Chapter 28 - Soul-Capturing Yin House (Part IV)

“Sir, this lunch has been specially prepared for you.”

Chen Shaoxian was interrupted by the voice and looked up to see a flight attendant in a white blouse and red skirt, standing next to him with a tray, smiling at him.

Chen Shaoxian felt like he had seen this flight attendant somewhere before but didn’t think much of it and took the tray with a smile, saying, “Thank you.”

Just as he was about to eat, he heard the flight attendant next to him say, “Don’t you recognize me? Hehe.”

Hearing this laughter, Chen Shaoxian suddenly turned his head to look at the flight attendant, but she was gone, and all that remained was the eerie laughter in the cabin. Looking at the tray, instead of food, there was a pair of human eyeballs.

Chen Shaoxian shuddered awake, startling Zheng Ruirui who was sitting next to him. She quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”

Chen Shaoxian shook his head silently, thinking back on the dream he had. Initially, he ignored it, thinking it was just a regular nightmare, but now it seemed unusual.

He wondered if the woman in his dream was somehow connected to the Zhuo Family.

After getting off the plane, a car sent by the Zhuo Family arrived to pick them up.

Chen Shaoxian noticed that the Zhuo Family’s driver moved stiffly. The driver had only held up a sign and hadn’t spoken from the start, so Chen Shaoxian was cautious, asking Zheng Ruirui and the others to sit in the back while he sat in the passenger seat.

Once in the car, he smelled a strong mustiness, as if the car hadn’t been aired out in a long time.

The driver, wearing sunglasses, gripped the steering wheel mechanically. Chen Shaoxian felt something was off, so he secretly took out a small mirror and glanced at the driver, startling himself, but he kept quiet.

Stretching lazily, he said to the driver, “Stop by the side, I need to pee.” The last part made the two girls’ faces turn red.

Once the car stopped, Chen Shaoxian got out and walked around to the driver’s side. He reached into his coat with his right hand for a cigarette, tapped on the car window, seeming to offer the driver a smoke. When the window rolled down, Chen Shaoxian suddenly punched the driver in the head, causing a loud thud as the driver slumped to one side and his sunglasses flew off.

Chen Shaoxian seized the opportunity to quickly open the car door and pull out the keys, as Zhuo Junfan and Zheng Ruirui suddenly screamed and even Zheng Lei yelled out.

The driver, shockingly, had no eyeballs, just hollow sockets, and he grinned eerily at Chen Shaoxian.

Chen Shaoxian pulled him out of the car and kicked him hard in the shoulder, detaching an arm. He dragged the arm out from the sleeve, revealing it to be nothing but a bone, devoid of any flesh.

After losing an arm, he attempted to bite Chen Shaoxian’s right lower leg. Chen dodged and fiercely kicked him in the chest. Accompanied by the sound of breaking bones, he was sent flying.

Taking advantage of the moment, he got up and jumped off the highway to escape.

The three people in the car got out, with Zheng Lei still shaken, asking, “What, what was that thing?”

Chen Shaoxian looked at them and said, “Still unclear.” He then ignored them, opened the trunk, and took out nectar glass. He smashed it and sprinkled it on the arm.

The arm hissed and emitted white smoke, turning into a pile of white ash that was scattered by the wind.

Chen Shaoxian asked Zheng Lei to drive straight to Zhuo Junfan’s home.

Upon arriving at the Zhuo residence, Zhuo Junfan called for the door to be opened. The appearance of the person who opened the door almost made Chen Shaoxian strike them; their face was pale, completely lifeless, with dark circles under their eyes and a black Yintang¹ that made it seem like they didn’t need makeup to play a ghost.

The person quickly ushered them into the courtyard after recognizing Zhuo Junfan.

The yard had a faint smell of blood, the swimming pool water was murky, and the flowers and plants had withered. The whole Zhuo residence looked dilapidated.

When the Zhuo Family Members heard Zhuo Junfan had returned, they all came out.

Seeing the Zhuo Family Members, Chen Shaoxian was reminded of the movie “A House of Mischievous Zombies,” resembling a whole family of zombies, each one looking like they had been smoking opium for years.

Zhuo Junfan, crying, threw herself into her parents’ arms, and the family wept bitterly. After the crying subsided, Mr. Zhuo asked, “Xiaofan, why have you come back?”

The four of them were stunned. Zhuo Junfan quickly said, “Mother asked me to come back.”

This time, the Zhuo Family Members were perplexed. Mrs. Zhuo hurriedly said, “I didn’t ask you to come back.”

Mr. Zhuo quickly ushered them towards the exit, pushing them out while saying, “Hurry up and go, quickly.” But Mr. Zhuo froze when he saw the car at the door, pointing at it speechless. It took him a while to stammer, “How, how did you come back in this car?”

Mr. Zhuo explained that this car, along with the person he had hired, had gone missing along with it.

Chen Shaoxian originally planned to have Zheng Lei and two others stay at a hotel first, but he was concerned about their safety. So he said, “Let’s go in and see.”

Mr. Zhuo let the three of them into the living room, where a pungent, fishy smell made them feel nauseous.

Chen Shaoxian took out a small bottle from his pocket, dabbed a few drops on his finger, and then rubbed it under his nose. He asked the others to do the same, and it really did alleviate the discomfort significantly, at least making it bearable.

Zhuo Junfan introduced Chen Shaoxian to her family. The Zhuo Family Members, upon hearing this, perked up considerably and quickly expressed their thanks. Mr. Zhuo courteously asked Chen Shaoxian if he had eaten.

This question terrified Chen Shaoxian and the others. They had agreed before departing that they would definitely not eat the Zhuo family’s food, not knowing which pot might have been used to cook their flesh. They had prepared all their food and drink for these days and even brought cooking utensils.

After asking about the situation, Mr. Zhuo’s account matched basically what Zhuo Junfan had told them.

While Mr. Zhuo was talking, Chen Shaoxian kept staring at him, noticing that Mr. Zhuo’s eyes were quite cloudy and that his skin seemed to be enveloped by a filmy layer. After Mr. Zhuo finished speaking, Chen Shaoxian approached for a closer look and touched the skin, finding a grayish-white sticky film that made the skin appear somewhat pale.

Chen Shaoxian asked someone to bring a basin of clean water for Mr. Zhuo to wash his face. After washing, the water stains disappeared from his skin, but soon another layer seeped out.

Chen Shaoxian had Mr. Zhuo sit properly, then took out a small makeup box from his luggage, containing cinnabar that looked like red seal paste. Using a small brush inside, he dotted a red spot on Mr. Zhuo’s Yintang.

After putting down the box, Chen Shaoxian stretched out his left hand and pressed it against Mr. Zhuo’s forehead as if flicking a marble, softly saying, “May the mind be clear, may the spirit be peaceful, may the souls endure, may the spirits remain stable.” After finishing, he flicked his middle finger hard, striking right on the cinnabar on the Yintang.

With a pop, a faint mist sprayed from the back of Mr. Zhuo’s head, and he collapsed to the ground. Zheng Lei and Zhuo Junfan rushed to help, but as they grabbed Mr. Zhuo’s hands, they felt their hands slip and ended up pulling off a layer of skin, which made them scream in horror.

Footnote:

1. Yintang(印堂): Yintang is an acupressure point located between the eyebrows, known as the “Hall of Impression.” It is often associated with traditional Chinese medicine and is believed to aid in reducing stress and improving concentration.