Witchcraft

  The man outside the teahouse left immediately when he saw me. I quickly pulled up Bo Jin and said, "Let's go!"

  Bo Jin picked up the bundle and followed me as we rushed out of the crowd to the outside of the teahouse. I looked up and saw that the man had already walked a long way, barely visible in the distance. So, I pulled Bo Jin and hurriedly ran after him. The man didn't look back, seemingly not in a hurry, but took big strides, turning left and right, walking forward.

  What surprised me was that although I met the man in Wenshan, he seemed to be very familiar with Kunming's streets as well. Between alleys and high-rise buildings, he almost didn't need to quicken his pace, and soon had me dizzy and disoriented. Before long, he had shaken me off far away. And since I wasn't a local, carrying luggage and backpacks, it didn't take long for me to lose that man.

  At this time, I looked around again and had no idea where I was. Although there was a sense of frustration, thinking that Liu Zhen just called me to tell me not to look for the fake Wang Chengbao, although his message came a bit late, but I managed to get rid of Wang Chengbao by chance. I thought to myself, now follow what Liu Zhen said, find a secluded inn to stay in, and wait until he arrives in Kunming before making plans.

  I hailed a taxi and had the driver take me to a small but tidy inn, where I temporarily checked in. This time, I booked two double rooms, because as soon as I thought about sleeping with that bunch of poisonous insects, I got goosebumps all over my body.

  I arrived at the hotel and first called Liu Zhen, telling him that I had just encountered some trouble. He asked me what was going on, and I briefly explained the situation to him, but didn't mention the mysterious man. Instead, I told him that we would discuss the details when we met in person. After listening to my account, Liu Zhen said to me: "This is really dangerous, but don't think that just because you got rid of the fake Wang Chengbao, you can relax now. Since this operation failed, the other side will definitely strike again and look for your whereabouts. The hotel where you are staying now should not be too close to the Qingming Tea House you mentioned, as they will definitely conduct a large-scale search in the surrounding area."

  "Don't worry about that, I specifically instructed the taxi driver to take me to a more remote hotel," I said. "But who are these people you're talking about, the other party, them?"

  Liu Zhen helplessly said, "Actually, I only understand a little bit, and the teacher just simply told me a few sentences without detailed explanation. In short, according to the teacher's meaning, we've encountered big trouble."

  "Alright, we'll talk about everything when you arrive in Kunming." I hung up the phone. Now, there are more and more mysteries, but what I'm most concerned about at the moment is that mysterious man who just disappeared.

  I came to Bo Jin's door and knocked, seeing that the door was ajar, I pushed it open and walked in. Bo Jin was sitting on the bed, holding a handkerchief from the inn to wipe her shiny silver jewelry. When she saw me come in, she lazily raised her eyes to look at me, then continued to wipe her jewelry. I scratched my wrist, walked to the side of her bed, sat down beside her and asked: "Bo Jin, I have a question for you."

  She nodded, apparently understanding the meaning of that sentence, but for the rest of my words, I could only make wild guesses and ask questions like a radio host. Fortunately, Bo Jin understood what I meant. I asked her roughly these questions: First, did she know the mysterious man? Second, what did the mysterious man say to her? Third, was the centipede on Wang Chengbao's shoulder related to her? Fourth, also the most careful question I asked, where did her jade token come from?

  When answering the first question, Bu Jin simply shook her head. Although it was a simple response, it was very clear. As for the second question, she seemed to struggle with her answer. She looked like she was trying hard to search for the right words in her brain and connect them into sentences, but she didn't succeed. She pointed outside the window, and I thought she might be referring to that mysterious man. Then Bu Jin pointed at herself and said "Miao nationality". When I heard these two words, my heart skipped a beat - could it be that the mysterious man was actually Miao? And how did Bu Jin make this judgment? Was it because the man spoke Miao language with her? But speaking Miao doesn't necessarily mean someone is Miao. In China, some Li people also speak Miao, so speaking Miao can't be a sign of being Miao. I thought that since Bu Jin said so, she must have her own reasons, so I asked her the third question. After hearing the third question, Bu Jin shook her head firmly and pointed outside the window again, saying "Miao nationality". I understood what she meant, but my heart couldn't help but skip a beat - was that black centipede put there by the mysterious man? If it really was, then why did he do so? But as for the reason, Bu Jin didn't know either, and I didn't ask further.

