Mayi Physiognomy

Xu Ruohui switched rooms and turned off her light shortly after. Lying in her bed, I couldn't relax enough to close my eyes.

The suicide ghost had fled after that bizarre lightning strike, but would it return tonight? And if it did, it would surely come to this room…

The thought made my scalp prickle.

The bandage on my palm was soaked red again. I dipped a finger in the blood and smeared a streak across the physiognomy gate on my forehead. Better safe than sorry—at least this might prevent possession.

I peeled off the bloody bandage and found a towel in Xu Ruohui's room. Before wrapping my hand, I sniffed it—fragrant. I'd buy her a new one tomorrow.

With my hand freshly wrapped, I lay back on her bed. An intoxicatingly soft scent drifted up. Subtle, soothing. My own bed, while not foul, lacked this freshness. Would Xu Ruohui even be able to sleep there?

My thoughts were drifting off track.

Whoosh!

Wind gusted. Rain lashed the door, snapping me back to reality. Focus. How would I deal with the suicide ghost? Scared off temporarily, it would return.

I mentally reviewed the simple ghost-fighting techniques Grandpa taught me. First: use your own blood to seal the ghost's forehead gate. If the ghost isn't too powerful, this paralyzes it. Next: press yellow paper onto its head to flatten it, wrap it tightly, then burn it with a candle flame. Destroyed.

This ghost—a corrupt official in life, unrepentant in death, now seeking revenge—deserved no mercy. If it came back tonight, I'd fight it to the death.

"Li Chuyi!"

A voice called my name from outside. My whole body tensed. Then I recognized it: Xu Ruohui. Relief washed over me.

I answered and opened the door. The light was on in her room, the door slightly ajar. "What's wrong?" I asked.

Through the gap, she said, "It's too loud out there. I… I can't sleep. Talk with me for a while?"

Talk with me? Usually, she barely acknowledged me. Now she was initiating conversation…

Right. The racket outside—and this house's grim history—had spooked her.

I asked where we should talk. Shouting through two doors wouldn't work. She thought for a moment. "My room's too noisy with the rain. Your room."

Perfect. My room was the safest. Even if the ghost returned, it couldn't easily harm us there. I agreed happily, turned off the light in her room, wiped the blood from my forehead, and headed back to mine. No need to explain that.

Inside my room, Xu Ruohui spotted her towel wrapped around my hand. Her brow furrowed, anger flashing. I quickly explained, unwrapped it to show the wound, and added, "Don't worry, I'll replace the towel."

Seeing the injury, her expression softened. "It's just a towel. How's the cut? There's a first-aid kit under my bed. Go get it. I'll bandage it properly."

Thrilled by her sudden care, fear forgotten, I fetched the kit.

As Xu Ruohui bandaged my hand, accidental contact was inevitable. It was the first time I'd touched her skin. My heartbeat quickened.

Finished, she warned, "Keep it dry. Don't let it get infected."

I nodded. "Thanks."

My gaze must have lingered too long. She made a dismissive "tch" sound. "I know what you're thinking. Don't."

Her words, meant as a rebuke, only made my heart race faster. Normally talkative, I found myself speechless.

Silence stretched. Xu Ruohui broke it. "This stupid rain won't stop. At least I'm off tomorrow. I'd be dead tired at work otherwise."

Conversation flowed. We talked about the storm, the house's haunted reputation, my fortune-telling shop. When divination came up, I had plenty to say.

Xu Ruohui asked if I could read her fortune. I repeated my earlier observations. She countered, "Anyone could guess that from how I talk. Tell me something else. Like… when will I get married?"

Her marriage. Of course I cared deeply. What if the reading revealed it wasn't me?

As I hesitated, she suddenly laughed. "Can't figure it out? Don't look so serious! I know fortune-telling is mostly nonsense. Okay, enough for tonight. I'm going to sleep."

I mumbled an "okay" and stood to leave for the other room.

"Wait," Xu Ruohui called out. "Sleep here tonight. But don't get any ideas. You take the sofa. The rain's too loud… I'm… scared." She paused on the last word, clearly reluctant to admit fear.

With another person in the room—and the protective energy of Grandpa's space—my own fear faded. Thoughts of impossible scenarios danced in my head until I drifted off on the sofa.

I woke to an empty room. Outside, I found Xu Ruohui, already dressed, sweeping glass in the courtyard.

"You don't have to do that," I said. "I'll clean it."

"It's fine," she smiled. "I'm off today. Nothing else to do. Oh, I found half a yellow talisman in the glass. Was this from when the house was haunted?"

Half a talisman? That was odd. After Wang Junhui's last visit, I'd carefully removed all the talismans he'd pasted, worried they'd scare off tenants. Where had this one come from?

I looked up at the lightning-shattered hole in the roof. Could this talisman be connected to last night's bolt?

"Why so quiet?" Xu Ruohui asked, noticing my gaze.

"Nothing," I smiled. "Really, I'll clean up. You've done enough."

She handed me the broom and dustpan. As I cleared the glass, I picked up the charred, soggy half-talisman. Though soaked, the vermilion symbols were still clear.

I set it on the windowsill to dry, then finished clearing the courtyard.

Xu Ruohui stayed a while longer before announcing she was meeting friends to go shopping. Then she was gone. Alone again, the memory of those wet footprints sent fresh chills down my spine.

After cleaning up, I called Wang Junhui. Maybe he could come exorcise this ghost? His phone was unreachable. A wave of helplessness washed over me.

What if the ghost comes back tonight?

Would I have to flee again? And what about Xu Ruohui? How could I convince her to run?

Panic rising, my phone rang. The caller ID stunned me: Grandpa. The one who'd vanished with my marriage fund. I answered with a torrent of complaints.

He chuckled calmly. "Chuyi, the thunder talisman I left on our roof detonated. What happened? That was your life-saving charm. Why did you use it so soon?"

Shocked, I asked how he knew. "How? Before I swore off divination, I cast one final reading for your life path. I foresaw I'd bring you trouble this year, so I left. I foresaw you'd face a calamity, so I left that talisman. But my calculations showed you wouldn't need it until year-end. Why five months early?"

He'd foreseen all of this?

Silence stretched. "Chuyi? Li Chuyi! Brat, talk to me! What happened? My readings never failed… until my own grandson?"

I snapped out of it and recounted recent events. Now it was Grandpa's turn to fall silent. I called his name repeatedly before he finally spoke. "Forget it. It's fate. Listen, Chuyi: the thunder talisman only scared it off temporarily. When its power fades from the courtyard, that thing will come back for you. Remember the ghost-fighting techniques I taught you. Use them tonight. Don't shame me."

Before I could ask anything else, he hung up. His phone was off when I tried calling back.

What was Grandpa thinking? Wasn't he afraid I'd fail and the ghost would kill me?

If I couldn't reach Wang Junhui before dark, I'd be on my own.

I'd make my living through divination. Ghost encounters were inevitable. Relying on others meant accumulating debts I couldn't repay.

Blood for the ghost-sealing technique? I had plenty flowing. Yellow paper? Grandpa's cabinet held stacks. With the materials ready, I began practicing the movements in the empty room, rehearsing strikes against the air.

Grandpa had taught more advanced techniques, but they were far beyond my current skill. Tonight, I'd fight with what I had.