Volume One, Chapter 42: A Better Candidate

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Had he simply been careless...?

Had Gu Ya’s words startled him?

Luo Bin was still coughing. His throat throbbed with pain, and it felt as though medicinal liquid had flowed back into his nasal passages, its bitter taste shooting straight to the crown of his head.

“Are you all right, Xiaoshan?” Zhang Yunling asked anxiously, her voice tinged with concern.

“I’m... I’m fine...” Luo Bin drew a rough breath and gave Gu Ya a faint wink with his right eye—a warning.

“Good, good. As long as you’re fine.”

Gu Ya picked up a rag from beside the table and wiped away some of the medicine that had splashed across it, pretending not to notice Luo Bin’s gesture.

She cautiously glanced toward the courtyard gate before saying, “Xiaoshan, sit down. Xiaoling, you sit too. This has to do with the dead man who appeared beneath Xiaoshan’s window this morning.”

“...”

Luo Bin knew there was no stopping her now.

Zhang Yunling’s attention was drawn by those words, though she still supported Luo Bin with one hand as he sat down.

Luo Bin felt awkward and ill at ease.

For one thing, her gesture was intimate and full of concern. For another, Gu Ya was exposing their secret...

Now that she had said it aloud, it would be wrong for him to stop her. If he damaged the relationship between her and Zhang Yunling, then once Zhang Yunling’s curiosity was aroused, she would ask around, and before long everyone would know.

So Luo Bin remained silent.

“Well, it’s like this. Xiaoshan noticed that something was wrong with the dead man. Normally, when an ordinary person dies...”

Gu Ya went into meticulous detail, repeating almost everything Luo Bin had told her.

A fine sweat continually beaded Zhang Yunling’s brow. Like Gu Ya at the beginning, she had been frightened.

“Your Uncle Luo found out that the families living near the places where Xiaoshan left his marks are named Zhao Shu, Feng Ji, You Jiang, and Yan Li... Oh, and there’s also He Gui, the village medium.”

“The medium is definitely not suspicious. Aside from having a bad temper, he is like the village chief—devoted to the village and conscientious in his duties. The other four households, however, are all worth suspecting. They share one characteristic: every one of them lives alone,” Gu Ya explained carefully.

Luo Bin’s heart gave another faint leap.

The village medium was named He Gui, and he also lived near that area?

It was as though a pillow had been delivered just as he was about to fall asleep.

Still, Gu Ya had told the secret to one more person. Luo Bin felt uneasy. The more people who knew, the more mouths there were to speak of it.

But Zhang Yunling was gentle and frail, and she had always treated his family well.

Even though the former owner of this body had done things that were rude and offensive, she had mended his clothes, brought him medicine, and shown even greater concern for Gu Ya.

Birds of a feather flock together.

Gu Ya was kindhearted, and so was she. Was that why the two of them were so close?

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“I understand, Aunt Gu. If I see them, I’ll make sure to stay far away,” Zhang Yunling said, lightly wiping the sweat from her brow.

“You’ve always been cautious. Aunt Gu is reassured.” Gu Ya smiled.

“Xiaoshan has really become remarkable. They say a girl changes eighteen times before she comes of age, but perhaps Xiaoshan was simply a dragon hiding in shallow waters. So all that good-for-nothing behavior before was just an act?”

Zhang Yunling smiled sweetly. In her eyes, Luo Bin detected a trace of something that seemed almost like a young girl’s admiration.

Luo Bin felt his face grow hot, the tips of his ears turning red.

“Xiaoling, don’t praise him too much, or his tail will be sticking up into the sky in a moment.” Gu Ya said this, but the pride in her eyes only grew stronger.

“Aunt Gu, I’m not exaggerating. Xiaoshan really is capable. He resembles Uncle Luo so much—and may even have surpassed him. That gives you even more to look forward to,” Zhang Yunling said softly.

Learned and well-mannered, with a smile as graceful as spring?

For a moment, Luo Bin was lost in thought.

