Chapter 2 The Couple Outside the Window

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Outside the villa, the rain poured in torrents.

The red silk draped along the walls hung down in strips, drooping like ropes for the living to hang themselves.

The rain lashed down relentlessly. Wiping the raindrops from his face, Le Dong looked at the tall, thin old man stepping out of the villa.

"Ah, Steward Ma, this is the friend I brought. He's in great shape and will work hard, no question…"

Cai Kun stood to one side, nodding and bowing, but before he could finish, Steward Ma cut him off with a wave of his hand. Glancing at Le Dong, who stood in the rain, he replied in a lukewarm tone, "Come in and let's have a look."

With Steward Ma's permission, Cai Kun agreed eagerly, rubbing his plump hands together and looking as if he wanted to say more.

"Wait until Master Zhao has seen him, and you'll have your introduction fee."

"Oh, Steward Ma, don't mention it. As long as I can help Mr. Hu, that's enough."

Though Cai Kun spoke humbly, the delight in his tone was barely concealed.

This was just as Le Dong expected. After all, this gambler had been both attentive and anxious along the way; it was never without reason.

Following their lead, Le Dong stepped carefully through the wooden door. A pungent scent of incense immediately made his throat itch. Looking up, he saw only a haze before him, with the vague shapes of a few pieces of furniture and shadowy figures.

"Open the window!"

Perhaps the villa owner had noticed Le Dong's discomfort, for he gave a low, sharp command.

At last, as the cool, rainy air swept in from outside, much of the smoke quickly dissipated, allowing Le Dong to take in the scene.

The interior was far from luxurious—in fact, it was rather sparse and empty. Only a sofa sat in the center, upon which a middle-aged couple brooded with their faces buried in their hands.

Judging by their bearing, they were almost certainly the hosts.

Sure enough, as soon as they entered, Cai Kun greeted them with a sycophantic smile.

"Heh heh, sorry to bother you, Mr. Hu. I've been so worried about your situation, searching everywhere. At last, I've found this friend of mine…"

Cai Kun's gushing self-praise was abruptly cut off as Mr. Hu raised a hand.

"Old Ma, call for Master Zhao."

Mr. Hu, lounging on the sofa, waved gently, and as the sound of Steward Ma going upstairs faded, he gestured to the weeping woman beside him to make tea.

All this time, he had not spared Le Dong so much as a glance.

The heavy atmosphere made Le Dong uneasy. With a forced laugh, he let Cai Kun pull him to a seat. Soon after, the woman returned with two cups of fragrant tea, saying, "Thank you for your trouble."

Her voice was gentle and comforting, making Le Dong look up instinctively.

It was true what they said about women from wealthy families; she looked nothing like a woman in her fifties. Even her hand, as she pushed forward the cup, was pale and delicate, showing no sign of age.

After she left, Le Dong sipped the tea, finally taking the chance to glance around the room with his peripheral vision.

It was so bare that a few glances revealed everything. Besides the central sofa, only a small altar near the window caught his attention.

On the altar were fruits and pastries, and above it, a colorful frame hung on the wall. In the center of the photo, a bald old man smiled broadly at a handsome young couple on either side. Their intimate posture left their relationship in no doubt.

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Having looked for a moment, Le Dong lost interest and lowered his gaze to his teacup, ready to savor this expensive brew. Yet, suddenly, the tea reflected the faces of the young couple from the photograph—two lifeless, ghastly faces, their bulging, dead-fish eyes staring straight into his.

"Ha!"

With a start, Le Dong involuntarily flung the teacup forward, a frightened cry escaping his lips.

"Le Dong?"

"Heh heh, apologies, Mr. Hu, my friend here has thin lips—perhaps he burnt himself. Sorry, sorry."

Cai Kun sat up straighter, gathering the shattered porcelain from the floor, and forced a smile at the frowning Mr. Hu. Then he shot a reproachful look at the still-shaken Le Dong.

Le Dong managed to regain his composure, echoing a few words in line with Cai Kun's explanation, and Mr. Hu finally turned away, lost once more in thought.

"Le Dong! What's wrong with you? Don't make a scene, just sit quietly," Cai Kun whispered sternly.

