Chapter 104: The Madwoman

In recent days, Song Nianqiang had been trying to find out where some supernatural incidents had occurred, but people were simply unwilling to talk about such matters. As a result, Song Nianqiang encountered obstacles everywhere, and in the end, his enthusiasm was completely worn down.

Early one morning, just after returning from his morning exercise, Song Nianqiang received a phone call from a woman. Her tone was anxious but she explained the situation clearly: her father had passed away four days ago, and during the burial yesterday, a sudden gust of fierce wind had swept through. After the wind passed, her younger sister suddenly went mad, attacking and biting anyone she saw, and she was now confined by the family.

This was the first time Song Nianqiang had heard of such a case, so after eagerly asking for the address, he dragged his stout friend out of bed. "Fatty, there’s work! Get up quickly and come with me to Xiao Wang Village—something very interesting has happened there."

Fatty was usually a heavy sleeper at this hour, and even Song Nianqiang had trouble waking him. But after nearly a month of idleness, Fatty sat up immediately at Song Nianqiang’s words, startling him. “Qiangzi, are you serious?” he asked without even opening his eyes. Seeing Fatty’s expression, Song Nianqiang smirked, “Yes, get up quickly, no dilly-dallying.” After that, Song Nianqiang went out to buy breakfast, as there was a vendor near his home.

The two finished breakfast quickly and set off for Xiao Wang Village. On the way, Song Nianqiang thought how wonderful it would be to have a car; then he wouldn’t have to squeeze onto the crowded buses. Fortunately, the early bus to Xiao Wang Village was almost empty, so he stood up from his seat and shouted at the sleeping Fatty at the back to wake him up. They discussed what kind of vehicle to buy; with their current savings, they could afford a decent car.

However, since neither knew much about cars, Song Nianqiang decided they should buy a motorcycle. It was simpler to learn to ride, and in their small county town, as long as it had a license plate, they didn’t need a driver’s license—or even a plate in some cases.

An hour later, the bus arrived at the station, but they still had a long walk to Xiao Wang Village. While debating how to get there, a middle-aged woman wearing glasses approached. She was elegantly dressed, clearly a teacher.

"May I ask if you two are here to handle the case of the woman who went mad in Xiao Wang Village?" she asked politely and with great composure. Song Nianqiang couldn’t help but take a longer look at her. Despite the dark circles under her eyes, she was well cared for and maintained her dignity, clearly having suffered from poor sleep recently.

“Are you the one who called me?” Song Nianqiang smiled politely without answering directly, then nodded. The woman smiled in response, “Follow me. The road to Xiao Wang Village is not easy.” With that, she got into a van.

At this point, Song Nianqiang had no choice but to go along, so he and Fatty climbed into the worn van. On the journey, Song Nianqiang finally understood what it meant for a road to be bad. It was no road at all—more like a rocky riverbed. The van jolted so violently inside that Song Nianqiang felt dizzy, and Fatty couldn’t hold back his nausea and vomited.

“Though this van is old, its suspension is the best. If you’d been on a tricycle, you’d know what it means to suffer,” the middle-aged woman joked, clearly accustomed to the hardship.

Song Nianqiang was too shaken to reply, cursing the “road” silently. After finally reaching the end, Fatty lay on the back seat like a dead pig, exhausted from vomiting. “Why is this road so rough?” Song Nianqiang murmured after a long moment, finally recovering from the bumps.

“It’s because the authorities planned to repair it. They dug up the original road but halfway through something went wrong. The contractor broke the law and was imprisoned, so the road was left unfinished. It’s still manageable now, but if it rains, no one dares to take this path. They’d rather take a detour that adds three hours to the journey,” the woman sighed. As a teacher in her thirties, she was well aware of the darker dealings behind the scenes in official circles.

“Alright, we’re here,” she said after about ten more minutes, stopping the van in front of a small village shop. The villagers knew that capable people had arrived and gathered to see who they were. However, upon seeing Song Nianqiang and Fatty, their faces showed disappointment. In their minds, exorcists were supposed to be elderly men or women, not two young men like these. But the village chief thought differently. He was somewhat versed in such matters and had recently heard of two remarkable figures in the county town, now convinced they were these two.

“Please come with me, young gentlemen. I fear if we delay, she might die!” The village chief was anxious, parting the crowd that had gathered around Song Nianqiang and Fatty. Song Nianqiang was curious himself; what the caller said might not be entirely true. He needed to see the situation firsthand before making any judgments.

The village chief hurried ahead, almost jogging to a house where cries of sorrow echoed—a woman’s voice, hoarse and desperate, enough to make Song Nianqiang worry she might shout herself to death.

“How long has she been like this?” Song Nianqiang asked from the doorway, not venturing inside.

“All day. She changed suddenly during the burial yesterday. I don’t know what happened,” the chief replied helplessly. Though he understood a little about such matters, his knowledge was limited.

“Village chief, besides the door, does this room have any other exits?” Song Nianqiang asked, aware of the gravity of the situation.

“No! To be honest, I know a bit about these things, so I specifically chose this room!” The chief moved toward the door, but Song Nianqiang stopped him with a shout.

“Don’t move!” His sudden command startled the chief, who quickly withdrew his hand.

“Alright, village chief, gather some young, strong men—make sure they have robust bodies and strong yang energy!” Song Nianqiang instructed. Without knowing what was inside, he refrained from rash action, only having Fatty place a few talismans on the door.

Less than two minutes later, the chief returned with seven or eight young men. Song Nianqiang nodded approvingly; the chief was knowledgeable indeed. All the young men looked spirited, radiating strong yang energy, with muscular builds.

“Good. From now on, you all follow my lead. If we can’t handle this, I’m powerless too, because even now, I don’t know what exactly is inside!” Song Nianqiang said. Whether the young men believed him or not, his words were no exaggeration.

With the chief present, the young men obediently nodded. Song Nianqiang said “Alright,” then told the chief to lead them close behind. Once he charged in, they would immediately follow to subdue the mad woman.

At the door, Song Nianqiang took a deep breath and kicked the door wide open, then darted inside. The chief and the others followed without hesitation, but Fatty did not enter. Holding the talismans, he stayed by the door as backup in case anything went wrong.

“Quick! Hold her down!” A chaotic noise erupted from inside. Song Nianqiang’s voice was urgent. Though Fatty was anxious, he stayed put, unable to see what was happening inside.