The two walked to the front of the coffin. Xiu Xi looked at the layers of dust on it and thought about how he would have to hold Jiaojiao in the car later and didnât want to dirty his hands. So, he asked Jiaojiao to step back a bit, and then he kicked open the top layer of the coffin.
Almost the moment the coffin was opened, a dark green, triangular-headed snake darted out, raising its body and hissing at them. However, the moment its beady little eyes met Xiu Xiâs, it instantly cowered, turned away, and slithered along the coffin, disappearing into the courtyardâs pile of weeds.
Ruan Jiaojiao covered her mouth and nose, immediately looking at Xiu Xi with eyes full of admiration.
Xiu Xi appeared nonchalant, but in reality, his chest puffed up as he took two steps forward, leading the way in peering into the coffin. Ruan Jiaojiao quickly followed to take a look.
The coffin was not empty, but it wasnât a corpse inside either. Instead, there was an old rag doll. The doll was sitting against the other end of the coffin, with big eyes, dark pupils, and long eyelashes, staring straight in their direction like a real little child!
Xiu Xi knew Ruan Jiaojiao would be scared, so the moment he saw it, he used his body to block her view. But since they looked in at the same time, what he saw, she saw too, and she was so frightened her heart nearly stopped!
"Close your eyes, donât look anymore. If you want to know something, Iâll tell you."
Ruan Jiaojiao immediately closed her eyes, but it didnât work. When she closed her eyes, she became even more afraid, her mind filled with the image of that staring doll, which only made her fear worse.
She opened her eyes again, pitifully saying, "Brother Xiu, you said it too late. Iâve already seen it, and now itâs all I can think about."
"..." Xiu Xi.
After speaking, Ruan Jiaojiao comforted herself, "Fortunately, once I return to my body later, I wonât remember any of this." Thinking this, she felt as if she had regained a bit of courage.
She said to Xiu Xi, "Brother Xiu, letâs not waste time, quickly take a look."
Xiu Xi could only reluctantly step aside, and Ruan Jiaojiao tried her best not to glance forward, only looking at the things in front of the doll.
Next to their end of the coffin, there was a memorial tablet with a piece of red cloth hanging over it, seemingly to cover the name on it. In front of the tablet was a chipped porcelain bowl containing some red substance that Ruan Jiaojiao thought looked like blood.
This setup, she felt, looked like a curse.
"Itâs a Nightmare Curse," Xiu Xi explained from the side.
Compared to a simple curse, a Nightmare Curse is a thousand times more sinister. While a curse might harm a personâs body, a Nightmare Curse completely traps a soul. A soul given a Nightmare Curse is bound to be eternally confined to a certain place.
If the Evil Nightmare within Feng Nianianâs body is the culprit, it would also explain why Feng Nianianâs soul cannot leave Xin Miaoâs body, because it is bound by a Nightmare Curse.
Furthermore, in her previous life, Ruan Jiaojiaoâs body was trapped in water for a year, unable to escape. Even after death, she had no chance of reincarnation and was only able to attach herself to a cat, never able to break free. This was all because the Evil Nightmare had done the same to her.
Listening to Xiu Xiâs explanation about the Nightmare Curse, Ruan Jiaojiao thought of her past life, and her face turned increasingly grim.
Though she was still scared, she took a deep breath and resolutely said, "Brother Xiu, take down that red cloth."
She wanted to see whose name was on that memorial tablet.