Elio’s Notes: The title 死鬼呀——！ is a pun. 死鬼 can be a flirtatious way of saying “you devil,” but it can also refer literally to a ghost. Both meanings appear in this chapter.
With a mischievous idea in mind, Xiao Ma turned the car around and headed back to his apartment, where he dragged Jade Guanyin away from the sofa while she was curled up yawning. She wore only one of his shirts, with nothing underneath. The open collar exposed a broad expanse of pale flesh across her chest. The moment she climbed into the front passenger seat and glanced sleepily toward the back, she perked up, rising to lean over the seat and inspect He Chu San.
“Oh! What a handsome young man! Is Brother Ma planning to play double dragons tonight?”
Xiao Ma had already started the car. He introduced them casually. “This is one of the brothers from our society. His name’s A’San. This is Xiao Yu.”
At the name “Xiao Yu,” He Chu San subtly lifted his eyes and looked at Jade Guanyin. He remembered hearing that name somewhere before, along with her distinctive, slightly husky, seductive voice.
“A’San is so handsome.” Jade Guanyin rubbed sensuously against the seat and gazed flirtatiously at him. “Would you like to play double dragons with us tonight?”
“What are double dragons?” He Chu San asked in genuine confusion, assuming it was some kind of card or board game.
Jade Guanyin raised both delicate hands and demonstrated by pushing two fingers into a circle. “Double dragons means my little hole can take two men at once. You and Brother Ma together… Oh, God! He’s blushing! Brother Ma, where did you find such an innocent handsome boy?”
“Enough. Stop teasing him.” Xiao Ma suppressed his laughter and cut her off before she went too far. A little teasing was harmless, but if she really corrupted that little gay brat He and he went home asking the Boss to play “double dragons,” the Boss would peel two layers of skin off Xiao Ma.
Xiao Ma took He Chu San and Jade Guanyin to a Western restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui East that he often visited. Jade Guanyin had already been there with him twice and knew the place well. She chose a quiet table by the window, sprawled lazily across it, and called for a waiter. Without consulting either of them, she ordered the same T-bone steak and red wine for all three.
Xiao Ma was a rough man. He dipped the small bread rolls into the soup and noisily polished off all three portions in a few bites. Then he stabbed his knife into the steak, lifted it with his fork, and bit directly into it. He Chu San, however, ate neatly and politely. Under Jade Guanyin’s openly amused gaze, he cut his steak with calm elegance while returning her stare with a smile as warm as a spring breeze.
Jade Guanyin pulled Xiao Ma’s hand, still holding a forkful of steak, toward her and bit off a piece of meat. “What do you do in the society, A’San?”
“Investment adviser,” He Chu San answered honestly.
“What does that mean? Brother Ma, do Hong Kong societies have that position now?” Jade Guanyin asked sweetly while clinging to Xiao Ma.
Before Xiao Ma could answer, He Chu San explained, “I handle the accounts and work under the White Paper Fan.”
Xiao Ma gave him a subtle glance. The brat knew the structure of a society pretty well. Xiao Ma had underestimated him. On the drive over, he had expected Jade Guanyin to tease He Chu San until he could not speak. Instead, He Chu San had only been caught off guard by “double dragons.” After that, the two chatted happily, moving from different cuts of steak to the history of red wine and even debating which wines paired best with fish balls and siu mai. Their nonsense made Jade Guanyin giggle continuously.
The brat had even taken the initiative to start a topic himself.
“What kind of work do you do, Sister Xiao Yu?”
Beneath the table, Xiao Ma secretly pinched Jade Guanyin’s ass. She let out a delighted little moan. “Me? I sell medicine.” When Xiao Ma pinched her again, she giggled and added, “I’m a nurse who sells medicine.”
“Nurses sell medicine too?”
“Of course. Medicine that makes men feel incredible. Hee-hee.”
Jade Guanyin rested her large breasts on the table and enthusiastically began introducing He Chu San to various aphrodisiacs and knockout drugs from Thailand. Although her mouth was full of indecent nonsense, she did not reveal anything important, so Xiao Ma let her continue.
The two of them chatted animatedly while Xiao Ma became thoroughly bored. Treating the meal as nothing more than an assignment, he finished eating in a few hurried bites and looked out the window while smoking. A car suddenly passed along the street, its headlights casting a brilliant flash across the glass. Xiao Ma instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes, but from the corner of his vision, he saw the vehicle suddenly rush closer.
He sprang up, vaulted across the table, and threw himself toward the other side, knocking He Chu San and Jade Guanyin down.
Crash—! A car smashed through the floor-to-ceiling window and drove directly into the restaurant, ramming the table where the three had been sitting into the wall and crushing it to pieces.
Two men dressed in black calmly stepped out of the car, each holding two submachine guns. They fired a burst into the waiter standing frozen in front of them. Blood and flesh blossomed through the air amid the muzzle flashes.
