Metaphysics’ Public Enemy 49

Chapter 49:

Peach Blossom Spring (Part 6):

“One Hour,” Chen Henian Said…

A heavy silence fell upon the room, the night outside like the gaping maw of an insect, a dark and ominous presence.

“Is there a cure for this Gu?” Chen Henian asked, knowing that such matters were best left to the Chinan people themselves, outsiders unable to interfere. But he still held a sliver of hope.

Granny Zhao shook her head.

“No cure,” she said. “The blood Gu that can put the Gu King to sleep has already been cultivated within Cuicui by the Great Shaman. He can only create one such Gu every ten years, and Cuicui is the only compatible host in this generation. She’s the only sacrifice.”

“That’s truly…” Chen Henian paused, searching for the right word. “Unfortunate.”

Zhao Cuicui, a cheerful and innocent girl, was now destined to be a sacrifice, to be devoured by a Gu worm at seventeen. It was a tragic fate.

“What do you intend to do?” Chen Henian knew she wasn’t just sharing her woes. “What do you want me to do?”

Granny Zhao smiled, a smile that made Chen Henian wary. “Something you can easily accomplish. I want you to take Cuicui away.”

“Away?”

“Away from here, to the outside world, far away from this place.” Speaking of Cuicui, her voice softened. “She’s not my biological granddaughter. Her mother died giving birth to her. A poor child.”

“I raised her, I know her well. She’s resourceful, she’ll find a way to survive out there. Just find her a safe place to stay, that’s all I ask.”

“But she carries the Gu poison, how can she leave?” Chen Henian asked.

Granny Zhao had a plan. “I’ll perform a ritual, transferring my Jian Jia Gu to her. Don’t go too far. I’ll perform the transfer tomorrow.”

“But that means you’ll die,” Zuo He said.

Granny Zhao chuckled softly. “I’ve lived a long life, it’s enough.”

“Without a sacrifice, won’t everyone in the village die?” he asked.

“Our tribe is doomed anyway,” Granny Zhao’s eyes turned cold. “Our ancestors’ sins, passed down to us. If our survival depends on sacrificing our own people, then our existence has no meaning.”

“How can I take her away?” Chen Henian asked. “Surely no one will let her leave.”

“The Great Shaman presides over the sacrifice, and I’m the guardian of the chosen one,” Granny Zhao reassured them. “We’ve agreed that the ritual will take place after Cuicui’s wedding. So you have to leave tomorrow night.” She continued, “Only the Great Shaman and a few elders know about the sacrifice. They won’t suspect me.”

“Because I once sent my own daughter to be devoured by the Gu King,” she said, her voice calm, her gaze fixed on her teacup, the memory of her daughter’s screams echoing in her mind.

“Grandmother—!”

The cry, sharper than a knife, her daughter’s voice.

“Grandmother, I don’t want to die!”

“Grandmother! Why me? Why me?!”

“Grandmother, don’t you love me? Aren’t you my grandmother?”

Her daughter’s cries, her struggles, her pleas, but she hadn’t intervened, sacrificing her own child for the sake of the tribe, pushing her into the fire.

She had been heartbroken, but she had done it, handing her daughter over to the Great Shaman. When her daughter died, she had shed no tears, her grief a silent burden.

This year, when Cuicui was chosen, she had been even calmer.

But she had realized her mistake. Who cared about the sacrifices’ wishes? They didn’t want to die, but they were forced to accept their fate.

“Over a hundred years, so many lives sacrificed, is this truly the right way?” she sighed. “Shouldn’t a tribe face its fate together?”

“Even if it’s my fault, I’ll go to the eighteenth level of hell.” Her hand trembled as she gripped her staff, then her eyes hardened, her voice cold and firm. “I’m just a selfish old woman, trying to protect my granddaughter.”

Her eyes were red-rimmed, her words a confession, a justification.

“Your tribe’s affairs are none of our business,” Chen Henian replied. “I’ll do my best to fulfill your request, to repay my master’s debt.”

“I can take her to Mount Jielü,” Zuo He offered. “My sect will take care of her.”

Granny Zhao, finally at peace, left, her steps slow and unsteady.

She had paved the way for them, every detail planned. It was a simple task, taking Zhao Cuicui to Mount Jielü, settling his master’s debt. Chen Henian lay on the bamboo mat, thinking, but sleep eluded him.

He stared at the ceiling, watching dust motes fall from the wooden beams, until he heard a faint sound, the clicking of his compass needle.

He sat up, taking out the compass. The needle was moving slightly. The change in its direction cleared his mind. The snake had appeared, somewhere nearby.

“What’s wrong?” Zuo He, also awake, asked.

“Catching snakes,” Chen Henian replied.

They got out of bed, their footsteps soft and silent.

What a coincidence, the snake had come to their house. Chen Henian followed the compass, stopping at a closed door, his hand on the doorknob.

“Wait,” Zuo He stopped him, his voice low. “That’s Zhao Cuicui’s room. You can’t go in now. Remember the local customs?”

Chen Henian remembered. In the Chinan tribe, a young man entering a girl’s room at night was considered a proposal of marriage.

He hesitated, then summoned the mirror ghost. “Go inside and take a look.”

“That’s not appropriate,” Zuo He said. “Spying with a ghost? Ungentlemanly.”

