After returning home, Zhang Cai'e, Aunt Liu, and Zhao Xiaomei, the three "veterans," secretly made arrangements according to my instructions. Sure enough, the inexplicable gloom in the house lessened somewhat. They also began to pay extra attention to Li Xiulian's movements, taking turns "accidentally" passing by her house or making excuses to visit, trying to find clues.
But Li Xiulian acted as if nothing was wrong. During the day, she was busy in her vegetable garden, occasionally chatting with other elderly people in the village, and would even shed a few tears when talking about her husband's hardships abroad. She also turned off the lights early at night, showing no signs of anything unusual. Only once, Zhao Xiaomei went in under the pretext of returning needles and thread and smelled a very faint, slightly fishy-sweet scent coming from Li Xiulian's main room. When asked, she said it was herbal mosquito repellent.
She was very good at hiding it.
Xiao Fen's condition stabilized somewhat after I burned the sauerkraut jar; she stopped talking nonsense, but the bruises on her wrists faded slowly, and she remained listless and dispirited. Aunt Wang became the fourth member of the "mutual aid group," primarily responsible for caring for Xiao Fen. She also used her outspokenness and wide network of connections to subtly inquire among the other women in the village about rumors surrounding Li Xiulian or other unusual events in the village.
As for Liu Yan, the village chief, following my instructions, stopped trying to stimulate her with incense ash or similar substances, but instead kept a close watch on her, preventing her from coming into contact with anything strange that could act as a "medium," and closely monitoring her diet. Liu Yan became increasingly silent, spending most of her time in her room, occasionally venturing out to stare blankly at the sky; her belly seemed to be growing faster than usual for a pregnant woman.
I was under the most pressure. During the day, I had to deal with a constant stream of "consultations" (each with its own motives). At night, I studied Grandpa's notes, trying to find a way to break the parasitic spirit on Liu Yan and the water ghost mark on Xiao Fen. I also had to analyze the fragmented information reported by the "mutual aid society" members. That erotic secret manual… cough, the sections on "amulet," "water spirit," and "fetal parasitism" in the feng shui manual were practically worn out from reading it.
Just when I felt my head was about to explode, a turning point appeared in an unexpected way.
That afternoon, Aunt Wang rushed into my house, lowered her voice, and said mysteriously, "Cha Nan, I've heard something! It's related to Li Xiulian, and also to the river behind the mountain!"
"Oh? Tell me quickly!" I perked up.
"Aren't there several women in the village doing odd jobs at the garment factory in town? I chatted with them, and one of them, who worked in the same workshop as Li Xiulian, said that about two months ago, Li Xiulian frequently took leave, saying she was going back to her parents' home. But someone saw her several times in the afternoon heading in the direction of the back mountain, not the way back to her parents' home!" Aunt Wang's eyes lit up. "Also, someone in her workshop who was on good terms with her said that once when Li Xiulian was washing her work clothes, something fell out of her pocket—a dark, muddy lump with water plants attached. Li Xiulian's face changed immediately; she quickly picked it up and put it away, saying it was mud she had accidentally gotten on her by the river. But that person said the smell was wrong; it didn't smell like ordinary river mud, but rather…somewhat like the stench of dead fish and rotten shrimp that had been sitting for a long time."
The direction of the back mountain? Not the way back to her parents' home? A muddy lump with water plants and a fishy stench?
I immediately thought of the river bend where Xiaofen had her accident, and that strange blue cloth bundle wrapped with a hairball!
"Anything else?" I pressed.
"And then..." Aunt Wang leaned closer, her voice even lower, "That woman said that around the time Li Xiulian often went to the back mountain, another female worker in her workshop, also from our village, named Zhou Xiaohong, suddenly quit her job, saying she wasn't feeling well and went back to her parents' home to recuperate. But Aunt Wang, I used to be from the same village as Zhou Xiaohong, and her family has long since disappeared! And after Zhou Xiaohong left, we never heard from her again, like she vanished into thin air!"
Zhou Xiaohong? I vaguely remembered that name. She was also a young woman whose husband worked away from home, and she wasn't very talkative.
"What was Zhou Xiaohong's relationship with Li Xiulian like?" I asked.
"So-so, not particularly close, but they were the only two from the same village in the workshop, and they would walk to and from get off work together," Aunt Wang said.
My mind was filled with suspicion. Li Xiulian's strange behavior, the missing Zhou Xiaohong, the evil spirit in the river, the curse targeting left-behind women... these fragments seemed to be piecing together. Li Xiulian's trip to the riverbank behind the mountain is likely to be her setting up those harmful things! Zhou Xiaohong's disappearance is probably also related to her!
I must go back to that backwater bend in the riverbank behind the mountain and check again! Last time we were in a rush and only dealt with the water ghost and the hairball; there might be other clues!
"Aunt Wang, this information is very important. Keep an eye out, but don't alert Li Xiulian," I instructed. "I'll go to the riverbank again tonight."
