Chapter 121

Chapter 121

Horseplay was horseplay, but they still had real work to do.

The small courtyard was simply laid out. To the north was a pool. Tang Liu had stepped it off with his feet; it was about ten paces from east to west and even narrower north to south. There were no ornamental stones placed around the pool's edge, nor any paved stone paths—just unadorned earthen slopes. The entire perimeter of the pool was crooked and irregular, less like a proper pond and more like a large, haphazardly dug pit. Who knew what had been growing in it before, but it had likely rotted, and it stank to high heaven.

In the northeastern corner by the pool stood a small hexagonal stone pavilion. It wasn't large either; three or four people would feel crowded inside. It was also very low; Tang Liu could easily touch the roof with a little hop. Besides the pool and the pavilion, a simple flowerbed about one step wide ran along the stone wall encircling the courtyard. Its border was crudely built with a single layer of bricks, barely taller than Tang Liu's ankles and easily knocked over with a kick.

Large trees were planted at each of the four corners of the flowerbed. Apart from these, the rest of the small courtyard was nothing but dirt and weeds. Now, the weeds were gone. Tang Liu had started turning the soil from near the stone pavilion. Actually, turning the soil was easy; he had already tilled the entire courtyard over the past two days. But Weiwei seemed dissatisfied and wanted him to do it again.

This time, Tang Liu worked very carefully. He would mark out a square two paces long and wide, then dig deep. After digging about three or four such squares, his hoe suddenly struck something hard. It seemed to be a stone. The hoe blade clanged against it with a *ding*, the impact numbing his hand.

At the same moment, a chill breeze swept through, and the surroundings instantly grew colder.

May in Tushui County rarely saw rain. Tang Liu tilted his head back and asked, "Is it going to rain?"

Perhaps because of the distance between them, Weiwei's voice took a moment to reach him.

"No."

Her voice was cold, tinged with a slight tension, as if she were suppressing some powerful, strange emotion.

Tang Liu thought this was odd and was about to turn his head when her voice returned to normal: "What is it? Dig it out and see."

So Tang Liu used his hoe to work at the hard object, but he couldn't pry it out with one try.

Buried this deep?

He dug around the object a few times. It didn't feel like a stone but rather a slender thing firmly embedded in the ground; the hoe couldn't budge it at all. He simply tossed the hoe aside, crouched down, and started digging with his hands. After a few scoops, he gripped the top end and tried to pull it out.

However, this thing was anchored in the earth by something. No matter how hard Tang Liu pulled, it didn't move an inch.

"What is this thing, Weiwei? Can you see it?"

Outside the courtyard, Sui Lanwei was already in no state to answer.

He knelt on the ground, his entire body swaying unsteadily, only kept from collapsing by his hands braced against the earth. A burning sensation, like searing flames, rose from his lower abdomen and spread throughout his limbs and bones within a few breaths. This hellfire-like blaze rampaged wildly inside him. Simultaneously, murky water began seeping from his entire body, as if the infernal fire was roasting him from the inside out, intent on drying him up completely.

Sui Lanwei gritted his teeth, a few almost inaudible groans of pain escaping his lips. He lifted his head to look into the courtyard. Tang Liu was still struggling with that thing. He had changed his stance, planting his feet firmly, bending his knees slightly, gripping the object tightly with both hands, his whole body arched, even his facial features straining—a posture of absolute determination to pull it out.

Sui Lanwei found it somewhat amusing, thinking Tang Liu could be adorably foolish at times. But soon, his thoughts were overwhelmed by chaos, countless fragments flashing through his mind.

Innumerable corpses strewn about, fleeing figures, leering faces, falling black earth...

His chest felt as if squeezed by countless hands. Sui Lanwei instinctively took a few deep breaths, then immediately realized he didn't need to breathe at all. He felt bewildered. Lifting his head again to look at Tang Liu, his vision was covered in a bloody red haze. Everything became blurred and indistinct; Tang Liu's figure was as fuzzy as if he were in another world.

Tang Liu settled into his stance, focused his energy in his dantian, and after a few breaths, let out a fierce shout, putting all his strength into his hands—

Nothing moved.

Tang Liu froze, instantly feeling a bit embarrassed. He hoped Weiwei hadn't seen that.

He had intended to imitate the storytellers by using a shout to boost his effort, but after the shout, the gathered force seemed to dissipate. He had to reset his posture, gather strength again, hold his breath, and pull with all his might.

This time, he exerted every ounce of strength he had. Tang Liu felt his entire body straining. After what felt like an eternity, the object in his hands suddenly gave way. Tang Liu, unable to stop his momentum, was thrown backward and landed squarely on his rear.

Still holding the object, he hadn't fully registered what happened when, almost simultaneously, a strange, demonic wind whipped up in the courtyard, accompanied by a short, sharp, ghostly howl like a wolf's cry.

Tang Liu was just about to get up when a shudder ran through him. Terrified by the howl, he slumped back to the ground.

Dirt was swept up by the wind, pelting his face like a sudden storm. Tang Liu sat dazed for a moment, wiped his face, spat out the grit and soil from his mouth with a few "puh, puh" sounds, and was about to feel the object in his hand when he suddenly heard someone call his name.

Sui Lanwei had curled into a ball. His body seemed to have opened an invisible spring, murky water gushing out, soaking his disheveled black hair and red clothes. Before losing consciousness, he struggled to open his eyes, his lips moving slightly: "Husband Liu..."

Tang Liu instantly threw the object in his hand aside, scrambled to his feet, and stumbled as he sprinted toward the courtyard exit.

