Chapter 4
The September wind carried the chill of the Rocky Mountains through the gap in the GMC's window, along with a faint scent of pine needles. Bai Haorui set the air conditioning to 24 degrees Celsius, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the oil-paper packet in his backpack's side pocket. His grandfather had stitched it by hand before he died. Inside was glutinous rice aged for five years, every grain plump and giving off a faint rice fragrance, as though it still held the warmth of Jiangnan's rice paddies.
"How much farther?" Sam rubbed his temples in the passenger seat, the map in his hands worn and curling at the edges from repeated handling. The only clues John had left were "Black Forest Lake, water ghost, inverted pentagram." There weren't even precise coordinates, so they could only head northwest based on the vague markings on the map.
Bai Haorui glanced at the navigation screen. "About twenty minutes. There's a small town up ahead. Let's stock up on supplies and ask around."
He had barely finished speaking when a low engine roar came from behind them in the rearview mirror. Dean's black Impala followed closely, like a black panther poised to spring. Since leaving Stanford, Dean had barely spoken. Occasionally, he held a cigarette between his lips and stared through the window at the roadside woods, his gaze as sharp as though he were searching for prey.
The car rounded a bend, and a cluster of low wooden houses suddenly appeared ahead. Dark brown boards covered their roofs, and wisps of smoke drifted from their chimneys. A wooden roadside sign read "Black Forest Town" in red paint. The edges of the lettering had peeled away, exposing dark wood grain underneath like dried bloodstains. Several faded dreamcatchers hung from the Old Oak at the town entrance. As the wind blew, feathers on their cords swayed gently, lending them a primal air of mystery.
"This is it." Dean stopped first and pushed open his door. The wind lifted the hem of his black leather jacket, revealing the silver knife tucked at his waist. He surveyed the town and frowned. "Looks like a ghost town."
The three entered the only restaurant with its lights on near the town entrance-Old Tom's Cabin. The moment they pushed open the door, a mixture of cooking fumes, coffee, and turpentine hit them. Four old wooden tables stood inside, their surfaces worn shiny. Several yellowed photographs hung on the walls: men in logging clothes standing before enormous pine trees, women holding children on cabin steps, and a group gathered around a bonfire, raising beer mugs with brilliant smiles.
"Anyone here?" Sam called.
Shuffling footsteps came from the back room, and an old man in a plaid shirt emerged carrying a coffeepot. His hair was gray and his face deeply wrinkled, but his eyes were bright, like amber steeped in pine resin. Seeing Bai Haorui and the others, he paused, then set the coffeepot on the counter. "Haven't seen outsiders in a long time. You here to hunt?"
"We're reporters investigating the disappearances by the lake." Sam deftly produced a fake ID and held it out to the old man.
The old man glanced at the ID, then at the silver knife at Dean's waist, his mouth twisting into a sneer. "Reporters? Looks more like you've come here to die." He poured himself some coffee and set out a cup for each of them. "Whatever's in that lake isn't human. The first one to disappear, three months ago, was Tom-the old owner of this restaurant. He went fishing by the lake one night and never came back. The next day, his boat was floating in the middle of the lake. There was nothing inside, just a strange symbol that hadn't been there before-a star with five points facing down and water ripples inside."
Bai Haorui's heart lurched. He took out his phone and brought up a photograph of the entry on "water ghosts" in his grandfather's notes. On the yellowed page, his grandfather had written with a brush: "Water ghosts are mostly those who died unjust deaths. Their resentment attaches itself to lake water. When they encounter people, they drag them underwater, prolonging their lives through substitutes. Aged glutinous rice can absorb their yin energy, ink-line cord can bind their forms, and peachwood swords can destroy their souls."
"Have you seen that thing?" Bai Haorui held his phone out to the old man.
