Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Sayo thought that this spirit was like the ones she had encountered before, so the next night, she went to the corner of the small park and burned some Joss Paper.
She believed that would be the end of it. The following night, Sayo didn’t think much of it and went to bed early. In a daze, she dreamt of that spirit again. This time, the spirit did not have the same pleasant demeanor as before; instead, it wore a fierce expression and spoke only one line: "Are you just giving alms? I was a beggar in life, and even as a ghost, I remain a beggar. Why do you look down on me? Why does everyone look down on me?"
When Sayo reached this part of her story, I was taken aback. To be honest, this didn’t make sense to me. Perhaps it was because I hadn’t encountered many spirits myself, but I found it hard to understand why the soul of a beggar would harbor such twisted feelings. Logically speaking, after death, one should find peace and realize that such attachments and pride are fleeting. If someone helps you, you should be grateful, as they could have chosen not to help at all. These simple truths should be clear at the moment of death; why then was this spirit unable to let go?
I shared my thoughts with Sayo, who nodded in agreement. "Yes, I've encountered similar situations before. Some spirits could be appeased with just a few sheets of Joss Paper. That's why I always carry some with me for emergencies." She then pulled out a black plastic bag from her purse, revealing a small stack of Joss Paper.
I nodded and said, "I understand. There's no need to show me; it might make us look crazy if someone sees us playing around with Joss Paper. So what did you do after that spirit spoke to you?" I thought to myself that this girl was quite sincere.
She took a sip of her coffee and continued, "Because its expression was so fierce, I felt a bit uncomfortable. Before I could respond, I woke up. After waking up, I thought that since it was like this, I might as well burn more Joss Paper for it. Plus, since the next day was a weekend and I didn’t have to work, I decided to go ahead and do it right away. By then it was already past midnight. I went alone to the park; luckily, it wasn’t too late yet. I burned a lot more Joss Paper this time—almost a pound—and in the end, I was chased away by the park staff for lighting fires everywhere. I knew I shouldn’t have done that, but what could I do?"
I replied, "I understand; it's impressive that you weren’t scared. What happened next?"
She smiled appreciatively and continued, "After so many years, I've gotten used to it. It's not like spirits haven’t scared me before. When I first graduated and wanted to save money, I even lived in Yin Houses and managed to get through it all. Besides, I feel that this spirit isn’t malicious; there’s nothing to fear. That night after burning the paper and being chased away by the staff, I went home to sleep. However, that night wasn’t peaceful at all. As I slept in a daze without dreaming, I kept hearing sighs around me—one after another—throughout the night. It seemed like that spirit followed me home but didn’t want to disturb me directly; instead of speaking up, it just sighed and muttered things like 'What am I going to do?' Overall, I heard everything in a haze."
I asked her if she had seen the spirit's physical form or where it might have appeared. She shook her head and said she hadn’t seen anything—only heard some voices—and speculated that the spirit had some request but didn’t know how to express it. I nodded in agreement; that seemed likely.
I said, "So you called me here because you want me to help it? You should be able to see it; logically speaking, you could even communicate directly with it." Sayo shook her head and replied, "What’s strange is that even though I have Yin-Yang Eye and shouldn’t be unable to see it—and since I can hear its voice—it must be close by. Plus, when I sleep, I keep my Sayo light on; my room isn’t completely dark either. Yet still, I can’t see it; isn’t that strange?"
I pondered for a moment before saying, "It’s not entirely unusual; there’s another explanation: perhaps it's attached itself to something else so you can’t see it. That’s normal enough; what puzzles me is why it would hide if it has a request for you. Also, earlier you mentioned that it kept asking you for money—if it could speak then, why has it become so shy now? That’s definitely not normal."
Sayo responded, "Exactly! And for three consecutive nights afterward, I've heard its sighs. I've even offered help by saying if there's anything you need assistance with just let me know—but it never showed itself again. I'm at my wit's end trying to figure out what to do about this situation because along with those sighs my sleep hasn’t been great either; that's why I'm seeking your advice on how to fulfill its wishes. Plus, I'm aware that being in close quarters with a spirit for an extended period isn’t good for me."
I said, "Yeah, let's go. Since you've been hearing it for several days, it must have found a place to settle in your room. Let's go see what's going on. I'm curious about this Spirit God too. Waiter, the bill please."
Sayo's home wasn't far; we arrived in just over ten minutes. She lived in an apartment on the eighth floor, a one-bedroom unit that was tidy and clean inside. At the entrance, there was one of those sensor-operated Aroma Sprays that would automatically release fragrance whenever someone walked by. It was a very exquisite place.
Once inside, I asked for her permission and took my compass into her bedroom. First, I needed to confirm whether the spirit was in this room. Since it was daytime, I could only make a confirmation and couldn't proceed further; our line of work was similar to that of thieves—many tasks had to be done at night.
