AFPoFH ARC2 ☆ 31~35

四院病友交流论坛 

A Forum for Patients of Fourth Hospital

☆ 31 Two Colossal Brides

Translator: InkyDragon (https://puukkiss.wixsite.com/inkydragon)

Zhou Xiao Zhen surveyed the scene with a bored expression. She didn't see what the big deal was. So what if there was a corpse with a mushy brain? This world was full of horrors, and she had seen worse. "Come on, people. It's not like we haven't met any ghosts before. Why are you all acting like this is some freaky new disease that can liquefy your grey matter?"

She had a point, Yu Xiao thought. But still, something about this felt wrong. She glanced at the others, "Have you ever seen anything like this before?"

Sun Yun shook her head. "Not exactly. But we've faced weirder things."

Luo Jin leaned over the coffin, his hand reaching for the corpse's head. "You know what they say. The soul lives in the brain. That's why some killers like to smash the skull. To make sure the soul is gone."

He made a fist and brought it down near the corpse's head, mimicking the act of violence. 

Yu Xiao had an idea. "Let's dig up the other graves and see if they're all like this."

They unearthed a few more coffins, including the one that was buried today. It belonged to the village head.

All the corpses had their heads smashed, except for the one that was still fresh.

"Why is the village head the only one with a whole head?" Zhou Xiao Zhen wondered. "Is he the only one who didn't die from the disease?"

"Maybe," Zhao Lan said nervously, as the moon disappeared behind a cloud. "But we should hurry up and get out of here. Who knows what kind of ghosts are lurking around?"

Yu Xiao held the writhing thing in her grip, feeling its cold and slimy skin. She looked at it with disgust and curiosity. "Didn't we already run into this?"

"That is a water ghost," Zhao Lan said, glancing at the rotting bodies they had dug up from the ground. "With so many graves here, who knows what else is hiding here?"

She barely finished her sentence when Luo Jin pulled his hand back and declared, "There are no ghosts here."

"What?"

The others strained their ears, not sure if they heard him right. Luo Jin lifted his chin, his eyes serene and aloof under his long bangs. "There are no ghosts here."

"Really?" Zhao Lan asked, "How can you tell?"

Lu Xun grinned and spoke for his brother, "Old Luo has a sixth sense for these things, and he's not one to lie. If he says there are no ghosts here, then you can bet your ass there aren't."

They realised they had wasted too much time, and the sun was about to rise. They had to get out of here before the villagers noticed their 'grave-robbing'. They hurriedly filled the holes and retraced their steps to their lodgings.

As soon as they got in, Yu Xiao dashed to the kitchen and searched for a pressure cooker. But the ghost was too big to fit inside.

Zhao Lan rolled up her sleeves. "Leave it to me!"

She snapped the ghost's spine with a loud crack, making it scream in agony.

Zhou Xiao Zhen watched as Zhao Lan slammed the lid on, her face softening with pity. "It sounded like the ghost broke a bone."

Zuo Qing, who had tagged along to watch, asked, "Do ghosts have bones?"

"Uh..." Zhou Xiao Zhen scratched her head.

Yu Xiao slapped a talisman on the lid, sealing the ghost inside. She felt the eyes of Zuo Qing and the others on her, burning with envy.

Wang Yang couldn't contain his curiosity. "Boss, how many of those things do you have?"

Yu Xiao didn't bother to keep track. She had such a high success rate, she hadn't really kept count by the end. She had plenty. She shrugged and gave a vague answer, "A few dozen, maybe."

"..."

A few dozen...

They could barely afford to use one of their precious talismans, and she had a stash of them. They felt like they were dreaming.

Zhang Feng, momentarily forgetting his terror, licked his lips and asked, "Boss, you must be one of the top players, right?"

Zhou Xiao Zhen, hands on hips, beamed with pride. "Our Smiley is the best of the best. She's the number one on the leaderboard..."

Yu Xiao: "!!!"

Zhao Lan: "..."

They all gaped at Yu Xiao in disbelief. "You are..."

Yu Xiao shot a look at Zhou Xiao Zhen, then smirked and said, "You must have heard about me on the news this morning. Yeah, that's me. I'm 'Zhuge Liang burning the Spider Web Cave'."

(It is a reference to a famous episode in the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West, where the strategist Zhuge Liang used fire to destroy a cave full of spider demons who had captured his allies.)

"..."

"Bloody hell!" Wang Yang's face flushed with excitement. He couldn't believe his eyes. He never been so close to someone from the top of the leaderboard, even though it wasn't from his own hospital.

Zuo Qing gasped and pointed at Yu Xiao, her eyes sparkling like stars. "You're the one! The one from the news! I thought you were a dude. Holy shit, this is awesome. Sorry, I'm freaking out a little..."

Yu Xiao smiled enigmatically, enjoying their reactions.

Zhou Xiao Zhen slapped her forehead, realising she had blabbed too much. She had a bad habit of spilling secrets when she got worked up. She needed to work on that.

Zhao Lan quickly changed the topic. "Okay, enough chit-chat. It's late. We need some sleep while it's still dark. We have a busy day ahead of us."

Yu Xiao carried the pressure cooker to her room, when she heard a soft snicker behind her.

She turned and saw Lu Xun trying to stifle his laughter. She asked, "What's so funny?"

Lu Xun put on a straight face and said, "Oh, nothing. I was just imagining what's going to happen when the sun comes up. It's hilarious."

They were all exhausted after a night of digging and ghost-hunting. They went to their rooms and fell asleep in no time. It seemed like they had barely closed their eyes when a loud racket broke the silence.

A woman in a garish red and green outfit barged into the room, shouting at the top of her lungs, "What the hell! This is unacceptable!"

They all jumped out of their beds, ready for action. They relaxed when they saw it was just a villager.

"You lazy bums! It's past sunrise, and you're still sleeping!" the woman scolded them. "How are you going to live when you get married if you can't even wake up on time!"

Zuo Qing rubbed her eyes, confused, "Who is this woman? What the hell is she doing here?"

The woman ignored them and stormed towards the farthest bed. They followed her gaze and saw Yu Xiao, still snoring away.

"Still sleeping! Wake up!"

Yu Xiao was dreaming of ghosts and talismans when someone ripped off her blanket. She opened her eyes and saw a woman with a face painted like a monkey's behind, hands on hips, standing over her, ranting about something.

She couldn't hear a thing; she was deaf again...

Yu Xiao stared blankly at Zhao Lan, who knew from her look that Yu Xiao had lost her hearing again.

The woman kept berating Yu Xiao, who didn't react at all. The woman thought she was an idiot, talking to her like a brick wall. She switched to business mode, "Which one of you is Zhou Xiao?!"

They all fell silent, then pointed at the same person.

