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墨書 Inktalez
I couldn't provide an accurate answer to that question either. Yes, what does Yin Chai look like? I had never seen it myself, and it was certainly not like the bull-headed horse-faced figures depicted on television. However, in my imagination, Yin Chai was also a ghost. I figured the only way to distinguish Yin Chai would be through its attire; it wouldn't be dressed in a suit or casual wear. After thinking for a moment, I said to Sayo, "Yin Chai must be different from ordinary people, and at this late hour, there won't be many people coming and going. So if it doesn't look like a normal person, it should be close enough. I know that once Yin Chai enters, it doesn't come out again, so as soon as you see it, let me know immediately. Once it goes in, it's impossible to find."
Sayo nodded thoughtfully and said, "Alright then, you continue to rest while I keep watch."
With her saying that, I lost my desire to close my eyes and rest because she had completely piqued my curiosity about what Yin Chai looked like. Many images of Yin Chai flashed through my mind, but none felt particularly reliable. I had no memories related to this aspect; I only knew that with my limited skills, trying to converse with Yin Chai was akin to dreaming.
After chatting with Sayo for a while and pondering things alone, time dragged on until past three o'clock. As I watched the seconds tick by, I felt increasingly anxious; after the hour of the tiger had passed, waiting would essentially be in vain. I glanced at Sayo; she was still intently focused on the hospital entrance, as if watching a movie. I couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This girl with the Yin-Yang Eye seemed to possess many admirable qualities. If she didn't have the Yin-Yang Eye, would her nature change? Was it her pure heart that attracted the choice of the Yin-Yang Eye, or did the Yin-Yang Eye shape her purity? Lost in thought, I suddenly felt trapped in a chicken-or-egg dilemma.
Just as my thoughts were wandering, Sayo suddenly grabbed my right hand resting on the steering wheel and said, "It's here! It's definitely Yin Chai! It's moving inside; it's only five meters from the door—hurry!"
Hearing her certainty made me shiver with excitement as I turned on the car's headlights. Instantly, a talisman illuminated by the bright light projected a massive image onto the outer wall of the hospital entrance. The image wasn't very clear but should be easily recognizable. I thought that if it was indeed a ghost—regardless of whether it was Yin Chai—it would likely sense something because that talisman was the Soul Fixation Talisman. I didn't expect to hold Yin Chai in place; I just wanted to attract its attention long enough for Sayo to release the Spirit God from the Elephant Lamp.
As the lights turned on, I quickly asked, "What do you see now?" Sayo replied anxiously with wide eyes, "It turned around and is facing us! I can't see its face; it's too blurry."
"Hurry and release that spirit! Tell it to go find Yin Chai and confess while explaining things to us," I urged her. Then I casually drew a Yin Soul Talisman and placed it on the outside of the Elephant Lamp. Sayo opened the car door and set down the Elephant Lamp outside before speaking the instructions I'd given her earlier. Then she turned back and got into the car, closing the door behind her. I quickly turned off the headlights; at that moment, the talisman dissipated. Since I couldn't see anything myself, all I could do was anxiously wait while Sayo kept her gaze fixed ahead without daring to breathe or speak.
I knew she was nervous or perhaps excited at this moment; I didn't ask her anything but quietly awaited the outcome—that was all I could do. In front of Yin Chai, there was nothing for me but to watch. After about a minute passed, Sayo's gaze slowly shifted back from afar as if someone was approaching our car.
My heart sank; could it be that Yin Chai was coming? That shouldn't be possible—it had souls to collect and wouldn't waste time on such matters. Even though I'd delayed it for a moment earlier, I thought that Spirit God should have explained things by now. Besides, there were so many Joss Papers; they wouldn't suffice for even a minute or two of delay.
I whispered, "What's happening? Who's coming?" Sayo replied, "Yin Chai went inside; that spirit has returned." I breathed a sigh of relief—so long as Yin Chai didn't come over, everything would be fine. But then worry crept back in: if Yin Chai didn't take it away, what would happen next? Would we have to wait for another Yin Chai?
Sayo opened the car door again and began speaking softly with that Spirit God outside. All I could hear were vague responses like "Mm-hmm," "Okay," "You're welcome," and similar phrases. After about two minutes passed, Sayo returned to the car with a deep breath and smiled at me saying, "Mission accomplished! I'm amazing, right?"
Before I could respond, she suddenly turned back towards the hospital entrance and stared intently at it again. Confused, I asked her what was wrong. She replied, "It's fine now; it's gone up—we can leave." Still puzzled, I asked her what happened: "What does Yin Chai look like? Why did it come back later? What did you talk about with it?"
