Perhaps it was because of Zhao Yixian's gentleness, or perhaps for some other reason, this time was very short—less than a quarter of an hour before I sounded the retreat. Zhao Yixian quickly dressed herself and said, "Little husband, you must be good and stay in the room. Don't go anywhere." After speaking, she turned and walked out the door. Her slender, perfect silhouette was deeply etched into my mind. After she left the room, it seemed as though someone had covered my ears—I went deaf, unable to hear a single sound, even though the old wooden door was clearly shaking. I quickly scrambled to my feet and ran to the door. Zhao Yixian's words left me uneasy, and I felt that something was about to happen. Through the crack in the door, I saw the scene in the courtyard. Grandpa Hu had already returned, and he and Grandfather were lying on the ground. On their backs, I saw two female ghosts dressed in black burial shrouds, pressing down on them so they couldn't move at all, their limbs twitching and struggling desperately. In the center of the small courtyard, I witnessed an even more heart-wrenching sight. A dozen or so female ghosts stood there with Zhao Yixian, surrounding her. One after another, they lunged at her with claws bared, their sharp nails raking across her body, leaving trail after trail of bloody gashes. Zhao Yixian's expression remained calm as she dealt with the ghosts that kept charging at her, always shielding her fair, beautiful face. The corners of her eyes twitched slightly, and with each sweep and toss of her arms, she managed to repel one ghost, but she couldn't seriously injure them. The ugly, ferocious ghosts showed no mercy whatsoever. In less than three minutes, her blue form-fitting dress had been dyed purple with blood. "Stop! You ghosts, if you have any guts, come at me! Don't torment her!" I grabbed the door fiercely, ready to rush out. For some reason, even though the door was only latched, no matter how hard I pushed, I couldn't open it. The noise I made drew the attention of all the ghosts, who turned to look at me. By then, Zhao Yixian was exhausted, swaying unsteadily in the center of the courtyard, her lips moving as if she were saying something, but I couldn't hear a word. The ghosts stopped attacking her when they saw me. Several of them drifted over to the door, their ugly, twisted, deathly pale faces pressed against the crack, looking absolutely terrifying. "Come on! Come bite me, you ugly freaks!" I wasn't afraid. Instead, I shouted loudly. The way they treated Zhao Yixian filled me with hatred, and my rage and fury had long since driven away any fear in my heart. "Slap!" A pale hand suddenly landed on my shoulder from behind, yanking me backward with tremendous force. In an instant, I felt a bone-chilling coldness. Before I could react, I saw an even uglier female ghost face appear less than ten centimeters from mine. The ghost stared at me intently, and my entire body froze, as if bound by the air itself. The ghost studied me for a long moment, her black lips moving a few times, though I couldn't tell what she said. Just then, Zhao Yixian, drenched in blood, suddenly appeared beside me. She raised her hand and slapped the ghost, sending it flying back several meters. She reached out, pulled me into her arms, and shielded me as she moved to a corner. Then, with an angry expression, she spoke several sentences. The ghosts all rushed in, baring their claws and fangs, their cold, sinister gazes fixed entirely on Zhao Yixian. No one paid me any more attention. I couldn't hear a thing—it was as if I had gone deaf. The room was in chaos, yet I couldn't hear a single sound. Zhao Yixian spoke with them for nearly a minute before the ghosts finally lunged at her. At that moment, she extended a bloodstained hand and gently brushed it across my face. I felt dizzy and weak, slumping down against the wall. My eyelids grew impossibly heavy. In the last moment before I closed my eyes, I saw a dozen ghosts charging forward, and the only thing standing between them and me was Zhao Yixian's small, fragile, blood-soaked body.
