Daomu Biji: A Thousand Faces

In the end, Ah Tou drew all the details that she had seen. 

She was a bit at a loss because she couldn’t fit everything onto one piece of paper and used more than three. But it was too bothersome trying to negotiate the price with rich people and she felt bad that a brand-new house was being haunted.

Boss Xie was deep in thought as he looked at the three drawings. Ah Tou didn’t know what he was thinking, but he sat there for fifteen minutes before the first party finally broke the silence, "Uh… maybe I can give Ah Tou a ride back first?”

Ah Tou just now realized that the first party was extremely scared. It explained why she didn’t speak up for herself or explain her boss’s intentions just now. She had simply been too afraid. Ah Tou approached the first party and grabbed her hands. The two clung to each other and gave each other strength.

Boss Xie rolled up the three drawings and said to them, "I'll drive you both back.”

Ah Tou learned a lot about Boss Xie on the way. His name was Xie Yuchen and the G500 he was driving was also collateral that he had taken. He owned an antique pawnshop. The shop accepted jadeites in the beginning, but people later began pawning miscellaneous items, most of which were now luxury cars.

"It doesn't sound like a decent business, does it?” Boss Xie asked. “It’s pretty much what a loan shark would do.” Ah Tou was sitting in the front passenger seat, so it was easy to converse.

"Well, give me your card number. I'll transfer the money to you as soon as possible." Boss Xie looked at Ah Tou, who was secretly pinching the cigarette in her pocket.

The car didn’t smell like smoke, nor were there any cigarette butts in the ashtray. This guy definitely doesn’t smoke. Ah Tou felt a little embarrassed to smoke.

Boss Xie rolled down the window and slowed the car down.

"You can smoke if you want. I’m sure you need to blow off some steam.”

Don’t mind if I do! Ah Tou swiftly pulled the cigarette out and lit it. She leaned her elbow against the edge of the window, took a hard drag, and slowly exhaled as the tension seemed to melt away from her lungs and then her whole body. She immediately realized that the tattoos on her arm were exposed and wanted to cover them up, but after thinking about it, she figured she didn’t need to leave a good impression on a loan shark.

"What are you going to do with the house? It won’t be easy to sell or lease a huge haunted house, right? You don’t have to worry about me, I’m tight-lipped. But you’d better get it off your hands quick.”

"It's not haunted." Boss Xie explained, "Part of the wood used to construct the house is made from the keels of old ships. The man who built this house likes to repair old things. The only way to find long strips of old wood now is to go to the south coast and buy old ships. Ship keels have the best timber, but there's something spiritual about ships."

"Then what was that thing we saw?"

"I don't know, that's for a professional to judge. The strangest thing is whatever was hanging there." Boss Xie was silent for a while, but Ah Tou didn't ask any more questions. She felt that the more she asked, the more scared she became. It was just better not to know. She had to get up early the next day, so she would be screwed if she couldn’t fall asleep tonight. But it was probably going to be hard to fall sleep anyways. 

"That thing has nothing to do with the ship."

"So…"

"I’m guessing there's something in the house that wants to tell us something else about the house. It's too complicated." After saying this, Boss Xie spoke to the first party behind him, "Leave my number with Ah Tou. If she has anything, she can contact me directly."

The first party agreed, but Ah Tou was stunned, "What thing? Why would I have anything?"

"Just in case. Your eyes are different from the others, so maybe something was imprinted on them.”

Ah Tou’s heart froze and she looked at Boss Xie in horror. Why would you say that?! Are you just being evil and trying to scare me?!

I, I’ll really be scared!

During the rest of the ride, the only thing Ah Tou could think of was that one sentence: maybe something was imprinted on them. She didn’t even dare look in the rearview mirror for fear that something had followed her and was now in the back seat.

She lived in a factory in an art district, where she ran her own art studio. She slept on the second floor, which had a ceiling that was less than two meters high. In fact, many people lived in this art district, but she didn’t know anyone because she was unsociable.

She received a payment notification the moment she walked into the factory and sighed when she saw the amount. The factory in front of her was completely dark, so she quickly turned on all the lights. The bathroom was downstairs and her bedroom was upstairs. I’ll probably have to leave the lights on all night. I better not drink too much water.

The factory was familiar territory to her and filled with all of her artwork. As she stared at the familiar prints and oil paintings, she felt more at ease.

"Tintin!" She yelled. Her cat poked its head out of the scrap paper pile on one side and looked at her. It was a big Maine Coon that was very clingy.

Ah Tou felt her heart warm when she saw the cat and said to herself, Tintin will protect me. When I fall asleep, Tintin will become a sacred beast and step up to protect me.

Hehehe. If a cat is reliable, then a man is also reliable. What am I, three? Ah Tou rolled her eyes at herself.

It was at this moment that she realized Tintin wasn’t clinging to her like normal, but was staring at her from the paper pile. No, it wasn’t staring at her, but behind her. It slowly raised its head like it was looking at something very tall behind her.

Ah Tou knew her cat very well and immediately tensed, but living alone long-term gave her the courage to face whatever it was behind her.

She immediately turned around.

There was nothing behind her.

Ah Tou looked at the empty air in front of her and turned back to look at Tintin again. The cat was still staring at that spot behind her and definitely not at her.

She rushed to pick up the cat, ran upstairs, and hid under the covers.

**

Xie Yuchen had just driven away from the factory and was now idling under a streetlight.

The first party in the back seat rolled down the window and lit a cigarette.

"What do you think? Of her?" Xie Yuchen asked.

The first party used her fingernails to start peeling the skin off of her chin. She soon tore a hole in the skin and ripped off a human skin mask.

The real face underneath was that of a twenty-seven- or twenty-eight-year-old woman. She wasn’t the first party, but was a lot prettier than the first party.

"Seems like an ordinary person, but she didn't say why she wanted to find me. I want to know more."

"You’re quite cautious. Just don’t bother with it. I can get rid of her for you.”

"You want to keep her for yourself, don’t you?”

"Unlike you, I’ve got legitimate business with her. I’m lacking help. As you know, my friend is going through a big transition.”

"The Wu family’s affairs have nothing to do with me," the woman said. "I won’t leave this girl with you. I have more history with her than you would think."

With that said, the woman leaned forward and took the three drawings from Xie Yuchen’s door panel.

"I need these drawings to deal with the problem in that house. I have a feeling it’s quite serious,” Xie Yuchen said. “Plus, I paid for them.”  

"I'll help you sort it out. I need a reason to get along with this girl." The woman got out of the car and took off her high heels. With the heels in one hand and a cigarette in the other, she walked towards Ah Tou’s house.