Chapter Twenty-Four: Strange Phenomena

The next morning, I was surprised not to see Master. Where could he have gone so early? I took care of breakfast myself, slung my backpack over my shoulders, and headed to school. The first class of the day was Chinese, taught, naturally, by Ms. Mu. She entered the classroom wearing glasses and dressed all in black, holding several books in her hands. The room instantly fell silent, followed by the customary exchange of morning greetings.

After the formalities, Ms. Mu gestured for us to sit. "Class, turn to the page we covered yesterday. Today, we'll focus on reviewing it thoroughly. This will be on the test, so pay attention and don't get distracted," she said, rapping the desk with her knuckles.

I obediently turned to the page, but my mind was elsewhere. I kept sneaking glances in Zhang Moyun's direction. She was nothing like she had been the day before; now she was pale, slumped over her desk, looking utterly drained. Chu Mengxi noticed my distraction and whispered my name. I turned to her, puzzled.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Lin Xuan, what are you staring at so intently?"

I shook my head without answering. She just snorted and went back to her notes. Watching Zhang Moyun a bit longer, I realized she didn't seem possessed or haunted, at least not in the way I’d imagined. I forced myself to stop thinking about it.

"Classmate Moyun, why don't you answer this question for us?" Ms. Mu suddenly called from the podium.

But Zhang Moyun seemed not to hear, remaining slumped over her desk without any response. Ms. Mu, a bit taken aback, called her name again, "Moyun? Moyun? Are you alright? Do you feel unwell?"

The girl sitting next to her nudged her arm, snapping Zhang Moyun out of her daze. She lifted her head, looking confused at her desk mate, who pointed towards the podium. Ms. Mu also looked at her with concern.

"S-sorry, teacher, I was distracted," Zhang Moyun said as she stood.

"Are you alright, Moyun? Are you feeling sick?" Ms. Mu asked, nodding.

Zhang Moyun shuddered, lowered her head, and stammered, "N-no, teacher, I'm fine."

Ms. Mu nodded again. "If you're fine, that's good. You may sit down. Mengxi, why don't you answer the question instead?"

Sitting beside me, Chu Mengxi nodded, stood, and answered fluently. Ms. Mu was pleased, and soon the bell rang for the end of class. The classroom erupted in chatter. I stayed in my seat, bored, and rested my head on the desk for a nap. After a while, I heard the girls behind me whispering, "Do you think Zhang Moyun seems a little off? The teacher called her several times, but she didn't seem to hear at all."

Another girl chimed in, "Now that you mention it, she has been acting weird lately. Yesterday at lunch, I saw her making a phone call to someone. After that call, she started acting strange."

"A phone call? Maybe something happened at home. I saw her eyes were a little red in the cafeteria yesterday. Anyway, let's not talk about it—she's coming."

At this, I looked up to see Zhang Moyun enter, looking burdened with worry. The girls behind me quickly left together. I thought for a moment, then stood up, drew a chair over, and sat beside Zhang Moyun.

"Zhang Moyun, if something's troubling you, you should talk about it. Keeping it bottled up won't help," I said.

She glanced at me without replying. I decided not to beat around the bush and went on, "If I'm not mistaken, you're upset about your uncle, aren't you?"

She trembled, looking at me in disbelief. I continued, "No need to overthink it. I told you yesterday—if you need help, you can come to me."

With that, I left her side and returned to my seat. She didn’t stop me, but I was certain she would seek me out.

Time flew by. After a day of classes and a long lunch break, dusk arrived with the end of school. I sat on the bench packing my bag, exhaled deeply, and was about to leave when I noticed someone approaching. My lips curled into a slight smile—I had guessed right. Looking up, I saw it was Zhang Moyun.

I smiled at her and said, "Let's go. This isn't the place to talk."

Without waiting for a reply, I led the way outside. Zhang Moyun followed. Once we were beyond the school gates, she could no longer contain herself.

"Lin Xuan, you said I could come to you for help. How exactly can you help me? How did you know about my uncle?" She fired off three questions in a row.

I pointed to a nearby pavilion. "Let's talk over there."

After we sat down, I set my bag aside and said, "You’ve heard the saying, 'Whoever tied the bell must untie it.' As for how I can help, that's my method. What you need to do now is tell me, in as much detail as you can, what happened at home. Since I sought you out, it means I'm confident I can handle this. People in my line of work don't offer help lightly, but since we're classmates and from the same hometown, I'll do my best."

