IMMFBCG Chapter 47

Chapter 47: A Dirty Heart

After taking the bus to the county, the two arrived only to find that the minibus back home had already left.

After half a year away, the county town seemed transformed: the roads were being repaired, and old, dilapidated buildings had been torn down to make way for new construction.

The motorcycle taxis near the station charged a bit more than usual, so Ye Xue signaled Yu Qi to follow her to look for other options.

But before she could find a suitable ride, a loud rumbling filled the air. A motorcycle taxi stopped in front of Yu Qi, and the driver called out, “Hey, buddy, heading to Fengyang Village? Twenty-five bucks each.”

Ye Xue, who had still been looking around, turned back. A large motorbike had blocked Yu Qi’s path, and it seemed the driver even wanted to take his luggage.

Yu Qi had an air of refinement, standing out in this small town as someone clearly from the outside—a fact seasoned locals love to exploit, as outsiders are usually unfamiliar with local prices and are easier to deceive.

Not comfortable with strangers, Yu Qi took a step back, about to refuse, but Ye Xue quickly pulled him behind her. Switching to the local dialect, she said, “Uncle, isn’t this a bit unfair? It used to only cost five bucks to get into the village.”

The driver immediately realized he was dealing with a local and chuckled, saying, “Oh, it’s just that gas prices have gone up recently…”

Yu Qi stayed silent, looking down at Ye Xue’s hand holding onto his sleeve, momentarily reluctant to move.

Seeing that they intended to leave, the driver didn’t want to miss out on the fare and quickly added, “We must be fated to meet today—how about I take you both to the village for ten bucks?”

Ten dollars for the two of them was a fair price.

Considering the weather seemed like it might start raining soon, Ye Xue looked at Yu Qi. “Should we take it?”

Yu Qi nodded obediently. “I’ll follow your lead.”

The motorcycle wound its way up into the mountains, soon reaching the entrance to Fengyang Village.

The buildings in Fengyang Village had a historical feel, with some structures dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties. However, due to its remote location and poor accessibility, it hadn’t been developed as a tourist spot, and visitors rarely came to see it.

Most people in Fengyang Village were related in some way. The driver seemed to be from a nearby village and didn’t recognize Ye Xue, so he dropped them off and quickly left on his motorcycle.

The majority of villagers in Fengyang had the surname Deng. Ye Yangyun, however, wasn’t originally from this village; he had moved here with Ye Xue eighteen years ago.

Outsiders were usually met with hostility, but Ye Yangyun had earned a lot of respect here. Over twenty years ago, during his travels, he had helped the villagers get rid of a zombie—a reanimated corpse.

That zombie had been the village chief’s father.

Back in the day, burial customs included earth burial, and a hired geomancer had mistakenly buried the deceased in a place conducive to corpse reanimation, turning him into a zombie.

When Ye Yangyun passed through and sensed the dark energy surrounding the grave, the zombie’s corpse energy was already starting to affect his descendants. The village chief had even developed bite marks on his neck. Fortunately, it was discovered in time, preventing a catastrophe; otherwise, the entire village might have turned into a ghost town.

After dealing with the zombie, Ye Yangyun left the village and continued his travels.

Several years later, he returned with a baby in his arms and settled down in Fengyang Village.

The elders in Fengyang, grateful for his past help, had always looked after Ye Xue in return.

Ye Xue had grown up on meals shared by different households; when her master left to help neighboring villages, the elders would take turns inviting her over for meals.

Ye Xue led Yu Qi back, and on the way, familiar villagers greeted her with smiles. One of them said, “A’Xue, you’re back? Your master left earlier and won’t return for a few days.”

Ye Xue nodded cheerfully. “I know, Auntie. He called me this morning to tell me.”

The villagers chatted with Ye Xue for a while, then noticed the young man standing beside her with an air of elegance. They saw that he was carrying Ye Xue’s belongings and asked, “A’Xue, is this your boyfriend?”