After searching for a while, I detected a faint supernatural response from a lamp on her bedside table. The lamp was a Craft Lamp, featuring a wooden-carved Elephant carrying a round shade made of woven vines. The lamp was entirely dark in color, and I really liked its design. In the end, she even gifted it to me. I planned to take a picture later and post it on QQ Moments; such an item would be perfect for the Spirit God as an attachment.
After finding the attachment, I stepped out of the bedroom with Sayo following closely behind, watching me eagerly. I said, "It's indeed in your room, but you know it's broad daylight now, so we can't disturb it. We'll have to wait until tonight. It's almost dinner time; let's go eat. This meal is on you as a reward."
Sayo replied, "In that case, to show my sincerity, I'll cook you a meal myself. A villager from my hometown just brought me some fresh cured meats, green beans, tofu, and bitter melon from the village. You must have missed home-cooked meals for quite some time; let's cook at home."
I nodded in agreement and offered to help her out. In less than half an hour, several authentic hometown dishes were ready. As a Hunan girl, she was quite capable, and naturally, the food tasted great. Good food paired with good wine—if it weren't for the work we had to do later that night, I would have loved to share a few drinks with her.
After dinner, it was just past eight o'clock. We lingered in the living room watching TV until eleven o'clock when I stood up and said to Sayo, "Alright, it's time to get to work; the sooner we finish, the sooner we can head home." But when I turned around, I found that the girl had already fallen asleep on the sofa. I leaned closer and suddenly called out playfully to wake her up. To my surprise, she didn't react as I expected; she merely opened her eyes groggily and asked, "Is it time?" It made me wonder if there was anything in this world that could startle this girl with Yin-Yang Eyes.
As I opened my Cloth Bag, I said, "Go get that Elephant Lamp." Then I quickly set up a Soul Calling Array on the dining table and placed the Elephant Lamp in the center. Indeed, this kind of Spirit God that could Dream and convey messages could also Call Souls—and it wasn't complicated.
Seeing me light two red candles as well, Sayo asked, "Are you setting up for a wedding?" Without looking up from my task of burning Joss Paper, I jokingly replied, "Yeah! Based on my guess, its regret is not having married in life; so I'm planning to betroth you to it and fulfill its wish."
Upon hearing this, Sayo immediately panicked and said, "No way! You can't do that! Just because it regrets not getting married doesn't mean I should burn something for it!" With that, she went into her bedroom and opened her wardrobe before pulling out a paper Mourning Doll about twenty centimeters tall—the kind used for worshipping during rituals. My heart raced as I thought: "This girl not only keeps Joss Paper at home but also has these kinds of things? Are you sure you'll be able to sleep tonight?" She laughed heartily and said, "I also have Funeral Garments and shrouded shoes—do you want some?"
I was utterly speechless at this point. Bowing my head while burning Joss Paper without saying another word made me think: if anyone ever tells me girls are naturally timid, I'll definitely introduce them to Sayo.
Sayo noticed that I was ignoring her, so she put down her things and quietly watched me. Within three minutes, I called forth the soul that Sayo had mentioned. It turned out to be a beggar, and likely a new soul. Hunched over, its hands were placed in front of it, shaking up and down as if it were anxiously waiting outside a delivery room while its wife was in labor. The sight struck me as somewhat comical. Although its expression seemed vacant, communication should not be an issue.
Sayo was born with the Yin-Yang Eye; regardless of whether I summoned the soul or not, as long as it manifested physically, she could see it. Before I could say anything, Sayo earnestly spoke up, "Hello there! It's not easy to meet you. I know you have some unfinished business and need my help, but if you don't tell me what it is, I can't assist you. Today, I've brought along a Little Taoist. If you have anything to say, just tell him. Don't let his youth fool you; he has great abilities. Whatever you need, just speak up, and he will help you."
Such cunning! After I startled her with a joke, she began to respond in kind. I shot her a glare and said, "If you're so capable, then you take over; I'm leaving." She quickly grabbed my arm and said, "Wait! I'm just joking! Please continue; I'll keep quiet."
I ignored her and turned back to the Spirit God. I recited a spell and sprinkled some Grave Soil before performing a series of Hand Seals and asked, "The world is full of splendor, yet you no longer linger here. Humans have their lives while ghosts have their Ghost Path. You must know that you are dead; why does your soul linger so long?"
I watched as the Spirit God's trembling hands stopped moving, its hunched body seemed to want to straighten up, and then it said to me, "I had no one to mourn for me or give me a proper burial. When I first died, I felt very anxious; my corpse was left unattended, and I was filled with regret. When the Yin Chai came for me, I hid out of fear. After my corpse was buried, I slowly accepted this reality; however, by then I could no longer find the Yin Chai. I didn't know where to go next. I wandered all night at the crossroads, sitting on the ground just like when I was alive—only this time no one could see me."
After finishing this part of its story, it seemed tired and paused for a moment. I didn’t urge it on; Sayo also wanted to speak but was silenced by me. After about three minutes, it slowly continued, "Later on during the Ghost Festival when the gates of hell opened, I saw another Wandering Soul..."
(Note: The promotional content has been omitted.)
Comment 0 Comment Count