"I'm curious about who this 'Immortal Lady' is and her connection to Ma Danlong," I said.
Tong Suo went to the bedroom and returned with a thick book. "This was taped to the back of the painting. I read it. You can look at it tonight."
I flipped through it. The neat, delicate handwriting, interspersed with internet emojis, was clearly a girl's. "This is Lin Xia's death diary. It mentions the Immortal Lady—very creepy," Tong Suo said.
I skimmed it. Much of it was Lin Xia's rambling, written in a melodramatic style that made me cringe. "I'm not reading this," I said. "Since you did, summarize the key points."
"You don't want it? I'll read it," Li Yang said.
I handed him the diary.
Tong Suo pointed to the planchette tools. "Can we put this spirit-summoning stuff away? It creeps me out."
We lit cigarettes, brewed tea, and settled in the living room for a long chat.
The planchette session was a unique experience, and despite the late hour, none of us were sleepy.
"According to the diary, the Immortal Lady appeared in Lin Xia's dreams," Tong Suo said, flicking ash. His usual playful demeanor turned serious as he organized his thoughts and began.
Lin Xia first dreamt of the Immortal Lady after confirming her pregnancy. Pregnancy transforms a girl into a woman, like a chrysalis into a butterfly. There's a saying that a woman isn't complete until she's borne a child.
Pregnancy shifts a woman's mindset profoundly, the wonder of nurturing new life inside her.
The night after the hospital confirmed her pregnancy, Lin Xia had a strange dream.
She stood before a southern-style mansion with two stone lions at the gate, a pond opposite, and distant green mountains. It had just rained, the sky dim, raindrops pattering, the scenery like an ink-wash painting—a serene, otherworldly paradise.
As she admired the view, the gate opened, and a petite girl in white, with two buns in her hair, stepped out. Despite her small stature, she was delicate, with striking features and a charming southern beauty.
The girl held a yellow oil-paper umbrella, peeked out, and smiled. "Come in, everyone's waiting."
Lin Xia followed her, dazed. As they crossed the threshold, the sky darkened instantly from day to night. Red lanterns flared under the eaves, swaying in the wind, casting an ambiguous glow.
Entering the hall, the lighting was poor, with only a long-burning lamp on the main altar casting faint light.
Many people were in the hall, sitting or standing, dressed in old-fashioned clothing—dark vests, long robes, and melon caps. Instinct told her they were men.
Despite their numbers, the room was silent, everyone frozen in place, their faces indistinct, creating a deeply eerie atmosphere.
Their attire reminded Lin Xia of old zombie films, the undead rising at funerals.
Scared, she grabbed the girl's sleeve to speak, but the girl turned, her face pale and expression sinister under the dim candlelight.
Lin Xia gasped, stumbling back.
The girl suddenly giggled, her expression softening. In a daze, she seemed to say, "Don't be afraid, they're not alive."
Lin Xia didn't quite catch it, and the moment didn't allow questions. She marked it with a question mark in her diary upon waking.
They passed through the hall, lifted a curtain, and entered a larger back courtyard with towering walls and intricate eaves. Massive hollowed-out incense burners stood like iron towers in the corners, glowing with red embers, their fragrance filling the air.
As they crossed, a voice said, "Don't go."
Lin Xia turned to see a pale young man in modern clothes—a jacket and jeans—standing under the eaves. He looked gravely ill, speaking weakly, his eyes drifting, face twitching with each word as if in pain.
She felt an instinctive connection, perhaps because his clothes were from her era, like meeting a friend in a strange land.
As she moved toward him, the girl grabbed her sleeve. In the dim night, the girl's form seemed to melt into the darkness, only her outline visible. "Don't go. That man… is a ghost."
The word "ghost" dropped the courtyard's temperature, a chilling wave washing over them.
Lin Xia's teeth chattered, and she stepped back.
The girl closed her umbrella, strode forward, and waved it at the man, shouting, "Get lost! I'll beat you to death, you filthy ghost!"
Terrified, he turned and shuffled away down the corridor.
The girl took Lin Xia's hand, her voice sweet. "Let's go, the Immortal Lady's waiting."
They entered a deeper courtyard, its ancient trees casting dark shadows, the ground covered in yellow leaves.
Through a moon gate, they reached a room. The girl lifted the curtain, and they entered a spacious area with redwood antique racks filled with delicate curios.
A woman in her thirties sat in the main seat, her skin fair, dressed in an elegant purple qipao, exuding grace.
Oddly, a dozen women knelt before her, all pregnant—some near delivery, others just showing.
The woman held a large book on her lap, filled with red-inked names. She called out names, and each pregnant woman looked up as she spoke to them, mentioning words like "pair," "one," "male," or "female."
Lin Xia later realized she was likely predicting the children's genders.
After speaking, each woman stood and left through a side door, replaced by another, keeping the room's numbers constant.
Without prompting, Lin Xia knelt, the solemn, sacred atmosphere compelling her.
When her turn came, the woman flipped through the book, found her name, and paused. Lin Xia's heart raced, her head bowed.
"You're Lin Xia?" the woman asked.
She nodded. "Yes."
"Your child's fate is strange."
Lin Xia didn't understand but sensed the importance of her words.
"You're born under the Sea Water fate, lacking Earth in the Five Elements, born on a yin day and hour. Due to past-life karma, you're destined to be a Ghost Mother, fated to never find peace in this life."
"What about my child?" Lin Xia asked.
"A Ghost Mother bears a ghost child. Your fate chart holds an underworld child, not meant for your world, only to be born in the underworld."
Lin Xia wept, her dream filled with profound sorrow.
"It's fate. Go back. I'll arrange for someone to guide you," the woman said.
"Thank you, Immortal Lady," Lin Xia said, kowtowing.
The girl helped her up, and they exited through the side door. The night deepened, the girl leading with a red lantern, Lin Xia following.