The Pacification of Ghosts - Chapter Ten: Slaying and Burning an Entire Family in Five-Li Village

After dealing with the two ghost brothers at Peach Blossom Mountain, Zhong Kui returned to Five-Li Village following their warning. This time, the threat wasn't economic or philosophical—it was a corrupted family unit that had become something monstrous.

The villagers were terrified. "Lord Zhong Kui, the Zhang family died in a fire last winter, but they've returned as vengeful ghosts. They claim to love each other, but their 'love' is destroying everything around them!"

Han Yuan investigated the background. "The Zhang family consisted of parents, three children, and grandparents. They died when their house caught fire during a family celebration. The doors were barred from inside—they chose to die together rather than let anyone escape alone."

The Zhang family ghosts had transformed their house's ruins into a supernatural trap. Living families who passed by would be drawn in and forced to participate in their eternal "family gathering."

"We must stay together forever!" the ghost father declared. "That's what family means—eternal unity!"

The ghost mother added, "We loved each other so much in life that we chose death together. Now we'll share that gift with others!"

Their "gift" was horrifying—they would possess living families and force them into murder-suicide pacts, claiming it was the ultimate expression of family love.

The three ghost children were the most disturbing. They had been forced to die by their parents' decision, and now they perpetuated the cycle.

"Mommy says good children stay with family forever," the youngest ghost child whispered. "If you try to leave, you don't love us."

The middle child added, "Daddy says the outside world is dangerous. Only family is safe. Stay here. Stay forever."

The eldest child, a teenager when she died, showed signs of rebellion even in death: "I wanted to leave for school, but they said it would break the family apart. Now we're together forever, just like they wanted."

The ghost grandparents were equally complicit, having reinforced the toxic dynamics.

"Family is everything," the grandfather's ghost intoned. "Blood is thicker than water. Outsiders can never understand our bond."

The grandmother's ghost added, "We raised our son to value family above all else. He learned the lesson perfectly—he kept us all together even in death."

Fu Qu was disgusted. "This isn't love—it's possession, control, and murder disguised as devotion!"

Zhong Kui confronted the family directly. "You didn't die for love—you died from a twisted obsession that confused control with care!"

The ghost father raged, "How dare you question our family bonds! We sacrificed everything for each other!"

"No," Zhong Kui corrected, "you sacrificed your children's futures for your own need to control. You called it love, but love doesn't imprison—it liberates."

The family attacked as one unit, their ghostly forms merging into a massive, multi-faced entity that represented their unhealthy enmeshment.

Zhong Kui realized that the family couldn't be redeemed as a unit—their toxic bonds were too strong. They needed to be separated and dealt with individually.

Using divine fire, he began burning away the spiritual chains that bound them together. The family screamed in unison, "You're destroying our love!"

"I'm destroying your dysfunction," Zhong Kui replied. "Real families can be apart and still love each other. You've confused proximity with affection, control with care."

Once separated, each family member faced individual judgment:

• The father, who had initiated the murder-suicide, was condemned to experience the fear and betrayal his children felt in their final moments—for eternity.
• The mother, who had supported and enabled him, would forever feel the weight of the futures she had stolen from her children.
• The grandparents, who had created this toxic dynamic, would witness endless cycles of healthy families thriving through independence and mutual respect—seeing what they had perverted.
• The children were the only ones offered redemption. As victims rather than perpetrators, they could choose to move on to proper reincarnation or become protectors of children trapped in abusive families.

The eldest daughter chose to speak before passing on: "We weren't a loving family. We were prisoners who called our jail 'home' and our jailers 'parents.' Real love lets children grow and leave. Real parents prepare children for independence, not eternal dependence."

With her testimony, Zhong Kui completed the judgment. The toxic family unit was burned away entirely—not just the ghosts, but the very concept they represented. The spiritual poison they had spread to other families was cleansed.

The village began to heal. Families who had been influenced by the Zhang ghosts' toxic message began to embrace healthier dynamics—love with boundaries, togetherness with independence, unity with individual identity.

As the smoke cleared, a messenger arrived with urgent news: "Lord Zhong Kui, the Underworld requires your presence. The Down-and-Out Ghost seeks official position at Nai He Pass!"

Continue reading: Chapter Eleven: The Down-and-Out Ghost Takes Office at Nai He Pass