"You're Zhou Xiao?!" The woman looked at Yu Xiao in disbelief, examining her for a while. "Your appearance is not bad, you can be pretty with some grooming. But being pretty is not enough to be a good daughter-in-law; you have to be hard-working and virtuous..."

Blah blah blah, she went on and on, and Yu Xiao still had no reaction. The woman felt bored and pulled out a red paper from her pocket and shoved it into girl's hand, "This is your marriage certificate, hold on to it. Your wedding dress is already here; the groom will come for you in the afternoon. Get your ass ready."

She paused and gave Yu Xiao a sly smile, "You know, you're pretty smart. I heard you brought four girls with you as your dowry. That's nice; let them do all the work, and you can take it easy."

The woman tossed her hair and swayed her hips, leaving the room and them in shock.

Half of them felt a surge of emotions, while the other half looked utterly clueless.

"What?" Wang Yang stared, dumbfounded. "What the hell did she just say?"

Lu Xun tried to explain, but his mouth was dry. He looked at Luo Jin, thinking, 'Fuck this, if he wants to marry me off, let him do the talking.'

But Luo Jin didn't even acknowledge him; he just sat there, spaced out.

Yu Xiao couldn't hear, but the red paper in her hand gave her a hint of what was going on. Zhou Xiao Zhen jumped off the bed and ran outside, coming back with a bunch of red clothes in her arms.

"These are wedding outfits!" Zhou Xiao Zhen rifled through them, confused. "Weird, why is there only one in deep red, and the rest are all pink?"

Zhao Lan explained, blushing, "Because only the main wife can wear deep red."

"No," the others were more baffled, "What the fuck is going on? What are you guys talking about?"

Zhao Lan looked at them, feeling awkward. Luckily, Zhou Xiao Zhen had no shame. She said, "This is what we did yesterday when we went out. The villagers said they needed an outsider for a sacrifice..."

With a rapid-fire delivery, she rattled off the explanation,  "Anyway, after today's wedding, we're no longer outsiders."

"..."

A ghostly silence descended, so unnatural that they couldn't swallow it for a long time. Finally, Zhang Feng, clinging to the last shred of hopeful doubt, looked at Lu Xun, "She's joking, right?"

Lu Xun's head drooped under his stare, a silent admission of shame.

Zhang Feng shut his eyes, feeling doomed, "So, now it's just the four of us who are on the chopping block?"

Zhou Xiao Zhen felt a pang of sympathy, but she knew that making Gu Jing Rong marry five was already pushing it. She tried to be helpful and said, "Why don't you guys do what we did and marry a local?"

"..."

Zhang Feng's expression twisted for a moment; evidently, the idea of getting married had never crossed his mind in his over twenty years of life.

Zuo Qing and Sun Yun, however, gave it some thought. Zuo Qing asked, "Is the village head's son handsome?"

"Does it matter if he's hot?" Zhou Xiao Zhen asked, "It's not like you're really becoming husband and wife."

"..." Good point.

While they were chatting, Zhao Lan and Yu Xiao were together. She scribbled down what had just transpired in her notebook and handed it to Yu Xiao. Instinctively, she felt it was better not to let others know about Yu Xiao's sporadic deafness.

Yu Xiao nodded after reading it.

Yu Xiao slipped out of bed and headed outside to splash some water on her face. 

Zuo Qing's eyes followed her with admiration. "Why isn't Sister Little saying anything?"

Zhou Xiao Zhen chided her, "It's Sister Smiley."

(TN: 小 xiăo Little  笑 xiào Smile, Zuo Qing misspoke)

Zhao Lan rose from the bed as if nothing had happened. "Oh, she doesn't like talking when she hasn't slept well."

In this village, for some unfathomable reason, weddings were slated for late afternoon. Yu Xiao, clad in fiery red, had been lingering at the doorway for quite some time.

Flanking her were two petite  girls in pink dresses. While looming behind her were two colossal brides, each over 185 centimetres tall, also in pink dresses.

As firecrackers boomed, villagers arrived with ox-drawn carts draped with red silk.

Wang Yang and his friends were cowering inside the house, eyes twitching. "Dad died just yesterday, and today the son is getting married. Is this really okay?"

Gu Jing Rong, in a blazing red outfit with a huge red flower on his chest, trotted over on a donkey. From afar, he could already spot those two colossal brides.

In that instant, the thought of death flashed through his mind.

☆ 32  A night filled with flowers and candlelight in the bridal chamber

Actually, Lu Xun and Luo Jin didn't have too robust physiques; they were lean and lanky. But their height was a curse, especially when they squeezed into the pink dresses that barely covered their knees. The sight of them was enough to make anyone’s eyes pop out of their sockets.

The matchmaker felt a chill run down her spine as she gazed at the two monstrous brides with veils over their faces. She wondered if she had stumbled into a nightmare. She glanced at Gu Jing Rong, hoping for some explanation, but the young master looked as if he had given up on life. His face was pale and his lips were tight. He didn’t seem surprised at all.

The village was buzzing with excitement as the wedding procession made its way through the dusty streets. Most families used a simple cart to transport the bride, but Gu Jing Rong’s family was the wealthiest in the village, and they liked to show off. They had arranged for an ox cart to carry the bride, and a donkey for the groom to ride.

The ox cart was spacious enough for one bride, but there were five of them. They crammed into the cart, elbowing and jostling each other. They had to hold on to the rails or each other to avoid being thrown off by the bumpy road.

The village head’s house had been a sombre place the day before, with a memorial hall for the deceased. But today, it was a festive place, with big red “double happiness” banners and lanterns everywhere. The wedding ceremony was simple and quick, and soon the five brides, still veiled, were led into the bridal chamber.

The bridal chamber was dark and gloomy, with only a few joy candles flickering. Yu Xiao lifted her veil and looked around. On her left, she saw two small brides, who looked like dolls. On her right, she saw two giant brides, who looked like discount drag queens.

The five of them removed their veils and stared at each other. They felt a mix of emotions: fear, anger, confusion, shame.

Yu Xiao turned to Lu Xun and Luo Jin, who were both wearing fake smiles. She sighed and said, “I never thought we would end up like this.”

Lu Xun’s smile twitched. “Heh.”

On the other side, Zhou Xiao Zhen was also in shock. She had questions, but she didn’t know how to ask them. She said, “What are we supposed to be to each other now?”

Zhao Lan was no stranger to palace intrigue. She had devoured countless dramas to recognize the twisted games of the palace. So she played along, smiling sweetly and saying, “We’re like sisters, I guess.”

Lu Xun shuddered at the words as they made him feel uncomfortable. He didn’t want to think about it. He changed the topic, “What's happening later?”

