Zhou Tong made the first guess, "Maybe he went to the little stove and the monster got out by mistake. I bet it chased him to this very room and his master sealed them both inside!" His eyes gleamed triumphantly at solving the mystery.

Master Ge rebuked that triumph quickly. "No, no, no. Someone was here to seal the stove in 1969! If they found the stove empty, they wouldn't have left any amulets."

The two began to bicker. Master Liu cleared his throat and said, "There's still a long way to go down this corridor. Maybe we'll catch the zombie, or even the snake spirit. Either way, I suspect we'll find answers when we find You Xiaoqing."

Master Liu replaced the stack of papers and moved to the bed to check the quilt. He bent over and picked up the inkpot, looking inside. "Here's cinnabar that's used to make paper amulets." He lifted a finger showing the reddish mineral from within the inkpot.

"I'm positive this is used to seal coffins too," Master Liu pondered. "But it's not here. There must be a coffin somewhere nearby."

He reached over and pulled the ragged quilt off the bed. There was nothing beneath it except a foul yellow stench. Master Liu retched in his throat and turned away very quickly.

"What is it?" Are you okay?" I asked, stepping back away from the bed.

He didn't say anything, only shook his head and took deep breaths through his nose. His mouth was shut tight and his face had gone a pale gray color.

Master Ge and Zhou Tong had moved to the door and were discussing how it had been broken. Zhou Tong was holding a long board in his hand. "It looks like someone broke into the room, not out of it." He held up the board to where it might have once fit on the door. "See? The splinters bend inwards."

"So someone was trying to get-" Master Ge began to respond. His voice dropped off abruptly at the sound of footsteps from outside the door.

All three men seemed to move at once. Before I could take a shaking breath, Master Liu pulled me behind him and drew the peach wood sword from his hip. In his other hand he brandished a thunder amulet towards the door.

Master Ge made a similar movement to his left. A flashlight beam bounced off of his copper sword onto the wall beside him. He too held an amulet in the opposite hand. Zhou Tong seemed to fold both of his arms into himself and came out with two daggers that were dark as night. He squatted down between the two masters. We stared at the shattered door before us.

With silent coordination, Master Liu and Master Ge rushed out of the room. They slipped through the door, Master Liu in the lead, both moving with a surprising lack of noise. I tensed, waiting to hear screams, swords, or explosions. My ears rang only with the receding sound of footsteps, something like leather slapping stone.

"Come on out." Master Liu called to us. When we cleared the doorway he adhered an amulet to the frame, saying, "We go forward. It's been quite some time and I'm sure it's dark by now. The Yin air is stronger in the night and our undead friend won't be limited by sunlight. If it gets past us many soldiers will die."

Master Ge nodded and followed Master Liu down the hall. Zhou Tong and I followed closely after. I looked to him and asked, "Don't you need to go first?"

Zhou Tong shook his head. "No, this place isn't a tomb. Most of the architecture I'm familiar with was made to house the dead." He shrugged and gave a small smile, "I'm out of my wheelhouse, kid."

Master Ge spoke without looking back at us, "Zhou Tong, don't be too modest. You've gotten us this far."

Zhou Tong smiled.

Twenty minutes later we came upon two copper bronze colored doors that ended our long hallway. A small, singsong voice came through the crack between the doors. It sang, ""Little snake, close your eyes. Mummy's here for you. Sunny day, rainy day, just us two" The song ended with shrill unnatural laughter that sent a chill through me.

My eyes widened as the owner of the voice came to me. "That's You Xiaoqing! Why is she singing?"

Speaking in excitement, my voice echoed raucously in the dark hallway. I winced at my foolishness. The laughter from beyond the doors disappeared slowly as if they were being dragged down a long tunnel. The fading made it all the more unnerving.

Zhou Tong clapped a hand over my mouth as soon as I spoke, but it was too late.

Master Liu and Master Ge pushed the bronze doors open slowly. They made a loud crunching sound that echoed into the large room.

The room was pitch black save for two glowing stones on the opposite wall. They gave off a pale yellow light that did nothing to help us see. We entered slowly and were almost pushed back by a thick decaying stench. Zhou Tong pointed to the twin lights and spoke hesitantly, "Guys, those aren't stones"

All four of us aimed our lights at the pale yellow glow and watched the darkness curdle into a shape. The yellow lights sharpened and became circular eyes with vertical black pupils. The shadows, which now looked more like a mass of black gas, took the shape of a large curled snake the color of midnight. A forked tongue the size of my leg darted out at the four of us as if testing the air.

"We've seen this before." I thought, "The pigsoh god it got bigger!"

The curled snake sat as high as Zhou Tong. Craning my neck to try and see all of it, I noticed a dripping mass on the ceiling. It was the bleeding remains of some kind of livestock. My head spun, thinking that's what happened to You Xiaoqing. Trying to avert my gaze I looked to the wall on my right and saw even more broken and bloody remnants. Fur and bones stuck out of an indent in the stony wall like it had been pushed in there for safekeeping. A river of blood was flowing down onto the stone floor and now reflecting my light.

