The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 96: Funeral

Taiping Bridge Cemetery, ten o’clock in the morning.

The cemetery was built along a hill. At the foot of the hill was a clean winding stream with an old stone bridge called Taiping Bridge. And across from the bridge, the dead lay in their eternal slumber. Specks of gray tombstones scattered across the green of the hill like stars in the night sky.

The cemetery was an old one in Li City and lacked planning. With all the weeds overtaking the place, it looked desolate and abandoned.

Compared to those new cemeteries that were in perfect order and kept clean, however, Gao Yang much preferred the old Taiping Bridge Cemetery. This was what he believed a cemetery should be—a real resting place for the dead.

With the exception of Dragon, everyone attended Ghost Horse’s funeral.

They took turns shoveling the soil to bury the coffin.

After that, Heavenly Dog put up the tombstone he’d cut.

Lovely Lamb had been crying the whole time, her eyes swollen like two lightbulbs. And now, she couldn’t help but burst into tears again. She couldn’t accept the truth, and she asked White Rabbit, “Is Uncle Ghost Horse really a bad man?”

“Uncle Ghost Horse isn’t a bad man, Cute Little Lamb.” White Rabbit crouched down and comforted her. “He’s just the Big Gray Wolf[1].”

“Big Gray Wolf?” Lovely Lamb didn’t get it.

“Yeah. Big Gray Wolf will starve to death if he doesn’t eat the pigs, but the pigs will die if they get eaten by the wolf. Between the Big Gray Wolf and the little pigs, someone has to die.”

“We are the pigs, and Uncle Ghost Horse is the Big Gray Wolf,” Lovely Lamb said in her youthful voice, her tone suggesting she hadn’t completely wrapped her head around the matter.

“That’s right.” White Rabbit pulled Lovely Lamb into her arms.

War Tiger coughed twice and said with sorrow coloring his voice, “During the nine years Ghost Horse was with us, he had been our irreplaceable comrade, friend, and family. In the end, however, he chose betrayal. It was also possible that he joined us as a spy at the very beginning.”

His gaze swept through each of the members present. “We’re no saint, and it’s impossible to forgive and forget the living with a smile, but in death, we can forgive and forget. He’d been part of our journey, and I hope that we’d all remember the good parts of him and forget the wrongs he did us.”

No one said anything.

Heavenly Dog took out a harmonica and turned his back to the others, playing a meandering, mournful tune toward the open landscape.

As he played, everyone took turns walking up to the tombstone with a white daisy, offering it to the dead man.

The last to lay down a flower was Songstress. Her makeup was brighter and more pronounced than usual, but it failed to cover her swollen, reddened eyes.

Gently, she placed the flower down and put two fingers to her lips, pressing them to the tombstone as the final goodbye.

That was when the song ended, marking the conclusion of the funeral.

They took their leaves. Gao Yang was trailing at the very back of the group, and his hair suddenly stood on end after a couple steps.

He looked over his shoulder and was shocked to see the familiar white cat.

It was perching on Ghost Horse’s tombstone with a gracefulness to its posture, its kaleidoscopic green eyes boring into Gao Yang.

“Gao Yang?” Officer Huang called out to him. “Let’s go.”

After a blink, the White Cat was gone, as if it had never been there in the first place.

Gao Yang quickly accessed the system. His Luck points acquisition rate hadn’t increased. The white cat didn’t seem hostile to him.

Actually, Gao Yang had been debating whether he should tell Officer Huang and Qing Ling about the white cat.

For reasons unbeknownst to him, however, his intuition told him that the white cat was after him, and it might be best to keep his companions out of it.

...

To return to the base, Gao Yang, Qing Ling, Officer Huang, and White Rabbit got into War Tiger’s jeep.

The man drank beer as he drove and was significantly less talkative than usual.

Riding shotgun, White Rabbit had her legs up on the seat and was painting her toenails black.

Officer Huang was messaging his wife on WeChat.

Qing Ling lay back into the seat with her head pressed against the window, resting with her eyes closed.

“Songstress must be devastated,” War Tiger said suddenly.

“Is she close with Ghost Horse?” Officer Huang asked.

“Very close,” said White Rabbit. She hadn’t stopped what she was doing.

“Ghost Horse’s law firm was close to Songstress’ flower shop. Every day before going to work, Ghost Horse would swing by Songstress’ shop to buy a bouquet. And Songstress would make two cups of coffee, which they drank as they had a short time together.”

That made Gao Yang curious about something despite the situation. “Isn’t Songstress’ Talent Requiem?”

