Cheng Su was terrified out of her wits.
Something sticky clung to her foot, and she didn’t know what had grabbed her. She stomped hard and turned her head to see a shadow or something at her feet, struggling to lift its head with one hand raised as if to grasp her.
"Ahh, a ghost, there’s a ghost!" Cheng Su screamed with her eyes shut, stomping fiercely. Finally, feeling her foot lighten, she hurriedly ran forward, not even caring about her own car.
Stumbling all the way to the military base entrance, she was stopped by a sentry with the rifle pointed at her, "Stay where you are, who goes there? This is a restricted military area, civilians are not allowed."
"There’s a ghost, there’s a ghost!" Cheng Su shouted, lifting her head up.
"Sister-in-law?"
The sentry on duty that night happened to include Xiao Liu, who had eaten at Cheng Su’s home just a couple of days ago. Recognizing Cheng Su, he was taken aback.
"There’s a ghost chasing me!" Cheng Su burst into tears.
"Sister-in-law, come inside first." Xiao Liu, unclear about what was happening, had Cheng Su sit down in a nearby guardhouse and then instructed another soldier, who quickly ran into the base.
Soon, Qi Taiguo rushed out from the base.
"What happened?" Seeing Cheng Su shivering uncontrollably, Qi Taiguo hurried over and grabbed her, asking, "Why are you here, what happened?"
Hearing Qi Taiguo’s voice, Cheng Su lifted her head, her pale face streaked with tears, her hair disheveled. She clutched his arms tightly, "A ghost, there’s a ghost!"
Qi Taiguo frowned, "Nonsense, what ghost? What exactly happened?"
He checked her over from head to toe, his gaze landing on her ankle where he noticed a change in his expression and crouched down, "You’re injured?"
Cheng Su followed his gaze and saw her ankle smeared with blood, having smeared onto her pant leg; a distinct fingerprint was visible. She immediately cried out, "It was a ghost, a ghost grabbed me just now, wuwu, I’m going to die!"
Qi Taiguo glared at her and touched the blood, which was still fresh and not yet clotted, fresh indeed. If it wasn’t Cheng Su’s blood, then the other person was injured.
Cheng Su was still screaming about a ghost grabbing her.
"Enough, since when do ghosts bleed?" Qi Taiguo said irritably as he stood up, asking, "Where did you encounter it, and where is your car?"
"Over by the small woods." Cheng Su looked at the blood on her ankle. It wasn’t a ghost?
"Oh no, my car!" Cheng Su jumped up, yelling, "My car is still over there."
Qi Taiguo shook his head, instructed Xiao Liu briefly, and then took a flashlight himself towards the small woods, with Cheng Su hastily following.
Maybe because it was the middle of July, which is said to be when the Ghost Gate is wide open, there was no one on the road. Qi Taiguo and Cheng Su arrived at the small woods; he swept the flashlight around, and there was the bicycle, still lying there!
"My bike!" Cheng Su pointed excitedly, yet retreated behind Qi Taiguo.
Qi Taiguo cautiously walked over, with one hand on his waist.
"Be careful, that ghost... erm, that person is right by the bike!" Cheng Su said, clutching the hem of his clothes.
Qi Taiguo approached the bike, the flashlight swept over, and indeed there was a person sprawled beside it, it was unclear whether they were dead or alive, human or ghost.
"A ghost!" Cheng Su hid behind Qi Taiguo.
"Stand still, don’t come any closer." Qi Taiguo said while pressing on his waist, shining the flashlight light on the person. He gently nudged them with his foot, but there was no response.
Cheng Su was very afraid. If it was a person, were they dead?
"Are they dead?" She asked tremblingly. Surely she hadn’t stepped on and killed him?
Qi Taiguo crouched down, turning the person over. Their face was covered in blood, which made Cheng Su scream as she covered her eyes.
"Still alive!" Qi Taiguo announced after checking the person’s breath.