Piercing screams immediately filled the ruined restaurant. Customers fled in panic, while the two men in black walked directly toward Xiao Ma’s group, raising both hands as they advanced. The muzzles of their submachine guns spat fire like dragons.
Ratatatatatatat—!
By then, Xiao Ma had already dragged He Chu San and Jade Guanyin behind the nearest sofa. In the blink of an eye, the thick antique sofa was riddled like a honeycomb. Covering their heads, the three scrambled out from behind it and reached the counter. Amid deafening gunfire and explosions, shattered bottles and glasses rained down over them. They crouched in miserable disarray beneath the overwhelming barrage, unable to return fire.
At last, the gunfire suddenly stopped, and the clicking sounds of magazines being replaced came from outside. Xiao Ma immediately drew a handgun and threw it to Jade Guanyin. Lowering his voice, he ordered, “Cover me!”
Jade Guanyin smiled wickedly, completely unconcerned with her own life, and rose without hesitation to fire several shots directly at the attackers. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! A fierce barrage immediately came toward her, forcing her back behind the counter. At the exact moment she opened fire, Xiao Ma turned sideways, pressed himself flat against the floor, and slid out from the side of the counter. He fired twice at the two men in black. One was hit in the shoulder and the other in the side, weakening their fire. Seizing the opportunity, Jade Guanyin shoved He Chu San. Following the direction in which Xiao Ma had slid, He Chu San bent low and ran out, reaching the rear of the attackers’ car with Xiao Ma. The men noticed their movement, and dense fire immediately followed them. Jade Guanyin fired several shots from behind the counter to draw the attack back toward herself, but each man in black aimed one weapon in either direction, splitting their fire and leaving both sides pinned down.
Xiao Ma struggled to pull open the car door and crawled inside beneath the hail of bullets. The windows had already been shot away, and stuffing burst from the seats. Not daring to raise his head, he put his gun between his teeth and lay flat, using only his hands to work the clutch and shift gears. He Chu San threw himself in after him, squeezed in beside him, and reached upward to seize the steering wheel. The two coordinated above and below. Xiao Ma pressed the accelerator, and the car roared backward several meters before turning and charging directly toward the two men in black.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The vehicle overturned tables and chairs along the way, forcing the attackers to jump aside. He Chu San climbed into the driver’s seat and used his feet in place of Xiao Ma’s hands. Xiao Ma rose with his gun, fired at the attackers, and shouted toward the counter, “Jade Guanyin! Get over here!”
Jade Guanyin fired as she ran bent over toward them, then threw herself into the front passenger seat and became tangled together with Xiao Ma. Still pursued by gunfire, the vehicle—now riddled with holes—reversed through the same shattered window it had entered, turned onto the street, and fled into the night.
…
The three remained shaken even after they had driven a considerable distance. Only then did Xiao Ma realize Jade Guanyin’s two pale legs were still hanging outside. He pulled them into the car and shut the door, which no longer had a single fragment of glass left in the window.
“Where’s the brick phone? Hurry and call for help!” he demanded furiously. All three searched themselves before remembering that the brick phone and their bags had been left beside the table while they ate.
“Brother Xiao Ma, should we go back to the nightclub?” He Chu San asked.
“We can’t! We still don’t know why they came after us. We can’t lead them to the Boss!” Xiao Ma answered urgently. Halfway through speaking, realization struck him. He turned and glared at Jade Guanyin. “They came to kill you?”
Jade Guanyin smiled seductively, even appearing somewhat excited. “Yes. They’re assassins working for my godfather.”
“You jinx!” Xiao Ma shoved her hard. “Get into the back seat! A’San, go to Hung Hom Pier. I have a hiding place there.”
He Chu San sped around the corner. Jade Guanyin raised her ass and crawled between the seats into the rear. The instant she reached it, she warned, “They’re following us.”
The men in black had stolen a passing taxi and were close behind. As Jade Guanyin spoke, one attacker leaned out from the front passenger window with a submachine gun and fired a burst at them.
He Chu San swerved sharply to avoid the attack. Jade Guanyin crouched low behind the rear seat and fired back through the shattered rear window, while Xiao Ma cursed at the top of his voice. “Fuck their mothers! Is there no law left? This is Hong Kong, a society ruled by law! They’re running around the streets in broad daylight killing people with submachine guns! Even triads aren’t this brazen! Where the hell are the cops? Are they all dead?”
Jade Guanyin giggled despite the gunfire. “When the cops come, will they arrest them or arrest you?”
