My Wife Is No Longer Human!?

Chapter Two: The Motel

The rain fell harder and harder, Zhang Qiang's face was practically pressed against the window.

His breathing grew heavier and more ragged. The truck’s speed didn't slow; instead, it increased. Faintly, I sensed there was something outside the window.

As our speed climbed, the truck lurched more violently over the potholes. The sound of the coffin slamming against the compartment grew louder and louder.

The eerie wedding music was still playing. Suddenly, in the darkness, I seemed to catch a glimpse of a flash of red through the window.

That flash was a dark crimson, like the color of human blood. And at that same moment, a chilling gust of wind swept through the cab. I shuddered, every hair on my body standing on end.

That crimson spot became clearer and clearer before my eyes. Finally, I saw a person standing outside the window.

The person was right there, standing outside the truck window, wearing a dark red wedding gown and a red veil, making their figure and face indistinct.

For a moment, fear completely overwhelmed me. That wedding gown was all too familiar—it was the very one I had purchased.

We were doing seventy kilometers per hour now. Yet, the figure stood perfectly still outside the window. I could feel the gaze from beneath that veil fixed intently upon us.

**THUD!**

The truck jolted with another violent crash. When I snapped back to my senses, I realized a faint light had appeared ahead. It was weak, but in these conditions, it was glaringly obvious.

The moment this light appeared, the wedding music abruptly stopped. The woman's panting from the pornographic tape on the radio now filled the cab.

I could clearly feel Zhang Qiang's tense body relax at this moment. He let out a long, heavy sigh and took a deep drag of his cigarette, smoking until he coughed.

He had clearly seen what I had seen too, because, like me, his body was trembling uncontrollably.

I grabbed the bottle of *baijiu* beside me and took a large gulp. The burning sensation made my stomach churn with acid.

But the fear gripping me hadn't diminished in the slightest. My heart felt like it was about to pound out of my chest.

Whether out of fear or reluctance, neither of us mentioned the strangeness that had just occurred.

Zhang Qiang lit cigarette after cigarette. We didn't dare open the windows, which filled the entire cab with a thick, swirling haze of smoke.

As we drove on slowly, I finally saw the source of that light.

It was an old vehicle, creeping along the right side of the road. Only one of its taillights was lit—that was the light source we had seen.

The rest of its lights seemed to be broken; it didn't even have headlights on.

As we pulled up alongside it, I glanced through the window. The interior was also dark. It seemed empty, but in the gloom, I faintly made out the silhouette of a human figure.

As if sensing my gaze, the figure stiffly turned its head to look at me. Unfortunately, it was too dark to make out its features.

*Tough going, traveling like this in the pitch black so late at night,* I thought to myself, withdrawing my gaze.

No matter what, I was silently grateful to that driver. Whatever the reason, after his appearance, all the bizarre phenomena had stopped.

"Damn it! What a piece of junk. Driving with only one damn taillight working?" Zhang Qiang cursed angrily, honking the horn.

The old vehicle was moving very slowly, so we passed it easily. With every bump, the coffin thudded in the back.

"Uncle, should we open the compartment and re-secure the coffin?" I suggested.

"No," Zhang Qiang shook his head. He rolled down his window just a c***k, letting in a breath of fresh air that cleared some of the smoke. He continued, "In our line of work, we travel all over. We don't have many taboos, but once that rear compartment is sealed shut, even if the sky were falling..."

"...it has to stay sealed until we reach the destination and the family opens it themselves."

I was about to say something when Zhang Qiang's phone rang with a piercing, shrill tone.

I jumped violently, startled.

"Look how scared you are! No guts at all," Zhang Qiang rolled his eyes, pulled the phone from his pocket, glanced at it casually, and tossed it to me. "The client. You answer it."

"Bullshit, I'm the bravest one here," I retorted.

I answered. It was eerily quiet on the other end. Then, a hoarse, low voice with a strange western accent spoke: "Is this the transport?"

"Yes. What is it?" I replied.

"Please hurry. I must receive the goods by the seventh day."

"Seven days?" I looked at Zhang Qiang. His lips moved soundlessly. I understood his silent message. "That shouldn't be a problem," I said into the phone. "But the price for that..."

"I'll add ten thousand."

"Alright, we'll..."

Before I could finish, the call disconnected. I muttered, "That's weird. Adding so much money just to get it there in seven days?"

Zhang Qiang gave a lopsided grin. "Posthumous marriages have the most taboos, especially in the western regions."

He lit another cigarette and began to ramble. "Seven is a very particular number. The seventh day after death—the '**' (tóuqī) when the soul returns. And the seventh day after marriage—the '**' (huímén) when the bride visits her parents. These are the most important days for a posthumous marriage."

Suddenly, his tone froze. He turned to look at me, and I met his gaze.

For a moment, I saw the same fear reflected in his eyes.

"Uncle... today... isn't today that girl's seventh day?"

I licked my dry lips, as if suddenly realizing something.

If today was the girl's *tóuqī*... then the figure outside the window earlier...

"Shut up!"

Zhang Qiang snapped back to himself quickly, his voice fierce. "Damn *tóuqī*! Who knows how long this girl's been dead? Her *tóuqī* passed ages ago!"

I knew he was just being stubborn. But we both tacitly agreed to drop the subject. Deep down, however, my unease and fear only grew stronger.

After what had just happened, neither of us was keen on continuing the night drive.

We found a county town not far away. The rain had stopped, but the weather remained heavy and gloomy.

Our luck held; we soon found a dilapidated motel.

I vaguely remember it was very rundown. All the surrounding shops were dark, only this motel had a dim, green neon sign glowing.

Zhang Qiang seemed to have already forgotten the earlier events. After parking, he somehow produced a pornographic business card and gave me a lewd, grinning wink. "Xiao Jiang, a little fun? My treat."

"You actually have the mood for that?" I swore. "Aren't you afraid you'll get going and find out it's a female ghost?"

"Go to hell!"

Zhang Qiang rolled his eyes. Once the truck was properly parked, he checked the chains securing the compartment, satisfied, then led me into the motel.

As we entered, out of instinct, I glanced back towards the truck.

In that glance, I thought I saw a woman in a wedding gown standing beside the vehicle.

I jumped, swearing loudly. "Holy s**t!"

Zhang Qiang was startled too. "What?!"

I pointed towards the compartment, exclaiming, "That woman! She was standing right there just now!"

Zhang Qiang's steps faltered, but he didn't look back. He just looked at me with an inscrutable gaze. "You saw wrong."

He patted my shoulder and pushed me along. "You're just too tense. Look at me! Eat when it's time to eat, drink when it's time to drink!"

The motel lobby held only one desk, a worn-out sofa, and staircases leading up on either side. The moment we stepped in, a pungent smell of cheap incense hit us, mixed with the stale odor of long-term damp and mildew.

Faintly, there also seemed to be the musky, animal-like smell of a wet, humid night.

I frowned slightly and looked for the source of the incense.

On the wall, something was enshrined, but it was unclear what. The idol was covered with a black cloth.

Four sticks of incense stood before it. Strangely, the straight, unwavering tendrils of white smoke drifted directly towards the shrouded statue.