Chapter 13 – Possession (Part 2)
It must be said, Song Qingluo’s bright white face suddenly appearing in the night was truly a bit frightening. Lin Banxia helped the trembling Ji Leshui up, looked up, and greeted Song Qingluo.
“Mr. Song, what are you doing over there?” Lin Banxia called out.
Song Qingluo replied, “Catching ghosts.”
Lin Banxia asked, “Didn’t you say there were no ghosts?”
Song Qingluo’s expression remained blank. “I was joking. I’m actually trespassing illegally.”
Lin Banxia: “…” You might as well be catching ghosts; at least that’s not illegal.
Ji Leshui was badly frightened and his legs were still weak. Lin Banxia initially wanted to chat more with Song Qingluo, but Song gestured for him to take Ji Leshui back first. Lin Banxia nodded, helping Ji Leshui down the path to return home.
With a still-panicked expression, Ji Leshui finally relaxed a bit once they arrived at Song Qingluo’s house. Sitting on the modest sofa, clutching a pillow, he admitted that although the place seemed eerie at first glance, he felt an odd sense of security as soon as he stepped inside, as if some instinct assured him this place was safe.
“Then rest up,” Lin Banxia said. “I’ll head back now.”
“Sure, sure.” Ji Leshui made no attempt to make him stay.
Back at his own place, Lin Banxia took a quick shower and sat on the sofa watching TV, his mind drifting to thoughts of Liu Xi, feeling somewhat distracted.
Around eleven o’clock, Song Qingluo returned, and upon seeing Lin Banxia inside, greeted him quietly.
“Mr. Song,” Lin Banxia said.
“Just call me by my name,” Song Qingluo responded. “What’s on your mind?”
“I have something I wanted to ask you about,” Lin Banxia said.
Song Qingluo sat beside him, tilting his chin slightly to signal him to go on.
Lin Banxia asked, “Do you think dead people can still move?”
Song Qingluo replied, “Depends on the situation.” As he spoke, he slowly rubbed his thumb as if there was something unpleasant on it.
After some thought, Lin Banxia cautiously recounted the events that had occurred at his workplace. Truthfully, he didn’t want to alarm Liu Xi, but saying something like that would probably get him branded as crazy.
Initially, Song Qingluo listened with apparent indifference, but he perked up when Lin Banxia mentioned the figure that had crawled onto the woman’s back. He looked up and asked, “Can you contact her?”
“Who? The woman?” Lin Banxia asked.
Song Qingluo nodded. “Yes.”
Lin Banxia replied, “I probably can’t contact her directly, but the funeral home should have her phone number. I’m not sure if they have her address…”
Song Qingluo said, “The phone number will do.”
Lin Banxia continued, “I’ll try to find it tomorrow. What should I do about my coworker, though?”
Song Qingluo advised, “Just observe him for now, and don’t let on that you’re suspicious. Get me the phone number. If there’s really an issue, I’ll handle it quickly.”
Feeling reassured, Lin Banxia nodded.
The next day at work, Lin Banxia stopped by the funeral home to get the woman’s phone number from a contact. He found out her name was Cheng Yuliu and that she lived nearby.
Once he got the number, he sent it to Song Qingluo.
When Lin Banxia arrived at work, he noticed Liu Xi arrived late. He had expected Liu Xi to look a bit haggard, but to his surprise, Liu Xi seemed energetic and even looked excited, a stark contrast from his usual worn-out state.
“Hey, why are you so happy today? Did something good happen?” Lin Banxia asked cautiously.
Liu Xi glanced at him, his gaze surprisingly wary and laced with a faint hostility. He coldly replied, “Nothing good happened,” then turned away, ignoring him.
Lin Banxia was taken aback; it was the first time he’d seen Liu Xi act this way. He couldn’t understand why – could it be because of the message he’d sent him yesterday?
That afternoon, Lin Banxia and Liu Xi went out on a job to retrieve a body that had been run over by a train. Usually, such bodies weren’t in good shape; otherwise, they wouldn’t be called in.
Liu Xi was in a good mood all day but was unwilling to talk to Lin Banxia, laughing to himself while looking at something on his phone.
After several failed attempts to ask him anything, Lin Banxia had to give up. Liu Xi’s attitude was unsettling to him, raising a sense of deep unease. In the afternoon, he sought out another colleague to get an update on Liu Xi’s behavior.
“He didn’t tell you?” the colleague asked, surprised, since Liu Xi and Lin Banxia were usually close and would be the first to know things about each other.