Only He Chu San remained silent. He was very familiar with the name Xiao Ma had shouted during the gunfight: Jade Guanyin. In the fragments of conversation he had overheard while staying at Xia Liu Yi’s house, those three words had always been connected with Thailand, heroin, and smuggling. During the period when He Chu San had broken his leg, Xia Liu Yi had traveled to Thailand. While speaking to him on the telephone, he had also accidentally mentioned the name “Xiao Yu.” He Chu San’s hands began trembling against the steering wheel, but not because he was afraid of being dragged into an underworld shootout. He was angry. Xia Liu Yi’s half-hearted attempt to “go legitimate” had indeed concealed something. He had never ended his contact with drug traffickers.
“Brother Xiao Ma, Sister Xiao Yu, hold on,” He Chu San said.
“What are you doing?” Xiao Ma noticed he was driving in the wrong direction.
“I have a way to lose them.” He Chu San spun the steering wheel and drove directly toward Azure Dragon’s former villa halfway up the coastal mountain.
The mountain road twisted sharply and was almost deserted. He Chu San sped along at a terrifying pace, his violent turns making the other two nauseated. They had to fight back the urge to vomit while clinging to the windows and exchanging gunfire with the men behind them. Fortunately, their pursuers were also being thrown around. Combined with the twisting road, dangerous terrain, and their unfamiliarity with the route, they remained unable to close the distance.
The two cars raced one behind the other until halfway up the mountain. He Chu San’s vehicle suddenly seemed to develop a problem. It moved more and more slowly, swaying from side to side, until the brakes gave a piercing shriek and the car was forced to stop.
Xiao Ma and Jade Guanyin leaned out from opposite sides and opened fire on the vehicle behind them. A storm of bullets ten times fiercer immediately returned. In an instant, even the car’s trunk lid was shot loose and flipped upward. Within seconds, the men in black approached amid roaring gunfire. Xiao Ma fired his final bullet, ducked below the seat, and listened as the other car rapidly closed the distance. Judging the moment, he shouted, “Go!”
He Chu San, who was also crouched beneath the seat, stepped on the accelerator. Their car suddenly surged forward, revealing the empty cliff beside it and a sign warning of a sharp bend. The attackers’ vehicle drove directly into the fatal opening. It flew over the cliff and launched into the air.
Boom—!
With several thunderous crashes, the car rolled down the steep mountainside, losing tires and its bumper along the way. It was crushed into pieces before finally falling still at the bottom.
He Chu San stopped their vehicle. Smoke-blackened and singed, the three climbed out of the ruined car and ran to the cliff to look down. Before long, another explosion sounded from below. Boom—! Flames burst outward.
He Chu San and Xiao Ma both released breaths of relief. Jade Guanyin remained as soft and unconcerned as ever. Clinging to Xiao Ma’s arm, she flirted, “Brother Ma is so handsome. You saved me again.”
“Get lost, you goddamn jinx!” Xiao Ma shoved her hard. His palm came away sticky with blood, and his face immediately turned green. “You were shot?!”
…
A bullet had grazed Jade Guanyin’s waist. Xiao Ma quickly tore his clothes and used the fabric to stop the bleeding. The three climbed back into the wrecked vehicle, which rattled and clanged as they forced it farther along the road toward Azure Dragon’s former villa halfway up the mountain. He Chu San smashed the iron lock on the courtyard gate with a stone, and Xiao Ma carried Jade Guanyin inside.
The abandoned villa had been empty for more than three years. By then, darkness had begun to fall. The large courtyard was desolate, with trees, flowers, and weeds growing without restraint. Dark green vines covered nearly half the villa, making the house look gloomy and haunted.
“What place is this?” Jade Guanyin had lost too much blood and was deathly pale, yet she still looked around excitedly. Xiao Ma cursed her, and she pouted before curling quietly against his chest.
He Chu San tore away the consecrated yellow talisman sealing the villa’s front door, carefully folded it, and placed it in his pocket. Then he pushed open the door, which had remained closed for years. Dust carrying the smell of decay rushed toward them, and all three immediately lowered their heads and coughed. When they looked up again, the final glow of sunset had fallen over the memorial portraits and spirit tablets of Azure Dragon and Xiao Man in the main hall. The sudden appearance of the two dead faces frightened Xiao Ma so badly that he screamed and stumbled several steps backward.
“What are you doing?” Jade Guanyin nearly fell from his arms and complained unhappily. “It’s only A’Long. Is this his wife? She was quite pretty. Huh? She looks a little familiar.”
Elio’s Notes: A’Long is Jade Guanyin’s familiar nickname for Azure Dragon. It comes from the Long in Qinglong (青龙), meaning “Azure Dragon.”
“She was the Boss’s older sister,” Xiao Ma said.
“No wonder!” Jade Guanyin’s eyes shifted as she thought for a moment. As though something had suddenly become clear, she began giggling again.
He Chu San walked forward and used his suit jacket to wipe the dust from the portraits of Azure Dragon and Xiao Man. After returning them to place, he pressed his palms together and bowed. He had never done anything that weighed on his conscience, so he did not fear ghosts or gods. He openly walked around the villa. “Brother Xiao Ma, there’s a sofa over here.”