Le Dong said nothing, wanting to turn and look at the altar behind him, but the memory of those two ghastly faces in the tea made his skin crawl and cold sweat break out on his forehead. He quashed the urge.

Fortunately, the torment did not last long. The sound of footsteps descending the stairs—clack, clack, clack—grew louder, accompanied by an even stronger odor of incense.

Le Dong couldn't help but look up at the spiral staircase, watching as an elderly man in black practice robes, with a white beard, descended.

"Master Zhao!"

Mr. Hu and his wife rose together to greet him. The old man waved them off, then scrutinized Le Dong for a moment before asking, "Is it him?"

At Mr. Hu's nod, Master Zhao stepped closer, examining Le Dong from left to right, silent for a long while before he finally asked, "What's your name?"

"Le Dong."

"Hmm…"

Master Zhao grunted, pacing back and forth so that the wooden floorboards creaked, irritating to the ear.

"Master Zhao, is he suitable?" Mr. Hu pressed.

Master Zhao paused, his eyes darting like a thief's—an odd contrast to his dignified white beard and hair.

"Master Zhao, time is running short. Is there a problem?" asked Steward Ma in a low, expressionless voice.

At last, Master Zhao relented. Grabbing Le Dong's hand, he muttered something under his breath for several minutes before letting go and smiling, "Good, this lad will do. He can handle it."

With those words, several people in the room visibly relaxed.

Yet the strange exchange, coupled with the apparition in the tea, left Le Dong uneasy.

"Could this place really be haunted?" he thought, glancing at Cai Kun, who avoided his gaze.

Boom—

But before he could whisper a question, a thunderclap shook the house, and the few lights within the villa flickered out.

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In an instant, under the dim sky, the villa was plunged into darkness. Only the half-burnt incense candles glowed faintly red, while outside, the rain pounded and the wind howled with a furious, beastly wail.

"Whoo—whoo—whoo—"

The wind forced its way through the windows, making an eerily human sound—like the death rattle of a person in their final moments.

"Ah!!"

A woman's scream pierced the darkness, making Le Dong's heart skip a beat. All around was confusion and the sound of a sharp slap.

"Don't make a fuss! What's there to scream about?"

"Old Ma, light the candles!"

…

At last, when a red candle was lit, the commotion began to subside.

"Calm yourself, sir. Madam is simply frightened," Steward Ma murmured, holding the candle and soothing the throbbing veins at Mr. Hu's temples. Then, he gestured at Master Zhao, "With the master here, there's nothing to fear!"

Hearing this, Le Dong instinctively glanced at Master Zhao. Whether from cold or darkness, the old man's face was deathly pale, and sweat trickled down, knotting his long white eyebrows.

"Yes, yes, with me here, there's no need to worry. It's probably just a power outage from the heavy rain," Master Zhao said with a forced laugh, quietly releasing his grip on the sofa.

As the old man spoke, Mr. Hu nodded, took the red candle from Steward Ma, and tremulously approached the altar.

"Father, I've invited a great master to help you find peace. Please, let go and stop harming others. Da Wei is gone, and if you go on like this, our family line will end with us…"

By the end, Mr. Hu was weeping, and his wife sobbed quietly behind him.

But as Le Dong listened, a wave of shock rose within him. He turned to Cai Kun and whispered, "Cai Kun, what's going on? What does he mean by 'harming others'?"

"How should I know? Last month I saw the young man in that photo alive and well," Cai Kun replied, wiping sweat from his face, his voice unsteady.

"Cai Kun, if that's the case, I can't go through with this job," Le Dong said, shaking off Cai Kun's hands. He was about to approach Mr. Hu, but as his eyes fell on the altar, goosebumps erupted all over his body.

The fresh fruit on the altar now looked as if it had been left for ages—blackened and shriveled.

That wasn't all.

The most horrifying sight was outside the window: two human figures hung from the drooping red silk, their faces blurred, each with a half-foot-long tongue lolling from its mouth.

In the flickering candlelight in Mr. Hu's hand, it could be seen that both figures wore crimson wedding robes.

They were dressed as a bride and groom…