Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Something big happened in the equipment room.

Word had it that three students from the senior international program snuck into the equipment room in the evening and got locked in overnight by someone who didn't know they were there. They weren't discovered until the next morning when a freshman PE class went to fetch equipment.

If that was all, it wouldn't have caused such a stir among the students. But the unlucky freshman who opened the door reportedly got hit with a strong, pungent odor of urine the moment he swung it open, then saw three bruised-up, piss-soaked figures crawling and scrambling toward him, screaming their heads off about "ghosts" and "help."

The unlucky kid didn't get scared by any ghost—he got so freaked out by their crazed state that he called 911 on the spot.

Since classes were in session, students only vaguely heard the ambulance siren and unfortunately didn't get to see it firsthand. But that didn't stop the gossip train. Before the bell even rang, the first videos were already blowing up in every school group chat, and soon even other high schools' group chats were sharing them.

During the break, Wei Yao opened the video and blurted out, "Holy shit—those three dumbasses who ran into a ghost in the equipment room are Jin Qi and his crew!"

He immediately gloated: "Those three dumbasses finally got what they deserved."

He had it on speaker, and Xu Muchan, sitting at the next desk, heard the blood-curdling screams coming from the video. This guy named Chen Zhou was especially shrill, practically shrieking "ghost" at the top of his lungs.

Whether there was a ghost in the equipment room—Xu Muchan knew the truth better than anyone.

If there was one, it could only be the one he kept around.

Though he'd long seen this coming, actually hearing the news still made Xu Muchan's lips curl up in delight.

The whole class was excitedly sharing and watching the video, and in the noisy classroom, no one noticed the change in Xu Muchan's expression—except He Jiaqi, who happened to turn around and caught it.

The new student's head was slightly lowered, his features half-hidden by stray strands of hair, revealing only the upturned corner of a red mouth.

He was grinning.

Everyone in class was laughing and joking around, since Jin Qi was hardly a good guy, and seeing him get his comeuppance was pure entertainment.

But with some sixth sense, He Jiaqi felt this smile was different.

It carried a certain smug satisfaction.

He Jiaqi remembered the new student's confident words at the flagpole earlier. She carefully looked away and smiled too.

She felt she'd accidentally stumbled on a secret, but she wouldn't tell anyone.

During the long break, homeroom teacher Wan Zheng called Xu Muchan to the office.

That wasn't surprising—Xu Muchan saw it coming.

After all, with something this big, the teachers could easily find out about Jin Qi's prank just by asking around, and naturally they'd realize someone else must have been in the equipment room last night.

When asked how he'd gotten out of the equipment room, Xu Muchan raised his slightly pale face and recounted the bullying incident in full detail, looking nervous and innocent: "At first I was scared when I got locked in, but after I calmed down, I wanted to call a teacher for help. Luckily, Wei Yao happened to pass by and helped me—he opened the door and got me out."

"After that, I went back to the classroom with Wei Yao for evening self-study."

At this point, the blind young man's expression visibly grew tense, as if desperately trying to prove he had nothing to do with what happened afterward, but not knowing how, clumsily scrambling to defend himself: "If you don't believe me, you can ask Wei Yao. I'm not lying."

"Don't be nervous. I didn't call you in here because I suspect you—I just want to understand what happened."

Wan Zheng sighed. He hadn't called Xu Muchan in to grill him. Though Jin Qi and his crew were seniors in the international program, Wan Zheng had heard about their behavior. He didn't believe for a second that a blind transfer student could have gotten revenge on school bullies like Jin Qi. But Jin Qi's parents were now demanding accountability, and the school needed to get to the bottom of it to give an explanation, so he had to question Xu Muchan, the victim.

Now hearing there was another witness, Wan Zheng breathed a sigh of relief and called Wei Yao over too.

Wei Yao, on the other hand, showed no sign of nervousness—he even looked a bit smug. When asked, he shrugged, hands in his pockets, and admitted: "Yeah, that dumbass Jin Qi locked Xu Muchan in the equipment room. As his classmate, I couldn't just stand by, so I went to that dumbass—I mean, went to Jin Qi—got the key back, and opened the door to let Xu Muchan out."

Whether intentionally or not, he conveniently left out the fact that the equipment room door had opened on its own before he even got the key.

That was indeed a bit eerie. Wei Yao's hand in his school uniform pocket clenched slightly, and he muttered to himself—could there really be a ghost in that equipment room?

Wan Zheng got the full story from both students and quickly sent them on their way back to class.

Coming out of the office, Wei Yao looked at the gloomy sky outside and still felt a bit spooked. He instinctively edged closer to Xu Muchan and said cautiously, "You don't think that equipment room is actually haunted, do you?"

Remembering he'd been there just yesterday, Wei Yao got goosebumps.

Xu Muchan turned his face slightly toward him, noticing Wei Yao seemed terrified of ghosts, so instead of answering, he asked, "Do you think ghosts exist in this world?"

Wei Yao immediately declared without hesitation: "Hell no!"

"I'm a child of socialism—I only believe in science, absolutely not in this feudal superstition!"

