Next to the cabinet stood a bed, and sitting on the bed was a middle-aged woman of about forty or fifty, dressed in ancient attire. Her clothing somewhat resembled a Japanese kimono: a dark blue robe with a border of deep blue satin sewn along the collar. The sleeves were very wide, narrow at the top and flaring out like a bell at the bottom. Her hair was styled in a falling-horse bun, adorned with three hairpins. Her complexion was fair, but her expression was fierce.

At this moment, she was holding a ruler in her hand, raised in midair, her eyes glaring so intensely they seemed about to pop out of their sockets—the direction of her glare was exactly where Samuel Green had appeared.

The old woman was holding a small hand in one of her own. The owner of the small hand was a girl of about twelve or thirteen, dressed in plain clothes, her hair styled in a child’s topknot with locks hanging down. Despite her youth, she was a classic petite beauty: bright eyes, white teeth, skin like porcelain, healthy rosy nails, jet-black shiny hair, and long eyelashes that made her lively eyes even more striking.

There was already a red mark on the small hand resting in the old woman’s palm, as if it had just been struck by the ruler. The little girl’s other hand was covering her mouth, her eyes also wide open, her mouth agape, looking in the direction where Samuel Green had appeared, her face full of surprise and delight.

From outside the house wafted the scent of flowers. Samuel Green blinked, and suddenly the walls of the room seemed to turn transparent, revealing the outside world in full view:

A swallow spread its wings, frozen in midair; several butterflies hovered motionless above the flowers; more than a dozen bees were also suspended in the air; even the dust stirred up by the wind hung in place like solid gel... In addition, there were six burly men in the courtyard, holding knives, spears, and clubs, peering outside the wall.

In the blink of an eye, time began to flow again. The swallow fluttered its wings and darted through the air; the butterflies landed on the petals; the bees made straight for the pollen; the dust began to disperse into the air. The six men in the courtyard, armed with weapons, twisted their bodies to look in the same direction, from which faint sounds of men and women laughing could be heard, the laughter crisp and clear.

Suddenly, a shrill scream pierced the air, making everyone’s ears ache. Even the fly buzzing near the cabinet was startled and flew up to the beam. The old woman on the bed, with a high-pitched, hoarse voice, screamed at the top of her lungs, “A ghost!”

As soon as she finished, several men in the courtyard sprang into action, and the walls returned to normal. Footsteps sounded twice, then stopped. Someone in the courtyard lazily said, “In broad daylight, where would a ghost come from?”

The old woman on the bed jumped up, flung the little girl’s hand aside, and hurled the ruler at Samuel Green without rhyme or reason, shrieking, “A ghost!”

Outside the courtyard wall, the faint laughter of men and women did not stop. Inside the wall, the footsteps no longer sounded. For the men guarding the courtyard, it seemed the situation outside the wall was more worthy of vigilance.

The old woman charged headlong at Samuel Green, but lunged at empty air. When she turned around, she found Samuel Green still standing in the same spot, not having moved at all—yet she was certain she had just passed right through where Samuel Green was standing.

The old woman’s eyes widened, and she immediately let out another shout: “A ghost!”

After shouting, she closed her eyes and began swinging the ruler blindly around her, crashing about like a mad bull... Very soon, she felt the real presence of Samuel Green—a hand had appeared around her neck. The long-armed, long-legged Samuel Green gripped her throat. Though the old woman’s ruler was still flailing, it never managed to hit Samuel Green.

Rage burned in Samuel Green’s eyes. He tightened his grip, and the old woman gradually began to suffocate, her limbs growing weak. When she stopped struggling, Samuel Green gently laid her on the ground and said, enunciating each word, “Don’t. Mess. With. Me.”

With her throat gripped, the old woman’s screams stopped instantly. When Samuel Green released her, she began to cough violently. At that moment, a timid voice nearby asked, “Are you here to save me?”

The one speaking was the petite little beauty of twelve or thirteen in the room.

This question was like water splashing into hot oil—the old woman immediately stopped coughing. With a flick of her wrist, a dagger appeared in her hand, its blade gleaming as she viciously stabbed at Samuel Green, while simultaneously screaming again, “Help! Someone’s broken in!”

With a bang, the old woman’s scream was cut short. Her body flew through the air, smashing open the half-closed door and landing in the courtyard. The dagger was flung far away, the ruler bounced a few times on the ground, then leapt into the grass.

Samuel Green’s figure appeared at the doorway he had just burst open, and he repeated his earlier words fiercely: “Don’t mess with me.”

The six burly men in the courtyard were stunned. One of them even foolishly asked, “Where did you come from?”

The old woman who had been thrown out of the house lay motionless on the ground, silent. Samuel Green looked around. Outside the courtyard wall, the laughter of men and women seemed to pause for a moment. Then, from the other rooms in the courtyard, several more old women rushed out. They reacted quickly; one of them immediately shouted, “Who are you?”

Receiving no answer, the old woman turned and scolded the six burly men, “What kind of guards are you? How did you let someone sneak in here? Hurry up and kill him!”

Chapter 2: The Strange Sniper