Gloria was not able to catch the bus on time whe to the station, and she had to wave her hand at the cars driving by her, in a desperate attempt to catch a taxi that was empty, or someone illing to give her a ride.

  “Where yoing, miss?” Without having to wait for too long, a taxi with a rusty exterior stopped in front of Gloria.

  “Fragrant - ” Gloria was in a hurry so she almost directly let out her actual destination, but something told her that this would be a bad time to let anyone know where she was actually heading. So she ged her ao a nearby pot far from Gyuu Park’s temple: “I mean - Yen’s Wine House.”

  “Fancy a drink huh?” The driver was a ruggedly looking middle aged man with unbed hair and beard: “You want my number? I bring you back here ter if you’re too drunk.”

  “No need. But thank you.” Gloria shook her head: “And - you speed up a little? I am meeting a friend there and I am already super te.”

  “Alright, hold on tight.” The driver chuckled: “The price will be about 20 dolrs, feel free to tip if I get you there earlier than you expected, eh?”

  “No problem. Please.” Gloria rushed. And before her st word dropped, the rusty taxi burst forward from its inal location. Though the driver appeared a bit boastful and maybe even slightly overfident about his driving, Gloria soon had very little doubt he was able to get her there much faster than she normally would.

  The rusty taxi swerved on the road, passing yellow signals just by mere seds before they turned red, and findiours she had no idea existed. It seemed this driver was someone who had plenty of experien the road.

  “You look impressed, first time hopping on a taxi driven by an old timer?” The driver ughed out loud as he looked at Gloria from the rearview mirror.

  “Yeah - yeah, and also I don’t take taxis very often.” Gloria held onto the door while clutg her seat belt: “I - I don't know… How long have you been a taxi driver?”

  “Almost 20 years. I know the distri and out. ” The driver ughed again: “Even when I go out of our district, I still know most of the streets and small alleys, whies I go and whies I ’t.”

  “Oh! Oh!” Gloria asked: “Do - do you happen to know about a lot of the urban legends and folklore?”

  The driver immediately stopped ughing and became silent. His smile faded and became very stern and somewhat solemn. After peeking at Gloria a few times, he finally asked: “Are you - are you from here? Why do you ask?”

  Gloria immediately sehat this driver robably someohat khings, so she immediately crified: “Yeah, I grew up here. And I am quite ied in folklore and urban legends - like, why aren’t there as many temples iher districts? And - and - ”

  “And why the other districts don’t have as many paranormal stories and is?” The driver asked, shaking his head.

  “Yeah - yeah, exactly.”

  “Don’t believe the lies.” The driver sighed and looked to his side, taking another swerve from a small alley into the main road. His sudden and even reckless maneuver made a few cars on the main road honk at him. Gloria right nnized where she was, it was just the main road leading up to the general area of the Fragrant Chrysanthemum Temple. This driver was indeed familiar with the roads and knew his way. “I’ve been all around the city, they are far from immuo ghosts - I mean those things that stantly pgue us.”

  “Really? How - how do you know?”

  “Well - like I said, I’ve been around. ” The driver quickly found the wine house, he pulled into the parking lot, then looked back from his seat at Gloria: “Now, that would be 20 dolrs. And - you know, it’s okay to be curious. But take it from someone who’s been in this city since before you were born - a lot of times taboos are there for a reason. Curiosity will not only kill the cat, but it kill you and those you love and care for as well.”

  “I - I uand.” Gloria handed over 25 dolrs: “Thank you.” Then she rushed off the car and into the wine house, while taking a quick stop to remember the lise pte of the taxi.

  Though she was in a hurry, Gloria still took the time to evade the eyes and ears of those around her. She went into the bathroom of the wine house, then found her way into another narrow alley. Through the alley, she made it to the front door of the temple.

  For a moment, she wao push the door open and go in. But she noticed that there seemed to be a few threads buried in the dirt around the door frame and behind the upper ers, so she knocked on the door a few times and called out: “Gyuu! I brought good wine here! I have a few questions to ask you! ”

  There was no answer.

  “Gyuu! I know you’re in there! If you’re taking a pooper I’ll just go in now!” Gloria pushed the front dhtly, not hard enough ter whatever meism that was behind the door, but enough to make Gyuu Park think she was really about to e in.

  “Wait! Don’t!” Gyuu Park finally answered. His footsteps rushed over, and after some creaks and bolts, the front door opened. Gloria did not give Gyuu Park any window of opportunity to close the dain, as she pushed forward and practically forced him to let her into the temple.

  The temple was a mess st time she came, it was ed up now. She could see traptions and trigger devices hidden in different ers.

  “What the hell is this?” Gloria asked with a stern tone: “Why do you sehat box?”

  “What’s wrong with that? ’t I make a backup of my precious knowledge and notes?” Gyuu Park shrugged, the bags below his eyes appeared rather apparent right now.

  “Bullshit! Bullshit!” Gloria raised her voice, then forced herself to calm down: “What is going on? What are you not telling me?”

  “I - it’s plicated.” Gyuu Park looked into Gloria’s eyes, then shook his head with a wry smile: “I’m sloria. But I ’t tell yht now. But you o know - it’s not anyone else’s fault. It’s not miher - it’s those people’s. It’s theirs.”

  “Who’s ‘they’?”

  “The group of sick fucks that are perf the dark arts, I presume. And possibly the one who jured that proje of the cat granny.” Gyuu Park sighed, looked up and scoffed: “You know, if it weren't for you, I would have never groair and goo the archive to steal some previously off limits records. And by then I think I have some answers.”

  “What? What?!” This information was such a shock that Gloria could almost feel her head ringing.

  Some faint footsteps came to the front door of the temple. Gloria looked to the door, but was uedly grabbed by Gyuu Park and thrown at a er of the room. While she was in the air, Gyuu Park stomped his left foot on the ground, and the entrance of a tunnel appeared beh her. She tried to move in the air, but it seemed Gyuu Park’s Qi had invaded her meridians and locked her muscles. Though it would only work for a brief moment, it was long enough for her to fall into a tunnel below.

  “Stay alive. And find the answer.” Gyuu Park’s voice echoed iunnel.

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