Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 8: Hair Ring

“…Here, why don’t you eat some too?”

Fang Xiu held the ghost arm in both hands. “I saw they were selling some outside. You can eat this, right?”

He made it fresh on the spot. It was definitely fresher than the body parts on the stalls. He wasn’t sure if it suited Bai Shuangying’s taste though. Maybe he preferred cooked meat.

Bai Shuangying visibly spaced out for a few seconds before replying that he would eat it.

Noticing the puzzled look on his face, Fang Xiu explained, “I noticed they didn’t dare enter the shrine. I felt this place weakens malevolent spirits, so I hooked one to try. Mostly because the sword worked well. I didn’t use much effort.”

The ghost arm, when thrust into the shrine, was as soft as butter to cut.

Hearing this, Bai Shuangying looked at him with an indescribable expression, as if accusing him of something.

Fang Xiu, understanding, immediately plastered a pair of imaginary couplets on his face. On the left: [I totally understand, it’s okay to be weak if you’re not strong.] On the right: [Even though it’s unbearable, you’re amazing for coming along.]

And the banner across: [Grateful for you.]

Bai Shuangying ignored him and bent down, gnawing on the ghost arm with crunching noises.

“Actually, evil spirits love eating human souls. It’s a huge supplement,” Bai Shuangying commented halfway through gnawing, a hint of meaning in his words.

Fang Xiu suddenly realized, “No wonder they wanted us as sacrifices. So, if we die here, whose soul does it go to? Is it first come, first served?”

“Something like that.” Bai Shuangying kept gnawing on the arm. He was starting to get used to Fang Xiu’s terrible focus.

“That’s such a waste. If I die, I want you to eat me.” Fang Xiu shook his head.

Bai Shuangying paused his chewing. “Why?”

“Well, if I’m dead, I wouldn’t want to let outsiders benefit from it.” Fang Xiu stated it as if it were obvious. “Speaking of which, is there a way I can assign my soul to you?”

Bai Shuangying: “?”

Some people wish for their soul to not scatter after death; others wish for great success in their next life. But he had never seen a request like this. He thought Fang Xiu was just making small talk, but to his surprise, this guy was serious.

“Not just my soul. When certain people die, I could also help manipulate things a bit.” Fang Xiu got more and more excited as he spoke. “A soul is a great supplement. You should take more.”

Bai Shuangying: “…Alright.”

It made sense. Though something about it felt off, it made sense.

Bai Shuangying moved his fingers slightly, and a strand of long hair snapped off. It floated in his palm, coiling into a pitch-black ring. The strands were woven tightly together, with no visible break or seam.

“Within half an hour of someone’s death, draw a circle around the body. Leave a gap in the circle and place the ring in the gap. That way, their soul will be assigned to me, and other malevolent spirits can’t take it.”

Bai Shuangying tossed the ring to Fang Xiu.

“What about me?” Fang Xiu blinked. “I can’t draw a circle around my own body.”

“As long as you’re wearing this ring, you’re already mine.”

Fang Xiu examined the ring for a long time. Its color was lustrous, cold to the touch, like an unusually textured piece of black jade that was absolutely beautiful.

He smiled and slid it onto the middle finger of his left hand.

……

Half an hour later, at Weishan Shrine.

“You just went in like that?”

Jia Xu was munching on some pig’s head meat, speaking with his mouth full. “Not to be that guy, but brother, that was dangerous.”

Fang Xiu: “It wasn’t too bad.”

Fang Xiu hadn’t taken the offerings away but had called his companions to the shrine to eat instead. The wandering spirits outside weren’t too strong, and since everyone had a fierce ghost on their side, there was strength in numbers.

Fang Xiu leaned against the wall, watching the others wolf down their food.

Unlike Bai Shuangying, the other people’s ghosts didn’t dare enter the shrine. Not loyal at all.

Jia Xu continued to nag, “Be more careful in the future. You could offend the spirits just by going out at night, and you went to a place like this.”

“This time you were lucky, but next time, think about the other possibilities and don’t be so reckless.”