Ye Xue had been popular here when she was in school. With her pretty smile and friendly nature, she’d made friends with everyone. But this was the first time anyone had seen her bring a young man home.

Yu Qi’s grip on the suitcase tightened unconsciously, each word from the villagers striking a chord in his heart, causing something to bloom quietly within him. But he knew he couldn’t rush things.

Ye Xue paused slightly, then smiled and said, “No, no, he’s just a good friend. It would’ve been lonely for him to spend the New Year alone, so I invited him to experience the holiday atmosphere here.”

The ghost-related matters weren’t something she could easily share, so she briefly explained why she’d brought Yu Qi along.

One villager smiled. “Well, he’s come at the right time! Our village has a lion dance every New Year—be sure to bring your friend to watch.”

Ye Xue nodded. “We will!”

Another aunt invited them over for dinner. “Since your master isn’t around, come eat at our place tonight.”

Ye Xue shook her head slightly. “Thank you, Auntie, but my master left us some food, so we’ll just heat that up.”

Since she’d politely declined, the others didn’t insist. They simply reminded her to ask if she needed anything before heading off.

…

As the villagers went their separate ways, the one who had been chatting with her friend remarked, “The village is lively with the New Year approaching.”

Her friend nodded. “Exactly, with all the young folks coming back, it’s bustling. By the way, Ling’s son just returned yesterday, didn’t he?”

At the mention, Aunt Ling huffed, “Don’t even bring him up! I don’t know what got into him—he locked himself in his room, sulking, surrounded by empty bottles. I found out this morning he got fired from his company. Ha! I bet he got dumped and is moping around, drowning his sorrows. Who’d want to put up with his bad temper?”

Her friend comforted her, “Give him a few days, he’ll come around.”

Aunt Ling snorted, “If he’s still pouting at New Year, I’ll throw him out!”

They continued down the road, their voices fading as they walked away.

…

Ye Xue and Yu Qi returned home, and before long, a drizzle began, with nearby adults calling their children to gather the laundry.

Soon, the rain stopped, leaving the air crisp and fresh.

Ye Xue called Ye Yangyun to let him know she’d arrived safely, then hung up and turned to Yu Qi with a smile. “I’m not the best cook, so be prepared!”

Her words to the villagers about food left by her master were just a polite excuse; her master had left in a hurry and hadn’t prepared anything.

Yu Qi replied, “That’s okay. I can cook.”

Ye Xue looked at him, surprised. “You can?”

He nodded. “Yes, I can.”

Rolling up his sleeves, he asked, “Where’s the kitchen?”

A bit stunned, Ye Xue quickly recovered and led him to the kitchen.

Once there, they realized there wasn’t much rice left, and going out would take some time, so they decided to stock up the next day.

Yu Qi rummaged around and found some noodles in the cupboard.

He asked Ye Xue, “Is noodles okay?”

Ye Xue replied, “Sure, as long as there’s food!”

Yu Qi nodded slightly. “Then, noodles it is.”

He turned on the gas stove, brought the water to a boil, and put the noodles in. After cooking them for a few minutes, he scooped them out and rinsed them in cool water.

Watching from the side, Ye Xue noticed how adept he was—his movements were skilled, far from someone unfamiliar with the kitchen.

But with Yu Qi’s family background, how could he be so familiar with household chores?

Ye Xue suddenly remembered something Uncle Wang had once told her—how, right after Yu Qi’s parents passed away, his aunt had already started scheming to take over his inheritance.

Her gaze lowered, a sudden unease in her chest.

After about ten minutes, a delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen. Yu Qi sprinkled some chopped green onions over the noodles and added a soft-boiled egg on top.

He served the noodles and looked at Ye Xue, noticing her downcast eyes. He asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

Ye Xue snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head. “Nothing.”

She couldn’t help but feel that little Yu Qi must’ve had a rough childhood.

Noticing her expression, Yu Qi was puzzled for a moment. Ye Xue, however, broke into a smile, “I can smell it!”

Yu Qi pushed his thoughts aside for now and said softly, “Let’s eat.”

