So the whole group trailed behind the Ghost Princess, marching grandly down the path.
It didn’t take long before they reached a place soaked in blood, the air thick with all kinds of raw, metallic stench.
The smell was seriously overpowering.
Soon, Cao Wan’er’s screams rang out again. Ivy Shen saw her there—her long black hair a mess on the ground, all her clothes ripped off, and an iron chain threaded right through her tongue.
The other end of the chain was gripped by a nearly naked demon, yanking it forward again and again. The whole scene looked straight-up horrifying.
“Mmmph! Mmmph!” Little Pretty whimpered, clearly scared out of his wits by the sight.
Ivy quickly shielded Little Pretty, not letting him see a thing, but she herself stared at Cao Wan’er without blinking.
“This is the Tongue-Pulling Hell,” the Ghost Princess explained. “Normally, little ghosts pry open a sinner’s mouth, clamp the tongue with iron tongs, and yank it out—only, they don’t just rip it off in one go. They stretch it out, drag it slowly... then bring in a donkey with a stone mill strapped to its back, and the donkey grinds away right on the tongue.”
Even if she’d grown a conscience now, she knew everyone sent here was totally beyond redemption—so she didn’t feel the slightest need to pity anyone like that.
“And that’s just one version of the tongue-pulling,” the Ghost Princess went on. “There’s another where the underworld has fields, and they chain the sinners’ tongues to farm tools, then make them plow the fields like oxen.”
“So scary!” Little Pretty clapped his hands over his ears. Just hearing all those screams had him shaking from head to toe.
Beside him, Liam Willow frowned and turned away, clearly unsettled by the whole scene.
“Ahhhhh—!” Cao Wan’er’s eyes went bloodshot as she screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Quit your screaming, it’s driving me nuts!” The demon tossed over a whip and lashed the naked Cao Wan’er hard, splitting her skin open on the spot.
“Cao Wan’er, long time no see!” Ivy Shen suddenly called out, catching her off guard.
Caught off guard, Cao Wan’er—still writhing in pain—snapped her head up. She froze: the one greeting her wasn’t some random ghost, but that demon woman and her husbands.
The demon doing the whipping hadn’t met the Ghost Princess before, but he’d definitely seen the Black and White Reapers—so he quickly bowed, super polite.
Cao Wan’er’s eyes went wide. She never imagined she’d run into them here.
Seeing the Black and White Reapers standing beside her, she assumed they were about to suffer tongue-pulling torture too.
“Ha! Are you laughing at me? You’ve got the nerve to laugh? Your death day’s coming up fast!” Cao Wan’er snarled, mouth bloody and twisted.
Clearly, she was determined to watch them suffer just as much as she had.
Ivy Shen just smiled. “Sorry, but you’re about to be disappointed. Not only are we not getting tortured, we’re about to head back to the living world and keep living it up.”
“What?” Cao Wan’er shrieked, totally unable to believe it.
“No way, no way—how could this happen? You’re lying! You’re lying!” Cao Wan’er screamed, voice raw and desperate.
Her shrieking made the underworld guards frown in disgust. One whipped her bare skin, and Cao Wan’er howled in pain.
“They really are about to head back to the living world,” White Reaper blurted out, not sure why he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
“Why? Why?” Cao Wan’er shrieked even louder, desperate after hearing White Reaper confirm it.
“Why? Because I’m kinder than you.” Ivy Shen shot her a cold smile.
“You call that kind? More like scheming to the bone!” Cao Wan’er spat.
“How many layers of punishment does she get?” the Ghost Princess asked the underworld guards.
The underworld guard had never met the Ghost Princess, but seeing her with the Black and White Reapers, he figured she had to be a big shot. So he rattled off, “Besides Tongue-Pulling Hell, she’s headed for Scissors Hell, Iron Tree Hell, Karma Mirror Hell, Steamer Hell, Bronze Pillar Hell, Blade Mountain Hell, Ice Mountain Hell, Oil Cauldron Hell, Cow Pit Hell, Stone Press Hell, Mortar Hell, Blood Pool Hell, Wrongful Death Hell, Dismemberment Hell, Volcano Hell, Stone Mill Hell, and Saw Hell!”
By the time he finished, Cao Wan’er’s face had turned purple.
“Ha! That’s hilarious. Cao Wan’er, you really outdid yourself—eighteen layers of hell? You must’ve been rotten to the core!” Ivy Shen laughed, totally gloating.
“No, no way, no way—!” Cao Wan’er screamed, her voice echoing through the hells.