“It’s not a taboo to go out at night.” Fang Xiu responded casually. “Lao Mian and Mai Zi left before dawn. If it were taboo, they would’ve broken the same rule, and their deaths should’ve been the same.”

“As for the shrine, either it repels spirits, or there’s something even more terrifying here. My ghost didn’t give me any warnings, so it’s probably the former.”

“If the shrine repels spirits, and the offerings include things like Wang Zai Milk, it doesn’t seem like a trap.”

As he finished speaking, Fang Xiu mentioned his guess about the taboo of “only sacrifices can be eaten”.

Jia Xu was silent for a long time. “Maybe the local stuff can’t be eaten, but things from outside can…”

He trailed off, remembering that Blondie had chewed on a belt earlier in the day and had vomited it back up. The belt was his own, clearly an external item.

Alright, Fang Xiu’s reasoning was fairly thorough, but…

“But you can’t be 100% sure,” Jia Xu said earnestly. “The statue here looks suspicious. There might be other taboos.”

“How can I be 100% sure?” Fang Xiu, genuinely confused, asked, “Should I have tricked my companions into going first? …Or captured the enemy, wherever they are, and forced them to make mistakes?”

His tone was so sincere that it made it sound a thousand times creepier.

Watching this guy casually wreak havoc was oddly entertaining. Bai Shuangying couldn’t help but smile, his mood lifting.

“You could just stroke his ego. Say something like, ‘Jia Ge*, you’re so wise.’” The gloomy teenager nearby mumbled.

*(Older) Brother (哥). Form of address for someone who is male that’s usually older or higher rank as a form of respect, closeness, or endearment.

Jia Xu fell silent, his face and ears turning red. However, once everyone was full, his leader’s spirit returned in full force.

“I’ve scouted ahead. The malevolent spirits in the village are still behaving, and they’re not too strong. We can explore the village further.” Jia Xu said solemnly, “Some clues might only appear at night. Since we’re here to find the ‘E’, we need to fully understand this place.”

A white-collar woman hesitantly raised her hand. “I think I’ve heard of this place…”

Jia Xu’s eyes lit up. “Go on.”

“I have some impression of ‘Weishan’. I used to deal with goods from here…”

The woman’s name was Mei Lan. Though she dressed like an elegant white-collar worker, she was actually the owner of a calligraphy and painting shop.

Her shop had once sold Weishan inkstones. They weren’t very popular, only produced in one village, the Weishan Village.

According to Mei Lan, production of Weishan inkstones had ceased several years ago. However, she was just a seller and didn’t know the exact reason.

“If I remember correctly, Weishan Village is in Geng Province. Weishan is near the border of Xu Mountain, in the northwest.” Mei Lan gestured.

Fang Xiu was thrown back to middle school geography. Xu Mountain was the largest mountain range in the world and a must-know topic for exams.

However, his fond memories weren’t due to his love of learning but because the people loved giving absurd names to the smaller peaks. Names like “Underwear Hill” and “Dog Bark Ridge” were favorites among students, making the classroom atmosphere lively.

In comparison, “Weishan” was a remarkably proper name.

If this village really was “Weishan Village”…

“So, we’re actually in Geng Province, and this place exists in reality.” Jia Xu swallowed hard.

Blondie grinned. “Ha, I knew it! Ten miles from here, there might even be a police station.”

The thought that they were still in the living world steadied everyone’s nerves a bit. They followed Jia Xu out of the shrine.

Before leaving, Jia Xu glanced at Fang Xiu and his new ring for a moment.

……

With food, drink, and renewed confidence, the group wasn’t in such a rush anymore. They checked out each brightly lit house, listening to the sounds coming from the windows—

Inside, people were chatting, children laughing noisily. At first, it sounded normal. But upon closer inspection, the voices were like an AI reading gibberish, completely meaningless.

Between conversations, the static of an old-fashioned TV could be heard. Even though they all knew the house had been cleared out long ago, with no TV inside.

Blondie swore nonstop, and Cheng Songyun clasped her hands together, stuttering through a Buddhist prayer.

“I’ll go take a look.”

