Chapter Forty-Three: Worry

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“A child of the River God? You mean after she went into the water, something in the coffin made the fool pregnant?” To be honest, while I’ve always been inclined to believe Fatty, his words now left me utterly bewildered. This was just too unbelievable.

“What’s so strange about it? Did you really think the women sacrificed to the River God were meant for him to eat? If it was just about eating, why require a beautiful maiden, and one who’s never been with a man? The true purpose is to offer them to the River God as concubines,” Fatty explained.

“Nonsense,” I muttered under my breath.

Fatty laughed heartily. “It’s just my theory, but think about it, King of Thieves. Isn’t this the only explanation that makes perfect sense? Only then would Old Lady Wang incur the River God’s wrath, and only then would the child buried at the feng shui spot fail to bring prosperity to Chen Stone’s family—because that child belonged to the River God.”

“I really don’t get it. Fatty, you’ve seen a lot—have you ever actually seen a corpse become pregnant? Or are we saying it was the River God who made her so?” I asked Fatty.

“There have always been tales of ghostly pregnancies,” Fatty replied slowly.

“So what do you think the odds are that your theory is right?” I asked, looking at him.

“Eighty percent, at least seventy,” Fatty said.

I lit a cigarette and mulled over Fatty’s words. Absurd as they were, just as he’d said, only such a theory could turn all these impossibilities into something almost logical. In truth, I didn’t even need further proof to start worrying about something else.

That was about my online friend from Tianya, the girl Chen Stone had trafficked home.

More than twenty years ago, Chen Stone had abducted Xu Ailing from Xinye in Nanyang to sacrifice her as the so-called Lady of the Yellow River. So, more than two decades later, the girl he brought home now—I feared she too was meant as a tribute for the River God. It was logical, especially as Fatty had said the sacrificial maiden had to be a virgin. Remembering how Chen San Kui said Chen Stone wouldn’t let any of the brothers touch her only deepened my suspicions.

As this thought struck me, another occurred. I asked Fatty, “Fatty, do you remember that night you followed me, and my Uncle Zhuzi told me to sleep with that girl? He said if I did, the whole matter would be over. We didn’t know what he meant. I thought it was about me, but now, do you think he meant something else?”

Fatty slapped his thigh. “Damn, that’s exactly it! She’s a sacrifice, but only if she’s a virgin. If you slept with her, she’d no longer qualify. That’s what it was! If that’s true, then is the girl a destined Yin maiden?”

“But if you say she has to be a virgin, how do you explain the fool? She had two children with Chen Stone’s brothers,” I pointed out.

“Just means the River God has no standards. But maybe this time he specifically demanded a virgin,” Fatty said, just as confused as I was.

As for my online friend at Chen Stone’s house, I’d only met her once, but from what I understood, she was a clever girl—a detective enthusiast, perhaps. I’d always thought her ability to keep herself safe in that house was due to her intelligence. Now, it seemed Chen Stone never intended her to marry his sons, but to offer her as a sacrifice. I’d never have guessed, and I bet she hadn’t either. The more I thought about it, the more worried I became for her safety. I’d kept her secret from Fatty to protect her, but it seemed I couldn’t keep it hidden anymore.

“Fatty, there’s something I need to confess,” I said.

“Knew you were holding out on me. Spill it,” Fatty replied.

So I told him how I’d posted on Tianya and got in touch with the girl Chen Stone had bought. When I finished, Fatty said, “I was seventy or eighty percent sure before, but now I’m at ninety. Chen Stone’s definitely planning to sacrifice her. Otherwise, how could three grown sons tolerate a beautiful girl untouched under their roof?”

“So what now? We have to save her—we can’t let her get tossed into the Yellow River,” I said.

“Here’s what you do. Get her birth date and time for me. If she’s truly a destined Yin maiden, I’ll know at a glance. If so, we’ll think of something. If not, having someone on the inside at Chen Stone’s house is still helpful. Right now, all we know is he’s up to no good, but we haven’t found any direct link to your father’s death,” Fatty said.

I nodded. Getting her birth date and time might be tricky, but not impossible. The urgency pressed heavily on me as I left Fatty’s house to find Chen Qingshan—not to ask him directly, but to have him arrange a secret meeting with San Kui.

Chen Qingshan didn’t know what I was up to, but he managed to find San Kui, and we met in the little woods at the edge of the village. When he arrived, San Kui asked, “What’s up?”

“Have things progressed between you and that girl?” I whispered.

San Kui sighed, “Don’t ask. I haven’t even touched her hand.”

“Did your dad ever say which of you she’d marry? You three brothers are more than old enough—maybe he’s saving her for himself?” I joked.

“I’ve wondered, but he’s so old now. Could he even manage?” San Kui was shockingly naive.

“You never know. There’s an old saying: ‘the blade is still sharp,’” I teased.

“Drop it. It’s annoying. Why are you being so secretive?” San Kui asked.

“Can’t I just chat with you? Here’s the thing, San Kui—there’s a new yin-yang master in our village. He’s incredible. You saw him that night fighting the River God, right? Amazing. Give me your birth date and time, and get the girl’s as well. I’ll have him check your compatibility. If you two aren’t destined, he might have a secret technique to make her fall head over heels for you—can’t keep her hands off you, only wanting to give herself to you,” I said.

“Is there really such a spell?” San Kui gulped.

“Yes. Have I ever lied to you?” I replied.

“Alright, I’ll ask her right away. Then you help me check,” San Kui said.

“Remember, don’t tell anyone else—especially your family. If they all come to me, it’ll be a mess,” I reminded him.

“I’m not stupid!” San Kui shot me a look and jogged off home.

Once he was out of sight, I strolled home, pondering everything after talking with Tang Renjie. No matter who was using whom, I’d learned a lot, but knowing more only made the pressure worse. It wasn’t just that things had become more complicated; what bothered me most was what Tang Renjie said about my grandfather actually stopping him from investigating my father’s death.

I’d already begun to suspect my grandfather after my elder brother was adopted out, and Tang Renjie’s words only deepened that suspicion. I wandered through the village, smoking, lost in thought and weariness. It started with Uncle Zhuzi, then Chen Stone—none of them were as simple as they seemed, always hiding something. Now my grandfather, too. The others were outsiders, but my grandfather had raised me—my own flesh and blood! Now even he felt like a stranger. The feeling was unbearable.

I walked on, barely watching the road—I could have managed with my eyes closed. Suddenly, I bumped into someone, smacking my nose painfully. Looking up, I saw it was Uncle Zhuzi, standing squarely in the road as if waiting for me.

“Uncle? You looking for me?” I asked.

“You went to see San Kui because of that girl, didn’t you?” Uncle Zhuzi asked bluntly.

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