Chapter Fourteen: Crimson Footprints

To be honest, Yufang’s words filled me with dread. After all, my encounters with ghosts had only begun in the past few days, and hearing her speak like this made me want to call Wei Qi over at once. But Wei Qi was even busier than I was; he still had to visit Shang Xiaoyun’s home that evening.

Left with no other choice, I braced myself and stayed. Yufang fetched my three-foot Longyuan sword from inside, explaining that she’d retrieved it for me from the police station. Staring at the sword and recalling Wei Qi’s claim that it could kill ghosts, I felt my confidence grow.

Seeing that I’d decided to remain, Yufang was delighted. She bustled about, brewing tea and slicing fruit. When she noticed me growing drowsy, she asked if I wanted to lie down for a while. I was certainly tired, but felt awkward about sleeping in a girl’s bed, so I declined.

Yufang laughed, saying I wouldn’t be sleeping in her bed; there was another one in the study, where her younger brother used to sleep. So I lay down there for a while, and when I awoke, night had already fallen.

Opening my eyes, I saw Yufang sitting with her chin in her hands on a chair beside my bed. She smiled awkwardly when she saw I was awake. “It’s dark outside, and I got scared, so I came in,” she said.

I sat up, looking at the misty night beyond the window, my heart tightening. I asked if she’d felt anything unusual. She said no, everything was fine, just that she was a bit afraid.

I washed my face, and we both went to the living room. Yufang ordered takeout, and we made do with a simple meal before curling up on the sofa to watch television. Time dragged on, and as the night deepened, Yufang began to yawn around ten o’clock, saying she wanted to go to bed. I told her to go ahead—I would stay in the living room watching TV, and if anything happened, she could call me.

Yufang protested that it would be impolite, but after a while, sleepiness overcame her and she said she’d go to bed first. If I got drowsy, she suggested I sleep in the other room. I assured her I wasn’t tired and told her to rest easy.

She went into the master bedroom, leaving the door open and the lights on—I guessed she was too scared to sleep in the dark. I sat on the sofa, staring at the black sky and the shifting shadows of the trees outside. I couldn’t concentrate on the television; my mind kept wandering, imagining what would happen if a ghost really appeared.

At first, I was on high alert, gripping the Longyuan sword my second uncle had given me. But as midnight passed and the clock edged past twelve, I gradually let my guard down. Taking the opportunity to visit the bathroom, I peeked into Yufang’s bedroom—she lay there fully clothed, appearing fairly relaxed.

As I left the bathroom, I glanced at myself in the mirror out of habit. At that moment, I sensed a shadow flash behind me. At first, I thought Yufang had come in too, but when I turned, there was nothing.

What was going on? Was I seeing things, or was this a hallucination? Or… I didn’t dare finish the thought. I hurried back to the sofa, but my mind stayed in the bathroom, haunted by what I’d just seen. The more I thought about it, the more confused and afraid I became, until I was so uneasy I could barely sit still.

Just then, a sudden, piercing scream echoed from Yufang’s room—a long, chilling wail. Grabbing the Longyuan sword, I rushed in.

Yufang sat there, her face ashen, arms wrapped tightly around her chest. “Master Wang, I—I saw her,” she stammered, pointing at the corner of the wall as if the ghost were still crouching there.

Though I was terrified, I reminded myself that I was the man here, and I had a weapon. Summoning my courage, I approached the corner and probed with the sword, but found nothing.

“It’s all right. As long as I’m here, you’re safe,” I said, trying to comfort the trembling Yufang, forgetting all past grievances in the moment.

“Master Wang, I really saw her—a little girl in red,” Yufang murmured, half narrating, half muttering to herself with a hint of hysteria. But her words seemed to confirm what I’d glimpsed in the mirror—the figure had indeed been dressed in red.

My grandmother had once told me that ghosts love darkness. If a house is haunted, they usually hide in the bathroom or other dark corners during the day. It seemed this little ghost really was hiding in the bathroom, and I’d disturbed her earlier.

For a while, I was at a loss, unsure what to do. If only I could see ghosts, I could turn the place upside down and find her, dealing with her using the Longyuan sword. But I didn’t have the “yin-yang eyes”; I couldn’t see where she was. This ghost wasn’t like Wang Ying—she wouldn’t reveal herself. So I had no way to catch her.

I took out my phone and stepped out, needing to ask Wei Qi for advice. No matter what, I had to get rid of this little ghost—if she stayed hidden while Yufang and I were exposed, and she suddenly attacked, the consequences would be disastrous.

Yufang clung to my arm, refusing to let me leave. At this point she no longer cared about appearances; her ample chest was pressed tightly against my arm, but she didn’t care in the slightest. Just like last time, I felt nothing—who could think of such things with an evil ghost lurking nearby?

I explained the situation to her, and she followed me out, still hugging my arm, refusing to let go.