“No,” Lin Banxia shook his head.
“He won the lottery,” the colleague explained. “He even posted it on social media this morning. After taxes, he still has tens of thousands left. He joked at lunch that he’d treat everyone, but you happened to be out then…”
“When did he win?” Lin Banxia asked.
“Last night,” the colleague replied.
Lin Banxia: “…”
The colleague noticed his expression. “Why the gloomy face?” Misunderstanding the situation, he patted Lin Banxia on the shoulder. “Don’t take it personally. Now that he’s got some money, he probably won’t stick around here much longer…no point in staying close to someone like that.”
“Right,” Lin Banxia responded.
Later that night, Liu Xi, usually low-spirited, was brimming with energy, happily humming in the office. Lin Banxia felt the urge to speak up but ultimately held back. Just before the end of his shift, he cautiously asked, “Liu Xi, are you sure nothing happened to you last night?”
Liu Xi looked at him and bluntly said, “Nothing.”
After a moment’s silence, Lin Banxia spoke softly, “That woman… she’s suspicious. Don’t get too close to her.”
Liu Xi sneered, ignoring him, grabbed his coat, and walked out.
Lin Banxia watched him leave in silence.
Some colleagues, overhearing the exchange, came over to comfort him, but Lin Banxia shook his head, signaling he was fine. He wasn’t taking Liu Xi’s words to heart; he was more worried that Liu Xi had been affected by the woman. With this thought, he headed to the locker room, changed out of his uniform, and was ready to leave.
However, when he returned to the office, he was startled to find Liu Xi back, sitting in the same spot, staring down at something.
Confused as to why he’d returned, Lin Banxia walked over to ask. Suddenly, he noticed something off. This Liu Xi seemed different from the one who had left. Although similar in build and dressed in all black, he sat as still as a puppet. Pretending to tie his shoe, Lin Banxia crouched down, glancing sideways at “Liu Xi’s” lowered face. His skin was deathly pale, and his eyes, open wide, had no pupils—just an eerie white.
Most people would scream at the sight, but Lin Banxia merely straightened, acting as if nothing had happened, and calmly walked out.
In the deep night, Lin Banxia returned home alone.
He finished work early tonight and arrived home around 3 a.m., expecting Song Qingluo to be asleep. However, when he opened the door, he found him watching TV.
“Not going to bed?” Lin Banxia asked.
“I am, but I had something to handle, so I waited for you,” Song Qingluo replied.
“Is it about that woman? I also have something to tell you—” Lin Banxia, initially exhausted, suddenly perked up and recounted everything about Liu Xi’s situation to Song Qingluo.
After hearing him out, Song Qingluo nodded and said, “I arranged to meet Cheng Yuliu tomorrow.”
“She agreed?” Lin Banxia was a bit surprised.
“Yes,” Song Qingluo replied. “Would you like to come along?”
Lin Banxia hesitated. “Would I be of any help?”
“Perhaps,” Song Qingluo answered.
“Then I’ll go.” Lin Banxia agreed, also eager to get to the bottom of things.
Their meeting was scheduled for the afternoon, so Lin Banxia had some time to rest. He took a quick shower and went to bed.
The cabinet in his room was unusually restless, making more noise than usual. However, Lin Banxia was far too tired to care. Ignoring the noises, he fell asleep instantly. The cabinet door creaked open and shut repeatedly, as if a frustrated spirit were venting. Finally, it even irritated Song Qingluo, who coldly muttered, “Keep it up, and I’ll start paying its mortgage.”
Instantly, the room fell silent, and even the window was politely closed.
Lin Banxia slept deeply, waking up comfortably refreshed around noon. After a simple lunch with Song Qingluo, they set off promptly.
The meeting place with the woman was in a nearby park.
Today’s weather was just okay, and the park was quiet. Casually, Lin Banxia remarked, “This is a nice place to talk, much better than a café.”
Song Qingluo asked, “What’s better about it?”
Lin Banxia replied earnestly, “You don’t have to spend money.”
Song Qingluo: “…” Without saying anything, he silently went to the park entrance, bought three grilled sausages for Lin Banxia, and a bottle of soda for himself.
Lin Banxia happily munched on the grilled sausage, feeling his spirits lift, though there was still a tinge of sadness inside. He thought to himself, I could be living so happily if it weren’t for that mortgage.
So the two of them sat in the park, one holding a sausage and the other sipping on a soda, quietly waiting together in a peaceful atmosphere.
