So I tracked down Niu Shisan, and guess what? The old dude was just chilling in his shop, legs crossed, puffing on a cig like he didn't have a care in the world. Man, seeing him so relaxed while I'd been out there risking my neck? It ticked me off big time.
When he spotted me, he raised an eyebrow, looking kinda curious and amused. "What's up? Why're you here?"
I bit back my annoyance—after all, he didn't owe me squat. His help was just'cause his dad had taken my cash, and now I was starting to wonder if the old man's bad luck was somehow my fault. Trying to keep my cool, I told him I'd found some new clues.
That got his attention. He uncrossed his legs and sat up straight, all serious now. "What kind of clues?"
After I spilled the story about the taxi driver, Niu Shisan's face went dark, his eyes narrowing like he was staring into some creepy void. "So the place is haunted, huh?"
"Pretty sure," I said. "The driver's boss is still in the hospital. Wanna check it out, maybe pretend we're buyers?"
"Who's gonna admit their place is haunted?" he shot back, sounding skeptical. "Plus, what's that scared businessman gonna tell us? The driver mentioned the mistress's death was in the papers. Maybe we should dig through the archives."
Bingo! Even if we couldn't find physical newspapers, maybe there were digital records. When I asked about computers, Niu Shisan just scoffed. "Too modern for a fortune-teller's vibe."
So off to a cybercafe we went. I searched our city's name, the villa's location, and "suicide." And bam! A two-year-old tragedy popped up—something that happened back when I was in college.
The victim, Xiu Xiu, was a 21-year-old med student from our local uni. Her death was gruesome—self-mutilation that ended in a creepy, frozen grin. And then it hit me—this was the same Xiu Xiu I'd dated in high school, the one who used to nag me about studying.
Seeing her photo in the article—that sweet smile now twisted into something horrifying—made my stomach churn. Knowing her gave me an edge, though. I called up Da Yang, this weirdo ex-classmate who's now into monk stuff, hoping he'd have some info.
He answered with this over-the-top chant: "Taoist blessings! Divine consultations, exorcisms, naming rites—get seven, the eighth is free!"
"Cut the act!" I snapped. "What do you know about Xiu Xiu's death?"
"Thought it might be a vengeful spirit," he admitted. "I even came to see you back then, worried her ghost might come after her exes."
Not satisfied with his vague answer, I hung up and filled Niu Shisan in. He frowned. "Personal ties make this messy. If we face her spirit, it might get ugly."
Fear gripped me. "So we're bailing?"
"Not while I'm still breathing," he said firmly. "Get your birth details—I'll make a talisman. We'll move tomorrow."
Back home, my dread skyrocketed when I found a shiny box on my table. Inside? A neat stack of cash—exactly one million yuan. The note with it sent chills down my spine: 'Money's gone, life's next.'
Those stacks I once craved now felt like a death sentence. I grabbed the cursed box and bolted to Niu Shisan's place—my last hope against the darkness closing in.
[
Glossary (Sorted by logical importance in the text)
1. Haunted Villa
- Location Features: A haunted place mentioned by the taxi driver. The former owner was hospitalized due to the haunting, and it is now a vacant haunted house.
- Narrative Function: As the place where Xiu Xiu's death occurred, it connects the dual main lines of the money curse and the vengeful spirit's revenge.
2. Vengeful Spirit
- Cultural Prototype: In East Asian folklore, it is a ghost formed because of grievances or unfulfilled obsessions, often seeking relief through revenge.
- Particularity: Xiu Xiu's vengeful spirit may be controlled by external forces (such as self - mutilation scars), suggesting that there is a more powerful evil force behind it.
3. Talisman
- Production Logic: It needs to be customized according to one's birth details, which reflects the core concept of Taoist talismans that "a person controls the talisman, and the talisman communicates with the gods".
- Plot Hint: Niu Shisan asking the protagonist for his birth information may be a foreshadowing for the subsequent revelation of the connection between the protagonist's fate and the curse.
4. Cursed Box
- Contents: A neatly stacked stack of one million yuan in cash, which echoes the "windfall" the protagonist received before.
- Implication of the Note: The note "Money's gone, life's next" strengthens the theme that "money is the medium of taking lives" in a threatening way, implying the cause - and - effect cycle of the curse.
5. Self - Mutilation Death
- Horror Image: The contradictory combination of physical pain and a strange smile breaks the normal logic of suicide, suggesting that the soul has been deprived of autonomy.
- Religious Interpretation: In Esoteric Buddhism, self - mutilation can be interpreted as a trace of a sacrifice ceremony, which may point to the possibility of cult manipulation.
]