[{"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-50":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},2263156,4416,"Chapter 50","there-is-a-malevolent-spirit-chapter-50",50,"\u003Cp>49. The Two White Clans (Please Follow!)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xiue looked at the man before her—his face weathered and worn, barely thirty yet hunched and gaunt as an old man—and tears immediately streamed down her cheeks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this home had not held someone she truly cared for, how could anyone have persuaded her to return?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her father was the only person she still cared for in the Bai Family Graveyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xiue’s father did not bear the Bai surname; he was a refugee who had entered the family as a son-in-law.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For all these years, it had been his hands that managed every household matter, raising Bai Xiue to adulthood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go, go, go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old father deliberately lowered his voice, shoving Bai Xiue toward the door while fearfully glancing back at their courtyard—his greatest fears always came true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the man pushed Bai Xiue forward, barely taking a few steps, a loud clang echoed behind them—the door had swung open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately after, a tall, broad-shouldered man stepped out from the main hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wore only a white undergarment, standing on the hall’s threshold, unfastening his trousers to urinate onto the steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spotting the old man shoving Bai Xiue outside, he immediately pulled up his pants and barked at him: “Old man, what are you doing?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who is this woman?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, the young man—roughly Bai Xiue’s age—slipped on his cloth slippers, leapt down the steps, kicked open the wicker gate, and strode swiftly toward the father and daughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he drew near and saw Bai Xiue’s face, his expression turned to utter horror—he staggered backward, nearly collapsing onto the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Y-you—you’re a ghost!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh my heavens!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother! Mother! A ghost’s here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bai Xiue has returned as a ghost to claim vengeance!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man scrambled back into the main hall, screaming like a slaughtered pig. Soon after, a woman of considerable grace emerged, pulling her robe around her and pushing back her long hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man cowered behind her, stealing glances at Bai Xiue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She… Mother, they live in the same room?” Bai Xiue stared at the pair emerging from the hall, disbelief in her eyes as she looked to her father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old father’s expression darkened. He sighed: “The ancestral hall says your mother was his wet nurse—her nurturing grace equals that of a birth mother. They live together to avoid gossip…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Jing Bai clan treats us cruelly…” Bai Xiue murmured, watching the approaching pair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Bai Family Graveyard, everyone except the men brought in as sons-in-law bore the Bai surname.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this ‘Bai’ surname had two distinct origins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xiue’s side—women born into the local Bai clan that had long resided around Qingyi Town—were called ‘Border Bai’ in Bai Family Graveyard, meaning the Bai of the frontier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other group, the ‘Jing Bai,’ originated from Yanjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These Jing Bai had once borne the illustrious Manchu surname Yehe Nara. Over a hundred years ago, they suddenly migrated from the capital to Bai Family Graveyard, settling beside the Border Bai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since their arrival, the Border Bai had dwindled—almost every household bore only daughters, with scarcely any sons born.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when sons were born, most died young.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With too few able-bodied men, the Border Bai became ever more dependent on the Jing Bai. Today, the two clans appear merged on the surface, but their inner divisions have never faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jing Bai’s ancestral records kept in the clan hall never listed a single Border Bai name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time the Border Bai Mianqiang  rebuilt their ancestral hall, it was destroyed by natural disasters or human malice. Now, they had no hall, no genealogy at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every Border Bai woman, from birth to death, was a commodity the Jing Bai could sell at will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Border Bai men fared worse than the slaves of wealthy households.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother, she’s a ghost!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll call someone to burn her!” The young man, cowering behind the woman, whispered urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman was Bai Xiue’s mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She gently patted the young man’s hand to soothe him. Her gaze toward Bai Xiue held uncertainty, but seeing the cowardly old man standing beside her, her fear lessened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai’s mother stepped closer to Bai Xiue, studying her face carefully, then softly called: “Xiue…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her mother’s gentle, kind expression, Bai Xiue’s hatred toward her suddenly softened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her mother was also a woman trapped by fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sighed inwardly and whispered to the woman: “Mother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai’s mother’s heart stirred; her eyes reddened. She grasped Bai Xiue’s cool small hand: “Xiue, it was wrong of me. I let you suffer…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside them, Bai’s father opened his mouth, then slumped as if all strength had drained from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She’s a ghost, Mother—call someone to burn her!” The young man still chattered, but Bai’s mother suddenly turned and shot him a glance—he froze like a rooster with its throat cut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could Xiue be a ghost?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can’t you see she’s alive and well?” Bai’s mother smiled, wiping her tears as she pulled Bai Xiue toward the house. “Your brother isn’t evil, Xiue. Don’t blame him. Even I was startled when I saw you just now. Once you get used to him, you’ll see—he’s truly kind…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xiue said nothing, lips pressed tight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This so-called brother of hers had no blood tie to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was born into the Jing Bai clan; her mother was merely his wet nurse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this Jing Bai man’s “kind heart” meant to imply he was skilled at climbing into his wet nurse’s bed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xiue’s heart burned with fury, yet she dared not speak a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai’s mother led her into the western annex. She bustled about, cleaning the room, laying out the bedding—as if truly welcoming back her married daughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said not a word of Bai Xiue’s past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the room was clean, Bai Xiue sat on a stool while her father stood at the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiue…” The old father looked at his daughter with deep worry. “You can still leave…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he finished, Bai’s mother called his name from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hesitated at the door, unwilling to answer his wife’s call.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Bai’s mother walked over herself and said to Bai Xiue: “Xiue, your father and I need to discuss something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She spoke, then led the father away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they left, she closed the door behind them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xiue sat stunned in the annex—never before so clean and tidy—and heard the sound of chains being locked outside. She sighed softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you planning to do?” Bai Ma asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Xiue sat stunned in this chamber, never before so clean and tidy, listening to the sound of chains being fastened outside the door, and she let out a soft sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you planning to do?” Bai Ma asked her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They think I’m a ghost… burning me alive would suit me fine… but perhaps my mother still has a little pity for me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still dreaming?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Bai Ma’s mocking tone, Bai Xiue lowered her eyes, her gaze timid: “If I can’t escape, I’ll trade myself… to let my father leave Bai Family Graveyard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Ma fell silent, lips pressed tight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Bai Ma’s mocking words, Bai Xiue lowered her eyelids, her gaze timid: “If it fails, I want to use myself… to exchange for my father’s release from the Bai family graveyard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, Bai Xiue opened her small bundle. The animal and insect hides, stitched together with lotus-thread, lay neatly stacked within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lowered her head, her fingers weaving lotus-thread as she began piecing and sewing the hides together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Ma watched silently for a long while, then suddenly said: “He tricked you away—why are you still sewing him the Hundred Beasts Robe?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s a good man. He has his reasons,” Bai Xiue replied softly. “Master Zhou said the Hundred Beasts Robe wards off evil spirits. If I sew fast enough, I can finish it today. When it’s done, please take it to him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Ma watched Bai Xiue’s movements in silence, then suddenly said, “He’s already tricked you into leaving—why are you still sewing the Hundred Beasts Robe for him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He's a good man; he has his reasons,\" Bai Xiue replied softly. \"Master Zhou said the Hundred Beasts Robe can suppress evil spirits; if I sew faster, I should finish it today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When it's done, you take it to him for me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1390,"2026-06-19T18:47:42.084Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9b623ea9d7dbfc4d8917d2a39f4b0a28866af5d966c781d351c5e7ccaf1baae2","there-is-a-malevolent-spirit-chapter-51","there-is-a-malevolent-spirit-chapter-49",209,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthere-is-a-malevolent-spirit-cover.jpg"]