Xiao Ma had never plotted against Azure Dragon either, but he had been born terribly afraid of ghosts. This house, where more than a dozen people had once died unjustly, terrified him. That damned He brat had even torn the yellow talisman off the door. Was that something a person could simply remove?
Trembling, Xiao Ma hurried along the wall, placed Jade Guanyin on the sofa, and immediately opened her clothing to examine the wound. When he saw the bleeding had barely stopped, he relaxed slightly. “You two stay here. I’ll go find a telephone nearby and notify the Boss.”
“I’ll go,” He Chu San offered. Seeing how worried Xiao Ma was about Jade Guanyin, he intended to let him remain and care for his lover. Unexpectedly, Xiao Ma had absolutely no desire to stay in the dark villa without electricity. Not even Jade Guanyin’s beauty could persuade him. “I’ll go! I’ll go! You watch her!”
He Chu San could only remain with Jade Guanyin. After the tragedy years earlier, Xu Ying had burned the villa to destroy the bodies and evidence. Xia Liu Yi later hired people to perform rites, repair the house, and repaint it. However, because no one had lived there since, the interior contained nothing except the altar holding the spirit tablets and a single sofa. The two portraits faced the empty hall in lonely silence. As the sky darkened, the villa became increasingly eerie.
Jade Guanyin curled up on the sofa. Although her face was pale, she still had the energy to tease him. “Xiao Ma never lets me meet anyone else. You’re the first. He brought me out to eat with you and didn’t dare say a single harsh word to you. You aren’t his subordinate, are you? Just now, you called him ‘Brother Liu Yi’ instead of ‘Boss.’ What are you to A’Liu?”
He Chu San stood in the center of the room, examining the spirit tablets of Azure Dragon and Xiao Man. Hearing the final question, he merely smiled honestly and gently. “I’m the person who takes care of him.”
“I’ve known him for nearly ten years. He’s never shown any sexual interest in men or women. What special ability do you have?”
He Chu San approached and covered her with his jacket. He smiled mildly and used her own words from their first meeting to tease her. “I’m handsome. Are you cold, Sister Xiao Yu? Shall I find you a blanket?”
“Hee-hee. I won’t be cold if you hold me.” Jade Guanyin casually reached toward him, but her hand suddenly shifted into a grappling move aimed at his pulse point. He Chu San used a Tai Chi pushing hand and slid smoothly along her wrist to escape. “Lie down. I’ll be back soon.”
Jade Guanyin giggled behind him. Watching He Chu San walk away, she bit her finger and murmured excitedly, “A’Liu’s little rabbit is interesting.”
He Chu San searched every room on the first and second floors, but they were completely empty. He did not hurry to “find a blanket” for Xiao Yu. Instead, using the final light of sunset, he carefully felt along the corners and walls, searching for hidden mechanisms or compartments. After searching for a long time, the only thing he found was an abandoned concealed cabinet in what appeared to have once been the study. Inside was a safe permanently welded into place. However, the door was not locked, and when he opened it, the interior was empty. Whatever had once been stored there had already been removed.
After coming downstairs, He Chu San carefully examined the base of the altar holding Azure Dragon and Xiao Man’s spirit tablets.
“You can’t hide anything inside that,” Jade Guanyin reminded him with a giggle.
He Chu San smiled calmly. “I couldn’t find a blanket. Bear with it a little longer. Brother Xiao Ma will return soon.”
As expected, Xiao Ma rushed in shortly afterward. “The Boss and the private doctor are coming immediately! She isn’t dead yet, is she?”
“You’re the one who’s dead, you devil!” Jade Guanyin cursed him with a laugh. Her expression suddenly changed, and she pointed behind him. “Watch out!”
Xiao Ma instinctively ducked and covered his head. The dark figure behind him swung a large rock, but the blow missed. The stone flew through the air and struck the spirit tablets of Azure Dragon and Xiao Man. Xiao Ma turned, saw the figure, and screamed. “A ghost—!”
Two pitch-black figures stood there. Their clothing was torn, and their faces were covered in grime until they hardly appeared human. Only two pairs of blood-red eyes shone through the darkness with vicious, resentful killing intent. Xiao Ma’s legs went weak, and he collapsed. “Boss! Sister-in-law! Have mercy! I’ve always been loyal to both of you! I never harmed you!”
He Chu San darted in from the side and slapped the yellow talisman he had placed in his pocket against the forehead of one “ghost.” Smack! The talisman stuck firmly to the blood covering the man’s forehead. However, the other party merely scratched at it and tore it away with ease.
“A ghost that isn’t afraid of talismans—!” Xiao Ma wailed and turned to run. The “ghost” caught him by the back of his collar. With a roar, it lifted Xiao Ma completely off the ground and threw him away.