Volume One: The Soul-Gathering Gourd and the Spirit-Igniting Lantern Chapter 11: Threatened

Pale moonlight dappled the room, casting shifting patterns across the floor, and the entire house was thick with a chill so tangible it could almost be seen. That ghastly, deathly white hand, icy and spectral, was clamped tightly around Gu Mo’s throat.

At this moment, the King of Hell, once the very picture of innocence, had shed all pretense—she was now unmistakably a fiend from the underworld, a demon in full fury. Her authority was palpable, the dominion over life and death etched deeply into Jiang Jingxue’s very bones. Though she had not yet gained her full powers, snuffing out Gu Mo’s life would have been no more than child’s play.

Gu Mo, with his throat crushed in that vice-like grip, felt his heart racing, a wild thundering in his chest as the sensation of impending death washed over him once more.

Then, in a thunderous voice, the King of Hell, her visage twisted into something monstrous, roared, “My little lackey, as long as you agree to marry me, I’ll spare your life!”

In the next instant, the scene shifted: Gu Mo’s face, caught in the ghost’s grasp, was turning every shade of red and purple, veins bulging dangerously beneath the skin. His eyes, bloodshot and wide, looked as if they might pop from their sockets at any moment. It seemed as if his death was but seconds away.

Yet even at the brink, Gu Mo remained stubborn, refusing to give in or utter a word of consent, like a turtle that had swallowed a weight, immovable and unyielding.

As the situation reached its breaking point, a furtive voice sounded from just outside the courtyard gate. “Gu Mo—Gu Mo, are you home?!”

At that, Jiang Jingxue’s brow furrowed. She released her iron grip, and a rush of oxygen flooded Gu Mo’s lungs. He gasped, choking and coughing violently.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

In a blink, the King of Hell’s fearsome countenance faded, and she resumed her beautiful, harmless appearance, vanishing silently into Gu Mo’s body. Instantly, the chill enveloped him once again. As he caught his breath, anger bubbled up inside him.

‘Damn it! Is this crazy woman out of her mind? Why does she keep trying to strangle me? Since ancient times, it’s always been men who play the part of the rogue, never women—let alone female ghosts! What does she see in me anyway?’

Fuming, Gu Mo steadied himself with a few deep breaths and turned his attention to his unexpected “savior” outside.

A few steps brought him to the living room doorway, where he saw a short, plump figure skulking in the moonlight, glancing about furtively. Gu Mo’s instincts screamed that something was off.

But since the visitor had come, Gu Mo strode forward to meet him.

As he drew closer, the stench of something like seafood hit his nose. This man stood about five foot seven, his shoes gleaming, his short black hair wild and unkempt, giving him a listless air. His round face was marked by features that radiated slyness, and his under-eye circles were dark and heavy. He wore a black tracksuit stretched tight over his bulging belly, threatening to burst the zipper at any moment. Gu Mo guessed he couldn’t be less than two hundred pounds.

As the saying goes: as broad as a vat, but not as tall; if you took away his backside, it’d all be waist.

Gu Mo was certain he didn’t know this man—he’d only just returned to town a couple of days ago. Still, he greeted him politely from behind the courtyard’s wooden gate.

“Hello, I’m Gu Mo. What brings you here?”

The fat man glanced around, then offered a sly smile. “Hello, I’m the captain of the City East Urban Management Team.”

Gu Mo’s heart lurched. A flood of possibilities surged through his mind.

‘Urban management? What’s he doing here? Did Grandpa owe rent on the shop? I haven’t dumped any trash out front… Why is urban management here?’

At the thought of trash, Gu Mo’s mind flashed to last night’s zombie, and his thoughts began to race. The zombie had wrecked the candle shop’s door in the dead of night, and after being bitten, Gu Mo had forgotten all about it. The shop must be a wreck by now.

This realization brought a subtle shift to Gu Mo’s expression, which the fat officer immediately caught. Gu Mo met his gaze and asked, “I don’t think I know you. What do you want?”

The fat man gave a greasy smile that set Gu Mo’s teeth on edge, though Gu Mo couldn’t quite figure out the man’s intentions.

After a moment, the man lowered his voice. “My name is Feng Kaixuan. I was sent by Daoist Xiao. I need your help with something.”

