The male supporting character was actually myself.

The flashlight shone a trail of blood that stretched from outside the yard all the way into the kitchen. The brightly colored rooster lay slumped against the kitchen wall, its neck dripping with blood, and next to it was a bloodstained knife…

Widow Zhang, who had lost her rooster, cried and wailed, cursing He Gousheng's family for being too much of a bully, and complaining about how difficult it had been for her to raise her two children after being widowed for many years. The onlookers were so angry that they gritted their teeth.

Damn it, He Gousheng's family always picks on the weak!

Their own nephew lost his parents at a young age and was exploited and bullied by them;

The mentally challenged girl from the east end of the village was almost abused;

Without a man to support her family, Widow Zhang finally managed to raise a few chickens to sell so she could buy clothes for her two children, but they caught them and slaughtered them for meat!

What's most hateful is that they steal openly and brazenly without even trying to hide it. Isn't that just blatantly bullying a widow and her orphan?

"He Gousheng, your whole family is utterly despicable!"

"Stealing dogs, stealing people, stealing chickens—they're utterly despicable!"

“How could such a person have come from our village? It’s a tragedy! Let’s talk to the Party Secretary and have a collective vote to kick He Gousheng and his family out of Qilizhuang…”

…………

Chapter 46 Hi, bug

Widow Zhang was still wailing and lamenting, while the onlookers were filled with righteous indignation and condemned her actions.

Qian Shuandi, who orchestrated the entire process, was so frightened that her legs trembled uncontrollably as she watched the rooster she had personally caught, killed, bled, and hidden in the woodpile half an hour earlier lying drooping on the wall...

The noisy shouting and cursing seemed to come from another world.

A chill ran down her spine, and only one thought crossed her mind—there really is a ghost in the house! A ghost had followed her out and witnessed everything, even placing a dead rooster in the house! There really is a ghost! A ghost that isn't afraid of rooster blood!

"What happened next door?" Liao Yuzhou peeked out from behind the iron gate to listen to the gossip, then came back and whispered to her husband who was eating, "He Yongqiang seems to have been caught stealing someone's chicken. What kind of people are they?!"

The little white cat perched on its host's shoulder, chewing on dried fish as it reported on its work.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen said slowly and deliberately, "It's nothing that their family will do. We'll have plenty of entertainment to watch in the future."

"Hmm, we'll have to be careful once we raise chickens, lest they steal them."

After finishing the dried fish, the fluffy little dumpling licked its paws, put its hands on its hips, and said smugly, "She dares! If she wants to steal our things, she'll have to see if my little kitty agrees first! Host, I've gone over there to add fuel to the fire, it'll be more fun if I scare that whole family into a mental breakdown."

There was a lot of noise coming from the neighboring courtyard late at night.

Widow Zhang was caught red-handed stealing the rooster, and He Gousheng had no choice but to admit it no matter what—the furious Widow Zhang found most of a bowl of cold rooster blood in his house.

In the end, she had to pay money to avoid trouble. With the village secretary as a witness, Qian Shuandi paid compensation, apologized, and promised to keep a close eye on He Yongqiang so that he would not cause any more trouble.

He Yongqiang, who not only failed to get any chicken but also took the blame for his mother and was beaten in public, became increasingly angry. As soon as the villagers who had gathered dispersed, he lay down and threw a tantrum.

Seeing this, the little dumpling got carried away. First, she carried the plates and bowls from the kitchen to the roof and threw them down one by one, making a clattering sound. Then, she grabbed the white dress and extinguished the kerosene lamp. She ran around in the moonlight, scaring He Yongqiang's family so much that they covered their heads and hid in a corner, not daring to breathe.

The commotion lasted until late at night, when the little white cat, exhausted and sleepy, finally lay down on the eaves and fell asleep.

He Gousheng's family was also exhausted, and they took a short nap when things finally calmed down. Just as dawn was breaking, Qian Shuandi, who had almost been driven to a mental breakdown by fright, clutched the money her husband had managed to borrow the day before and ran to the Taoist temple in the mountains to respectfully invite a Taoist master to come to their door.

"There's nothing wrong with the feng shui of your house, so why is your home so unsettled?" The thirty-something-year-old Daoist Danlu stood at the gate of He Gousheng's house, holding a whisk and his Daoist robes fluttering, exuding a somewhat otherworldly and ethereal air.

He frowned slightly, thinking that by calculating and guessing the will of heaven, the impact he had done with the calamity star before would only make him worse. Obviously, there was no possibility of redemption or salvation. Why not take this opportunity to eliminate him for the sake of this world?

So how can we take advantage of this domestic unrest?

Danlu Daoren, who had never lied before, felt somewhat uneasy, worried that his mistake might bring even worse consequences.

"Master, please take a close look." Qian Shuandi's one eye was so swollen that she couldn't even open it; her other small eye gleamed with a fierce light, and she lowered her voice as if afraid of disturbing something terrifying: "You have no idea, we were kept up all night last night and couldn't get any sleep!"

