The Second Spirit

A cacophony of clattering and slurping filled the room as the others shoveled congee into their mouths.

Today was a travel day. They needed to eat their fill, or their stomachs would be growling miserably before noon.

That, however, was clearly not what Li Huowang was currently thinking about. He glanced sideways at Bai Lingmiao.

The girl’s face was sullen and unhappy. Last night, he hadn’t let her into his room, insisting she go sleep with Chun Xiaoman again.

During that brief window, he had cleared every trace of red from the room, terrified that she might, without knowing it, find herself inexplicably married.

Though that threat was now dealt with, only one question occupied his mind. “What was that? What the hell did I sleep with last night?”

Judging by the bite marks on his own fingers, it was definitely no ordinary person.

Thinking back now, Li Huowang was only belatedly realizing how many oddities there were.

Why did she insist on extinguishing the candles before removing the red veil? Why was the “her” in the bed so different from Bai Lingmiao?

And the hairpin on her head in the darkness—maybe it wasn’t a hairpin at all! Maybe it was something that grew out of her skull.

“Why did she do it? What did she gain from this?” Li Huowang was completely baffled.

He hadn’t slept at all last night, staying on guard for her to reappear. But she never did.

As for who that person was, when he thought back to that red veil, a vague answer had already taken shape in his heart. But he needed to confirm it.

Li Huowang watched quietly as Bai Lingmiao ate five flatbreads with her watery congee.

He made a mental note of it. When had her small, petite frame developed such a big appetite?

Seeing that she was almost done, Li Huowang nudged her foot with his toes and turned toward the bedroom.

Bai Lingmiao wiped her mouth, set down her bowl, and followed him.

When she entered the room, she saw her Li-shixiong standing there, his expression extremely grave, looking at her.

“Li-shixiong, what’s wrong? Is something the matter?” Sensing the tension in the air, her voice grew softer.

“Sit down. I have some things I want to ask you.” Li Huowang pushed her gently into a stool.

After a moment of deliberation, Li Huowang spoke.

“I learned from Li Zhi that a spirit dance usually requires two people: one Lead Spirit to invite the immortal, and one Second Spirit to act as the immortal’s vessel. Since you could use the spirit dance to heal me, that means there’s a Second Spirit besides you, right?”

With that same red veil in mind, Li Huowang couldn’t help but suspect Bai Lingmiao’s Second Spirit.

“Mm.” Bai Lingmiao nodded.

“Is she a living person? An immortal? Or something else?”

“She’s a living person. She’s not an immortal. Immortals have to be invited out.”

“Then when did Li Zhi’s wife come out? Wasn’t her head bashed in by Gao Zhijian? Weren’t she and Li Zhi buried together?”

Bai Lingmiao blinked in confusion. “Li-shixiong, the Second Spirit isn’t Li Zhi’s wife.”

“What? She’s not? Are Second Spirits different from each other?” This was unexpected.

“Mm. They told me that the Second Spirit is connected to the Lead Spirit. You can’t just use someone else’s Second Spirit.”

Li Huowang recalled Li Zhi’s Second Spirit. Aside from her heavy stage makeup and some terrifying growths on her face, she was the spitting image of Li Zhi.

“Does that mean…” Linking it to the familiar sound of Bai Lingmiao’s voice he’d heard last night, Li Huowang suddenly felt he understood.

“If she got rid of those growths on her face, does that mean your Second Spirit looks exactly like you?”

Hearing his question, Bai Lingmiao hesitated for a long moment before finally nodding.

“Mm. She looks just like me. All the other Second Spirits look just like their Lead Spirits.”

“Then how does she come out? How does the immortal conjure up a living, breathing person like that?” Li Huowang asked the crucial question.

This time, Bai Lingmiao did not answer immediately. Her expression twisted in struggle, and her hands wrung the hem of her jacket.

“Li-shixiong, I really want to tell you. I really want to make it clear. But I don’t know how to say it. On the night I became a chuma, the Second Spirit just appeared in my dream. And then… and then…”

Seeing Bai Lingmiao’s face contorting as if she might cry from frustration, Li Huowang stopped pressing. He understood that in this godforsaken place, some things simply couldn’t be explained clearly.

“Alright, don’t think about it. Call her out. I have something I want to ask her.” There was an undisguised hostility in his eyes.

Bai Lingmiao shot him a nervous glance, then walked to the door and pulled it open.

A woman with a red veil over her head, wearing a pair of bright red embroidered shoes, stood there silently.

Li Huowang forced down his anger and walked over, staring at the Second Spirit through the veil.

He could clearly feel something inside staring back at him. His ability to sense when he was being watched had grown noticeably stronger.

He studied the creases in her clothing and her silhouette. Once again, he was certain—it was her in the bed last night!

“Li-shixiong, what’s wrong? What happened?” Bai Lingmiao asked, her face full of concern.

The anger burning in his chest, Li Huowang opened his mouth to speak. But when he saw Bai Lingmiao’s face, he forcibly stopped himself.

He really wanted to ask the Second Spirit why she had done what she did last night. But in front of Bai Lingmiao, he had to hold it in.

He couldn’t very well say, “Last night I slept with this thing that might not even have a soul, didn’t you know?”

“Li-shixiong, what is it? Talk to me! What did she do to you?”

Bai Lingmiao’s persistent questioning eventually forced Li Huowang to swallow his rage. He raised a hand, pointed a warning finger at the Second Spirit’s face, and shot her a menacing glare.

Then he pushed open the other door and strode out. “Forget it. We’re leaving.”

Li Huowang was now resolved. Whether this Second Spirit acted of her own will or on an immortal’s orders, if there was a next time, he would not let her off so easily!

Bai Lingmiao stood there, utterly bewildered. She turned to the Second Spirit and asked again, “What happened?”

But the Second Spirit stood there like a zombie, motionless.

“Strange. What’s going on here?” Bai Lingmiao was clearly completely confused.

Two horse-drawn carts were led out from the back courtyard. They gathered everyone and left Wu Family Village, which was nearly a beggars’ den. They traveled back through the withered bamboo grove the same way they had come.

The two hundred li journey was both long and short. Pushing themselves hard, they reached the base of Mount Henghua at top speed.

Compared to before, the small town at the foot of the mountain was noticeably more “lively.” There were a few more beggars by the roadside.

Li Huowang opened the lacquer box, took one more look at the pair of blood-red eyes glaring out from inside, then lifted his foot to descend the mountain.

But this time, Bai Lingmiao stopped him. “Li-shixiong, I’m coming with you this time. I can do the spirit dance now. I’m not a burden anymore.”