  I then asked the fourth question. Bu Jin's attitude was as I had imagined, and when I pointed to her chest, she subconsciously covered the jade pendant with her hand through her small shirt, looking at me firmly and saying three words - "Ah Shu Na". From then on, no matter what I asked, she remained silent, continuing to focus on wiping her silver accessories. I was helpless, but also had a reason to comfort myself, at least I finally knew that the jade pendant was given to Bu Jin by Ah Shu Na. I sat in Bu Jin's room for a while longer, and as the sky gradually darkened, I asked the innkeeper to help me order two dishes from a nearby restaurant, which we ate together with Bu Jin. After dinner, due to my aversion to Bu Jin's cloth bag, I returned to my own room.

  I was lying on the bed in my room, scratching my wrist, when I suddenly remembered something that I had been neglecting all along - whether my mother was safe now. If everything went as Liu Zhen said, my father would have gone missing on the third day after I left Liaoning, so my mother must be very worried. As for my mother, I knew her too well, she was a typical little woman with poor psychological endurance, and I really didn't dare to imagine how she would react when she found out about my father's disappearance. Just as I was thinking about it, I wanted to give my mother a call, but as soon as I picked up the phone, I remembered what Liu Zhen said about my "fake" father last night. So, what was going on with my family now? Had our home been occupied by someone else? And where was my mother?

  I thought about it and felt that the possibility of my mother going to my cousin's house was the greatest. My mom has been very fond of her little niece since she was a child, so even after my cousin got married, she still often came to our home as a guest. As soon as this idea flashed through my mind, I immediately picked up my phone and made a long-distance call to my cousin.

  The phone was answered, and I simply asked, as expected, my mother was indeed living at my cousin's house. However, my cousin seemed surprised that I didn't know about this and asked: "Didn't your dad tell you about it?"

  I told her I had no idea what was going on, and my aunt said: "It was probably just a few days ago, your father suddenly rushed to my house, saying he wanted to let your mother stay here for a while, saying there was an urgent matter that required him to go out of town. I asked why not arrange it at your house, and your dad said you were in Yunnan helping him with some small business, so I didn't ask any more questions. That afternoon, your father sent your mother to my house."

  "Let me say two words with my mom."

  "On the other end of the phone, there was a moment of hesitation before speaking: "Pei Xi, I don't want to hide it from you either, so let me tell you the truth." My cousin hesitated for a moment before continuing: "After your father left, we had no news from him at all. When we tried calling him, his phone was turned off and nobody knew where he went. It's as if he vanished into thin air. You know your mom's personality, she couldn't take this blow and has been bedridden with illness ever since."

  "I anxiously asked: 'Is she okay now?'"

  "She's sleeping now, the doctor told her to rest more and stop thinking too much." Her cousin continued: "In the past few days, I also called many people who were close to your father based on some phone numbers provided by your mother, but none of them knew where your father went. Pei Xi, do you have any news?"

  I sighed and said no, while also asking if my cousin had called Liu Zhen.

  "You're talking about that student of your dad's," said my cousin: "I called him the day before yesterday, and he also said he didn't know where your dad had gone."

  I thought to myself, although Liu Zhen had received some instructions from my father, he probably wouldn't know where my father was either. Then I asked again: "So now my parents' home is empty?"

  "Of course, how can we let them in?"

  I responded with a "yes", it seems that Liu Zhen didn't deceive me, my parents' home is indeed empty now, but who was the one who called me that night? My mind is in a mess, and I have no heart to continue chatting with my cousin, just telling her to take good care of my mom, and troubling her for this period of time. Before hanging up, my cousin warned me that people from the south are cunning, and when abroad, one must be careful in all matters.

  After hanging up my sister's phone, I made another call to my partner Gao Peng. Gao Peng is a notorious miser, which is a good quality for a businessman, but it makes him seem petty as a friend. As soon as he picked up the phone, he said: "Damn, big brother, why are you calling me from Yunnan? Don't you know what long distance and roaming mean?"

  Gao Peng knew about my trip to Yunnan, which I told him the day before I left. I remember that he even joked with me that day, saying that whether I was in the store or not made no difference, and sometimes business was even better without me. I didn't feel good about it, but had to admit that what Gao Peng said was true.

