147. Phantoms of the Ancient Well

Sometimes people develop a strange fascination: the more terrifying something is, the more curious they become, and the more they want to see it for themselves.

Hearing this, Sister Yang said, “A Feng, there really are no ghosts in this world, right?”

I smiled and replied, “If you haven’t done anything wrong, then even if there were ghosts, you wouldn’t need to be afraid!”

She nodded and said, “You’re right. If you have a clear conscience, why fear ghosts? Besides, the sun is shining brightly outside now; where would ghosts come from? Come on, take me to the Lou family’s ancient courtyard to have a look.”

After casually tidying the table, Sister Yang and I, accompanied by Lonely Shadow, set out. As we left, I closed the door behind us.

Ye Jie’s hidden arrow had been removed by me, and after she took the anti-inflammatory medicine, her wound began to heal, so she was capable of looking after herself. She watched me chatting and eating with Sister Yang from under the covers, too afraid to come out and disturb us, worried she might cause misunderstandings or trouble. Now that we had left, she could come out and eat on her own. The dishes on the table and the rice in the cooker were all ready-made, so it was very convenient.

Fenglin Village was originally built along a creek, which flowed past the village entrance where there stood an ancient stone arch bridge and a local earth temple, along with several enormous, ancient camphor trees.

My foster mother, Granny Li, lived on the west side of the creek, and Fatty’s house was on the east side; our homes faced each other across the water. When the creek was low, I could step on the exposed stone slabs to get to Fatty’s place, but during floods, I had to walk around the village entrance via the stone arch bridge.

In front of Fatty’s house was an old cobblestone path; to get to the Lou family’s ancient courtyard, you just followed this path north for a short distance, and you’d arrive.

It was winter now, so the creek had very little water, and the ice on its surface had yet to melt. Sister Yang suddenly felt playful and picked up a stone to smash the ice, resembling a mischievous little girl. After shattering the ice, she let out a charming, tinkling laugh.

She didn’t mind at all, but I felt a little embarrassed—after all, there was a considerable age difference between us. If the villagers saw us, they would surely curse in secret: “That despicable ex-convict has managed to lure a beautiful woman here…”

I awkwardly followed Sister Yang, silently shaking my head and regretting my lapse that night. Judging by the current situation, Sister Yang was definitely clinging to me now! I didn’t know if more trouble would follow.

A woman’s laughter is the easiest thing to catch a man’s attention, and Sister Yang’s laughter caught the attention of some villagers, including Wang Fatty. Seeing us, he called out, “A Feng, what are you guys up to?”

I said, “Just out for a little fun.” Fatty eagerly bounced over to my ear with a grin and asked, “Who’s she? Where did you pick her up from?”

I tapped his head and said, “Don’t talk nonsense. She’s actually my former boss’s wife; she just wanted to come here to enjoy the scenery.”

Fatty’s expression turned sly as he said, “Awesome! You even managed to snag the boss’s wife.”

I snapped at him, “You fatso, keep talking nonsense and see if I don’t beat you up.” He chuckled and dodged, saying, “Don’t get mad. So, where are you planning to go for fun?”

I replied, “We’re heading to the Lou family’s ancient courtyard. You wanna come?”

Fatty shook his head quickly. “I heard that place is haunted—creepy as hell. I don’t wanna go.”

I laughed, “Good, then you don’t have to come. But I heard there are old antiques in the Lou family courtyard. Find just one and you’ll be rich! Don’t say your brother didn’t warn you about a chance to make a fortune. If you’re too scared to go and miss out, don’t blame me.”

Fatty smiled, “Don’t try to fool me. If there really were antiques in the Lou family courtyard, people would’ve already picked them clean a long time ago. What makes you think you’re going to find anything now?”

I laughed, “If you don’t believe me, fine. Just remember, treasures go to those who are fated to find them.”

Fatty looked doubtful. “Are you really taking her to the Lou family courtyard? Aren’t you afraid of ghosts?”

I snapped, “Afraid? That’s ridiculous. The sun’s shining bright now; where would ghosts come from? Besides, if you haven’t done anything wrong, why fear ghosts?”

Fatty nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, you have a point. Why be scared of ghosts in broad daylight?”

Seeing his eagerness, I teased, “Fatty, I’ll tell you a secret. When I was a kid, I saw several pale women’s figures swimming down in the Lou family’s old well… They were incredibly beautiful.”

Fatty’s face went pale. “You mean the female ghosts from the Yin Corpse Well…?”

I tapped his head again, scolding, “You fool! What ghosts? Those were fairies! You just don’t know how to charm women.”

Fatty rubbed his head. “Fairies? I heard they were seductive ghosts that lure men. Many men drowned after jumping into the well after seeing those pale beauties below…”

I said, “Fatty, if you’ve done something wrong and are scared of ghosts, then don’t go. But I haven’t done anything wrong, I’m not afraid, and besides, I even lived in the Lou family courtyard as a kid…”

Fatty protested loudly, “Stop talking nonsense! I haven’t done anything wrong. So, are you really going to the Lou family courtyard?”

I said, “If you’re too scared, forget it. If you want to come, then follow us. With me around, ghosts won’t dare bother us.”

Fatty grumbled, “Don’t brag. But since it’s broad daylight, there probably won’t be any ghosts.”

There’s safety in numbers, so Fatty decided to come along. Sister Yang certainly didn’t object. The three of us chatted and laughed as we set off toward the Lou family courtyard.

Because we were out for a leisurely stroll, the half-hour journey took us almost an hour.

The Lou family courtyard had once been surrounded by many villagers’ houses, but as the hauntings and the continuous drownings in the old well worsened, villagers gradually moved away. Now, within a two or three-mile radius of the courtyard, no one lived anymore.

We saw that over ten houses in the Lou family courtyard had long since collapsed. Only one wooden building, half fallen, still stood like an old man on his last legs—lonely but stubborn.

I vaguely felt I had lived in that wooden building before; there seemed to be an ancient painting of a beautiful woman upstairs…

In front of that dilapidated building was the Lou family’s ancient well, now commonly called the Yin Corpse Well by the villagers.

The well’s mouth was surrounded by stone slabs, its opening built into a hexagon with stones about half a meter above the ground, carved with beautiful patterns—likely a protective railing.

As we prepared to approach, we suddenly heard splashing sounds from deep within the well… Sister Yang instinctively stepped back.

Fatty looked at me, his face showing fear. But I trusted the bright sunlight and wasn’t superstitious, so I stepped forward.

Approaching the well’s edge, a chilling cold emanated from below, making my heart shudder despite the sun’s warmth.

Looking down, I saw nothing, but the water rippled as if something had just sunk. Could it be a big fish? Or a water spirit?

Suddenly, I saw a pale figure swaying beneath the surface...