She said, "It's nothing much. It came back just to say that Yin Chai has agreed to take it away. It specifically returned to express gratitude, and then Yin Chai mentioned wanting to go up to collect souls, asking it to wait below. Once everything was done, it would notify it to leave together. That's all."
As I started the car, I asked, "What did Yin Chai look like? Describe it for me so I can broaden my horizons." I looked at her with anticipation.
Sayo covered her mouth and laughed lightly, saying, "I can't really answer that question. The only reason I know it was Yin Chai is that I could only see a vague figure—sometimes clear, sometimes blurry, and it kept flickering in and out of view. It's really hard to describe what it looked like. Oh, by the way, hahaha."
Her laughter left me feeling a bit bewildered, and I didn't say anything, waiting for her to continue. Seeing that I wasn't intrigued by her teasing, Sayo reluctantly added, "The soul of that Beggar told me that Yin Chai had a message for you."
"What message?" I asked in confusion. Sayo suddenly turned to look at me and said, "That Yin Chai said you, a mere Little Taoist, dare to obstruct its soul collection. Considering you sent a soul to it along with those Joss Paper, it will let you off this time. But if you dare to obstruct it so brazenly again in the future, it will ensure you meet a bad end."
Hearing this made my heart race. I replied to Sayo, "It's good that it said it would spare me this time; that's some luck amidst misfortune. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how this would end. However, I really have no other options in this matter; if it happens again, I'd still choose this method." Sayo nodded in agreement.
As we chatted while driving her home, we arrived at her place just before five o'clock. Some breakfast shops had already opened for business. We had breakfast together and talked for a long time—most of the conversation revolved around her experiences. I was very interested in her Yin-Yang Eye, just as you are interested in my profession. We spent over forty minutes on that meal. As more people began to arrive at the shop, we felt we couldn't occupy the table any longer and decided to leave. However, it still felt like we hadn't talked enough. In the end, Sayo became a good friend of mine; she would occasionally call me to share things she had seen, and I helped analyze them. Every year she would burn some Joss Paper for a few Spirit Gods. After this incident, she changed her perspective; now she wouldn't just burn a little bit but always starts with at least a pound. In her words: "My few bucks might help buy a Reincarnation. Why not?"
That morning when I got home, I took a quick shower and went straight to bed. Just as I fell asleep not long after, I had a dream. The dream felt incredibly real; I found myself in a heavily oppressive room filled with various torture devices. Aside from a moon window, the walls were all made of iron; there was no way out. Then the door opened, and two indistinct Spirit Gods entered—similar to what Sayo described—completely unclear in their appearance. Even in the dream, they left no lasting images in my mind; I knew this must be the form of Yin Chai. They could even erase any memory related to them.
Once they entered, one on each side lifted me up and pushed me onto a Grandmaster Chair. My body felt leaden and powerless; I couldn't move at all. Then they picked up a Whip, which sparked as if on fire. They began striking me; each lash felt excruciatingly painful—pain that penetrated deep into my soul as if my spirit were being torn from my body. While whipping me, they chanted: Zi Chou Yin Mao Chen Si Wu Wei Shen You Xu Hai. With each strike came an announcement of the time.
They struck me twelve times consecutively before switching places and announcing all the remaining times as well. After they finished beating me, I felt as if we were already dead; that heavy sensation suddenly vanished and was replaced by an airy feeling. All pain dissipated instantly; in my consciousness, I felt like a wisp of air—anything could easily pass through me. In my mind, I thought: Am I really dead? I'm not willing to accept this reality! In the dream state of my soul, I frantically called out for my parents and my master, shouting every name of those who mattered to me until finally calling out my own name. It felt like my name was slowly being erased from my mind until I saw a tombstone with my name engraved on it along with my Birth Chart. A crowd of familiar faces stood before my grave mourning.
I screamed my name with all my might while reciting my Birth Date and Time, using every ounce of strength to shout and roar.
Just when I felt myself slowly fading away into nothingness, I shouted my name and abruptly sat up in bed. Looking around at the familiar surroundings of my room confirmed that it was just a dream—but so vivid! Lifting my shirt revealed faint gray-black whip marks on my skin. I knew this was punishment for me but also marked an end.
I touched my soaked nightclothes and shook off the sweat from my head. Still shaken by the experience, I got out of bed, bathed and dressed properly before performing a calming Ritual. Then I burned many anonymous Joss Paper offerings for Yin Chai, thanking them for their mercy...
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