Li Yang chuckled softly. "He's not the master. Why would he come up?"
That guy wasn't the master! So who was the real one? My eyelids twitched, my heart racing faster with each step, tension choking me.
At the top, Li Yang knocked lightly. The door opened, and we stepped inside.
The room was large, maybe 70 or 80 square meters, but starkly empty, with barely any furniture. Tatami mats covered the floor, curtains drawn, casting dim light.
In the center stood an altar with three gleaming golden statues. I strained to identify them—one seemed like Jigong, but the others were unclear.
Before the altar was a table draped in yellow cloth, cluttered with ritual items. A slim man, about 1.7 meters tall, stood in front. My eyelids twitched again—his silhouette reminded me of a lanky monkey.
"Master, they're here," said a boy, about ten, bald, who'd opened the door.
The man turned abruptly. He wore an old-fashioned, wrinkled suit, looking tacky. His crew cut and kind face gave him an honest appearance, but in this atmosphere, his eyes seemed eerie, his faint smile sinister.
As I stared, a muffled thunder rumbled outside, and rain poured harder. The room's light grew even dimmer.
The man approached, smiling. "I'm Xie. Call me Master Xie."
I mimicked Li Yang, bowing. "Hello, Master Xie."
Master Xie smiled warmly. "No need to fear. The yin descent won't harm your spirit. We'll visit the underworld and return."
Honestly, this guy gave me bad vibes—like a dark cloud, impenetrable and dangerous.
Mustering courage, I said, "Master Xie, do you really need me for the underworld?"
He smiled. "If Ms. Tang can't go, we'll need you. You're Liu Yang, right?"
"Yes."
He glanced at me, said nothing, and returned to the table, hands on it, eyes half-closed, as if meditating.
Neither Li Yang nor I dared speak. The gloomy room felt chilly, the light so poor it was like night. The boy sat in a corner, hands crossed on his knees, meditating motionlessly.
His spot was awkward—the light switch's pull cord was right behind him. I wanted to turn it on but lacked the nerve, so I shrank into the shadows.
The room had an indescribable oppressive air, like a swamp's silent surge, an unbearable quiet. I felt like a naked infant tossed onto a vast plain, sensing danger lurking in every corner.
After an eternity of silence, a knock came. Li Yang opened the door, and Li Damin's mother entered.
She was down to her underwear! Her long black hair hung loose, covering her face, features indistinct.
The room was cold, and she hugged her shoulders, shivering.
I swallowed hard.
Master Xie clapped. The meditating boy opened his eyes, stood, and took two yellow talismans from the table, placing them on the floor.
Master Xie's tone was gentle. "Ms. Tang, please stand on these talismans."
Though visibly scared, she stepped onto them lightly.
"Good. Keep your feet still and slowly sit down," Master Xie said.
She sat on the tatami, arms around her knees, trembling with nerves.
Master Xie approached the table, lit a lighter, and touched the flame to an eternal lamp before the altar. The wick caught, glowing faintly.
The lamp's dim light cast long shadows on the walls, forming ghostly silhouettes. The room felt eerily cold, chills seeping into my bones.
The boy began humming a tune, a single "mm" drawn out in varying pitches, like a folk melody.
With the hum, Master Xie chanted at the lamp, "The Taoist light ignites, immortals guard, imparting three treasures, not leaking to the spirit realm…"
He chanted rapidly, syncing with the boy's tune, forming a haunting song. In the flickering light, it gave me goosebumps.
After the chant, Master Xie lit three long incense sticks, bowed to the statues, and inserted them into a red basin filled with white rice. Something strange happened—the rice slowly blackened, as if scorched, spreading visibly. Li Yang and I exchanged shocked glances—this was creepy as hell.
Master Xie pulled out the incense, tips downward, and drew symbols in the air above the yellow tablecloth. His hands moved swiftly, smoke curling into a gray mist. As he drew, he chanted a fast, sticky curse in what sounded like Minnan dialect, incomprehensible.
The boy grabbed a wooden fish, striking it in time with Master Xie's chant, fast and fierce like a storm, yet perfectly synced—a rare feat.
After drawing for a while, Master Xie reinserted the incense into the basin, then took a red towel from the table, wrapping a yellow talisman inside, and handed it to Li Damin's mother. "Ms. Tang, wrap this around your head, covering your eyes."
She took it reverently, tying it tightly, the towel's ends hanging behind her.
The atmosphere was oppressively eerie, quickening my breath and pulse.
I wondered if this was some advanced hypnosis. If it was a scam, Master Xie was a master magician, orchestrating the scene like a pro.
Master Xie grabbed a stack of colorful spirit money, adorned with images of the Jade Emperor. Smiling, he said, "To the underworld, you need to bribe the imps—this is passage money."
He drew symbols on the money with his hand, fully focused, his presence commanding. The eternal lamp flickered as if blown by wind.
Finished, he handed the money to Li Damin's mother, instructing her to grip it tightly.