They carried the noodles to the living room.

Ye Xue took the chopsticks he handed her, took a bite, and smiled with delight. “This is so good.”

Yu Qi smiled back. “If we had more time, I could make some scallion oil to toss with the noodles.”

After finishing dinner, Ye Xue tried to take the dishes to the kitchen to wash, but Yu Qi took them from her.

“Yu Qi?” she called after him.

Yu Qi pressed his lips together and said, “I’ll do the washing.”

Under Ye Xue’s gaze, he added, “In my house, the one who doesn’t cook is responsible for washing the dishes.”

Ye Xue blinked in confusion. “But you made dinner just now?”

Yu Qi was quiet for a moment before responding, “Guests don’t count.”

Ye Xue laughed, “That’s not how ‘guests don’t count’ works!”

He didn’t respond, simply gestured for her to sit and headed to the sink.

Just as the clock struck midnight, someone else was struggling awake.

Deng Fei stared at the ceiling for a while, then looked at the photo of him and someone else on his nightstand, reluctantly putting it down.

His head felt foggy, and everything seemed to be spinning. Even the walls seemed to sway.

Still, he pulled back the covers and got up. As he stumbled out of bed, he accidentally stepped on an empty bottle on the floor, causing it to clink loudly as it rolled away.

He nudged the bottles into a corner, muttering, “Where’s the door?”

Deng Fei stumbled around for a few steps, finally locating the door.

It took him several tries to turn the handle and open it, making quite a racket in the process.

Aunt Ling was startled awake by the noise outside. She glanced at her husband, who was still snoring, then called out, “Deng Fei, what are you doing out there in the middle of the night?”

Deng Fei, still half-drunk, mumbled, “Just going outside to use the bathroom.”

Most people in the village didn’t have indoor bathrooms, so they had to go outside to relieve themselves.

Not knowing what else to do with her son, Aunt Ling called out, “Just hurry up and get back in! It’s late, don’t go falling in the latrine!”

Deng Fei didn’t answer and staggered outside.

He wandered around aimlessly, unsure of where he was.

He tried to open his eyes wide to see his surroundings, but it was so dark that he could barely make anything out.

Yet he was certain there was a river nearby.

Half-awake, the urge hit him, so he found a spot to relieve himself and then moved on.

Behind him, a pale figure appeared.

In the moonlight, a tombstone became visible, now stained with his urine.

The ghost following Deng Fei was livid. He sniffed himself, detecting the offensive smell, and his face twisted in rage. “How dare he pee on my grave! I’ll make him pay for this.”

There are only so many ways for a ghost to mess with humans, and possession is one of the most effective.

Deng Fei continued to stagger, his body swaying as he walked, causing the ghost to miss its chance to possess him multiple times.

Soon, he spotted a light in the distance and hurried toward it with relief.

Just as he neared it, the ghost finally saw his opportunity, lunging forward to merge with Deng Fei’s body.

Once the spirit entered his body, the ghost caught a whiff of an unbearable stench. “What’s that smell?”

The ghost tried to take in his surroundings, but the haze from Deng Fei’s drunkenness clouded its senses too.

As he took another step forward, the ghost lost its footing and tumbled down into something soft yet horribly foul, its sticky, putrid contents covering him entirely, forcefully ejecting his spirit.

A nearby villager, hearing the commotion, came out to see what was going on. When they noticed someone in the latrine, they shouted, “Someone fell in the pit!”

Lights turned on in every house, and people rushed over, asking, “What happened? Didn’t we put a light by the outhouse?”

Someone shined a flashlight into the pit, braving the stench. “Wait… it’s Deng Fei! He fell in after drinking too much?”

Ye Xue had just laid down when she heard the ruckus outside.

She threw on a jacket and stepped out, just in time to see a stinky male ghost floating by, muttering indignantly, “People these days will go to any lengths to exorcize a ghost!”

Not only had he defiled his grave, but now he’d thrown him into the latrine.

Humans had truly reached a new low!

Ye Xue: “…”