Translator’s note: Hezi Xinniang: Box Bride (Hezi = Box, Xinniang = Bride). In the context of the novel, this refers to a gruesome, cursed entity originating from Dongying (Japan). It involves a dark art where a young woman’s limbs are broken and she is locked inside a small box with only her head exposed, cultivating a deeply resentful and powerful spirit upon her death.
Chapter 51: Hezi Xinniang 2
The two of them walked up the stairs. Infected by Jiang Si’s emotions, Hai Di couldn’t help but feel an indescribable sense of nervousness, refusing to let go of the hand he was holding for even a moment.
Coincidentally, a middle-aged woman walked out from inside. She wore an elegant long dress, and her facial features bore some resemblance to Hai Di’s.
Jiang Si momentarily froze. He subconsciously let go of Hai Di’s hand, took a step to the side, and obediently greeted her, “Hello, Ayi, I am—”
“You must be Xiao Jiang, right? Xiao Di said he was bringing a friend home today; we’ve finally waited for you.” Hai Furen smiled, her hands resting naturally at her sides. In the very first second of their meeting, her eyes had already swept over Jiang Si.
“That’s me,” Jiang Si smiled. “Please forgive me for showing up presumptuously and disturbing you.”
“You’re too polite.” Hai Furen spoke in a light tone. Having looked Jiang Si over enough, she finally shifted her gaze to her son, only to find Hai Di looking sideways at Jiang Si the entire time.
“…”
Hai Di had only said it was a friend, but Hai Furen was no fool.
As a mother, how could she not know her own son’s temperament?
First, he was skipping work every day to run around outside, and then he went through a great deal of trouble to arrange today’s meeting. Who would treat an ordinary friend with such solemnity?
“Ahem.” Pulling Hai Di’s eyes back, Hai Furen gave him a warning glance, then smiled again, “Come inside and talk. I heard Xiao Jiang is from Rongcheng? I went to Rongcheng on a business trip last year. It’s a very nice place, and the scenery is quite beautiful.”
“As expected of a place with outstanding people and beautiful land, the people of Rongcheng are also very excellent.”
“Ayi, you are too kind.” Jiang Si touched the tip of his nose in embarrassment. “I’m just an ordinary person.”
“You’re being far too modest,” Hai Furen said as they walked. “Shen Dashi already told us that his Huihun this time was entirely thanks to you. You have such great abilities at such a young age, how could you be an ordinary person? We’ve always wanted to thank you in person for saving Xiao Di.”
Jiang Si gave a dry laugh. “It was what I ought to do, just something I did in passing.”
“You ah… Since you’re Xiao Di‘s friend, we aren’t outsiders. Speaking politely makes us seem distant. Ayi hopes you have a good time playing at home today, just treat this as your own home.”
Just as Jiang Si finished thanking her, he heard Hai Di suddenly call out in bewilderment, “Ba.”
Qi Shanmu walked closer with his hands behind his back, nodding to Jiang Si with restraint. “I came home to take a look, I hadn’t had time to tell you yet.”
Seeing the person involved, Jiang Si immediately looked at the other party’s face first.
Hai Furen could already be considered a beauty, so what exactly did this legendary figure—who could win a beauty’s favor relying on his face—look like?
With just one glance, Jiang Si felt he truly lived up to his reputation.
Hai Di’s father could indeed make a living off his face. He was undeniably good-looking, or to be specific, very handsome. He had perfectly standard facial proportions—three sections and five eyes—smooth facial contours, and exquisite, well-proportioned features that didn’t appear effeminate at all.
Even in his fifties, his hair was still thick, and he carried a scholarly aura around him.
“This is your friend?” Qi Shanmu’s eyes were full of scrutiny. The more he looked at Jiang Si, the more he felt this person didn’t seem like a good guy.
Hai Di had actually forgotten his own father for the sake of such a friend. He wanted to see just what kind of lifesaver could be so formidable as to make his son treat him with such deep respect.
As a scholar researching physics, Qi Shanmu had always viewed Hai Di’s Lihunzheng with the attitude that there was no such thing as metaphysics in the world, only undeciphered science.
He firmly believed that it must be because current scientific research was inadequate and hadn’t captured the manifestation of microscopic particles belonging to the soul, which led to the concept of “ghosts.”
The more he looked, the more he felt that Jiang Si only had a face worth looking at; everything else about him was completely unremarkable.
Just this could help his son experience Huihun?
On what basis!
“Hello, Shushu.” Jiang Si felt his hair stand on end from the stare, feeling as though he were being sliced into sections and placed under a microscope for observation.
“Hello,” Qi Shanmu said, then suddenly asked him, “Do you know that light has the characteristics of wave-particle duality?”
“…Ah? Yes, I know…” Jiang Si was bewildered.
The famous Yang’s double-slit experiment , even if he wasn’t a STEM student, he had heard of it.
Unlike Jiang Si, both Hai Di and Hai Furen realized simultaneously that Qi Shanmu’s occupational habit was acting up again. Hai Furen glared at him, signaling him not to mess around, but Qi Shanmu completely ignored her.