Yu Xiao pondered for a moment, as if it was a hard question. She answered, “Following the procedure, the next step is the bridal chamber.”

“…”

Zhou Xiao Zhen baulked at the idea. She said, “I don’t want to.” She wrinkled her nose and added, “I don’t want a ghostly bridal chamber. If I have to be with a ghost, it should at least be a handsome one like Gu Shu, not Gu Jing Rong.”

Lu Xun felt a pang in his chest. He didn’t like where this was going. He said, “I mean, after Gu Jing Rong comes in, what do we do? Interrogate him about the village plague?”

“Of course,” Yu Xiao said, looking at him strangely. “Isn’t everything we do for that? Unless you really want a bridal chamber?”

“…”

Lu Xun clamped his mouth shut. He had nothing to say. Luo Jin watched him, a faint smirk on his face. Though he didn't show much expression, his mood was evidently good. He seemed to enjoy Lu Xun’s discomfort. His eyes sparkled with mischief.

The village was a gloomy place. Yu Xiao had rarely seen anyone smile here. Even the wedding was a dull affair. It was over in less than an hour. Then they heard footsteps coming closer.

Yu Xiao and the others scrambled to cover themselves with the veils.

“Squeak—”

The door creaked open, followed by a murmur of hushed whispers. A pair of footsteps retreated, and another pair advanced, shutting the door with a click.

“Cough, cough…” Gu Jing Rong choked on his breath as he beheld five brides crammed onto the wedding bed.

Before he could recover, all five brides flung off their veils.

“You cough, cough, cough… shouldn’t cough, cough, cough… yourselves…” Gu Jing Rong slumped on a chair, gasping as if his lungs were collapsing.

Yu Xiao gestured from the bed and said, “Don’t you realise that he'll die without seeing his new brides? You two don’t want to end up as widows so soon, so get a move on and fetch him some water.”

Lu Xun wondered which two people Yu Xiao meant, but Luo Jin, next to him, had already risen.

“…” Lu Xun thought. Old Luo, what’s with the eagerness?

Gu Jing Rong was still wheezing when he saw two men in pink dresses closing in on him. He forgot how to cough and breathe, feeling a prickling sensation all over his body.

Luo Jin filled a cup with tea and slid it across the table to Gu Jing Rong. “Drink.”

“Thanks…” Gu Jing Rong muttered, picking up the cup with a weak hand.

Yu Xiao rose from the bed, her clothes giving her the air of a refined lady. She wore a few jewels, unlike Zhao Lan and the others, who had nothing to adorn themselves with.

She sat down across from Gu Jing Rong and flashed him a faint smile.

Yu Xiao looked like a different person in this outfit. Usually, she seemed young, like a girl who had not yet blossomed. But with makeup, she gained a hint of mature charm.

Gu Jing Rong was taken aback by her smile. He felt a surge of relief. Despite being trapped in a marriage with two men, at least his wife was pretty, more so than the village girls.

“Little Gu,” Yu Xiao said, leaning forward as if to confide in him, “now that we’re all married, we’re family. Don’t you think we should be honest with each other?”

Gu Jing Rong saw no harm in that. He nodded and said, “Sure.”

“I’ve been in your village for a short while, but I’ve noticed a plague spreading like wildfire,” Yu Xiao said, fixing her eyes on him, “your father is the village chief, you must know a lot. Can you tell me what’s happening with this plague?”

Gu Jing Rong looked uneasy. He shook his head and said, “My father forbids the villagers to talk about this with outsiders.”

Luk Xun slammed the table with a loud thud. “Are we outsiders?”

Gu Jing Rong flinched, looking pale and pathetic as he glanced at Yu Xiao. “N-no, of course not.”

“Then why are you holding back?” Yu Xiao said, narrowing her eyes at him. “Spit it out.”

“I don’t really know, to tell you the truth. I’ve been sickly since I was a kid, and my parents only wanted me to stay alive, not to meddle in all that messy business.” Gu Jing Rong said, his face clouded with memories. “I vaguely remember it was about a year ago, or maybe less, someone in the farthest house of the village got sick. It was a terrible sickness, untreatable. They died in just a week, and then their kin got sick too.”

Luk Xun said, “What was the name of the first one who got sick?”

“I know that. His name was Gu Ban.” Gu Jing Rong said, his expression twisted. “His family was ignorant, even in naming, they were…”

He didn’t sound like he was lying, confirming that Gu Ban was the first victim of the plague. But that wasn’t the answer they needed, as they still didn’t know how he got infected.

Yu Xiao pressed on, “How did this Gu Ban catch the sickness?”

“I don’t know.” Gu Jing Rong said, shaking his head. “Even the old doctor Gu Shu doesn’t know. How would I know?”

After giving up so much without learning anything useful, Luk Xun decided to put some heat on Gu Jing Rong. He lifted his hand, snapping his fingers sharply, glaring at Gu Jing Rong. “You’re not lying, are you?”

Gu Jing Rong’s eyes widened, and he shivered as he got up, hiding behind Yu Xiao. “No, I’m not lying. I swear that’s all I know.”

Yu Xiao gave Gu Jing Rong’s hand a reassuring squeeze. Then she switched her tone, saying, “But your dad, damn, he’s obsessed with ancient superstition, sacrificing outsiders to appease the gods. He’s playing with people’s lives, and it’s hard for us to feel any sympathy for his son, you get me?”

Gu Jing Rong quivered all over, tears spilling from his eyes. He couldn’t forget that in this room, everyone else, no matter their gender, was an enemy.

He was petrified, blurting out, “It’s not ancient superstition. Our village’s gods are really miraculous.”

Worried that Yu Xiao and the others would doubt him, he went on, “I’ve been weak since I was born. The village doctor said I’d be dead by seventeen. Last fall, I was at death’s door. One day, my dad came home and brought me some meat, telling me to eat it raw. He said he got it from the temple by praying. My sickness didn’t go away, but my life was spared.”

“Oh?” Lu Xun’s eyes sparkled. “What kind of meat was it? And where is this temple?”

“I don’t know.” Gu Jing Rong, stunned by his own words, kept talking, his face turning white. “It had no skin or bones. How could I tell what kind of meat it was? But when you eat it, it’s oddly gamey.”

Oddly gamey?

The group looked at each other, wondering in their minds what animal’s meat would be oddly gamey.

“The temple is north of the village, up the river.” Gu Jing Rong, sensing their strange looks, nervously asked, “You guys aren’t thinking of going to the temple, are you?”

Lu Xun: “Why not?”

“It's forbidden.” Gu Jing Rong shook his head, saying, “No one, except the village chief, can enter the temple in the village. There’s always a guard at the door. Anyone who tries to sneak in, other than the village chief, will be dragged out and clubbed to death.”

