As she prepared to return home and surprise A-Chu, she suddenly saw Brother Anping swaggering toward her with a group of obvious ruffians. A thought struck her, and she pulled out the few copper coins left in her purse. Deliberately, she bumped into him, letting the purse fall and scatter the coins across the ground.
“Watch where you’re going!” Brother Anping yelled, raising his hand and slapping Han Nü across the face. She fell to the ground, watching as he and his friends picked up the coins while continuing to curse her.
One of his companions smirked and said, “Brother Anping, you’ve been in a foul mood lately. Is it because of that girl you’re after? Haven’t won her over yet?”
Brother Anping sneered. “She’s still a bit shy, but give it some time!”
Han Nü’s heart pounded as she watched them walk away. She had overheard everything. Could it be that the "shy girl" Anping was talking about was A-Chu? This man was a scoundrel! There was no way she could let A-Chu fall into his hands!
She returned to the mountain slowly, her heart heavy with unease. All day, she worked on measuring the fabric and sewing clothes, but her mind was elsewhere. It wasn’t until nightfall that A-Chu finally came back. Her face was flushed, clearly still thinking about Anping.
Seeing that Han Nü was making clothes, with new hairpins, powders, and other items spread out on the table, A-Chu was overjoyed. She immediately grabbed the prettiest hairpin, not even bothering to redo her hair properly, and pinned it behind her ear. She twirled in front of Han Nü, asking excitedly, “Sister, how does this look?”
Han Nü forced a smile. “You look beautiful no matter what you wear.”
A-Chu blushed and said, “You sound just like Brother Anping, always saying sweet things to make people happy.”
Han Nü’s smile faded as she furrowed her brows and said quietly, “A-Chu, you must stop seeing Anping.”
A-Chu’s smile froze. “...Why?”
“He’s not a man you can trust your future to,” Han Nü said, thinking for a moment before recounting what she had overheard that day. “You’re not to have anything to do with him from now on.”
A-Chu stood stunned for a moment, then suddenly let out a bitter laugh. She threw the hairpin to the ground with a sharp crack. “You’re lying! I don’t believe you!”
“He’s a layabout. A grown man who doesn’t make an honest living, spending his days loitering around and working as a thug for the gambling dens, bullying people in the streets. Don’t you have eyes? Can’t you see? He gave you a few gifts, and you’re already willing to follow him?”
Han Nü rarely spoke so harshly, but she was overwhelmed with anger and frustration. She couldn’t help it.
“Starting tomorrow, you are not to leave the mountain!”
A-Chu’s face turned pale as she shouted back, “What right do you have to control me?! I’ll be with whoever I want! If you won’t let me leave, I’ll throw myself off the mountain! Brother Anping is a good man, and everything you say is lies! I don’t believe you!”
Han Nü’s voice turned icy. “If you jump off the mountain and die, it would still be better than wasting your life on a scoundrel!”
A-Chu had never seen Han Nü so cold before, but the more Han Nü pushed, the more stubborn A-Chu became. They were both headstrong, with equally fiery tempers.
“You think you can control me now, acting like the responsible older sister? If it weren’t for you, my life could’ve been a thousand times better! If it weren’t for the things you embroidered coming to life, our parents wouldn’t have died from the shame! If you weren’t a witch, would I have been bullied so much as a child? It’s all because of you! I don’t want to live in this godforsaken mountain, wearing patched-up rags like a beggar! You want to hide away? Fine, do it yourself! Don’t drag me down with you! Do you think I like you? I hate you! I wish you were dead!”
A-Chu’s health was fragile, and after screaming at Han Nü, she suddenly wavered on her feet, leaning against the wall and gasping for breath.
Han Nü was shocked, unable to believe that A-Chu held such deep resentment toward her. But seeing her sister on the verge of collapse, no matter how hurt she was, she couldn’t leave her alone. She rushed over, gently holding her. “How do you feel? Sit down and breathe slowly.”
A-Chu pushed her away roughly, glaring at her with cold, hateful eyes before running out the door. Han Nü hurried after her, but by then, it was already dark. She didn’t know the mountain paths as well as A-Chu, who had been down them many times. After following for a while, A-Chu had disappeared from sight. Desperately, she called out, “A-Chu! Come back! It’s my fault, I was wrong! Please come back!”
There was no response. Only the cold wind howled through the trees. Han Nü searched the mountain all night, but she couldn’t find A-Chu. At daybreak, she ran to the town, but no one had seen her. Desperate, she even went to the gambling dens to look for Anping, but he wasn’t there either. Han Nü spent three days and nights searching the town, but neither A-Chu nor Anping appeared. With no other choice, she returned to the mountain, hoping against hope that A-Chu might be waiting for her at home.
But the small wooden house was empty. She hadn’t locked the door when she left, and it looked like the place had been ransacked. The chest at the head of her bed had been overturned, but since there wasn’t anything valuable, the thief had only taken a few pieces of embroidered cloth with flowers and plants.
Exhausted and heartbroken, Han Nü searched the mountain every day, but there was no trace of A-Chu.
On the fifth day, strangers arrived at the mountain hut. But instead of A-Chu, it was a group of “Taoist masters” who had come to capture her. As soon as they saw her, they attacked with peachwood swords. Han Nü, weakened from days without food or rest, fell to the ground after being hit several times. Then, a hot, foul-smelling liquid was poured over her—it was dog’s blood.
“Wicked demon, surrender now!” The “Taoist masters” tied her up tightly with ropes. Pleased with how easily they had captured her, they carried the blood-soaked Han Nü down the mountain.
She didn’t know why, after hiding in the mountains for six years without being discovered, they had suddenly found her. Even the authorities had been alerted. She was bound and thrown to the ground, surrounded by people. Some were shouting at her, others scolding her. Some were villagers she recognized, while others were strangers from the town.
“Is this the witch who released a ghost to devour people?” The county magistrate, visibly nervous, asked the villagers.
“Yes, it’s her!” someone shouted. “She killed my son!”
“It’s definitely her! Who would have thought she was hiding so close? If it weren’t for the magistrate’s wisdom, who knows how many more people she would have killed!”
Rocks, bricks, and even rotten vegetables were hurled at her, just as they had been six years ago when she was driven out of the village. This time, though, she couldn’t escape.
How had they found her? Was it because she hadn’t disguised herself while searching the town for A-Chu? It no longer mattered. The pyre was already built, and she was to be burned alive for being a witch. Surrounding her were countless eyes—some filled with glee, others with hatred, pity, or fear. Han Nü was hoisted high above the fire. As the flames roared, her gaze drifted far away, toward the distant mountains.
At least, A-Chu hadn’t been found. But how could she rest easy, knowing her sister was out there all alone?
Tears streamed down Tan Yin’s face as she covered her eyes with her sleeve. She couldn’t bear to watch Han Nü’s body consumed by the flames.
Suddenly, the cloudless sky darkened, and in the blink of an eye, heavy rain began to pour. The roaring flames were quickly extinguished, and Han Nü’s body, already disfigured, lay soaked and motionless. But she wasn’t dead yet. Her eyes were still fixed stubbornly in the direction of the small wooden house in the mountains, as if she truly believed she would see A-Chu return safely.
The rain had doused the execution flames, and in ancient times, the superstitious masses believed this was a sign from the heavens, protecting her. No one dared say another word. The magistrate, pale with fear, ordered a few guards to release Han Nü and carry her back to the wooden house. A doctor was summoned to treat her injuries, and from then on, no one dared speak of the witch again.
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