19 Split her soul in half

As soon as the grave was lifted off the deep pit that it was occupying, the bloody array that was drawn on the ground came into view. A straw doll laid at the centre of the array with a talisman sticking to it that read 'Yan', on the head of the doll a single strand of hair was wrapped around it. Song Yan jumped in the pit, and carefully studied the array- there was no trigger or warning spell cast on it, well there goes the last of her worries, She flexed her five fingers and a black mist covered her entire palm like it was on fire.

Swiping her hand she broke the array that was stopping her from reaching the doll, the Yin energy that was circling around the doll crackled and hissed before dissipating in a wave of smoke. Song Yan then casually entered the bloody circle that was drawn on the ground and picked up the doll, she carefully assessed it and almost sighed in relief when she realised that her luck would soon return back to her since she was still alive. " Redeem!" The ring on her finger glowed as it shot out a thin string of blue flames and burned the doll in ashes.

Song Yan stared at the burned remains of the doll as her lips curled up in a mocking sneer. ' such a small thing yet it devoured her mother and almost devoured her as well,'

She stomped on the burned remains to release some of her frustration, this was just the first step. One by one, she will stomp on every single thing that meant something to Song Lan until the latter had no choice but to live like a street rat but knowing Song Lan, she would rather die than live in poverty. Very well, that was fine too- once she dies, she will remember to capture her dark soul and scatter it into pieces so that she will never be able to reincarnate…this fate was exactly what Song Lan deserved.

Once she was done dealing with the array that was mooching off her luck, Song Yan got out of the pit and returned everything to its usual place such that no one would be able to detect anything amiss. Song Lan was able to touch those heights in her past life because she was smart enough to hide in the dark, in front of the world she showed a side that was lovable and sweet, but in the dark, she hid like a snake that suffocated it's prey to death without them even knowing who was slowly sucking off their life force.

It would be foolish of her if she let them detect anything, she was still not strong to fight against Song Lan. Her dear half-sister not only had this mysterious master on her side but also her father, the Song family might not be a big deal in front of the Fu family but compared to her who had nothing and no one on her side, she was considerably weak. Right, now she not only need to raise her strength but also her bank balance, something she was lacking.

"Is it done?" asked Fang Yanli as she watched Song Yan seal off the grave.

"It's done," affirmed Song Yan as she turned her attention to the grave that concealed the array that suck her mother's luck off, she took a shaky breath and walked towards it but the more she got closer to it the more she was pushed back. It was as if something invisible was pushing her back. Song Yan had to grit her teeth and dug her heels in the ground as she dragged herself closer to the grave, " this doesn't feel like a protection spell."

Fang Yanli sniffed the air as she conceded, " you are right. This feels more like-"

" a grudge field." Song Yan gritted out.

Such heavy yin energy was coming out of the grave under which the array was concealed, Song Yan had only sensed energy similar to this coming out of places where the spirits of people who were wrongfully murdered wandered. Those who died an unjustified death, without receiving justice would always bear a grave resentment in their hearts, instead of moving on to the afterlife these souls would then create a field around the area where they died or were being suppressed under - these spots would later become grudge fields.

And what's more whoever came in contact with a grudge field would be marked by the spirit who wouldn't stop haunting that person who trespassed the field until they died.

" Will we be hunted down by your mother? Like I don't think you will be able to reap your mother's soul," said Fang Yanli apprehensively. Even though she was a ghost, she still felt chills down her spine as she got closer to the grudge field. A grudge like this meant that Song Yan's mother's death wasn't just cruel it was horrifying!

Song Yan understood this too, she watched the dark webs of miasma that were pushing her away and felt her heart go cold every time she was pushed back by a yin wave. Just how did they kill her mother? This …this grievance just didn't carry the unwillingness that her mother had in her heart but also a promise of reprisal and vengeance. Her mother was a kind woman whose smile was filled with nothing but warmth to corner a woman like her until she became like this … Song Yan's nose went sour as another wave of fury washed over her and pushed her several steps back.

" Chu Lian, I will never forgive you." hissed a hoarse voice that caused goosebumps to erupt all over her skin. Not because she was scared but because this voice was coming from the bottom of the grave, fear didn't overwhelm her but instead, horror washed over her, this voice…if it was coming from the bottom of the grave then-

" They split her soul in half."