Chapter 97: Ling

Zhang Shengnan returned to her villa. This grand residence had been a birthday gift from her father, the mayor, when she turned eighteen. It had been three or four years since then, yet the house remained as pristine as the day it was given. Only Zhang Shengnan lived within its walls.

As the mayor's only daughter, she had been lavished with every indulgence from childhood. Her father had envisioned a future for her as a distinguished lawyer, wielding her pen as a weapon to champion justice for the wronged. Yet Zhang Shengnan possessed a fiercely competitive spirit. She aspired instead to become a police officer, confronting evil directly through action.

Out of boundless paternal affection, the mayor had placed her in the most innocuous division of the case unit—the ninth group, a mere logistics department handling trivial matters. This arrangement ensured her safety above all else.

After returning home, Zhang Shengnan shed her dress and sat before the mirror in her undergarments. She had been lonely since childhood, her father's high office keeping most suitors at bay. Becoming a police officer had been her way of forging new connections, yet the daily demands of her father's career left her isolated even amid luxury.

Her master, Zhou Shen, appeared an honest and steadfast officer. Had it not been for that fateful lapse years ago, they might have worked side by side in harmony. In her heart, he remained a gentle, venerable mentor—an elder police officer worthy of respect.

Zhang Shengnan wiped away the makeup she had specially applied for Fang You. Although her confession to him had gone unanswered, she believed his refined nature might render him somewhat unaccustomed—or even faintly repelled—by matters of the heart. Undeterred by her competitive nature, she resolved to pursue him boldly, certain that effort would prevail.

In the mirror, she busied herself removing the cosmetics, when suddenly the makeup remover slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor. Bending to retrieve it, she froze at the reflection before her. The image of Zhang Shengnan stared back with unnerving stillness.

“Ah!” She recoiled in terror. Then the reflection smoothed into normalcy, mirroring her own panicked features.

Zhang Shengnan rubbed her eyes, doubting her sanity. She approached the mirror once more; the image advanced in tandem. As she leaned closer to examine it, the reflection smiled faintly once more. The next instant, a hand extended from the glass, reaching to seize her.

Panic seized her. She fled backward. In the mirror, the reflection watched her retreat with a sinister grin.

Zhang Shengnan reached the first floor and snatched up her phone to call Fang You. After two rings, it connected.

“Fang You, the little daoist priest, I've seen a ghost! Hurry to the mountain villa, number thirty-one!”

The voice on the other end hesitated. “Fang You, the little daoist…?”

“I understand. I’m coming at once.”

At that moment, something darted past behind her. Terror seized Zhang Shengnan; she dropped the phone.

A drenched little girl stood in the corridor before her. Zhang Shengnan sensed an eerie familiarity. The child lifted her head and smiled, then a torrent of water surged behind her.

“Water, so much water!” Zhang Shengnan whirled toward the door, but it was locked fast. She pounded uselessly against the wood. Water flooded the villa, engulfing her. She swam desperately toward the window to escape.

A small hand seized her hair, gripping her head and forcing it beneath the surface. She gasped for air, then kicked backward with all her strength, sending the thing flying.

The water vanished. She collapsed onto the floor. The drenched girl approached her, gasping weakly. “Sister, it hurts so much. I can’t breathe.”

“Sister?” A forgotten memory flickered in Zhang Shengnan’s mind.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

The girl offered no answer, only laughing strangely.

“Do I know you?” Zhang Shengnan asked again.

“Hehe… hic… hic…” The child’s eyes filled with crimson veins. “Sister, it hurts so much.”

The girl seized her hair and dragged her toward the bathroom. Zhang Shengnan could offer no resistance. She was hurled into the tub and the faucet turned on.

Clinging to the rim, she gasped in fear. The girl smiled and turned on the faucet. Cool water cascaded down. Zhang Shengnan remained paralyzed with terror; the girl stood quietly beside her, watching.

“What do you want?” The child’s face grew ever more ghastly.

The water rose to Zhang Shengnan’s shoulders, nearing her face. She clawed at the tub’s edge, trying to climb out. The girl caught her wrists and pressed them down. Her breathing quickened; the water grew scalding hot. Giggles echoed as she held her submerged.

Finally the water covered her head. Zhang Shengnan could not draw breath, the heat becoming unbearable.

“Fang… Fang You… little daoist priest…”

Before oblivion claimed her, the only thought in her mind was that her daoist brother would arrive to save her.

Gradually she lost consciousness, the water growing hotter still. The little girl laughed joyfully. “Little daoist, have you come yet?”