Corpse Water

Inside the main hall, a figure in brilliant crimson stood with chest thrown out and head held high. Atop his head rested a judge's gauze cap, and his body was draped in a red official's robe—attire typical of a civil official on the opera stage, yet cinched with the curved belt worn only by military commanders. His face was painted with an ingot-patterned mask against a red ground. Extending to the left and right were two fluttering cap wings resembling bats; with every movement of his head, the bats seemed poised to take flight. At that moment, Chang Dafeng held a brush, applying the final stroke to Ding Ling's painted face as she stood before him made up as Zhong Kui. Studying this imposing, burly Zhong Kui—who was now slightly taller than himself and brimmed with baleful aura—Chang Dafeng breathed a sigh of relief, a smile spreading across his face. "Not bad. I was worried your frame was too slight to carry off Zhong Kui's stage attire. "Fortunately, you're tall enough. With these high-topped official boots, extra shoulder padding, and the padded coat loosened just a bit, you finally have Zhong Kui's broad-backed, majestic presence. "For the next few days, you'll go about your business in this full costume. "Dressed as Zhong Kui, you are Zhong Kui!" He finished speaking, yet the response he expected from Ding Ling never came. He raised his eyes to look at her. Ding Ling was gazing down at him with hooded eyes. Across that painted ingot-patterned face, her expression was solemn and majestic. She said nothing, yet her meaning was unmistakably clear to Chang Dafeng: *You are a mere mortal. Do you still presume to command the divine Zhong Kui?* *Do you still expect me to deferentially obey your bidding?* Just as Chang Dafeng himself had said, from the moment Ding Ling donned this costume, she was Zhong Kui! Recognizing the look in Ding Ling's eyes, Chang Dafeng felt a surge of resentment. He resented speaking too soon, and he was incensed that Ding Ling dared disobey his instructions already. But having uttered the words, he could not take them back. He could only let out a muffled snort, his voice darkening. "Go rest. "Rest for two two-hour watches. Once the fifth watch passes, get up and follow me to learn the opera!" With his hands behind his back, Chang Dafeng retreated into the right side room, paying Ding Ling no further mind. By now, he was thoroughly at ease regarding Ding Ling, unconcerned that she might try to flee. Ding Ling's costume was quite heavy. Compounded by the thick, elevated soles of the official boots and the padding across her waist, back, and shoulders, her movements were cumbersome, making even ordinary walking an effort. Under normal circumstances, running, climbing walls, or clearing obstacles would be completely out of the question. Moreover, Chang Dafeng believed he had already used his methods to bind her, which only made him all the more 'trusting.' *The troupe leader went back to his room to rest, Sir!* Ding Ling glanced toward the shut door of the right side room, her face solemn. Yet the thought she sent to Zhou Yang was bubbling with excitement. "Let's return to the left side room first," Zhou Yang instructed her. He paused, then explained, "Troupe Leader Chang is bound to be watching our every move from behind the door right now. Slipping away right before his eyes would be a bit too disrespectful to him. "Besides, it's pitch-black out. The night is certain to hold far more danger. "Once the fifth watch passes and dawn begins to break, we'll slip out through the window opening." "Understood!" Ding Ling agreed crisply. She turned and stepped into the left side room, lying flat on the wooden plank bed. Ding Ling had experienced a great deal tonight, and as she lay there, sleep eluded her. Furthermore, with Mr. Zhou now dwelling within her heart, she felt a peculiar, overflowing fullness inside. She began chatting casually with him in her thoughts. This back-and-forth conversation only made her feel more awake. She had the impression that she could talk through the night with Mr. Zhou, finding joy even in exchanging idle, useless chatter. Yet after an unknown time, a wave of drowsiness washed over her. Full of joy though she was, she could not resist it, and amidst the sound of Zhou Yang's voice, she soon drifted into slumber. The door to the right side room opened a crack. A puddle of purplish-red fluid oozed through the seam, congealing in the main hall into the warding spirit Bloated Aspect. Bloated Aspect pressed its form against the door of the