Yao Hong was born into a family of doctors. Her parents were always busy and barely had any time to care for her. For most of the month, at least twenty-five days, she was left alone. She was incredibly lonely until, at fourteen, her mother gave birth to her little brother.  

“So small, so cute,” little Yao Hong leaned over the hospital bed, staring at her chubby little brother in her mother’s arms, finding the tiny guy endlessly fascinating.  

“Xiao Hong, from now on, Xiao An will be your responsibility. Mom and Dad are very busy!” Yao Hong still remembered how her parents entrusted Xiao An, her little brother, to her care.  

“Alright, I’ll take good care of Xiao An!”  

“Ugh, how do you even change this diaper? So annoying!”  

“Hey, Xiao An, hurry up and grow up already so you can chat with your sister. You little brat, I’m not even going out to play badminton just to take care of you!” Despite her complaints, little Yao Hong adored her baby brother from the bottom of her heart.  

“Sister, what’s one plus one?”  

“It’s two.”  

“Why is it two?”  

“Because it is two, that’s why it’s two.”  

“Why is that because…”  

As Xiao An grew up bit by bit, so did Yao Hong. But she never forgot her goal from the moment her brother was born: to take good care of him.  

Time passed day by day. When Xiao An turned six, Yao Hong was already twenty and in college. During her vacation, she took Xiao An to a nearby amusement park. But in the chaos, Xiao An went missing. Then, she received a chilling phone call.  

“Your little brother is with me. If you want him back, come to the abandoned factory in the east of the city tomorrow night alone. Don’t call the police, or I’ll kill your brother!”  

The following evening, Yao Hong didn’t alert the police and went to the abandoned factory alone. She saw the kidnappers—four men in black suits. As soon as Yao Hong arrived, they started tearing at her clothes. She thought she would be humiliated, but instead, they didn’t touch her. They dressed her in a blood-red garment and tied her to a pillar in the middle of the factory.  

“Sister! Sister!”  

Suddenly, Xiao An was brought out, tied up with ropes. Yao Hong’s heart was wrenched. “Let my brother go! Do whatever you want with me, but let him go!”  

“Cut off the boy’s hand first!” the leader ordered coldly.  

Yao Hong’s eyes burned with fury as she watched them sever Xiao An’s left hand with a knife. Seeing her brother writhing in pain on the ground, she screamed, “You bastards! What kind of scum targets a little kid? Come at me if you have guts, you cowards!”  

Her curses only amused the men, who laughed cruelly, seeming to revel in her rage and despair.  

“Light the fire!” they ordered. They started a bonfire and cruelly placed Xiao An on top of it, roasting him alive like a piglet. Yao Hong’s throat was already hoarse from screaming. She could only watch, helpless, as memories of their time together flashed through her mind. Overcome with rage and grief, she bit down on her tongue, vowing through her bloodied lips:  

“You… I’ll haunt you even as a ghost! I will never let you off!”  

With that, Yao Hong bit through her tongue and ended her life. In her final moments, she heard them say something about adding another vengeful ghost to their arsenal. As her vision blurred, she burned into her memory the sight of the tattoo beneath their left ears—a small black snake.  

“Xiao An, my brother… I’ll avenge you, even if it means descending into hell!”  

—  

When I snapped back to reality, I was staring at the female ghost in a daze. Her face was twisted with hatred. So that’s how it happened—she was turned into this by those monsters. My chest felt tight, like something was stuck in my throat. During the exorcism, I had inadvertently gained insight into her memories. At that moment, I couldn’t help but think of letting her go, letting her exact her revenge.  

“Xiao Hui, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and exorcise her! If not, use the Five Thunders Strike Talisman to blast her to the afterlife!” Brother Xiang and Han Sifan were both struggling to hold her back.  

I sighed deeply and began the most critical part of the exorcism: persuasion.  

“Yao Hong! I, Chen Hui, swear to help you avenge your brother. Rest in peace!” My eyes were red as I yelled at the poor woman. Her agony over her brother’s death lingered in my heart, an unbearable weight. I couldn’t fathom why such wicked people existed, who used such heinous methods to create vengeful spirits for their own ends.  

“And what makes you think you can avenge me?” Yao Hong’s voice rang out—not spoken, but an exchange through the spiritual connection established during the exorcism.  

I frowned deeply. She had a point. What could a nobody like me do against a powerful cult?  

“Well? What gives you the right to avenge me? You’re all the same, using these rituals to harm others. You all deserve to die!” Yao Hong’s body suddenly emitted an intense wave of resentment, stronger than before. Perhaps recalling her tragic past during the exorcism had reignited her fury. But then, she started crying—though, as a ghost, no tears fell.  

“Why did my brother have to die? Why was he murdered? Tell me! Answer me!” Yao Hong desperately struggled to reach me, but Han Sifan and Brother Xiang held her tightly.  

Brother Xiang turned to me and shouted, “Xiao Hui, say something nice! Don’t provoke her! She’s about to kill you—do something quick!”  

“I admit it—I’m just a nobody, broke and powerless. But I have the heart of a hero! I didn’t know or couldn’t stop what happened before, but I promise you now, I will eradicate every cult in the world. I’ll bring justice to you and everyone harmed by them!” I looked straight at Yao Hong and declared, “I swear to avenge Yao Hong. If I fail, may I be struck by lightning and condemned for eternity!”  

“Don’t make promises!” Uncle Cong suddenly shouted from a distance.  

I ignored him. Yes, I was a nobody, a small fry. But I had morals. And after seeing Yao Hong’s memories, who wouldn’t want to avenge her?  

“Good, good, good!” Yao Hong’s resentment began to dissipate, and her figure softened into a translucent, ghostly state. She looked at me and said, “I’ll trust you this once. But you only have three years. If you fail to avenge me, I’ll come for you myself.”  

“Rest assured, this isn’t a rash promise. Within three years, I will capture those four and bring them to justice.”  

“Thank you, then,” Yao Hong said softly before disappearing completely.