Chapter Nine: The Dead Demand Their Due

With a goal now in mind, Le Dong gradually felt his tension ease.

He had intended to return to the hospital ward, but the sight of his father-in-law glaring at the entrance stopped him in his tracks. His marriage had never been favored by the man, and given today’s events, Le Dong could hardly blame him. Yet, more than that, Le Dong was terrified of witnessing his wife’s strange behavior again.

Helpless, he turned toward his son's ward, only to stop once more, lost in thought. The bizarre occurrences plaguing him were still unresolved, and his wife had already been reduced to this state because of them. What if he brought that same curse upon his son?

A wave of bitterness washed over Le Dong. How was his current situation any different from having his family torn apart? He cursed that godforsaken villa he had visited! But if he didn't go, how would his son get the treatment he needed?

"Damn it!"

Le Dong stood in the hallway and, without warning, slammed his fist into the wall, the impact vibrating through his arm until it went numb.

"Hey! What are you doing? If you’ve got a problem, go see a psychiatrist! Don't you know you’re not allowed to make a scene in a hospital?"

"How utterly uncouth..."

The nurses on the floor scolded him. When Le Dong didn't move, they prepared to approach him to demand an explanation, but Cai Kun, who had been monitoring Le Dong’s emotional state, hurried over. He pulled Le Dong back while offering an apologetic, sheepish smile.

"Sorry, so sorry..."

Once outside the hospital, Le Dong smoked three Hongtashan cigarettes in rapid succession, his pent-up emotions slightly abating. Cai Kun looked up at the sky and rubbed his stomach.

"Dongzi... don't be sad. Tomorrow we'll see the master, and everything will be resolved. I've thought it over, too—that lousy grave-moving job, I'm not going either."

He tugged at Le Dong’s sleeve and smiled. "That's enough, it's just a small matter. Come on, I see a Shaanxi noodle shop across the street. My treat."

Le Dong, understanding Cai Kun’s attempt to comfort him, sighed and followed. It was past four in the afternoon, prime dinner time, and the shop was already packed. The staff were rushing about, yet an elderly man with a scruffy beard and a kitchen apron was slumped over the counter, dozing.

Cai Kun, having finally secured a table only to find no one coming to serve them, grew impatient.

"Hey, Uncle, two bowls of 'three-in-one' noodles."

His thick regional accent cut through the air, causing the old man’s eyelids to flicker.

"Thirty-six," the old man muttered with his eyes closed, gesturing toward the QR code on the counter.

"Uncle, business must be booming if you're sleeping on the job," Cai Kun quipped as he approached with his phone. But as he drew closer, the old man suddenly sat bolt upright.

"Clang..."

The movement was so abrupt that the old man’s stool tipped, and he fell to the floor. The commotion silenced the noisy shop as everyone turned to look. Cai Kun immediately raised his hands, laughing awkwardly.

"Whoa? What’s this about, Uncle? I didn’t even touch you!"

The old man on the ground said nothing. He slowly stood up, his cloudy eyes scanning Le Dong and Cai Kun. After a moment, he brushed away the hands of those trying to help him up and hesitated.

"You two... where from in Sanqin?"

Cai Kun was stunned. He lowered his hands, smiling. "Jingyang. Why? Giving a fellow countryman a discount?"

Le Dong had expected the old man’s query to be idle chatter, but the old man nodded unexpectedly. "I can see you two are suffering souls... This meal is on the house."

"Huh?"

Cai Kun’s expression turned colorful, but he quickly put his phone away and laughed. "Haha, well, sure thing! You’re a righteous man, Uncle!"

Le Dong watched Cai Kun return, beaming. Although he found the old man's actions curious, such things weren't unheard of, so he didn't dwell on it.

Before long, having finished their noodles, Le Dong took a swig of Bingfeng soda, lit a cigarette, and walked out with Cai Kun. The old man intercepted them, carrying two takeout containers.

"Young man, take these two bowls of noodles."

"Oh... Uncle, it’s already generous enough that you didn't charge us. I can't take extra food, too." Cai Kun offered a cigarette and politely declined.

To their surprise, the old man was adamant. "Take them! They will be of use!"

Unable to refuse, Cai Kun laughed and accepted them. On the way back, he couldn't stop praising the noodle shop, even pulling out his phone to leave a review on an app. Le Dong hummed in agreement, glancing at the containers in his hand. Through the plastic bags, he could see they were plain, sweet noodles—no sauce, just stark white, and they looked completely unappetizing.

He tossed the bag into the van and sat in the passenger seat, frowning at the hospital in the distance. Since he had to rush to the west side of the city the next morning, and it was too far to go home or return to the hospital, he decided to spend the night in the van.

