A chill shot up my spine as a bone-chilling scream hit me, echoing through the narrow stairwell like some ghostly howl. Not caring who heard, I let out a scream that could wake the dead and bolted down the stairs, my heart pounding like crazy.
As I turned to run, a soft, haunting sigh wrapped around me, like a memory I'd almost forgotten. "I thought you'd be the one who wouldn't freak out."
Those words stopped me in my tracks, like an invisible hand grabbed my soul. I felt this weird guilt, like I couldn't leave, even though I was terrified.
The voice softened, almost begging. "After all these years... don't you wanna see me?"
I swallowed hard, refusing to turn, my mind racing with the gruesome details of Xiuxiu's death—how she'd wasted away, her life snuffed out in despair. The sticky stuff I'd touched on the stairs now made sense, a grim reminder of what happened. Whatever was behind me would look like her final moments, a sight too awful to face.
"I get it," the voice whispered, sad and understanding. "This messed-up form isn't for living eyes. Go. You're the last I'd hurt."
Her resignation hit me with unexpected guilt, a pang that cut deep. "I don't hate you," I blurted out, the words slipping out before I could think.
"Then look at me," she pleaded, her voice trembling with hope and fear. "Just once."
I gathered all my courage. No matter how scary she looked, she'd once been someone I cared about. Maybe this one look could bring closure. But something inside me warned that meeting her gaze could change everything.
"Can't you just glance?" Her voice grew urgent, like time was running out. "It's been so long."
"Why did you push me away back then?" I deflected, buying time as cold sweat ran down my back, my mind racing for a way out.
Her laugh was cold and bitter. "What future could we have had?"
I kept talking, desperate to keep her distracted while I looked for an escape. "Then why did you become—"
"—a mistress?" The words were sharp with bitterness, like they'd been waiting to be said forever. "Survival writes its own story. Now choose—will you look or not?"
Her desperation only made me more determined, like her urgency was a warning of the danger ahead. When she suddenly dismissed me with icy resignation, the guilt became too much. Slapping my own cheek, I rasped, "Forgive me. I'll turn."
Silence.
As I started to turn, iron hands clamped my skull, cold and unyielding. A familiar growl hissed in my ear: "Value your life? Don't. Move."
"Ocean?!" Shock and relief tangled in my throat. The guy I'd thought was a coward now stood firm, his presence a lifeline. He dusted my forehead with chalky powder, his hands moving over me like he was searching for something.
"Stop talking," he snapped when I protested, his voice sharp. Finally, he pulled the red jade amulet from my jacket, looking disgusted. With a flick, he tossed it out a broken window, the sound of shattering glass echoing through the stairwell.
"That was my talisman!" I choked, my voice shaking.
"Idiot," he sneered. "That thing was like a dinner bell for every ghost around. Your 'savior' was using you as bait."
Before I could process that, Xiuxiu's shrieks erupted—a mix of madness and baby cries, filling the air with a metallic stench that made my skin crawl.
Ocean grabbed my collar, his eyes locked on mine. "On three: take a deep breath, run upstairs to the second room, and don't breathe until I come. One breath, and we're both dead."
As he counted, the stairwell birthed a horrifying sight—a creepy baby-thing oozing ghostly rot, a nightmare come to life. I sidestepped it.
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Glossary (Sorted by logical importance in the text)
1. Xiuxiu
- Double Life Xiuxiu's got this whole dual thing going on. She's not just someone the main dude knows from way back—maybe an ex or a close pal—but she's also this urban legend about a mistress who died tragically. Her ghostly form, a creepy baby ghost, is packed with symbolism. She's like the poster child for messed-up social relationships, showing what happens when you're someone's kept woman. Plus, she's the physical embodiment of a miscarried baby's anger, and a modern twist on the old Chinese ghost story about vengeful baby spirits.
2. Ocean
- Rebel Exorcist: Ocean's a real head-scratcher. On the outside, he seems like a total wimp, but deep down, he's a pro at Taoist magic. The powder he uses is probably a mix of incense ash and cinnabar, which is usually used to calm down restless spirits. His unconventional methods suggest he's not your typical Taoist—maybe he's linked to the Yinshan School of Maoshan. When he tosses the red jade amulet, it's like he's calling out how religious stuff gets turned into just another product in the city, going from sacred to dangerous.
Key Stuff
3. Red Jade Amulet
- Not So Lucky Charm: At first, the main guy thinks the red jade amulet is a lifesaver, but turns out it's more like a ghost magnet. The red color is supposed to keep evil away, but it's also a big red warning sign about how the "blessed artifact" business has some shady sides in today's world.
4. Creepy Baby
- Horror Mashup: This creepy baby is a mix of Western horror (think Regan from 'The Exorcist') and Eastern ghost stories. Its slime is like both amniotic fluid and corpse juice, and the combo of baby cries and a metal smell is sensory overload, showing how money can mess with life ethics.
Spaces
5. Stairwell
- Scary In-Between: The stairwell is this tight, scary space that amps up the fear. Its vertical setup makes it feel like a bridge between the living and the dead. The old cracks in the walls might hide messages from the dead, and the echoes add another layer to the story.
6. The Second Room on the Second Floor
- Magic Room: The number "two" is an even number in the 'I Ching', and "the second room" might match up with the "Life Gate" in fortune-telling. You gotta hold your breath when you go in, which means the energy is all over the place, so you need to steady your own energy by holding your breath like a turtle.
Weird Stuff
7. Metal Smell
- Supernatural Warning: This isn't the fresh smell of blood—it's more like the description in 'Youyang Zazu' of "when ghost soldiers pass by, the iron smell fills the air," showing the creepy baby's evil energy.
8. Chalky Powder
- Taoist Ritual Stuff: The chalky powder is probably a mix of cinnabar, realgar, and incense ash. Putting it on your forehead is like a quick way to "open the third eye," and checking your body is probably to find the "Yin Contract," an invisible deal between people and ghosts.
Mysteries
9. Unspoken Past
- The history between the main guy and Xiuxiu is super vague. Were they college sweethearts who broke up because of money? Childhood friends who grew apart because of class? Or is there something darker, like "sacrificing a friend for your own future"? The way the text uses vague time words (like "After all these years") keeps you guessing.
10. Countdown Escape
- This part mixes modern emergency moves (like the three-step fire escape) with Taoist star-stepping rituals. The numbers turn the escape into a kind of spell (the number "three" matches the three powers of heaven, earth, and man). Holding your breath is like what 'Baopuzi' says about "avoiding evil by holding your breath like a turtle," making practical escape skills seem magical.
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