“Xiao Mei found a way out! Do you understand? We can just leave this place!”

  “There was always a way out. Fortresses are built so no one can get in from the outside. Getting out is another matter,” Hai Ling replied. “Did you forget? There’s a wild forest beyond these walls. Fine, we escape, and then what? Where do we go?” The thought of leaving even this fragile refuge and wandering blindly, without support, frightened her.

  “We have a map,” Cao Siwen answered calmly. “Uncle Zhang made it for us. You know that perfectly well. So what’s the problem?”

  “There are dangerous beasts out there…” Hai Ling recalled, her gaze darting around the cellar as if searching for another excuse, until it met Cao Siwen’s clear and perceptive eyes. “I’m just scared,” she admitted quietly. “It’s frightening here… and it’s frightening out there too…”

  “I understand. Without Uncle Zhang it will be hard. But if we don’t leave, we’ll never be safe,” the girl said, gently patting her elder sister’s shoulder. “There might not be a second chance. He would say the same.” She let out a heavy sigh. “I have a feeling Uncle Zhang will die because of us. I don’t want that.”

  Silence settled over them. Only Xiao Mei’s exaggerated sighs broke the silence as she shared in their worries. Then she grew bored and began stuffing the items stolen from the bandits’ storehouse into a sack, tossing in clothes, some food, then more things.

  “Oh, we mustn’t forget anything…” she said in a businesslike tone.

  “Fine,” Hai Ling nodded with a faint smile. “I agree. When do we run?”

  “The next night. There’s nothing left to wait for.”

  Autumn clouds drifted above the bandits’ fortress, and the wind swayed the treetops. Each day grew colder. The locals pulled padded robes from storage to replace sleeveless shirts soaked with sweat and grime. Those who had failed to prepare for winter crowded around the warehouses, where clothing was issued with great reluctance, and not always new.

  The day passed in bustle. After sunset, the mountain fortress quieted once more. Only the chirping of insects and the cries of night birds disturbed the silence. From the old shed, three shadows slipped out with sacks on their backs and moved soundlessly toward the tall wall at whose base fruit trees grew. One by one, the dark figures climbed the branches like little monkeys, then paused briefly among the leaves.

  No suspicious sounds came from nearby, and the watchtower visible in the distance showed no movement. One after another, the girls crossed the thick branch and leapt onto the fortress wall. Nearly lying flat, they crept toward the watchtower, along its outer wall Xiao Mei had managed to descend before.

  Inside, a sentry slept, hugging a jug of wine. From time to time, he smacked his lips as if still savoring the taste.

  “He sleeps funny,” Xiao Mei whispered. “Yesterday he slept like that too… only sitting. Hee-hee.”

  “Shhh.” Hai Ling pressed a finger to her lips. “Don’t wake him.”

  With gestures, she signaled Xiao Mei to begin climbing down the outside wall of the tower. The stacked logs formed a crude ladder, and thick vines intertwined with other creepers clung to them, stretching from the ground almost to the top. Over the years they had grown into a sturdy mass fused to the wood. The fragile fugitives weighed little; even the eldest, Hai Ling, was supported, though the vines creaked in protest beneath her fingers.

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  Near the ground, where the vines should have been denser, Hai Ling’s foot slipped. The dried creepers snapped with a crack, and she fell. A sharp stone tore into her palm, but Hai Ling did not make a single sound. All three girls froze beneath the wall, pressing themselves to the earth, scarcely daring to breathe.

  “What? Who’s there?” a voice called from above, and a shaggy head appeared. The sentry squinted into the darkness for a while but saw nothing. “No one? Could it really be ghosts?”

  As soon as his head disappeared, the girls, trembling, began descending the steep mountainside scattered with sharp stones. They wanted to run, faster and farther from that cursed place, but moved slowly, measuring each step. Fortunately, their eyes saw well in the dark. One misstep would have sent them tumbling down, and the jagged rocks would have torn them to pieces.

  Sweat drenched them from tension as they constantly looked back. At last, the three reached the foot of the mountain. The dense forest wrapped them in its green mantle. Only when the fortress walls vanished behind the trees did they pause briefly to catch their breath.

  “Even the air feels different here!” Cao Siwen smiled, adjusting a lock of hair with trembling fingers.

  “We took our things. Food too. I think we didn’t forget anything,” Hai Ling said, pretending calm. “What’s in your sack, Xiao Mei?”

  “I took all my toys,” she replied as if this were nothing more than an evening walk.

  “Um… fine. Isn’t it heavy?”

  “Not at all!” the girl shook her head.

  “We need to hurry. Let’s go.”

  Pushing through thickets over the thick forest floor, the former captives swiftly put distance between themselves and the bandits’ fort. At times they flinched at the distant howl of wolves or the hoot of an owl, but they did not stop for a single moment. The first stage of Body Tempering had granted them enough inner energy to run through the night. Fear drove them onward, as though a monster breathed at their backs. Just in case, the girls armed themselves with sturdy sticks and were prepared to fight for their lives.

  At the same time, a shaggy man with a jug of wine entered the livestock yard. His hair stuck out in every direction, and even his beard bristled as if in defiance. Finding no one in the usual spot, he wandered about and noticed five silhouettes amid the tall grass in the ravine. By midnight, the ghost hunters were exhausted; half of them dozed. The old man who drew talismans snored, drooling. Perhaps he dreamed of the hearty meals the former peasants had fed him.

  “What are you hiding here for?” Lao Yu asked loudly and burst into laughter.

  “Huh? Who’s there?” The men jolted awake and sprang to their feet; the old man sat up, rubbing his eyes.

  “Easy! Why so jumpy?” the shaggy bandit grinned.

  “Old Yu? Is that you?” Lin Bo recognized him. “Don’t want to scare you, but ghosts have appeared here.”

  “Oh! Ha-ha-ha! And how long have you been hunting them?”

  “Tch. Haven’t slept in days. I’m worn out,” Lu Han complained.

  “I wandered around the area and saw nothing,” Lao Yu reassured him. “Seems to me the ghosts have long since left. You won’t catch anyone.”

  “Really?” Xiao Bai asked hopefully.

  “Impossible,” the talisman-drawing elder narrowed his eyes.

  “Maybe he’s right. No one’s touched the offerings for days,” Lin Bo scratched his cheek thoughtfully.

  “That’s true!” Lin Bin agreed at once.

  “Let’s celebrate being rid of ghosts! Ha-ha!” Lao Yu laughed. “Looks like your talismans worked.”

  “Exactly, exactly,” the old man nodded eagerly, adjusting his necklace of teeth. “We must drink to that!” He licked his lips.

  “Ha-ha-ha, let’s go!” The shaggy bandit clapped Lin Bo on the shoulder.

  “Tomorrow we’ll take down the altar!” Lu Han rejoiced; he had feared the ghosts most of all.

  “Finally we’ll sleep like proper people,” the peasants said as they headed toward their home one by one.

  “Strange…” Lao Yu lagged behind. Near the pigpens he crouched, studying the ground. “Ghosts don’t leave footprints. Especially tiny ones like these.” He glanced toward the old shed. “Hiding something interesting, Brother Zhang? That’s not very nice. You should share.”