Chapter Seventeen: First Signs Emerge (Part One)

The next morning, as they had agreed, Shi Jun arrived early at school to make up for his days of absence, intending to take Motuo to Old Hu Hai’s company after classes to secure a leisurely job for him. But he waited half the day without word from Hu Hai. Just as Shi Jun was about to call, he saw Hu Hai approaching, his face ashen with rage.

“I broke up with Chen Ya,” Hu Hai said stiffly, refusing to utter another word. He strode toward the school gates, head down and walking briskly. Seeing this, Shi Jun knew better than to ask questions and simply followed silently by his side.

It was a long while before Hu Hai finally spoke, recounting everything that had happened the previous night...

It turned out that when Hu Hai and Motuo returned home, it was already close to midnight. By sheer misfortune, they ran into Chen Ya at the door, just as she was coming back from an outing.

Contrary to Hu Hai’s anxious imaginings, Chen Ya showed no sign of worry or agitation. Dressed in new clothes, her face glowing with vitality, she hummed a cheerful tune and carried several shopping bags of various sizes, her smile radiant—she looked every bit the woman who had just enjoyed a pleasant shopping spree. She was startled to see Hu Hai, but said nothing, merely darkened her face, opened the door, and went inside without another glance.

Hu Hai, feeling guilty and weak, entered with his head lowered and, according to the “prearranged plan” devised by Shi Jun the previous night, gave Chen Ya a full report. Then, he signaled to Motuo, ready to watch this so-called “demon world love expert” work his magic.

But Chen Ya listened indifferently, not even sparing a glance for her “cousin,” and sat herself on the living room couch, turning on the TV and beginning to admire her newly purchased and expensive clothes one by one. This behavior thoroughly irked Motuo, who had been waiting to mediate.

In truth, Motuo had no real strategy for “taming a shrew.” He simply thought a grown man being away for a few days was no big deal, and had planned to make light of the situation. But seeing Chen Ya act as if nothing had happened, showing not a hint of concern for Hu Hai, and treating him, her elder, with such disregard, anger flashed in his eyes. He was about to speak harshly, but catching Hu Hai’s pleading look, he forced down his annoyance and grinned, saying, “All right, all right! As long as we’ve cleared things up. Xiao Hu, just apologize to Miss Chen—I doubt she’ll really stay angry.”

Hu Hai immediately let out a dry, nervous laugh, stood up, and prepared to apologize and be done with it.

If only Chen Ya had let it go—perhaps with a few more complaints, the whole matter might have ended there. But Chen Ya had never regarded Hu Hai with any real affection, and seeing Motuo, this plainly dressed “cousin,” she assumed he was just another poor relative come to scrounge, so she ignored his words entirely. With a cold, mocking smile, she said, “Since when does an outsider like you get to meddle in my business with Hu Hai? Look at you—so shabby—have you even seen yourself in a mirror?”

This not only infuriated Motuo but also left Hu Hai embarrassed. “Xiao Ya, how can you talk to big brother like that…” he began.

But Chen Ya cut him off furiously, “So what if he’s your cousin? That doesn’t mean anything! Even if your parents were here, it wouldn’t matter! Do you realize, your unexplained disappearance meant that there wasn’t enough money on the card? When I went shopping today, I had to put several things back because I couldn’t afford them—how humiliating!”

At these words, Hu Hai’s face turned livid, but under Chen Ya’s domineering presence, he dared not reply, only lowering his head and breathing heavily.

Motuo could bear it no longer. With a dark, malicious smile, he silently invoked a demonic incantation: “Heart’s Question.” This sorcery, fueled purely by mental force, could inflame a person’s anger and make them lose all reason, their actions and words entirely ruled by emotion. Originally a forbidden spell used in the demon realm for interrogation and destabilizing minds, Motuo now deployed it against this mortal woman for his own amusement.

Chen Ya, in the midst of her tirade, suddenly faltered. Her fair face flushed scarlet, and, as if seized by some inexplicable force, she leapt onto a chair, planted her hands on her hips, glared at Hu Hai, and unleashed a torrent of abuse: “You idiot! Did you really think I liked you? If it weren’t for your money—so I could eat well and dress well—do you think I’d bother with you? You’re as dull as a log, completely uninteresting. You can’t compare to Li Qiang at all. If I hadn’t wanted to squeeze a bit more out of you, I’d have dumped you ages ago! If you’d vanished for good, it would save me the trouble. I’ve been spending your money, dating other men, and loving every minute of it!”

As soon as she finished, not only was Hu Hai struck dumb, but even Chen Ya herself seemed shocked by what she’d said. But the words were out, and there was no taking them back. In a fit of shamelessness, she screamed that she wanted to break up with Hu Hai.

Motuo, unwilling to let her off so easily, had two motives: he wanted to know what else this contemptible woman had done to betray Hu Hai, and he wanted to make sure Hu Hai gave up on her for good. With a sly grin, he asked, “Who is Li Qiang? How long have you two been involved?”

