Corpse Water

In the main room, a figure in scarlet stood with chest out and head held high.

The figure wore a judge's gauze cap and red official's robes, like a civil official on an opera stage, but with a curved belt worn only by military officers.

His face bore a yuanbao design painted on a red base. The two wings of his cap resembled bats, and as his head moved, they fluttered as if about to take flight.

Holding a brush, Chang Dafeng put the final stroke on the face of Ding Ling, who stood before him dressed as Zhong Kui.

Chang Dafeng studied the imposing, fearsome Zhong Kui, whose sturdy frame stood a little taller than his own. He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Not bad. I was worried your frame would be too slender to carry off Zhong Kui's costume.

"Luckily, you're tall enough. With high-topped official's boots, a few extra shoulder pads, and the padded jacket loosened a little, you finally look something like Zhong Kui, broad and powerfully built, majestic and imposing.

"For the next few days, wear this costume wherever you go.

"Once you've dressed as Zhong Kui, you're Zhong Kui!"

When he finished, however, Ding Ling did not give him the response he expected.

He looked up at her.

Ding Ling was gazing down at him, her expression dignified and solemn beneath the yuanbao face paint.

She said nothing, but Chang Dafeng understood what she meant:

"You're a mere mortal, and you still expect to order the divine Zhong Kui around?

"You're waiting for me to respectfully accept your instructions?"

Just as Chang Dafeng himself had said, from the moment Ding Ling put on this costume, she was Zhong Kui!

When Chang Dafeng realized what her gaze meant, irritation flared in his heart.

He regretted speaking too soon and was angry that Ding Ling already dared to disregard him. But he had put the words out there, and there was no taking them back now. He could only grunt and say darkly, "Go and rest.

"Sleep for four hours. Once the fifth watch has passed, get up and learn opera from me!"

Chang Dafeng then walked into the right wing room with his hands behind his back, paying Ding Ling no further attention.

He felt quite at ease about Ding Ling now and was not afraid she would choose a route and flee.

Ding Ling's costume was quite heavy. With the considerably raised official's boots and the padding at her waist, back, and shoulders, moving was even more difficult for her; even shuffling her feet was no easy task.

Under ordinary circumstances, running, climbing over walls, and crossing obstacles were even less possible.

Chang Dafeng was especially confident that he had used his methods to keep Ding Ling under control, so he "trusted" her all the more.

"The troupe leader's gone back to his room to rest, sir!"

Ding Ling watched the closed door of the right wing room out of the corner of her eye, her expression solemn.

Yet the thought she sent Zhou Yang was full of excitement.

"Let's go back to the left wing room first too," Zhou Yang instructed Ding Ling. He paused, then explained, "Troupe Leader Chang must be watching our every move from behind the door right now. Running away in front of him would be rather disrespectful.

"Besides, it's too dark outside right now. There must be more dangers at night.

"Once the fifth watch has passed and the sky begins to brighten, we'll climb out through the window opening."

"All right!" Ding Ling replied crisply.

She turned and went into the left wing room, then lay down stiffly on the wooden plank bed.

Ding Ling had been through a great deal that night, and as she lay in bed, she felt no sleepiness.

And with Mr. Zhou now living in her heart, she felt as though it was completely full, a very strange feeling. So she chatted with Zhou Yang.

Their conversation left her feeling even more awake.

She felt that talking with Mr. Zhou all night would make her happy, even if they only spoke of useless nonsense.

But after an unknown length of time, a wave of sleepiness came over her. Though her heart was full of joy, she could not resist it, and soon fell asleep to the sound of Zhou Yang's voice.

The door of the right wing room opened a crack.

A pool of purplish-red liquid spilled through the gap and gathered in the main room, taking the form of the Averting God's Bloated Aspect.

The Bloated Aspect pressed itself against the left wing room, then turned into corpse water and seeped through the gaps in the door.

The next moment, it appeared in Ding Ling's room.

