I laughed and said, “Officer Bai, have you studied criminal investigation? If I were really an accomplice, would I stay by the child’s side and let the people of Baishui Village report it?”
Bai Xuan shouted, “Criminal investigation, huh? I haven’t studied it at all. You intellectuals are just stubborn. You must have done this on purpose to make others think you’re innocent.” He then yelled again, “The state has wasted manpower and resources raising you college students. You’re capable of all sorts of wicked deeds—murder, arson, anything!”
My heart instantly turned cold. With such baseless accusations thrown at me, I was truly helpless. I never expected the police station to be so corrupt, with Bai Xuan so blatantly disregarding the law. Losing my temper, I shouted, “The child was taken by human traffickers and died over a year ago. What does that have to do with me? I was just there to catch the water monkey. Show me the evidence! Without evidence, stop talking nonsense. If you want to frame me, you’ll find a way. I know what you’re thinking—if you want money, just say it outright.”
Without another word, Bai Xuan stepped forward and kicked me square in the stomach. The stomach is where the intestines are—no vital organs—so while it hurt like hell, it wouldn’t kill me. Clutching my stomach in agony, I howled, “Fuck you! Fuck you!”
Bai Xuan cursed, “Don’t think just because you’re a college student I won’t touch you. Think it over for two more hours. If you come to your senses, confess. With all the weird stuff we found by the reservoir, plenty of people would believe you’re into superstition and killed that kid.”
As Bai Xuan stepped out, he ran into Officer Ma Yan. “If I can’t handle some third-rate college student, I don’t deserve to be here,” he grumbled. Ma Yan laughed and said, “Brother Bai, calm down. Let me take a look.”
Ma Yan had great skin, except for the freckles covering her face. She poured me a glass of water and said with a smile, “You know the state’s policy—we crack down hard on cults. I’ve heard of Long Youshui—he specializes in pretending to be a ghost or god. You’re still young and inexperienced. You must have been dragged into this by him. Leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist. The government still prioritizes education for college students like you.”
I let out a hollow laugh, wondering what my grandfather would think if he heard this. The thousand-year legacy he took such pride in was now labeled a cult. I knew Ma Yan was right—in recent years, there had been frequent crackdowns on illegal religious activities under the guise of Christianity, Taoism, and others. Just a few months ago, they dismantled a group called the Disciples Sect. A child had mysteriously died in their jurisdiction, and pinning it on superstition and cults was the perfect way to find a scapegoat. Given my grandfather’s profession, people would actually believe it.
I said, “Don’t talk nonsense without evidence. I’m not part of any cult—at most, I’m a feng shui master. And Officer Ma, don’t offend a feng shui master lightly. The consequences won’t be good for you. If you mess with me, I have a hundred ways to make your life a living hell.”
The ancestral texts say that only feng shui masters bully others—no one dares bully them. The *Compendium* even has a chapter dedicated to methods of revenge. But Dong Lingzi warned never to attack others first.
Seeing that I wouldn’t yield to either soft or hard tactics, Ma Yan slammed the table, cursed, and left the interrogation room—perhaps unsettled after hearing my grandfather’s name, Long Youshui. After saying all that, even I was startled. I wasn’t usually like this, but after Bai Xuan beat me, I felt a surge of aggression.
By the afternoon, Ma Yan came back and suggested I shift the blame onto Long Youshui. “He’s already dead—they can’t dig him up and execute him. Just say he stole the child to make a ghost servant. You couldn’t stand it, so you reported him. That way, you could even turn your crime into merit.”
I looked at her and asked, “Is your grandfather still alive?” She blinked. “Yeah.” I said, “If he heard you say that, he’d die of anger. Girl, have you watched too many Southeast Asian horror movies? There aren’t that many people making ghost servants. What’s the point of interrogating me? The real killer might’ve already bought a train ticket and fled.”
Ma Yan’s freckles seemed to multiply with anger. Pointing at my nose, she snapped, “You think I’m easy to mess with? Just wait until Bai Xuan gets back—you’re finished.”
I coldly spat three words: “Don’t provoke me.” A chilling glint flashed in my eyes. Startled, Ma Yan bolted out.