Everyone loved beauty, but Zhang Yunling’s beauty went far beyond appearances. Her temperament and understanding both revealed a delicate intelligence. She was beautiful inside and out.

In the foul, polluted atmosphere of Gui Mountain Village, she was like a clear stream.

Gu Ya was genuinely delighted. Fine crow’s-feet appeared at the corners of her eyes as she smiled.

“Aunt Gu, you still have quite a few things to prepare, don’t you? I won’t stay and delay you any longer. In any case, be careful tomorrow. Go safely, and come back safely.”

Zhang Yunling rose to her feet, preparing to leave.

“Xiaoshan, go see your Sister Xiaoling out,” Gu Ya said, immediately getting up.

“Mm-hmm.” Luo Bin nodded.

Fortunately, there was nothing else urgent to attend to. Though Gu Ya had spoken at length and it had taken some time, it was not yet four o’clock at the latest, while nightfall would not come until seven. He had plenty of time to escort her home.

Once they had left the courtyard, Zhang Yunling walked slightly ahead of him. With her hands clasped behind her back, even her steps seemed light and buoyant.

Luo Bin followed behind.

Ten minutes later, they arrived outside Zhang Yunling’s courtyard.

“I’m home now. Get some rest early, Xiaoshan.” Zhang Yunling turned around and smiled with open grace.

“Uh... Shall I come in and chop a few pieces of firewood? It’s still early.”

“All right.”

Zhang Yunling moved aside slightly to let him pass.

Luo Bin entered the courtyard, walked to the woodshed, seized the ax, and began chopping firewood.

Zhang Yunling moved over a small stool and sat nearby, watching him.

Luo Bin understood the principle well: when lust clouded the mind, danger was never far behind. In an environment like this, there could be no romantic entanglements or tender promises.

But people had instincts.

There should be no harm in allowing a certain fondness to continue, should there?

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When he left this place, there should be no problem taking Zhang Yunling with him.

And if so, there was naturally no problem with chopping some firewood.

Zhang Yunling poured Luo Bin some water.

It was mint water, carrying a faint, refreshing fragrance.

Then she stepped forward and wiped the sweat from his face.

For a moment, Luo Bin was almost overwhelmed by the unexpected tenderness.

After a while, the setting sun’s light grew dazzling as evening descended.

“It’s going to be dark soon. Hurry home,” Zhang Yunling reminded him.

Only then did Luo Bin set down the ax.

“Let’s go, Sister Xiaoling.”

He left Zhang Yunling’s home.

As he walked along the village road, his arms ached faintly. Though he had spent two hours doing hard labor, Luo Bin felt exceptionally refreshed.

...

Inside the house, beside the table.

Zhang Yunling sat quietly in a chair, holding the cloth doll in her hands.

“It isn’t that I failed to seize the opportunity. Tomorrow, Uncle Luo, Aunt Gu, and Xiaoshan will be going out to scout the route. If I sent Xiaoshan to the village chief tonight, the village chief would certainly suspect something. Xiaoshan should not be leaving the house at all this evening. If I sent him, there was a good chance he would fail.”

“Someone took the blame the first time. The second time, the village chief would be even more vigilant. It would be nearly impossible to succeed.”

For several seconds, silence filled the room as Zhang Yunling stared at the cloth doll.

“How could an opportunity that comes once in a lifetime simply vanish forever? Aunt Gu has finally revealed a secret to me. Xiaoshan really is unusual. How did he suddenly become so much cleverer than before?”

A deeper note of curiosity appeared in Zhang Yunling’s eyes.

“Yes, yes. I was angry earlier, but what are we trying to do? We want to restore the village to normal. I never intended to sacrifice Uncle Luo or Aunt Gu in the first place. And Xiaoshan seems fine now. The village chief is highly wary of evil spirits, so there can certainly be a better candidate.”

“Can you determine who is pretending to be an evil spirit and killing people in the village?”

Zhang Yunling raised the cloth doll slightly and asked in all seriousness.

Then she let out a soft sigh, lifted the doll to her ear, and pressed it against it as though afraid someone might hear. Closing her eyes, she listened intently.