"Anything… are you sure?"
"I'm sure." Féng Yùshù placed both hands over her chest; beneath her snow-white collarbones lay her full bosom, the fair, supple skin more beautiful than the white jade pendant hanging at her throat. "As long as I can leave this place, I'll do whatever you ask."
"All right, then hand over the money." Níng Zhé immediately said, "What valuables do you have on you? Cash or jewelry—either is fine. But just so you know, I don't want jade pendants, pearls, or bodhi-seed bracelets that are hard to convert into cash. I only accept payment in cash or precious metals like gold and silver."
Féng Yùshù parted her lips as if to protest, but in the end said nothing. "Fine…"
She lifted the gold-inlaid phoenix-perched-on-phoenixwood hairpin from her updo, allowing her jet-black hair to tumble down like an ink waterfall. Then she emptied all the cash from her small leather purse and slipped the rose-carved, diamond-set gold ring from her left ring finger, handing everything to Níng Zhé.
Féng Yùshù did not resent Níng Zhé's extortion; she was even somewhat pleased. Money and jewelry only mattered in a normal social order—and his demand for gold, silver, and cash showed he was confident he could leave He Family Village and return to the real world. As long as she could escape, a few trinkets and bills were nothing.
What Féng Yùshù—who thought she had reached a second level of understanding—did not know was that Níng Zhé was already operating on a higher plane.
"This woman is surprisingly clever," he thought calmly as he tucked her hairpin, ring, and cash into his coat's inner pocket. "By demanding these valuables, I should have subconsciously won her trust."
"Tell me, Níng Zhé—what do we do next?" Féng Yùshù asked, retying her long hair with the bodhi-seed bracelet she had worn on her right wrist.
Níng Zhé held the phoenix-perched-on-phoenixwood hairpin between his fingers, scrutinizing the golden carving at its tip. "There are two rules in He Family Village.
Rule One: The Snake God. The Snake God uses the official almanac to tell us each day's auspicious and inauspicious events.
Rule Two: The Strange. Ghosts can replace others' identities by some method.
There are also two mysteries in He Family Village.
Mystery One: The Snake God has gone mad, periodically falling ill every month. I've witnessed the symptoms, but the cause remains unknown.
[Mystery 1: Why has the Snake God gone mad?]
Mystery Two: Ghosts lack the power to kill directly, but by impersonating someone who has violated a taboo, they can use the Snake God's blade to commit murder.
[Mystery 2: How does a ghost assume another's identity?]
The wandering ghost in He Family Village cannot casually impersonate anyone—otherwise we'd already be extinct. Just as the Snake God only worsens your luck when you break a taboo and only kills you outright if you violate the deadliest taboo, the ghost needs someone to trigger a specific "rule" before its power can manifest.
"I have two paths," Níng Zhé continued, rotating the carved hairpin in his fingers. "Either uncover the cause of the Snake God's madness or determine the condition that allows the ghost to assume another's identity… or ideally both. Then perhaps we can reveal the true nature of He Family Village and find a way out."
"Sounds dangerous." Féng Yùshù tied her sleek black hair into a practical topknot and asked, "Which path do you plan to take first—the Snake God or the ghost?"
"Neither." Níng Zhé shook his head. "I'm tired. I need to rest. We'll decide at dawn."
"Huh?" Féng Yùshù was stunned.
Níng Zhé smiled at her. "Thinking is hard work. So, Auntie, keep watch for me."
"Oh…"
Still groggy, Féng Yùshù followed Níng Zhé out of the ancestral hall, climbed onto the wet, slippery tiles of the roof—where firewood and old tables were piled in the alley beside the hall—and watched him roll over and lie down. He drew a piece of silk over his face to block the moonlight and immediately fell asleep.
When in doubt, take a nap.
"Who is this person?" Féng Yùshù thought, half anxious, half amused as she gazed at Níng Zhé's covered face.
She turned to the narrow alley they had climbed, where damp firewood and disassembled old round tables leaned against the hall's outer wall, the wood mottled with mold in the moist air.
"Why are there so many tables and chairs by the ancestral hall?" she wondered but realized Níng Zhé was already asleep.
How nice youth is—you sleep anywhere. I need sleeping pills just to rest…
She wondered how Zhāng Yǎngxù and Yè Miàozhú were doing—had they found a way out? What about Ā Zhǐ—had she noticed her mother was missing? Was she worried?
Perhaps from the earlier shocks—and the rapid emotional swings—her taut nerves were finally relaxing. The crisp night breeze wound through the streets, and she too drifted into a drowsy sleep.
The plump white moon, like a silkworm pupa, slowly crawled across the night sky. As dawn approached, a fiery sun rose from the hills east of the basin.
Féng Yùshù stirred from a deep slumber, her limbs stiff as if bound. A deep terror jolted her awake; she sat up and saw a large scarlet cloth—familiar—draped over her.
"Looks familiar, doesn't it? This cloth covered Lín Zhìyuǎn." Níng Zhé, sitting beside her, said casually. "You slept deeper than me even though you were supposed to watch. And you kept snuggling against me for warmth… so I found you a blanket."
"No need for thanks. Just follow my instructions shortly."
"…Sorry, what instructions?" Féng Yùshù rubbed her sleepy eyes and asked.
Níng Zhé pointed downward. "Look—over there."
Féng Yùshù followed his finger across the street to a small shop whose doors had been closed, but now one stood open. A woman's head—hair pinned up with a cloud-shaped hairpin, a square of yellow paper pasted to her face—peeked out. Presumably the shopkeeper's wife.
Even across the street, Níng Zhé's vision was keen. The yellow paper bore the characters:
[He Huìfēn]
The woman emerged and hurried toward the ancestral hall. She was not alone—other shop doors along the street had opened as well.
Féng Yùshù, still wrapped in a tablecloth, stared in astonishment as the silent villagers with yellow papers on their faces filed toward the hall at dawn.
Each paper bore a different name—He Rùnshēng, He Quányǒu, He Róngqiū… every surname began with "He." Their movements were stiff and awkward, their steps shuffling like puppets on strings.
"The people of He Family Village aren't real people but byproducts of some rule. I don't want to interact with them more than necessary." Níng Zhé shook his head and pulled Féng Yùshù down beside him so they wouldn't be spotted by any nosy villagers looking up at the sky.
Chapters in advance there: patreon.com/Thaniel_a_goodchild
Reference Glossary:
Bodhi seed (菩提子) – Seeds traditionally used to make Buddhist prayer beads, symbolizing enlightenment.
Phoenix-perched-on-phoenixwood hairpin (凤栖梧桐发簪) – A hairpin carved from phoenixwood and gilded with a phoenix motif, associated with nobility and elegance.