Qian Xiaoyi came out of the storage room, and Inuyama Heita looked inside. There were no lights, but the light from outside made it just possible to see. The room was very dim. The little table they had carried in earlier had become an altar, with a spirit tablet set on top. The tips of the three incense sticks in the burner before it glowed red, flickering faintly. The jade pendant hung from the tablet on a red cord. The storage room was clearly airtight, yet Inuyama Heita felt cold air blowing out from within. The scent of burning incense wafted along with it, making his blood run cold.
"Hee hee..."
Inuyama Heita jumped. A moment ago, a babyish giggle had suddenly come from inside. He wasn't sure if he'd imagined it or if there really had been a sound. The wisps of smoke above the incense burner shifted unpredictably, slowly forming the outline of a fetus. As the smoke changed, it seemed to turn its head and look at him...
"Hey, what are you standing there for?" Qian Xiaoyi waved a hand in front of him and snapped his fingers. "Done. You can close the door."
"Yes!" Inuyama Heita hurriedly shut the storage room door, shutting himself out of the creepy little space. The instant it closed, he breathed a sigh of relief. The chill disappeared, and it felt as if he'd stepped out of a nightmare and back into the real world.
Inuyama Heita murmured, "Mr. Qian, was that thing inside...?"
"That's right. It's the little ghost I lured away today." Qian Xiaoyi stretched. "I made it a new home while I was at it, so it can settle down."
"Lured away... If someone else heard you say that, they'd get the wrong idea..." Inuyama Heita was at a loss for words. The being inside was clearly terrifying, enough to make anyone's skin crawl, yet Qian Xiaoyi spoke of it as if it were nothing special.
Maybe this was the confidence of a professional, Inuyama Heita thought.
Inuyama Heita suddenly felt encouraged, and continued, "Since it was so easy to bring back their method of controlling their followers, doesn't that mean we just have to lure away the other little ghosts one by one? Then the Lucky Mutual Aid Society's plot will fall apart on its own. Is that what we're going to do next?"
"It's not that simple." Qian Xiaoyi took a can of beer from the fridge and tossed Inuyama Heita a can of cola. He pulled the tab and took a swig of the cold beer, letting out a satisfied sigh before answering. "From what I saw today, more than a dozen people are wearing those black Buddha amulets. Never mind figuring out where they live and approaching them without alerting the enemy, then retrieving the little ghosts they carry. Even if we managed it, it would be completely pointless. It wouldn't accomplish anything."
"Thanks." Inuyama Heita caught the cola and asked, puzzled, "Why would it be pointless?"
Qian Xiaoyi leaned back on the sofa and crossed his legs. As he enjoyed his cold beer, he explained, "A little ghost raised this way needs a vessel to contain it if it's going to exist for a long time. For example, those Buddha amulets or incense burners mixed with the ashes of its bones, or even an urn of ashes. Otherwise, it can survive in the outside world for no more than seven days. Pay attention—that's the maximum. If it doesn't return, it usually dissipates after two or three days. Of course, it can't go far, either, because it can only move around near its vessel. My case is special. I felt that this method was slightly different from the similar dark arts where I'm from, so I brought one back to observe and study it, just in case."
"I see." Inuyama Heita understood. "So what do we do next?"
"Next?" Qian Xiaoyi stared at Inuyama Heita and grinned. "The next part is up to you, Heitaro~"
"Um, it's Heita." Under that stare, Inuyama Heita had a very bad feeling.
"Young man, I see darkness between your brows. Disaster is sure to befall you soon, and you'll have to pay to ward it off." Qian Xiaoyi spoke in a mysterious, fortune-teller's voice.
Qian Xiaoyi chatted with Inuyama Heita for a while and explained the arrangements for what came next. Then he waved a hand. "All right, I've told you everything you need to know. Hurry home. Have you done your homework? If not, go do it. You've got class tomorrow, right? Students should act like students. If you don't work hard at your studies now, how are you ever going to get into college?"
Inuyama Heita stood up, at a loss for words. The other man's tone had suddenly turned as nagging as a mother's.
The next day, Inuyama Heita went to class as usual, then headed to the restaurant where he worked part-time by train. He worked through the evening, feeling a little nervous but also excited, then took the last train home, as if nothing had happened.
In fact, nothing had happened. The financial disaster Qian Xiaoyi had predicted never struck Inuyama Heita. Everything was normal.
But the next day, while Inuyama Heita was working, something finally happened.
"Ah! That's hot! Are you trying to kill me?!"
A pig-like scream suddenly rang out in the noisy dining hall, bringing the entire place to a standstill. The diners all turned to look, watching curiously.
"I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!" Inuyama Heita hurriedly bowed to the customer in front of him. "Are you all right?"
The diner clutched his arm and wailed. A large patch of skin had turned red from the burn. On the floor beside him, a clay pot lay broken in two, its rich broth spilled everywhere and still steaming.
At Inuyama Heita's question, the diner's companion shouted angrily, "All right? Are you blind? How could anyone be all right after getting scalded by a whole pot of soup? An ambulance! Get an ambulance here, you idiot!"
"What happened?" The restaurant manager rushed over at once. Seeing the scene, he immediately shouted at Inuyama Heita, "Hey, Inuyama! What did you do to the customer? Go get some ice water and burn ointment from the kitchen!"
"I didn't do it on purpose... I'll get them right away!" Inuyama Heita hurried off.
"What do you mean, ice water? Didn't I tell you to call an ambulance?" The burned man's companion shouted furiously. "Is this how you treat your customers?"
The manager bowed repeatedly. "I'm terribly sorry, sir. This was our mistake. I've sent someone to get burn ointment and ice water. The restaurant can handle a burn like this, and if we treat it in time, it won't leave a mark. We'll also compensate you for any further—"
"It hurts! It hurts so much... Ah, I'm going to die!" The burned man wailed dramatically, heedless of everything else.
"Of course you're going to compensate us. And what are you, a doctor? We don't need you getting involved." The man raised his voice. "He needs professional treatment now! Didn't I tell you to call an ambulance? Are you ignoring me?"
"I'm very sorry. I'll call an ambulance right away! But we're experienced with burns, too. Until the ambulance arrives, please let us—"
"I said I don't want you treating him, you idiot! Are you deliberately looking for trouble? An ambulance! Call one right now!"
"Yes! Yes! I'll call right away... Hello, this is Shanwai Lou at 2-16-chome. Someone has been scalded and urgently needs an ambulance..."
Before you continue