Something was definitely off about that temple. They had to investigate.

But with the village chief dead, Yu Xiao smirked and asked, “Your dad’s gone. Are you the new village chief?”

“Uh…” Gu Jing Rong stammered and said, “Technically, it should be me, but my health…”

“Don’t worry.” Yu Xiao slapped him on the back, cheerfully adding, “Even if you’re not fit, your five wives are all tough, right?”

…

They had a plan now: first, make Gu Jing Rong the village chief, and then use him to slip into the temple.

The wedding had been worth it, and Yu Xiao was feeling good. She got up and said, “It’s getting late. Don’t we need some sleep?”

Gu Jing Rong felt a surge of panic. Was he expected to sleep with these two men?

Yu Xiao went on, “The bed is too small. It won’t fit six people. How about we sleep apart? We can improvise a bed on the floor.”

Gu Jing Rong let out a breath and nodded eagerly.

Yu Xiao grinned, “The bed is ours, girls, and you boys can rough it on the floor. Any complaints?”

Gu Jing Rong faltered, and Lu Xun and Luo Jin shook their heads, “No complaints.”

Whining noises… Did anyone care what I thought as the master of this house? Gu Jing Rong nearly cried himself into a stupor.

Soon, the bridal chamber was quiet. The three on the bed slept soundly, as the village chief’s bed was much nicer than the ragged ones in the rundown rooms.

On the floor, the three men lay motionless next to each other. Luo Jin was on the left, Lu Xun on the right. Gu Jing Rong was sandwiched in the middle, scared to twitch.

*

*

In another house, Zhang Feng and his group finished their meal.

The meal felt tasteless, and Sun Yun, eating without a word, suddenly turned gloomy, “Tonight, I’m not in the mood for sleeping.”

The others agreed. Wang Yang said, “You know, in the past, when we were in instances, we never slept all at once. Someone always had to stay alert.”

Zuo Qing added, “We did the same…”

☆ 33 The gossip surrounding the village chief's wife and Dr Gu Shu

By now, they had grown to rely on the big shot, even though they had only known her for two short days.

Zuo Qing felt foolish as she thought, “I was such a fool. If I had realised my idol was here, why did I waste time in a graveyard? I should have stuck to the big shot’s side all day and night, even if people called me shameless.”

After all, how often did one get to cozy up to a big shot’s leg…

They agreed that Wang Yang would watch the first half of the night, while Zhang Feng would take over the second. If they were still stuck here by tomorrow, Zuo Qing and Sun Yun would do the next night duty.

But tonight, none of them could sleep easily.

Yu Xiao and her group of five, on the other hand, slept like babies. Yu Xiao woke up to the aroma of food in the morning, feeling a tingling in her arms. Zhou Xiao Zhen had been clinging to her arm all night.

Zhao Lan was already up and sitting on the bed, thinking about something. When she saw the two stirring, Zhao Lan said, “Smiley, get up. Gu Jing Rong’s mom wants you to serve her tea.”

Yu Xiao was taken aback, totally clueless about this old custom.

Zhou Xiao Zhen, still drowsy, muttered, “Do I have to do it too?”

“No need,” Zhao Lan said, “His mom said concubines don’t deserve to serve her tea.”

“Oh,” Zhou Xiao Zhen smiled, “Then I can snooze a bit longer.”

Zhao Lan sighed “We can’t just sit here and twiddle our thumbs. Don’t you see what’s wrong with this room?”

Zhou Xiao Zhen and Yu Xiao scanned the room together, looking for anything amiss. After a while, they came up empty. “What’s wrong?”

“Two people are gone,” Zhao Lan said, annoyed at first, but then a laugh escaped her, twisting her face. “Lu Xun and Luo Jin got dragged away this morning. Gu Jing Rong’s mother said that concubines should follow their own rules, not wait for others to serve them. Right now, one is slaving in the kitchen, and the other is scrubbing outside.”

Hearing this, Yu Xiao snorted with laughter, and Zhou Xiao Zhen chortled under the covers.

*

*

Three people sat at the dining table: Yu Xiao, Gu Jing Rong, and Gu Jing Rong’s mother.

Four people stood nearby, serving dishes. According to Gu Jing Rong’s mother, concubines didn’t deserve to sit at the table.

While eating, Yu Xiao blurted out, “How do we make Gu Jing Rong the village chief?”

Mother Gu scowled at her and said, “How dare you speak of Gu Jing Rong like that? You should call him your husband.”

“…” Yu Xiao’s mouth twitched several times, but she couldn’t force herself to say it. Luckily, Mother Gu changed the topic on her own. “It’s not easy for our Little Rong to become the village chief. His health is poor, and being a village chief brings a lot of troubles. I’m afraid for his health…”

“That’s not a problem,” Yu Xiao said, thumping her chest. “I’m here. As his wife, I’ll be a good helper. Anything that needs work or brains, just leave it to me. The main thing is that the village chief can’t serve others, or else how can our family keep a high status in the village? And how can you be the top lady in the village?”

Hearing this, Mother Gu was touched. She was the only woman in the village who didn’t have to toil. If the village chief’s position went to someone else, wouldn’t she lose her status too? Just thinking about how people always kissed up to her, the idea of needing to kiss-up to someone else made her uneasy...

Mother Gu felt a pang of envy. She couldn’t be the village chief’s wife, but being the village chief’s mother would do.

So, she said, “Fine, let’s do it this way.”

But she still had some doubts, “But even if Little Rong becomes the village chief, you may not be able to handle everything. After all, you’re only a woman, and they may not listen to you.”

Yu Xiao chuckled then, “Just relax. Just make sure… he becomes the village chief. I have a trick to make them obey me.”

After dinner, Yu Xiao left the house to find Gu Shu.

As the attending doctor, the worst thing for Gu Shu was not being able to vanish at will. He had to stick to his role, even if he hated someone, he had to stay here.

“Doctor Gu Shu.” Yu Xiao showed up at Gu Shu’s house, holding a pressure cooker. “I’m back!”

Gu Shu opened the door, staring at her with icy eyes, “What do you want?”

“Can’t I visit you if there’s nothing wrong?” Yu Xiao beamed at Gu Shu. He kept a blank face, but she didn’t care. “I have something I want to give you. I wonder if you’ll like it.”

This time, Gu Shu wasn’t interested, “I don’t want it.”

“Oh, please.” Yu Xiao ignored his frostiness. “Don’t you want to let me in for a bit? Carrying things around is exhausting.”

In the end, Gu Shu still let Yu Xiao in. He was confident in himself and didn’t think that Yu Xiao could do anything under his watchful eye.

Yu Xiao barged into the room, skipping the pleasantries. She ripped off the talisman and opened the pressure cooker, exposing the ghost inside.