They smashed everything in the house—pots and pans, bowls and plates—and even tore the window paper to shreds. Our house… oh dear, we really can't live without getting rid of this evil spirit!”

Danlu Daoist glanced at her and could clearly see the grave sins she had committed.

It's outrageous that Heaven doesn't punish such wicked people!

With that thought in mind, he swept his whisk and stepped into the courtyard.

He Yongqiang hadn't slept well all night and was still lying in a rocking chair under the shade of a tree catching up on sleep even though the sun was high in the sky. Even He Gousheng was listlessly leaning against the north wall, dozing off.

"Oh, you've called in reinforcements again?" The fluffy little dumpling stretched and stuck out its tongue, teasingly saying, "The Taoist priest looks good, but I wonder if he has any real skills!"

Danlu Daoist noticed something amiss at a glance!

A gray, cat-like shadow nimbly stretched on the eaves, and he could vaguely hear a soft meow or two. He was stunned and exclaimed in surprise, "Hiss... what is this?"

After looking at it carefully for a few seconds, he was certain that it was a creature he had never seen before—it had no resentment, it was not a ghost, nor a demon or monster, and it didn't even have a soul; it was just a very faint gray shadow!

What kind of creature could appear in this form?!

Danlu Daoist kept a close eye on the little white cat's every move. It jumped up and grabbed the clothesline in the courtyard, which began to spin and twirl. In Qian Shuandi's eyes, the clothesline looked like a jump rope being swung around, swinging happily and playfully as if someone was having fun.

"Great Immortal, look, it's starting again! In broad daylight, they're making such a ruckus!" After experiencing various frights throughout the night, her voice was hoarse and low, and her tone had become sinister.

The little white cat, clearly unaware that it had been discovered, swung the rope and meowed happily, "Taoist priest, have you ever seen anything like this? Isn't it fun? Isn't it exciting? Why don't you help this family catch the ghost? Hahahaha... You'll only be truly impressive if you can catch my soft and adorable little kitten!"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than the belatedly realized something was wrong.

The middle-aged Taoist priest across from me, who looked quite righteous, seemed to be... staring at me?!

Startled by this thought, the little white cat quickly stopped its antics and jumped to the treetop. What horrified the kitten was what happened next—Daoist Danlu's eyes followed it to the treetop.

Undeterred, it jumped onto the eaves, onto a half-wall, and even tried to pounce on the Taoist priest, who quickly dodged, his eyes revealing even deeper doubt.

"What the hell?! You're not a bug, are you?!" The fluffy ball immediately bristled. "We're doomed! This bug is even visible to me! What are we going to do?!"

After meowing, it immediately covered its mouth with its paws. "Oh no, oh no, if he can see me, will he be able to hear me too? Oh no, what should I do? Should I say hello to him?"

The fluffy little ball mustered its courage and waved its left paw tremblingly, saying, "Hi, bug!"

"How strange, how come your house has..." Danlu Daoist obviously only heard meows and could not understand that the cat was speaking human language. Even so, he was still shocked and did not know what to say.

Qian Shuandi saw his undisguised surprise and quickly lowered her voice to ask, "Master, have you discovered something incredible? Does it belong to someone? Look at all the damage to my house... If we can find out who the culprit is, we'll have to demand compensation..."

She was about to continue her rambling when Danlu Daoist waved his hand and shook his head, saying, "It is a creature shaped like a kitten. I think it may not be a specific cat spirit, but rather a collection of resentful spirits."

Has anyone in your family ever killed a cat or dog?

"What?! A cat ghost?!" He Yongqiang immediately stood up straight, stammering guiltily, "Um, I accidentally killed a kitten a while ago..."

Chapter Forty-Seven: Stirring Up the Flames

Danlu Daoist shook his head and denied it, saying, "There's definitely more than one. Think about it again."

"Young man, you exude a strong aura of murderous intent and are burdened with heavy sins. All misfortunes stem from you. If you do not repent, even greater consequences may follow!"

Just as the other party felt guilty, he came up with a good idea.

The light emanating from the celestial calamity star was so dazzling that even with all my cultivation, I couldn't completely eliminate it. Perhaps I should try a different approach—persuade him to become a Taoist priest!

By observing the precepts and severing ties with worldly affairs, one might even be able to reform their ways and contribute to the world.

"You damned brat, what sins did I commit to give birth to such a thing as you!" He Gousheng, still half-asleep, heard the fortune teller say that all the misfortunes were caused by his son. His pent-up anger flared up, and he took off his shoe and used the sole to slap the boy's face and head repeatedly.

Seeing this, Qian Shuandi hurriedly stepped forward to stop her, "What the hell are you doing? Is this the time to beat your son? Let the shaman drive away the demons and monsters first before we talk about anything else!"

