Episode 2: The Red-Clothed Ghost Doll

Chapter 12: The Sacrifice in the Cellar

After speaking, he gently bit my lip, deepening the kiss. We stumbled onto the bed while locked in an embrace, his kisses trailing down my neck until they reached my lower abdomen.

His tongue circled around my navel as he murmured, “Soon, we’ll have our child here.”

I ran my fingers through his thick hair, my eyes half-closed as I savored every moment of pleasure he gave me. He seemed deeply fixated on the idea of a child, but uncertainty gnawed at me.

Setting aside my reluctance to have a child so soon, could Chu Pei and I even conceive one? Even if I were to get pregnant, it would likely only result in a ghost fetus. Would such a child be human or ghost?

Suddenly, he thrust deeper, and the overwhelming sensation shattered my thoughts into fragments. A soft moan escaped my lips as I clung to him like a drowning person, adrift in a turbulent sea.

That night, he took me many times. Eventually, exhausted, I sprawled limply and fell into a deep sleep midway. When I woke, it was already dawn.

A gentle light streamed in through the window, and the morning breeze carried the scent of ink. I lazily turned over, only to feel a stirring under the thin blanket. Glancing down, I saw the snake wriggling as if trying to climb over me to leave the bed.

Terrified, I flung the blanket aside, and the snake fell to the floor with a thud. It took me a few seconds to remember: the snake was Chu Pei’s host body it was Chu Pei himself. Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.

After calming myself for a while, I slowly crouched beside the snake and tentatively stroked its head with a trembling hand. It flicked its tongue, appearing docile.

“I’m sorry, Chu Pei. Did you get hurt?”

“My lady, I’m behind you.”

“Uh…” I turned to find Chu Pei standing there, and embarrassment warmed my cheeks.

He looked at me with an unreadable expression, as if suppressing a laugh. Clearing his throat, he finally said, “I only appeared to remind you, my lady, to avoid going out after six in the evening.”

I understood the reason. In my current half-yin body, if those entities were to notice me, it would invite unnecessary trouble. I nodded slightly, and then Chu Pei vanished.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through the window, scattering papers from the desk. As I bent to pick them up, I froze in shock. It was a beautiful painting: a sunset by a waterfall, a woman with flowing ink-black hair, draped in a sheer gown, her eyes gently closed as she leaned against a rock.

The woman in the painting had my face. Overwhelmed with disbelief and joy, I realized that in Chu Pei’s eyes, I was as exquisite as the woman in the painting.

Summer break in the mountains wasn’t like in the city we still had to teach at school, though many children often missed class to help their families with farm work.

As the harvest season approached, every household was busy in the fields, and the children, being half the labor force, returned home to assist. After finishing the last class of the semester, the school officially closed for break.

Whenever I walked through the fields, I’d instinctively glance toward the wheat fields. Little Stone still hadn’t returned.

Then, one evening, I saw Xing’er sneaking out with a few steamed buns tucked in her clothes. Forgetting Chu Pei’s warning, I quietly followed her.

Xing’er walked deeper into the increasingly remote and desolate area. Where could she possibly be heading with two steamed buns in her possession?

After crossing a hill, she unexpectedly discovered a dilapidated small village. The houses here were all built with mud bricks, the kind I’d occasionally seen during childhood visits to my grandmother’s house, mostly constructed in the 1940s or 1950s.

A cold wind blew, making me shiver involuntarily. This place was truly eerie! Xing’er hurriedly entered one of the collapsed thatched huts.

Hiding by the window, I peered inside but couldn’t see anyone. I had clearly watched her enter, so how could there be no one there?

After waiting about five or six minutes, I saw Xing’er push open the cellar door, her face pale with panic as she stumbled out in a rush.

I crouched hidden in the thick grass nearby, watching her run into the distance before entering the thatched hut myself. Inside were only scattered jars and pots. The intact side served as a kitchen, also made of packed earth.

After looking around, I pulled open the cellar door and carefully descended the wooden stairs.

Truthfully, I was beginning to feel afraid. The basement was dim and outside was gradually growing darker. I fell in my pocket and took out my phone for light.

The basement contained farming tools woven from willow and bamboo, all covered in thick dust and spiderwebs. Suddenly, I heard a rustling sound behind me.

Already extremely tense, I whipped around to see a rat scurrying past. I felt relieved it wasn’t anything supernatural.

Remembering Chu Pei’s warning, I decided to head back and return during daylight tomorrow. It was getting late.

Just as I reached the stairs, a loud “bang” sounded – the cellar door had somehow closed shut. A cloud of dust fell, making me cough repeatedly.

Waving away the dust, my heart pounded like thunder: “Who’s there? Who’s up there?”

I stood frozen, waiting in dead silence until cold sweat soaked through my back. Holding my phone, I climbed the stairs and pushed against the cellar door.

The door wouldn’t budge, seemingly weighed down by something. At this moment, I completely broke down, desperately pounding on the wooden door.

“Is anyone there? Let me out! Help! Is anyone there? Chu Pei! Chu Pei…”

The aged wooden stairs beneath me, rotten from time, broke during my frantic struggle. With a “thud,” I fell hard from the stairs.

My phone slid away but thankfully it didn’t turn off. Panicked and ignoring the pain, I was about to get up and recover it when I looked up and saw a figure standing beside my phone.

The light illuminated her – eyes showing mostly whites, staring fixedly at me.

It was the little girl in the red padded jacket!!

She stood completely still. My body trembled violently as I fumbled backward.

‘Drip!’

‘Drip!’

‘Drip!’

I saw a bloody hole rotting through the little girl’s chin, continuously dripping black, blood-like mucus.

Even more disgusting were the dense maggots rapidly crawling out from the bloody hole in her chin, quickly covering her entire face and rapidly consuming her blue-white features.

“Ah! Ah !!” I desperately covered my face, blocking my vision, not daring to look at her any longer.

Though I couldn’t see, I could sense her slowly approaching me. I curled into a ball, tears unconsciously streaming down my face as I desperately shook my head.

“Don’t come closer, don’t… I’ve never wronged you. Please don’t harm me.”

The next second, a chilling cold touched the back of my hand. Trembling with fear, I peered through my fingers and met those bloodshot eyes with only the whites visible, now terrifyingly close.

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