He continued asking, “I heard you were with Hai Di the entire time during his Lihunzheng. How were you able to see his soul? Why do you think this situation happens?”
Who knows why? He couldn’t exactly say it was his innate ability, could he? As he hesitated over how to answer, Hai Di directly took his hand, bypassing Qi Shanmu and walking away. “Ignore his questions.”
Jiang Si quietly looked back and saw that Qi Shanmu was also staring at him fixedly. There was no emotion on his face, making it impossible to distinguish between joy or anger.
“What’s the matter with Shushu?” he asked softly.
“He has always tried to figure out what’s going on with my illness from a scientific perspective. He used to run all over the country, but later realized the experimental equipment here wasn’t advanced enough, so he went to top academic institutions abroad for academic research.”
“When we first met Shen Dashi and his Shixiong, my Ba‘s reaction was the same as today. He isn’t targeting you; he’s just too obsessed with figuring these things out.”
“Oh.” Jiang Si found it hard to evaluate, especially since it was extremely impolite to do so right in front of the person, so he simply stayed quiet and obediently followed Hai Di.
Hai Furen and Qi Shanmu hadn’t come over yet. Ayi briskly brought over a washed fruit platter first, then asked Jiang Si what he wanted to drink.
“Plain water is fine, thank you.” After watching Ayi leave, Jiang Si asked curiously, “Shushu and Ayi are okay, right?”
“They’re fine.” Hai Di was long used to it.
“Shushu‘s status in the family… But I’m also curious, have you suffered from Lihunzheng since you were little?”
“Pretty much. Tianshi said my soul was unstable and would often unconsciously leave my body. But it wasn’t this severe before; I would just float around near the house, and as long as they performed Jiaohun, I could go back immediately. This time was different. They said I flew straight to Rongcheng and then met you there.”
“There’s a custom in my hometown. Children with poor health must wear a precious ornament to suppress the soul after their first month. It prevents lonely ghosts and wild spirits from approaching and disturbing the child. Generally, this is no longer needed after the age of three. A normal person’s Tianyan will also degenerate after three, and they won’t be able to see those things anymore. It’s truly my first time seeing a situation like yours,” Jiang Si said.
“I wore one too, but it didn’t do much. Later, I found it troublesome and took it off,” Hai Di explained. “However, after this incident, I’m completely fine now.”
“Of course.” Jiang Si reached out, took a green grape from the plate, and then pulled out a purple grape. He placed them both on the table.
“Suppose you were originally an ordinary grape. Now, after evolving, you’ve become an upgraded version of a green grape; your disaster resistance is obviously much stronger. Do you know why?”
Hai Di: “Crossbreeding?”
“That’s the principle. You are more or less in a similar situation.” Jiang Si, remembering that Hai Di hadn’t recovered his memory yet, stopped himself and continued, “Your meeting me was a destined turning point. You reminded me to make stop-motion animation, which led me to look through my grandfather’s handwritten notes, and only then did I find the final method to save you.”
“In the unseen world, everything is preordained; not a single step can be skipped. This is our Yuanfen.”
Hai Furen happened to walk in and hear this sentence. Seeing both of them full of smiles, she assumed the young people were taking the opportunity to say some sweet nothings, and immediately stopped in her tracks.
Qi Shanmu nearly bumped into her and asked in confusion, “Why did you stop walking?”
Hai Furen shot him a sideways glance, and Qi Shanmu met her gaze innocently. She sighed inwardly more than once—how could the gap between people be this huge?
“Someone outside is calling you, go out and take a look.” Hai Furen sent him away.
Qi Shanmu didn’t catch her underlying intention and actually thought someone had come to the house. He looked back, “Who’s here? Did you invite other guests?”
Hai Furen: “Go out and see for yourself.”
Qi Shanmu’s ears twitched; he really did hear some noise. “Ho, someone really came. What were they thinking, picking this time to visit.”
Hai Furen thought he was talking nonsense and didn’t want to engage, but the next second, a loud and clear “Gugu!” rang out.
Instantly, Hai Furen and Qi Shanmu both looked over. A young man riding a mountain bike slid smoothly into their line of sight.
Seeing them look over, he even specifically raised his hand to wave.
Qi Shanmu couldn’t help but warn: “Watch the—” road.
Before he could finish speaking, a heavy crash echoed out.
“Bang—”
…
In the living room, the atmosphere was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Jiang Si stared in astonishment at the young man in front of him, whose upper half was completely soaked, shivering while wrapped in a blanket. Water was still dripping continuously from his hair. Sporting a dry towel on his head like a drowned rat, he would sneeze every time he spoke a sentence.
“…Gugu, Gufu, I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” The young man sniffled. Refusing the suggestion to go upstairs and change clothes, he insisted that his internal heat was vigorous and he could dry his clothes purely with his body temperature.
“…” Hai Furen was speechless. Only Qi Shanmu continued to urge, “Even if there’s air conditioning indoors, you can’t keep wearing wet clothes.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” the young man waved his hand. “I can handle it.” He shifted the topic to the only person in the room he didn’t recognize. “Who is this? My brother’s friend?”