From his chest, he pulled a string of copper coins tied with red thread, dangling them in the air, swaying them slowly. Then, he tossed them onto the table.
I counted six coins, forming a pattern like the Big Dipper.
Seeing this, Master Xie frowned, muttering, "Bad omen, bad omen."
The boy stopped the wooden fish, asking in a childish voice, "Master, are we stopping today?"
At this, Li Damin's mother wailed, "Master, please save my son. I must go to the underworld to find him today, no matter what."
"Don't cry." Master Xie touched her hair, his voice oddly soothing, stopping her sobs.
"Ms. Tang, prepare yourself… for the possibility of not returning," he said.
My hair stood on end, teeth chattering. Not returning from the underworld—anyone could guess what that meant.
"I'm… not afraid…" Her voice was soft but resolute.
"Alright." Master Xie sighed, standing behind her, placing his right palm lightly on her back. Eyes half-closed, he began chanting.
The boy resumed striking the wooden fish, circling them.
Li Yang and I backed away instinctively, retreating to the wall, wanting distance from this chilling scene.
Master Xie raised his right hand, fingers shifting into intricate gestures.
Li Yang whispered, "Those are Taoist hand seals."
Something terrifying happened. As Master Xie's seals changed, Li Damin's mother's emotions surged. She trembled violently, like an epileptic seizure, her feet slapping the talismans.
The boy's wooden fish quickened, his steps faster, chanting louder.
She screamed, "I see light! Two figures are approaching!"
Master Xie signaled the boy to stop, asking gently, "What do they look like?"
"I can't tell. Just two blurry figures swaying. They… they're beckoning me to follow."
"Follow them. They're ghost escorts, guiding you to the underworld," Master Xie said.
For a long time, she was silent, her trembling subsiding, sitting still, arms around her knees.
Master Xie and the boy stood quietly, not speaking. Li Yang and I had nothing to say, just staring.
After about twenty minutes, she spoke, "There's a mansion… its gates wide open… the figures went inside. Master, should I enter?"
"What kind of mansion?" Master Xie asked.
"High walls, thick tiles, red, I think! The walls are long, with a vast courtyard inside, like an ancient江南 estate."
"Good, enter now. It should be safe," he said softly.
Her breathing grew rapid, as if walking a long path.
"Master, I'm inside. It's a huge courtyard, filled with beautiful trees. The figures entered the hall, and I'm following."
Her words drew me into a mysterious underworld.
The room was silent, save for the faint crackle of the lamp's flame.
"The hall is empty, no one here. Oh, one figure's waving at me from the back door. I'm going."
"Wow, it's gorgeous! The back courtyard is full of colorful flowering trees—red, white, like a vast garden."
Master Xie coughed. "Ms. Tang, each tree in this garden is a person's spirit. Find your son's tree, see what his spirit looks like."
"But with so many trees, how do I find it?"
"There's a way. Have you seen an old woman?" he asked.
"Yes! An old lady in black, hunched, sweeping the yard. Can I ask her?"
"Yes, she oversees the spirits."
Silence followed.
"…The old lady's leading me. It's getting deeper, like a forest. I didn't expect this estate to be so vast. I've walked so long and haven't reached it. Why is Damin's spirit hidden so deep?" she murmured.
"It's getting darker. I'm on a shaded path, with towering trees on both sides. The trees here have no flowers, just withered yellow leaves, like autumn."
"The old lady stopped by a tree. Oh God, is this Damin's spirit? It's short and small, its branches bare, leaves fallen below. Waa…" She sobbed. "Damin, is this really you? What happened?"
Master Xie's face darkened, grim.
Li Yang mustered courage. "Master, is Damin okay?"
"As long as his spirit tree is found here, he's still alive," Master Xie said.
I gasped. "So, Damin's not in the underworld—he's not dead?"
Master Xie paced, now holding prayer beads, rapidly flicking them.
"His spirit tree is wilting. If not saved soon, he may truly die," he said.
The woman cried, "Master, please save him!"
Master Xie sighed. "It's not that I won't, but I don't know where he is. We'll have to perform a spirit summoning. Li Yang, did you bring the painting I asked for?"
Li Yang nodded. "Yes, it's in the car. I'll get it." He rushed out.
Master Xie made hand seals behind the woman, clapped, and said, "Return!"
She collapsed onto the tatami.
Master Xie didn't glance at me, beckoning. "Liu Yang, help me support her."
I hurried over, crouching to lift the weak woman. Her forehead, chest, and back were soaked with sweat, hair clinging to her face. Her body was limp, soft in my arms. Looking down, I saw her chest heaving, two red points visibly protruding.
I blushed, heart racing. Suddenly, my ears burned, sensing something off. I looked up to find Master Xie staring at me, his expression sly. "Enjoying the view?" he asked.
His words made me flush harder, anger rising, as if I'd been stripped bare in public.
Master Xie crouched beside me, locking eyes. "This started with you and must end with you."
I stared back.
He said slowly, "You'll be the spirit medium for the summoning."