[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-there-is-a-malevolent-spirit":3,"chapter-there-is-a-malevolent-spirit-there-is-a-malevolent-spirit-chapter-13":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","There Is a Malevolent Spirit",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2263119,4416,"Chapter 13: 12, Nian Yi","there-is-a-malevolent-spirit-chapter-13",13,"\u003Cp>12. Think of clothing\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Duan Gong, didn’t see you rise at dawn yesterday?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the gloomy sky, a neighbor from next door to the Zhou household walked up and spoke to Zhou Sanji and Zhou Chang; Zhou Chang heard his voice warm and friendly, but could not make out his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was busy digging up graves at the mass burial ground last night, didn’t stay home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Couldn’t make it back even by dawn.” Zhou Sanji grinned, speaking plainly, and slightly lifted the horse lantern in his hand—the light revealed the man’s face: a gaunt, horse-like visage with not a trace of the warmth in his voice; his eyes were wide open, fixed unblinkingly on Zhou Chang beside Zhou Sanji, as if trying to excavate some secret from Zhou Chang’s expression!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged man’s eyes were bloodshot, his wide-open sockets housing tiny, pinprick pupils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was blinded by the sudden light from Zhou Sanji’s lantern, raised a hand to shield his eyes, and his terrifying expression instantly transformed into a warm, friendly smile: “Oh, oh! That’s how it is~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wondered why I didn’t see anyone from your house yesterday—this girl’s quite lovely, is she a relative of yours, Old Duan Gong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I dug her out of a coffin—want to inspect her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Asking so many questions—what’s it to you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Go home and grind your son’s tofu!” Zhou Sanji’s face turned vicious, and he cursed the man with the horse face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man with the horse face had just heard many strange and bizarre tales from Zhou Sanji, yet now his expression grew relaxed; he nodded repeatedly and chuckled, “Alright then, I’ll go grind my tofu—I’ll bring you an old man a bowl later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, he turned and walked back into the two-story wooden house across the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Chang noticed a banner hanging before the wooden house, faintly inscribed with the characters “Lü Tofu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the people lingering nearby, pretending to chat idly but actually straining to eavesdrop on Zhou Sanji and the horse-faced man, suddenly dispersed; the watching eyes Zhou Chang had sensed vanished without a trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eat the tofu you offer for free? Hmph—” Zhou Sanji stared at the man’s back, sneered a few times, then turned back to Zhou Chang and said, “These people are overly suspicious—you can’t give them chances to pry, but you must also ease their doubts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once their paranoia takes hold, it can drive a living person to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if you indulge them and answer everything, their questions will never end—so like me, when they ask you once, answer if you can, and if you can’t, curse them back to give them something else to think about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let them imagine wild theories on their own—it’s better than being driven to death by their relentless probing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood.” Zhou Chang nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sensed these people’s mental states were extremely unstable—a pathological condition formed from prolonged high-pressure living with no emotional release.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each person’s heart was a powder keg; a single spark could trigger total explosion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too much contact with them could easily set fire to oneself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among these mentally unstable people, Old Duan Gong seemed remarkably normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The townsfolk gradually returned home; Zhou Chang, supported by Zhou Sanji and Bai Xiue, sat down again in the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was past dawn, but there was no point returning to bed for more sleep; Zhou Chang sat in the courtyard, waiting as Zhou Sanji and Bai Xiue went to the firewood shed, returned with three bowls of vegetable porridge and a small dish of pickled radish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Times are hard—we’ve little grain left, and now there’s another pair of chopsticks—don’t know how long the food will last. Just make do for now.” Zhou Sanji sighed heavily, pushing the thickest bowl of porridge toward Zhou Chang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words carried hidden meaning; Bai Xiue, sitting in the corner of the small table, felt lost. She lowered her head, staring at her own bowl, whispering softly, “I—I can’t eat that much…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A little half-bowl is enough…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where’s your home? You can’t stay here forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tell me where you’re from—I’ll find someone to send you back. You’ve been gone so long, your family must be frantic with worry.” Zhou Sanji looked at Bai Xiue, speaking as he used Zhou Chang’s chopsticks to pick up a few drops of sesame oil from a small bottle on the table and drizzled them onto Zhou Chang’s porridge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fragrance of sesame oil instantly filled the air, making one’s mouth water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xiue lowered her head, refusing to look at the humble meal, yet couldn’t help inhaling softly to retain the scent of sesame oil at her nostrils; she shook her head, dazed and vacant: “I don’t remember where my home is…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Sanji frowned at the sound—he had already noticed: this woman was deliberately avoiding the truth. He was about to press further, when Zhou Chang suddenly reached out, seized the chopsticks beside his bowl, and with his other hand grabbed the sesame oil bottle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He used the chopsticks to pick up a few drops of oil and dotted them into Zhou Sanji’s and Bai Xiue’s porridge bowls, then said: “Eat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Sanji stared at this sudden action, eyes wide; he didn’t even mind Zhou Chang’s casual sharing of such a precious seasoning, and blurted out: “You can move again?