Chapter Seventy: In Those Years

I don’t know why my eldest brother suddenly told me all of this. Undeniably, his words left me deeply shocked. I pressed him, “Big Brother, what exactly happened?”

“It’s quite simple,” he began. “During the Hongwu era, a severe drought nearly dried up the Twelve Ghost Caverns. After the caves dried, many naked female corpses emerged, covered in mud. Each one looked remarkably lifelike, not like old, decayed bodies at all. The authorities were alarmed, suspecting a major murder case, and came to investigate. They discovered a stone coffin within the depths of the Twelve Ghost Caverns, adorned with strange patterns, ancient beyond reckoning. Officials dragged the coffin out from the mud, but soon after, a series of disasters followed. Everyone who had touched that coffin died. Only then did people realize something was terribly wrong with it.

The Ye family, a local and prominent clan, took charge and invited a highly respected feng shui master, Chen Jinzhi. Upon arrival, Chen immediately recognized the coffin as that of the Yellow River God. The Twelve Ghost Caverns were actually the River God’s resting palace, and those naked female corpses were the Yellow River Maidens—concubines offered in sacrifice to the River God from various regions. As the River God’s consorts, their bodies remained uncorrupted for a thousand years.”

My brother continued, “Chen Jinzhi declared that the coffin contained a deity, who must not be desecrated. All the local gentry and officials deferred to him. First, the female corpses were returned to the river as offerings to appease the River God. Then, under Chen’s direction, a massive stone was brought from Mount Tai and carved into a dragon-headed stele meant to draw the local dragon’s energy and suppress the River God’s corpse energy. Chen explained that although the coffin held the River God, by now it was merely the Corpse King of the Yellow River, transformed into a malevolent entity. The aura was so intense that only an immortal of the highest order could subdue it; mere mortals could only hope to suppress it.

On the night the dragon-headed stele was installed, Chen Jinzhi instructed the Ye family and all locals to stay indoors. That night, a blood-red moon hung in the sky, and at midnight, nine hundred and ninety-nine female corpses walked out of the Twelve Ghost Caverns. They stormed into the Ye household, slaughtering everyone—hundreds of people. Their bodies were then carried back into the caverns by the corpses.”

As I listened, I was trembling all over. I looked at my brother and asked, “So, according to you, the Chen family from Fudigou are descendants of Chen Jinzhi. But does the Ye family from back then have anything to do with our Ye family?”

I already suspected the answer, but I wanted my brother to confirm it.

He nodded. “That night, when the corpses came ashore, only one steward from the Ye family survived because he was in the privy. When he emerged, chaos reigned. Panicked, he jumped back into the latrine—unclean places repelled the corpses—so he escaped. After things had quieted, he went outside, terrified. He considered seeking help from Chen Jinzhi, but at the dragon-headed stele, he saw Chen Jinzhi halfway merged into the stone itself, his body slowly sinking into it as if the stone were swallowing him. Horrified, the steward fled. He soon discovered that he was the sole survivor of the Ye family. Though he wanted to report to the authorities, the memory of that night haunted his dreams and with Chen Jinzhi vanished into the stone, there was no evidence left. The steward eventually fled, changed his name, and went into hiding. That steward was our Great-grandfather Ye.”

“So, Grandfather and our father both knew this secret, didn’t they?” I asked.

My brother nodded gently. After that, he said nothing more, turning and walking away alone. I didn’t pursue him. He had already told me enough. For someone like him, what he’s willing to say will be said; what he’s not, no amount of questioning will extract.

I sat there alone for a long while, overwhelmed by what I’d just learned. If my brother was right, the Ye family and the Chen family are bound by an ancient vendetta. Of course, so many years have passed that no one in the Ye family today remembers what happened back then, so there’s no talk of revenge.

But following my brother’s reasoning, since Grandfather and Father both knew the secret, Father came to the village to investigate the truth, only to be skinned alive. With no other choice, Grandfather sent my brother to live with the powerful water spirit family, training him to become a Water Spirit King in order to continue searching for the truth.

But at this point, it’s not just about uncovering the past. I even felt that our late father and my brother wanted to know what Chen Jinzhi and the later heads of the Chen family were after, and perhaps to take it back from them.

I sat in a daze for a long time until Fatty came looking for me. He said, “King of Thieves, what are you doing squatting here? Daydreaming, or meeting some pretty little wife?”

“It’s nothing. What’s up? Looking for me?” I asked.

“Just now I went to your place to find you and saw someone sneaking around your door. When I asked what he was doing, he walked off. A while later, I passed by again, and there he was. This time, as soon as he saw me, he left again,” Fatty said.

“What did he look like?” I asked.

“Tall and thin, wearing clothes that looked like they hadn’t been washed in eight hundred years,” Fatty replied.

“That’s Chen Stone’s third son, San Kui. Fatty, go wait for me at the village committee. I have something to tell you. I’ll go see what San Kui wants—he’s the go-between for the young lady and me,” I said.

“Need any help?” Fatty called after me.

“No, too many people will only make things worse,” I replied.

When I returned home, I found San Kui still pacing at my door. Seeing me, he hurried over, face tense. “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting forever!”

His anxious look made me nervous too. I asked, “What’s wrong?”

“The young lady is missing! My father and my eldest brother are gone too. This morning, when I woke up, they were all gone. No matter where I looked, I couldn’t find them!” San Kui said.

“Missing?” The words made my scalp tingle.

“That’s right. I told you, the old man is dead set on giving the girl to my brother. My second brother and I agreed, if that’s really the case, we’ll break with him!” said San Kui.

“San Kui, listen,” I said, “go back and wait. Maybe they’ve just gone out and will be back soon. Here’s my number—remember it. We’ll stay in touch. The young lady told me herself, if she had to choose among you three brothers, she’d pick you. After all, you’re the handsome one! So whatever happens, don’t let your father and elder brother get their way.”

“Did she really say that?” San Kui’s eyes lit up.

“Of course she did! We’re close—would I lie to you?” I replied.

With that, San Kui was energized and hurried off to keep watch for me. Once he’d gone, I forced myself to calm down. Chen Dongfang had warned me several times to keep an eye on the girl, and today my brother had also hinted that Chen Stone was planning something. But who would have thought it would happen so soon? At such a critical moment, for Chen Stone and his eldest son to disappear with the girl—I certainly didn’t believe they’d just gone out shopping together.

I immediately called Chen Dongfang and explained the situation. After a moment’s silence, he said, “Alright, I’ll hurry back as soon as I can. Be careful. Find your brother—he knows what’s important. Tell him he must save the young lady.”

“Okay. Anything else, Uncle Dongfang?” I asked.

“Tell Fatty to act faster.” With that, he hung up—he always took the initiative when it came to ending calls, never lingering.

Afterwards, I called my brother and explained what had happened. “No matter who this girl is, I don’t want anything to happen to her, whether it’s public or private. Please, save her, brother.”

“Chen Stone won’t hurt her for now. Don’t worry,” my brother replied.

“Alright, I’ll go find Fatty,” I said.