Mayi Physiognomy

The rest of the day, I stayed holed up in Grandpa's room, only venturing out for meals or the bathroom. I rehearsed every possible ghost encounter scenario, practicing moves against the empty air. Anyone peeking in would have thought me insane—hopelessly so.

Evening fell. Xu Ruohui still wasn't back. Worried, I called her. "What do you want?" she answered curtly.

"When are you coming home?" I asked.

"None of your business!" she snapped before hanging up.

Her sharpness stung. After sharing a room last night, I'd hoped we'd grown closer. Wishful thinking.

Beep… beep…

I shook my head bitterly and went to eat dinner alone.

The meal took barely half an hour. Dusk was settling as I returned. Xu Ruohui stood at the gate, laden with shopping bags, not entering.

"Forget your keys?" I asked.

She shook her head. "It feels too creepy inside alone. I was waiting for you."

A chill ran down my spine. "Did you see something?"

Her eyes widened. "See what?"

Just general fear, then. Relieved, I opened the gate without answering. Inside, I offered to carry her bags. A curt "No" was her reply before she hurried to her room.

Her light clicked on. No screams. I relaxed.

Back in my room, the towel on the bedside reminded me of my unfulfilled promise. Was that why she's ignoring me?

"Li Chuyi!" Xu Ruohui's voice called from the courtyard.

I stepped out. She pointed at my bandaged hand. "Let me change that dressing. It got wet yesterday. It'll get infected."

She cares? Does she… like me?

This time, she changed it under the courtyard light. Her touch sent my pulse racing again.

Then I felt it—an icy finger tracing the back of my hand.

I shuddered violently.

"What's wrong?" Xu Ruohui frowned. "Your hand's freezing!"

"Don't touch me!" I yanked my hand away. It was here.

My sudden outburst startled her. "You psycho! Fine, deal with it yourself!" She snatched up the first-aid kit and stormed back inside.

No time to lose. I dashed to my room, grabbed a stack of yellow paper, a candle, and the fruit knife. The knife wasn't for the ghost—it was for my fingers. Biting hurt too much.

Back in the courtyard, I focused Qi, opening the Supervisory Official gate. My spirit sight activated. The shadowy figure stood a meter to my left, its hand reaching for my shoulder.

I leaped back. It let out an angry, unearthly wail.

Just then, Xu Ruohui reappeared. She froze, seeing me clutching the knife, yellow paper, and candle. "Li Chuyi, have you lost your mind?"

The ghost's head swiveled toward her. It whimpered, drifting in her direction. Greedy and lustful?

Xu Ruohui was the woman I'd set my sights on. Attacking her in front of me? I'd fight it to the death!

I slashed my index finger with the knife, smeared blood across my Glabella, and charged.

To Xu Ruohui, it looked like madness: I'd just cut myself and was now rushing at her, knife in hand.

"Li Chuyi, what are you doing?!" she screamed, horrified.

"Get to my room! Now! There's a ghost!" I yelled, still charging.

The ghost drifted slowly. I caught up quickly. Aiming for its Glabella gate, I thrust my bloodied finger. My fingertip grazed its form. It shrieked and floated up to the second floor.

The first few drops of fingertip or tongue-tip blood could harm ghosts. After that, they lost potency.

The ghost hovered near the second-floor railing, swaying, watching me intently, waiting for a lapse.

I'd reached Xu Ruohui. Before I could speak, she screamed "Ah!" and kicked hard at my groin.

I dodged just in time.

"What was that for?" I snapped.

"What are you doing?" she shot back, eyes wide with fear and fury. She held up her phone, thumb hovering over the call button. "I'm warning you—one more move and I call the police!"

"Listen, Xu Ruohui," I said, forcing calm. "This isn't about you. I'm not trying to scare you. There's something here. It could hurt you. Go to my room. Lock the door. I won't come in. Okay?"

I glanced up. The shadow swayed along the railing, watching, waiting.

My words terrified her. She followed my gaze but saw nothing.

The potent blood on my finger was gone. What remained could barely seal a gate, let alone fight a ghost.

Still skeptical, Xu Ruohui retreated inside and returned holding scissors. "Don't lie to me. Drop the knife. Now."

I nodded. Slashed my left thumb. Dropped the knife. Stepped toward her.

She backed away. "What now?"

"I'm sealing your physiognomy gate. So it can't possess you." I pointed to the blood on my own forehead. "Otherwise, it'll be trouble."

Knife gone, her fear lessened. I reached her, pressed the first potent drops of thumb blood to her Glabella. She watched warily but didn't resist.

I backed away slowly. "I know you don't believe me. If you won't go to Grandpa's room, leave. Go to a friend's, a colleague's—anywhere. Just don't come back tonight!"

A flicker of doubt crossed her face. She swallowed. "Li Chuyi… are you sure you're not sick?"

I retrieved the knife from the ground. "Walk slowly. Don't panic. I sealed your gate. It can't possess you!"

Her eyes held a hint of concern now. She took a deep breath. "Fine. Li Chuyi. I'll trust you this once. I'll go to your room. But if you try anything—"

"Won't be me you need to worry about," I said bitterly, looking up. "That one up there? He blames me for his death. He's not letting me go tonight."

Confusion crossed her face—probably thinking I was raving. Half-believing, half-terrified, she entered my room and locked the door.

Eight fingers left uncut. Eight chances. If I missed them all, I'd need tongue-tip blood. That hurt far worse.

As I braced myself, the shadow on the second floor lunged.

Too fast! I fumbled for the knife, trying to slash another finger. Before the blade touched skin, an icy grip clamped my wrist. A bruise-like purple handprint bloomed on my skin.

The ghost slammed into me. Its freezing hands seized my throat. In a blink, it had me pinned against the stair railing.

The impact knocked the wind from me. The knife flew from my grasp. The candle snapped in two. Yellow paper scattered, some torn.

Panic surged through me, but I forced myself to focus. Summoning that faint, fish-like current of Qi from my dantian, I channeled it not to attack—it was far too weak—but toward the Listening Official gate, the physiognomy gate of the ears. Opening it would let me hear ghost speech, understand why it hated me so fiercely.

The Qi flowed, unlocking the gate. The ghost's unearthly wail resolved into words—a single, agonized cry repeated endlessly: "Cold!"

The word echoed in my mind. A bone-deep chill spread through me, mirroring his torment.

He'd slit his wrists. The more blood he lost, the colder he grew… the sleepier…

He was forcing me to relive his death. And in that suffering, he blamed me for it all.

Hearing ghost speech directly was beyond my skill. I'd doomed myself.

The shadowy figure drifted closer. Its icy fingers closed around my throat, digging into my windpipe. Darkness encroached. I stood on the razor's edge between life and death.