Chapter 58: It Has Truly Arrived

There was no helping it; since we were already here, Master and I handled things relatively well. After all, we’d been through quite a lot together, so the old man’s warning didn’t particularly trouble or frighten us. But Chu Mengxi was different. She was, after all, a young woman, and she’d have to spend the night alone in her own room. Just imagine: you’re alone in an ancient manor, the surroundings bright and lively, but in the dead of night, you’re woken from a deep sleep by the sound of bells jingling outside your window. It’s hard not to think of those famous corpse drivers from the Xiangxi region, or to worry that you might see or hear something strange in your room. Who wouldn’t be afraid?

Sure enough, Chu Mengxi’s cheerful mood faded as she overheard my conversation with Master. Her face grew more and more uneasy, and she finally said, “Uncle Tan, Lin Xuan, is it really that strange here? I have to spend the night in a room by myself… I’m a little scared.”

I smiled, took off the Yangming Jade pendant, and placed it in front of her. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll be right next door. Keep this jade pendant with you—it’s useful in a pinch. And we’re just guessing, after all; it’s not certain anything will happen. Don’t worry, Master and I are both here.”

Master was sitting beside me. When he saw me hand the precious jade to Chu Mengxi, he shot me a wry smile, his eyes saying, “You really have a big heart, kid. Even the family heirloom you can give away so casually.”

But I understood what Master meant. I shrugged and replied with my gaze, “Mengxi isn’t an outsider. I wouldn’t mind giving it to her, let alone just letting her hold onto it for a while.”

Master could only shake his head with another helpless smile. “Girl, don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” he said. “We’re here to travel and relax. Don’t be afraid. With Uncle Tan around, you’ll be fine. You youngsters go ahead and chat—I’ve been driving for ages and I’m exhausted. I’ll go lie down. Call me when it’s time for dinner.”

With a yawn, Master left the room.

We didn’t pay him much mind, but instead ran downstairs to borrow a couple of umbrellas from the old proprietor. Chu Mengxi and I each took one. At the door, I said, “Since we’re here, it’d be a shame not to look around. Come on, let’s take a walk.”

Chu Mengxi nodded with a smile, opened her umbrella, and came out with me. We wandered around the old city for quite a while. The rain kept falling, and a thick mist shrouded the distance. I checked the time on my phone; it was nearly evening, so I suggested we head back. As we returned, we crossed a bridge where Chu Mengxi insisted I take some photos of her. I didn’t refuse; I just took out my phone and started snapping away.

Once we’d finished, Chu Mengxi bounced back over and flipped through the photos on my phone. “Not bad. Didn’t think you’d be so good at taking pictures,” she said.

I looked at the photos too. There she was, standing on the bridge with her oil-paper umbrella, gazing into the distance—a vision of ethereal beauty, like a fairy descending to earth. Smiling, I told her, “You look lovely, just like a fairy.”

Chu Mengxi beamed at me, and I continued, “Let’s go—the rain’s getting heavier. Time to eat. I wonder if Master’s up yet.”

She agreed, and we both returned to the inn, umbrellas in hand. By now, it was about half past six. Chu Mengxi went upstairs ahead of me to her room, while I headed to Master’s. Pushing open the door, I found him still lying in bed. Grinning mischievously, I crept over and yanked off his blanket. He sat up in a daze, glanced around, and when he saw me, he grumbled, “What are you doing, boy? You disturbed my sleep this morning, and now again?”

I chuckled. “Master, it’s time for dinner. You’ve slept for hours, and you told me to wake you up for dinner, remember?”

With a sigh, Master rubbed his eyes and got out of bed. “Where’s that girl Chu?”

“She’s next door, waiting for you to pay for dinner.”

Master yawned, sat on the edge of the bed to gather himself, then finally stood up. “Alright, let’s go downstairs and eat.”

I nodded and went to call Chu Mengxi. She had changed into a different outfit and came out to join us. The inn was indeed well-equipped with everything we needed. When we reached the first floor, we ran into the old proprietor again. Master sat at a table and asked, “Old fellow, what do you have for dinner?”

The old man smiled, brought over a menu, and handed it to us. We chose a few local Xiangxi specialties, and he nodded, heading to the back to place our order. Soon, a chef emerged with several dishes, and we picked up our chopsticks to dig in.

