Chapter 4: Standing Alone Against a Thousand

"Hahahaha..." My grandfather suddenly laughed. The sound soared toward the clouds, yet it felt profoundly desolate.

My grandfather stopped laughing and said in a hoarse voice, "So, even the Underworld knows the Yuan family has performed meritorious service?"

"If we are people of merit, why must we suffer the fate of having our entire clan wiped out?"

"There was a time when I thought about yielding to the will of Heaven. I only wanted the Yuan family to live in peace for three generations, then descend to the Underworld together to end our tragedy."

"But I have realized the truth—my son was right. Justice must be seized by one's own hands!"

"Today, no one is taking my grandson away!"

The person speaking remained silent for a moment. "Mr. Yuan, duty compels me. I apologize."

"Prepare—"

At that command, the sound of the Underworld army falling into formation rang out.

On the roof of my house, I heard the rhythmic thud of feet hitting tiles—my grandfather performing his footwork. His voice followed: "The heavens turn in chaos, the earth finds no peace. By the Nine Springs and the Yellow River, I issue my command. Reverse the destiny of Heaven, open the Ghost Gate, and summon a million soldiers of the netherworld..."

"Stop!" the man shouted in fury. "Yuan Kaishan, if you dare open the Ghost Gate and borrow soldiers from the netherworld, are you declaring war on the Underworld?"

My grandfather laughed heartily. "Our family can no longer survive; do you think we care who we make an enemy of?"

The man roared, "If you strike that blow, you will unleash the evil spirits of the netherworld. Living beings for a hundred miles will be plunged into misery. You cannot bear the weight of such karma."

My grandfather sneered. "The lives we saved in the Yuan family cover not just a hundred miles, but thousands. And what did we get in return?"

"If I slaughter every living soul for a hundred miles, perhaps I might even be rewarded by the Heavenly Dao. Don't you think?"

The man suppressed his rage. "What do you want?"

"Withdraw your troops immediately, and promise never to seek my grandson again. I will return to the Underworld with you to settle my affairs," my grandfather said in a deep voice. "Otherwise, I would rather see us both destroyed."

Just as the man hesitated, I heard the sound of a lock snapping at my courtyard gate.

Someone had entered?

***

Hadn't my grandfather sealed the gate?

I looked out the window and saw five Taoist-looking men dragging six large, crimson coffins into our courtyard, arranging them into a hexagonal formation.

The voice of the woman in red drifted from the central coffin: "Yuan Kaishan, your array that wards off ghosts and gods can stop spirits, but it cannot stop the living. You didn't expect me to find help, did you?"

"I gave you three days, not so you could prepare to fight the Underworld, but so I could calculate how to take your life."

"Go ahead, open the Ghost Gate! If you do, everyone here will die without a burial place. But I don't think your Yuan family would sacrifice all living things for your own sake. Your tough talk is just a bluff."

Without waiting for my grandfather to speak, the woman in red continued, "Now, you have fallen into my inescapable trap."

"If you don't open the Ghost Gate, the five men I brought are enough to hold you off. Once the Underworld soldiers break through your formation, you will undoubtedly die."

"If you do open the Ghost Gate, it’s even better. I won't even have to lift a finger—your whole clan will be wiped out for defying the heavens."

The woman’s voice paused as she commanded the five Taoists, "If he opens the Ghost Gate, hide in your coffins. Otherwise, you have a chance to challenge the world-renowned Yuan Kaishan."

"Yuan Kaishan, if you don't make a move, I'm going after your grandson."

As soon as she finished speaking, our front door was blasted wide open by a massive force. A violent, chilly wind surged in, shattering the pots and pans in the kitchen.

I watched as countless talismans and spirit money fluttered through the air, glowing with a red light.

The woman ignored the flying talismans and stormed inside. The paper dolls that had been surrounding me suddenly stood up, blocking the doorway tightly.

The woman in red grabbed at the heads of the paper dolls with both hands. As she crushed their heads, they burst into flames one after another. The roaring fire seemed to obscure her vision; although I was standing right near her, she acted as if she couldn't see me, fixated entirely on fighting the paper dolls.

I huddled in the corner, quietly drawing my dagger, watching her closely. After she destroyed the last paper doll, she dove headlong into the quilt spread out on the brick bed and went still.

My grandfather had specifically placed a paper doll on the bed and covered it with the quilt; the woman had mistaken the doll for me.

When I stood up and looked at the bed, there was a human-shaped lump under the quilt.

I could only see a pair of barefoot feet sticking out from under the quilt. The skin was deathly pale, but the toenails were painted a bright, blood-red—a color that made my skin crawl.

I gathered my courage, took two steps forward, and raised my dagger to stab the quilt, but I heard my grandfather shout from outside, "Don't move!"

***

My grandfather’s voice was low. "Back away. Just don't stay in the same room as her. Move backward slowly, watch where you step, and don't knock into anything."

By this time, a chaotic battle was raging outside. My grandfather, refusing to open the Ghost Gate, was fighting the five Taoists all by himself.

The figures of my grandfather and the five Taoists crisscrossed the courtyard. I couldn't tell who was who, nor could I understand how my grandfather knew what was happening inside.

I had never seen such a spectacle. I didn't dare to think or make a sound, inching backward step by step.

I hadn't moved far when my heel struck a broken bowl on the floor. It clattered loudly, and a hand shot out from beneath the quilt, pinning my wrist with supernatural strength and dragging me onto the bed.

The person under the quilt threw the bedding over me and smothered me inside.

Once she pulled me in, I was pressed against her. Her body was as cold as ice, and I couldn't help but shiver.

It was pitch black inside the quilt, yet I could see her face perfectly.

She had fox-like eyes, and in her black irises were distinct white spots, as if someone had driven a needle into her pupils.

The woman held a finger to her bright red lips and whispered, "Don't speak. It won't be fun if you talk."

"Scared of my eyes, aren't you? My eyes were blinded by your grandfather. Otherwise, I would have caught you long ago. I'll settle the score for my eyes with him later."

The woman pressed her hand against my lips and whispered, "Yuan Kaishan, your grandson is in my hands. Let me out, and I will leave him behind."

"Otherwise, this last sprout of your Yuan family won't be yours anymore."

My grandfather shouted from outside, "Activate the formation!"

I heard the sound of cabinet doors swinging open. I couldn't see outside, but the sound suggested that every cabinet in my house had suddenly flown open at once.

The woman let out a sudden, piercing shriek. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably, and she screamed, "Yuan Kaishan, if you make another move, I will drain your grandson's original vitality!"

"His measly bit of vitality isn't even enough for one bite. Don't you want your grandson's life?"