Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 9: Sudden Attack

In the end, Cheng Songyun’s fierce ghost accompanied Jia Xu.

Jia Xu and the fierce ghost entered the small courtyard one after the other. When they came out, Jia Xu’s zombie-like face was even more stiff than usual.

He said there was an old lady ghost inside the house, with sunken holes for eyes, nose, and mouth. She welcomed Jia Xu and the fierce ghost in, offering them two chipped tea mugs and pouring nonexistent tea.

She rambled on about many things, but Jia Xu couldn’t understand a single word, only responding with random “uh-huh’s”. Before they left, she insisted on giving them two pieces of candy, but the wrappers contained chunks of dirt.

As soon as they left the courtyard, Jia Xu removed his zombie disguise. “These things are imitating human daily life. There were only a few old magazines in the house, nothing particularly special to be clues.”

The creepy imitation was scarier than outright hostility, and not even the night could hide his goosebumps.

Once the visitors left, the sound of opera singing echoed from the house again. Fang Xiu listened for a while and noted that it sounded like it came from a radio.

Outside, the evil spirits were setting up stalls and chatting leisurely, just like villagers would. Jia Xu’s remark that they were imitating the villagers’ behavior wasn’t without merit.

Jia Xu collected himself. “Anyway, getting inside was a good thing. Tomorrow, we’ll adjust our schedule, and tomorrow night we’ll investigate properly.”

Everyone had been running around all day, and though no one felt particularly hungry or thirsty, they were in poor condition.

Blondie suggested heading to the shrine for a meal before returning to the warehouse to rest, and everyone agreed. With a plan in place, the shadow of the two experienced members’ sudden deaths faded somewhat. Cheng Songyun even suggested giving Lao Mian and Mai Zi proper burials once they returned.

After some discussion, Jia Xu prepared to lead the group back. He frowned at the dirt-filled candy in his hand and tossed them onto the side of the road.

The two candies fell crookedly into the mud, resembling a pair of squinting eyes—just looking at them was unlucky. Jia Xu clapped his hands and left without looking back.

Fang Xiu quietly walked over and picked up the candies.

The wrappers were made of wax paper popular in the last century, dyed in a festive bright red, with “Double Happiness Hard Candy” neatly printed on them. Though they were thrown into the mud, the wrappers hadn’t gotten wet, and instead, they seemed even brighter.

Fang Xiu held the candies in his palm, turning them over and over. Bai Shuangying didn’t detect any suspicious Yin energy from them, so he let Fang Xiu play with them.

It wasn’t until there was a commotion up ahead that Fang Xiu snapped out of it.

From that moment, Jia Xu, who had been leading the group, began walking slower and slower, occasionally scratching his face. After a few steps, he scratched his skin until it bled, but he kept scratching as if possessed.

Crunch, crunch. His fingers scraped against his moist skin, making an unsettling stirring noise. Jia Xu dug his nails into the wounds, using both hands to furiously scratch. Blood mixed with rain, staining most of his face red.

“So itchy, so itchy…” Jia Xu’s fingers were covered in bits of flesh, his expression growing more and more terrified. “What’s going on… Why is it so itchy…”

It seemed like he had triggered a taboo. The situation was sudden, and everyone was at a loss.

Jia Xu had gone into the ghost house alone earlier, and no one knew the exact details, let alone what taboo he might have broken. The brief sense of relief they had gained was completely gone, replaced by a heavy, oppressive darkness.

Jia Xu could barely stand. He curled up on the ground like a fetus, and the sound of his frantic scratching nearly drowned out the rain.

Fang Xiu rushed forward in one swift movement. He crouched in front of Jia Xu and forcefully stuffed the two candies into Jia Xu’s pocket.

The effect was immediate. Jia Xu gasped for air, and the scratching slowed down. “You…”

“It was a gift from a local after all. It’s not polite to throw it away as soon as you leave.” Fang Xiu explained, “Those spirits are pretending to be villagers. We should treat them like we would actual villagers… That’s my guess, anyway.”

“Thanks, brother, you saved me.” Jia Xu sat up, panting. The unbearable itch had finally disappeared, leaving only a burning pain on his face.

Thinking back, nothing had happened when he first left the house—it was only after throwing the candy that things had gone wrong. Thankfully, this taboo wasn’t fatal, but Jia Xu was still shaken.

“So, what’s this new taboo? ‘Don’t hurt the feelings of the locals’?” Jia Xu said with a stiff tone, touching his bloodied face. “If even the tiniest things are taboos, we won’t be able to do anything at this rate.”

Fang Xiu shook his head. “I don’t think it’s that bad. Just calm down.”

The “E” was just an object without any consciousness; the taboos couldn’t be that complex. Fang Xiu didn’t think it would come with an entire lawbook for Weishan Village. Jia Xu’s experience was just one incident, and as the saying goes, one must look beyond appearances to see the essence*.

*Saying referring to the importance of looking deeper into situations and understanding the underlying causes or reasons behind things (AKA don’t judge a book by its cover).

Bai Shuangying was amused by the scene. “I see why you picked up the candy so quickly—you knew you couldn’t throw it away.”

“No, I just guessed.” Fang Xiu glanced back at the small courtyard. “I just thought of my grandma. She used to force sweets on me all the time.”

“Used to?”

“Yeah, she passed away.” Fang Xiu pursed his lips.

Bai Shuangying hummed in acknowledgment. Thinking of that ghost arm from earlier, he decided to be a bit more polite to Fang Xiu.

“Don’t think too much about it. To become a fierce ghost, one must first die violently and with strong resentment.” At least your grandma won’t come back in the middle of the night to give you dirt chunks.

