Head-Taking Fiend, the Proxy Doll

Head-Taking Fiend, the Proxy Doll

Though Lin Yi, the constable of Linshui Street, believed the Ji Family's Three Brothers deserved to die ten thousand deaths—and had even prepared to use private punishment—

now that a murder had occurred in broad daylight, he could hardly clap his hands and cheer.

At Zhang San'er's home, after the clerks and officers had examined the scene, they carried the Ji Family's Three Brothers' corpses back to the constabulary.

Since the case had occurred on Linshui Street, it should, by rights, have fallen into Lin Yi's hands.

Yet when faced with the county magistrate's assignment, Lin Yi seemed reluctant. He bluntly said that his rank was too low and his abilities insufficient; he could not handle such a brutal murder case, and it would be more appropriate to leave it to the chief constable.

But saying he did not want it was one thing. The moment he brought it up, another major matter was dragged into the open.

Patting his own potbelly, the county magistrate told Lin Yi that Xiao Zihua had been dismissed from office and placed under investigation.

At once, every official outside Zhang San'er's residence changed expression.

The dignified chief constable of Weishui, dismissed without any warning—there was no way it could be as simple as the county magistrate had made it sound.

Left with no choice, Lin Yi accepted the case.

Together with the others, he passed through the packed crowd of onlookers and returned to the constabulary.

Meanwhile, Qinghong, who had rested half the day at Huaqing Tower, had recovered somewhat and was summoned to the constabulary.

The Ji Family's Three Brothers had taken her back to their residence earlier, so she was naturally the first witness. She should know exactly what had happened at the Ji Household the previous night.

Qinghong did not conceal anything and recounted everything that had happened the night before.

Only then did Lin Yi and the constabulary staff learn what sort of person had taken away and killed the Ji Family's Three Brothers.

—A man dressed in black, wearing a mask, with a hoarse voice and formidable martial skill.

Beyond that, there was no further information.

Half an hour later, Qinghong left, and the autopsy results for the Ji Family's Three Brothers came out as well.

First, all three had suffered multiple fractures and muscle contusions. It seemed they had endured inhuman torture before death.

What chilled people even more was that their heads had not been severed by some sharp blade, but violently twisted off by an immense force.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yi and the clerks all sucked in a cold breath.

Their hearts and guts went cold.

As constables, they had handled more or less their share of murder cases, but this was the first time they had encountered someone whose head had been twisted straight off.

It showed just how terrifying the Ghost-Faced Man's mentality was.

They worked until deep into the night without uncovering any leads. Lin Yi sighed wearily, put away the case materials and files, ended the day's work, and returned to the Clerk Office.

But the instant he pushed open the door, he found a tall figure waiting for him in the dark corner of the room.

Lin Yi was startled at first, but when he looked closely, his expression changed drastically. He immediately dropped to one knee and said respectfully, "Master, why are you here?"

The tall figure turned around. The dim oil lamp illuminated his face—unkempt, with disordered hair and rugged features.

Had Yu Chen been there, he would have recognized him at once. Was this not the Corpse Mover who dealt with corpses all day long?

"Long time no see. I came to check on you." The Corpse Mover slapped his forehead and did not beat around the bush. "What were you planning to do when you went out last night, headed for the Ji Household?"

Lin Yi froze, his entire body turning stiff.

"If I'm not mistaken, you wanted to kill them?"

The Corpse Mover sat down and asked, "But did you ever think about it? Once you made a move, whether they were Zhang San'er's murderers or not, your whole life would have been ruined.

"If someone had not gotten there before you and done what you wanted to do, I'm afraid we wouldn't be meeting here today. We'd be meeting in prison."

Lin Yi lowered his head.

Suddenly, his heart jolted. A terrifying guess sprouted in his mind.

Master knew he had gone out last night?

Could it be that he had dealt with the Ji Family's Three Brothers before Lin Yi could act?

Could the Ghost-Faced Man who had twisted off the Ji Family's Three Brothers' heads have been his own master?!

"Don't look at me like that."

As though he had guessed what Lin Yi was thinking, the Corpse Mover rapped him on the head. "The reason I knew you went out yesterday was because I heard Xiao Zihua had set you up. I was worried you'd do something foolish, so I followed you all the way out."

After a pause, the Corpse Mover drew a deep breath and looked at Lin Yi.

"Though the Ji Family's Three Brothers deserved to die, if I had done it, I would not have made such a... grand spectacle of it.

"Didn't you notice? The marks left by the broken Ji family gate, the way three burly men were subdued without any ability to resist, and the force that twisted off human heads—all of it proves that the killer possessed martial strength far beyond theirs.

"In such circumstances, he could have killed those three scum more discreetly, more seamlessly—if he had wanted to, the yamen would never even have found their corpses.

"But that man did not do that. He brought the Ji Family's Three Brothers to Zhang San'er's home, made them kneel before their former victim, and hold their own heads as they begged forgiveness.

"What he did was not mere murder, nor mere venting of rage. It carried a deeper meaning."

Lin Yi did not understand. Scratching his head, he asked, "What meaning?"