The old man leaned closer for a look, and his expression suddenly changed. "Yes! That's it! Last week, I passed the lake at night and heard a woman crying. I saw a white figure drifting back and forth over the water too. Scared me so badly I ran." He paused, then added, "Everyone in town says Lucy's come back. Lucy was a woman who died in the lake twenty years ago. Her husband was cheating on her and pushed her into the lake to drown her. Before she died, he even called her a 'slut who slept around.'"
Dean held an unlit cigarette between his lips, tapping his fingers lightly on the counter. "What about Lucy's husband?"
"Dead." The old man took a sip of coffee, his voice low. "The year after Lucy died, he went mad and jumped into the lake clutching her photograph. They still haven't found his body. Some say Lucy dragged him under."
Bai Haorui suddenly noticed a glass jar on the shelf behind the counter. It held a dark brown liquid with several wild berries soaking in it. "What's that?" He pointed at the jar.
"Wild berry wine." The old man smiled. "The wild berries grow especially well around here. We make some wine every autumn. Care to try some, if you don't mind?"
Sam waved a hand in refusal, but Dean nodded. "Thanks. I'll try it."
The old man poured three glasses of wild berry wine and handed them over. The wine tasted slightly tart, with a faint fruity fragrance, and left a trace of warmth in the throat after swallowing. Bai Haorui took a sip and suddenly remembered the bayberry wine his grandfather used to make when he was little. It had tasted just like this, stirring a little nostalgia in him.
"How do we get to the lake?" Dean set down his glass and stood.
The old man pointed behind the restaurant. "Follow that path for ten minutes, and you'll see it. But I'd advise you to go during the day. At night... it's too dangerous."
The three thanked him and prepared to leave. As they reached the door, the old man suddenly called out to Bai Haorui. "Young man, that's glutinous rice in your bag, isn't it?"
Bai Haorui froze for a moment. "How did you know?"
"I may be old, but my eyes still work. Looks like you know a thing or two." The old man smiled. "I worked with a Chinese carpenter when I was young. He loved zongzi and often brought me some, so I can recognize it. Ah, old folks do ramble. Off you go. It'll be dangerous once it gets dark."
By the time they left the restaurant, the sky had already begun to darken. The setting sun dyed it orange-red, with clouds like burning cotton floating above the distant mountaintops. As they followed the path toward the lake, the pines beside it grew denser. Wind slipped through the gaps in their branches with a rustling sound, like someone speaking in a low voice.
"This place is seriously creepy." Dean took out a bag of salt, grabbed a handful, and scattered it on the ground. "Same old rules. Salt blocks evil spirits. Let's try it first."
The salt landed in the dirt without any reaction. Dean threw another handful into the lake. A small ring of ripples spread across the surface, then quickly settled. "No good." He frowned and tossed the salt bag to Sam. "This thing might not be an ordinary water ghost. Salt doesn't work on it."
Bai Haorui said nothing. He took the oil-paper packet from his backpack and carefully opened it. The fragrance of aged glutinous rice spread through the air, mingling with the lake's fishy smell and strangely offsetting its sinister atmosphere. He grabbed a handful of rice and scattered it over the water.
The rice didn't sink like the salt. It floated on the surface for a moment, then a sizzling sound rose. Bubbles began forming on the lake as though the water were boiling. They grew larger and more numerous, surging from the center of the lake toward the shore.
"What the fuck is going on?" Dean instinctively reached for the silver knife at his waist, his eyes fixed on the lake.
Suddenly, the bubbles in the middle of the lake burst, and a white figure rose from the water-a woman in a white dress, her long hair loose over her shoulders. Her face was as pale as paper, her eyes black hollows without pupils. She floated over the surface toward the shore, sobbing, her cries as piercing as broken glass scraping metal.
"It's Lucy's vengeful spirit." Sam tightened his grip on the salt bag, his voice trembling slightly. "Her resentment has stayed attached to the lake all this time."
