Rat Auntie

Lu Yan pushed open the door and glanced inside. He saw only seven or eight old, black-lacquered coffins. Wooden memorial tablets stood before them, each bearing the name of the deceased.

After walking a few steps farther in, they were met by a pungent, stale stench that hung heavily in the air.

As Chen Yulou and the others entered, Luo Laowai covered his nose and exclaimed, "Damn, that corpse stench is strong. This one's been dead for years."

Chen Yulou opened his folding fan and waved it, teasing, "Commander Luo, you really have worked as a corpse driver. You can even tell how long they've been dead."

"Hey."

Luo Laowai waved a hand, pulled out a flask of liquor, and took several swigs. "I couldn't make a living in Shandong when I was a teenager, so I came to Western Hunan to seek refuge with relatives. Who knew they'd all be dead already? To stay alive, I apprenticed myself to an old master and learned corpse driving. I know this trade inside out."

As they chatted and laughed, a gust of chilly wind suddenly swept through the Justice Manor. The lamps in Chen Yulou and the others' hands flickered as if about to go out, while a strange creaking sound seemed to circle around the coffins.

Lu Yan halted and opened his Sharingan, scanning between the coffins, but detected no unusual energy.

Chen Yulou gestured behind him. He and Luo Laowai's men spread out in a fan shape and closed in, flipping open the coffins one by one to see whether anything had changed with the corpses inside.

But after all that, the strange sound from the coffins vanished on its own, leaving only the mournful howl of the mountain wind.

Chen Yulou frowned and looked at Lu Yan. Lu Yan shook his head, indicating that he hadn't noticed anything unusual.

After searching for a while and finding nothing amiss, Chen Yulou simply had Hua Maguai lay Binding Rope inside the coffins. The rope had been soaked in cinnabar and medicinal powder. A dead body grew stiff after death, and if the Binding Rope was pressed over it, it couldn't get out of the coffin.

Lu Yan kept busy, too. He walked around the Justice Manor twice and found that all the buildings were dilapidated and filthy beyond words. Only a small room beside the back door was fit to live in.

The others followed Lu Yan into the little room and found places to settle down.

Lu Yan sat opposite Luo Laowai and happened to see a corpse standing ramrod straight behind him. It was wrapped in a large piece of white cloth, leaving only its outline visible, and a wooden memorial tablet rested atop its head.

A sly smile curled across Lu Yan's lips. He gestured for Luo Laowai to turn around and look behind him.

Luo Laowai turned. Though he'd killed countless people in his life, the sight still left him drenched in cold sweat. He hurriedly drew a pistol from his belt.

Chen Yulou quickly held down Luo Laowai's hand and raised the oil lamp to examine the wooden tablet. A yellow talisman had been affixed to it—the common kind used to purify corpses. He lifted it and saw the inscription: "Memorial tablet of Wu, Rat Auntie."

"She must be the woman who kept watch over the coffins. She's been dead for only two days, and her body still needs to stiffen while standing before it can be placed in a coffin. I've heard she had a hard life. We should leave her be and let her stay here."

After speaking, Chen Yulou sat down nearby. He took out some dry rations and ate them with liquor, then closed his eyes and quietly reflected on the information they'd gathered that day, picturing the size of the ancient tomb in Bottle Mountain.

Seeing that Chen Yulou had spoken, Luo Laowai couldn't very well suggest burning Rat Auntie and being done with it. He sat beside Chen Yulou and drank, inviting Lu Yan to join them.

Lu Yan was still young, and as a shaman, he also disliked anything that might cloud his mind. He never drank, so he shook his head and politely declined Luo Laowai's offer.

Finding a clean spot, Lu Yan sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, quietly contemplating the knowledge of talismans he'd traded for from Simu.

"Hey, Red Maiden. You're a pretty young woman—why put yourself through all this by following a bunch of men around? Why not just come with me and become my eighth concubine? I'll make sure you eat well and live in comfort."

Drinking alone was getting a little dull for Luo Laowai. When he saw Red Maiden's pretty face nearby, he felt his desire stirring again.

Luo Laowai had been pursuing Red Maiden for quite some time, but she was headstrong and one of Chen Yulou's trusted subordinates. All he could do was watch her and yearn.

At Luo Laowai's lewd words, Red Maiden's pretty face turned stern. She immediately pulled out a throwing knife and flung it. With a whoosh, it stuck into the underside of the stool Luo Laowai was sitting on, barely an inch from his crotch.

Luo Laowai shuddered at the sight of the knife between his legs, but once he recovered, he grinned shamelessly. "Feisty. I like it."

Hua Maguai shook his head, unsurprised, and changed the subject. "Commander Luo, I heard Rat Auntie was a giant rat that became a spirit, and that she looked just like a rat."

"Oh? Is that so? Then I'll have to see for myself."

Luo Laowai got to his feet and went straight to the doorway. He reached out and tore away the white cloth covering the corpse.

In the lamplight, everyone was shocked. The dead woman's skin was greenish and bloodless. Her features were tightly bunched together: a tiny nose and eyes, slightly pointed ears, prominent buck teeth, and purplish-blue lips jutting outward. Apart from the lack of fur, she looked just like a rat.

Seeing everyone's shock, Chen Yulou came over, annoyed at how they acted like they'd never seen the world. "This is a facial deformity. It's rare, but there's nothing strange about it. You're making a fuss over nothing."

"Boss Chen really is a man of wide experience. I, Luo, admire you."

Though Luo Laowai looked mean, he was quite good at delivering flattering words.

Just then, a strange cry came from Rat Auntie's side, and her corpse seemed to twitch. Luo Laowai jerked backward in fright and fell to the ground.

Chen Yulou's heart jolted. Gripping the Little Divine Blade, he raised the oil lamp and went over to investigate.

In the light, it turned out to be a false alarm. A lame old tabby cat, probably starving, was perched on Rat Auntie's shoulder, trying to gnaw on the corpse.

Chen Yulou had always thought highly of himself. Now that he'd been startled by a one-legged old tabby cat, he felt deeply humiliated. He raised the Little Divine Blade and threw it at the cat.

Though the old tabby had a limp, its body was remarkably agile. It leaped down, dodging the attack and even biting off half of Rat Auntie's ear as it went.

That was enough to enrage Chen Yulou. The Xieling often pulverized the bones of princes and nobles, but to build up good karma, they treated the bodies of the poor with great respect. They would even spend their own money and effort to bury impoverished people who had died along the road.

And in funeral rites throughout the ages, preserving the dead person's appearance had always been important. Seeing the old tabby bite off half of Rat Auntie's ear, Chen Yulou decided he couldn't let it get away with that. At the very least, he had to retrieve the missing half. Without a second thought, he chased after it.

"Hey, Boss Chen!"

Luo Laowai had gotten back to his feet. Watching Chen Yulou run outside, he couldn't help staring in surprise.

"Don't follow me. I'll be right back."

Without looking back, Chen Yulou called over his shoulder as he ran into the pitch-black night.