Chen Ya desperately tried to cover her mouth, but her body, under the spell, refused to obey. Without thinking, she blurted out, “Li Qiang is Hu Hai’s classmate. He’s not just handsome—he’s rich, too. We’ve always been close. If I hadn’t had a falling out with him and needed someone to lean on, I’d never have bothered with Hu Hai. Now that we’ve made up…”

“Enough!” Hu Hai, who had stood frozen, finally erupted. “Get out! I never want to see you again!”

Thus did the farce of these three, and the ill-fated bond between Hu Hai and Chen Ya, end amid Hu Hai’s thunderous roar.

* * *

After hearing Hu Hai’s account, Shi Jun fell silent as well. Though he had always disapproved of Hu Hai’s relationship with Chen Ya, seeing his good friend so cruelly deceived filled him with pain. Yet he knew that words were of little comfort now—only time could heal such wounds.

The two walked on in silence and, before they knew it, arrived at Hu Hai’s residence. There, they saw Chen Ya lugging two large suitcases out the door, while Motuo lounged lazily by the entrance, yawning and looking half-asleep.

At the sight of Hu Hai and Shi Jun, Chen Ya’s face remained expressionless, and she brushed past them as if they were strangers.

Shi Jun glanced at Hu Hai, whose face was still dark with residual anger, and shook his head before calling to Motuo, “Let’s go get something to eat. Take your mind off things.”

Motuo was unfazed, but the mention of food roused him instantly. He hurried over. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go! I have good news for you, too!” He eyed Hu Hai up and down. “You’re not still brooding, are you? Is a woman like that really worth it?”

Hu Hai managed a strained smile. “Of course not. Why would I?” He forced himself to appear nonchalant, though his knuckles cracked under the pressure of his clenched fists.

Shi Jun, noticing this, shot Motuo a look and pulled him aside, signaling him to walk ahead.

The three found a small roadside eatery, each ordered a bowl of noodles, and ate in silence.

After a long pause, Hu Hai suddenly slammed his hand on the table, startling everyone nearby.

“That’s it!” He exhaled deeply. “I’ve thought it through—it’s not worth it.”

While Shi Jun was still processing this, Motuo nodded emphatically and slapped the table as well. “Exactly! What’s the big deal? I told you not to mope around.”

Shi Jun now understood what had transpired and couldn’t help admiring Hu Hai’s resilience. He too thumped the table. “Old Hu, glad you’ve come to your senses. There are plenty of better women out there—she’ll regret it one day! Besides, with your qualities, why cling to someone like that?”

Hu Hai laughed, some of his old spirits returning. “Old Shi, you always know what to say!” Then, turning, he playfully smacked the table in front of Motuo. “Don’t look down on me! If you were in my place, you wouldn’t have handled it any better!”

Motuo was about to retort when, suddenly, a large, imposing man appeared at their table, slammed his hand down, and roared, “Are you here to eat or to cause trouble? What’s your grudge against this table?” Looking up, they saw it was the burly shop owner.

* * *

Once the three had been shooed out by the proprietor, Hu Hai couldn’t wait any longer. “So, what was that good news you mentioned?”

Motuo smacked his forehead. “Almost forgot!” He grinned triumphantly. “Let me tell you, as soon as I got to work, I made great progress. I already have a lead on the spirit you’re looking for!”

“Really? How?” Shi Jun and Hu Hai hadn’t expected Motuo to be so efficient. They asked in unison.

“What’s the rush?” Motuo replied, savoring the moment. “This morning, I had a flash of inspiration, so I sent out a flock of spirit-infused paper cranes to search. You have to understand—there’s a real science to this! I—”

He was about to boast further when, unable to stand it any longer, Shi Jun and Hu Hai each punched him on the arm. “Enough talk—just spill it!”

“...Fine. I detected something in the southwest, about three miles out!” Motuo rubbed his head, now sporting two large lumps. “You two are too much—after all I’ve done, not only do I not get a proper meal, but you beat me up!”

Shi Jun laughed. “All right, you’ve earned some credit—next time, I’ll treat you to a feast. Just don’t drone on and on!”

“That’s not the point,” Motuo said, suddenly turning serious. “Listen, there’s something strange about this. It seems our initial deduction was wrong—the number of lost spirits isn’t just five or six. In fact, within a large area, I’ve detected abnormal spiritual fluctuations from almost everyone! There must be over a hundred people affected. In other words, we might be facing a horde of ghosts!”

A hundred ghosts? Shi Jun felt something was off and quickly pulled out the underworld spirit token to check, but no matter how he counted, only six symbols had vanished from the token.

“Crap! I left my spirit ring at home!” Hu Hai stopped abruptly. “Should we go check it out now?”

Shi Jun thought for a moment. “Three miles isn’t far. We’re free at midday, so let’s take a look. But let’s not act rashly—we’ll assess the situation first and decide on a course of action.”

With their plan settled, the three set off toward the southwest.

* * *

The autumn afternoon was bathed in gentle sunlight. A mild breeze stirred the air, dust motes glimmering in the clear rays, as if the world itself could not tolerate a single blemish—there was a sense of unsullied purity and calm.

Guided by Motuo, the trio wound through streets and alleys, taking much longer than expected. When they finally reached their destination, they were dumbstruck—it was the city’s largest psychiatric hospital: Qingshan Rehabilitation Center.

Standing at the gates, the three were at a loss for what to do next.