"Going at night? That's too dangerous!" Aunt Wang worried.
"During the day, you're too conspicuous and easily discovered. At night, the yin energy is stronger, and some things are more easily revealed," I explained. "Don't worry, I'm prepared."
After seeing Aunt Wang off, I began preparing for the night's operation. This time is different from last time; we might be facing Li Xiulian or what's behind her, so we must be thorough.
Copper coin sword, peach wood sword, talisman paper, cinnabar, black dog blood, incense ash, Bagua mirror, compass… I took everything I could. After thinking for a moment, I put on Grandpa's old Taoist robe again. It was a bit big, but it might come in handy in a pinch.
Night fell again. I quietly went out, without telling the others in the "Mutual Aid Society," and made my way alone to the stream behind the mountain.
The moon was dim tonight, the clouds were thick, and the stars were sparse. The forest was pitch black, with only the rustling of leaves in the night wind and the chirping of unknown insects. I shone my flashlight along the familiar path to the secluded backwater.
The stream was still there, the current gentle, shimmering faintly in the darkness. The faint, familiar, sticky, fishy smell in the air seemed stronger than last time. I stood on the bank, not approaching the water immediately, but instead using a compass to determine my location.
The compass needle trembled slightly, pointing to the lower reaches of the stream, where the yin energy was strongest.
I took out a Bagua mirror and slowly shone it across the river. The mirror reflected the dark, still water, initially appearing normal. But when it illuminated a particularly dense area of aquatic plants downstream, the mirror suddenly blurred, followed by the appearance of several wisps of twisted, black smoke-like energy, slowly swirling in the water.
There's something there!
I put away the Bagua mirror and took out a weight wrapped in oiled paper and tied with a red string from my bag. This was a "yin-detecting pendant" mentioned in my grandfather's notes, made of pure iron, used for many years, imbued with the warmth of human life and the sense of balance, possessing a certain ability to sense and deter some underwater spirits.
I tied the red string to my wrist and carefully lowered the weight into the water, slowly letting out the line, probing towards the patch of aquatic plants where the mirror showed an anomaly.
The weight sank to the bottom, initially without any sensation. But when it touched the riverbed of that patch of aquatic plants, my wrist suddenly felt heavy! It was as if something was tightly gripping the weight! At the same time, a bone-chilling cold sensation surged up the red rope!
Startled, I quickly pulled back. The thing underwater was pulling extremely tight, with immense force; the red rope was taut, emitting a faint "crackling" sound.
After a few seconds of this stalemate, I gritted my teeth, channeled a bit of pure yang energy into my hand holding the rope, and whispered, "Lift!"
With a sudden, powerful pull!
With a splash, the weight, along with the thing I was pulling, was lifted to the surface!
By the light of my flashlight, I saw what it was and couldn't help but gasp!
It was something wrapped in layers of black plastic sheeting, with several loops of wire around it, about the size of a basketball, wet and heavy. One corner of the plastic sheeting had been torn by my weight, revealing a dark, hair-like, seaweed-like mass inside, still slightly wriggling! It was the same hairball from before! But this one was larger, and its aura was even more sinister!
What chilled me even more was that through the gaps in the package, I vaguely saw a corner of dark red fabric, like… a fragment of clothing? There was also a slight reflection, like a metal ornament?
Could it be… that this contains… Zhou Xiaohong's belongings? Perhaps… even parts of her remains?
This thought filled me with nausea and rage. That vicious woman, Li Xiulian! She actually used such a cruel method to harm someone!
This thing must be destroyed completely!
Just as I was about to drag this eerie package ashore to dispose of it, a sudden change occurred!
Behind me, on the path leading to the village, a slight "crack" sound suddenly came, like someone had snapped a dry branch!
Someone's coming!
My heart tightened, and I whirled around, my flashlight beam sweeping towards the path.
I saw a blurry figure standing silently at the edge of the woods a dozen meters away, motionless, seemingly watching me. The light was too dim to see her face, but from the silhouette, it looked like a woman. Li Xiulian? Or what was behind her?
My muscles tensed instantly. One hand gripped the red rope tightly (the package underwater was still struggling), while the other reached for the copper coin sword at my waist.
The figure, seeing I had spotted her, didn't run away. Instead, it slowly, step by step, walked towards me.
The footsteps were light, but exceptionally clear in the silent night.
The flashlight beam finally illuminated the face of the approaching person.
It wasn't Li Xiulian.
It was Wu Jinfeng, the wife of the village secretary, Chen Fugui. A woman in her forties, usually inconspicuous in the village, always hurrying past with her head down. Her husband, Chen Fugui, was the village secretary, somewhat powerful, but with a mediocre reputation; rumors circulated that he had some shady dealings in town.
Wu Jinfeng's face was unusually pale in the dim light. Her eyes were fixed on me, then on the black package I was clutching, its disgusting contents exposed. Her face was expressionless, showing neither surprise nor fear. "Aunt Wu…" I called tentatively, my heart pounding with extreme wariness. What was she doing here? In the dead of night, a woman alone in this desolate river bend?