Fang Xiu replied, “Then she must have become a fierce ghost. I watched her die a violent death with my own eyes, and she died full of hatred, unable to rest in peace.”

“…Who did she hate?”

“Me,” Fang Xiu said.

For the first time, Bai Shuangying saw an expression on Fang Xiu’s face that wasn’t calm. It made him feel not as comfortable as he imagined.

He saw a faint trace of sorrow on Fang Xiu’s face.

But that sorrow quickly disappeared, replaced by a sense of gravity.

Fang Xiu furrowed his brow slowly. “Are we really okay with investigating like this? If every ghost gives Jia Xu something, and he can’t throw them away, is he supposed to carry a ton of things around… Weishan Village’s customs are too simple and pure…”

What could he expect? Bai Shuangying turned his head away, feeling numb.

……

Night fell heavily, and the wind and rain were relentless while evil spirits occasionally brushed past. No one wanted to be left behind, and everyone’s pace quickened. Before long, Fang Xiu found himself at the back of the group again.

To be precise, both he and Bai Shuangying had fallen to the rear. Bai Shuangying was strolling along, walking even slower than Fang Xiu.

“Do you smell something?” As they neared the shrine, Fang Xiu sniffed the air.

There seemed to be a faint burnt smell in the air.

Bai Shuangying’s expression vanished, and he grabbed Fang Xiu’s nape, his fingers tightening like iron clamps. Raindrops hit his pale pupils, but Bai Shuangying didn’t blink.

“Don’t go over there,” he said.

Just as Fang Xiu was about to ask why, he heard Mei Lan’s scream.

Then he saw Blondie rushing towards him, falling halfway and being dragged back into the darkness by something. A bone-chilling cold swept over him, and Fang Xiu tensed, preparing to run.

But at that moment, Bai Shuangying yanked Fang Xiu into his arms, and the surrounding rain seemed to twist. Fang Xiu suddenly realized that the sound of the rain had become much quieter, and his own breathing had disappeared.

It was Bai Shuangying’s power… Wasn’t his ability “disguise”? Fang Xiu wasn’t sure.

“Shh.” Bai Shuangying held Fang Xiu tightly. “Don’t move. He won’t notice you.”

Fang Xiu froze for a moment, then, instead of struggling, he wrapped his arms around Bai Shuangying’s back.

After all, an evil spirit was still an evil spirit. Bai Shuangying’s body was cold, with no heartbeat or rise and fall of breath, which made holding him feel a bit strange.

But Bai Shuangying’s scent was surprisingly pleasant. Instead of smelling bad, he had a rich, earthy, plant-like fragrance. Fang Xiu couldn’t help but close his eyes and take a few more sniffs.

“I see you, the one in red.” A rough male voice came with the sound of clanking chains. “Come out now, or you’ll suffer less.”

The man came closer and closer, and Fang Xiu turned his head, gradually making out the enemy’s appearance.

It was a man with a face full of flesh, wearing only a jade Buddha around his neck—likely a comrade of the Jade Buddha strongman.

The man had a scar across his chin and didn’t look friendly. He wore a black polo shirt and gripped a chain in his hand, which split into five ends, each tied tightly around the necks of Fang Xiu’s five companions. Jia Xu and Blondie were at the front, struggling to break free, but to no avail.

The man dragged them with ease, as if they weren’t five adults but five weightless balloons.

“Spirit-binding chain,” Bai Shuangying said with a tone of mockery. “The underworld’s even using that now.”

Fang Xiu cautiously whispered, “What does that mean?”

“Whether it’s an evil spirit or a ghost, once they’re bound, there’s no escape.”

“…That’s a bit unfair, isn’t it?” The difference between new and experienced players was too big. Fang Xiu almost wanted to file a complaint with the underworld.

Bai Shuangying added, “But it takes significant power to bind spirits. An ordinary human could only use it to bind other humans.”

Fang Xiu: “……”

So, it was a special weapon for dealing with fellow humans. Disgusting.

Wait, the life-saving Jade Buddha could be fought over, which he had chalked up to an underworld design flaw. But throwing in a spirit-binding chain felt like tossing a big wrench to stir things up. If the underworld expected them to work together to destroy the “E”, they really shouldn’t be pulling stunts like this.

Things are getting more and more interesting, Fang Xiu thought, lowering his gaze.

“Hurry up and come out!”

The scarred man’s gaze swept past Fang Xiu, shouting like he was herding cattle. “For every minute you don’t come out, I’m cutting off one of your friends’ fingers.”

At the end of the chain, Fang Xiu’s companions stiffened in unison, struggling even harder. Their ghost companions seemed to be affected too, their shadows swaying but not appearing.

Fang Xiu clicked his tongue softly, shifting slightly in Bai Shuangying’s arms.

Bai Shuangying: “You’re not thinking of going out there, are you? You don’t seem like a good person yourself.”

“He’s serious. Cutting off fingers doesn’t affect using someone to test taboos.” Fang Xiu whispered, “If I don’t go out now, and they get maimed, they’ll all hold a grudge against me. That wouldn’t be good for me in the next sacrificial ritual.”

“So, you’re deciding to die in this one?” Bai Shuangying concluded.

“No.” Fang Xiu smiled. “These guys are veterans. They must have gathered a lot of information, and I just need to go see it.”

“If they’re really planning to use me to test taboos, then I’ll test the taboos on them. Shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

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The author has something to say:

This is a classic case of a villain meeting a villain (×

Here’s how it is: If someone piques the interest of something non-human, it’s probably not because they’re particularly exceptional by human standards, but because they’re just too strange…

Bai Shuangying: So strange, I’ll take another look.jpg

Fang Xiu: (Gazes back appreciatively)

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