Mayi Physiognomy

Wang Junhui said he'd go with me, which put my mind at ease. Although Xiang Lili was pitiful, she had been a malignant ghost before dispersing. If she got agitated again and crawled out of the photo, I'd be in big trouble. Besides, Wang Junhui's offer meant he felt some sympathy for her too.

I stood frozen in place, my heart still shaken by Xiang Lili's "ghostly words."

Wang Junhui packed away his ritual altar and blew out the candles. "Alright, her matter is more or less settled. It's best to wrap things up sooner rather than later. If you're free this afternoon, we'll drive over right now. Her family's in a township near the county seat. We should get there before dark."

I nodded. "I was thinking—Xiang Lili's ex-husband was indirectly responsible for her death. Are we really just letting him off? Plus, the reason she became a malignant ghost so quickly was probably because of her hatred for him. Are we sure there won't be problems if we send her away like this?"

Hearing my doubts, Wang Junhui walked over, patted my shoulder twice, and said, "A ghost's words are sometimes more reliable than a human's. Don't overthink it."

Then he took the photo frame from me, wrapped it in yellow paper, murmured a few incantations while tracing some sigils on the paper, and finally tucked the frame into his briefcase. After that, he took off his Taoist robe.

We didn't linger. Without cleaning up the ritual items in the yard, we headed straight for Xiang Lili's hometown.

Along the way, I asked Wang Junhui about some of his past ghost-hunting experiences. He smiled and said that after helping me with this case, he planned to take a month or two off. He'd met a girl—a young medical master's student—and was preparing to get married and go on a honeymoon.

Wang Junhui getting married was unexpected. I'd been preoccupied with thoughts of Xiang Lili all day and hadn't bothered to read his face, nor would I casually divine his fortune. First, I congratulated him, then added, "Be sure to let me know when you get married. I'll definitely come celebrate."

Wang Junhui smiled back and said, "Of course." His expression was content; clearly, he loved that girl deeply. As for the story between him and her, I didn't pry, and he didn't offer more.

Xiang Lili's hometown was remote, and the roads were rough. But Wang Junhui seemed adept at navigating such out-of-the-way places. With hardly any need to ask for directions, we drove down a narrow path barely wide enough for one car and arrived at Xiang Lili's village.

It was just past five in the afternoon. After asking around the village, we found the graves of Xiang Lili's parents. When villagers asked what we were doing, we said we were distant relatives of Xiang Lili's who'd been dreaming of the couple lately and had come to pay our respects.

Hearing this, the villagers were friendly. One elderly woman even offered to lead us to the graves. At the gravesite, Wang Junhui pulled out a hundred-yuan bill and handed it to her, thanking her. The woman happily accepted the money and left.

The Xiang family graves were overgrown with weeds. From a distance, all you could see was grass; the mounds were barely visible. Only up close could you make out that they were graves. I asked Wang Junhui what to do. He frowned and said, "Don't just stand there. Help me clear the weeds."

So Wang Junhui and I spent half an hour pulling weeds by hand until the graves were bare. By the end, I'd cut my hand on something. Wang Junhui looked at it and said, "Consider it an act of virtue. The whole Xiang family suffered enough. By bringing Xiang Lili back, we hope they can be reunited in the afterlife."

Just as I was feeling the sting of the cut, a small whirlwind rose from the Xiang family graves, swirling around me. It scared me half to death. I'd heard my grandfather say that these spontaneously formed whirlwinds were often the work of ghosts. To drive one away, you had to spit right at its center.

I hesitated, unsure whether to spit, but Wang Junhui waved at me, signaling me not to move. I nodded. Having witnessed his powers, I trusted him.

The whirlwind circled me twice, and the bleeding from my palm gradually stopped. Once the blood had completely clotted, the whirlwind vanished. Only then did Wang Junhui speak. "That was Xiang Lili's father. He knew why we were here. Seeing us clear the graves, he stopped your bleeding as thanks."

I nodded and muttered softly, "He could've given me a heads-up."

Wang Junhui chuckled. "The whirlwind was the heads-up. Truth is, he could've approached you without you noticing anything at all."

I made a noise of acknowledgment and said "thank you" toward the graves.

After clearing the graves, Wang Junhui took the photo frame from his bag, chanted some incantations before the graves, then gathered some dry firewood and burned Xiang Lili's photo right there. When it was done, he said to me, "Alright, the family's reunited. We can head back."

