This was a suburban intersection not far from the wholesale market.
Surrounded by farmland and orchards, many farmers were selling homegrown fruits and vegetables at roadside stalls.
"I ran into that melon farmer right here this morning."
Brother Gua looked around and pointed to a spot by the road.
"He drove a small truck loaded with watermelons. They looked fresh with dew still on them. I cut open a few - all sweet and grainy. So I bought the whole lot. Fucking scammer! You get what you pay for!"
The current roadside vendor was an elderly peach seller wearing a straw hat, smoking in the shade of a tree.
"Uncle, do you know the guy who was selling watermelons here this morning?" Brother Gua hurried over to ask.
"What watermelon seller? I've got peaches here, no watermelons."
The old man glanced at him lethargically, showing little interest.
"Please think carefully, uncle." Lu Fei took out a cigarette from his bag, offered one, then placed several peaches in a plastic bag on the scale.
Brother Gua added urgently: "He was in his forties, dark-skinned and lean, wearing gray clothes. His watermelon truck was parked right here."
"Don't recall." The old man shook his head after pondering, weighing the peaches. "Two jin total, ten yuan!"
"Do you know where the nearby watermelon farms are? Could you point us in the right direction?" Lu Fei paid while handing over the entire cigarette pack.
"You're quite the polite young man." The elder pointed in several directions. "Over there, and there - those are watermelon fields. Go ask around yourselves."
"Thanks, uncle!"
The two men drove off in the indicated directions, searching along the way.
"Brother Lu, there's a melon field over there! Let's check quickly - might find yin melons."
Soon, vast stretches of lush green melon vines came into view.
"No need to look. There definitely aren't any. That spot's too sunny - couldn't possibly grow Yin Gua." Lu Fei glanced and shook his head, driving off to other areas without even getting out of the vehicle.
The two searched back and forth through nearby melon fields but found no trace of Yin Gua.
"Can't find the person or the melons. What are we supposed to do now?"
Brother Gua had swollen red hands and acne breakout on his face, sweating profusely from anxiety.
The more anxious he became, the more his hands and face itched.
"Brother Gua, are you sure those melons collected this morning all had dew on them?"
"Absolutely! Why else would I buy from a stranger if not for their freshness and good price?" Brother Gua's face was full of regret.
"Dew means the location can't be far. And places with heavy Yin energy usually lack sunlight..."
Lu Fei scanned the surroundings, noticing several large mountains in the distance.
After some thought, he had Brother Gua follow him to a melon farmer resting in a nearby shade shelter.
"We're from a city fruit store. How much for these watermelons?"
He had Brother Gua pretend to negotiate a purchase with the farmer.
He shook his head disapprovingly: "Not good enough. Your price isn't honest! This morning we met a melon seller who charged several mao less per jin."
"Who're you trying to fool? That's our standard price! Go check elsewhere if you don't believe me." The farmer immediately became displeased.
"Why would we lie? Just this morning, someone sold a whole truckload of melons at the intersection. Sold out in minutes."
"Intersection melon seller?" The farmer paused. "That pickup truck... did it have a dented door?"
"Yes! Exactly! You know him?" Brother Gua excitedly nodded upon hearing the clue.
"He's from our village. That's Guo Ershun's truck." The farmer chuckled. "His family doesn't grow watermelons. Who knows where those melons came from - of course they're cheap."
Lu Fei and Brother Gua exchanged glances, quickly obtained the address, and hurried towards the village.
The small village lay at the mountain's foot, backed by rolling peaks.
The two found Guo Ershun's house and knocked for a long time, but no one came to answer.
"Did this guy run away?" Brother Gua grew anxious again.
Xiaohei barked twice at the house.
"There's someone inside!"
Lu Fei directly kicked open the gate and stormed in.
Upon entering, they were hit by the stench of rotting meat.
Following the smell into the bedroom, they were shocked to see a mangled, bloody figure on the bed, surrounded by swarms of buzzing flies.
"Holy shit, a dead person..."
Brother Gua's legs immediately turned to jelly.
"Wait, not dead yet!"
Lu Fei noticed movement from the bed. He opened windows for ventilation before covering his nose and approaching the figure.
"H-help..."
The person's vacant eyes stared wide as a weak, raspy cry emerged from their throat, hands continuously scratching at their body.
Every inch of skin had been torn open, some wounds revealing bone beneath. Pus soaked through clothes and bedding, with flesh fragments scattered across the bed where flies crawled over rotting meat - the source of the putrid stench.
Lu Fei suddenly understood.
"He's been poisoned by Yin Gua too!"
"It's him! He's the melon seller!" Brother Gua finally recognized him by the clothing.
Though he deeply resented this unscrupulous vendor, seeing the man's body so thoroughly corrupted brought no satisfaction - only fear.
With the body already this decomposed, mugwort baths would be useless. Only finding the melon vine could save this life now.
"If you want to live, tell us honestly - where did you pick those melons?" Lu Fei demanded loudly.
"Save... save me..." The man struggled to move his body, causing more decaying flesh to fall off.
Brother Gua covered his mouth with his arm, nearly vomiting.
"Only by finding where those melons grew can we save your life! Otherwise, you'll rot completely and die screaming from the itching!" Lu Fei's tone was stern. "Speak—where did those melons come from?"
"B-back... Back Mountain... N-north side... There's a hollow beneath the old pine forest..."
The desperate urge to survive forced the man to rasp out the location.
"We go now!"
After hearing this, Lu Fei immediately set off with Brother Gua.
The Back Mountain was only accessible on foot. After hiking northward for half a day, they finally spotted an ancient pine forest.
Each pine tree stood massive and thick, having grown for untold years. Their towering branches and layered canopies intertwined, blocking all sunlight.
The moment they stepped inside, an unnatural chill enveloped them.
"Brother Gua, dark things lurk deep in these old woods. Stay close."
"Y-yes, yes."
Brother Gua stuck to Lu Fei like a shadow, jumping at every rustle in the surrounding gloom.
They trekked toward lower ground until, at the deepest depression, they discovered a circular hollow.
"The yin energy here is overwhelming!"
Lu Fei halted cautiously, squinting downward.
The forest itself was already oppressive, but this sunless hollow at its base resembled a basin pooling all the area's dark energy.
Over time, the accumulated yin had grown increasingly potent.
After studying the site, Lu Fei suddenly paled.
"This place is actually..."