At that, Gu Mo’s eyes narrowed, and he looked at Feng Kaixuan as if the man were a lunatic. “Daoist Xiao? Sorry, I don’t know anyone by that name.”

He turned to leave, not even bothering to open the gate.

But outside, Feng Kaixuan chuckled calmly. “Heh, I saw everything that happened last night!”

Gu Mo’s whole body tensed, a cold sweat breaking out along his back.

Suspicion gnawed at him, and he turned around to face the uninvited guest once more. “What did you say?”

Feng Kaixuan glanced around furtively, then leaned in and whispered with utter confidence, “Zombie!”

Gu Mo could hardly believe his ears. His thoughts raced.

‘Was this fat man hiding nearby last night? But then why mention Daoist Xiao? Was I really that obvious?’

He decided to test the man. “Zombie? You must have watched too many horror movies. I don’t know any Daoist Xiao, and there’s no such thing as zombies here.”

Without a word, Feng Kaixuan pulled out his phone and played a short video. Gu Mo stared, stunned—he recognized himself, fleeing in terror from the zombie. Judging by the camera angle, the footage must have come from the security camera on the utility pole.

But the video ended before the zombie bit him.

“Hmm…”

The evidence was overwhelming, and Gu Mo saw no point in denying it. “So what do you want from me?”

Feng Kaixuan grinned, still clutching his phone. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to threaten you. I just want to ask for your help.”

To prove his sincerity, Feng Kaixuan immediately deleted the video in front of Gu Mo’s eyes, then offered him a pack of cigarettes.

With cigarettes lit, the two men stood outside the courtyard, clouds of smoke curling between them. Gu Mo found Feng Kaixuan less detestable with each drag—there’s nothing like a shared smoke to bridge the gap between men.

When the cigarette was finished, Feng Kaixuan fixed Gu Mo with a steady gaze and said, “Actually, my friend has run into something strange—something supernatural. I hope you’ll come with me to take a look.”

Gu Mo was torn between laughter and exasperation.

‘Just because I run a candle shop doesn’t mean I’m an exorcist. Is he coming for me because of Grandpa’s reputation?’

He decided to be upfront. “Well… sorry. My grandfather was a spiritual master, but he passed away not long ago. I don’t know anything about catching ghosts.”

At that, Feng Kaixuan frowned. “That can’t be. Daoist Xiao wouldn’t lie to me. Something’s not right here.”

Hearing the name Daoist Xiao again piqued Gu Mo’s curiosity. Who was this Daoist, and how did he know his name?

In that moment, the voice of Jiang Jingxue, the King of Hell, echoed in his mind. “Lackey, go back inside and bring the Soul-Guiding Gourd with you. I sense something off about this man!”

Obeying the command, Gu Mo relented. “Um… Captain Feng, if you really need help, I’ll come along.”

Feng Kaixuan’s face lit up with joy.

But Gu Mo quickly added, “Don’t get your hopes up. I can’t promise anything.”

Feng Kaixuan waved a meaty hand. “No worries, as long as you’re willing to come.”

Gu Mo returned to the house and tucked the Soul-Guiding Gourd into his bag. When he came back out, he eyed Feng Kaixuan and asked, “That video of yours…?”

Before he could finish, Feng Kaixuan looked him in the eye and said earnestly, “Mr. Gu, I only recorded that one short segment. There’s no backup, and I won’t use it against you.”

Gu Mo frowned. “I meant, how did you get that video?”

Feng Kaixuan gave an embarrassed chuckle. “Oh, it’s nothing. I have a relative at the police station. I was watching the monitors for him yesterday, and that’s when I saw you being chased. I swear”—he held up three sausage-like fingers—“I was the only one who saw it, and I deleted it from the hard drive afterward.”

Gu Mo nodded, half convinced. Whatever the truth, at least Feng Kaixuan’s attitude was sincere.

“What about the rest of the footage?” he asked.

Feng Kaixuan smiled. “After that, the video glitched. I didn’t get anything beyond what I showed you.”

Gu Mo nodded calmly. “Shall we go, then?”

“Yes!”

Outside the courtyard, something black and shapeless was lurking quietly in the shadows, waiting…