She faced Gu Shu and flashed a wicked smile. “Do you like this present, Dr. Gu Shu?”

Dr. Gu Shu eyed the pathetic ghost, then coldly stared at Yu Xiao, showing no emotion.

Yu Xiao cocked her head. “Dr. Gu Shu, are you disappointed? Do you want me to scoop out its brain?”

The ghost in the pot whimpered at that.

Clearly, doctors had different tastes. Dr. Gu Shu was unmoved. He ignored the little ghost and said, “If that’s all, please go.”

“No, wait!” Yu Xiao twisted the ghost, making it scream in agony. Yu Xiao said, “Look how fresh it is.”

Dr. Gu Shu remained cold. “Go.”

“Hmph.” Yu Xiao grumbled, glaring at him. “You’ll be sorry.”

Dr. Gu Shu snorted inside, Sorry for what?

Then he saw Yu Xiao, holding the pressure cooker, pause at the door. She unbuttoned her clothes, messed up her hair, and slapped herself twice.

Dr. Gu Shu was shocked by her actions. Was she crazy?

She flung open the door, keeping up her dishevelled look. Yu Xiao ran out sobbing. At the gate, she spun around and, with a bitter voice, said, “Gu Shu, you’re a monster!”

She sprinted away, leaving him behind.

Gu Shu was alone in the house, his mind in turmoil, a surge of anger rising in him.

He knew he wasn’t human, but the villagers didn’t. Especially now, when a mob of them had gathered outside his house, as if by magic. They had all heard the dreadful screams from inside, seen Yu Xiao dash out with torn clothes, flushed cheeks, wet eyes, and heard her curse him with a bitter voice, calling him a monster.

Doctors could strike back at patients, but only if the patients attacked first.

Had Yu Xiao just done that? Gu Shu thought so, but the hospital system disagreed, so he was powerless.

Yu Xiao had said he would be sorry, and he was starting to feel a twinge of regret…

It was all part of Yu Xiao’s cunning scheme, why the villagers had shown up at that moment.

In other words, he had walked into a trap when Yu Xiao had entered his house. It didn’t matter how careful he was, it was hopeless.

Half an hour later, the gossip about Doctor Gu Shu and the former and current village chief’s wives had circulated through the village, growing more and more outrageous.

In the afternoon, Gu Jing Rong called all the villagers for a meeting and made an announcement: his health was failing, and from now on, Yu Xiao would take care of the village matters for him.

How could the villagers accept such a young woman? At first, they resisted, but when they saw Yu Xiao standing there with a lively smile, they remembered the rumours that had flown around the village today.

This woman was not only the village chief’s wife, but also the one that Doctor Gu Shu fancied…

*

*

Nine people met by the river upstream in the north of the village at night. There, a temple loomed against the mountains. The temple looked ancient; most of the carvings on it had worn away by the wind and rain, covered in moss.

Standing here, everyone felt a cold shiver. Something was inside, and maybe the answers they wanted were there too.

They stood in front of the door, feeling a mix of excitement. But there was something else that thrilled them more.

Zuo Qing had always looked at Yu Xiao with awe, but now her eyes showed something else.

“Sister Smiley,” Zuo Qing faltered, “Is it really okay for you to mess with the attending doctor?”

“I don’t know,” Yu Xiao shrugged, “Even if there is a problem, I can’t do anything about it.”

The crowd looked uneasy, thinking that she was the top dog for a reason; she even dared to mess with the attending doctor. After all, in a way, the attending doctor was more frightening than the ultimate big boss. They always steered clear of him if they could.

“I’m going in,” Yu Xiao told them, “If anything happens, call me.”

“Smiley, be careful,” Zhao Lan said anxiously.

“Smiley, you better scream if something goes wrong. It might be too late to call.” Zhou Xiao Zhen lifted a mahjong box and said, “We’ll come running as soon as we hear you!”

Yu Xiao nodded, then headed for the door. The villagers guarding the entrance swung open the temple’s huge doors, exposing a dark and deep interior. Yu Xiao stepped in, holding a torch high, and the door slammed shut behind her.

Suddenly, silence wrapped around her, and under her feet was a faint passage of unknown length, leading to a mysterious destination.

She pushed on, her torch barely lighting up the way ahead, with only the echo of her footsteps in her ears.

She walked and walked until at last, she heard something else – the sound of water.

The narrow, dark passage opened up to a wide area. Yu Xiao almost slipped on the wet ground, catching herself just in time to see the slick surface under her feet.

She moved ahead cautiously with the torch, and came across a pool of water.

The deep blue water hid everything below. As Yu Xiao looked around, she saw creepy shapes of monsters carved into the stone walls around the pool, looking especially sinister in the flickering firelight.

☆ 34 Monster Inside the Temple

This temple was a joke. Where were the statues, the altars, the offerings? What kind of god would accept such a barren place? 

Yu Xiao scanned the dark chamber, looking for a clue. Her eyes landed on the pool of water in the centre, reflecting the flickering flames of the torch she held. Something lurked in the depths, she was sure of it. The water rippled and swirled, as if disturbed by a restless presence.

Yu Xiao felt a surge of fear, but also curiosity. Gu Jing Rong had said his father visited this temple, and returned unharmed with a piece of meat. So it should be safe, right? Yu Xiao took a few steps back, but not enough to turn and run. She wanted to see what would happen next.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

The water gurgled and bubbled, rising into a dome-like shape. Foam and froth spilled over the edges, creating a sickening sound. Yu Xiao gagged, smelling a foul stench. It was like rotten fish, mixed with blood and bile. She clamped her hand over her nose, trying not to vomit.

The dome burst, sending a shower of water everywhere and drenching Yu Xiao. Yu Xiao squinted, wiping her face. She saw a huge shape emerge from the pool, blocking out the light. It was an octopus, but unlike any she had ever seen. Its tentacles were thick and long, reaching the walls and the ceiling. Its body was massive, dwarfing the temple itself. It had no eyes, but it had a mouth. A mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.

Yu Xiao froze, feeling its attention on her. It was aware of her, and it was hungry. She felt a crushing weight on her chest, as if the air was being squeezed out of her lungs. She wanted to run, but her legs wouldn't move. She wondered if the talismans in her pocket would do any good. They were supposed to protect her from evil spirits, but this thing was no spirit. It was a monster.

Yu Xiao held her breath, staring at the monster with dread. The monster stared back, its mouth gaping and its tentacles twitching. It was sizing her up, she knew it. It was waiting for the right moment to strike.

Yu Xiao wondered if she should make a run for it, but before she could decide, the monster moved. It whipped a long tentacle and smashed it against the cave wall.

"Moo!!!!"

