Chapter Sixteen: A Perilous Moment

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The dead outside and I were like two patient hunters, each waiting for the other to make the first move.

Soon, all the noises in the outer room ceased, and the ghastly green light flickered out as well.

A strange creak echoed from the door outside, followed by a sudden flash of red light, and the sound of shattered coins. The Five Emperor coins I had buried beneath the doorframe to ward off evil had been broken.

I never truly expected those common Five Emperor coins, found at any market, to hold back a vicious ghost; I merely wished to gauge the opponent’s strength.

As the coins shattered, a burst of fire erupted from the direction of the door.

In Old Guo’s house, only the inner room had double doors, and he’d pasted two guardian deities onto them. Though their placement was incorrect, their spiritual power remained; when a malevolent ghost forced its way in, the guardian deities would naturally be triggered to block it.

After two explosive sounds, dazzling fire shot through the door cracks, and I could see the flames crawling upward along the seam of the doors.

In the next instant, the double doors of the inner room, struck by a tremendous force, flew far across the room. The oil lamp inside suddenly flared with a half-foot-tall green flame, enveloping half the room in an eerie glow, and, in that moment, a shadowy figure staggered inside.

Pressed against the wall near the door, I quietly lifted the old foreign rifle, and the person entering turned sharply to face me.

Old Guo!

It was Old Guo, the man whose facial features had been sliced away. Had he not been wearing the same clothes from that afternoon, no one could have recognized his face, now a bloody, mangled mess.

After turning, Old Guo groped along the edge of the kang, trying to climb up. Though his eyes were blind, his nose still worked; I could hear the heavy breathing from his nostrils. He was following my scent.

I carefully aimed the old rifle at him, the barrel inching closer until it nearly touched his mouth, then abruptly pulled the trigger.

A fierce blast erupted from the muzzle, sending Old Guo sprawling onto his back.

I quickly tossed aside the rifle, drew my bayonet, and leapt down from the kang, pressing his head with one hand and slashing his throat with the other.

My blade cut into his throat, and just then, his hand suddenly reached for me.

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Old Guo, unable to see my posture, grabbed wildly at my ribs. His fingers dug into the gaps between my ribs as if trying to pierce my flesh.

I didn't know whether the dead could break a living person’s ribs, but the pain was excruciating.

Driven by agony, I slashed even more fiercely, quickly severing Old Guo’s head, and his hands, caught in my ribs, fell limply away.

Instinctively, I felt myself for injuries, when suddenly, a sound like footsteps shuffled across the roof tiles overhead, darting swiftly from the back of the house to the front. I grabbed the old rifle from the kang, hurriedly loaded it with gunpowder, and aimed at the window.

Truthfully, I knew—never mind this old gun, even a modern rifle couldn’t harm a ghost.

At best, the sparks bursting from the muzzle might startle such entities for a moment.

But that fleeting intimidation was what I needed.

Just as I steadied the rifle, a human-shaped shadow dropped from the eaves and landed stiffly outside the window. I fired without hesitation, this time loading iron shot.

The gunfire shattered the window, and the figure standing before it was blown apart.

A straw man!

Seeing straw flying everywhere, I felt an uncanny sense of someone behind me.

Many say that the feeling of someone walking behind you at night is just self-induced fear.

But I can tell you—that is no illusion. When you sense someone behind you, there truly is someone following you. Only, when you turn, you may not be able to see them.

Tensed, I sensed the person behind me move forward. As they reached to grab me, I quickly pulled the rope at the window frame, releasing a shower of coarse salt from above.

In the northeast, “coarse salt” refers to simple, unrefined salt sold cheaply, often used for pickling vegetables and meat, especially by those living in the mountains.

In feng shui, coarse salt is believed to dispel bad luck and ward off evil. I had chosen this spot deliberately before firing, because a bag of coarse salt was hidden atop the roof.

As the salt fell, I tore off the tiger’s tooth hanging from my chest and spun around to stab behind me.

But before I could strike, my right wrist was seized, my hand raised high. When I tried to draw my blade with my left, it too was gripped tightly.

Salt had no effect on it!

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My first reaction was to try to break free.

But the grip was like an iron clamp—the opponent’s hands were twice the size of a normal person’s, holding my arms fast. No matter how I struggled, their arms remained unmoved.

Then, the figure shook the salt from its head and tilted its face toward mine.

I saw a visage that was neither human nor beast. Overall, it was a human face, but its eyes were set on the sides of its head, ears positioned high, and its nose and mouth protruding like a wolf.

The only hint of humanity was its pale, delicate skin.

Stunned, I watched as it opened its mouth to bite at my throat.

I resisted with all my might, but its strength was astonishing; no matter how hard I fought, I couldn’t budge it.

This was the end!

Both hands pinned, I could think of no way to save myself.

All I could do was close my eyes and await death.

But as the stench from its mouth swept across my face, a sudden surge of strength—not my own—burst from within me. I broke free from its grip, seized its arm, and hurled it over my shoulder out the window.

After landing, it rolled several times, then dropped to all fours, howling like a wild animal toward the house, before vanishing into the weeds.

Only when it disappeared from sight did I instinctively look at my own hands.

Where had this strength come from?

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck me: “Godfather, Godfather… was it you?”

Aside from Hu Sanqi lending me strength, I couldn’t imagine any other way I could have saved myself.

But hadn’t Hu Sanqi said he could only guide, never interfere?