Chapter 028: The Courtyard Where Shadows Gather

The words of the proprietress left me deeply shocked. Yet another bizarre event seemed to be linked to Xuan Yi. Everything began when I asked Lao Jiu and the others to come to the harbor district in search of someone. At first, though uneasy, I believed that once we solved the case of the wailing meal, perhaps all would be over.

But the strange case of the wailing meal remained unresolved, and one disturbing incident followed another—all appearing to target me. This could not be mere coincidence. Luo Feng and I exchanged a glance; we each saw a shadow of anxiety in the other’s eyes.

I asked the proprietress to recount everything in detail. After some hesitation, she decided to speak plainly. This establishment had been here for a long time. She chose this place precisely because of its secluded location and, being mindful of feng shui, wanted to consult someone about it.

Unexpectedly, Xuan Yi came to her on his own accord. She had burned incense at Sansong Temple before and naturally recognized him. She had the utmost faith in this ageless Taoist. Xuan Yi told her that this spot sat precisely at the boundary of yin and yang—the yin here was extreme, the yang pure; business here would either flourish beyond measure or wither, bringing misfortune in its wake.

The cause, he said, was the wandering souls that haunted this place.

Upon hearing this, the proprietress was frightened and immediately gave up the idea of starting her business here. But Xuan Yi’s next words made her reconsider. He said he could perform a ritual here, using the principles of yin, yang, and the five elements to build a sealed courtyard that would gather yin energy, ensuring her business would thrive.

The proprietress was swayed. Everyone spoke of Xuan Yi’s extraordinary powers, and she believed them without question. What puzzled her was that he seemed to know the nature of her business, yet still offered to help. She hinted at this to him, and Xuan Yi replied with eight words: “Everyone has their path; none is beneath another.”

His response was cryptic, but it reassured her. As promised, Xuan Yi performed the ritual, then personally oversaw the construction of a courtyard according to his design. He even had the first floor of the establishment sealed, so there was no passage into the completely enclosed courtyard.

Xuan Yi also warned them never to enter the courtyard, saying it was a place for gathering yin, the energy there was too intense, and anyone who went inside would be haunted by evil spirits and surely perish. The proprietress had been so adamant earlier because she feared trouble if I tried to enter.

Luo Feng listened, then settled onto the bed and laughed. “Xuan Yi truly lives up to his name—he’s tied up with even a place like this.”

After a moment’s thought, I adopted a threatening tone and asked again, “Are you certain there’s no one named Xiao Mei here? If I find out any of you are lying, I’ll strip you all bare and hang your clothes in the street.”

The proprietress replied firmly, “We wouldn’t dare deceive you. There really is no one called Xiao Mei. You must have encountered something unclean. It seems I need to visit Sansong Temple and ask Master Xuan Yi to come.”

I didn’t tell her that Xuan Yi had already left the harbor. I asked if anyone else had seen anything supernatural here. Many of the girls stepped forward, recounting their experiences. Some said customers had mentioned seeing a frightening eye peering from a cupboard or through a crack in the door while being entertained.

Immediately, the girls remembered what Xuan Yi had said before, and were terrified. They persuaded the customers to leave and none dared open the cupboard. The proprietress, fearful of rumors spreading, ordered them to stay calm and keep it quiet. Others, upon getting up at night for a drink of water, saw ghostly shadows.

At first, these incidents were rare, but they soon became more frequent and severe. Remembering Xuan Yi’s warning, the proprietress dared not investigate further, instructing the girls to stay silent and planning to visit Sansong Temple when she had time. Unexpectedly, the entire establishment became deserted overnight.

Luo Feng asked why, after several days, she still hadn’t sought out Xuan Yi. The proprietress replied that about a month before, Xuan Yi had visited. At that time, nothing untoward had happened, but he told her that the yin energy in the courtyard was already dangerously heavy and that something bad would happen soon.

Panicked, she asked what to do. Xuan Yi told her to evacuate everyone and spent a day inside the courtyard alone, allowing no one near. She and the girls waited far off, sitting idly for an entire day. Only when night had fully fallen did Xuan Yi emerge, his whisk in hand.

He told her the yin energy had been subdued, but warned that trouble might return in time, and reassured her not to worry—he would appear when the time was right. That promise was why she had waited for him and not rushed to Sansong Temple.

But tonight’s events and the recent rumors had finally pushed her past her limit.

“So, these strange happenings all began after Xuan Yi’s last visit a month ago, correct?” I asked. The proprietress thought for a moment and agreed. At that moment, Luo Feng’s men returned, having called for reinforcements. They reported that there was no sign of anyone suspicious nearby, let alone Xiao Mei, whom Luo Feng and I had seen.

Xiao Mei had likely left long ago, having played her tricks on us.

Instinctively, I patted my body and was startled to find my bracelet missing. Ever since I’d discovered that strange bracelet on the path to Sansong Temple, I had kept it with me at all times. Especially after the appraisal center found no fingerprints and Xuan Yi had mentioned it in his call, I had grown particularly attentive to it.

I was certain Xiao Mei had taken it, as she had been close to me just moments before.

Frowning deeply, I replied to Luo Feng’s inquiry with a smile, saying I’d encountered yet another strange individual, and this time, she was after me. Luo Feng looked bewildered and asked why I could still smile after all this. I shrugged and retorted, “Should I be crying instead?”

Luo Feng had no answer for that. Turning to the proprietress, I told her I wanted to see the courtyard. Her face changed at once; she pleaded with me not to do anything reckless, insisting that I would surely come to harm if I went in. I ignored her pleas. With Luo Feng’s men looking fierce, she dared not stop us.

We made our way into the alley once again. The bleeding in my palm had stopped, and Luo Feng’s men had given me gloves. Luo Feng wanted to come with me, but I insisted he stay outside in case something happened there as well. I easily scaled the wall.

Inside the courtyard, I immediately felt the air was damp.

Though southern winters do not strip the trees bare, this courtyard was filled with them. I went straight to the small shelter I had seen from the rooftop. At first glance, it looked like a doghouse, but on closer inspection, it clearly was not. It was constructed from bricks, with a square entrance about half a meter on each side—large enough for a person to crawl through.

I had brought a flashlight; shining it inside, I found the space quite roomy. There was a thick quilt inside, once white but now stained and blackened with filth.

That did not surprise me. What did was the presence of a great deal of rotting meat, filling the air with a stench. Upon close inspection, this meat was just like that found in the hallway outside, though there was much less of it here.

Seeing the decayed meat again, I still could not discern its origin. Luo Feng’s earlier question returned to me: in a place like this, it was all too easy to imagine it as human flesh.

I stood up at once. The little shelter clearly indicated someone had been living here.

I began to circle the courtyard. The trees were not tall, but grew densely together. Looking up, their branches almost filled the courtyard, so that from above, nearly all sightlines would be blocked by leaves and twigs. Beneath the trees, thick weeds grew, some almost waist-high.

I looked all around. There was not the slightest sound, but I was certain someone had been here—because even without wind, the branches extending over the wall had moved, and I’d seen the weeds below sway from the rooftop.

I walked slowly through the courtyard, my footsteps light. The sensation was strange; I could not shake the feeling that, somewhere in the darkness, someone was watching me. Sweeping my flashlight from side to side, I illuminated every corner, yet saw nothing.

Just as I was about to give up and climb out, I suddenly heard laughter.

It was a woman’s voice—shrill and sharp—not frightening in itself, but in this courtyard, it made my scalp crawl. I searched the grounds quickly; the eerie laughter continued, and soon I saw a patch of weeds begin to rustle.

Something was crawling there!

I strode toward it, but had only taken two steps before a head emerged…