I thought about looking back, but he grabbed my arm. "Don't turn around. No matter what, you're not related to them. If you don't want them latching onto you later, don't look back."

Hearing this, I didn't dare turn around. I followed him, walking straight ahead. But in my heart, I really wanted to look back. It's human nature to be contrary.

Thankfully, I held back. As we walked back to the village that day, the sky grew darker with each step, and I lost any urge to look back.

Back in the village, we drove straight to the county seat overnight. Wang Junhui stayed at my place one more night, and together we cleaned the room Xiang Lili had occupied. We took everything she'd used to the outskirts of town and burned it. All that remained in the room was a bed, a table, and a few simple pieces of furniture.

By the time we finished, it was past midnight. Wang Junhui and I finally went to sleep.

Early the next morning, Wang Junhui got up and left without eating breakfast. Before going, he told me once more that if I was interested in working with him, we could team up after his honeymoon.

I just smiled and said, "We'll see." Honestly, I wasn't interested in ghost hunting right then. What I wanted most was to get my little shop going, meet a girlfriend who didn't mind that I was penniless, get married, earn money, save up ten million yuan—because only then could I investigate the truth behind my parents' deaths.

After Wang Junhui left, living there alone still spooked me, especially at night. I didn't dare step foot outside my grandfather's room—fine, I was so scared I'd moved into his room.

Nothing happened over the next few days, and I gradually relaxed. So I started focusing on renting out the room. I found a piece of cardboard, wrote "For Rent" on it along with my phone number, and hung it by the door. Unfortunately, several days passed without a single inquiry.

Our county was small, and news that someone had died here had spread everywhere. No one wanted to rent a place where someone had died.

Business at my fortune-telling shop was dismal too. A week after reopening, I still hadn't had a single customer. Every day, I sat alone in the shop. When I got bored, I practiced the energy-cultivation techniques from my grandfather's notes, though I wasn't making much progress.

Another week passed. Seeing my money flow out without any coming in, I started to worry. One night, I stayed at the shop late. All the neighboring shops had closed; only mine was still lit.

At half past nine, seeing no hope of customers, I went to close up for the night. Just then, I caught the smell of burning paper.

As soon as I stepped out, I saw Chengguo and Bai Jing—the son and daughter-in-law of the old man ghost who'd haunted my place earlier. The sight of them made me furious. They were burning paper right in front of my shop! I was already struggling to rent the place, and now they were burning funeral offerings? Talk about bad luck.

But since those papers were meant for the dead, I didn't dare kick them. I shouted, "What are you two doing? Burning paper at my doorstep? Do you want me to do business or not?"

My shout startled Chengguo and Bai Jing, who'd been focused on their task. But Chengguo quickly stood up. "Brother Chuyi, sorry about this. Today's my dad's death anniversary. Master Wang said I should burn paper at your door every year because this is where he departed. We didn't dare tell you earlier because we were afraid you'd refuse. We planned to apologize after we finished."

Chengguo had brought up both Wang Junhui and the old man ghost. I couldn't argue. Still, I grumbled, "Burning 'doorstep paper' like this is awful luck!"

Just then, Bai Jing finished burning the last stack of paper money and came over. "Chuyi, I know we've caused you a lot of trouble. Here's a little something for you." She pressed a few hundred yuan into my hand. I took it without hesitation. I hadn't seen any income in days—whatever the money was for, I'd take it.

With the money in my pocket, my anger subsided a bit. I asked about the old man—what final wish had he mentioned before leaving?

Chengguo said, "It wasn't much. Just some paintings he loved when he was alive. He wanted me to burn them for him. See, they're in that stack of paper. My dad and I agreed he'd come tonight to collect them."

Hearing this, I nearly exploded. They'd arranged to meet a ghost—at my doorstep?

Chengguo apologized again and left, repeating that they'd help me out anytime I needed it.

As Chengguo and Bai Jing walked away, I slammed the shop door shut, thoroughly dejected. Just then, my phone rang. It was an unknown number. Who'd call me this late?

I answered. A man's voice came through. "Hello, is this Li Chuyi, Master Li? I'm Zhou Rui from Ziqiong Pavilion. Are you free tomorrow? I'd like to meet."