Chapter 3: 2
'They could have taken my phone, my laptop. I would have gladly given it to them. Why did it have to be the paintings?'
She ran out of the house, looking around as if she could catch a glimpse of the intruder. Mrs Feng next door was returning from the mart, arms laden with grocery bags.
'auntie Feng. Did you happen to see someone entering my place last night?'
'no. Did something happen?'
' someone stole my paintings.'
'paintings? I didn't know you were an artist. Are they valuable?'
'very.' bai li yue replied before running off again.
Auntie feng watched the alarmed young lady run toward another neighbour's house. A brief look of indecision appeared before suddenly disappearing. How could she tell this kind girl that her never do well of a nephew had graduated from drinking to theft. She has seen him jump the wall last night. He returned with some paintings, but she'd closed her eyes and hadn't paid attention to him again. If she told bai li yue what she knew, the matter would surely go to the police and she didn't want him to bring shame to her family. It was better is she pretended that she hadn't seen anything.
Bai li yue asked around the neighbourhood but no one had seen anything. She returned home, but the empty living room was obviously empty. She had to do something. She couldn't stand by and watch again without doing anything. With this thought in mind she ended up at the police station. The kind looking officer at the reception asked her business.
'i want- i want to report a theft.'
He led her to a desk where another officer took her statement.
'did you notice anything else missing?'
'no, just the paintings. Officer-', she cleared her throat to explain the special nature of the paintings.
'yes ma'am.'
'the paintings-'
Who would believe her? As they say guns don't kill people, people kill people. Paintings don't kill people. Would he believe her if she told him that the paintings were dangerous in a drive-a-person-to-madness kind of way? She'd end up in an institute if she spouted such nonsense.
'please find quickly. Many peoples' lives depend on it. Please.'
' yes ma'am. We'll start the investigation and inform you once we find something.'
She left the police station feeling as helpless as when she went in.
That was fruitless. I can't come out and tell them truth about the paintings or find the culprit myself. What exactly can i do? I can't sit and wait doing nothing. Think! Think!
A few minutes she had a plan. It wasn't perfect or anything, but it could work. She took a taxi and ended up in the offices of the local newspaper. Taking out an ad turned out to be easier than she'd expected. As long as you had the money to pay, anything was possible.
The receptionist watched her with a lazy look and took back the ad form. She didn't bat an eye when she read the crazy sounding notice. No doubt she'd seen many like this or worse than this. Bai liyue quickly paid the fee and left the building.
She had warned people about the painting. She had done her duty in a way since she didn't know where the paintings were or in whose hand they were. All she had to do was pray some poor soul does not fall victim to one of her paintings.
Far away in S city, a monk stood in front of the painting of a bridge. The stall owner watched him from time to time with a frown. He hated these kinds of people. They waste his time, but end up not buying his wares. Many passersby were interested in the painting, but didnt stop to inquire because the monk was monopolising the painting. Just when he was getting fed up, the monk threw him a wad of money.
' there is more where that came from for you, if you give me the name of the person who painted this work of art.'
Fifteen minutes later, he left the stall with a wrapped package and a satisfied grin. The heavens had not abandoned him. To come across such a miraculous encounter in such a place. It must be a sign of better things to come. Luckily, he wasn't the type to ignore such blatant signs. He hadn't found the painter, but it was only a matter of time. The money he had given to the greedy vendor will bear its fruits in a few days and he will be there to harvest them.
Two days later, Bai li yue returned home from another visit to a different newspaper. She'd suddenly had the thought that the paintings might not necessarily be in T city. Years of watching television dramas had taught her that stolen items were usually sold in different cities. So she went to K-city to take out another ad. By regularly scanning the television channels for reported strange deaths so she was certain that the paintings had not yet been sold. She unlocked the door (she made sure to remember to lock up ever since the incident) and entered into the living room only to freeze at the threshold.
'who are you? What are you doing in my house?'
There, right there in the living room was a man - a monk sitting on her sofa. He smiled, his lips stretching in a smile that was too wide.
' don't be scared, girl. I mean you no harm'
' i shouldn't be scared? You entered my home without permission. Please leave or i'm calling the police.'
' there is no need. Let me explain.'
' i don't need an explanation. Leave or i will scream.'
' at least let me explain'
li yue was done talking to the strange looking man in monk clothing. She opened her mouth to scream, but she never got the chance to.
Sigh.
He disappeared from his position near the sofa and appeared in front of her. A finger touched her throat and the air gushing from her lungs toward her throat in a scream died out as if it was a flame that had been snuffed out.
Her eyes widened and bulged incredulously. How did he do it? He was over there and in the next second in front of her. How come there is no sound coming out of her mouth?
Who is this person?
' i had hoped to have a conversation with you, but i should have known.'
' what did you expect? One does not simply enter another person's home without an invitation.'
' if i release you, do you promise not to scream?'
She nods hesitantly.
'good. Good. Good.'
She feels a sudden release around her vocal cords.
'who are you? Why are you in my house? What do you want? Let me tell you, i don't have any money.'
' my name is cai han ke. I came into possession of one of your paintings. I was very intrigued so i came to find you.'
' you have my paintings?'
' just one. Unfortunately, i arrived too late. There was only one remaining. I tried to find the location of the other six paintings, but the vendor was in no position to help, since he was selling them at a street stall.'
' oh!'
' from your reaction, i guess you know that your paintings are special.'
' special?'
' different, extraordinary, magical, unique. Pick which ever adjective suits you.'
' you know about the paintings. So what?'
He smiles again at her words.
' i came to find you because i can help you. You saw it just now. I'm not an ordinary monk.'
' h- how can you help me?
' you grew up thinking that you are cursed.'
' are you saying that i'm not?-'
'no, you are, but all you need is a seal to prevent the death energy from leaking out. That's the origin of your problems.'
' you wish to help me?'
' for a price of course.'
'don't be scared, child. I just need you to accept me as your teacher. Become my disciple. Follow me and in return i will show you a new world.'
Bai li yue's heart pounded at the promise of his words. What would she give up to live a life without this curse that was a constant companion. She had lost her family to it and if there was even an iota of truth in his words then she should follow him, shouldn't she? No matter how sleazy he looked. No matter how much a voice in the back of her mind told her that following him will be the worst mistake she ever did.
' mister, i appreciate your offer, but there is no way i'm following a stranger to God knows where. What if you turn out to be some depraved psycho who locks me in some dungeon for the rest of my life?'
She was looking for assurance from him that her instincts might be wrong.
' child, who told you i was asking?' his smile grew inordinately wider and wider as he reappeared in front of her in the blink of an eye and poked her limbs.
' i haven't seen such pure death energy in centuries and in a person too. I fed on the scant death energy roaming through the war zones of your world, but the energy i absorbed from your painting was richer than any i have ever tasted. Its benefits far outstrip those from the war zones.'
He muttered almost to himself.
Bai li yue was shaking in her frozen state.
My gut was right. He is going to kill me. I'm going to die just like that.
' don't be scared, child. I'm not going to kill you. Not just yet. I plan will keep you around for years and years to come, but right now, i'm hungry. To be precise i'm famished.'
He formed numerous hand seals and opened his mouth to swallow the grey wisps of energy that were now visible around her body.
'mmm... delicious!'
The wisps of energy were siphoned out of her body like dried earth greedily absorbing water until she collapsed to floor in a dead faint.
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