My stomach clenched painfully and I doubled over, revisiting the scraps of lunch we'd had just an hour or so earlier. Zhou Tong stood by me, not taking his eyes off of the snake spirit before us.

Master Liu and Master Ge stood calmly in front of the enormous snake spirit. They stood in silence, hands empty and folded behind them. Wiping the sick from my mouth, I spat and then turned to Zhou Tong. "What are they doing?"

He ignored my question. Instead he stood up next to me, though still more than a few paces behind Master Ge and Liu, and said what we were all thinking. "It brought the livestock here to feed."

The snake didn't attack. It's tongue darted out once more towards Master Liu and Master Ge, who were standing casually like they were ready for a flash mob. Master Liu spoke first, "You have been practicing for a hundred years or so, haven't you? We are not here to stop you." I looked at him shocked. His voice was firm, but calm. And he was just going to let this thing keep on killing?

Master Liu went on above my inner turmoil, "There was a girl here, just now. I will help you secure this land so that you may continue your practice with grand opportunities and a bright prospect, but you must give me that girl." He didn't raise his voice, but something in it grew stronger with each word. I could feel his intention reverberating through the room, filling me with confidence and driving away the fear.

The massive snake tilted its head so that both eyes were focused on Master Liu. With painfully slow movements it inched towards him, then darted its tongue less than a meter from his face and released an impossibly loud hiss.

"Is it talking to him?" I asked Zhou Tong. He didn't respond, but shook his head telling me to be quiet.

Master Liu went on unabashed, "Saved her?" He nodded slowly. "Then the green snake is yours?"

The black snake nodded its head, tongue darting out less aggressively this time. It seemed to be communicating with Master Liu by some unknown magic. The snake spirit could understand him.

Master Liu took a deep breath, saying, "That is true, you have not hurt a human being. And we thank you for leaving the remains of your shed skin as payment. You must understand though, the people of this village are frightened. They did not mean to offend you."

The enormous head nodded again, its tongue danced in and out.

Master Liu continued, "Sick you say? Well of course it is! Your kind can't live among people. Your child can't grow as long as it is with that little girl! Her world is absorbing all of its anima! And as for You Xiaoqing-" Master Liu started, but the snake let out another monstrous hiss.

When the sound had subsided Master Liu went on as if uninterrupted, "Yes, I'm afraid she is too. You Xiaoqing has been as much affected as your offspring. The door opens both ways! Thank you for trying to save them both, but you must relinquish her."

The snake crept closer and nodded towards Master Liu gently.

Master Liu took a deep breath and started once more, "That's fine then. The last thing I need to know is why the doll and bloody curse? She's just a girl, what has she done to deserve such a cruel fate?"

The snake reared back as if it'd been stabbed in the eye. A thick yellow liquid dripped from its giant fangs and spattered onto the stone ground between Master Liu and Master Ge. The ground where the venom hit began to smolder and smoke. Soon several fist-sized divots were burned into it. The snake shook its head aggressively, tongue dancing again.

Master Liu's face dropped into a grave expression.

"What's wrong?" I called from behind him.

Master Liu didn't take his eyes from the snake. "He says it was the Taoist, not him. The host of the living grave"

"The host of the? Was it the zombie?" Zhou Tong gasped.

Master Liu said, "I don't know"

Shaken by this, he stumbled on his words as he went on. "Where is it- the girl? Where is the host? Why does he want to- what does he want with her?"

The snake's enormous body rose. Where it had curled upon itself now began to loosen and unwrap before us. Lifting its head and sliding a portion of its body up and back, we could suddenly see a black iron cage where it had been sitting. You Xiaoqing was inside.

I saw her and shouted, "Xiaoqing! Are you okay?"

She didn't respond. As if the light stung her, she cried out and moved to be inside the shadow cast by the snake's great body. She clutched the side of the iron cage, shivering uncontrollably.

When she moved I saw a flash of brilliant emerald light that must have been the small green snake held tightly against her.

Master Ge watched the snake unfold around the cage and shouted, "You sick bastard, what are you doing to her?"

The snake again reared its head, unleashing more globules of yellow venom that burned into the floor and wall beside us. Its tongue dashed frantically towards Master Ge this time.

"It wasn't you" Master Liu said quietly, "You're protecting her from him. Why is he doing this?" The last question was almost a shout.

The snake fell silent, either unknowing or unwilling to respond.

A familiar sound broke the silence and caused the formerly intimidating snake to shrink itself as tightly to the cage as possible. The soft scrape of leather on stone echoed from behind the massive reptile.

Master Liu and Master Ge brandished their weapons and amulets immediately. Both of the older men bent at the knee and readied themselves to fight, but a low gnarled voice came to our ears, "Go away you old fools. Don't make me kill you."

"Is it" I whispered. Zhou Tong nodded his head, eyes popping out in fear.

"Whatever it is," Master Liu said, "It's already dead"