CHAPTER 2 - Ghost Soul by the Stream
A magnificent manor rose amidst the mountain valley, surrounded by dense forests and absolutely no neighboring households, giving off an eerie sense akin to a dwelling of spirits or demons.
Before, Yichang Hua had lived here alone. Had he never felt lonely? Now that Shi Yan Si had arrived, logically they ought to rely on each other for company. Yet aside from teaching him the necessary survival skills, Yichang Hua almost never let the boy come near.
As time passed, Shi Yan Si grew accustomed to this taciturn, demanding master. Even being left alone most of the time no longer bothered him. Like his teacher, he spent every day working diligently, practically busy from dawn till dusk without pause, thereby leaving little room for stray thoughts.
This mountain valley wasn't exactly large, but it also wasn't small. Typically, Shi Yan Si would just linger close to the manor without daring to stray too far. One day, while following Yichang Hua up into the mountains to gather herbs, he happened to discover a crystal-clear stream teeming with fish, which delighted him immensely.
That night, he couldn't stop thinking about it. The stream was both refreshingly cool and brimming with fish…
"If I catch some, maybe Master will praise me," he thought. Once that notion took root, he couldn't contain his excitement, praying only for morning to come sooner.
At daybreak, after cooking and chopping firewood as usual, Shi Yan Si left the manor, following a small trail up the mountain toward that stream.
"Ah, there it is!" The moment it came into view, his eyes lit up. "Perfect!"
The water was so clear you could see the rough stones scattered along the bottom, and sure enough, a whole school of fish swam downstream to the lower reaches.
Seeing that the water was only about waist-deep – not to mention how he practiced swimming every day – Shi Yan Si assumed it would be as calm as a lake's surface. Without hesitation, he took off his shirt, leaving only a thin pair of trousers, and cautiously waded in.
The water was indeed refreshingly cold, though the current was somewhat swift, and the protruding rocks were slippery and precarious. Even so, the sight of all those fish swimming around spurred Shi Yan Si onward until he was standing near the middle of the stream.
Here, the flow grew stronger, and the slick rocks underfoot nearly caused him to slip. At one point, a creepy feeling rippled up his leg as though something had wrapped around his ankle—but when he looked down…
"Ah, just a fish!" A fish was gliding around his leg, and the sensation thrilled him.
Instantly forgetting the eerie chill from moments before, Shi Yan Si bent forward, both hands scooping frantically under the water to grab the fish, yet he couldn't catch even a single one…
As Shi Yan Si was engrossed in chasing fish, something cold – like a frigid hand – suddenly clutched his ankle and yanked hard, throwing him off balance. Before he could so much as struggle, the current swept him downstream.
The rushing water surged powerfully, and Shi Yan Si lost count of how many mouthfuls he swallowed. His body was slammed repeatedly against jagged and smooth boulders alike. Each collision felt as though it were shredding his head, and his body tore open from impact after impact…
In that chaos, all he perceived was terrible pain, yet he could do nothing but allow himself to be carried away by the torrent.
Only upon reaching the lower stretch of the river, where the water gradually calmed, did Shi Yan Si drift to shore. By then, he had practically lost consciousness.
His entire body was soaked in blood—scraped raw from head to toe, as though not a single patch of skin remained intact. Some wounds were so deep they nearly exposed his internal organs.
"It hurts…" This time, the pain was beyond comparison, as though each calamity he faced brought him ever greater agony. Yet whom could he blame for this?
Wasn't it his own stupidity?
The thought ignited waves of regret. He had been perfectly safe at home before deciding to run off to catch fish without so much as asking his teacher.
"S-Si… Master…" Right, could his teacher be out searching for him now? Clinging to that faint hope, Shi Yan Si weakly called out, "Master… Master… please help me… help me…"
He kept calling for nearly two whole hours, yet no one came. The sky, meanwhile, was steadily darkening. Once again, he found himself in total despair and helplessness.
"I must be really far from home…" The water had surely swept him to some desolate spot—how could his teacher possibly know? Besides, someone who hated him that much—would they even bother to look?
Thinking this, he felt a surge of self-pity. His lips quivered, and tears silently rolled down his cheeks.
