The gluttonous little boy is four and a half years old, and even the wealthy family kneels down and

As soon as Xiao Jin stepped into the courtyard, a fierce barking erupted from the base of the wall.

"Woof woof woof woof—"

The large black dog, chained with a thick iron chain, stood up halfway, baring its yellowed, sharp teeth and staring at her with a fierce look in its eyes. The chain rattled loudly as it struggled, as if it were about to pounce and tear her apart at any moment.

Little Jin wasn't afraid at all. Instead, she stood on tiptoe, curled her chubby little hands into claws, and raised them to either side of her face, revealing two little tiger teeth. In a childish voice, she fiercely retorted:

"ha--"

"If you yell again, Xiao Jin will bite you!"

The soft threat had no power whatsoever, but the big black dog seemed to have encountered something terrifying. Its previous ferocity vanished instantly. It howled, tucked its tail between its legs, pressed its ears tightly to its head, and curled up into a ball at the back of the wall, whimpering softly and not daring to lift its head.

Xiao Jin proudly put her hands on her hips, chin held high: "Hmph, now you know how powerful Xiao Jin is!"

She then turned to look around the courtyard. The layout was similar to Zhang Deshun's house, except that at the base of the wall in the southwest corner, thick black evil energy rose up like ink that could not be dissolved.

"What is that?" Xiao Jin blinked her round eyes and twitched her nose.

Not only did it have the bitter smell of black mist, but it was also accompanied by faint, muffled sobs that emanated from underground.

She ran off with her short legs, the little yellow paper figure following closely behind, like a little shadow she couldn't shake off.

In the very center of the black mist was a thick, square wooden board, its surface worn dark and old. A rusty iron lock ran across it, securing the opening tightly.

Xiao Jin licked her pink lips, her craving immediately rising.

She leaned closer, opening her mouth wide, her cheeks puffing out and contracting, as if sucking in sugar water, and inhaled the black gas into her stomach.

In no time, she absorbed all the thick, dark aura surrounding the wooden planks.

She smacked her lips and wrinkled her nose: "Mmm, it's sour."

She stuck her little bottom up on the wooden board, half her face pressed against the cold surface, her ear pressed tightly against the gap, her eyes darting around as she listened intently to the sounds below.

Intermittent sobs seeped out through the cracks, thin and hoarse, making one's heart tighten.

Confirming the crying was coming from below, she straightened up slightly, gently tapped the wooden board with her chubby little fist, and drawled out the sound in her childish voice:

"Ding ding ding, Xiao Jin is opening the door."

As soon as he finished speaking, the crying below abruptly stopped and then vanished without a trace.

Xiao Jin tilted her head, not thinking much, and grabbed the rusty lock with both chubby little hands, her knuckles clenched tightly.

She took a deep breath, her round face instantly puffing up like a little bun, followed by a muffled groan, and a faint, soft glow emanated from her body.

With a few crisp "crackling" sounds, the sturdy iron lock crumbled inch by inch along its body, and iron filings fell down in a shower.

Xiao Jin pulled her little arm back, and with a snap, she pulled the entire thick wooden plank out of the ground. She put it down with a "thud," and dust mixed with the remaining black smoke scattered in all directions.

She coughed from the choking, fanning her nose vigorously with her little hand, and muttered with a frown, "It's so dirty."

An old wooden ladder hung down from the opening, and it was pitch black below, with no bottom in sight.

Xiao Jin peered down into the hole, her eyes wide open, and the first thing she saw was a figure huddled in the corner.

It was a disheveled woman, her hair matted and stuck to her dusty face. Her clothes were tattered and worn. A thick black iron chain, about the size of a thumb, was tied around her thin wrist, the other end of which was driven into a wooden stake in the wall, the worn-out area oozing dark brown scabs.

Hearing the noise, the woman slowly raised her head. Fear flashed in her cloudy eyes first, then confusion. When she saw that there was only a baby at the entrance of the cave, she froze.

"Who are you?" Xiao Jin asked softly. "Don't cry, okay? Xiao Jin is here to save you..."

She stopped mid-sentence, her gaze slowly shifting to the woman behind her, her small face filled with shock.

She stammered out the second half of her sentence: "...I...I saved you..."

Several pale, ghostly figures sat in the shadows behind the woman.