I got through to Wei Qi and told him what was happening. He said my blood could ward off evil spirits: if I let blood from my right middle finger into a bowl and added water, it would have the power of a talisman. Sprinkle it on the ghost, and I would be able to see her.

I did as he instructed, soon preparing a bowl of blood-water. But although I had the blood-water, I didn’t know where the ghost was. If I sprinkled it all over the house, I’d be drained dry before I finished—and besides, the apartment was so nice, and splashing blood everywhere would make it look like a murder scene.

Remembering I’d glimpsed her in the bathroom, I carried the bowl inside and splashed the contents in one go. Although I didn’t see the little ghost, I discovered something new: a row of footprints appeared on the floor—small, messy prints just a few centimeters long.

Seeing the bloody footprints, Yufang’s face turned white as a sheet and cold sweat trickled down her cheeks. She clung to my arm. “Master Wang, what do we do?”

What could I do? I didn’t know either. More than anything, I wanted to leave, but I couldn’t. Yufang hadn’t always been friendly to me, but she’d apologized and even treated me to dinner. More importantly, I’d accidentally knocked off her bra once. That might not count as true intimacy, but to a boy with no prior experience, it was something to savor and remember. Now, with her holding tightly to my arm, I knew she needed me. So I couldn’t leave.

Still shaken, Yufang was too scared to sleep, so she leaned against me on the sofa, arms wrapped around mine. I pretended to be calm, but I was anything but—my other hand gripped the Longyuan sword tightly, ready to act at any moment.

An hour passed; the clock read half past one. Seeing that nothing had happened, I began to relax. Wei Qi had said that after 1:30 a.m., the yin energy wanes and yang energy rises. Once the yang energy was strong enough, little ghosts wouldn’t dare to make trouble.

As I relaxed, I started to nod off. I suggested to Yufang that we get some sleep. She frowned and said she could sleep, but only if we slept together—in the same bed.

In all my life, apart from sleeping with my mother as a child, I’d never shared a bed with a woman. Given the situation, Yufang’s request made me feel awkward.

“Yufang, isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it—I just want you with me. I’m scared!” Tears welled in her eyes. My heart hardened. Fine, tonight I’d just have to sacrifice myself. After all, we wouldn’t be undressing. Looking at Yufang’s delicate appearance, I couldn’t help but think—girls are just girls. Usually so tough, now she was as meek as a little lamb.

Her bed was wide, and the two of us lay there fully clothed with plenty of space. Yufang pressed tightly against me, gripping my hand, which made me rather nervous.

A moment ago I’d been sleepy, but now I was wide awake—not from fear this time, but from the fact that a beautiful girl was lying beside me. Even in this crisis, I couldn’t stay calm. She faced me, her frightened eyes full of terror, her body trembling gently.

“Yufang, don’t be afraid. I’m here,” I said, not quite sure why—almost as if something else were speaking through me.

“Master Wang, thank you for staying with me.”

“No need for thanks—and don’t call me Master Wang, just call me Dachuan. It’s late, let’s sleep,” I replied. Looking at Yufang’s graceful figure, I was tempted to pull her into my arms, but I didn’t have the courage—just the thought.

“Mm, sleep.” Yufang nodded, pressing even closer to me, resting her head against my chest. The scent of her hair filled my nostrils, making me feel almost disoriented in time and space. Last night, this girl had locked me up for questioning; tonight, we were sharing a bed. If anyone heard, they wouldn’t believe it—but here it was. Only, the meaning of “sleep” was not what one might assume.

Soon, her breathing evened out; she must have been truly exhausted. Even in sleep, she clung tightly to my hand. Her steady breathing soothed me, and I began to drift off as well.

Just as I was about to fall asleep, I felt her grip on my hand twitch violently. I woke at once to find Yufang’s eyes open too—but all the softness had vanished, replaced by a cold, sinister look.

“Wang Dachuan, do you like me?” she blurted out.

A shudder ran through me. What? Was she dreaming? How could she ask something like that?

Yufang was beautiful, seductive, charming—a rare girl by any standard. She was accomplished too, already a captain in the criminal police at such a young age. And I was just a farmer with a shady occupation—our worlds apart. We’d only known each other for less than two days… and now she was asking me this.

“Yufang, what’s gotten into you? Why are you asking that?” I was almost embarrassed to admit it, but truthfully, I did like her a little. Still, the gulf between us made me hesitate.

“Do you like me or not?” Her voice rose.

“Well… isn’t it a bit soon?” I stammered, feeling a flutter of excitement.

“I don’t care—I like you.” Yufang gave a cold laugh and suddenly threw herself on top of me, pinning me beneath her. Her crimson lips pressed against mine in a kiss.

Before I could react, her mouth covered mine, stealing my first kiss. But instead of feeling joy or excitement, a chill like ice seeped through me—her lips were cold, her tongue colder still.

My heart went cold as well. Damn it, this little ghost was getting too bold—possessing Yufang right in front of me! This wasn’t Yufang kissing me, but the little ghost controlling her. But why? Was she a female ghost obsessed with romance?