With that, I fell silent, waiting. Zhang Moyun stood there, staring at me. After a while, as if making a decision, she sat opposite me, nervous and uneasy.

"It started three nights ago," she began slowly. "I was staying at my aunt's place in the city, doing my homework as usual. That night, I heard my aunt in her room, talking on the phone with someone. She sounded angry. I was curious, so I put my homework down and quietly approached her door. I couldn’t tell who she was talking to; she just kept scolding the other person. After a heated argument, she suddenly started crying, saying things like, 'It's retribution for the Zhang family.' I was frightened and hurried back to my room. After a while, I calmed down and, sticking to my routine, went to bed.

"By the next day, I’d forgotten all about it. But at noon, I got terrible news—my brother called to tell me that our uncle had passed away the night before. My mind went blank. I wanted to cry, but at first, I couldn't. In the end, I couldn't hold it in; my uncle... he had always been so good to me since I was little..."

At this point, Zhang Moyun's voice caught and trailed off. Tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. I took a tissue from my pocket and handed it to her. She choked out a thank you, and I waved it off. "Life is unpredictable, and misfortune can strike at any time. My condolences. Take your time—there's no rush."

She nodded wordlessly, buried her face in her arms on the stone table, and her shoulders shook with silent sobs. I sat quietly across from her, understanding that right now, more than anything, she needed someone to listen.

After a while, she raised her head, her pretty face streaked with tears. She wiped her eyes, took several deep breaths, and continued.

"I never had a father, and my mother never liked me. Only my uncle truly cared for me—he treated me like his own daughter. Whenever he had something good to eat, he’d invite me over. Once, I made my mother angry for some reason. Without a word, she beat me so badly I couldn’t get out of bed for days. When my uncle found out, he quarreled with her and took me to his house. For a long time, in my childish heart, I saw him as my real father. My days with him were happy—people would envy that. But yesterday, when my brother called, it shattered the last bit of security I had.

"I wanted to ask for leave to go home today, but my brother told me to wait. He said that when they tried to move my uncle’s coffin, five grown men couldn’t lift it. I couldn’t believe it; I thought they were lying, since none of them have ever liked me. But I was determined to see my uncle one last time. Later that night, my brother called again. He said that when he and the geomancer went to the mourning hall, they discovered my uncle’s body was missing from the coffin. Hearing that, I felt as if lightning had struck my mind. They searched all night, and thankfully, in the end, nothing worse happened.

"They found my uncle’s body not far from our village, in a patch of woods. But the strange part was still to come. My brother told me everything: more than a dozen men searched the woods in the dark and finally found my uncle’s body—standing upright on a mound, his hand pointing off in the distance, his posture rigid. I was shocked when I heard this, and so was my brother. We couldn’t understand it—how could a dead person stand up? Fortunately, the geomancer had them put my uncle back in the coffin. My brother told him everything, and the geomancer said..."

She fell silent, lost in her memories.

"Sir, when we found Uncle Zhang, he was standing there, pointing in another direction. How could this be? You’re an expert—surely you know what this means," my brother said.

The geomancer simply frowned, puffing hard on his pipe without speaking. The strange and frightening events had shaken everyone, and the room fell silent. At last, the geomancer knocked his pipe on the bench and said, "The saying goes, 'Take money to ward off disaster,' but I have to tell you—your uncle’s death was not natural. There’s something odd here. Why couldn’t you five lift a single body? To be frank, it’s because of powerful resentment, an unwillingness to leave, or unfinished business. If I hadn’t used a little trick, he’d still be lying there. That’s not the real problem, though. What comes next is more troublesome. You'd better find someone with the right expertise. If anything else happens, I won’t be able to take responsibility. That’s my advice—what you do is up to you."

After speaking, he fell silent again, stuffing fresh tobacco into his pipe and striking a match, his expression clouded with worry. The others realized he was not joking. My brother, Zhang Wen, asked, "Sir, can’t you handle this yourself?"

The geomancer shook his head. "I’ve made a bit of a name for myself around here with feng shui, but I know my limits. This is beyond me. You must bring in a real expert; delay will only bring harm to your family and kin."