When they reached a house occupied by only one “person”, Jia Xu spoke up.

With that, he summoned his ghost, Painted Skin. Painted Skin let out a creepy giggle, running its hands over Jia Xu’s face. Instantly, his skin began to rot, and Yin energy seeped from his body, making him look like a zombie.

This is probably Painted Skin’s ability, Fang Xiu thought. Then he saw Jia Xu walking toward him.

“Can I borrow your ghost?” Jia Xu asked directly.

“Painted Skin’s spell can’t be interrupted, so I can’t defend myself. I need a fierce ghost as backup. You and the others still have four ghosts covering you.”

Fang Xiu was a little stunned. “You’ll have to ask Bai Shuangying if he’s willing.”

He had actually wanted to refuse outright, but Jia Xu was too open about it, and Fang Xiu was the only one comfortable enough to let his ghost roam free.

Bai Shuangying was at the back of the group, looking around curiously. Jia Xu approached him on his own.

Fang Xiu turned his head to watch, but the two were obscured by a tree’s shadow. Was it too much to eavesdrop? He wasn’t Bai Shuangying’s guardian. Even ghosts needed social space…

On the other side.

Facing Bai Shuangying, Jia Xu was nervous. He lowered his voice and repeated his request. This time, he added a few more words.

“Fang Xiu said you’re a seductive ghost, but I know your power exceeds that.” Jia Xu said, “My Painted Skin is very afraid of you, and your performance at the shrine was remarkable.”

“I mean no offense. I just wanted to give my greetings. I promise I won’t harm Fang Xiu. Let’s work well together…”

Jia Xu trailed off.

Across from him, Bai Shuangying was smiling.

Most of the time, this ghost was expressionless. His beautiful face was less like a face and more like a prop, waiting to be used.

At this moment, Jia Xu felt this more intensely than ever.

Bai Shuangying’s smile was beautiful, yet deeply unsettling. It was like something that had never seen a human, casually playing with a human face.

A distorted sense of wrongness washed over Jia Xu. His hair stood on end, and Painted Skin trembled violently in the shadows.

“What do you wish to ask of me?” Bai Shuangying smiled as he spoke in the same tone as before.

Jia Xu didn’t dare to move.

He had thought about it. Fang Xiu was slow-witted and didn’t show much respect to Bai Shuangying. He himself was more skilled in social situations, so he was sure he could succeed easily…

“What are you going to beg from me?” Bai Shuangying’s smile grew brighter. His pale lips parted, revealing a pitch-black mouth.

“N-Nothing. I’ll leave now.” Jia Xu squeezed out the words with all his might. 

…He was terribly wrong. Fierce ghosts had no understanding of human emotions. He had to escape quickly.

Bai Shuangying leisurely walked over to Fang Xiu.

Fang Xiu couldn’t help but ask, “Done talking?”

Bai Shuangying responded with a hum. “I’m not going.”

After a pause, he added, “He’s curious about your ring. He wants one too.”

Fang Xiu was shocked. Jia Xu had willingly fed himself to his ghost. What kind of mentality was that? 

“Well, that’s pretty nice of him. Did you give it to him?”

Bai Shuangying: “No. He looks pretty inedible.” 

More like, that was exactly the kind of human he was familiar with. Always acting clever, but never quite smart enough.

Bai Shuangying lifted his eyes, his white pupils pointing towards the east side of the village.

On the east side of the village, in front of the Weishan Shrine.

The man wearing a jade Buddha tugged on a chain. The other end of the chain was tied to a raggedly dressed person—the madman from the start of the ritual.

The person’s face was filthy, and he muttered something under his breath. His left hand scratched his body forcefully, while his right hand clung tightly to a torch.

“Hurry up.” The man with the jade Buddha ignored the wandering souls watching and kicked the madman toward the shrine.

“Burn it quickly, burn it clean,” he said impatiently.

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The author has something to say:

Jia Xu: Bai Shuangying’s expression is so damn scary.

Fang Xiu: Bai Shuangying’s expression has always been natural.

Bai Shuangying be like: Smiling is just part of the job but being silent, that’s genuine.

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