Ivy Shen just sneered at her shock. “We’re heading back soon—to really mess with Song Zhijue, and with Silver Consort’s son!”
Cao Wan’er stared at Ivy in terror, and Ivy’s words made the four men freeze for a second. Wait—Silver Consort’s son? Isn’t Song Zhijue Cao Wan’er’s own child?
Watching Cao Wan’er’s terrified face, Ivy propped her chin. “So, what do you think? If Song Zhijue finds out his real mom was killed by his adoptive mom, how’s he gonna feel? And if that same mom chopped off her precious son’s legs for her own gain—what then?”
“No—!” Cao Wan’er screamed, “No, please, don’t tell him, I’m begging you—!” Bloody and naked, she couldn’t bear the thought of Song Zhijue learning the truth.
“Don’t want me to?” Ivy Shen snorted. “When my mother begged you to spare my sister, did you listen? When my sister begged you not to whip her, did you listen? When you slaughtered innocent villagers, did you hear their pleas? Did you?” Ivy’s voice climbed higher and higher, her fury rising.
“Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. Now you want to beg? Forget it!”
“You—!” Cao Wan’er was furious at Ivy’s words.
Ivy Shen’s smile turned cold. “You know, I suddenly think it’s better not to let Song Zhijue die easy. Let him live—let him live trapped in pain and lies. What kind of days do you think he’ll have then?” Her voice was icy, like a vengeful ghost.
“You’re crazy—crazy! I’ll haunt you even as a ghost, I swear I will—!”
“Did you forget? You’re already dead. And with eighteen layers of hell waiting, you can take your time. Even if you survive all that, you won’t get to be human again—you don’t deserve it. So just settle in as a pig!” With that, Ivy didn’t linger—she led the group away.
Behind them, Cao Wan’er’s screams tore through the air.
Once they’d left, everyone kept walking forward. Ivy Shen felt a sudden rush of relief—old witch, I really struck a nerve this time!
A moment later—
“Darling…” At that moment, Liam Willow gently called out and stopped walking.
Everyone followed Liam Willow’s gaze. On the Bridge of No Return, two familiar figures appeared.
“Lanlan! Fenfen!” The Butterfly Rogue couldn’t help shouting out loud.
Immediately, the two figures on the bridge widened their eyes and waved frantically.
Naturally, the group walked over to them.
“You… you’re…” Lanny and Pinkie stared at them in disbelief. Had they all died too?
“We’re heading back to the living world,” the Butterfly Rogue announced first.
At those words, Lanny and Pinkie broke into bright smiles. “Really? That’s wonderful, truly wonderful!”
“Boys, time for soup.” Grandma Meng, who’d been silent, finally spoke, handing them each a bowl.
“You’re…?”
Lanny smiled gently. “We’re being reincarnated. The two of us, next life—we’ll be born into a happy home, with a kind mother and loving father.”
“Yes, that’s what we’ve always dreamed of!” Pinkie chimed in, face alight with joy.
In this life, they’d had no family—both orphans, never knowing what it was like to be loved. Now, with a chance for a new start, they were deeply moved.
“Little Master, please take good care of Mistress. We love her so much, but our time is up—we can’t force it.” Lanny’s eyes shone with tears.
“Yes, Little Master!” Pinkie grabbed Ivy Shen’s hand, sobbing. “Please, you have to make sure Mistress is happy—promise!”
Ivy Shen nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she’s happy—very happy. For her whole life.”
“Thank you!” Both knelt and bowed to Ivy Shen.
Kind-hearted Liam Willow couldn’t help but start crying.
“Little Master, we’re leaving now!” Lanny and Pinkie wiped away their tears, drank Grandma Meng’s soup, then walked off hand in hand.
The Butterfly Rogue couldn’t hold back his sobs.
“They’re your friends, aren’t they? Don’t worry—they’re off to a happy home, and the two of them will be good brothers there.” Even the cold Black Reaper couldn’t help gossiping.
Hearing that, Ivy Shen smiled softly. This really was the best ending—Lanny and Pinkie, who’d never known a family’s love, would finally be reborn into a happy home. Maybe not a rich one, but at least a happy one. In her eyes, all the money in the world couldn’t buy happiness.
Don’t worry—you can count on me to take care of Big Sis for you. I’ll make sure she stays happy!
******Skip: Author’s note, not part of the novel’s story******
******Skip: Author’s PS about upcoming sweetness and requests for comments/collection. Not part of the novel’s story.******