The sound was deafening, echoing through the chamber. The monster howled in agony, its blood splattering the rocks. Yu Xiao gasped, feeling a surge of confusion and recognition. What was the monster doing? Why was it hurting itself? Why did this scene seem so familiar? It reminded her of something she had done in Dr Gu Shu house...

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

The impact shook the temple, sending vibrations to the outside. The three people waiting at the gate felt it. The gate rattled, and dust rained down.

Zhao Lan's expression darkened. "Smiley!"

Zhou Xiao Zhen shouted, "We have to go in! I'll deal with the villagers, Lan Jie, you follow me!"

They were about to storm in, but someone blocked their way. Zhao Lan glared at the intruder. It was Luo Jin, standing in their path. Zhao Lan was ready to explode, but Lu Xun intervened. "Calm down."

"Sister Smiley is in trouble!" Zhou Xiao Zhen cried, "If you don't care about her, at least let us go!"

Lu Xun shook his head. "She's probably fine for now." He gestured at the villagers who were guarding the entrance. "Look at them, they're not worried at all. Even though the temple is shaking, they don't react. It means that this happens often, and they're used to it."

Zhao Lan felt a pang of worry for Yu Xiao, but as Lu Xun had pointed out the villagers, she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She asked, "What's in there? What's causing all this noise?"

Lu Xun shrugged. "You'll see when Zhou Xiao gets out."

"Pa!"

A wet thud interrupted them. 

Yu Xiao bent down to inspect the object that had landed in front of her. It was a chunk of flesh, torn from the monster's body. The monster had slammed its tentacles against the temple wall, flinging a piece of itself to Yu Xiao.

It was a gift, Yu Xiao realised.

She fought back the urge to vomit, and reached for the flesh. The monster had settled down, hovering silently on the water. It fixed its gaze on Yu Xiao for a second, then sank back into the depths.

"Moo..."

Yu Xiao clutched the cold, slimy meat, and recalled what Gu Jing Rong had told her. His father had begged for a piece of meat in the temple, and by eating it, he had escaped death's grasp. This meat had the power to heal.

So, this was the god that the villagers worshipped. This beast that lived in the pond.

But then, a question nagged at her: if the monster's meat could cure diseases and save lives, why had the former village chief let so many villagers die from illness? Why hadn't he just entered the temple, asked for more meat from the beast, and solved the problem?

Was he too proud or too powerless to do so?

The temple grew quiet, and after a while, a knock sounded from the door. The villager who was guarding the door opened it, and Yu Xiao appeared behind it.

"Smiley!" Zhou Xiao Zhen breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Yu Xiao emerge unscathed.

Yu Xiao's face was ashen, as she stepped out of the temple. The others crowded around her, eager to know what had happened. Lu Xun demanded, "What did you see in there?"

Yu Xiao shook her head. "Let's go back to the room first, I need clean clothes."

They followed her to the shabby room, where she wiped her face with a wet towel and changed her clothes before putting the chunk of meat on the table.

Everyone recoiled, covering their mouths and noses.

"Jesus, that reeks!"

"What the fuck is that?"

Zhao Lan, holding her nose, recognized it. "Is this the meat that Gu Jing Rong talked about?"

"Yeah," Yu Xiao confirmed.

"Yuck," Zhou Xiao Zhen grimaced, looking at the bloody and blurry lump of flesh, "That's disgusting."

Lu Xun prodded the meat with his finger, curious. "How did you get this?"

Yu Xiao told them what she had witnessed in the temple, then added, "It's weird. If the monster's meat can heal people, why did the old village chief let so many villagers die from sickness?"

"Maybe the monster was behind the plague." Wang Yang speculated, "Otherwise, how do you explain the sudden outbreak?"

Zuo Qing disagreed, shaking her head. "I doubt it. The temple has been in the village for ages. It doesn't make sense for the monster to start a plague now."

Lu Xun frowned, trying to make sense of it. "What did you do or say when you went in?" he asked. "Did you provoke it or appease it?"

Yu Xiao shuddered, remembering the horror. "I did nothing but stand there like a fool," she said. "I never expected to see such a huge monster in the temple. I just stood there, and the monster eyed me for a while, then began to thrash against the walls. It tossed me the meat, then retreated into the water."

Lu Xun scratched his head. "That's odd. The monster hurt itself to give you a piece of meat, and it didn't ask for anything in return?"

Zhou Xiao Zhen pondered for a moment and said, "Maybe the monster found Sister Smiley pretty and wanted to impress her."

Everyone: "..."

Sun Yun snorted, "I agree Sister Smiley is beautiful, but how do you know if the monster shares our standards of beauty?"

Zhou Xiao Zhen countered, "Then what do you think is the reason?"

Sun Yun's face turned serious, as she thought hard. "Maybe the monster was trying to make a deal?"

Lu Xun nodded. "That's possible, but we still don't know if the monster is behind the plague."

Zhao Lan chimed in. "If that's true, it's too easy."

Lu Xun rested his chin on his hand. "It might not be that easy," he said. "We've encountered a lot of trouble since we came to the village, but we've managed to overcome it. And it was only Zhou Xiao who went into the temple. Who knows what would happen if we all barged in? And then there’s Dr Gu Shu. What will he say?"

Yu Xiao shrugged. "Why don't we find out?" she suggested.

The others paused, considering her idea. Luo Jin eyed Yu Xiao, asking, "Are you sure Dr Gu Shu won’t kill you?"

Everyone: "..."

Yu Xiao coughed, breaking the silence. "Who said I have to be the one to find Gu Shu?" she said, sounding earnest.

The others closed their mouths, thinking that she was too keen on chasing him.

They agreed to send Lu Xun to look for Gu Shu, while they waited for news.

Yu Xiao gazed at the meat on the table, mulling over Sun Yun's words. She asked, "You said the monster wanted to trade something. What do you think it wants?"

Sun Yun rubbed her head, and Zhou Xiao Zhen said, "Maybe a person."

Everyone turned to her, curious.

Zhou Xiao Zhen snapped, "What are you looking at me for?"

Zuo Qing said, "Why do you think it's a person?"

Zhou Xiao Zhen shrugged. "Don't monsters eat people?" she said. "And remember, the night we got here, we learned that the villagers sacrifice strangers to their god."

Zhou Xiao Zhen had a point. Yu Xiao stared at the chunk of flesh, wondering what would happen if she failed to give the monster what it desired.

Zhao Lan suddenly recalled something. "Hey, if they need a person to get the monster's meat, then who did Gu Jing Rong trade for the piece he ate?"

*

*

Lu Xun felt nervous as he went to find Gu Shu. But when he met the doctor, he was surprised by his behaviour. Gu Shu was very friendly, even pouring him a cup of tea.