He ran to the moon gate where Weiwei usually stayed. He didn't bump into anyone, but his feet stepped on familiar, wet clothing, making a squelching sound. Tang Liu crouched down and, sure enough, felt the person lying on the ground.

He called out several times, but the person just lay there quietly. It took Tang Liu some effort to locate Weiwei's shoulders. He supported her by the shoulders and lifted her up, finding her completely drenched, as if she had just been pulled from water.

Tang Liu tilted his face up; water droplets fell on it.

He lowered his head and murmured, "I told you it was raining..."

The person in his arms also had her hair undone, dripping wet, clinging messily to her chest and back. Tang Liu brushed the hair stuck to her face and neck behind her ears, his hand coming away wet. He touched the cold face beneath his palm; it was covered in water, and it felt sticky.

At first, Tang Liu tried wiping it with his hand, but that only made it stickier. Imagining himself smearing Weiwei's face even dirtier, he guiltily withdrew his hand. After a moment, he tried using his sleeve, but that didn't clean it either.

The rain seemed to be getting heavier; puddles were starting to form on the ground. Tang Liu felt his shoe soles were soaked through.

This couldn't go on.

He took off his outer robe and wrapped it around Weiwei. After a thought, he removed it again, took off another layer of his long gown, folded it with the outer robe, draped them over Weiwei's back, and hoisted her onto his back.

With no free hand for his bamboo cane, the journey back was not smooth. Tang Liu walked with extreme caution, veering off course several times, nearly tripping over vines or bumping into walls or tree trunks.

Finally, after a nerve-wracking walk, he reached the residential courtyard. By then, Tang Liu was also soaked through, his clothes indistinguishable from sweat or the incessant rain.

On a tree about three paces outside the main gate of the residential courtyard, Tang Liu had tied a long, thick strip of cloth. Feeling for the cloth, he confirmed he was in the right place and continued toward the courtyard.

He hadn't gone far when a shocked voice came from behind: "Tang Liu?"

Tang Liu couldn't spare the attention to respond, but unfortunately, Yin Mei called out again: "Tang Liu!"

This cry was filled with shock and urgency, utterly unlike Yin Mei's usual tone. Tang Liu had no choice but to turn around, using his expression to convey a question.

Yin Mei looked at him, then at what he was carrying on his back. Her throat was so constricted she couldn't utter a single syllable.

She had spotted Tang Liu from afar, but he looked utterly disheveled and was walking in a strange manner, so she hadn't recognized him immediately. As he drew closer and she saw clearly, a chill shot from the soles of her feet to the crown of her head, nailing her firmly in place.

Tang Liu, for whatever reason, was down to just his inner garment and a pair of black boots. The originally snow-white inner garment was stained with black and red liquid, clinging tightly to his body, faintly revealing the color of his skin beneath.

By propriety, Yin Mei should have immediately left or averted her gaze. But at this moment, she felt no shame or sense of impropriety—only sheer terror.

The thing on Tang Liu's back was motionless. It had a human shape but was definitely not human. Its head hung over Tang Liu's shoulder, its ankle-length, dense black hair covering both itself and Tang Liu entirely. Its face was obscured, but the glimpses of skin visible through the hair gaps were utterly bloodless, a deathly pale that didn't look like skin at all.

Its arms hung limply in front of Tang Liu. Its body appeared extremely soft, so soft that... it seemed to lack any skeletal structure inside.

That black and red liquid, sometimes thin, sometimes thick, seeped from its body, flowed onto Tang Liu, dripped to the ground, forming a twisted, winding trail.

Yin Mei stood as stiff as a block of wood. She wanted to tell Tang Liu to immediately throw off the thing on his back, to tell him to run, but her throat worked twice, producing only the sound of her teeth chattering.

Then, she noticed the clothes Tang Liu had draped over it, his calm expression, and his hands steadily supporting the creature.

Yin Mei parted her lips, exhaling a puff of white mist in the warm spring air.

So this was the true form of the elusive entity haunting this mansion.

This was what Tang Liu spent his days and nights with.

Is he not feeling it, or is he just bewitched?

Perhaps because she had been silent for too long, Tang Liu was the first to speak.

“What day is it today?” he asked.

“…The fifth,” Yin Mei replied. “The fifth day of the fifth month.”

A flicker of confusion crossed Tang Liu’s face, but he soon nodded and walked steadily into the courtyard.

He entered the house, and not long after, he leaned halfway out from beside the door. “Yin Mei, are you still there?”

The thing on his back had vanished. Stiffly, Yin Mei answered, “…Yes.”

“Could you boil some water, please? Several pots’ worth. I’ll fetch it later.”

Yin Mei was extremely reliable. Once Tang Liu had made his request, he turned and went back inside, muttering in confusion, “The fifth… not the thirtieth or the first, just passed…”

Hold on.

He stopped in his tracks, took a few steps back to the doorway, and called out, “Yin Mei, are you still there?”

This time, Yin Mei answered quickly, “Still here.”

“Today is the fifth day of the fifth month—it’s the Dragon Boat Festival.”

Yin Mei’s eyes lit up, looking at Tang Liu with something like expectation. “Yes.”

The Dragon Boat Festival—the peak of yang energy in the year.

“I want zongzi, with meat filling!” Tang Liu immediately chimed in, then added uncertainly, “There will be some, right?”

Yin Mei hadn’t expected the conversation to turn here at all and couldn’t think straight for a moment, only instinctively following Tang Liu’s lead. “Yes. Not just meat filling, but also honeyed date, eight-treasure, and millet.”

“I want them all, all of them. More with meat, please.”

Tang Liu closed the door. Yin Mei took a deep breath and inexplicably calmed down. She looked back at the trail of black and red footprints stretching behind her, hesitated for a moment, then walked over.