My name is Lin Shi, an ordinary individual in society - not some Daoist master nor an expert in Feng Shui. But my life took a gruesome turn after we returned from an ocassional tomb sweeping Hiatus - organized by the community's volunteer association. To my horror, my friends started dying, one after another. Now, it seems I could be the next!
The group of us – seven in all – were part of an outing organized by our community volunteer association. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary that day. However, a day after returning from the tomb dusking, a little girl who was part of the organzation, died mysteriously.
The girl, named Qingqing, was out with her classmates flying kites in the park that day. It was an overcast day with little wind, so their kites would not take flight, causing much frustration. However, Qingqing's kite somehow sailed into the air, garnering envious stares from her classmates. But then, it started to get strange. The kite surged upwards in a straight line, as if pulled by an invisible string, while Qingqing seemed to be struggling, her feet gradually lifting from the ground!
Her friends were panicked and were urging her to come down. But Qingqing didn't seem to hear them. She was struggling, her hands flailing in the air. She was gasping for air and could barely utter, "Don't kill me, don't kill me!"
Qingqing was lifted nearly ten meters into the air, where she remained suspended and struggling for more than ten minutes before slowly descending. The terrified onlookers started sprinting towards her but were shocked to find Qingqing pale, lifeless, and, to their utter horror, her eyes were missing! All that remained were two bloody sockets from which two streams of blood poured out!
The incident, naturally, attracted the police, but not a single person could explain Qingqing's uncanny death. It was labeled as a supernatural incident. The two main mysteries were how Qingqing's kite managed to fly in an almost windless park and shoot up straight into the air, and how it could carry her weight! It was also impossible for her eyes to have been plucked out by the kite! The case was too eerie, so it was kept under wraps by the police. As a direct witness, I knew the truth.
Qingqing was raised by her grandfather, Old Man Wang. He was devastated by Qingqing's death and vowed to find her killer. A couple of days later, Old Man Wang climbed up to the eighth floor of the building and jumped off, committing suicide. Eyewitnesses reported that he was wearing a thick cotton-padded jacket on a hot summer day!
Myself, Qingqing, and Old Man Wang, we were all part of the community volunteer association. All of us were among the seven present that day at the tomb sweeping.
Initially, I didn't believe in supernatural phenomena and was angry over Qingqing's death, viewing it as a purposeful murder. So, I teamed up with the deputy head of the volunteer association, Madame Qin, to uncover the truth.
However, upon speaking to all the teachers and students present during the incident, we found them terrified and insisting that Qingqing was lifted off the ground by her kite, which consequently killed her. They claim a kite killed Qingqing!
"It must be someone with a vendetta against Qingqing. Given how everyone is collaborating with false testimonies, it seems this person is powerful. Two lives have been lost – Qingqing's and Old Man Wang's from his grief-driven suicide. We cannot let this pass, Madame Qin," I stated angrily as we were out shopping in the market. Wearing a skirt was a plump woman, the association's deputy head, Xu Qin.
"Lin Shi, at first, I shared your thoughts. However, upon further investigation, I don’t find those we interviewed to appear deceitful. What's more, we can't find anyone with a motive to hurt Qingqing."
"This situation is so bizarre that I even acquired a protection talisman. We came back from sweeping the tombs and out of nowhere, this tragedy struck Qingqing. I spoke to a few people, and they all said…"
Sister Qin paused as she spoke, glanced around and leaned towards me when she saw no one paying attention to us. She looked cautious, as if she was terrified of being overheard.
"They say we might have picked up some ghostly presence when we were sweeping graves," she whispered.
Her voice was so low, coupled with a vague undertone of eeriness, it sent chills down my spine.
I couldn't help but recall the events of that day when we were sweeping graves. Upon reflection, there were certainly peculiar occurrences. But none was gruesome enough to cost someone's life.
"No, Sister Qin, we absolutely can't think that way. It must be man-made. They just want to create a supernatural illusion to escape blame."
I shook my head.
Sister Qin didn't say anything else upon seeing my resolute stance. She just continued with her grocery shopping. The more groceries she bought, the harder it became for her to carry them, so she handed them to me. As our hands occasionally touched, she turned to me suddenly, asking why my hand was so cold it was frightening.
I said it was probably a cold and didn't pay it much mind. I had been worried about Qingqing these past few days and hadn't had a good rest. Feeling weak and cold was only natural.
After leaving the market, Sister Qin went into a supermarket to buy some things. As I was carrying a bunch of stuff and it was inconvenient to go in, I waited outside.
What surprised me was that Sister Qin, normally a slow shopper, came out in less than a minute. She even uncharacteristically took my arm and hurried me towards her home.
Sister Qin and I lived in the same complex, and we both volunteered at a charity organization, hence we were quite familiar with each other. Upon entering her house, I quickly put down the groceries and went to grab a beverage.
When Sister Qin came in, she closed and seemingly locked the door, insisting that I stay for dinner before heading to the kitchen to cook.
Feeling a bit under the weather, I went to the bathroom alone. I tried to relieve myself, but couldn't for a period of time.
During my idle moments, I began to ponder the events of the past few days, particularly the topic Sister Qin and I had discussed earlier.
We actually didn't set out to sweep graves that day. We were simply visiting an elderly lady. But the old lady insisted we sweep her daughter's grave and even required each of us to offer a stick of incense to her daughter. As I recalled the scene of offering incense, Qingqing was the first one. I remember her grandfather was the second in line after her.
Qingqing died, and then her grandfather followed in death. Could their deaths be related to the order of their incense offerings? But that doesn't make sense either, because in between Qingqing and Old Man Wang, there was still Accountant Xu!
Precisely at this moment, I hastily pulled out my phone and dialed Accountant Xu's number. Deep down, I truly didn't believe that this was a supernatural phenomenon, I only dialed with a speculative mindset. The call was picked up by Accountant Xu's wife, her voice suppressive and teeming with sobs.
I was taken aback upon inquiry—Accountant Xu had unexpectedly died at the banquet table during a celebration in his hometown, and the time of his death was right after Qingqing's but before Old Man Wang's!
My face instantly turned ashen. Beforehand, I firmly disbelieved in any correlation with the supernatural. But now, I can't help thinking in this direction.
What's even more horrifying is, after Old Man Wang, the next person who offered the incense was me!
In other words, the next person to die would be me!
Kokkuri!
Kokkuri!
A sudden onslaught of goosebumps rose all over my body, and I huddled on the toilet but couldn't manage to excrete anything. It felt ominously chilly everywhere around me!
After a long while, I managed to calm myself down, then forcefully shook my head. Additionally, I slapped both of my cheeks hard.
After all, I've been educated for so many years, this type of eerie superstition can deceive children at best. How could it frighten me? Although all these occurrences were bizarre, the only explanation could be coincidence!
Just then, my phone rang. I originally thought it was Accountant Xu's wife calling me, but upon closer look, the incoming call was from Sister Qin.
Upon seeing the number, I furrowed my brows.
I was currently squatting at Sister Qin's house, while Sister Qin was cutting vegetables in the kitchen next door. With such a small distance, did she need to call me? She could just shout my name, I'd hear her!
Somewhat puzzled, I answered the call. At that moment, a frantic voice came from Sister Qin over the phone.
"Lin Shi, I'm outside the supermarket, where are you? Didn't I ask you to wait for me outside the supermarket? Where on earth have you run off to?"
What?
I had just managed to calm myself down. But, hearing Sister Qin's words, my heart and body simultaneously skipped a beat, nearly dropping my phone.
Sister Qin, didn't she just accompany me home a while ago?