Wu Jinfeng didn't answer. Her gaze slowly moved from the bundle to my face. Her lips moved, her voice dry and hoarse, as if she hadn't spoken in a long time: "You… found it."
This wasn't a question, it was a statement.
My heart skipped a beat: "Aunt Wu, do you know what this is?"
Wu Jinfeng's lips twitched, as if she wanted to laugh but didn't: "I know… how could I not know… something harmful…"
She took a few more steps forward, getting closer to me. I smelled a faint, sticky, fishy odor on her, similar to that of an old Zhongshan suit and hairnet, but fainter, more like the residue from prolonged contact.
"Li Xiulian… did you make her do it?" I gripped the copper coin sword tightly and asked in a low voice.
Wu Jinfeng shook her head, a complex look flashing in her eyes, a mixture of resentment and numbness: "Her? She's just a decoy... a brainless idiot, being used as a pawn..."
"Then who is it? Who's behind it all?" I pressed, simultaneously sensing my surroundings, worried about an ambush.
Wu Jinfeng didn't answer my question. Instead, she looked at the package in my hand, muttering, "This thing... can't be kept... destroy it... but if I destroy it, he... he'll find out... he'll be angry..."
"Who is he?!" I raised my voice.
Wu Jinfeng seemed startled by my voice, her body trembling. She abruptly looked up at me, a clear fear appearing in her eyes for the first time: "Don't ask! Go! Get away from the river! Never investigate this again! Otherwise... otherwise you'll end up like Zhou Xiaohong... like... like..."
Her words stopped abruptly, as if someone had grabbed her throat. A look of pain crossed her face, and she clutched her head with both hands, letting out a suppressed groan.
Just then, a tremendous, violent pulling force suddenly came from the black package underwater, the end of the red rope I was holding! Several times stronger than before! It was as if something underwater had been disturbed and was trying to reclaim the package!
Caught off guard, I was nearly pulled into the river! I quickly steadied myself and held onto the red rope tightly.
Seeing this, Wu Jinfeng's pain turned to extreme terror. She screamed, "He's here! He's found us! Run!" With that, she turned and staggered back the way she came, quickly disappearing into the dark woods.
Him? Who was it? In the water?
I didn't have time to think further; the struggle underwater had reached a fever pitch. The thing writhing inside the package seemed to come alive, its strength incredible, and the red rope left bloody marks on my wrist. Worse still, the once calm river surface began to churn, forming a small whirlpool centered on the package's location! A more powerful, chilling, and violent aura was rapidly rising from the depths of the river!
Something even more powerful lurked beneath the surface! This thing was likely the real culprit! The "he" Wu Jinfeng had spoken of!
I felt like I was facing a vast, uneven river, the odds of us stacked against each other. The red rope could snap at any moment, or I could be dragged into the water.
I couldn't fight it head-on!
With a swift decision, I released my grip on the rope and simultaneously hurled several "Thunderfire Talismans," soaked in black dog blood and cinnabar, with all my might towards the center of the churning whirlpool!
"Heaven and Earth are boundless, the universe lends its power, thunder and fire dispel evil, so be it!"
The talismans disappeared into the water.
"Boom!"
It wasn't a massive explosion, but a muffled sound, like thunder rumbling underwater! The river surface surged upwards, then collapsed violently back down! Muddy water, mixed with silt and broken seaweed, shot skyward!
A violent, venomous, and furious mental shock, accompanied by the icy river water, slammed into me! I groaned, staggering back several steps, my Taoist robe instantly soaked and chilled to the bone.
The underwater pull vanished. The red rope drooped limply. The black package, along with the underwater object, seemed to have been temporarily repelled or injured by the Thunderfire Talisman.
The river surface gradually returned to calm, but the chilling, violent aura hadn't completely dissipated; it had merely lain dormant, like a wounded beast, watching me intently from the dark depths.
I gasped for breath, soaked to the bone, shivering with cold, my wrists burning. Looking at the river, now calm but fraught with hidden danger, I knew tonight was just a fluke.
Wu Jinfeng's warning, the terrifying presence underwater, the mastermind behind Li Xiulian, Zhou Xiaohong's disappearance… all of this pointed to a larger, more sinister conspiracy. The village secretary's wife, Wu Jinfeng, clearly knew the inside story and might even be deeply involved.
What role did the village secretary, Chen Fugui, play in this?
I picked up the mud-stained weight and the broken half of the red rope from the ground, not daring to linger any longer. Dragging my cold and exhausted body, I quickly left this place of trouble.
On the way back to the village, my mind was a mess. The situation was becoming increasingly complicated, involving more and more people. Liu Yan, Xiao Fen, Li Xiulian, Wu Jinfeng, the village secretary, the mysterious evil spirit in the water…
Grandpa, what a mess you left me!
And Wu Jinfeng's last words, "He's here…"—was that "he" a person, or… some terrifying being in the river?