"Punishment." The Corpse Mover inhaled deeply. "—That man was punishing those three scum, doing in the yamen's stead what the yamen had failed to do."

After a pause, the Corpse Mover grinned, revealing an expression Lin Yi had never seen on him before, like a wild beast thirsting for blood.

"Though I do not quite approve of this sort of private punishment now, I have to say that fellow's method was filled with... aesthetic beauty.

"It was like the moment newlyweds lift the bridal veil on their wedding night—making the perpetrators kneel properly before the victim, holding their own heads as they wept and repented... Tsk, tsk, tsk. I have to say, it was full of ritual, full of beauty..."

Lin Yi shuddered violently and muttered, "Sure enough... only perverts can understand perverts..."

He had not forgotten what kind of terrifying butcher this master who taught him martial arts had been before being recruited by the county magistrate and Yu Tiesheng.

Smack!

Another slap.

The Corpse Mover smacked Lin Yi on the forehead and cursed, "What are you muttering about, brat? I didn't come today for anything else. You're investigating that Ghost-Faced Man's case, aren't you? If you discover anything, do not act alone."

As he said this, the Corpse Mover's expression became solemn, each word deliberate. "—That fellow is not someone you can handle."

Feeling the concern in his words, Lin Yi's heart warmed, and he nodded heavily.

"Oh, right. Don't think about Xiao Zihua anymore, either."

The Corpse Mover patted his head. "Whether that bastard embezzled or bent the law for personal gain, he even dared get involved with Blackwater Gang scum. There will be no place for him in Weishui from now on."

With that, he stood up. "It's late. I'm leaving."

Before he went out, Lin Yi seemed to hear him muttering.

"Tsk, year-end is approaching, the provincial inspection isn't far off, and now a Ghost-Faced Man of unknown origin has suddenly appeared... an eventful autumn, an eventful autumn indeed!"

Bang.

The door shut, and there was no more sound.

Only Lin Yi remained standing in the room. After a long while, he let out a deep sigh and looked toward the pitch-black night beyond the window.

He seemed to see the wronged souls of Zhang San'er and Madam Zhang walking hand in hand through the vast darkness.

They could rest in peace now.

The night passed without incident.

Yet there was no question that the seemingly tranquil Weishui County Seat was anything but peaceful.

Whether it was the tragic deaths of the Ji Family's Three Brothers or the dismissal of Weishui's chief constable Xiao Zihua, every stratum of people in Weishui County Seat had something that left them shaken to the core.

For the common folk, naturally, the former was earth-shattering news.

By rights, the yamen should have kept such a horrific case secret.

But the one who had discovered the Ji Family's Three Brothers' corpses was a vegetable farmer who mixed among the streets and markets, while the sole witness, Qinghong, was a courtesan.

Neither was the sort to keep secrets.

Besides, several clerks in the constabulary were not exactly tight-lipped either. After a few drinks, once the liquor went to their heads, they began boasting.

And so this bizarre, eerie decapitation case became the finest topic of conversation.

Thus, in only a single day, both the Ji Family's Three Brothers' gruesome deaths and the pitch-black masked figure who seemed like a ghost had spread through every street and alley.

"Let me tell you! This is firsthand news from my second uncle at the constabulary—the Ji Family's Three Tyrants' heads weren't cut off. They were twisted off alive!"

"They say when the Ji Family's Three Brothers' corpses were found, Madam Zhang's portrait was smiling! What, you think I'm trying to scare you? The first person to find the bodies was my dad's brother-in-law's uncle's son!"

"I heard it from my father's old sweetheart at Huaqing Tower. One of their courtesans saw that Ghost-Faced Man with her own eyes! She said he had three heads, six arms, and his whole body was shrouded in thick black smoke. Terrifying!"

"..."

Throughout Weishui City, in every street and alley, people discussed the Ji Family's Three Brothers' case and the mysterious man Qinghong of Huaqing Tower had described.

In the end, all those accounts found their way into the storytellers' routines, spun into several scenes for the many gossip-hungry listeners.

"Now then, those three tyrants of the Ji family swaggered about in arrogance. Overcome by lust at the sight of beauty, they forcibly defiled Madam Zhang of the Hanging Bridge teahouse! Worse still, they turned the tables and slandered her, driving the fierce-tempered Madam Zhang to hang herself! Their crimes were truly monstrous!"

"Alas, those three tyrants had connections. Not only were they not convicted of rape, they even spoke insolently at Madam Zhang's funeral hall. They were simply inhuman!"

"Though Zhang San'er was mild-tempered and honest by nature, how could he endure such humiliation? He immediately fought the three men!"

"But two fists could not beat four hands. How could the honest and dutiful Zhang San'er have been a match for those three hooligan tyrants? He was beaten to death alive and thrown into the Weishui River. Truly miserable!"

"Yet even so, who knew what connections they found in the yamen? They were locked up for only one day before being released, swaggering about as if nothing had happened. It made people hate them and fear them alike!"

"And then, can you guess what happened?"

