Chapter 3: The Shadowed Spirit

After a while, Qi Yan met up with Dong Ye and Xu Dan. Naturally, the first thing he did was show them the amulet he had just received.

Xu Dan frowned in concern for a long moment, then chuckled, “It’s quite well-made, but it doesn’t look real to me. The figure is completely indistinct—you can’t even tell what shape it’s supposed to be. It looks just like an ordinary piece of black stone. Where did you buy it, from some random street stall?”

Qi Yan truly didn’t know much about authenticating amulets, but being mocked like this by Xu Dan left him rather annoyed. “Tsk—what are you saying? Do you even know how to judge these things? This one was given to me for free by an old monk in a temple, who said he saw I was fated to receive it.”

He went on to recount in detail how he had stumbled into the black temple, describing every aspect vividly.

After hearing his story, Dong Ye and Xu Dan were even more skeptical, taking turns poking holes in his tale.

“Other people having this kind of karmic connection with Buddha, I might believe, but you—?”

“Exactly. An hour ago you were saying you don’t believe in gods or Buddha, only in Chairman Mao, and now you’re telling us you got an amulet as a gift?”

“And you said… a black temple? Where’s that? All the temples around here are gilded.”

“And you said the monk looked over sixty? Do you realize monks of that age are usually of the most venerable rank? Are you sure you weren’t mistaken? And he was wearing black robes? What, do you think you’re in Japan?”

Qi Yan was left fuming by their ridicule. He waved the strange amulet in his hand. “Fine, fine… words alone mean nothing. Come! I’ll take you there myself.”

It had only been about ten minutes since he’d left the little black temple. It wasn’t far from here at all. But when he led Dong Ye and Xu Dan back to where he thought it was, the black temple was nowhere to be found.

“What the hell is going on… There are only so many buildings in this small area. A whole temple doesn’t just grow wings and fly away!” Qi Yan paced anxiously in place. The temples in this area were densely packed, but the black temple had been right here, so prominent and unusual. Even if the temple grounds were a bit confusing, the overall area wasn’t that large. How could it just vanish before his eyes?

Had he gotten the directions mixed up on the way back? Or taken the wrong path…? But none of those explanations made sense.

Qi Yan was known for joking around, so his friends were used to his pranks. Seeing him so flustered, Dong Ye found it all the more amusing. “Alright, alright, stop putting on such a show.”

“What do you mean, putting on a show? It was right here—I just came out of there!” Qi Yan grew more agitated—not because his friends didn’t believe him, but because the whole thing was just so bizarre. The old monk in black robes might not be there anymore, but how could such a conspicuous little temple disappear in so short a time?

From the moment he discovered that temple, strange and unexplainable things had been happening—two episodes where he’d blacked out, oddities within the temple, the old monk’s fluent English, and this peculiar amulet he’d been given for free.

Even if he assumed the most extreme explanation—that everything he’d seen was a hallucination—how could he explain the amulet? It was still right there, clutched in his hand—a tangible proof. The only thing missing was a witness.

Dong Ye and Xu Dan exchanged knowing smiles when they saw how serious and anxious he looked.

Though they still doubted Qi Yan’s story, they didn’t want to keep arguing about it. They simply assumed he’d bought a fake amulet from a street vendor and was too embarrassed to admit it, so he’d invented this whole tale. There was no need to expose him.

The couple walked on either side of Qi Yan, herding him toward the exit. “Alright, alright, if you say it’s real, it’s real. Why get so worked up? Let’s find something to eat—I’m starving.”

“Me too. Let’s find a nice local restaurant nearby. And this time, don’t forget to tip the waiter,” Xu Dan added, reaching out for the amulet in Qi Yan’s hand. “Let me see that thing again.”

Dong Ye interjected, “Wait, didn’t you say you shouldn’t touch someone else’s amulet?”

“Oh, come on, this one’s definitely fake. Even I can tell at a glance…”

Qi Yan was practically pushed along by the two of them. Even after they sat down in the restaurant, he seemed lost and distracted. Though he usually seemed indifferent about most things, he was actually quite attentive.

His mind was preoccupied with the puzzle of what had happened—so incredible, so strange.

Xu Dan knew a bit about amulets. She explained that authenticating one was a real skill; they weren’t just ordinary talismans. Even true collectors wouldn’t claim to recognize every amulet, as there were simply too many types.

But there were some basic details everyone knew. Amulets were always crafted by a particular high monk during a certain period. Maybe nowadays they weren’t all handmade, but the most important thing was to have the amulet personally consecrated by a monk.

Without consecration, an amulet was nothing but ordinary clay or useless metal. To put it another way, without the ritual, it hadn’t been infused with spiritual power—it was just another object.

Qi Yan’s amulet, whatever its craftsmanship, was bizarre in appearance. It should have been a “powder amulet,” yet it had no discernible form—just a plain, square stone.

But if it was a fake, that made it even stranger. Why would the old monk go to such lengths? What was the point? Why hand out a fake for free and not even ask for money?

He could barely eat during the meal. By the time they’d leisurely finished their local delicacies, night had already fallen.

The place they were staying wasn’t far. They strolled back slowly as before.

A long, tree-shaded path led to their hotel at the end. Life in Thailand moved at a gentle pace; people didn’t work themselves to exhaustion. The street vendors had long since closed up shop, and now the three of them were the only ones on the road.

The slanting rays of sunset, filtered through the trees, made it much cooler than before.

Dong Ye and Xu Dan walked ahead, laughing and joking all the way. Qi Yan trailed behind, hands in his pockets, lost in thought, occasionally taking out the amulet to toy with it.

Because he kept his head down, he didn’t notice what was happening up ahead.

Suddenly, Dong Ye’s tone, cheerful just moments before, changed abruptly to alarm. “Dan Dan? Dan Dan!”

Qi Yan jerked his head up at the shout. Xu Dan had collapsed to the ground, limp as a ragdoll, as if she’d fainted. Dong Ye dropped his backpack and tried to help her up.

As soon as he touched her, Xu Dan’s body convulsed and she began to tremble violently, as if having a seizure or suffering from food poisoning. Her face turned deathly pale, her short hair became wild and disheveled, and her eyes rolled back completely, the pupils vanishing, the whites shot through with blood.

Realizing something was terribly wrong, Qi Yan rushed over to help.

But before he could reach them, Xu Dan suddenly raised both arms, seized Dong Ye in her grip, and clamped her hands around his throat with unnatural strength. A man of five foot ten was effortlessly overpowered by his girlfriend, who was more than a head shorter. Dong Ye struggled instinctively but found himself utterly helpless.

He didn’t even manage to cry out before he was hurled three meters away, crashing to the ground and rolling several times.

“Xu Dan, what’s gotten into you?!” Qi Yan was dumbstruck, too shocked to wonder where Xu Dan had found such strength.

After tossing Dong Ye aside, “Xu Dan” slowly turned to face Qi Yan as she heard his voice.

Her pallid face had taken on a bluish tinge, her eyes still bloodshot and blind, her lips curled in a chilling, uncanny smile.

The moment Qi Yan met those eyes, a cold chill ran down his spine. He found himself paralyzed, unable to move except for trembling—like he was trapped by an irresistible force.

“Xu Dan” stared at him for several seconds, her lips fixed in that sinister grin. Then, from her mouth, Qi Yan heard a voice—frighteningly ethereal, yet clear as day—each word like a gust of icy wind penetrating straight through flesh and bone to his heart.

“They doubted your resolve, dismissed your sincerity… I’ve made them pay the price. Aren’t you… pleased?”