“Right, driver, turn around as soon as you get the chance.” Tian Shenglai clutched his mobile phone tightly, staring out of the window with a sense of dread; he’d been so close, so very close to falling into the clutches of that ghost.
“Right.” The driver glanced at Tian Shenglai again. “You seem a bit off. What are you doing in Liushu Village?”
“I was originally going to look for someone called Zhang De, but I don’t need to now,” Tian Shenglai replied, unconsciously tapping open his text messages. The message from that unknown number was still displayed at the bottom of the screen: ‘Don’t trust anyone.’
Before Tian Shenglai could give it much thought, the driver’s voice rang out again.
“Zhang De? I know him!” the driver exclaimed, his voice rising with emotion. “He’s my great-uncle. Why on earth are you looking for him?”
“Your great-uncle?! There really is such a person?!” Tian Shenglai was bewildered. If there really was such a person, that proved the ghost hadn’t lied to him. Could it be that this was actually a benevolent spirit?
“He used to make furniture, but his eyesight went bad. These days he just does a bit of handicraft at home. What on earth are you going to see him for in the middle of the night?”
“I was actually hoping to ask him to make a threshold for me,” Tian Shenglai explained briefly after a few seconds’ hesitation.
“Has a ghost got into your house?” the driver asked, looking at Tian Shenglai in astonishment.
Hearing this, Tian Shenglai suddenly felt as though a light had dawned on him. It seemed the driver knew his stuff after all. He might as well ask the driver for advice. After a moment’s thought, Tian Shenglai laid out his entire ordeal.
Having finished, Tian Shenglai looked at the driver expectantly. He was genuinely terrified; the only person who’d given him directions had turned out to be a ghost, and he truly didn’t know what to do. His only hope now rested with this enthusiastic driver he’d only just met.
To his surprise, the driver actually offered some advice. “A threshold made from a hundred-year-old willow tree can indeed ward off ghosts, but the willow must be freshly cut. It’s so late now, and that tree grows at the foot of the mountain, quite close to the graveyard. You’ve already attracted a ghost—are you really going to go to the graveyard? Do you dare?”
Tian Shenglai didn’t dare. “What should I do then? Could I stay there for the night and have it made tomorrow?”
Upon hearing this, the driver gave no clear answer, merely replying vaguely, “You’ll have to ask them yourself; I don’t know.”
“Aren’t you from Liushu Village?” Tian Shenglai asked in confusion; he’d assumed the driver was from Liushu Village too.
“No, I’m from Weishan Village. It’s quite close to Liushu Village, so I know a bit about it,” the driver explained, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, looking towards the next junction. “Are we turning back? If we turn at that junction up ahead, I’ll be off the route. If we don’t turn now and have to go back later, it’ll cost you a fortune.”
It was only then that Tian Shenglai noticed the driver’s meter had shot up to a hundred. “Didn’t you say fifty would be fine?!”
“Oh, that was just an estimate. The actual fare depends on the meter.” Fearing Tian Shenglai might feel cheated, the driver added, “I’ll have to drive back empty after dropping you off.”
“Take me to Liushu Village.”
Tian Shenglai couldn’t really argue. It was late at night, and they were on the motorway; if the driver got angry and left him stranded by the roadside, he’d be completely helpless.
But would going to Liushu Village really solve the problem?
According to the driver’s description, Liushu Village was eerily sinister. So many people had drowned in that reservoir, yet the driver himself was from that area and was still willing to give him a ride. Did that prove it was still relatively safe?
If he didn’t go to Liushu Village, where else could he possibly go?
He didn’t dare return home. If he went elsewhere, who knew whether the female ghost might follow him? It felt as though nowhere was safe.
Perhaps it was the air conditioning set too high, but Tian Shenglai felt a chill and instinctively slipped his hands into his pockets. Suddenly, he felt something rough—the texture felt strangely familiar.
Trembling, Tian Shenglai pulled the object out of his pocket. It was a piece of yellow paper, covered in crooked handwriting that read: ‘Bell’.
Hadn’t he thrown it away?!
Tian Shenglai stared at the piece of paper in his hand in horror, his face as pale as the paper itself. So was the female ghost still following him?
Tian Shenglai looked around suspiciously. After a moment, he looked up at the dark night road; he had no choice but to head for Liushu Village.
…………
In the dim night, Fang Qinian ran around the village, using the tall, towering willow trees for cover.
He’d just slipped out earlier, but those people were really on the ball—it didn’t take them long to realise he was missing. They were searching for him with torches in the dead of night. He’d intended to call the police straight away, but his mobile had no signal!
He panicked on the spot. Finding himself alone in an unfamiliar village, invited to a strange place, and even detained—he’d thought it was all manageable. He’d always believed that simply calling the police would intimidate them; surely they wouldn’t go so far as to kill him to silence him.
But Lu Mian had been urging him to leave immediately. The moment he set off, he realised there was no signal, and he became on high alert. He’d originally planned to retrace his steps to the village entrance to wait for the bus, but there were no streetlights here; the lighting stopped at the village entrance. The road was pitch-black, and with people searching for him, he dared not turn on his torch. He had no choice but to feel his way in the dark, whilst taking care to avoid any patches of light.
There were many willow trees here, so he could only make his way by using them for cover.
Fang Qinian crouched behind a willow tree, peering out to see a group of people approaching with torches.
What should he do? Fang Qinian was truly panicking now. Those people weren’t just holding torches; they had knives too. He was unarmed and stood no chance against them.
What sort of illicit dealings were going on in this village that they dared to detain people illegally? If he’d known, he would have listened to Lu Mian and never come to this godforsaken place.
As the light grew closer and with the pond behind him, Fang Qinian gritted his teeth. He’d risk it all and simply ran outwards, following his instincts.
“Over here! He’s here!”
“Come on, come on, chase him!”
Fang Qinian ran frantically ahead. In a daze, he thought he spotted a willow tree—the landmark at the village entrance he’d passed on his way in.
Was he about to reach the village entrance?!
Fang Qinian, spurred on by excitement, ran even faster. Reaching the village entrance meant the bus stop couldn’t be far away—and there were CCTV cameras there!
Fang Qinian was so focused on running forward that he suddenly collided with someone; both of them tumbled to the ground.
“Who’s there? What are you doing running so fast in the middle of the night?” The voice was aged yet loud, tinged with anger.
“That voice…” Fang Qinian called out, “Old man who sells chickens?”
“Is that you? Didn’t I tell you to wait at the village entrance? Where have you been running off to?”
“I went back to have dinner with the villagers.” Feeling a bit guilty, Fang Qinian helped the old man to his feet and stood awkwardly behind him.
“Uncle Dazhu? You and this…” The villager who had been chasing after Fang Qinian looked on, somewhat bewildered.
Spotting the kitchen knives and hoes in the villager’s hands, the old man selling chickens instantly realised something and immediately spoke up: “A legitimate customer, here to buy chicken blood from me.”
“Woo—”
The shrill wail of a police siren pierced the night, and the headlights cutting through the darkness illuminated the village entrance.
“You called the police?!” The villagers’ gazes turned fierce as they fixed them on Fang Qinian.
“What on earth are you doing?!”
Several policemen stepped out of the patrol car, their eyes immediately locking onto the villagers clutching their tools.
After a few more glances around, the officers’ eyes settled on Fang Qinian. “Are you Fang Qinian?”
“Yes.” Fang Qinian nodded hastily, then ducked behind the officers; this made him feel safe.
The officers did not disappoint him, shielding him behind them. “Your classmate called the police, saying you were being held against your will.”