Chapter 20:
Tormented by an Evil Spirit (Part 3):
“These Two Are Halfway to the Underworld…”
A thousand years was a long time. A snake cultivating for that long would have become a dragon. In their line of work, that was practically a monster.
The mirror ghost studied Chen Henian’s face, expecting to see worry or distress, but he was calm, almost indifferent, his attention elsewhere. Did this human’s emotions run backward, laughter for tears, tears for laughter?
Chen Henian opened the troublesome closet. He didn’t bother turning on the light. The room was dim, but wind blew in through the window, the white curtains billowing, his shadow cast on the floor.
The room was empty now, no longer used by the children. Li Gang had removed everything inside. The closet was ordinary, made of wood, painted black, an old piece of furniture, nothing special.
Chen Henian followed procedure, opening his suitcase and taking out three incense sticks, performing the incense divination.
“Isn’t this pointless?” the mirror ghost said.
Chen Henian didn’t deny it, but he continued, watching the incense burn. Two of the sticks snapped quickly. A resentful spirit resided in this room. This was a minor job, the kind he usually wouldn’t bother with.
His master preferred to guide lost souls to reincarnation rather than destroy them, as long as they were innocent. Guiding spirits earned merit.
Chen Henian sprinkled the incense ash on his compass, crouching down and blowing it towards the closet. The ash settled on the bottom. He repeated this twice, then reached into the ash, his fingers closing around something.
“A hairy jiangshi?” the mirror ghost glanced at the object in his hand.
“Jiangshi don’t play these games. They prefer to bite necks and suck essence.” Chen Henian examined the clump of black hair. “What part of a human body has hair like this?”
“This isn’t human hair.”
“Wait, I smell it.” His eyes narrowed, and he stood up abruptly.
“How can I not smell it?” The mirror ghost flitted around the room, finding nothing. It looked at Chen Henian incredulously. “Is your nose better than a ghost’s?”
“The smell of food,” Chen Henian said, putting the hair back in his suitcase. “Dinner’s ready. This family is sensible.” He tossed the hair aside and went downstairs.
…
Li Gang had been waiting downstairs, his ears straining for any sound. Hearing footsteps, he rushed to greet Chen Henian. “Little Master, how did it go?”
“Dinner,” Chen Henian replied.
“Ah, yes, dinner first.” Li Gang echoed, calling towards the kitchen, “Honey, is dinner ready?!”
“It’s ready!” Chen Shu’s voice came from the kitchen. “Xiaoxiao, come and set the table!”
The family bustled around. “Sit, Little Master, please sit.” Li Gang poured him a cup of tea. “You’ve worked hard.”
Chen Henian was slightly annoyed. He hadn’t intended to join them for dinner, but Li Gang had ushered him to the table, misinterpreting his silence as dissatisfaction with the simple meal. Li Gang, seeing his expression, said awkwardly, “We didn’t prepare anything special, Little Master, please bear with us. We’ll get better food tonight. Do you drink? Some baijiu?”
Chen Henian declined with a look, and Li Gang fell silent.
Xiaoxiao approached, placing a clean bowl and chopsticks before Chen Henian, holding the chopsticks by the very end. She looked up at him, her voice soft. “I washed them, they’re clean.”
“This girl is very diligent and meticulous,” Li Gang added.
Xiaoxiao went back to the kitchen to help her mother clean up. Li Gang and Xiao Qiang remained seated.
Li Gang smiled. “Little Master, please eat.”
When everyone was seated, Chen Henian took a few bites. Xiao Qiang sat beside him, his hands trembling slightly. His mother kept piling food onto his plate, but despite the delicious aroma, he looked like he was about to vomit.
A classic symptom. Chen Henian knew it well. He glanced at the boy, taking out a dried, blackened leaf from his suitcase and placing it on the table. “Mix this with your rice and take a bite.”
Xiao Qiang was clearly the most affected, his senses dulled by the yin energy, making even the most delicious food taste bitter and rancid.
Xiao Qiang did as he was told, crushing the leaf with his chopsticks and mixing it with his rice. Li Gang and Chen Shu watched anxiously. The first bite was bitter, but not as nauseating as before.
“Try some of the dishes,” Chen Henian said.
Xiao Qiang’s appetite returned. He ate with gusto, his eyes shining. “Mom, I’m so hungry!”
“Good, eat, eat more!” Chen Shu beamed, piling more food onto his plate.
“Little Master, you’re amazing!” Li Gang couldn’t help but praise him. “With you here, I feel much better!”
He refilled Chen Henian’s teacup.
Chen Henian focused on the dishes in front of him, saying nothing. Xiao Qiang’s noisy eating was slightly off-putting.