Lin Banxia had already finished two sausages and was about to start on his third when he noticed a figure approaching from afar. Looking closer, he recognized the woman he had previously seen at the funeral home—Cheng Yuliu. Compared to a few days ago, she looked even more terrifying, with barely any flesh left on her face, only a thin layer of skin stretched over deep, hollow eye sockets. She looked almost like a skeleton, making one’s skin crawl at first glance.
The thing that had been perched on her shoulder before was now nearly fused with her body, leaving only a few spider-like legs clawing and stretching behind her. Its head was halfway melted, but a pair of ghostly white eyes remained, gazing menacingly around from her shoulder.
From Lin Banxia’s perspective, she no longer seemed human.
Cheng Yuliu walked up to Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo, recognizing Lin Banxia. She said coldly, “It’s you?”
Song Qingluo replied, “No, it’s me.”
Suspicion flashed in Cheng Yuliu’s eyes. “Are you serious?”
Song Qingluo clasped his hands together on his knees, his demeanor icy. He said, “That depends on your sincerity.”
Cheng Yuliu narrowed her eyes, seemingly contemplating something. She stuck out her tongue, lightly licking her heavily painted red lips, then unexpectedly smiled. “Follow me. This isn’t the best place to talk; let’s go to my place.” With that, she turned and walked away without waiting for Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo’s response, assuming they would follow.
Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo exchanged a glance and, in silent agreement, stood up to follow her.
Lin Banxia took the last bite of his sausage, tossed the skewer into a trash can, and whispered to Song Qingluo, “Are we really going with her?”
Song Qingluo said, “Might as well see what happens.”
Lin Banxia said, “But I still feel a little uneasy.”
Song Qingluo glanced at him and handed over a half-finished bottle of cola. Lin Banxia silently accepted it, took a sip, and the sweet taste filled his mouth, bringing a sense of calm as dopamine was released from the sugar. Lin Banxia said, “Much better.”
Song Qingluo gave him a look that said, “See?”
The woman walked quickly, not saying a word, and her demeanor frightened those around her, who hurriedly moved aside. She seemed oblivious. After leaving the park, they walked for about ten minutes before arriving at the entrance of a high-end residential area. The security guard at the gate clearly recognized her, immediately opening the door without asking a single question.
Song Qingluo and Lin Banxia followed her into the complex.
Lin Banxia recognized this place—it was a well-known wealthy district with large, spacious apartments, each several hundred square meters, with prices in the tens of millions. Only very affluent people could afford to live here.
The woman went straight to a building and swiped her keycard in the elevator.
Lin Banxia saw the elevator display show the number eighteen, and then it began to ascend slowly. With a ding, it stopped at the designated floor.
This was a direct elevator-to-apartment type, meaning the elevator opened directly into the woman’s home.
It was Lin Banxia’s first time in such an expensive home, and he curiously looked around. Song Qingluo, however, showed little interest and followed the woman inside without even changing his shoes. Fortunately, the woman didn’t seem to care about such things. The first thing she did upon arriving home was to light a few candles.
Though it was daytime, all the windows were covered with thick curtains, making the room so dark that one couldn’t see their hand in front of them. Only the flickering candlelight provided a faint glow in the otherwise dim space.
The woman settled herself on the sofa and lit a thin, long cigarette by the candlelight. She picked up another pack and offered it to them with a smile.
Lin Banxia and Song Qingluo both declined.
Despite her emaciated appearance, which should make any expression look terrifying, Lin Banxia detected an eerie seductiveness in the way she smoked, reminiscent of the fox spirits from folk tales. But no fox spirit would allow herself to become so desolate.
“Can you bring the dead back to life?” she asked directly, blowing out a stream of smoke, her eyes narrowed.
“Yes,” Song Qingluo replied. “But you have to tell me what happened to Liu Xi.”
“How much do you already know?” the woman asked.
“A bit,” Song Qingluo replied.
“So, not everything yet?” She crossed her legs and smiled. “In that case, we can make a deal. Restore them, and I’ll tell you what happened to Liu Xi.”
“It’s possible,” Song Qingluo said. “But…”
“But what?” she pressed.
“But first, I want to hear your story.” Slowly, he took a pair of black gloves from his pocket, slipping each finger into place, his eyes lowered. “I bet it’s a fascinating tale.”
Cheng Yuliu sneered coldly, “My story is my token of sincerity. What about yours?”