“I’m not a gentleman,” Chen Henian retorted. “And I’m concerned for her safety. What if the snake harms her?” He thought Zuo He was too rigid, too righteous. “Da Huang can investigate without causing a disturbance.”

Zuo He was convinced. The mirror ghost slipped into the room.

They waited in the living room, the night air cold and damp.

“If it’s inside, you guard the windows, I’ll guard the door,” Chen Henian said.

Zuo He nodded.

A few minutes later, the mirror ghost returned, shaking its head. “We’re doomed.”

“Doomed? What do you mean?” They both stood up abruptly.

“The snake gallbladder is inside the girl’s belly,” the mirror ghost said, a grin on its face. “I just saw her swallow it. The snake knows her, they’re quite close.”

Chen Henian was silent for a long moment.

“We’re truly doomed,” he said, his voice flat, his usual energy gone, a genuine pang of regret in his heart. The money, almost within his grasp, was gone.

“Are we still catching the snake?” Zuo He asked.

“No,” Chen Henian said angrily, returning to his room, his mind racing, sleep impossible. He woke up with dark circles under his eyes, his face etched with exhaustion and frustration.

Zhao Cuicui woke them up, the white snake coiled around her wrist. “This is my friend, Xiao Bai,” she said cheerfully. “It was injured, almost died.”

The snake flicked its tongue, its movements calm and deliberate.

Chen Henian held a needle, his eyes fixed on the snake, ready to turn it into snake jerky, but the snake, having given its gallbladder to Zhao Cuicui, was now her precious pet, its status elevated above even the insects.

He had to prioritize. He turned to Jiang Wan, silently urging her to speak. He didn’t want to waste his breath. Zuo He wouldn’t lie, so Jiang Wan had to handle this.

“Cuicui,” she smiled, taking Zhao Cuicui’s hand. “We have something to discuss with you.”

Zhao Cuicui stopped playing with the snake, looking up at her. “What is it?”

“We want to take you outside, to see the world. Aren’t you curious about what’s out there?”

Granny Zhao had instructed them to convince Cuicui to sneak out for a day, the least suspicious method. Cuicui, unaware of the Gu transfer, readily agreed, just as Granny Zhao had predicted.

“I really want to go, that’s wonderful!” she exclaimed, her face beaming. She had said she was the bravest girl in the village, and indeed, facing death, what was there to fear?

She hummed happily, her mind filled with anticipation, even ignoring Zhou Manman’s request to help her choose a wedding dress, bustling around her room, packing a small bag.

The bag ended up on Zuo He’s shoulder.

“But you have to bring me back,” she said. “Manman’s wedding feast is tomorrow night, and I can’t go too far, or I won’t be able to return.”

They left that night, while the other villagers were eating dinner. The five of them shared a meal, Granny Zhao, as usual, not showing any particular concern, then quietly slipped away, giving Cuicui the opportunity to “sneak out.”

The streets were deserted. They reached the peach blossom forest without incident.

The scent was still strong, and Zuo He held his breath, not wanting to be drugged again.

But before they reached the end of the forest, they frowned, Zhao Cuicui, walking ahead, her footsteps light, but another sound, like grasshoppers jumping, reached their ears.

“The outside world isn’t scary. It might be unfamiliar, but there are many delicious things, all sorts of flavors, hundreds of them. Everyone works for money, and with money, you can have anything you want,” Chen Henian said, stopping suddenly.

“Really?” Zhao Cuicui smiled. “That sounds wonderful.”

“Yes,” Chen Henian’s eyes narrowed, his voice probing. “Zhao Cuicui, do you really want to leave?”

“Of course,” she replied. “I’m going to die anyway. I just want to see the world before I do.”

“But I can’t leave this village,” her voice dropped. “Pretty Brother, thank you for taking me with you.”

She turned, her smile gone, her eyes filled with sadness. “I guess this is my fate.”

The bells in the peach blossom forest jingled. Chen Henian had already smelled the scent, the Great Shaman, waiting for them, a trap.

He had underestimated Zhao Cuicui. She was innocent, but not naive. Granny Zhao had planned everything, but she had overlooked Cuicui’s own intentions.

She hadn’t planned to leave, she must have known about Granny Zhao’s plan, alerting the Great Shaman.

Chen Henian wasn’t surprised. “I promised your grandmother I would take you away,” he said.

Zhao Cuicui shook her head. “Granny is asleep now. I used a Gu technique. When she wakes up, everything will be back to normal.”

“I’m very skilled. I’ve read Granny’s books. My Gu works on you too, Pretty Brother. Go to sleep.”

“I put it in your food,” she lowered her head, her voice filled with guilt. “Pretty Brother, Big Sister, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to harm you. When you wake up, you can leave.”

The Great Shaman appeared beside her, the village men behind him, its mask as menacing as ever, its scent repulsive.

Zhao Cuicui was indeed skilled. Zuo He swayed, his body weakening, Jiang Wan also affected, both collapsing to the ground, their first encounter with Gu techniques a failure. Chen Henian felt a surge of yin energy within him, but he suppressed it, his hand gripping the red string tightly.

The Great Shaman’s bells grew louder, its black robe looming before him. Chen Henian slowly sank to the ground, his head lowered, his body weakening.

“One hour,” he said, surrounded, a smile on his lips.

“I’ll give you one hour.”

His words, cryptic and confident, hung in the air. He closed his eyes, his body going limp.