Chapter Eleven: Regret

Chapter 11: Regret

“You’re going to take me away, at least let me bring my luggage. Just leaving like this, won’t I starve on the road later?” I thought about my bag and the suitcase I took from my grandmother’s bedroom.

“Is this really the time to be worrying about your belongings? Didn’t my sister say this place is dangerous?” Zhao He scolded me angrily.

“You all have come anyway, why worry about a little time? Besides, it’s daytime now. I stayed here all night with this young lady. If you’re scared to die, then run for your life,” I said with a smile.

“Scared to die? You—”

Zhao He laughed instead of getting angry and was about to retort when Zhao Qian waved him off.

“Enough, brother. They’re only taking the luggage. Since we’re all here, we might as well burn incense for Zhou Xian’s spirit tablet. Captain Huo, what do you think?”

Though Zhao Qian was asking, given her abilities, even if she wanted to chase Huo Dadong away, he wouldn’t leave.

“I think that’s a good idea. Little Zhao is straightforward and knows etiquette. Let them grab their luggage before leaving,” Huo Dadong said with a grin.

With agreement reached, we immediately headed to grandmother’s house.

After Zhao siblings and Huo Dadong burned incense, I pointed to the locked suitcase and my travel bag.

Zhao Qian had Zhao He carry the suitcase for me, while I carried my own bag. The group left without incident.

Yu Xiaoxue was still a high school junior; most of her clothes were at school, so she had little to take. At her home, she carried a backpack full of sweet potatoes, which made Zhao He laugh heartily.

She had wanted to grab a couple of sugarcanes too but found them still tied up, so she gave up.

Zhao Qian almost laughed out loud, and Huo Dadong, surprised that Yu Xiaoxue could be so obedient, took it upon himself to cut the plastic ties, allowing her to successfully cut two fresh stalks.

Huo Dadong didn’t dare loosen my handcuffs, probably fearing I’d run at once. But to be nice, he let me change my handcuffs from behind to the front, making them feel less tight. I began to warm slightly to him.

Yu Xiaoxue hadn’t eaten all night and was exhausted and hungry; as we walked, she began chewing on the sugarcane.

She carefully peeled the skin with her teeth and offered me some, “Brother Tian, you should eat too.”

I looked at the cane she had already bitten, saliva sticking to it near my lips. I swallowed hard. Thankfully, I hadn’t sent her to work; such an innocent girl—just a glance the wrong way and someone might have abducted her and sold her off.

“You eat; I’m not hungry yet. I had some biscuits earlier,” I said awkwardly to Yu Xiaoxue.

“Oh, okay then, I’ll eat it myself,” she said sulkily when I declined.

Watching her eat alone, a pang of regret hit me sharply: Xiaoxue, why didn’t you ask me a few more times?

When we reached Tunkou, Zhao Qian held a Feng Shui compass, its needle spinning wildly. Still, she managed to lead us toward areas with weaker yin energy. For crossing Sisi Bridge and other places heavy with yin, Zhao He burned incense and scattered paper money ahead.

Zhao He was alert, relying on his strong, balanced yang energy and tough fate, always walking at the front—truly a professional assistant.

Zhao Qian seemed to be a Feng Shui master, well-versed in yin and yang and Daoist practices. Though I didn’t understand much of Daoism, her composed handling of the situation showed she had real skill.

This gave me some confidence about leaving Xiaoyi Village. I had originally planned to use a tamed little ghost to lead the way, but now that someone else was handling it, why not?

However, the path from Xiaoyi Village to Kanglong Village passed through open woods and sheer cliffs—not easy terrain, or else cars would have been able to reach.

My grandmother had also said that the gate here had become a death trap—easy to enter, but perhaps impossible to leave.

Passing a graveyard, I noticed Zhang Yidan’s body hadn’t been buried yet, and my heart sank. “Zhang Yuanyi was my brother. I don’t want him to lie exposed in the wild. Can we bury him before we leave?”

Zhang Kaifu was still carrying the body, sweating heavily. He frowned and said, “Little brother, let me be clear. It’s not that I don’t want to do you this favor, but the rules won’t allow it. And to be honest, I’m here to handle his missing person report. Now that he’s dead, it’s a major case. I can only promise you this: once we reach Kanglong Village, I’ll call for reinforcements immediately. They will come in to collect your fallen brother’s body.”

“Death is irreversible. Accept your grief and move on. Since Captain Huo has said so, you should listen to him,” Zhao Qian comforted me.

I sighed. It seemed burying Zhang Yidan was impossible.

So, I could only take things one step at a time.

Approaching the open woods, Zhao Qian’s Feng Shui compass spun wildly again.

My wife—my lady—tugged at my sleeve. I knew something was waiting for us inside the forest, danger was imminent.

But there was no other way out; surrounded by high mountains, no matter how perilous, we had to push through.

Zhao Qian was decisive and nodded, letting Zhao He lead us into the woods.