Maybe to convince himself, Wei Yao's voice was especially loud.

Xu Muchan listened to the heavy footsteps that followed him like a shadow, and the mumbled, unintelligible whispers, then turned his head back and said, "You're right."

In the afternoon, Xu Zhifei came to the school to ask for leave for Xu Muchan.

She'd apparently heard about Jin Qi's incident too. While asking for leave, she subtly warned Wan Zheng, making it clear she hadn't yet settled the score over Jin Qi bullying her son at school. Now that Jin Qi was in trouble, it was his own damn fault. If the Jin family or the school dared to bother her son over this trivial matter, the Xu family wouldn't just sit back and take it.

The school administrator who'd come to check on the discussion had a very interesting expression, nodding and scraping as he escorted mother and son out of the office.

Xu Zhifei held her son's hand, chin raised like a protective mother hen, full of fighting spirit.

Xu Muchan let her lead him out of the school, feeling the warmth from her palm, and wondered with some confusion—mothers really were weird creatures. At this moment, Xu Zhifei's protective feelings toward him seemed genuine.

Even when they got into the car, Xu Zhifei gently touched his face with concern and chided, "If someone bullies you at school, why didn't you tell Mom?"

Xu Muchan tilted his face up, his unseeing eyes showing a hint of bewilderment.

He wanted to say that even if he told, it wouldn't have made a difference—that's what his childhood had taught him. And later, living alone in the village for years, he'd gotten used to solving all his problems on his own.

If someone bullied him, he'd always find a way to get even.

If he couldn't do it himself, there was always his older brother.

Dad or Mom—they were never an option.

Xu Muchan opened his mouth, but in the end, nothing came out.

He lowered his eyes, lashes trembling uneasily, looking obedient and shy. Xu Zhifei sighed, seeming a bit helpless, but softened her voice and said, "Next time something like this happens, tell Mom right away. Don't just take it quietly."

Xu Muchan didn't agree with her, but he nodded obediently.

The driver took them to the hospital.

Xu Zhifei had gone to the school in the afternoon mainly because of Xu Muchan's eyes.

The ophthalmology professor she'd contacted earlier had finally arrived in Jiangcheng, and she couldn't wait to pick him up from school and bring him to the hospital for an eye exam.

Xu Muchan only found out about this at the hospital, and a hint of nervousness crept in.

When he'd first lost his sight, he'd gone to the city hospital for a checkup, but nothing had been found. The doctor had attributed his sudden blindness to psychological factors, believing it was caused by academic pressure, and had only prescribed some meds, saying they'd observe for now.

After this, Xu Muchan's episodes of temporary blindness became more frequent, and each episode lasted longer. The hospital still couldn't find the cause, nor did they have any treatment, only suggesting he go to a bigger city for tests.

Xu Muchan went home and tallied up the family savings, realizing that the money they'd scrimped and saved over the years wasn't enough to cover a trip to a bigger city for tests and treatment. Dejected, he had to put the idea aside for now, thinking he'd figure something out.

Not long after, he went completely blind all of a sudden—so suddenly that he couldn't even leave the village, let alone go to a hospital.

Xu Muchan didn't like to think about that time right after he lost his sight. Anyway, Qiu Ze eventually showed up, and Xu Muchan figured Jiangcheng was a big city with better hospitals and doctors, and the Xu family had money, so maybe his eyes could be fixed. Without hesitation, he came to Jiangcheng.

Now, finally about to see the doctor, Xu Muchan took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves before stepping into the exam room.

After a whole afternoon of tests, Xu Muchan and Xu Zhifei waited nervously together for the professor to explain the results.

The professor used a ton of technical jargon that left both mother and son confused, but Xu Muchan quickly latched onto the key point—this old professor had said a lot of medical terms, but his attitude was the same as the doctor who had examined him at the People's Hospital.

"Doctor, can my eyes be cured?" Xu Muchan asked softly.

The old professor furrowed his brow, as if he'd never seen a case like this: "We need to run more tests. We can't figure out the cause right now."

Xu Muchan couldn't hide his disappointment. Though he'd said aloud that even if his eyes couldn't be cured, he could still take the college entrance exam and go to college, now that the verdict was in, he couldn't help feeling dejected and sorrowful.

Xu Zhifei's face fell too. She had always believed her son had been injured in the landslide, perhaps with damage to his cornea or something—and if it were that serious, couldn't they just do a cornea transplant?

But now, listening to the old professor ramble on, she realized the problem was far more severe than she'd imagined. Xu Muchan's eyes might never get better.

She couldn't accept it and kept pressing for answers. The old professor was patient, explaining over and over, but the answer never changed.

On the way back, Xu Zhifei was even more upset about the result than Xu Muchan himself. The mood in the car was incredibly heavy.

Xu Muchan was the one trying to comfort her: "The doctor said they need to do more tests, right? Maybe next time they'll figure something out..."

Xu Zhifei sighed, looking at her optimistic son, and distractedly took him home.

It was already evening by then. Xu Wangchuan and Xu Qingming had both returned to the villa. Seeing the mother and son come in without a word, Xu Qingming spoke up first: "What did the doctor say?"