left side room, dissolving into corpse water that seeped through the crevices. A moment later, it manifested inside Ding Ling's room. With a pair of dead-fish eyes, it stared for a long while at the 'Zhong Kui' on the wooden bed. Only after confirming that she was truly fast asleep did Bloated Aspect linger a bit longer before retracing its path. Warding spirits needed no rest. Yet their master still needed sleep. Seeing that Ding Ling had finally fallen asleep, Chang Dafeng recalled his warding spirit and went to rest himself. At that hour, across the two side rooms, only Zhou Yang remained awake. *** When the fifth watch arrived, Ding Ling awoke from her dream. Opening her eyes, she found the room still shrouded in darkness. Outside the window opening, something like a black veil fluttered, allowing only a faint trace of dawn light to filter through the mesh and fall inside. The room felt rather cold. Ding Ling sat up from the plank bed, surveying the miscellaneous clutter stacked around the room. The small side room was crammed to the brim with odds and ends. Yet her heart felt hollow, seized by a sense of loss. The person who had appeared in her dream had not stepped into her waking world. She was still alone. "Awake?" Zhou Yang's voice resonated in the depths of her mind. Hearing that voice, Ding Ling felt as though her soul had snapped right back into her body. Her heart instantly swelled with a bittersweet, joyful warmth, and she answered at once, *Mm! I'm awake!* *Did you get any rest, Sir? It hasn't passed the fifth watch yet, has it?* "The fifth watch just began; you woke right on time," Zhou Yang said. "Chang Dafeng hasn't awakened yet. Taking advantage of this moment, let's make our escape." *All right!* Ding Ling looked up at the window opening. Even with the costume on, her frame was more than slim enough to squeeze through. However, the opening was over ten feet off the ground. Clad in this heavy stage attire, climbing that high would be exceedingly difficult. "I'll take over your body. Using Ghost Breath, slipping through that opening will be simple," Zhou Yang spoke up, dispelling her concerns. "Ghost Breath is also a technique you must master. "Right now, it is merely me utilizing this method through your physical vessel; you haven't thoroughly mastered it yourself. "Only when you suppress that wisp of ghost breath upon your skin with Right Thought will you truly have learned Ghost Breath." Even as he spoke, he took over Ding Ling's physical vessel. Spreading both hands wide, dark mouths abruptly sprouted across the palms! *Whoosh—* The faint sound of ghostly wailing rose like rushing wind from Zhou Yang's palms. Zhou Yang suddenly felt Ding Ling's vessel brim with power. The heavy, bulky stage costume she wore felt as light as nothing to him! His fingers dug into the nooks and crevices of the rammed-earth wall. Like a gecko skittering up a wall, he scrambled up to the window opening in a few swift bounds, then wriggled straight out! Outside the window opening lay a gentle slope overgrown with wild thickets. Zhou Yang leaped and sprinted across the slope. In mere moments, he cleared the incline and slipped like a streak of smoke into Daliang Village within the mountain ravine, vanishing without a trace! *** "Ding Ling, the fifth watch has passed! Get up and learn the opera!" In the dim main hall, Chang Dafeng stood outside the door of the left side room, robes draped over his shoulders, calling out while pounding heavily on the door. "Ding Ling!" "Ding Ling!" Chang Dafeng called several times, but there was no response from within. Sensing something was amiss, he summoned Bloated Aspect with a single thought, attaching it to his back. Immediately after, Chang Dafeng shoved the door down with a single palm strike! The cloud of dust kicked up behind the door slowly settled. The wooden plank bed was completely bare! With a sullen face, Chang Dafeng glared up at the window opening on the wall for a moment, then suddenly bared his teeth in a grin. "Quite the nimble movement... to slip through such a high opening while weighed down by such heavy attire... "A pity—no matter how fast you run, when I call you back, you'll come crawling right back!" With that, he sat down hard on the plank bed, his spine straight as a ramrod. Staring unblinkingly out the window opening, he drew a deep breath and roared, "Ding Ling, come back! "Come back!" The tone was sinister and horrific, sounding hardly human. Beside him stood Bloated Aspect, its hands crossed as it viciously throttled its own throat!