Interlocking his fingers, Song Qingluo smiled—an unusual expression for him. “First, why don’t you let out what you’ve kept in your fridge? I’ll give you a preview.”
Cheng Yuliu’s lips curled into a sly smile, and her voice turned hoarse as she chuckled. She got up and headed towards the kitchen. Lin Banxia, puzzled, whispered, “What’s in the fridge?”
Song Qingluo replied quietly, “Something that was discarded.”
Lin Banxia was slightly taken aback, still unsure what “discarded” meant. But before he could ponder further, Song Qingluo had already headed toward the kitchen, and Lin Banxia quickly followed him.
As they neared the kitchen, Lin Banxia began to hear strange sounds—something sticky and soft, like a squirming mass on the floor. Standing behind Song Qingluo, he looked over his shoulder and saw the source of the sound by the dim candlelight. It was only at this moment that he understood what Song Qingluo meant by “discarded”—he was referring to a corpse, one discarded by the morgue.
Lin Banxia felt he would never forget this scene. A corpse, which should have been cremated, lay sprawled on the ground, reduced to such a broken state that it was nearly unrecognizable as human. No, it wasn’t a “he” anymore—it was an “it.” The grotesque mass was clinging to Cheng Yuliu’s calf, begging for food, as she held a jar containing something that looked like meat scraps, lovingly feeding it.
It was impossible to know how long this thing had been here. The kitchen air was filled with a sickening stench of decay, making even Lin Banxia, who worked in a peculiar field, struggle to breathe.
But Cheng Yuliu was unfazed, crouching down to gently caress the rotting flesh before turning to Song Qingluo. “Your token of sincerity?”
Song Qingluo stepped forward and retrieved a small case from his bag. The case resembled ones Lin Banxia had seen before, only smaller. After taking a few moments to unlock it, Song Qingluo pulled out what looked like a roll of plastic wrap. No, it was plastic wrap. Lin Banxia only confirmed this when Song Qingluo tore open a corner.
Cheng Yuliu looked stunned, about to ask what he was doing when she saw him pull off a strip of the wrap and cover part of the flesh mass on the ground. Instantly, the covered portion began to regenerate rapidly, forming what appeared to be a segment of an arm, complete with fully grown nails.
Seeing this, a wild joy filled Cheng Yuliu’s eyes. She said eagerly, “I want it—give it to me!”
Straightening up, Song Qingluo shot her a cold look and placed the plastic wrap back in the case.
“The terms?” Cheng Yuliu asked.
Song Qingluo replied, “The terms should be clear by now.”
After a moment’s thought, Cheng Yuliu suddenly asked, “Would you like some coffee?”
Song Qingluo shook his head, and Lin Banxia also declined.
“Tea, then? Or perhaps wine?” Her tone was unusually warm.
Song Qingluo asked, “Do you have cola?”
Cheng Yuliu stared at him in disbelief, repeating, “Cola?”
“If not, never mind.” Song Qingluo checked his watch, raising a hand. “Time is precious. Let’s hear your story.”
The woman’s face twisted into a bright smile, but with her skeletal features, it looked terrifying. She said, “This apartment cost fourteen million. I bought it outright.” Her tone changed, and with a casual kick, she shoved the mass she’d been tenderly feeding to the side. She danced gracefully around the room like a light butterfly, the flickering candle casting her face in a ghostly light.
“Just the renovations alone cost four million—the flooring, the sofa, all top-quality materials,” she said blissfully. “I even bought cars—Ferraris, Lamborghinis—only the most expensive. Paid for in full, not a cent on credit.”
Lin Banxia almost teared up in envy. Song Qingluo silently handed him a tissue, whispering, “Don’t cry; I’ll buy you a sausage later.”
Cheng Yuliu continued, “Just three years ago, I was penniless, too poor to afford a taxi. I bought only the cheapest groceries, and when times were hard, I’d scavenge for rotting vegetables in the market. Back then, even buying a three-dollar pastry felt like a luxury.” Her voice turned icy. “Do you have any idea what poverty feels like?! Who would willingly live that way?!”
Lin Banxia almost nodded meekly, but restrained himself under Song Qingluo’s watchful gaze.
“And now, in just three years, I’ve amassed all this wealth. Can you guess how?” she smiled. “This… is my secret.”
As her smile faded away, she added quietly, “But back then, I didn’t realize all of this came with a price.”
—
Author’s Note:
Lin Banxia: But, Song Qingluo, what’s the price of wealth?
Song Qingluo: Sore butt?
Lin Banxia: 0.0???