After dinner, we went back upstairs. Bored, we borrowed a deck of cards from the proprietor and the three of us began a game of Dou Dizhu. As I shuffled the cards, I declared, “Loser gets a sticky note on the face. No backing out!”

Master smiled and rolled up his sleeves, ready for battle. I dealt the cards, sorted mine, and noticed Master grinning at his hand. “I got a great hand! You two might as well get your sticky notes ready!”

I wasn’t worried. Chu Mengxi and I exchanged a glance, and I saw she was thinking the same as me. Once I’d arranged my cards, I passed on being landlord. “I don’t want it.”

“Me neither,” Chu Mengxi echoed.

Master paused, glanced at us both warily, then reluctantly took the landlord’s role. He flipped over the three extra cards and burst out laughing. “Two twos and an ace! Ready with your sticky notes?”

He added the cards to his hand with glee, then played a three. I was surprised. “Master, you’re the landlord and you start with a three?”

“You don’t understand. Your turn!” he said, glancing at me.

I shrugged and played a two. Chu Mengxi passed, and Master passed as well. Then I played a sequence of pairs, quickly running low on cards. Master counted the cards on the table and said, “You’re lucky this round, but you’ll get stuck next.”

He finished speaking and tossed a bomb on the table—four aces. No wonder I hadn’t seen a single ace all game. Master grinned wickedly at us, but I stayed calm and dropped my king bomb. With a bang, Master stared at the cards, then at his own hand, his expression shifting. I smiled, played out the rest of my cards, and won.

Master was stunned. “No way—your cards are gone already?”

I nodded. Chu Mengxi put her cards down, and Master, looking defeated, protested, “No, no, that round doesn’t count. You didn’t announce how many cards you had left. How was I supposed to know?”

I was taken aback. “Master, what do you mean it doesn’t count? Loser has to accept the forfeit. Don’t tell me you’re trying to wriggle out of it?”

In the end, Master couldn’t save face and let both Chu Mengxi and me stick a note on his face. Grumbling, he demanded a rematch.

I reshuffled the cards and we went at it again, playing on until almost eleven o’clock. Eventually, Master yawned, tossed his cards on the table, and said, “No more, I’m exhausted.”

I glanced at Master—by then his face was covered in sticky notes, and so were ours. Chu Mengxi, being a girl, got off more lightly; Master and I hadn’t gone overboard with her. I tidied up the cards, saw them out, then closed the door. Glancing at the gentle rain outside, I yawned as well, didn’t even bother washing my face, turned off the lights, and flopped into bed.

...

In the middle of the night, I don’t know what time it was, but suddenly a sharp scream pierced the silence. Being a light sleeper, I shot up in bed. Listening closely, I realized it was Chu Mengxi’s voice. I leaped out of bed, not even bothering with shoes, rushed to the door, and ran out—since my room was right next to hers, I turned the corner and was at her door in seconds. I threw it open and called, “What is it, Mengxi? What happened?”

Chu Mengxi was huddled in the corner of her bed. When she saw me at the door, she flung off her blanket and ran straight into my arms. Stunned, I held my arms wide, completely bewildered. Chu Mengxi clung to my chest, her whole body trembling. Awkwardly, I tried to reassure her. “Mengxi, it’s alright, it’s alright. I’m here. What happened?”

“Lin… Lin Xuan, there’s a ghost! I saw a ghost! There was a man, just now, leaning over the head of my bed, staring at me,” she gasped, terror-stricken.

Before I could respond, Master’s anxious voice called from behind me. “What’s wrong? What happened? Where’s Chu?”

He, too, was surprised to find Chu Mengxi in my arms, and looked at me as if to ask what was going on. I managed a wry smile, gently helped Chu Mengxi to her feet, and said, “It’s alright, Mengxi. Don’t be afraid. Master and I are both here.”

But Chu Mengxi was still terrified, hiding behind us and peering nervously at the bed. Master glanced at us, then asked, “What happened?”

I patted Chu Mengxi’s hand and replied, “Mengxi said she just saw a ghost, but I didn’t sense anything. Maybe I made too much noise coming in and scared it off.”