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My arms can move now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But my legs and body still have no strength.” Zhou Chang stirred the oil into his porridge as he replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching his trembling movements, Zhou Sanji pondered: “Children frightened into soul-loss—when we use the ‘Soul-Recovery Method’ to bring their spirits back, their bodies are initially stiff and uncoordinated, but after two or three days of rest, they recover…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Chang slurped his porridge, offering no comment on Zhou Sanji’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew his condition perfectly—it had nothing to do with a child’s frightened soul-loss; this was merely Zhou Sanji’s self-serving guess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The truth was, within his thoughts, the “thought-silks” had inexplicably sprouted another dozen or so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With these dozen thought-silks, he could barely manage to lift his arms and eat, but had no strength for any heavy labor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How did the thought-silks grow? Zhou Chang had no clue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he now knew one thing—these newly formed thought-silks must be connected to Bai Xiue beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had spent one night with Zhou Sanji, repeatedly trying, yet not a single thought-silk had increased; but after meeting Bai Xiue outside, one thought-silk had appeared, and ever since, whenever she was near, another would grow at intervals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the thought-silks could not be unrelated to Bai Xiue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But why would the Mingqi garment called “Nian Yi,” which came from Zhou Chang’s coffin, be connected to Bai Xiue?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In no time, Zhou Chang had already drunk half his bowl of porridge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The porridge had been cooked earlier by Zhou Sanji and kept warm over the hearth; now served, its temperature was just right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the table, Zhou Sanji had already started eating; only Bai Xiue sat hunched in the corner, uncertain what to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Zhou Chang reached out and pushed the last remaining bowl of porridge toward Bai Xiue, saying again: “Eat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Sanji glared at him at the sound, but said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xiue obediently picked up the bowl, lowered her head, and whispered: “I—I can’t eat that much… just a little half-bowl is enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You only get two meals a day—this morning meal must carry you through until dusk. Eat more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, thank you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the meal, Bai Xiue voluntarily washed the bowls, chopsticks, and pots, then bid farewell to the grandfather and grandson before returning to her room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Think hard, girl!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remember where your home is as soon as possible—I’ll send you back!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you really can’t recall, no matter—I’ll ask around Qingyi Town; if your home’s nearby, someone must know…” Zhou Sanji called after Bai Xiue, but when he saw her shut her door without turning back, he shook his head and turned—only to find Zhou Chang staring fixedly at the door of Bai Xiue’s room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thwack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Sanji flew into a rage and slapped Zhou Chang’s head: “Still staring?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You put on a show to make her your wife, and now you’re treating her like your own wife?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t you know—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Zhou Sanji dropped his voice, leaning close to Zhou Chang’s ear: “She’s still possessed by a ‘paper-face’! Even if she’s not a full-fledged Thought Demon, she’s nearly one!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t get close to such things—it’ll bring you no good!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once I find out where she lives, I’ll send her away!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Chang opened his mouth, but said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought-silks in his mind ceased growing after Bai Xiue left his side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His thought-silks’ growth may well be due to the “paper-face” clinging to Bai Xiue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could he possibly let her go?\u003C\u002Fp>",1473,"2026-06-19T18:47:42.084Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b492eab62e714c0324a818fc28e49994311b91eb92184aa19cf83428b7323cf5","there-is-a-malevolent-spirit-chapter-14","there-is-a-malevolent-spirit-chapter-12",209,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthere-is-a-malevolent-spirit-cover.jpg"]