Jin San woke up from his drunken stupor. Though his head was still spinning, he clearly saw the peculiar door before him. A door without any seams—how could it open? Jin San had been pondering this question, as well as how he had ended up here in the first pce. That was a question in itself.
At times, the answer to a complex question is the simplest. The door rose upward, opening just like that. Jin San chuckled at his foolishness but was simultaneously struck by a twinge of fear. How could the door open on its own? A chill ran down his spine, and he turned to flee.
"Don′t you want to go inside and take a look?" Mei Ling′er′s soft, eerie voice stopped him. Her hands firmly gripped Bao Tong and Bao Yu by their colrs.
"You... you killed them... are you going to... kill me too?" Jin San stammered, retreating a few steps, curling his body defensively.
"I won′t kill you, but you have to go in obediently," Mei Ling′er said with her usual beautiful smile, her tone unnervingly calm.
"No, I won′t go in." Jin San tried to refuse. He was truly terrified and didn’t want to enter.
"If you don′t go in, you′ll really die," Mei Ling′er said with a lightness in her voice, as though the statement were no more serious than a casual remark.
Jin San was drenched in cold sweat. He stole a gnce inside the door, but he couldn′t make out anything.
"Go inside. There′s nothing to be afraid of," Mei Ling’er coaxed with her melodic voice, trying to soothe Jin San′s nerves.
Jin San had no choice but to step forward. He didn′t want to die so soon—maybe going inside wouldn′t mean death after all.
It was a courtyard—an enormous courtyard, so vast that its edges seemed almost invisible. Jin San didn′t even think to look for the edges because what caught his attention were the thousands of graves scattered in front of him. They were haphazardly spread out, a chaotic sea of tombs lying before him.
"Ah!" Jin San′s scream was loud enough to shatter the night sky, but it didn′t disturb a single soul in Chánchú Town. The surroundings remained eerily silent.
Jin San took a step back, only to bump into someone. He quickly turned around.
"Hello there," Wu Laoqi greeted, raising a bucket in his hand and shaking the dice that had once led Jin San into drunken stupor.
Jin San staggered backward, unable to say a single word, his shock overwhelming him.
"Your clothes aren't as fine as the ones I made for you." Jin San then saw another familiar face—the owner of the tailor shop. Desperately, Jin San shook his head, trying to deny the reality before him.
"We're all here. We're all waiting for you," the old man who sold buttons appeared from nowhere, wearing a strange smile. Following him were the waiter from the Longjing tea shop, the bathhouse attendant, the worker from the brothel, and most importantly, Jin San′s benefactor.
"You all..." Jin San′s eyes widened as he saw more and more familiar faces—people from Chánchú Town, including the waiter from Boss Mo′s restaurant.
"You should continue with your mission," Mei Ling′er said softly as she approached Jin San, her voice eerie and distant.
"My mission?" Jin San stood there with his mouth agape, unsure of what to say.
"Yes, you need to tell us how to find that thing," Mei Ling’er replied calmly.
"I don′t know what you′re talking about! Are you people... or ghosts?" Jin San shouted in fear.
"We were once ghosts, but now we are human," Mei Ling′er said ftly, her expression emotionless.
"What... then what are these graves about?" Jin San′s legs were trembling, and he wasn′t sure how much longer he could stay on his feet.
"They are the real people of Frog Town," Mei Ling′er said, her tone unperturbed.
"Ah! Are they all dead?" Jin San screamed.
"They′re dead. They had to die, or how else could we stay here?" Mei Ling′er sneered.
"What are you talking about?" Jin San was confused, struggling to understand.
"When we arrived, Frog Town became ours. The people who were here before turned into ghosts, vengeful spirits," Mei Ling′er said, her gaze shifting to the distant rows of graves.
"Why did you kill them?" Jin San finally began to understand.
"Because we needed to find something here," Mei Ling’er answered.
"What are you looking for?" Jin San stammered, fear rising in his voice.
Mei Ling′er smiled, and everyone around them smiled too. They all watched Jin San intently.
"What I′m looking for requires you to help me find it," Mei Ling′er said, giving Jin San the gentlest smile.
"Me? Then who are you all really? Why are you looking for something like that? What is that thing?" Jin San asked in rapid succession.
"Some things are better left unknown. You only need to find that thing. As for what it is, your mother didn′t tell you, and there′s a reason for that. You don′t need to know," Mei Ling’er said firmly.
"I don′t know what I′m supposed to do," Jin San admitted, his voice shaking.
"Your mother should have told you the purpose of the drum and the drumsticks. You should know how to use them. That′s all you need to know," Mei Ling′er replied.
Jin San looked around at everyone, suddenly understanding many things. He said, "So you all had this pnned from the beginning."
Everyone ughed.
"You've been pretending to be ghosts to scare me, all to bring me here," Jin San continued.
"Exactly, you′ve got it right. We put on this show, and you pyed your part beautifully," his benefactor said with a smile.
"You made me into Bao Mu to make me believe I was a part of Chánchú Town, to make me settle in without question. All the ghostly tricks were to convince me that I was going mad, to make me believe I was Bao Mu. That way, I′d focus on these things, and in the end, I′d stay here without resistance."
"You′re wrong," Mei Ling′er said softly. "We didn′t want you to become Bao Mu, but rather, you have a special connection with him."
Jin San froze for a moment. This was something he had never considered.
"He is your father," Mei Ling′er′s words pierced Jin San′s heart like a dagger. Jin San colpsed onto the ground
"Father?" Jin San mumbled, his mind reeling. He remembered his mother saying that his father had died long ago, and he also recalled how his mother never wanted to talk about him. Jin San never understood why, but he had never thought to ask. Now, suddenly, the idea of a father appeared before him, and he found himself unable to accept it.
"I know you can′t accept it," Mei Ling′er said. "Back then, your mother left your father with you, and I′m not willing to expin the reasons behind that. The reason we made you believe you were Bao Mu was because we wanted you to recall your childhood memories. We believe your mother must have told you this secret."
"Since you know my father, then why are you looking for me?" Jin San asked, still confused. He believed that his father must have known how to find that thing.
"He died. After your mother took you and left, he passed away," Mei Ling′er said coldly.
"How did he die?" Jin San asked, his curiosity piqued. He had seen his father′s corpse, and now he wanted to know the cause of his death.
"He fell ill and never got up again. That′s how he died," Mei Ling′er replied. "So none of us could find that thing, but fortunately, your mother knew. Even though she′s dead now, you′re still here." Mei Ling′er said this with a hint of satisfaction.
Jin San lowered his head. Though he had no emotional attachment to Bao Mu, hearing that the man was his father stirred some sadness in him. He then asked, "Since you knew my father, you must be pretty old, right?"
"We are old, old enough to be your elders," Mei Ling′er said with a touch of mencholy.
"But..." Jin San looked at the two children beside Mei Ling′er. He couldn't tell how old anyone was, nor could he determine the age of the two children.
"They are as old as I am," Mei Ling′er expined. "It's just that their bodies are small, so they look like children. And with some makeup, no one can distinguish us or our ages."
She spoke matter-of-factly, and Jin San couldn't find any fw in her words. He stood up and let out a light sigh. "Although I don't know what that thing is, I still remember the method my mother told me. Maybe I can help you."