  As soon as I heard Gao Peng's words, I didn't have a good temper and said: "Then I'll make a long story short. Gao Peng, I'm in Yunnan for the time being, and it won't be possible to return for a while, so our business will have to be taken care of by you all the time."

  Gao Peng immediately said: "Can't be just this little thing?"

  "Of course not," I explained: "Gao Peng, you're my sworn brother. Although you're quite stingy in daily life and don't have any other skills besides doing business, I must say that among all my friends, you're the one I trust the most."

  "Come on, stop being so pretentious! I've got goosebumps all over. If you've got something to say, spit it out, don't drag it out!" Gao Peng said: "However, bro, I'm a man of principle, and I have a few conditions: first, we don't do anything illegal or disorderly; second..."

  "Where did you get so much nonsense? Just listen to me!" I shouted impatiently.

  Although Gao Peng usually talks nonsense with me, but if I really get angry, he still fears me a bit. These days, I've encountered so many strange things, and just learned that my mother is seriously ill, my mood is really not good, and my emotions suddenly got out of control. But this is also good, Gao Peng won't continue to talk nonsense with me, but will listen to me seriously instead.

  I'm normally a quiet and reserved person, with an image of being easy-going and not one to pick fights. I don't usually get angry, but when I do, I'm notorious for turning on people without warning. Gaoping seemed to sense my unease and asked anxiously, "Peixi, what's wrong? Did something happen in Yunnan?"

  I shook my head subconsciously and said, "It's really hard to put into words," but after thinking carefully, I felt that this phrase was not quite appropriate. Where am I having a hard time putting it into words? At this moment, I'm clearly in a fog! I continued, "Actually, I didn't come to you with any big favors to ask, just a trivial matter. Do you still remember the key to my parents' house that I usually leave at the store?"

  "Remember?" Gao Peng said, "In the past when you didn't even have enough money to buy a house, you were always careless and forgetful, often forgetting to bring your keys, so you left a spare set in the shop."

  "That's right, it's that key."

  "What do you want me to do?"

  I took a deep breath and said: "Take this key and go to my parents' house."

  "Ah?" Gao Peng's surprise was as I had expected, he said: "Big brother, what are you singing about? Letting an outsider like me take the key to your parents' house and knock on the door to enter, isn't that just like breaking and entering?"

  "No, there shouldn't be anyone at my place."

  "Oh, I see. That's okay then. What should I do after I go in?"

  "I said, 'Don't be in a hurry to ask that, I still have a few very important things to entrust you with. First, you must go to my house at night, secondly, before entering the house, you must check if the lights in our house are on, if they are on, then return immediately and don't mention this matter to anyone, then secretly keep an eye out and see who is coming and going from my parents' house.'"

  "What if it doesn't light up?" Gao Peng asked.

  "Then you quietly open the door and go in, see if there's any change at our home."

  After hearing what I said, Gao Peng hesitated and asked: "Pei Xi, do you suspect that there's a thief in your parents' house?"

  Are you going to commit a burglary? I thought it would be better if you did, that way things would be simpler. After all, I've never heard of a burglar who impersonated someone's father and called their own son. I said, "Sigh, don't ask so many questions, just go do it, and one more thing, be sure to pay attention to safety."

  It seems that Gaofei also sensed a hint of unease in my tone, which was unlike my usual self. He seriously said to me: "Don't worry, I've got this under control. Just remember one thing, if anything happens, don't try to tough it out alone, I'm here for you."

  Between us, there was no need to mention anything about thanks. I responded with a simple "uh-huh" and hung up the phone. My whole body felt exhausted, and for some reason, my head was spinning and I felt like I had a fever. I thought to myself that these past few days have been quite chaotic, so today, before it gets too late, I should quickly take off my clothes and wash up in the bathroom. The fine water stream flowed down from my neck, across my back, and over my body. I scratched my wrist, which had been unbearably itchy since this morning. At first, I thought it was because of a mosquito bite at the hotel, but now that I've taken off my clothes in the bathroom, I couldn't help but be shocked - my left arm from the elbow down was swollen and red, like a giant radish. The blood vessels on my arm were visible as dark purple marks. The swollen skin didn't hurt or itch; it seemed to have no sensation at all, except for the wrist area, which still felt itchy.

  At first, I was still wondering how it was done, and then in the blink of an eye, I suddenly realized that I remembered the box of red maggots in Bo Jin's cloth bag!