Chapter 2

“What’s in there?” Yu Chen asked quietly.

“I don’t know,” Sang Mu replied, “but the spiritual energy is strong.”

They approached the door cautiously. Yu Chen gestured for Sang Mu to stand to the side while he took position directly in front of the door. From inside his coat, he pulled out a device resembling a metal detector. Its red lights flashed rapidly.

“High levels of yin energy,” he muttered. “Even stronger than that last spirit.”

Sang Mu pulled out the last few high-grade talismans from her bag and handed two to Yu Chen. “Stick these to your weapon. They’ll increase damage against spiritual entities.”

Yu Chen took them, glancing at her with slight surprise. “These are Tianshi Talismans from Mount Longhu. You can’t find these on the market. How did you get them?”

“Passed down from my sect,” Sang Mu answered curtly, not eager to explain further.

Yu Chen looked like he wanted to ask more, but just then, a grating sound of fingernails on wood came from behind the door. It sent chills down their spines. He made a shushing gesture and gently turned the doorknob.

The door creaked open slightly, releasing a wave of putrid, cold air. Sang Mu covered her mouth and nose. Through the narrow gap, she could see it was a child’s bedroom inside. The walls were covered in creepy drawings—distorted human figures, blood-red suns, and countless staring eyes…

In the center of the floor knelt a small figure with its back to them, looking like a child of seven or eight. It was scratching something into the floor, the source of the rasping noise.

Yu Chen placed a hand on Sang Mu’s arm, signaling her not to make any sudden moves. He slowly pushed the door wider, and they silently stepped into the room.

When Sang Mu saw what the “child” was doing, she nearly cried out in shock. It was carving into the floorboards with its own fingernails—all ten fingers torn and bleeding, but it showed no sign of pain. Even more terrifying, it was carving the same word over and over:

“Mom… Mom… Mom…”

Each carved groove oozed black fluid, filling the air with a nauseating, bloody stench.

Yu Chen suddenly grabbed Sang Mu’s arm. “Don’t get close. That’s no ordinary spirit.”

Just then, the “child” stopped its carving and slowly turned its head. Sang Mu saw a faceless visage—smooth skin with three black holes, as if its eyes and mouth had been gouged out.

“It’s coming…” the faceless child rasped, pointing toward the window.

Sang Mu and Yu Chen turned just in time to see a dark figure floating outside—the same malevolent spirit from earlier, but now even more massive, its black mist swirling with countless distorted, tormented faces.

“Run!” Yu Chen shouted, grabbing Sang Mu’s wrist and lunging for the door, but it slammed shut with a bang.

The spirit passed through the wall into the room. The faceless child let out a shrill laugh and leapt at Sang Mu. She barely dodged, but was forced into a corner. Yu Chen swung his sword to fend off the main spirit, but more black mist surged from the floor, forming new clones.

“Back to back!” he shouted.

Sang Mu quickly moved behind Yu Chen, and the two stood back to back, each handling the threat in front of them. She threw out her remaining talismans, temporarily holding off the faceless child, but the talismans soon burned away completely.

“Got a plan?” she asked between breaths.

Yu Chen pulled a metallic sphere from inside his coat. “Close your eyes in three seconds!”

He pressed a button on the device and hurled it into the air. Sang Mu immediately shut her eyes, but even through her eyelids she felt a burst of blinding white light. Shrill screams from both the malevolent spirit and the faceless child pierced the air.

“Now!” Yu Chen grabbed her hand and sprinted toward the door.

This time, the door burst open with ease. They stumbled down the stairs, the house shaking violently behind them. As they reached the front yard, windows exploded one by one.

“It’s gone berserk!” Sang Mu shouted.

Just as they made it out of the courtyard, a deafening crash echoed behind them. Looking back, they saw a section of the old house’s wall collapse in a cloud of dust. But strangely, the tremors suddenly stopped, as if someone had hit a pause button.

Sang Mu glanced at her compass. The needle had stopped spinning and now pointed steadily due north—a normal orientation, which meant the supernatural activity had temporarily ceased.

“Why did it stop so suddenly?” she asked, puzzled.

Yu Chen stared warily at the house. “It didn’t stop—it retreated. Something scared it off.”

Sang Mu shivered as she remembered the faceless child saying, “It’s coming.”

“You mean… there’s something out there even more terrifying than that ghost?”

Yu Chen didn’t answer directly. Instead, he took a few photos of the house with his phone. “I need to go back and check some records. You should leave too. At least don’t come back here tonight.”

Sang Mu shook her head. “I can’t. This is my case. Besides…” She hesitated. “That faceless child—it seemed to be in pain. If it’s a trapped soul, I have a responsibility to help it find peace.”

Yu Chen looked at her deeply. “You really are from Longhu Mountain, aren’t you? What’s your relationship with Old Zhou?”

Sang Mu’s eyes widened in surprise. “You know my master?”

“Worked with him once, ten years ago, on a joint operation.” Yu Chen pocketed his phone. “Listen, this isn’t a regular haunting. That spirit wasn’t naturally formed—it was made. If you’re determined to investigate, at least let me help you.”

Sang Mu hesitated. She didn’t like working with others—especially with mysterious government agents. But tonight had made one thing clear: this case was far beyond her usual scope.

“Fine,” she agreed at last, “but on one condition—complete information sharing. No secrets.”

Yu Chen nodded. “Fair enough. Meet me tomorrow at 10 a.m., Old Town Café. I’ll bring some documents.”

He turned to leave, but Sang Mu called out: “Wait! How did you know I’d go to that café?”

Yu Chen looked back, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Because Old Zhou used to go there a lot. And you’re his disciple, aren’t you?”

As his figure disappeared into the rainy night, Sang Mu felt both uneasy and intrigued. This man knew too much. And she wasn’t even sure he really belonged to the agency he claimed. But one thing was clear: this old house—and the spirits within—were strangely connected to her own past.

Especially that faceless child crying for “Mom.”

For some reason, it reminded her of her own mother, who had died years ago.

The rain began to pour again. Sang Mu cast one last glance at the eerie old mansion before turning away into the storm. She needed to go home and study her master’s old texts. Somewhere in those ancient scrolls might be the key to confronting this kind of powerful spirit.

Tomorrow, when she saw Yu Chen again, she intended to be ready.