Chapter 14: The Spirit House

  "I'm so sorry for the trouble we've caused you."

  The village chief looked apologetic, quickly preparing incense, candles, and spirit money before leading Lu Fei and Tiger to the grave.

  "His grave isn't far, just a short walk behind the village."

  Lu Fei and Tiger followed the chief, passing through the village toward a grove where the cemetery lay.

  Along the way, Lu Fei kept a close watch on his surroundings, seeing no signs of any graves within the village itself.

  Why did the coin keep rolling toward the village?

  As he pondered, he felt the coin in his pocket tremble slightly, as if it wanted to move toward a particular direction.

  He looked up, following the sensation.

  At the edge of the village stood a small, two-story building, slightly taller than the other houses. Its thick mud walls were concealed by a dense array of trees, giving it a shadowy, mysterious look.

  "We're here."

  The chief stopped in a wooded area just outside the village.

  A few scattered graves lay under the trees, their mounds overgrown with moss and weeds, the years evident upon them.

  The chief stopped before a fresh grave, its headstone inscribed with the words "Zhao Ligen's Grave."

  "Old Si, you fool! The family heirlooms are not for sale! You've caused enough trouble. Don't stir things up even after death!" The chief scolded the grave sternly, his tone both reprimanding and sorrowful.

  Lu Fei lit the incense and offered it respectfully at the grave.

  Tiger, however, didn't move; he still harbored resentment toward the old man, feeling tricked even from beyond the grave.

  Lu Fei didn't force him, but used the opportunity to quietly scoop a handful of grave soil.

  After the brief ceremony, the chief apologized to them once again, insisting that there were no antiques for sale in the village and gently urging them to leave as soon as possible.

  Lu Fei didn't argue, leading Tiger away from the village.

  Once they were a safe distance away, Lu Fei stopped and took out the handful of grave soil.

  "Lu Fei, are you really going to use this grave soil to break my Hungry Ghost Curse? Does that mean the old man who sold me the coin was a starving ghost selling his own burial money?" Tiger asked, his face full of confusion.

  "Not exactly. I wanted to check something," Lu Fei said, kneeling down. He turned over a stone and found two earthworms, sprinkling the soil on them.

  The earthworms wriggled, crawling over the grave soil without hesitation.

  Lu Fei narrowed his eyes. "Just as I thought."

  "What does that mean?"

  "Earthworms live underground and can sense where they shouldn't burrow. Since they didn't avoid this soil, it means there's no corpse gas. The grave is empty—built just for show."

  Tiger's eyes widened as he clenched his fists in anger. "So the whole village is full of liars? They knew I'd want to confront that old man, so they lied about him being dead?"

  Lu Fei considered this. "It does seem that way… but if they were just trying to avoid trouble, wouldn't it have been easier to say Old Si wasn't in the village? Why go to the trouble of constructing a fake grave and even putting up a portrait?"

  "Plus, there were fresh wreaths by the grave, and the house showed signs of a mourning ceremony."

  "It really looks like they held a genuine funeral, not just to mislead us."

  Tiger shivered. "A real funeral for an empty grave? That's insane!"

  "This village probably has its secrets, but that's not our concern," Lu Fei said, shaking off his doubts. "We're here to break your curse. Now that we have the grave soil, that's all we need."

  Tiger brightened at this, surprised and thrilled. "So you've found the hungry ghost's grave?"

  "Yes. Once the village settles down for the night, we'll sneak back and handle it."

  The sun slowly set, and darkness fell swiftly over the mountains.

  A few sparse lights flickered in the village, casting an eerie stillness over the area, with only the rustling leaves breaking the silence.

  Moving stealthily, Lu Fei and Tiger crept back into the village, heading toward the isolated building at its edge.

  As they passed the village chief's home, Lu Fei took a curious glance inside.

  Under the dim glow of a lamp, the chief and his wife were hunched over a large basin, devouring its contents greedily, oil dripping from their mouths.

  The sight reminded Lu Fei of Tiger's behavior when possessed by the hungry ghost.

  "Are they really that fond of meat?"

  Lu Fei shook his head, dismissing the thought, and led Tiger cautiously past the house until they reached the small building.

  The earthen wall surrounding it stood about two meters high, with a large lock on the wooden gate.

  The building stood in pitch-black darkness, with not a single light visible inside.

  "Let's climb over."

  The wall was high but not too difficult for the two young men.

  They climbed over and landed quietly on the other side, pausing briefly to ensure they hadn't been detected before switching on their flashlights to examine the structure.

  The building's design was strange; apart from the main door, it had no windows, standing isolated in the darkness with a chilling air.

  "This is a spirit house, built specifically for the dead. There are no windows so no light can enter."

  Lu Fei took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and was hit by a blast of cold air.

  The air was thick with the scent of mold and a faint hint of death.

  Their flashlight beams wavered as they illuminated the interior, revealing an old tomb in the center of the room.

  "What the—! There really is a tomb here! That old chief totally lied to us!" Tiger's eyes widened in shock. "Lu Fei, bring out the coin!"

  Lu Fei pulled out the coin with the red string and tossed it forward.

  The coin hit the floor, immediately rolling across it until it clinked against the tombstone.

  "No doubt about it—this is the place!"

  Lu Fei felt a surge of relief.

  Though the village was strange, saving Tiger was the priority.

  The room was completely empty, clearly designed solely to house this tomb.

  The tomb was modest, built from green stone, its damp surface coated in moss, giving it a cold, eerie appearance.

  "This is the hungry ghost's grave. If we disturb it, won't it retaliate?"

  "That's why we have to move quickly."

  Lu Fei had Tiger place the replacement coin before the tombstone, then bowed as a gesture of respect.

  Then he signaled for Tiger to hold the flashlight steady as he began scooping soil from the tomb into an empty water bottle.

  Tiger watched closely, his gaze fixed on the grave soil in Lu Fei's hands as if it were his lifeline.

  Suddenly, a low, mournful wailing came from within the tomb.

  "Woooo… woooo…"

  The two froze, then exchanged horrified looks before quickly backing away.

  The ghostly wail, like the sound of crying spirits, was unnervingly loud in the gloomy spirit house. They immediately took out the rooster feathers, holding them defensively.

  But after several tense moments, nothing seemed to appear.

  Lu Fei steadied himself, then turned back to inspect, realizing the sound wasn't coming from the tomb but from somewhere behind it.

  "It doesn't sound like the hungry ghost."

  He hadn't gathered enough grave soil yet; abandoning it now would waste all their efforts. Gritting his teeth, Lu Fei resumed collecting the soil.

  Tiger followed close behind, nervously illuminating the area.

  Under the wavering beam of the flashlight, a familiar face came into view—a face they'd seen in the portrait.

  It was Old Si, the man in the funeral photograph!