"Thank you." Lu Xun took the cup, feeling a mix of emotions. 

He had faced so much trouble over the years, and this was the first time a doctor had offered him tea. It was strangely comforting.

Gu Shu greeted him with a warm smile. "What can I do for you?"

Lu Xun put down his teacup. "I wanted to know if the plague has anything to do with the monster in the temple."

Gu Shu shook his head. "No, it doesn't."

Lu Xun nodded, not surprised. He had more questions, but he knew better than to press the doctor. He got up and headed for the door, but he cast a backward glance at Gu Shu's house. He wondered what would have happened if Zhou Xiao Zhen had been here. She wouldn't have given up so easily.

*

*

"Ah, Qiu!" Yu Xiao pinched her nose. "We can't keep this meat here. It stinks too much."

Wang Yang eyed the chunk of flesh. "Why don't we cook it and eat it tonight?"

"..."

The others stared at him, speechless. Zuo Qing said, "Are you serious? You want to eat that?"

"Why not?" Wang Yang shrugged. "Maybe it has some healing properties. Who knows, it might even save our lives."

Yu Xiao shook her head. "We haven't given the monster what it wanted; who knows if it will seek revenge? None of us can eat this meat."

"Then what do you propose we do?"

Yu Xiao bit her lip, a sudden idea flashing in her mind.

*

*

The new village chief Gu Jing Rong had just finished his dinner and was ready to retire for the night. He felt a smug satisfaction that none of his five wives had come back yet. He looked forward to a night of undisturbed sleep.

He kicked off his shoes, but before they hit the floor, he heard footsteps outside.

"Bang!" The door flew open, and his five wives barged in, glaring at him like five avenging angels.

Gu Jing Rong's hands shook, and his shoes dropped into the water basin.

Yu Xiao walked in, scanning Gu Jing Rong from head to toe. "How are you feeling today? Any discomfort in your body?"

Gu Jing Rong was taken aback by this sudden show of care. After all, his wives were usually so difficult, but they were still his wives...

He felt a pang of gratitude and said, "I'm fine today."

Yu Xiao frowned. "Don't you wish you weren't?"

Gu Jing Rong blinked. "What?"

Yu Xiao spun around and looked at the other four. "Who's the lucky one?"

Luo Jin stepped forward. "It's me."

Gu Jing Rong's eyes widened in horror as Luo Jin advanced toward him. "What are you doing? Stay away from me... Get back..." He backed away, but there was nowhere to go. "Don't touch me... Ah!!!"

A villager ran to the door of Gu Shu's house, yelling, "Doctor Gu Shu, something's wrong! The village chief is hurt; you need to see him!"

☆ 35 Playing Mahjong in the Stinky Outhouse

Dr Ge Shu reached the village chief's house and spotted a figure at the entrance... a young woman?

He felt a chill run down his spine. He was supposed to be the doctor here, so why did he feel like a victim? He had hoped for a peaceful assignment, but now he wanted nothing more than to leave. As soon as he cured these patients, he would look for another place, one with fewer people and fewer secrets.

Yu Xiao fixed her gaze on Dr Ge Shu, and spoke only when he came closer. "Dr Ge Shu, you're here."

Dr Ge Shu saw a shadow in the corner, peeking at them. 

Every time he faced Yu Xiao, his heart twisted, and her words made his hands shake. He hated her with a passion, but he was powerless to do anything, trapped in his own misery.

"Dr Ge Shu, you've done so much," Yu Xiao walked next to Dr Ge Shu, her eyes scanning him like claws from head to toe. "Coming here so late at night."

Dr Ge Shu bit his tongue, heading for the door of Gu Jing Rong's room. He was about to open it, when a warm hand touched his.

He flinched, and Yu Xiao pulled back her hand, pretending to be scared. She gave him a coy look. "Dr Ge Shu, please don't act like that. I'm a married woman."

Dr Ge Shu: "..."

He pushed the door open, and saw a broken man on the bed.

Dr Ge Shu walked over, and stood by the bedside, looking at Gu Jing Rong. He noticed the tears in Gu Jing Rong's eyes, the empty stare, the lack of interest in life. He sensed something was very wrong.

Dr Ge Shu asked, "Where does it hurt?"

"He's hurt in the stomach," Yu Xiao cut in from the side.

Dr Ge Shu wanted to tell her to shut up, but he held his tongue. He was a refined doctor, after all. He lifted the blanket, pulled up Gu Jing Rong's clothes, and exposed a dark bruise on his stomach.

Gu Shu's eyes darted from the bruise to the pale face of Yu Xiao. "What happened to him? Please don't tell me he fell."

Yu Xiao smiled faintly, her voice calm and composed. "He got beaten up," she said. "Anyone with eyes can see it."

"Who beat him?"

"Who else could it be?" Yu Xiao shrugged, playing with the hem of her dress. She looked like a child caught stealing candy, not a woman who had just committed a heinous act. "It was me," she confessed, as if it were nothing.

Gu Shu was taken aback by her honesty. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Curiosity got the best of him and he couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth. He knew he had made a mistake, a grave one. He felt a familiar sensation, the sensation of falling into a trap.

He saw it in her eyes, the flash of anger and hurt. She glared at him, her voice dripping with venom. "You don't know?" she spat. "You really don't know?"

Gu Shu wished he could take back his question, but it was too late. He was trapped to learn her reason. 

She leaned closer to him, her breath hot on his ear. "It was because of you, Dr. Gu Shu. You broke my heart that day, when you rejected me. You made me love you, and then you pushed me away. You left me with no choice, but to marry him." She gestured to the man on the bed, who was barely conscious. "But I never loved him, I never wanted him. I only wanted you. And I couldn't stand the thought of him touching me, of him claiming what was yours. So I hit him. I hit him hard. I hit him until he stopped moving."

"..." Gu Shu clenched his fists.

On the bed, Gu Jing Rong let out a whimper. He opened his eyes, tears streaming down his face. "Why...why are you doing this to me..." he sobbed. "I don't want to live anymore..."

Gu Shu: "..."

Yu Xiao turned to him, her expression innocent and sweet. "Dr. Gu Shu, aren't you going to help him?" she asked. "You can't just let him die, can you?"

"..."

As Gu Shu made his way out, he collided with a woman in the yard. She was Gu Jing Rong's mother, a widow who had lost her husband recently. She wore flashy clothes and jewellery, as if to defy her grief. She glared at Gu Shu with a look of hatred.

A cold shiver ran down Gu Shu's spine. He was used to the NPCs in the game world showing respect and fear for the attending doctor. Why was she looking at him with such hostility?

He didn't have to wait long for the answer. Before he could leave the yard, she spat out, "Keep your filthy hands off my daughter-in-law, you hear me?"

