Otherworldly Merchant

“If you don’t believe me, you can check it yourself,” said Li Mazi. “Call the police! We must call the police! Let’s wait a while then tell them we smelled the stench. That’s why we came to the villa to check it out.”

Then, Li Mazi took his phone out of his pocket.

I didn’t want to believe it since I couldn’t explain the cry for help we had just heard.

Even if Ms. Song was murdered and became a ghost, it was broad daylight. How could she scream for help?

I wanted to check but Li Mazi said he wouldn’t enter the house again, even if I beat him up.

“The skinned corpse is too scary,” he said.

Feeling helpless, I walked into the house alone.

Since Li Mazi had prepared me in advance, I wasn’t that scared. I carefully approached the bathroom.

When I saw the scene inside the bathroom, my heart almost stopped beating.

A person was hung on the ceiling fan. It was slowly swaying!

That person was skinned. The muscles seemed burnt. Everything looked charred like charcoal.

It was strange that both of her feet were wet and dripped fluid. I didn’t know what had happened to her.

Inside the bathroom, there was a puddle of blood that was diluted by water. I could see pieces of torn skin floating…

I couldn’t stand it anymore. I walked out of the villa and puked.

After I vomited, the police in the neighborhood arrived. After they went into the house and saw the scene, they also rushed out and puked. Then, they called the criminal police division to help.

We were called to the police station by the criminal police division. We had to give our reports on the case.

Since neither of us was suspicious, they released us after they took our oral confessions.

Li Mazi and I then went to the hospital, full of worries.

What to do now? Ms. Song was dead and she had been burned very badly. I guessed it would be pretty hard to identify her unless they took her DNA.

Furthermore, was the woman that lived in the apartment going to replace the real Ms. Song? This whole matter was too strange, and I wasn’t fully convinced.

I turned to Li Mazi and said, “What do you think? Should we continue to investigate or just ignore everything? Should we let the woman from the mirror replace Ms. Song and live her life?”

Li Mazi ran his fingers through his hair then answered seriously, “Brother Zhang, I know that you’re soft-hearted and that you hate evil. I also know that it’s immoral to stay idle, but I’m not a saint, and I no longer want to deal with this case! I’m just a common guy who wants to live in peace and have a quiet life with my lover. I don’t want to step in this quagmire… Promise me that you won’t continue with this case. It’s better if we leave it alone, don’t get us all involved.”

I kept silent. I didn’t know what to say or what I should do.

I admitted that I wasn’t an ideal role model, and I couldn’t do things like sacrifice myself to kill demons. I simply felt sorry and guilty for breaking the rules of otherworldly merchants.

I wasn’t sure how to proceed. I stared blankly at the ground.

Li Mazi knew that I was not paying attention to his words. Eventually, he sighed and walked toward me to pat my shoulder. He asked me to quiet down and to think about things thoroughly. He then left me there and entered the room to take care of Chu Chu.

This matter had troubled me for several days in a row, and I couldn’t even sleep well. Whenever I closed my eyes, Ms. Song and her skinned body appeared in my mind, blaming me for ignoring her case.

I was tormented and felt distressed.

One day, out of the blue, Chuyi called me. When I picked up the phone, the man on the other end of the line kept silent.

I asked, “Brother, why did you call me?”

Chuyi said, “Li Mazi asked me to call you. That’s why I have called you. If you don’t have anything to say, I’m going to hang up.”

I smiled. Chuyi was very straightforward.

“All right, I have a problem.”

“What is it?”

I told Chuyi the story of the bronze mirror from start to finish. Then I asked him, “Should I get involved in this case?”

Chuyi stayed silent for quite a long time. Eventually, he said, “Stick to your gut feeling. If you think it’s right, it’s right. If you think it’s wrong, it’s wrong. There is nothing to be troubled about.” Then, he hung up.

I looked at my phone and sighed. What Chuyi had told me was no different from giving me no advice. I hoped that he would tell me something to make me understand...

I hung up the phone and looked at my empty room. I sank into my thoughts.

However, at this moment, my phone rang again. After glancing at the screen, I shuddered in fright.

Ms. Song was calling!

Why is she calling me? If she knew I wanted to deal with her, she should avoid me.

I took a deep breath and hit the answer button.

Ms. Song’s voice was still seductive. She said, “Come to me tonight. I want to invite you to dinner.”

After listening to her, I was surprised. Ms. Song invited me out for dinner? What the heck is going on?

As I was hesitant, her voice turned into begging. “Mister Zhang, please, you must come here! Otherwise, someone will die. I’m begging you.”

Then, she hung up the call.

I was baffled. Why did that fake Ms. Song sound so similar to the real Ms. Song? She was imitating the other one, wasn’t she? It was how she could officially blend in and adapt to Ms. Song’s daily life.

Then, I called Li Mazi. “How is it going with the police and the skinned corpse case?”

These days, I haven't read any news about this case. I knew it was definitely being suppressed. But Li Mazi should know something about it.

Li Mazi said, “No one came to retrieve that body. It’s now a case without any clues.”

I guessed the fake Ms. Song must have had some insider help within the police bureau. I shook my head and sighed. I told Li Mazi that Ms. Song had invited me to dinner.

Li Mazi listened to me and became bewildered. “She invited you to dinner? Isn’t this like the story of the fox paying the chicken a visit on New Year? I’m sure this is a Hongmen Feast. [1]”

I nodded. I also thought that it was a feast with the intention to harm me. However, Ms. Song’s attitude was really weird. If she wanted to harm me, it wasn’t very smart to do it this way.

For the time being, I couldn’t make up my mind. I looked at Li Mazi and hesitated about whether I should go or not.

In the end, Li Mazi said reluctantly, “All right, Brother Zhang, it’s better if you go. If you ignore this, your mind won’t be at ease for the rest of your life. I’m going with you. If something happens, we’ll call the police.”

I was thankful and patted Li Mazi’s shoulder. “No, I’m going alone. You stay in the hospital and take care of Chu Chu. I feel that it’s not as simple as it seems…”

Li Mazi smiled and said, “How can I stay idle and see you take such risks?”

Then, he stretched his sore back and lifted his cup of tea, drinking it. “Let’s go! Even if the sky falls, we will lift it back up!”

On the way there, I asked Li Mazi about Chu Chu’s situation. Li Mazi smiled bitterly. “Chu Chu’s awake for two or three hours a day. She can’t eat hard food. She can only drink some liquid food.”

“Do you regret it?” I asked.

Li Mazi shook his head. “No, I don’t. I have never loved anyone like I love Chu Chu. I’m crazy about her.”

Chu Chu had taught him a lot of things, love, affection, friendship…

While talking, Li Mazi burst out weeping. My heart ached and I didn’t know what I could do to help them.

The most painful thing in this life is looking at your loved ones dying and not be able to do anything about it.

I knew Chu Chu’s chances of survival were very small, and Li Mazi should spend more time with her.

Sigh! After this case, Li Mazi should wash his hands and retire before he sinks deeper...

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_at_Swan_Goose_Gate