At around 10 p.m., Bai Xuan returned reeking of alcohol. He stripped off his shirt, revealing his flabby torso, then grabbed me with his meaty hands and threw me into a corner before stomping on me. Though drunk, he avoided hitting my face or exposed skin, focusing only on the areas covered by clothes. By the end of the night, I was bleeding.
I said, “Bai Xuan, don’t get cocky. You might be tough, but what if I know some important people? If I get out, I’ll strip you of that uniform.”
Bai Xuan sneered, “Who says you’re getting out?”
Locked in a solitary cell at the station, the moonlight faintly illuminated the night. The pain kept me awake. Never had I imagined a feng shui master could be bullied like this—unable to fight back. The books listed hundreds of revenge methods, but trapped in a cage, I couldn’t use any.
“Dong Lingzi, Dong Lingzi, you bastard—this is all your fault!” I fumed, growing angrier by the second. This was worse than starving in a Shenzhen rental.
I never slept, but at least the black handprint on my right foot had vanished. My feud with the water monkey was over—it wouldn’t be standing at my window telling ghost stories anymore.
Bai Xuan had me cornered, ignoring the 24-hour detention limit. By 3 a.m., sobered up, he had me dragged out for another interrogation—and another beating.
Three years in society had taught me life was hard, but never this dark. To close the case, Bai Xuan wanted to torture me into confessing, pinning Widow Wang’s child’s death on a dead man—my grandfather—as some cult leader.
I spat bloody saliva in his face. Wiping it off, Bai Xuan’s phone rang. Glancing at the number, his expression changed. He locked the interrogation room and stepped out to answer. Since eating the centipede, my senses had sharpened. Though Bai Xuan walked far, I could faintly hear him.
In an obsequious tone, he said, “What are your orders?” I couldn’t hear the caller’s response, but after a moment, Bai Xuan assured, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Long Youshui’s grandson takes the fall. We haven’t even used the chili water or the tiger bench yet.”
The caller said something else. Bai Xuan sounded surprised. “You’ve already acted? Ten more minutes before I go back in? Got it.”
Suddenly, I realized—someone was targeting me, and it was tied to my grandfather. A shiver ran through me as pain exploded across my body. Despair crashed over me like a mountain, a feeling of being pierced by ten thousand arrows.
Every organ ached—even my groin felt like it was being gnawed by insects. My fingers burned as if pricked by invisible needles. My throat tightened, silencing my screams. I slammed my hands against the floor, making as much noise as possible, hoping someone outside would hear.
In the dark, empty interrogation room, only the echoes of my pounding filled the air. No one came.
I had no enemies—how could I have been cursed? The word “dark magic” flashed through my mind. In the dozen hours I’d been locked up, the only thing I’d consumed was the water Ma Yan gave me. Had I been poisoned then?
My skull felt like it was crawling with hundreds of squirming, biting insects. With a retch, I vomited a mouthful of foul black blood, writhing with centipedes, flesh-eating ants, and other nameless bugs.
Two particularly grotesque insects stood out—jet-black, their heads twisting menacingly. When two adult centipedes brushed against them, the black bugs tore them apart instantly. Ordinary in appearance, they were kings among insects. The *Compendium* mentioned brain-eating worms—ruthless parasites that devoured minds and controlled thoughts. Fire could kill them.
I couldn’t believe these creatures had been inside me. Had the water been laced with eggs that hatched hours later? No natural insect could survive stomach acid…
At the time, I didn’t know certain bugs were bred solely for killing. The Gu worms of western Hunan and the insect masters of the Central Plains cultivated such horrors. But that’s a story for another time.
Meanwhile, my face swelled, my fingers ballooning like bananas. My body felt hollowed out—death seemed the only escape.
Ten minutes stretched like years. The pain in my groin nearly drove me to confess.
Then, the interrogation room door burst open. Bai Xuan stepped in, locking it behind him. Covering his nose at the sight of the black blood and insects, fear flickered in his eyes.
“Confess, and the pain stops,” he said.
Weakly slumped against the wall, I could barely open my eyes. I gestured for him to come closer.
Summoning the last of my strength, I rasped:
“Confess… your… mother!”
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