Hai Di introduced Jiang Si to him, “My cousin, Hai Moyun. His brain isn’t quite right, please bear with him.”
Hai Moyun was instantly furious: “I’m very normal! Don’t talk nonsense!”
“Could a normal person ride a bicycle and throw themselves into a fountain pool?”
“…” Hai Moyun’s ears turned bright red, and he muttered, “I was just too excited. Who told your family to put a fountain right in the middle of the yard?”
“Is this your first time visiting?” Hai Di retorted, leaving Hai Moyun speechless.
Jiang Si looked left and right. Hai Furen and Qi Shanmu were clearly used to this and had no intention of speaking up. He could only bite the bullet and smooth things over himself, “It’s normal not to see clearly for a moment. Young people, you know… they’re all like this.”
Hai Moyun wiped the corner of his eye, deeply moved as if he’d met a kindred spirit. “I told you someone would understand me. May I ask your esteemed surname?”
“Dispense with the ‘esteemed’, my surname is Jiang.”
“Jiang Ge!” Hai Moyun slapped his thigh. “From now on, we are sworn brothers, good friends!”
What in the world was this?
Hai Di rarely darkened his face, but he resisted the urge to kick his cousin out and asked crossly, “Did you come here to make friends?”
“Oh right. I have serious business.” Hai Moyun finally remembered his purpose. He pulled the blanket tighter around himself and said sternly, “I came to tell you all something.”
“I think I’ve run into a ghost.”
“???” Hai Furen was astonished. “What did you do? Where did you encounter it?”
“No, it’s not a normal ghostly encounter. Mine is different.” Seeing several people staring intently, Hai Moyun lowered his voice. “It was just yesterday. I went to play Jubensha with two friends. It felt fine at the time. But later, I was pinned down by a ghost the entire night. I wanted to turn over, but I felt like I was nailed to the bed; I couldn’t move at all. I had to tough it out until dawn before I could sleep for a bit.”
“Since my brother has a lot of experience in this area, I came to seek some advice. If it doesn’t threaten my little life, I can endure it for two more days.”
Jiang Si and Hai Di exchanged a glance. Jiang Si spoke up, “Was the Jubensha you played called Xi?”
“Ah right, right, right, that’s the one. Jiang Ge, you’ve played it too?” Hai Moyun hurriedly agreed.
“I’ve heard a little about it,” Jiang Si said. “How many people were in your group?”
“Me and two friends, plus the host, four people in total. Why?”
Jiang Si glanced at his phone and continued probing, “What time did you play yesterday?”
“Around 4 PM, I think.”
It was currently 10:30 AM, not even twenty-four hours yet. Jiang Si didn’t explain much, only requesting, “Go contact the other three people who played with you and confirm something.”
“Confirm what?” Hai Moyun was utterly confused by his rapid-fire questions, completely at a loss as to why he should do this.
“Confirm if they are still alive.” Jiang Si said in a deep voice, his face completely solemn, showing no trace of joking.
Holding his phone, Hai Moyun gasped, the corners of his mouth twitching into a dry laugh. “Hahahaha, don’t joke around, how could people die? It was just a game…”
Jiang Si remained silent.
Hai Moyun couldn’t keep talking. He stood frozen on the spot, looking left and right. “No way, this… is it real or fake?”
“You aren’t the first person to encounter a ghost after playing a Jubensha. Someone has already had an accident; when he comes to Ningshi, you two should have a lot in common to talk about,” Jiang Si said.
Translator’s Note
- Ayi: Aunt/Auntie. Used as a respectful term for a woman of one’s parents’ generation, or for a domestic worker.
- Xiao: Little. Used as an affectionate prefix before a surname or the last character of a given name.
- Hai Furen: Madam Hai / Mrs. Hai.
- Dashi: Master. Used to address an expert or a respected religious/metaphysical practitioner.
- Huihun: Soul return. The metaphysical process of a separated soul returning to its physical body.
- Ba/Baba: Dad/Father.
- Shushu: Uncle. Used as a respectful term for a man of one’s parents’ generation.
- Lihunzheng: Soul separation syndrome / astral projection. A condition where the soul involuntarily leaves the physical body.
- Jiaohun: Soul calling. A folk ritual performed to call a wandering soul back to its body.
- Tianshi: Heavenly Master. An honorific title for a highly skilled Daoist priest or exorcist.
- Tianyan: Heavenly Eye / Third Eye. The metaphysical ability to see spirits, auras, and the supernatural.
- Yuanfen: Fateful coincidence / Destiny. The Buddhist concept of predetermined affinity or connection between people.
- Gugu: Aunt (Father’s sister).
- Gufu: Uncle (Aunt’s husband).
- Jubensha: Script murder game / Murder mystery game. A popular live-action role-playing game in China.
- Xi: Double Happiness. A traditional Chinese symbol commonly used for weddings.
- Jiang Ge: Brother Jiang. Ge means older brother, used here affectionately for an older male friend.
- Rongcheng / Ningshi: Rong City / Ning City.
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