Bai Haorui took the spool of ink-line cord from his backpack. The spool was made of peachwood, with the words "Soul Binding" carved into it. The cord was dark red, soaked in cinnabar and mugwort juice. His grandfather had made it by hand. As a child, he had often watched his grandfather snap lines around coffins with this cord. His grandfather had said that ink-line cord soaked in cinnabar could bind souls. No matter how vicious an evil entity was, once the cord wrapped around it, it couldn't move.
"Sam, lure her over," Bai Haorui said as he adjusted the ink-line cord's position. "Use your brother's silver knife to make a cut across the water. The silver's aura will attract her."
Sam nodded, took the silver knife Dean handed him, and lightly drew it across the lake's surface. The instant the silver touched the water, Lucy's vengeful spirit suddenly sped up, drifting toward shore. Her cries grew sharper too, as though they would pierce their eardrums.
"Here she comes!" Bai Haorui shouted, tightening his grip on his peachwood sword. His grandfather had given it to him on his eighteenth birthday. Its blade was short, only about thirty centimeters long, with a Three-Five Evil-Slaying Talisman carved into it. Tiny traces of cinnabar embedded in the talisman markings gave off a faint red glow.
Lucy's vengeful spirit drifted into the Spirit-Trapping Formation made from ink-line cord. The instant she entered, the cords suddenly shone red and wound around her body like red ropes. "Aaaah!" Lucy screamed and began struggling, trying to break free, but the cords only tightened, their red light growing brighter.
"Now!" Bai Haorui charged at Lucy, raising the peachwood sword high and aiming at her chest. His grandfather's notes had said that peachwood harmed souls. Combined with the Three-Five Evil-Slaying Talisman, it was powerful enough to kill ordinary ghosts.
According to the notes, the Three-Five Evil-Slaying Talisman was one of the core talismans of the Daoist Zhengyi School (Way of the Celestial Masters). Along with the Three-Five Evil-Slaying Male and Female Swords and the Yangping Governance Merit Seal, it ranked among Celestial Master Zhang's three great ritual implements. According to the Comprehensive Mirror of Perfected Immortals Who Embodied the Dao Through the Ages, Taishang Laojun personally bestowed this talisman upon the first Celestial Master, Zhang Daoling, as a secret treasure for "slaying evil and exterminating demons, summoning gods to protect the Dharma."
- "Three-Five" symbolized the perfect union of the "three origins and five elements": the three origins of heaven, earth, and humanity, and the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
- "Evil-slaying" emphasized its central function of destroying evil entities and sweeping away demonic influences.
- Within the Daoist Thunder Dharma system, it was also closely associated with the Three-Five Generals, guardian deities of the Thunder Department.
If only I'd known. I should've spent less time watching those Japanese "teachers" and memorized a few more of Grandpa's Daoist texts instead. What a regret... what a regret! Bai Haorui thought, but his movements never paused.
The instant the peachwood sword pierced Lucy's chest, red light burst outward. Lucy let out a piercing scream, her body turning transparent before dissipating bit by bit into the air. The bubbles on the lake stopped too. The fishy stench and rotten smell gradually faded, leaving only the sunset's afterglow spilling over the calm lake like a dusting of gold.
Breathing hard, Bai Haorui withdrew the peachwood sword. The Three-Five Evil-Slaying Talisman on its blade still glowed faintly. He looked at Dean and found him staring at the sword in his hand. The earlier doubt in his eyes was gone, replaced by a measure of surprise and approval.
"That's... that's it?" Dean walked over, looking at the lake, then at the peachwood sword in Bai Haorui's hand. "Your rice and that lousy string actually work?"
Bai Haorui smiled and put the peachwood sword and ink-line cord back into his backpack. "It's not lousy string. It's ink-line cord soaked in cinnabar. It binds souls. And the rice is aged glutinous rice. It absorbs yin energy and is much better than salt at warding off evil spirits." He paused, then added, "My grandfather used these things to exorcise spirits. He ran a funeral parlor in Los Angeles's Chinatown and saved a lot of people."
