Transmigrated into a fat wife, farming, raising children, and picking up husbands

After dealing with these scoundrels, everyone retreated back into the garden.

The fire in the sheltered spot was still burning, but the flames had diminished considerably.

The paper money and wooden pieces had turned to ashes, leaving only some charred skeletons flickering in the dark red embers.

Everyone returned to the fire and took off their costumes as underworld officials, throwing them into the fire.

Hu Yidao took off his black robe, along with his tall hat and mask, and threw them inside without even looking at them.

With a "sizzle," the fabric curled up and caught fire, emitting a burnt smell.

Liu Sanzhen also sighed, and reluctantly touched the white robe of the White Impermanence in his hand, but still gritted his teeth and threw it in along with the mourning stick.

Lin Xiuer's Yama King's robe and Ping An's ghost mask had already been thrown in and burned.

She looked helplessly at Wu Liangcai and Chen Mingxuan, who were reluctant to part with the headless ghost costume and the white robe respectively.

"It's about to rain, young masters, please hurry."

Lin Xiuer held a tree branch, gently turning the fire to make sure the fabric underneath was thoroughly burned, while urging everyone on at a leisurely pace.

Wu Liangcai squatted on the ground, holding his "headless ghost" costume.

The shroud with "bloodstains" drawn on the collar and the cardboard hood were handled reluctantly, their faces filled with reluctance.

"This...it's burned already?" he muttered. "Such fine clothes...you might have been able to use them later..."

He really got to indulge in "scaring people by pretending to be a ghost" tonight.

Especially since he was facing scoundrels like the Black Fish Gang, he developed a very deep "affection" for his outfit.

Chen Mingxuan also carried that light white robe, his horrifying "bleeding from seven orifices" makeup flickering in the firelight.

He looked down at his clothes, then at the fire, and couldn't bear to throw them in.

He completely forgot how he had almost fallen down the hillside in resistance when he first heard Lin Xiuer ask him to play a "female ghost".

"Xiuer, it's such a waste to burn it like this. Could you... keep it as a memento?"

Chen Mingxuan asked tentatively, his eyes still fixed on the nearly burnt white paper lantern frame in the fire with a pained look.

"What are you commemorating? Are you waiting for the authorities to investigate?" Lin Xiuer glared at them, amused and annoyed, her tone resolute.

"It must be burned completely, not a single bit left! Leaving these things behind is a hidden danger."

"For your safety, and especially to ensure that Miss Ruyan is not implicated, everything that happened tonight must remain a secret once you leave this garden! Pretend nothing ever happened."

Wu Liangcai and Chen Mingxuan exchanged a glance, seeing the regret in each other's eyes, but they also knew the bigger picture.

Finally, Wu Liangcai stamped his foot, closed his eyes, unable to bear the sight, and steeled his heart to throw the burial clothes and hood into the fire.

Chen Mingxuan also sighed, pouted, and reluctantly crumpled the white robe into a ball before throwing it into the flames.

Flames rose again, engulfing the traces of a night of terror and victory.

The last sliver of orange flame licked away the remaining fabric and paper scraps. With a crackling sound, all the props turned to ashes.

The flickering firelight illuminated the faces of the people gathered around the fire.

Exhaustion, excitement, melancholy, and the relief of a successful plan—all sorts of emotions flowed across their faces.

After this night, the vegetable market in Peach Blossom Town will probably enjoy a rare period of peace.

The "legendary" experience of the Black Fish Gang's Seven Fiends taking a trip to the "underworld" tonight will soon spread throughout the town and surrounding villages.

Anyone who wants to act like them, running rampant and extorting protection money, will probably have to think twice before doing so.

Recall the tragic end of the Black Fish Gang members, who were seemingly killed by "ghost messengers".

Lin Xiuer gazed at the bonfire, then turned to look behind her at the vast, desolate garden, its outline barely visible in the deep darkness of the night.

But I didn't feel any joy of victory; instead, I felt a little empty.

She sighed softly, "The framework of the pavilions and towers in this garden is still there, and you can see its former scale and grandeur."

"It's such a pity that such a large garden will have to remain deserted in the future."

The group fell silent upon hearing this, all knowing that the ghost stories would likely be even more deeply ingrained in people's minds after this night.

Who would dare to take it? Who would dare to live in such a place?

Liu Ruyan remained quiet, her gaze somewhat blankly fixed on the gradually dimming fire, which was now reduced to a pile of dark red embers.

The flickering firelight cast swaying shadows on her delicate profile, obscuring the emotions in her eyes.

She pursed her lips slightly, seemingly lost in some distant thoughts, somewhat out of place with the slightly noisy atmosphere around the campfire.

This garden held a different meaning for her in the end.

Wu Liangcai squatted by the fire, watching helplessly as the last remaining fabric of his "headless ghost" costume curled up and turned black in the embers.

It turned into light, drifting ashes, which were scattered without a trace by the night wind.

He seemed to finally calm down from the excitement of the night, and some other thoughts began to emerge in his mind.

He scratched his head, turned to Lin Xiuer, his face showing a mix of confusion and intense curiosity.

"Sister Lin, do you think... ghosts really exist in this world?"

His question was abrupt, yet perfectly logical.

Having just experienced the incredibly realistic "underworld trial" and "parade of a hundred ghosts" that I personally participated in, I can tell the difference between reality and fiction.

Even knowing that most of them were imposters, being in that environment, facing those Black Fish Gang members who were terrified out of their wits, was still a challenge.

It's hard not to feel a little shaken and have some doubts about certain mysterious things.

Wu Liangcai's two lackeys also looked curiously at Lin Xiuer, whose two bags of bone models they had picked up were still piled up at her feet.

The others around the fire included Hu Yidao, who was covering the last bit of ashes with soil, Liu Sanzhen, who was packing up her bundle of silver needles, and Liu Ruyan, who was in a daze.

Even Chen Mingxuan, whose face still bore the remnants of the ghost makeup, involuntarily stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Lin Xiuer.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for her answer.

The night wind swept through the empty, desolate garden, carrying a chill that made the embers of the campfire flicker.

In the distance, the Black Fish Gang members, who had been thrown onto the muddy ground by the door, unconsciously let out a few painful groans, adding to the depth and eeriness of the night.

Lin Xiuer was slightly taken aback by Wu Liangcai's question.

ghost?

She sighed inwardly and did not answer immediately.

Their gaze returned to the silhouette of the desolate garden in the distance, where a "hell trial" led by them had just taken place.

If this question were posed to her before she traveled through time, in the world where she had lived for over twenty years, a world that believed in materialism and valued scientific evidence, then this would be a different story.

She would give a negative answer without hesitation.

Her knowledge, her observations of the world, and the countless discussions and summaries by predecessors online all point to a clear direction—

There are no ghosts or gods in the world; there are only natural phenomena that are not yet fully understood, or illusions created by people's fear and the unknown.

But... what about herself?