ID No. 019 - Chapter 7.1

To Chen Yang, who had witnessed the old woman plant herself, the sight of Li Dafu cutting down and burning the tree was akin to witnessing an act of matricide and dismemberment. The only difference was the lack of blood and gore.

A human had become a tree.

The woman who had been talking to him just moments ago had transformed before his very eyes.

First, it was Mrs. Liu’s youngest son, then Madam Li.

An endless sea of burnt dandelion puffs drifted down the mountain, gradually settling down both inside and outside the house. The sheer volume made it impossible to clear them. In front of the door, only a stump of the old tree remained. It had been burnt black, yet endured every attempt to remove it.

The peaceful facade this small island had maintained was finally shattered.

Chen Yang and his companions, being outsiders who’d stumbled upon two strange incidents on the island, initially thought Old Madam Qi intended to silence them. To their surprise, she only asked the captain of the boat to take them off the island.

In the past, fishing boats would follow strict protocols, paying attention to the tides and the sea gods, and always sought Old Madam Qi’s divination for the right time to set sail. This time, however, they did not bother with any of that. Chen Yang and his group were sent off in the middle of the night, even though two of their companions were missing. The villagers simply wanted them off the island.

Zhao Yuan naively remarked that this showed how kind Old Madam Qi was, that she wasn’t bad after all.

No one bothered responding.

The captain hurriedly ushered Chen Yang and the rest onto the boat. He did not say a single word, not even to warn them to keep what they had seen to themselves. Perhaps he knew that even if they spoke out, no one would believe them.

It was the same boat they arrived on, with all of the same experienced crew members aboard except for Li Dafu. Everything seemed like it would go smoothly.

Yet, a thick fog suddenly rose when they went out to sea. It swirled around the boat, preventing them from leaving.

Chen Yang and his companions found themselves back on the island.

The captain and crew acted as if they had seen a ghost. The fog was eerie and came without warning, unlike anything they had ever encountered. They immediately informed Old Madam Qi.

Chen Yang and his group went along with them.

Before long, they stood inside the house, face to face with Old Madam Qi.

Old Madam Qi didn’t greet them immediately. Instead, she lit three incense sticks and placed them in the censer on the long table in the hall. After a pious prayer, she turned around holding a string of prayer beads and invited them to sit.

The old wooden chairs matched the other furniture in the room. It was unknown what type of wood it was made of, but it exuded an antique charm and a faint woody fragrance.

Two kerosene lamps, placed on either side of the censer, provided sufficient lighting to illuminate the room.

Old Madam Qi leaned back against her armchair and slowly fiddled with her prayer beads. Her eyelids drooped as she spoke. “I’ve already heard about the fog from Xiao-Cheng.”

Chen Yang and the rest felt a subtle feeling when she referred to the man as “Xiao-Cheng”. She made a ferocious-looking man with a beard sound like a child.

“The fog won’t dissipate anytime soon, so you will have to continue staying at Li Dafu’s house.” Old Madam Qi calmly and solemnly added, “There have been some unexpected events on the island lately and we’ve been poor hosts of our guests. I hope for your understanding.”

Her demeanor was almost regal, just short of calling herself “lǎo shēn (老身).”

She stopped thumbing through the prayer beads and elegantly took a sip of her tea before gently setting the cup down. Her face, lined with wrinkles, exuded a sense of benevolence as she gazed at them.

“No matter how beautiful the scenery on the island is, it is not as important as your safety. I hope you will stay put at Li Dafu’s house. Do not wander around if there is no need to and do not touch the old tree in front of the house. Once the fog clears, I will arrange for a boat to take you back.”

With that, she closed her eyes and resumed flicking her prayer beads.

Seeing that everyone kept quiet, Zhang Yan asked, “Madam Qi, how is Li Dafu now?”

“He’s gone mad,” Old Madam Qi replied.

The room fell into silence.

Chen Yang noticed a jade bracelet on the old woman’s wrist, its color pure and translucent. On her hand, the one with the prayer beads, was a blood jade ring. Both the bracelet and ring were valuable items.

The contrast with her saggy skin gave a feeling of vibrancy intertwined with age.

“And Mrs. Liu?” Chen Yang asked.

“She’s also gone mad.” Old Madam Qi sighed with pity. “Those who have gone mad will hurt the others, so I had to temporarily lock them up.”

No one said a word. In one night, two people had died and another two had gone mad. Also, where were they being detained? Were they really just confined?

Chen Yang observed the centenarian, wondering what role she played in this curse and if she had noticed that the box was missing.

The curse was upon them and had come in full force. What would she do?

“Madam Qi, we’ve always been believers of science, but now we’ve encountered things on this island that we’ve never even heard of, which has made us very anxious. We can’t even leave.” Zhao Yuan asked, in a choked voice, “Will we be okay?”

He trembled. He was not pretending, but was genuinely scared out of his wits.

Old Madam Qi looked at him kindly. “As long as you cooperate, you’ll be fine.”

Zhao Yuan went silent.

What she said frightened him even more. Cooperate? How? Would they be asked to do something strange?

Lin Yue, who had been silent all this while, coolly asked, “Is it really the work of the gods?”

Old Madam Qi’s serene and elegant demeanor finally cracked, revealing the stern look beneath. “Young lady, that is very disrespectful. The gods do not cause trouble; they only bestow blessings and mete out punishments!”

Lin Yue heaved a sigh of relief, “Since that’s the case, then I’m relieved. We’re not from the island and have only been here for a day. We haven’t done anything wrong, so the gods shouldn’t harm those who are innocent.”

“However…” She paused, as if worried. “I’m just worried that the deaths of Mrs. Liu’s son and Li Dafu’s mother weren’t divine punishment. What if it’s the work of evil spirits?”

Old Madam Qi stared at her with an expressionless face, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deepening.

Lin Yue immediately felt a sense of danger. Her nerves were on edge as she dug her fingers into the wooden armrest of the chair, breaking her fingernails. She thought of striking first by swinging her chair at the old woman.

“Madam Qi, we’ll take our leave now!” Chen Yang suddenly stood up and pulled the young man along, who had been dozing off. He signaled for Zhang Yan and Zhao Yuan to follow, indicating they should get Lin Yue.

They quickly left the place.