They had earned money, but trouble came with it.
For three to five days straight, smoke rose from the Chen family’s chimney before dawn, and Chen Laosan left early and returned late with his cart every day.
Although the cart always came back empty, the rich aroma of oil clinging to it refused to wash away. Like an invisible hook, it tugged at the curiosity of everyone in the village.
The ancient locust tree at the village entrance became a breeding ground for rumors.
“Have you heard? Laosan’s family had meat again last night.”
“Meat every day? Where are they getting the money? Could they be… doing some kind of shady business?”
Eldest Aunt Zhang cracked sunflower seeds as she spoke in her usual sarcastic tone.
“Hmph. I’ve always said Laosan only looks honest. He’s got plenty of tricks up his sleeve. He cried poverty during the family split, and now he’s suddenly rich. Who knows? Maybe he’s been stealing chickens and picking pockets in town.”
Rumors spread like wildfire.
And with each retelling, they became more outrageous.
Lai Ergou squatted by a wall, listening to the gossip while chewing on a dry blade of grass.
A vicious gleam flashed in his triangular eyes.
A couple of days earlier, Chen Da from the eldest branch had slipped him two white-flour buns and asked him to “look into Laosan’s business.”
Look into it?
Lai Ergou spat out the grass stem and stared at the dirt road leading back to the village.
A sinister grin spread across his face.
Why bother investigating?
He could just rob them outright.
The setting sun stained the sky blood-red.
Chen Laosan pushed his wheelbarrow down the lonely road leading back to the village.
Tall weeds lined both sides of the path, and few people used it.
Empty buckets and baskets sat in the cart.
Chen Zui rode in the back, idly playing with a slingshot made from a forked branch. Her pockets were stuffed with smooth pebbles.
“Xiao Liu, we made eight hundred wen today!”
Chen Laosan lowered his voice, but he couldn’t hide his excitement.
“At this rate, we’ll save enough money for bricks and tiles before New Year!”
“Father, keep it down.”
Chen Zui pulled back the slingshot band with a snap.
“Don’t flaunt wealth. Did you forget?”
No sooner had she spoken than a dark figure sprang out of the weeds ahead.
“Stop right there!”
The shout exploded across the road.
Lai Ergou stepped out, carrying a thick wooden club across his shoulder.
His battered felt hat sat crooked on his head as he blocked their path.
Chen Laosan jumped in fright.
Instinctively, he lowered the cart handles and positioned himself in front of his daughter.
“B-Brother Ergou… what brings you out here in this cold weather?”
“Cut the crap!”
Lai Ergou banged his club against the wheelbarrow.
Thunk! Thunk!
“Laosan, I hear you’ve been making a fortune in town. Me and the boys are a little short on cash. Why don’t you lend us some?”
This wasn’t borrowing.
It was outright robbery.
Sweat appeared in Chen Laosan’s palms.
He forced a smile.
“You’re joking, Brother Ergou. I’ve just been doing some hard labor. What money could I possibly have?”
“Bullshit!”
Lai Ergou spat at his feet.
“No money? Then why are you eating meat every day? Let me see what’s in those baskets!”
As he spoke, he reached toward the basket.
Hidden underneath was today’s earnings.
Chen Laosan panicked and moved to block him.
“You can’t look! That’s—”
“Get out of the way!”
Being younger and stronger, Lai Ergou shoved him aside.
Then his dirty hand shot toward Chen Zui.
“You little brat, get down here! Let’s see what treasure you’re hiding!”
Chen Zui remained seated.
She watched the approaching hand.
Black grime filled the cracks beneath the man’s fingernails.
The smell of stale tobacco wafted from him.
Her left hand gripped the slingshot.
Her right hand selected a pebble.
The elastic band stretched to its limit.
Her eyes narrowed.
Focused.
When Lai Ergou’s fingers were only inches from her collar—
She released.
Snap!
The pebble shot forward like a bullet.
Perfectly.
It struck the Yanggu acupoint on the outside of his wrist.
“AAAAAGH!”
Lai Ergou screamed.
His arm jerked back as if he’d been electrocuted.
Pain and numbness exploded through his entire right arm.
The club slipped from his grasp and crashed to the ground.
Clang!
Clutching his wrist, he hopped around in agony.
Tears sprang to his eyes.
“You little bastard! You dared hit me!”
Chen Laosan stood frozen.
He hadn’t even seen what happened.
Meanwhile, Chen Zui calmly lowered her slingshot and rose to her feet in the cart.
The crimson glow of sunset outlined her small figure in red.
But it did nothing to soften the coldness in her eyes.
“Uncle Ergou.”
Her voice was soft.
Childish.
Yet somehow eerie in the empty wilderness.
“I didn’t hit you.”
She tilted her head slightly.