Xu Zhifei shook her head: "The doctor said they need to run more tests."

That's what she said, but her expression was strained. Xu Wangchuan, quietly reading the room, felt a little spark of joy—it seemed Xu Muchan's eyes most likely couldn't be cured.

A blind man—even if he came back, so what? He wouldn't be a threat to his position.

Xu Qingming's face fell too. After all the effort of tracking down his biological son, the kid had to go and go blind. Anyone would be upset about that.

But seeing his wife's strained look and his son hanging his head in silence, he didn't press the matter. Instead, he changed the subject: "The master came by the house today. He said evil spirits got into the basement and offended the deity. The deity's protective power was damaged. We'll need to install a new golden statue and hold a ritual to fix it."

He looked at his two sons: "Inviting the deity is a major matter. You two don't need to go to school for the next couple of days—I've already asked for time off for you. Once the golden statue is installed, you can go back."

Xu Wangchuan was always obedient when it came to matters involving the God of Joy, so he agreed without hesitation.

Xu Muchan, however, turned his head slightly toward Xu Qingming and asked, "Which deity are we inviting?"

Xu Qingming's expression changed slightly: "You don't need to worry about that. The master will also be performing an exorcism for the household—just do whatever they say."

Xu Muchan frowned and gave a half-hearted "Oh."

The next morning, people showed up at the Xu villa early. Xu Wangchuan came and knocked on Xu Muchan's door to wake him up, handing him a strange, long robe and telling him to put it on.

"What is this?"

Xu Muchan was suspicious and didn't want to change. But Xu Wangchuan was clearly not going to take no for an answer—he shoved Xu Muchan into the bathroom and said, "It's the ceremonial robe for the deity-inviting ritual. Everyone has to wear one. Hurry up and change."

Xu Muchan had no choice but to frown and change into it.

The robe was loose and flowing, like something from ancient times. The fabric felt smooth and silky to the touch, with a faint, lingering scent—it had been smoked with something.

The scent made Xu Muchan frown even harder. A vague sense of unease gnawed at him—he was worried about the thing still at the Xu house and about his brother being found out.

With a heavy heart, Xu Muchan was led by Xu Wangchuan to a seat in front of the ritual altar.

Xu Muchan couldn't see, but judging by the footsteps around him, a good number of people had gathered at the Xu residence today—around twenty or so. The scale of this ritual was way bigger than he'd expected.

He and Xu Wangchuan sat before the altar. The people performing the ritual—whether they were Taoists or something else—first brought over a bowl of water mixed with something that smelled fishy and made them drink it. Then they started dancing around them.

They were likely wearing robes similar in style to Xu Muchan's, and their wide sleeves would occasionally sweep past his face, brushing past and stirring the air.

They chanted in strange, unintelligible tunes. As their dancing got faster and more intense, the tune got higher and higher. After a loud shout in unison, Xu Muchan heard a voice sing in a strange cadence:

"Bones as wine cups, organs as offering trays. Living souls as firewood on the flames, flesh and blood ground underfoot as mud. Red cloth over the eyes, can't see the sky—the God of Joy descends to the mortal realm."

With each line, a dull drumbeat followed. When the final line was done, the drums sounded three times in a row, and everyone around Xu Muchan and Xu Wangchuan said in unison: "Invite the deity—"

Their voices dragged on, and by the end, they'd warped into an extremely unpleasant moaning sound. Amid that ugly melody, Xu Muchan vaguely felt that something had actually been summoned.

The air, thick with incense, stopped moving. The dancers around them froze. Only the long, strange moaning continued, but it sounded muffled, like it was being covered by something, growing faint and distant.

A heavy pressure pressed down from above, as if something huge was about to descend.

The exposed skin on Xu Muchan's body prickled with goosebumps. The instincts he'd honed from years of danger started screaming at him to run—but Xu Muchan sat frozen, not moving an inch.

He was pinned in place by a pair of eyes.

That gaze was full of malice and hunger. In the still air, a sticky, wet sound arose, like something swallowing spit. Xu Muchan even caught the stench of rot on the wind.

His hands dug hard into his thighs. The pain gave him a brief moment of freedom, and he forced out: "Brother... brother..."

As if it heard him, the sticky, wet sound above suddenly stopped. The rotting stench on the wind disappeared too. Only the eerie, drawn-out moaning continued, but it seemed to have changed into a different tune.

That tune was familiar. Xu Muchan had heard the villagers sing it once—it was the song for mountain god sacrifices.

"Open the mountain gate—

Burn the five grains—

Offer the new wine—

Mountain god, oh—

Today we send you a sweet child, don't let the rats gnaw the seedlings! Don't let the earthworms buzz! Don't let the ghost wind tear the grass shed..."

The rough melody wound around the mountain, over and over. The bride for the mountain god was carried in a swaying sedan chair, taken into the mountain god's cave.

The enormous thing hovering in the air lowered its head, looking down at the youth in the red ceremonial robe before the altar, and declared in a language no human could hear: "Achan is my bride."