A pair of dead fish eyes stared at the "Zhong Kui" on the wooden plank bed for a long while.

After confirming that she really was sound asleep, the Bloated Aspect waited a while longer before returning to where it had come from.

The Averting God did not need rest.

But the Averting God's master still needed sleep.

Seeing that Ding Ling had finally fallen asleep, Chang Dafeng recalled the Averting God and went to rest.

At that moment, Zhou Yang was the only one in the two wing rooms who remained awake.

At the fifth watch, Ding Ling woke from her sleep.

She opened her eyes to find the room still pitch-dark.

Outside the window opening, something like a sheet of black gauze drifted in the air. Only a little daylight passed through it and fell into the room.

The room was a little cold.

Ding Ling sat up on the wooden plank bed and looked at the assorted clutter piled up in the room.

The small wing room was packed full of it.

But her heart felt empty, as though she had lost something.

The person who had appeared in her dream had not entered her reality.

She was still alone.

"Awake?"

At that moment, Zhou Yang's voice sounded in her heart.

The moment she heard it, Ding Ling seemed to come back to life. Her heart was once more filled with a feeling both bittersweet and excited, and she immediately answered, "Mm! I'm awake!

"Did you get any rest, sir? The fifth watch hasn't passed yet, has it?"

"The fifth watch just started. You woke up right on time," Zhou Yang said. "Chang Dafeng is still asleep. Let's take this chance to run."

"Okay!"

Ding Ling looked up at the window opening.

Even in costume, she had more than enough room to squeeze through it.

But the opening was more than ten feet above the ground, and in this costume, climbing that high would be very difficult.

"I'll take control of your body. Using Breathing of the Ghost, I can easily get out through the window," Zhou Yang said, putting Ding Ling's concerns to rest. "Breathing of the Ghost is also a method you must master.

"Right now, I'm only using this method with your body. That doesn't mean you've fully mastered it yourself.

"You'll only have truly learned Breathing of the Ghost once you've used Mindfulness to subdue that wisp of Ghost Qi on your skin."

As he spoke, he took control of Ding Ling's body.

He spread both hands, and pitch-black mouths sprang open in his palms!

"Wooo-"

The faint sound of ghosts weeping rose from Zhou Yang's palms like the wind.

Zhou Yang suddenly felt Ding Ling's body fill with strength.

The heavy, bulky costume felt like nothing to him!

He dug his fingers into the hollows and cracks in the rammed-earth wall and, like a gecko, scrambled up to the window opening in a few swift movements. Then he squeezed through!

Outside the window opening was a gentle slope overgrown with assorted trees.

Zhou Yang bounded and raced along the slope. Before long, he had descended it and darted into Daliang Village in the mountain ravine, vanishing from sight!

"Ding Ling, the fifth watch has passed! Get up and learn opera!"

In the dim main room, Chang Dafeng stood outside the left wing room with a robe draped over his shoulders. As he called out, he reached out and pounded heavily on the door.

"Ding Ling!"

"Ding Ling!"

Chang Dafeng called several times, but there was no response from inside.

Knowing something was wrong, he summoned the Bloated Aspect with a thought and had it attach itself to his back.

Immediately afterward, Chang Dafeng pushed the door down with one palm!

The dust stirred up behind the door slowly settled.

The wooden plank bed was empty!

Chang Dafeng stared at the window opening in the wall for a while, his face dark. Suddenly, he grinned. "Impressive moves... Wearing such a heavy costume, you still managed to climb out through a window that high...

"Too bad-even if you run fast, when I tell you to come back, you'll come back obediently!"

With that, he plopped down on the wooden plank bed, straightened his back, and stared fixedly out the window opening. Then he abruptly let out a breath and called, "Ding Ling, come back!

"Come back!"

His tone was sinister and terrifying, nothing like a human voice.

Beside him, the Bloated Aspect crossed its hands and suddenly clamped them around its own neck!