A chorus of gasps echoed from the shadows. The villagers who had been watching the scene were shocked. It seemed that there was some gossip between Dr. Gu Shu and the village chief's wife.

Gu Shu didn't say a word. He just turned and walked away, strengthening his resolve to leave this annoying place.

Not long after Gu Shu left, the others entered the room. Zhao Lan grabbed Gu Jing Rong and dumped him on the floor. 

Yu Xiao asked, "Is everything done?"

"Done," Lu Xun said. "Lao Luo has already buried that piece of meat in Gu Shu's house."

"Hehe." Yu Xiao laughed wickedly. "Even if something goes wrong, we won't be the ones to suffer."

Lu Xun studied Yu Xiao, impressed by her skill. She must have done this before, he thought. She must have fooled the attending doctor many times.

He wondered, are there people like her in the Fourth Hospital? These three were so different from the others, so twisted and odd. They couldn't be from the Fourth Hospital. He would have known if they were.

At night, Yu Xiao lay in bed, restless and alert. She had seen too many strange things since she came to the village. She felt that there was a link between them, a hidden truth.

"Gu Jing Rong," Yu Xiao asked, "Did anything happen in the village when your dad went to the temple to pray for meat last year?"

Gu Jing Rong, who was lying on the floor in pain, didn't dare to move. He said, "Nothing... nothing happened."

Yu Xiao looked at his pathetic face and knew he was useless. She didn't bother to press him. She rolled over, pulled the blanket over her shoulders, and fell asleep.

The night shift fell on Sun Yun and Zuo Qing that evening. Zuo Qing had barely slept the previous night, and her day had been filled with exhausting tasks. As the darkness enveloped the room, she felt her eyelids growing heavy.

She slumped on a chair by the door, drifting into a fitful sleep. In her dreams, she smelled something foul and rotten – the reek of an rural outhouse.

The smell was so strong, she jerked awake, unsure if it was the stink or the cramp in her neck that disturbed her. The room was shrouded in blackness, the kerosene lamp having flickered out sometime ago. She reached for her phone to check the time; surely, it was time to switch shifts.

Then she heard it. A wet, crunching sound, like someone gnawing on a bone. It came from the bed, where Zhang Feng lay. 

Zuo Qing felt a surge of fear, her hair rising on her scalp. She bit her lip, trying not to scream. She held her breath as she turned on her phone's flashlight casting a faint light on the room. And then she saw it. A black shape, standing over Zhang Feng's bed.

The dark shape sensed the light, and spun around, , a bloody arm dangling from its mouth.

"Ahhhhh!"

*

*

The knocking on the door woke up Yu Xiao. Luo Jin was already up, heading for the door. "I'll check it out."

He opened the door, and saw Zuo Qing, pale and terrified. He asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's back. The ghost is back." Zuo Qing's voice quivered. "It ate Zhang Feng's arm."

Yu Xiao and the others ran to the scene. Zhang Feng was still unconscious, and Wang Yang was applying pressure to the wound.

Lu Xun's voice broke the silence. "What the hell is this?"

Sun Yun held up a tiny stick of incense, her expression grim. "A trap. I found it in the seams of Zhang Feng's bed."

Zuo Qing shuddered as she recalled the horror. "We've been checking under the beds every night since someone lit incense under Sister Smiley's bed. But this one was cleverly hidden in the fabric. I was on night duty, but I nodded off. I woke up to a nauseating stench and saw a black shadow by Zhang Feng's bed, tearing at his hand with its teeth."

Nauseating stench? That must be the same ghost that had chased Yu Xiao before. She looked at Zhang Feng, who lay still and pale, and handed Wang Yang two talismans. "Use these on him."

Wang Yang recognized them as life-saving talismans, and thanked her gratefully. He wasted no time in placing them on Zhang Feng's wound.

Yu Xiao examined the incense in her hand, and a thought struck her. The former village chief had died, but there was no incense in the mourning hall. That was odd—didn't the dead deserve incense?

And what about the ghosts in the village? There was not a single ghost in the cemetery. Why were they haunting the village? Could they be linked to the plague that had ravaged the village?

"I have an idea," Yu Xiao announced to the others. "Let's catch that ghost."

Lu Xun smirked and gestured at the incense. "Catching ghosts is a piece of cake. Just light this and toss it under someone's bed while they sleep."

How convenient. They had the perfect bait.

They returned to the village chief's house, where Gu Jing Rong was snoring in bed. He had suffered enough on the hard floor for two nights. Now that the troublesome guests were gone, he seized the chance to enjoy a comfortable sleep.

Yu Xiao lit the incense and slid it under Gu Jing Rong's bed, then joined the others in hiding in the room.

They waited for about twenty minutes, until Yu Xiao heard footsteps. Then a foul smell assaulted her nose, and she saw a dark figure emerge in the room.

Yu Xiao pinched her nose and peered through the darkness, puzzled by the ghosts' pitch-black appearance, which obscured any features.

The shadowy figure strode towards the bed, stopping at the edge, and then leaned over.

At that instant, a figure leaped out from beside the bed, clutching a small box, and yelled, "How about a game with me?"

The next second, Gu Jing Rong, who had been sleeping on the bed, bolted upright. Even Lu Xun, who had been lurking in the corner, stiffly emerged from his hiding spot.

The three humans and one ghost arranged themselves in four directions, shuffling and dealing mahjong tiles.

Lu Xun, as he played, marvelled, "What kind of prop is this? It's amazing!"

Gu Jing Rong came to his senses and realised he was on the floor, his hands moving on their own accord to play mahjong. The worst part was that opposite him was a black mass, clearly not of this world.

He opened his mouth to scream, but he met Luo Jin's gaze, who was clenching his fist and glaring at him, so he choked back his cry.

Zhou Xiao Zhen, who was also playing mahjong, remarked, "What is this thing? It reeks. Is it a shit ghost?"

Yu Xiao was always reluctant to talk about her experience; this ghost had once been forced into a cesspit by her. She cleared her throat awkwardly and said, "Never mind that; let's get on with it."

With that, she pulled out a pile of exorcism talismans and spread them out in front of the dark figure.

Dark figure: "..."

"You answer when I ask." Yu Xiao said, "What kind of ghost are you? Why do you eat the person who burns incense under the bed?"

Dark figure: "..."

"Smiley," Zhou Xiao Zhen said, "It looks like it can't talk."

Yu Xiao furrowed her brow. Why couldn't any of these ghosts talk?

Gu Jing Rong, who looked like he was about to faint, said, "So the legend is true. Burning incense attracts evil spirits. I thought it was just a backward superstition, but it's real! Waaah, Mom, I'm so scared..."

☆ | Next Chapter 

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