The forest was eerie. Looking up, only mottled shadows of leaves appeared. Though it was broad daylight, it felt as dark as dusk.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Qian’s copper Feng Shui compass shook even as her hand trembled. We still hadn’t exited the woods. Normally, the compass should guide us out, but this was strangely abnormal.

I realized we were caught in a ghostly maze. Seeing how Zhao Qian responded:

“What a ghost trap!” she said, understanding immediately. She took out red cloth and white rice, set up an altar, and began a ritual with incense.

Zhao He helped arrange the altar, moved paper money, and placed offerings.

“Tian… Brother Tian, look at that…” Yu Xiaoxue clung close to me, holding my hand tightly, pointing towards a nearby spot.

I looked where Yu Xiaoxue was pointing and my heart skipped a beat. A woman dressed in red, hair long and black, stood expressionless among the trees.

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding wildly. Seeing a ghost in broad daylight—how terrifying.

Neither Zhao Qian, Zhao He, nor Huo Dadong saw her. The latter was completely oblivious. We took the chance to let Zhang Kaifu rest.

The woman’s eyes were terrifyingly white, her thin face covered with deep knife wounds. I didn’t know how she had died, but surely she had suffered greatly before death.

The ghost approached Huo Dadong, scrutinizing him up and down, then started walking towards Yu Xiaoxue and me.

My heart raced, but I pretended to look elsewhere. Yu Xiaoxue’s legs trembled; she nearly shrank into my arms.

Perhaps because of my strong yin energy, the ghost’s face was very close to mine. I could clearly see the horrific bloodied wounds, but I held my breath and stayed silent.

Yu Xiaoxue, terrified, closed her eyes and curled tightly in my arms, which seemed to bolster my yang energy somewhat.

I noticed my wife hadn’t pulled me away, signaling I was likely safe. Plus, Yu Xiaoxue was in my arms—soft and gentle. Such a moment was a rare delight.

After a while, the ghost seemed disinterested in me and turned to look at the unconscious Zhang Kaifu.

Once she neared him, the situation shifted. My wife suddenly tugged my sleeve urgently.

I felt a bit slighted: the ghost had just been right in front of me, and she didn’t pull me away, but now for Zhang Kaifu, she was frantic. I would have liked to see what happened next.

Zhang Kaifu had only lost a fragment of his soul to the spirits beneath the river and gone mad; now he was unconscious. Probably a few hours of sun exposure would wake him, though he wouldn’t be normal again.

But judging by the ghost’s stance, she seemed intent on possessing him. Ghosts cannot possess people with strong yang energy in broad daylight; the easiest targets are the unconscious or sleeping.

Zhao Qian and Zhao He didn’t know we had a Yin Charm that allowed us to see spirits and ghosts. They were focused on their ritual, unaware.

“Guh… guh…”

Zhang Kaifu made strange noises, his bound hands twisted. Huo Dadong snapped to attention and went to check on him.

As Huo Dadong stood, Zhang Kaifu suddenly struggled violently, trying to pull free from his handcuffs. On the third attempt, a terrifying bloody wound appeared.

Zhao Qian was stunned; Huo Dadong, puzzled, wondered how a man could harm himself so badly.

Crack!

Zhang Kaifu’s hand fell to the ground with a slap, blood spurting out.

“Ah!” Yu Xiaoxue screamed and shut her eyes in fright.

Huo Dadong’s eyes widened; this was beyond his comprehension.

Zhao He and I were both frozen. This ghost was ruthless. I had thought she was only borrowing a body, and that the handcuffs would restrain her. But she had just broken his arm.

“Guh ha… guh ha…” Zhang Kaifu exhaled white breath, his body contorted like a twisted rope. The cracking of bones sent chills down our spines. Then he returned to a human shape, but his eyes rolled back, showing only white.

I knew then that Zhang Kaifu was dead. This was no ordinary spirit borrowing a body.

He lunged at Huo Dadong in a single bound.

Huo Dadong was momentarily stunned but, seeing Zhang Kaifu’s contorted form, couldn’t believe he was alive. He swiftly drew his gun, chambered a round, took aim, and fired.

The bullet struck Zhang Kaifu’s chest, knocking him back a step.

As captain of the criminal police, Huo Dadong’s movements were smooth and fluid. Yet Zhang Kaifu was no longer human; the bullet only seemed to fuel his ferocity.

He toppled over Huo Dadong and bit a chunk of flesh from his neck.

Blood gushed out like a burst dam, spraying his face and body, adding to his monstrous appearance.

Zhao He reacted quickly, grabbing a wooden board from the altar and running over. With two heavy blows, he smashed Zhang Kaifu’s skull, splattering red and white brain matter everywhere.

The brutal scene left Zhao Qian and Yu Xiaoxue frozen in terror.

Even with his head smashed, Zhang Kaifu turned, a grotesque smile revealing his bloodied teeth.

I shuddered. That didn’t kill him. As long as the ghost wasn’t destroyed, it seemed it would never die. I had brought this upon myself with my anger, and now I felt profound regret.