“Manager Xue… Manager Xue, did you go through a famine last year? What happened to you?”
Upon opening the door, he saw Manager Xue, whom he had shared drinks with yesterday. Xue’s face was pale, his eyes bloodshot, and his lips were blue, clearly showing signs of excessive indulgence.
He couldn’t help but think, this old lecher, was he here to go mad after a morning of excitement yesterday?
“I… I… there’s a… corpse in the room.”
As soon as the door opened, Manager Xue’s words came out in a stammer, unable to form a complete sentence, as if he had been greatly terrified.
Hearing Xue’s voice, Zhang Dabiao walked over from behind. He looked at Xue’s complexion, then stepped forward and delivered a chop to his neck. Seeing Xue collapse softly to the ground, I looked at him in confusion.
“Brother Zhang, why did you knock him out?”
Zhang Dabiao, supporting Manager Xue with one hand and dragging him inside, explained, “He’s been scared and lost some of his spirit. Didn’t you see he couldn’t even finish a sentence? We’ll ask him more when he wakes up.”
Manager Xue lay on the bed and after sleeping for less than half an hour, he woke up. The moment he opened his eyes, he jumped up and stared at the ceiling light, as if something was hidden there.
“Manager Xue, what are you looking for?”
He was fine yesterday, but today he had become so erratic, as if possessed. However, there was no Yin energy on him.
Manager Xue seemed not to hear my words. After circling the room once, he seemed relieved as he couldn’t find what he was looking for. He then sat down on the bed, looking like he had lost his soul.
“Manager Xue…” I called him several times before he responded.
“Mr. Song, save me…”
After regaining his senses, Manager Xue knelt on the ground with a thud. His eyes seemed to be falling downwards, almost to the point of bowing his head. He was a completely different person from the spirited man he was last night.
“Save me? Save you from what? Aren’t you alive and well?” I was somewhat bewildered by his nonsensical words. Although I don’t read fortunes for the living, the fates of the dead and the living have some commonalities. Judging by his appearance, he was not someone destined for a short life; living to eighty should be no problem. Su Dan Novel Network
“I… my house… there are so many, so many corpses.”
“Corpses? What corpses? You’re not drunk and hallucinating, are you?” I asked casually. Last night, I saw him drink no less than two jin of white wine, and having interacted with him several times, I could always smell alcohol on him, indicating he was quite the drinker.
“Nonsense, I slept it off and woke up sober. I said there are many fox corpses in my house, all hanging from the ceiling.” Manager Xue said angrily, “While I like to drink, I wouldn’t drink to the point of hallucinating.”
“Fox corpses?”
I frowned. I had heard of weasels seeking revenge, but I had never heard of foxes hanging themselves for revenge.
Among the five great wild spirits of the Northeast, only weasels were known for their relentless revenge, and they wouldn’t wait overnight. Why were foxes starting to do this now?
I glanced at Zhang Dabiao, who also looked thoughtful. Seeing me look at him, he shook his head, indicating he also didn’t understand the situation, as this was unheard of.
Furthermore, foxes, being cunning creatures, usually did not confront people directly when seeking revenge. Instead, they would use seductive means from the shadows to make life worse than death.
However, judging by Manager Xue’s expression, he wasn’t lying. And who would lie about having fox corpses hanging from their ceiling? Even if they wanted to do such a thing, they wouldn’t be able to find so many foxes, would they?
I followed Manager Xue to his house.
As soon as we entered, I saw a fox corpse hanging from the porch. The fox was about the size of a cat, with yellow fur all over. It was hung from the lamp with a straw rope. If not for its bushy tail, one might mistake it for a weasel.
Its eyes were half-open, half-closed, like a person squinting, looking out at the door. Its mouth was slightly ajar, the corners of its lips cracked. It looked very cute if it were alive, but as a corpse, this expression was somewhat terrifying.
If it were just one fox, it would be fine. But upon entering the house, I found that every place with a light had a fox corpse hanging, all tied with straw ropes. Each one bore a sinister smile, just like the fox on the porch, as if welcoming guests.
Seeing so many fox corpses, my expression changed slightly, as it reminded me of the old grey fox I had killed last night. Could these be the disciples and grandchildren of the old fox?
Zhang Dabiao looked rather solemn, pacing back and forth in the room. When he saw the fox corpse in the bathroom, his expression turned grim, and even his cleaving mountain saber was drawn.
Seeing this, I was also quite startled. I drew my Yin Ironwood ruler and cautiously watched, “Brother Zhang, is there something?”
“This is the Hundred Corpses Seeking Life formation, the highest etiquette of fox spirits. Everyone related to Manager Xue must die.”
*Thud*—
Hearing this, Manager Xue rolled his eyes and collapsed onto the ground like a puddle of mud, fainting.
I was also startled by his words and asked blankly, “Does that include you and me?” I pointed at him, then at myself.
“What do you think? The person behind this old fox wants to fight for our lives!”
Zhang Dabiao took down the fox corpse from the bathroom, then used his cleaving mountain saber to cut it open. Instead of the expected splatter of blood, a strip of paper was found inside.
The writing on the paper was in blood. After drying, the ink-like characters clearly read: ‘Life will be claimed at midnight tonight’.
“Is someone issuing us a challenge?”
Manager Xue, who had woken up at some point, stood at the bathroom doorway, his face pale, his voice trembling as he asked, “A challenge? What challenge? Did you get me into trouble by killing that fox? You have to solve this for me, otherwise… otherwise, I’ll… I’ll sue you.” Manager Xue spoke incoherently, his body trembling.
I naturally paid no mind to Manager Xue’s threat. Instead, I calmly told him, “Don’t worry, I won’t leave any loose ends with the jobs I take. Here’s an Yin-repelling talisman, which can protect you from evil spirits. If anything bad comes looking for someone, you can tell it my location.”
Manager Xue took the Yin-repelling talisman and tucked it into his pocket like a treasure, but he didn’t feel reassured. He said earnestly, “Why don’t I stay with you tonight?”
“Aren’t you afraid that if we can’t handle it, you’ll suffer along with us?”
“At this point, Mr. Song, stop teasing me. I’ll pay you if that’s what it takes. Just name your price.” Manager Xue jumped up and down, throwing out his trump card.
“No need for money, as long as you’re not afraid.”