Dean said nothing. He simply took a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and drew deeply. The setting sun stretched his shadow long. As he looked at the lake, more complicated emotions entered his eyes-perhaps he was thinking of his father, or perhaps he had gained a new understanding of this unfamiliar method of exorcism.
Just then, a cold mechanical voice suddenly sounded in Bai Haorui's mind:
[Host detected to have successfully eliminated an aquatic vengeful spirit. "First Exorcism" mission complete.] [Mission rewards: Free attribute points ×2. Passive skill "Expelling Evil Master" unlocked (+2 strength and +2 constitution when fighting evil spirits).] [Current attributes: Strength 6 (+2), constitution 6 (+2), agility 5, HP 18/18.] [Notice: A faint "anchor point" symbol has been discovered by the lake. It matches the symbol at the car crash site of the original body's parents. Host, please take note.]
Bai Haorui froze for a moment, then instinctively walked toward the lake. In the dirt along the bank, near where Lucy's vengeful spirit had floated earlier, was a small symbol-an inverted pentagram with five points facing down and water ripples carved inside. It was just as the old man had described, and identical to the Anchor Point Symbol drawn in his grandfather's notes.
He crouched and touched the symbol with his fingers. The dirt was cold, and the symbol's edges were sharply defined. It didn't look naturally formed, but more like someone had deliberately carved it there. He took out his phone and photographed it, thinking, This symbol was at the crash site of the original body's parents too? What the hell?
"What's wrong?" Sam came over and asked curiously when he saw Bai Haorui crouching on the ground.
Bai Haorui stood and handed Sam his phone. "Look at this symbol. It's the same one your dad mentioned in his text. And... it was at the scene of my parents' car crash too."
Sam took the phone. At the sight of the inverted pentagram in the photograph, his expression suddenly changed. "I've seen this symbol in Dad's notes. He said it was a 'demon's mark.' Whenever this symbol appears, it means a demon is active nearby."
Dean leaned over to look at the phone too, his brow furrowing further. "Looks like this water ghost didn't just appear by chance. Someone deliberately created it to leave this symbol behind." He paused, then added, "We need to find Dad fast. He must know what this symbol means."
The three packed up their things and prepared to leave the lake. Bai Haorui glanced back at the pitch-black water, still feeling uneasy. Lucy's vengeful spirit had been destroyed, but that symbol, the car crash involving the original body's parents-there had to be a bigger conspiracy behind it all.
When they walked back into town, the restaurant's lights were still on. The old man sat in a rocking chair by the entrance, holding a glass of wild berry wine. He smiled when he saw them return. "Looks like you succeeded."
Bai Haorui walked over and handed him a bottle of Coke. "This is for you. You should drink less alcohol at your age."
The old man took the Coke, opened it, and had a sip. "Haven't had this stuff in ages." He looked at Bai Haorui. "Young man, it looks like you do this sort of thing all the time. Be careful out there. Thank you."
Bai Haorui nodded, warmth filling his heart. He thought of his grandfather and his childhood days at the funeral parlor. His grandfather had always said, "Haorui, exorcism isn't about killing. It's about saving. Whether they're evil entities or people, they all have their own obsessions. Once those obsessions are resolved, they can find peace. Of course, if they refuse to see reason, physical deliverance is the only option."
By the time the three drove out of Black Forest Town, it was completely dark. Moonlight spilled across the road like a silver ribbon. Bai Haorui leaned against the car window, watching the woods fly past outside, replaying the scene of destroying the water ghost and the system's notifications in his mind.
"Anchor Point Symbol... Yellow-Eyed Demon..." Bai Haorui murmured, thinking that, no matter what, he had to improve his own strength first and uncover the truth about the original body's parents, if only for some peace of mind.
Dean suddenly spoke over the radio. "Next time we run into an evil spirit, remember to bring more glutinous rice. Seems better than salt."
Bai Haorui smiled. "No problem. I'll bring more next time and make you some glutinous rice rounds too."