Suddenly, someone appeared—a remarkably beautiful woman. She came to him, lifted him into her arms, and comforted him. "Oh, my poor child. How did you get hurt so badly?"
Hearing her soothing words, Shi Yan Si only cried harder. "It… it hurts so much… everything hurts…"
She gently stroked his face, consoling him: "I know, sweetheart. It hurts terribly, doesn't it? There, there… let me rub away the pain for you, all right?"
Shi Yan Si nodded, letting her do as she willed. Indeed, wherever her touch went, the pain seemed to fade, replaced by a profound sense of relief.
Then she cradled him in her arms and spoke softly: "Let me take you home, my dear. Would you like that?"
Hearing the words "take you home" made Shi Yan Si's eyes light up. He gave a swift nod and let her carry him away.
Carrying Shi Yan Si through the winding depths of the forest for quite some time, the woman finally brought him to a small, simple hut. She leaned in and whispered by his ear, "We're home now, my child. Open your eyes and see."
This house was entirely unfamiliar and held an indescribable chill. Shi Yan Si softly asked, "Our… home?"
Hearing him, the woman nodded, smiling gently with a mother's tenderness. "Yes, this is our home. From now on, let's never be apart again, all right?"
"M-Mother…" Could she truly be his mother? Though he was half in doubt, her manner of caring for him felt reassuring.
She was so gentle—who else could be so kind unless she were indeed his mother? Still uncertain, Shi Yan Si asked once more, "Are you really my mother?"
The woman responded with a warm smile, "Of course I'm your mother. Is there any parent in this world who doesn't love their child? I love you dearly, you know!"
Indeed, how could any mother not love her child? That must mean she was truly his mother. At the thought, Shi Yan Si at last let down his guard and burrowed into her embrace, seeking that bit of warmth he had longed for all his life.
She laid him on a bed and applied medicine to his wounds before leaving. Not long after, she returned with a fragrant plate of pastries.
The woman propped Shi Yan Si up against her chest, feeding him the cakes by hand.
"Cakes…" They were so delicious and smelled wonderful! Shi Yan Si had never in his life eaten anything this good, so he devoured them eagerly.
Seeing him gulp them down, she smiled and lightly stroked his back. "Slow down; you'll choke if you rush. We have plenty more. If they run out, I'll make as many as my little darling wants. No need to hurry!"
It was the first time since birth that Shi Yan Si had received such maternal affection, fed delicious treats by someone who felt like a true mother. He felt incredibly happy. Out of a dire situation had come this stroke of luck—how fortunate to find his mother in the midst of calamity!
After eating his fill, Shi Yan Si nestled his head against the stranger woman's chest. The warmth of her body soothed him, and he felt a wave of bliss wash over him, as though he could sleep in her arms forever, never wanting to wake.
Such a simple joy, discovered through hardship—Shi Yan Si truly believed himself blessed…
He soon drifted into a dreamy slumber, face beaming with contentment.
The next day, the woman continued to feed him. However, the pastries she brought this time were no longer tasty but reeked of a foul, muddy stench.
The stench was nauseating, making Shi Yan Si gag the instant he smelled it. He shook his head, his voice faltering in protest: "No… this tastes terrible. I don't want it!"
At his disobedience, her gentle face turned a ghastly shade of gray, eyes bulging with menace. "What did you say? You won't eat? You dare refuse?"
Gone was her kind, comforting visage; in its place was a ferocious glare. Alarmed, Shi Yan Si tried to back away… but she immediately seized him by the head and stuffed the muddy cakes into his mouth, snarling, "Eat it! Who said you could refuse? Eat! Eat it all!"
She terrified him. Shi Yan Si wanted to cry out, but his mouth was crammed with foul-tasting dough. He could only choke out muffled groans. Then she tied him tightly with twisted cords of hemp, bundling him up from head to toe. Taking three or four strips of hemp rope braided together, she lashed him over and over without mercy, all the while shouting, "You stubborn brat! You dare defy me? How dare you!?"
The rope's barbed fibers tore at his flesh wherever they landed, each blow rending his body anew. The pain was enough to feel like he was dying—yet with his mouth stuffed full, he could only moan in his throat as the braided rope shredded him further. All his previous injuries, grave as they already were, became even more horrific under her relentless assault.