We only have this one son, what if something bad happens to him? Who can we rely on in the future?

"It's all because of you, you spendthrift woman, that you caused all this trouble!" He Gousheng got angrier and angrier, punching and kicking her while cursing and swearing. "Who can't have a son? Other families have four or five sons in their lifetime! And you? You only had one and then stopped laying eggs. I should have kicked you out a long time ago, you spendthrift woman!"

Look at what's left in this house! It's all your fault, you two jinxes! You're a menace! A bunch of unwanted junk..."

Danlu Daoist took two steps back, focusing his mind and silently praying to give them a "dog-eat-dog" state.

"Oh no, Master!" The little white cat was so frightened that it jumped around awkwardly. Taking advantage of the chaos in the yard where the Taoist priest with the ox-nose wasn't paying attention to it, it hurriedly ran to the neighboring yard while shouting, "It's over, it's over! This bug is too powerful! He saw me! What do I do?!"

Jiang Chen was watching Liao Yuzhou watering the flowers in the yard when he heard it shout. He turned around and bumped into a flustered, puffy ball of fur. "Host, Qian Shuandi has invited the Bug Immortal over!"

He...he can see me!

They even asked He Yongqiang if he had killed any cats or dogs, as if they thought I was the vengeful spirit of a cat.

"Hmm? That's impressive?" He raised an eyebrow. "He can even see through the auxiliary system. Just who is he?"

"I don't know either~ What should I do? Can I still show my face? Will he take away the cute little kitten? Waaaaah~ I don't want to leave my host!" The little white kitten trembled in his arms.

This bug immediately piqued Jiang Chen's interest; seeing even the auxiliary system might provide him with more guidance!

He first comforted the terrified kitten, telling it to rest inside the house, and then he moved a small stool to sit at the front door to wait for the bug to be fixed.

The dogfight in He Yongqiang's yard finally came to an end. Qian Shuandi and He Yongqiang fought with He Gousheng, but in the end, neither of them won nor lost, and no one fared well.

All three of them had their clothes torn to shreds;

He Gousheng's two shoes were nowhere to be found. He stood there barefoot, his face bruised and swollen, panting heavily.

Qian Shuandi had several strands of hair pulled out, her hair was disheveled and her clothes were in disarray. She had been punched twice in the corner of her mouth and half of her face was swollen.

He Yongqiang was the worst off. He was caught between his parents and someone beat him up. He had a cut on his head and scratches all over his face and neck. He sat on the ground and cried loudly.

"A vengeful spirit is haunting the home!" Daoist Danlu sighed and continued to fan the flames. "To expel the vengeful spirit, we must know its origin. Young man, think carefully about what you did to attract such a powerful vengeful spirit?"

He Yongqiang, clutching his aching wound, sobbed and stammered, "I...I used to have a cat, but it wouldn't play with me and would bite me...I got angry and dug a hole and buried it alive...Later, I was afraid other cats would bite me, so I would try to kill them whenever I saw one...I even hanged a few dogs that barked and scared me...and..."

He recounted in bits and pieces the many sins he had committed against small animals, causing Daoist Danlu to frown.

This person's murderous aura is indeed too strong. Before he causes any greater disaster, it would be better to take him up the mountain to cultivate in seclusion.

“Master, my son didn’t do anything wrong.” After listening, Qian Shuandi felt there was nothing seriously wrong and exclaimed, “He’s just a kid who likes to play and doesn’t know his own strength.”

"They've only harmed a few cats and dogs; it's nothing compared to a butcher who slaughters pigs and sheep! Please help me perform a ritual to exorcise the vengeful spirits."

Looking at the mess in the yard, she couldn't help but feel sad.

It's just killing a few cats and dogs, what's the big deal? How could those wicked, wronged spirits ruin such a perfectly good home like this!

That was the wealth he had painstakingly accumulated.

The pretty plates and bowls that were moved from that courtyard were all smashed without ever being used; the furniture was also smashed to pieces, and the clothes and shoes were all tattered and unwearable!

Originally, after pooling the resources of both families, their household was among the wealthiest in the village, but after a night of chaos, all they had left was a pile of junk. Instead, these past few days have been filled with hospitalizations, medical expenses, and other financial losses. Not only have their savings been wiped out, but they're now facing a famine…

"You make it sound so easy, lady." Danlu Daoren was furious, and his expression became even more serious. "Butchers slaughter, fishermen fish, and hunters hunt. Although they kill, it is their duty to provide more food for all living beings."

This guy's slaughter was just for his own amusement!

Every cat, dog, even a blade of grass or a tree, is a life, a living being. A farmer harvesting grain is a normal cycle; to scald flowers and plants with boiling water is slaughter. How much more so to bury alive and torture various small animals? The resentment born from this culminates in such actions—this is precisely what is meant by karmic retribution.

Upon hearing the fortune teller mention "retribution," He Yongqiang immediately panicked.