Chapter 3: Dismemberment

  "Ka ka ka......" Once again, the lid of the stone coffin opened.

  I rushed out, and that person also rushed out, staring at me dead in front of me.

  I rushed down the stairs, wanting to open the door of the house, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't open it. Just then, that head had already reached behind me.

  "If you can't do it, I'll just eat you and let you accompany me in the coffin forever!" Yin's words appeared again behind him.

  "Ah......" I shouted, and the mouth of that human head opened wider and wider, already biting towards my neck.

  Everything went black before my eyes, and I lost consciousness.

  I returned to that coffin, and saw a fiery red quilt with the character for "joy" embroidered on it covering my body. Next to me was an additional string of keys. The human head was smiling at me, its yellow eyes seeming to gaze at me with an unquenchable thirst.

  When I woke up again, I found myself really in a coffin, and there was indeed a string of keys beside me.

  "What does this mean?"

  "There's money in the room, take it and go to the market to buy an iron shovel. I want you to help me find my body!" The sudden voice startled me.

  I took a look around and that human head was floating not far away.

  I took a look at the sky and it's still very dark, I guess it's not dawn yet. How did I wake up?

  "But I..."

  "Can't do it? Then wait for death! Be my ghost queen!" After that, the human head disappeared.

  I crawled out of the coffin, took the key and opened a room, inside was all golden, full of gold and silver treasures, in one corner were various pearl 'jade' utensils.

  So much money, is it all his? I took some smaller silver coins and a few larger yellow gold coins and hid them in my sleeve. Opening another room, it was filled with clothes, but they were all men's clothing. Looking down at the dirty and tattered white dress I was wearing, I decided to change into something else.

  The sky gradually brightened, I took a deep breath, and then walked out of the house.

  Just as she reached the gate, a voice said: "Don't think about escaping, once you become the ghost king's bride, your life and death will be mine."

  I couldn't help but shudder at these words. The bright sunshine made the bamboo forest less terrifying during the day, but it was still hard to walk out of it. I tied the red thread that I had pulled off from outside the haunted house to a bamboo stick, hoping not to get lost.

  I don't have a home, the Left Prime Minister's estate is not my home. Now that I think about it, if that human head hadn't scared me away, actually that place wasn't bad either, no one would bother me, and I could start a new life.

  But today I have the chance, and I still have money on hand. If I don't run away, I'd be a fool, waiting to go back and be his ghostly queen. Even ants try to survive, let alone me, a human being.

  Unconsciously, I have left the bamboo forest and it only took half a time, I dare not believe to turn back to look at the black bamboo forest, maybe this place is not very big, just in the woods running around, will feel it boundless.

  Seeing some horse-drawn carriage drivers pulling goods forward, after inquiring, I found out that there is a small market three miles ahead.

  Arrived at the market, first filled up my stomach, then bought a iron shovel, and after buying some food, I sat down by the side of the road to take a rest.

  I took a look at my outfit, and it really didn't look like much. The high-quality gray brocade clothes, which were usually worn as undergarments by wealthy families, were being worn by me on the outside. I had only tied a gray silk belt around my waist, and apart from the fabric, I looked just like an ordinary young man from the countryside.

  Then he looked at the village in front of him, and just asked, passing through the village is the official road. If you can find a suitable horse cart, it will take three days to go south to Jiang City, and half a day to go north to Kyoto.

  I stood up and walked in the direction of the official road. I would never go back to that haunted house again. This hard-won opportunity, I must cherish it.

  An old Taoist priest walked towards me from the opposite side and frowned upon seeing me.

  "Slow down, young master... no, miss, are you the Ghostly Princess?" the Taoist priest said suddenly.

  "What did you say?" I said with a furious face, deliberately acting like a man to show him that I'm a man now.

  The old Taoist took out an eight trigrams mirror from his own backpack and handed it to me: "You take a look yourself!"

  I took the mirror and looked at it, and was shocked in my heart. There was a red symbol on my forehead that I didn't know when it appeared. I used my sleeve to rub it hard until the mark disappeared from the mirror before returning the Bagua mirror to the Taoist priest.

  "This mark is exclusive to the Ghost King, deeply ingrained in your bones and blood, it can't be erased, this is fate! Return before nightfall, otherwise you will lose your life in the wilderness tonight..." After finishing speaking, the Taoist turned around and walked away, singing as he went: "Disaster befalls the country, dragon's blood sacrifice, yet when will the sky clear? Human life is but a fleeting moment, why struggle for fame and fortune?"

  I continued on my way, I had to leave here before nightfall. Once I got on the official road, I met a horse-drawn carriage carrying goods. After getting on the carriage, I headed south all the way. I'm going to Jiang City. With the golden ingot in my arms, I can completely buy a house and live the life I want.

  The sky gradually darkened, my head ached more and more, I fell onto the carriage, the coachman was anxious.

  "Old man, take me to the Ghost Bamboo Forest, and this gold ingot is yours." My head hurt so much that when I was adjusting my hair, I accidentally knocked off the hairpin on top, and my hair came loose.

  The coachman asked in surprise: "Are you a maiden? The day before yesterday, the King of Ghosts chose his concubine. You're not the girl who ran out of the bamboo forest, are you? After yesterday, it's no longer possible to leave the bamboo forest. How did you get out?"

  "Take me back, just take me to the edge of the Ghost Bamboo Forest." I was already in so much pain that I didn't have the strength to respond to his words.

  "What bad luck! I've actually encountered a real 'yin' ghost girl." The horse driver reluctantly turned the carriage around and headed back in the direction they came from.

  Innumerable eerie auras surrounded me, I saw that head open its mouth wanting to tear and bite me, I knew these were hallucinations, but if I wanted to survive, I had to return to the Ghost Bamboo Forest.

  As I entered the forest, my headache gradually disappeared. My eyes grew dim and I couldn't see clearly what was underfoot. I stumbled forward, with ghostly hands tearing at my legs and wild ghosts colliding against my body. I didn't care about all that; all I knew was that I had to get back to that haunted house.

  Death is okay, living is also okay, but I have never worked hard for myself before. This time, I want to try and work hard for myself once.

  My body walked forward, and I saw another me appear behind me, following in my footsteps, with a slumped posture and a weak appearance.

  Finally I stepped into that empty space, everything disappeared. Turning back to look, the me who was following behind still had my head lowered and arms dangling down.