Mayi Physiognomy

Xiang Lili knelt naked before me. Though a ghost, the sight felt wrong. I turned my head slightly—not from prudishness, but respect for the dead. 

I considered asking her to stand and face away. Wang Junhui stopped me. "No need. As a ghost, rising would flood you with yin energy. Her words could overwhelm you." 

He pulled a sheet of yellow paper from his bag. With quick tears, he shaped it into a robe. Holding it over a candle flame, he let it burn to ash. Then, his ritual sleeve swept toward Xiang Lili. 

A pale yellow robe materialized around her. 

Instantly, it deepened to blood-red. 

Wang Junhui frowned. "Your resentment runs deep. Had I come days later, your malice would have consumed you. You'd have turned lethal. Then, I could not have spared you." 

Xiang Lili kowtowed again. She adjusted the red robe. "Thank you, Master." 

He waved a hand. "Speak your wish. To him." 

She nodded at me, then bowed deeply. I was baffled. Her reverence for Wang Junhui made sense—his power had spared her. But why bow to *me*? 

Before I could question it, she lifted her face. "Chu Yi… I'm sorry. For chasing you. I didn't mean harm. I only wanted you to *listen*. But you couldn't hear me. You just ran. Clinging to your back… was my only way. I frightened you. Forgive me." 

An apology from a ghost. Though terror had gripped me that night, she was dead now. And remorseful. "It's fine," I said. "Landlord, tenant… misunderstandings happen." 

She managed a fragile smile. "You know pieces of my story. Divorced. Orphaned. No family. After the divorce… I came to this town. Became a working girl. Not by choice. Survival." 

She paused, gathering herself. "I dropped out of high school. Helped my parents farm. Then… they leased a hillside. Terraced it. Used explosives back then. Dumb luck—they checked a dud charge. It blew." 

Her voice hitched. A ghost's sorrow has no tears. The ache of dry weeping cuts deeper than sobs. 

Pity stirred in me. "What then?" 

"Too young to marry legally. We held a ceremony. No certificate. At first… he was kind. I was happy. A year later, I bore him a son." 

Her phantom hands clenched. "He left for city work. Came back with… another woman. Prettier. Richer. His family cast me out. No marriage license? The village office shrugged. 'Not our problem.' With three hundred yuan… I came here alone." 

"Jobs? Every boss tried to take advantage. Knowing I was alone… vulnerable. So I thought… *Why fight it?* I entered the KTV trade." 

"I moved often. Landlords complained. Or worse—men forcing themselves. Until here. Two years under your roof. The safest place I'd known. Except…" A faint, bitter smile. "…when you nagged for rent." 

*Did she resent me for that?

She continued. "I tried. Found men. Hoped for a fresh start. But none wanted *me*. Only my money. I learned… someone like me doesn't deserve love. Or a home." 

Another soundless sob. I stepped forward, wanting to lift her. Wang Junhui gripped my arm. "Ghost words. Hear them. Don't *hold* them. Or they'll haunt *you* forever." 

I froze, breathing deeply. 

"I brought men here. Often. You never judged. But I knew… you looked down on me. My teasing? Just… wanting your notice. Because here felt safe. I just wanted… a friend." 

Guilt pricked me. She *had* flirted. I'd shut her out. Always. Her isolation here… had been my doing. 

She pressed on. "Even without friendship… this place was home. When work hurt me… coming back healed it. For someone lost… this was family. You. Your grandfather. My kin." 

Her words struck deep. *Family?* To me, she'd only ever been a tenant. 

Wang Junhui grew impatient. "Time runs short, Xiang Lili. Speak your wish." 

"Yes, Master." She turned back to me. "The night I died… I drank heavily. No one forced me. The client who picked me… was *him*. The man who abandoned me. The one I brought home." 

My breath caught. *The fat man was her ex-husband?* But he'd claimed not to know her… 

"Seeing him there… shocked me. I hated him. But he said… he'd divorced again. The new wife beat *our* child. Couldn't bear more. He wanted me back."

Her voice trembled. "I believed. Heaven favored me! I drank for joy. Took him home. We… were together."

"After… he smoked. I checked his phone. Lies. All lies. Still married. They had a child. *Our* son lived with them. A family photo—four smiling faces. I knew… come morning, he'd vanish."

"Fury took me. The drink. I grabbed the phone—to confront him. Then… my chest exploded. Words died. The phone fell. Everything went dark."

"Next… I floated above my body. Screaming at him. *Explain!* He heard nothing. Just… climbed on my corpse again. Then… slept. Snoring. While my last chance slipped away. I died."

Cold realization washed over me. The fat man *was* responsible. But the case was closed. What court accepts a ghost's testimony?

"You want revenge?" I asked quietly.

She shook her head. "He's not worth my hate. Just… let him raise our boy well. And… take this." She gestured to her red robe. "Find a photo of me. Bury it with my parents. My remnant soul will cling to it. That's my wish. I want… a home. Warmth. I…"

Silent weeping shook her again. A ghost's grief needs no tears to wound.

I nodded. "Wait here."

Upstairs, in her room, I found a photo on the desk. Her, arms wide, embracing a blue sky. A radiant, carefree smile.

Back downstairs, I showed it to her. She gave me her parents' village address. The red glow around her softened, faded.

Wang Junhui's sleeve swept the air.

A wisp of crimson light flowed into the photo. Her smile seemed… sweeter now.

I looked at Wang Junhui.

He met my gaze. "I'll go with you."