei, the last one, appeared, all the female ghosts simultaneously said, "Thank you." Their voices were like the chilling winds from hell, seeping into everyone's bones and making their hair stand on end.
Someone urged in a low voice, "Hurry, hurry!"
They quickened their pace. The bus was just ahead. Clutching their tickets, they boarded one by one.
The attendant at the door was happily counting the passengers, but her expression grew increasingly grim.
"Why is nobody dead!" she complained.
Ning Wei walked over at that moment and sneered, "With me here, they naturally wouldn't die!"
The attendant was aware of what had happened in Chaonan Village.
She had also witnessed Ning Wei's actions within.
Therefore, this was the first time the attendant hadn't argued with Ning Wei, but instead, in a very low voice, said a "thank you" to her.
Ning Wei was somewhat surprised and looked at the attendant twice.
The attendant, feeling a bit embarrassed, immediately put on a stern face. "Hurry up, hurry up! Do you still want to get on the bus!"
Ning Wei let out a laugh and sat in the very back row.
This time, all the passengers were clustered in the middle of the carriage. Only Fu Chengwei still sat in the row in front of Ning Wei.
The attendant was very pleased that everyone was isolating Ning Wei, so she sat beside Ning Wei with a gloating expression. "See, you saved them, but they're afraid of you."
Ning Wei didn't turn her head. "Does that have anything to do with you?"
The attendant's voice rose slightly. "I'm speaking up for you!"
"Is that so? Then kill them for me."
The attendant fell silent. If she had the right, Ning Wei would have been the first person she killed.
Ning Wei grew impatient. "Go to the front. I'm going to sleep!"
The attendant clenched her fist, but in the end, she returned to the very front of the carriage.
As for the passengers, hearing Ning Wei tell the attendant to kill them only deepened their displeasure and increased their resentment towards Ning Wei.
On the contrary, Fu Chengwei remained cheerful, completely unfazed by Ning Wei's words.
In the past, Ning Wei had thought he was truly stupid. But now, she realized he was smarter than everyone else, very savvy, and knew how to avoid trouble by downplaying things. He could easily extricate himself during missions, which was why he had never been in danger.
Ning Wei clasped her arms across her chest, looking at the back of Fu Chengwei's head, lost in thought.
In Chaonan Village, everyone had been under immense mental strain, so soon they all fell asleep.
Only the attendant was still mumbling to the driver, and Ning Wei in the back row, with her eyes wide open.
The attendant reminded Ning Wei, "Get some sleep. The stations ahead will only become more dangerous. You need to rest well."