"Heh! As people act, Heaven watches! What the yamen cannot control, someone else naturally can!"

"Now then, on the night before last, those three scum tyrants called courtesans from Huaqing Tower back to their home, never realizing that retribution had arrived!"

"Under a moonless sky and howling wind, the Head-Taking Ghost, clad in black and wearing a ghostly face, smashed through the door. Like lifting chicks, he seized the three tyrants and dragged them to Madam Zhang's funeral hall, forcing them to kneel before poor Madam Zhang's portrait, remove their heads, and write words of repentance in blood."

"—The three of us deserve to die ten thousand deaths!"

Smack!

When the tale ended, the storyteller slapped his wooden clapper, seizing every soul in the room!

The moment this bizarre and uncanny tale emerged, it became widely relished. Many common folk who had not paid attention to the Ji Family's Three Brothers' case also heard of it.

Over time, the name "Head-Taking Ghost" spread across Weishui and became one of the mysterious legends of that impoverished town.

Only a small number of people felt their hearts pound after hearing the story.

—Those who had seen Yu Chen in his Senluo Ghost Face form.

For example, when Xie Qing of the Zhengqing Gang in the south of the city and the other jianghu folk heard the storyteller describe the Head-Taking Ghost's appearance, they immediately realized—was this not the senior who had beaten the great tiger to death?

At once, Xie Qing gathered all the jianghu folk who had participated in that campaign against the great tiger and ordered them to seal their lips, not to reveal so much as half a word!

And besides them, there was Li Er, the pig butcher at Hanging Bridge Market.

Though he had no habit of listening to storytellers, there were so many people in the market that, amid their comings and goings, one sentence after another naturally painted the broad outline of the whole case.

At once, Li Er, who had already "turned over a new leaf," trembled like a sieve, his face white as paper—he was just short of wetting his pants!

—Black clothes, black face, a ghost-face mask? Was that not the masked man who had demanded money for Sun the Old Lady before?

A chill ran down his spine, followed by a wave of lingering fear!

From then on, he became humble and polite to everyone, never daring to offend again!

Li Er had no wish for the Head-Taking Ghost to twist off his head as well!

These past two days, the entire Weishui had been in an uproar over the Ji Family's Three Brothers' case.

Yet Yu Chen, the instigator behind it all, was enjoying peaceful days atop Qingfeng Mausoleum.

If the Corpse Mover had not carried Madam Zhang's corpse up that morning to bury her together with Zhang San'er, and told him that the city was already in a tremendous uproar, Yu Chen would likely not have known that what he had done that night had spread across all of Weishui, nor that he had gained the name "Head-Taking Ghost."

His thoughts were simple.

A life for a life was the law of Heaven and earth. That was what was right.

Everyone had to bear the consequences of what they did.

Since the Ji Family's Three Brothers had done wrong, they had to pay the price.

Perhaps because, as a gravekeeper, he had grown accustomed to all sorts of strange and grotesque corpses, Yu Chen did not feel the slightest discomfort after taking human lives for the first time.

Instead, his thoughts flowed freely, and he felt refreshed in both mind and spirit.

That afternoon, the Corpse Mover left, and Yu Chen went to burn a stick of incense before Zhang San'er and Madam Zhang's grave.

He stared at the gravestone for a long time.

Yet a doubt stirred in his heart.

—By all reason, Madam Zhang, who had hanged herself after suffering every manner of humiliation, should have possessed deeper resentment and more reason to be unable to rest in peace than Zhang San'er.

But when he had brought the Ji Family's Three Brothers before Madam Zhang's funeral hall that night, he had not seen her ghost, nor had he seen her final wish.

Why was that?

Could it be that only those who had died recently could form final wishes within the Scripture of Deliverance?

After all, it seemed that every deceased person whose final wish he had fulfilled these days had not been dead for very long.

Yu Chen pondered it uneasily.

But he could only guess. As for the truth, it still needed verification.

By the time the incense and candles had burned out, dusk had arrived. Yu Chen returned to the earthen hut, ate dinner, and took a three-inch-tall straw doll from his robes.

—It was the reward bestowed by the Scripture of Deliverance after Zhang San'er's Eighth-Grade Mortal Wish had been fulfilled, when Yu Chen returned to Qingfeng Mausoleum on the night he killed the Ji Family's Three Brothers.

It was called the Proxy Doll.

When Yu Chen first saw the crude, simple straw doll, he had been stunned for a moment. This is the reward for an Eighth-Grade Mortal Wish? Why is it just a shabby-looking straw figure?

Only after he learned the Proxy Doll's purpose from the Scripture of Deliverance did he suck in a cold breath!

This was not an item for attack, but something meant to preserve one's life.

—If blood was dripped onto the doll, it could bear one fatal injury in place of the one whose blood had been used!

Whether it was being torn apart by five horses or having one's head fall to the ground, though it could only be used once, no matter how severe the injury, the Proxy Doll could bear it!

Used properly, this was practically equivalent to having an extra life!

Once he understood, Yu Chen carefully put away the straw doll, greatly pleased.

(End of chapter)