Chapter 60: The Hungry Ghost's Toll

Xue Liangliang spoke first: “Zhuiyuan, is it that there’s some kind of mark on the three of us, but not on you?”

Li Zhuiyuan nodded. “The physiognomy on your faces has turned terrible, which means you’re all in a run of serious bad luck. Feng shui and fortune aren’t absolute, but they do suggest you’ve come into contact with something. I thought I should be the same, but strangely, I’m not.”

“Binbin, give me your notebook and pen.”

“Here you go, Liang-ge.”

Xue Liangliang flipped to a blank page and drew a square frame, then placed two stick figures at both the top and bottom to represent the four of them.

Finally, he sketched a door on the left side of the frame.

“Let’s use process of elimination.

After we got off the train, we ate together, then got into Zhu Yang’s truck. During that time, Zhuiyuan didn’t separate from us. We only came into contact with three outsiders: Zhu Yang and that master-apprentice duo at the repair shop.

So we can rule that segment out and look earlier.”

Tan Wenbin asked, “Why not look later, like that night in the truck?”

“Because that’s when the trouble had already started. Zhu Yang’s disappearance is a turning point. Also, since Zhuiyuan says only the three of us are affected—take the truck tire getting punctured, for example—if we count that, then we can stretch the timeline back to when we were all in the truck together. Got it?”

“Kind of… yeah.”

“Then the only place left is the train.”

“But there were so many people on the train.”

Xue Liangliang shook his head. “Not really. We spent most of our time in the soft sleeper compartment, which was a clean zone—Zhuiyuan was fine there.

Also, I remember clearly, the three of us never went out together.

So the overlap must be in individual trips outside the compartment.”

“Should we each recount what happened when we left the compartment? Do bathroom breaks count?”

“Runsheng, you go first.” Xue Liangliang pointed at him. “When we first got on the train, you went out for a smoke. After that, you didn’t go again, right?”

Runsheng scratched his head and thought hard. “I guess not?”

Xue Liangliang frowned slightly and raised his hand decisively.

“I’m not mistaken. That was your only smoke break. I asked you why you stopped, and you said the cigarettes you brought this time were special, for meals only—not for idle smoking.”

“I... might’ve said that.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Tan Wenbin touched his forehead. “No fever.”

Li Zhuiyuan watched Runsheng silently, then turned to Xue Liangliang.

Xue Liangliang went on, “Zhuiyuan always had Runsheng escort him to the bathroom, so that path is safe.

Meaning, the only exposure was your initial smoke break.

Now, think carefully—who or what did you come into contact with? Let’s narrow it down: any physical or verbal interaction?”

Runsheng struggled to recall, mumbling until he mentioned giving candy to a little girl who said she was hungry, speaking to her grandma.

At that moment, both Xue Liangliang and Tan Wenbin raised their hands to stop him.

Xue Liangliang said, “I gave her a boxed meal.”

Tan Wenbin added, “I gave her breakfast.”

Li Zhuiyuan looked at them. “Describe the old lady’s clothing for me.”

After hearing their descriptions, Li Zhuiyuan pressed his lips together and said:

“I think we’ve found her. When I saw that old lady, there was no little girl beside her—just an urn wrapped in cloth.”

Technically, Xue Liangliang’s method of elimination wasn’t rigorous, full of holes really. But his thinking was practical—cover the broadest range first, clean the edges later if needed.

He closed the notebook. “It was the little girl. Zhuiyuan can walk the shade, so she didn’t dare show herself to him—or maybe, she just couldn’t fool him.”

Tan Wenbin asked in confusion, “But we gave her food. Why would she harm us? Isn’t that biting the hand that feeds you?”

Xue Liangliang looked to Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan tried to explain, “Applying human ethics to those unclean things doesn’t work. And maybe the girl didn’t mean to harm you—her actions just happened to hurt you.”

Tan Wenbin pointed at his face, then at the others. “So what, she wanted us to keep feeding her?”

Xue Liangliang asked, “Zhuiyuan, didn’t you use an offering table setup to resolve something like this before? Can we do that now?”

Tan Wenbin slapped his thigh. “But all our stuff—food, supplies—they’re in the truck. It’s gone. Where are we going to get offerings? We only have incense.”

Xue Liangliang said, “There’s stuff drying outside the village. To solve this now, I could sneak back in and grab some things. I’ll leave money.”

Li Zhuiyuan said, “No. If it were just a Starving Ghost, you’d be unlucky, but not this cursed. She wants food, not to drain the well. At worst, she’d cling to you. Unless...”

“Unless what?”

“Unless the ‘hungry’ she spoke of meant she wanted your life spans.”

That silenced them.

Li Zhuiyuan continued, “Only if she desperately wants you dead would she mark your faces with such imminent-death physiognomy.”

Tan Wenbin threw up his hands. “But she’s cremated, in an urn. Why would she need life span?”

Xue Liangliang answered, “Her grandma is old—probably near death. She’s not asking for herself. She’s asking for her grandma.”

Li Zhuiyuan looked at him again, then at Runsheng, who was struggling to keep up with their logic.

Tan Wenbin cursed, “That does make sense. Damn, kids are terrifying. If I could see her again, I’d dump her ashes in a toilet!”

No one likes being punished for doing a good deed.

Li Zhuiyuan said, “She might not be on the train anymore. She might be on one of you.”

“Urk!” Tan Wenbin choked.

That was fear.

The current situation was creepy, sure, but it hadn’t felt dangerous—until now.

Xue Liangliang quickly asked, “Zhuiyuan, did you see her?”

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. “No. But I suspect she’s on one of you. This morning, I think she was on you, Liangliang-ge.”

“Me?”

“Because your demeanor was different. Earlier, you were more panicked, unfocused, asking really basic questions.”

Xue Liangliang pointed at himself. “Was I?”

“Often the person doesn’t notice. I’ve experienced something similar.”

Next Chapter >>>