…When I woke up, the sun was already rising. Grandfather and Grandpa Hu were sitting by my bedside, both looking exhausted. When Grandfather saw that I was awake, he let out a complete sigh of relief and said, "Finally awake. It seems we've safely made it through this ordeal." Grandpa Hu added, "Yes, but it's a pity about that young lady Zhao." I sat up abruptly and asked urgently, "Grandfather, where is Zhao Yixian?" Grandfather shook his head and let out a sigh without saying a word. I quickly grabbed Grandpa Hu's sleeve: "Grandpa Hu, I beg you to tell me, where did Zhao Yixian go? I want to find her. She's fine, right?" Grandpa Hu also sighed. Looking at the expressions of the two elders, my tears immediately fell like pearls from a broken string. That feeling was beyond words. Even when Grandfather hit me the hardest, I had never shed so many tears. I vaguely sensed that my Fairy Sister, the woman who called me "little husband," the woman who had protected me with her life, was already gone. But I refused to admit it, and I refused to accept it. I would rather live in a dream, letting her live forever in my mind. I quickly grabbed the groom's attire by the bed and threw it on haphazardly, saying, "Grandfather, I want to marry Zhao Yixian." This time, Grandfather didn't oppose me. Instead, he nodded heavily and said, "Alright, I'll take you to see her." "Good!" I jumped up excitedly. If Grandfather said he would take me to see her, didn't that mean she was still alive? Grandfather and Grandpa Hu led me to the courtyard. In the western corner of the yard, there was a new mound of earth, freshly dug, its soil still damp. In front of the mound stood a wooden board with a brush and ink, but nothing was written on it. Before the board were an incense burner and several plates of offerings. "She's gone. We set up a grave for her here. You should pay your respects often in the future—it will benefit her reincarnation," Grandpa Hu said. Looking at Grandfather's sorrowful yet earnest expression, I knelt before the grave and broke down sobbing again. This time, I cried for nearly an hour straight. Finally, when my tears ran dry, I said weakly, "Grandfather, Grandpa Hu, I want to perform the wedding ceremony with her. Is that alright?" "It's only proper. A woman so loyal and devoted deserves it," Grandpa Hu replied. I didn't ask Grandfather what had happened last night, nor how those female ghosts had left, nor how Zhao Yixian had died. Those things, Grandfather would tell me in time. At this moment, I just knelt before her grave and wept. Grandfather brought over a pair of candles—this time they were red—along with a wine jug and two cups. He poured wine into both cups, then took out the jade ring and said solemnly to it, "Young lady Zhao, thank you for your help to Zhao Mo. Without you, he would already be lying in a coffin. His life was given by you. Today he wishes to marry you, and I will make the decision to bless your union." With that, Grandfather poured one cup of wine over the jade ring. As the wine touched the ring, a faint white mist rose, then seeped into the soil beneath. "Drink your wine, quickly," Grandpa Hu reminded me.
I picked up the wine cup and downed the liquor in one gulp. It was harsh and burning on my throat, making tears stream down my face—that was my first time drinking. Sunlight shone directly ahead, blindingly bright, but behind Grandfather's small courtyard, a patch of dark clouds suddenly gathered, and soon a light drizzle began to fall. Grandpa Hu sighed and said, "The sun shines in the east while rain falls in the west—not sunny, yet not without feeling. This snake spirit's affection runs deep. After the Gui Xi, the name must change. Yearning but unable to be together, immortal and mortal forever separated—from now on, you shall be called Zhao Lianfan." "Zhao Yixian, Zhao Lianfan—the names match well enough. From now on, you'll go by Zhao Lianfan," Grandfather echoed. I nodded. Although the name was somewhat feminine, I liked it. I picked up the brush from the ground, dipped it in ink, and wrote two crooked lines on the blank wooden tablet: "The grave of wife Zhao Yixian, erected by husband Zhao Lianfan."
The wedding ceremony was very simple. Grandfather tied the jade ring to my neck with a red string, and I pressed it close against my chest. Strangely enough, when it was hot during the day, the jade ring was ice-cold and incredibly comfortable, but when it was cold at night, the ring's temperature was higher than my body heat, making me feel warm all over. That night, I kept dreaming—all the dreams were of Zhao Yixian's figure, especially the scene of her being surrounded and attacked by those female ghosts. When I woke up in the morning, I found the entire pillow soaked with my tears. I knew that in my dreams, I had cried the whole night. My longing for Zhao Yixian grew even stronger, and my hatred for those female ghosts burned deep in my bones.
Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, I crawled out of bed. While Grandfather was still asleep, I gritted my teeth, hoisted a hoe and a shovel from the yard, and headed out the door. I was going to dig up graves—to dig up all the graves of those female ghosts, to drag their bones out and expose them to the sun. They were the ones who killed Zhao Yixian, and I wasn't going to let them off.
June weather is like a baby's face—it changes in an instant. Just as I stepped out of the courtyard, a torrential downpour began. I paid it no mind. Until I dug up those female ghosts' graves, the resentment in my heart wouldn't find release. I even thought to myself—maybe I should just let those ghosts kill me. Perhaps if I died, I could see Zhao Yixian again. When a person no longer cares about their own life, there's nothing left to fear. And right now, that was exactly my state of mind.
I ran wildly with the hoe and shovel, crying as I ran. The rain and tears mixed together, tasting bitter and sour. I don't know where the strength came from—without having eaten breakfast, I ran for a full two hours, until by the end I was dragging the shovel along the ground. Heaven itself seemed to support what I was doing, because by the time I reached Fentou Mountain, the dark clouds had scattered and the rain had stopped. The morning sun felt warm on my back. I took off my clothes, wrung out the water, draped them carelessly over my shoulder, and carried the hoe and shovel up the mountain.
After the rain, Fentou Mountain was shrouded in a thick layer of mist, looking ethereal and unreal. After walking nearly a hundred meters, I began to recall the route Grandpa Hu had taken me up that night, trying to find the graves of those female ghosts he had invited to watch the Gui Xi. I passed a familiar grave—it belonged to a classmate's mother, who had hanged herself. I had attended the funeral procession. When I passed by her grave, I bowed twice, then continued on. But as I walked, I found myself back in front of her grave again, and not a single one of the female ghosts' graves I was looking for was in sight. I grew anxious, a vicious anger pent up in my chest. I refused to accept it—I wouldn't rest until I had dug open those dozen or so graves.