As the sun dipped behind the hills and eight o'clock arrived, the streetlights flickered on. Under the orange glow, the van sat in isolation.

Inside, Le Dong flicked away his cigarette butt and leaned against the window, staring at the silhouette of the hospital. His eyelids grew heavy. In the back, Cai Kun had put away his phone and lay down, soon snoring like thunder.

It was unclear how much time had passed when a "click-clack" sound jolted Le Dong from his light slumber. He opened his eyes to find the back seat empty, but the clicking grew clearer.

The sound came from behind the van. Le Dong slowly stepped out and circled to the back. In the light of the streetlamp, he saw Cai Kun squatting there, carefully polishing his leather shoes with a piece of white cloth.

His movements were soft, almost eerie, as if he were caressing the skin of a lover.

"Hiss—" A cold draft cut through Le Dong’s throat, stiffening his entire body.

Hearing the sound, Cai Kun paused, then slowly turned his head. The light from the streetlamp caught his face, revealing a grotesque smile that Le Dong had never seen before—the corners of his mouth stretched far too wide, while his eyes held no warmth.

"Are my shoes pretty?" Cai Kun’s voice had changed pitch, carrying a lightness and arrogance Le Dong had never heard before. "Do you want to wear them, too?"

Le Dong’s hair stood on end. With one hand, he dialed the police; with the other, he instinctively reached for the door handle to escape. The moment he reached for it, a red shadow flickered across his vision.

It was a red handkerchief, dancing strangely in the windless night as if controlled by an invisible hand. The golden-threaded "Juan" character on the silk shimmered under the streetlight, as if mocking Le Dong’s fear.

"No... no..." Le Dong’s body locked up. A stench of rot and blood suddenly flooded his nostrils.

Cai Kun—or rather, the thing occupying his body—laughed wickedly behind him. "You ruined my wife and me, you can't escape. Hehehe..."

The chilling tone sent a surge of coldness up Le Dong’s spine. He slammed the door shut and stumbled, trying to flee the open lot.

"Hmph..."

But his escape was not meant to be. He ran for dozens of steps, panting hard, only to look down and see he hadn't moved an inch; it was as if he were slipping in place. The red handkerchief in the air had somehow coiled around his throat like a serpent, tightening its grip.

"Gah..."

Le Dong felt his throat constrict. The sudden lack of air made his chest heave, his vision went black, and the phone fell from his hand onto the ground.

"Beep, beep, beep..."

"Hello? This is the Chengdong Police Station. How can we help you?"

"Hello? Hello? Are you in a situation where you cannot speak?"

"Hello, please report your location!"

Listening to the voice from the phone on the ground, the blood vessels in Le Dong’s eyes bulged. His pupils reflected the strange face of Cai Kun.

"Gah... gah... Peo... People's Hospi..."

Before he could finish, the handkerchief tightened again. Le Dong kicked his legs uncontrollably, unable to utter another word, with only one hand left clutching the frame of the van window.

"This face of yours... give it back to Juanjuan..."

Through his ringing ears, he heard Cai Kun’s alien tone. Le Dong’s squinting eyes saw Cai Kun’s face shift, resembling the male corpse from the villa. The thing was now reaching out, tracing the edge of Le Dong’s skin as if searching for a loose thread to peel his face off.

"Gah... gah..."

Feeling the icy touch on his skin, Le Dong found a surge of desperate strength and kicked Cai Kun back several steps.

Due to oxygen deprivation, the sudden exertion caused blood to seep from his gums. His chest felt heavy, his vision blurred, and his hand slid from the window frame.

Suddenly, his fingers hooked onto something. The instinct to survive drove him to pull it out with his final bit of strength and hurl it at the still-grinning Cai Kun.

"Splat..."

A soft sound followed as the two bowls of sweet noodles from the noodle shop spilled onto the ground.

Le Dong thought to himself, "It's over."

But unexpectedly, after a few seconds, Cai Kun’s expression froze. He looked down at the scattered noodles and took a greedy, deep breath.

"Hehe... this smells good..."

The strange voice expressed wonder, then Cai Kun scrambled forward, grabbing the clumped noodles and stuffing them into his mouth. Even the red handkerchief around Le Dong’s neck suddenly went limp, transforming in his eyes into a faceless woman in a red wedding dress, crouching on the ground to feed.

They acted as if they were eating the finest delicacies. But as they ate, their movements grew slower, as if they were intoxicated, until they both swayed and collapsed onto the ground.

"Cough... huff..."

Le Dong fell to the ground, blood bubbling from the corners of his mouth. In his darkening vision, he vaguely saw a police car with flashing lights screaming toward them from the end of the road.