“It was the thing behind you. It doesn’t want you touching me.”
Lai Ergou froze.
“What… what thing?”
The wind suddenly picked up.
The weeds on both sides rustled and whispered.
Chen Zui stared fixedly at the space behind his neck.
Her large black-and-white eyes revealed a mixture of fear and curiosity.
“Uncle Ergou… don’t you know?”
She lowered her voice.
“People in the village say that three years ago, by the river… didn’t you push someone into the water?”
Lai Ergou’s face instantly turned white.
Three years ago, he’d shoved a passing child into the river to steal the boy’s longevity lock.
No one knew about that.
At least, no living person.
“Y-you’re talking nonsense!”
His voice trembled.
His feet unconsciously backed away.
“He’s right there on your back.”
Chen Zui slowly raised a finger and pointed at his shoulder.
Her voice dropped almost to a whisper.
“As if you’re soaked through… dripping water everywhere…”
“His little hands are wrapped around your neck.”
“Uncle Ergou… don’t you feel it?”
“The back of your neck… isn’t it cold?”
“He’s breathing on you.”
A wave of icy terror surged from Lai Ergou’s feet to the top of his head.
Whether it was imagination or not, he suddenly felt a chill brush the back of his neck.
Like wet hair dragging across his skin.
Combined with the mysterious pain in his wrist, the fear of being seized by a ghost shattered the last of his courage.
“AAAAAAAHHHHH—!!!”
His scream barely sounded human.
“Ghost!”
“Don’t come after me!”
“It wasn’t me! I didn’t mean to kill you!”
He didn’t even stop to pick up his club.
Clutching his head, he spun around and ran like a madman.
After only two steps, he tripped over a root and crashed face-first into the dirt.
Scrambling up, he continued fleeing, rolling and stumbling into the gathering darkness.
“Ghost… there’s a ghost…”
His terrified cries faded into the distance.
Chen Laosan stood rooted to the spot.
The carrying pole he’d grabbed in preparation for a fight still hung from his hand.
He looked at the empty road.
Then at his daughter, who had calmly sat back down in the cart.
A chill crept up his own spine.
“Xiao Liu…”
He swallowed hard.
“Did Ergou really have… something on his back?”
Chen Zui tucked away the slingshot.
Then she pulled a milk candy from her spatial storage and popped it into her mouth.
The sinister expression vanished instantly, replaced by a sweet smile.
“Father, I lied to him.”
Chewing the candy, she spoke through the sweetness.
“He has a guilty conscience. That’s all.”
“Let’s go home. Mother and Big Sister are probably worried.”
Chen Laosan let out a long breath and wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead.
This daughter of his…
She was far too bold.
But it felt incredibly satisfying.
“Alright!”
He grabbed the handles of the cart again.
“Hold on tight!”
The wheelbarrow rolled forward, faster than before.
After this incident, another story about the Third Branch being “haunted” or “cursed” would probably spread through the village.
But that wasn’t necessarily bad.
The stranger and more mysterious they seemed, the fewer people would dare provoke them.
By the time they got home, it was fully dark.
After counting the day’s earnings, Chen Yinuo looked worriedly at a nearly empty seasoning jar.
“Xiao Liu, we’re almost out of that ‘Immortal Powder’—the cumin and pepper.”
“If we lose that flavor, our pancakes won’t sell for the same price.”
Chen Zui’s heart skipped a beat.
Business had been booming.
Although her spatial storage still contained plenty of spices, she couldn’t keep producing ready-made powders forever.
Someone as clever as Chen Yinuo would eventually become suspicious.
And to keep up appearances, she needed to venture into the mountains and bring back some so-called “raw ingredients.”
More importantly, although the money from selling the ginseng would sustain them for a while, it wasn’t enough to accomplish her larger goals.
If she wanted to find her missing sisters and build stronger connections, she needed allies with influence.
“We won’t go to the docks tomorrow.”
Looking out at the dark mountains beyond the window, Chen Zui made her decision.
“Tomorrow Father and I are heading into the mountains.”
“To gather medicinal herbs.”
“And while we’re there… we’ll see if we can find some of those ‘spice fruits.’”
The moment Chen Laosan heard the words into the mountains, he instinctively touched the place where a wild boar had injured him before.
The wound had healed.
The fear had not.
Still, seeing the determination in his daughter’s eyes, he gritted his teeth.
“Alright.”
“Father will go with you.”
“This time we’ll take a different route. I heard there’s an old trail left behind by a retired hunter.”
Chen Zui nodded.
Perfect.
She had been wanting to meet that legendary old hunter anyway.
The one who had retired after an injury and was known for his eccentric personality.
According to local rumors, he was also unusually well-informed about news from Yunzhou.
And that was exactly the kind of person she needed to meet next.