They leaned or lay down, mostly in a curled-up position similar to women, their faces ashen, thin and bony, their eyes vacant, only able to utter soft sobs on instinct.

Xiao Jin stared at them blankly, her nose tingled, and tears welled up in her eyes and fell down her cheeks.

It turned out that the crying she heard was from these older girls.

Her master had told her that this was called a "bound spirit." These were people who had died violently and unjustly. The resentment and fear they felt at the time of their death were like nails, pinning their souls to the place where they died. They couldn't even go through reincarnation and could only be trapped here day and night, reliving the fear and pain they felt before they died.

So many young women were murdered here.

"You're so mean...you big bad guy!" Xiao Jin sniffled, wiped her tears with the back of her hand, her little shoulders trembling, but she gritted her teeth and vowed, "Xiao Jin, Xiao Jin will definitely get you out of here!"

The woman finally snapped out of her shock. She looked at Xiao Jin anxiously, opened her mouth, but only made a hoarse "hoarse" sound.

Her voice was damaged, and she couldn't speak in complete sentences.

Xiao Jin turned around and climbed up the ladder, her short legs bouncing as she shuffled down, her movements quick and steady.

The little yellow paper figure behind him hopped and skipped along, its short paper legs moving swiftly, landing steadily on the damp ground of the cellar.

The cellar wasn't deep, and the dampness, mixed with a musty smell, filled the air.

Xiao Jin ran up to the woman with her short legs, looked down at the iron chain embedded in the flesh of her wrist, and the bruises on her arms. Then she looked at the identical wounds on the ghostly figures behind her, and her tears fell even harder.

She carefully cradled the woman's bleeding wrist, her voice trembling as she whispered, "It hurts so much...it must hurt so much."

"I'll take you away!"

Yi Huayue stared blankly at the little bundle of flesh in front of her, tears falling onto her chubby hand, both cold and hot.

She could no longer distinguish whether it was reality or a hallucination of her impending death.

For more than three months, she has been trapped in this hellish place where there is no sunlight, and she has long given up hope that anyone will come to save her.

If it's a dream... let it last a little longer.

Xiao Jin hastily wiped away her tears, her chubby little hands gripping the thick iron chain.

She puffed out her cheeks, gritted her teeth, and strained with all her might, a faint white light emanating from her fingertips.

With a muffled "crack," the iron chain, thicker than a thumb, snapped in her hand. The two broken pieces crashed to the ground, splashing up a few specks of mud.

Yi Huayue suddenly opened her eyes wide, covered her mouth tightly, and even forgot to cry.

This must be a dream!

Xiao Jin dusted off her hands, took out the orange candies she had hidden at noon from her cloth pocket, unwrapped them, and stuffed them into Yi Huayue's hand:

"Hey girl, have some candy! It's sweet, it'll make the pain go away."

"Don't be afraid, Xiao Jin will definitely get you out of here!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a jarring creak of an iron gate came from outside the courtyard, followed by heavy footsteps that made the ground tremble with each step.

Yi Huayue trembled violently, her face turning deathly pale, like a piece of paper devoid of blood.

She instinctively shrank back against the wall, her fingernails digging deep into the mud, her eyes churning with a fear etched into her very bones.

She knew that footstep all too well.

The demon who dragged her into hell has returned.

Xiao Jin watched her tremble like a leaf in the autumn wind, then turned to look at the ghostly figure behind her.

The previously listless earthbound spirits now huddled together, emitting mournful and suppressed cries, as if repeating their despair before death.

In an instant, the chill in the cellar seemed to intensify.

"Don't cry, don't cry..." Xiao Jin patted this person's arm and touched that person's hand in a flustered manner, running around anxiously.

Fear spread like a tide in the cellar, making it hard to breathe.

Xiao Jin stopped what she was doing, abruptly turned her head to look at the cellar entrance, her little face flushed with anger, her little tiger teeth clenched tightly, and she spoke harshly, word by word in her childish voice:

"Xiao Jin is angry!"

She poked the little yellow paper figure at her feet, her little fist clenched into a round fist:

"Little paper dolls! Let's all beat this big bad guy to a pulp!"

The little yellow paper figure seemed to understand, and it jumped up in a flash, waving its paper arms vigorously and nodding its paper head rapidly, looking eager to try.