Xiaoxiao, four years younger than her brother, picked at her food, mostly vegetables, the meat dishes out of reach. She eyed a half-eaten chicken leg, clearly wanting it, but glancing at her mother nervously.
After a moment of hesitation, she reached for the chicken leg, but her mother’s voice cut through the air. “How many times have I told you? Don’t be so rude!”
Chen Shu slapped her chopsticks, and the chicken leg fell back onto the plate.
“The further you reach with your chopsticks, the further you’ll marry, and the less respect you’ll receive from your in-laws! Do you want a good marriage or not?”
Xiaoxiao lowered her head. “Mother, I’m sorry.”
Perhaps mindful of their guest, Chen Shu didn’t scold her further. But Chen Henian spoke. “Who told you that?”
Chen Shu, surprised, smiled awkwardly. “What’s wrong, Little Master?”
Chen Henian was annoyed by such superstitions. “Who told you that about chopsticks?”
Chen Shu hesitated. “It’s… it’s common knowledge. Better safe than sorry.”
Chen Henian’s expression turned serious. “No wonder your family is having bad luck.”
“What?” Li Gang asked. “What’s wrong with that?”
Chen Henian replied, “As far as I know, if a daughter’s chopsticks don’t reach far, her parents’ lifespans will be shortened.”
“What?” The couple was shocked. “We’ve never heard of that!”
“Don’t believe me?” Chen Henian’s gaze turned icy.
“We believe you, we believe you,” Li Gang said quickly. “Xiaoxiao, reach further, eat.”
Xiaoxiao, surprised, looked at her father, then boldly reached for the chicken leg, finally getting her wish. She looked at Chen Henian with gratitude and confusion.
“He shouldn’t eat too much meat. If you want him to recover quickly, he needs a vegetarian diet,” Chen Henian said, pointing at Xiao Qiang.
Chen Shu’s idea of “thin and suffering” was a chubby, square-shaped boy.
“We’ll do as you say, Little Master,” she replied, reluctantly removing the pile of meat from Xiao Qiang’s bowl.
“Mom!” Xiao Qiang protested, slamming his hand on the table. Li Gang scolded him.
“Look at you, your voice is stronger already! Be patient, son, listen to the master.” Chen Shu was pleased. Her son was showing signs of improvement. “I’ll make it up to you later.” Xiao Qiang pouted, but she remained firm.
After lunch, Chen Henian asked for his payment. He didn’t accept cards, only cash, payment first, work later. After some haggling, the Li family agreed to pay half upfront, 15,000 yuan, handing him a bag of cash.
Chen Henian stayed in the house. There were no strange noises or ghostly manifestations upstairs. As evening approached, around five o’clock, he heard banging from outside, someone knocking on the gate.
“It’s him again!” Li Gang groaned, pulling at his hair. “Little Master, come and take a look at this man, see if there’s something wrong with him!” He led Chen Henian outside. “Ever since he appeared, we’ve had problems. He looks very suspicious!”
Chen Henian stepped outside.
It was an old man, his skin dark and wrinkled, his clothes filthy, reeking of sweat, like he was wearing rags from a dumpster. His unkempt hair covered his eyes. Li Gang said he was mentally unstable, his intentions unclear, initially speaking, but now only muttering unintelligibly.
He looked frightening, but his movements were slow and unsteady, his leg injured. Chen Henian could see the three flames above people’s shoulders, burning brighter at night. If they were extinguished, it meant death was imminent. He saw two faint flames, one above Xiao Qiang, and one above the old man.
Xiao Qiang was haunted, but what about the old man? Was he involved with something sinister, as Li Gang suggested?
Li Gang complained, “He showed up last month, sleeping under the bridge, collecting scrap for a living. We gave him our unwanted things out of kindness. We rarely saw him, but now he’s camping outside our gate, trying to get in. I offered him money, but he refused. I don’t know what to do with him.”
The homeless man’s eyes were fixed on them, his hand slapping against the gate, his breathing heavy. Perhaps he was simply old and sick, nearing the end of his life.
“Father, chase him away!” Xiao Qiang hid behind his father. “He’s here to harm me! Make him leave!”
Chen Henian noticed the homeless man shaking his head.
He wasn’t a fool. He understood them.
“He’s lying, that little boy has something to hide,” the mirror ghost couldn’t resist commenting, its voice gleeful, enjoying the revelation.
The vengeful spirit was clearly connected to Xiao Qiang. Why else would it target him specifically?
The mirror ghost said, “These two are halfway to the underworld. Who do you think will die first?”
Chen Henian put his hands in his pockets, walking away from the group, a faint smile on his face. “Let’s wait and see. The moon is rising. Hopefully, tonight won’t be too boring.”