“So?” White Rabbit asked.

Gao Yang came to the realization on his own. “Ah, I forgot that Ghost Horse’s Talent was Telepathy.”

“Their Talents are a perfect match,” War Tiger said. “Once, I walked past the flower shop and saw the two of them sitting on the other side of the window dressing, listening to music and drinking coffee. Neither of them talked, but they smiled every once in a while. I’ve always suspected that they were canoodling in secret.”

“Would you not put it like that? They had a spiritual connection to each other.” White Rabbit shot War Tiger a glare. “Songstress feels lonely since she usually can’t talk to people.”

Gao Yang pictured the scene in his head and found it quite romantic. He lamented, “No wonder Songstress was so heartbroken.”

“There’s a reason Captain prohibits office romance.” White Rabbit smiled wryly.

“With Ghost Horse’s passing, Gao Yang, you’ll be taking his place.” War Tiger changed the subject. “You are the Horse of the Twelve Zodiac Signs from now on. Have you thought of a name?”

“It all happens so suddenly. I haven’t put any thought to it.” Gao Yang admitted. He had wanted to stay out of the spotlight. He hadn’t expected to become a frontliner so soon.

“Why don’t I do it for you as your teacher?” War Tiger smiled. “I have the perfect name.”

“Of course.” Gao Yang would humbly accept it, or so he believed.

“Dark Horse.” War Tiger raised an eyebrow. “What do you think?”

That’s too arrogant a name! I’ll attract too much attention!

Are you trying to get me killed by overhyping me, Teacher?!

Gao Yang swallowed the complaints. “Why don’t we give it another thought...”

“I think it’s a good name.” White Rabbit raised a hand. “I vote Dark Horse.”

“Seconded,” Officer Huang said with a smirk.

“Thirded,” Qing Ling said with her eyes still closed.

“That’s decided then.” War Tiger was pleased with the result.

“Then...thank you, Teacher.” Gao Yang accepted the name with resignation. An arm could never win a wrestle against a thigh.

Dark Horse?

Let’s hope I live up to the name.

...

Instead of going back to the Millennium Tower straightaway, War Tiger drove to Ghost Horse’s place first.

On one hand, it was to sort through the belongings he left behind.

On the other hand, there might be clues to be discovered.

Ghost Horse was something of a loner. He had been single for years. He owned no properties or cars. And he lived in a rental.

War Tiger easily picked the door lock. Inside was a one-room single flat. On the other side of the window wall was a balcony. The white curtains swayed with the wind. The natural light was allowed in fully.

The flat was surprisingly clean and minimalistic. On the floor was a large, thick gray mattress, beside which stood a foldable table with a closed laptop.

Next to it was a bookcase. The top most shelf was filled with a dozen or so books about law, and the rest were filled with jazz CDs.

Across the mattress, a black stereo system was set up by the wall. It looked professional and high-class. Those were probably the only expensive things in this flat.

Gao Yang put together a profile for Ghost Horse in his head. He rode a crowded subway home every day after work. Then he closed the door, took off his shoes, put down the suitcase, changed from his suit into pajamas, picked out a CD he liked from the bookcase, and turned on the stereo. Then he would take ingredients from the fridge and start making dinner with the music as his only company.

A simple, routine, and lonely life.

Why did he betray the organization? Who was he working for? What was he after? What was his dream? Did he have regrets? Who had he loved, and who had he resented? How about someone he couldn’t stop thinking about?

They might never find the answers to those questions.

The five of them searched through Ghost Horse’s flat, but found no noteworthy clues. All they achieved was further deepening their sadness.

War Tiger took Ghost Horse’s laptop and decided to leave. That was when his phone rang. He picked up before everyone, and after half a minute, he hung up with a, ‘We’ll talk in person.’

He waggled his eyebrows at White Rabbit. “Guess who just called, Rabbit?”

“Talk, or shut up and piss off.” White Rabbit wasn’t in the mood for games.

“Hundred Rivers Union.” War Tiger’s expression lit up with excitement. It seemed that he had quickly gotten out of the shadow of Ghost Horse’s death.

“Hundred Rivers Union?” White Rabbit perked up as well. “What is it?”

“Something great. They found a Rune Cave.”

1. In the Chinese rendition of the Three Little Pigs, the wolf is known as the Big Gray Wolf rather than the Big Bad Wolf. It’s the same for Little Red Riding Hood. Since White Rabbit is saying that he isn’t a bad man, the literal translation of the Chinese seems more fitting than the original name of the fable character. ?