Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 162: In the Hospital Bed

First People’s Hospital, Taiyi City, Gui Province.

This was the top Class-A hospital in the entire province, with a national reputation and an unending stream of patients. It was a logistical nightmare to use a hospital like this as a ritual site.

Next to A’Shou, the ritual records she had been sorting through had piled into a mountain, threatening to bury her. She sat upright at the desk, her pen tapping steadily in the inkstone.

Normally, when the Underworld needed to requisition a site, it would inform the living side with excuses like “unexpected incident” or “maintenance closure”, temporarily barring human entry.

But hospitals were a special case. Disrupting treatment procedures was out of the question, and many patients could not be relocated casually. If they cleared the site with brute force, there was no way the living world would accept it.

It was giving her a headache.

“W-why would there be an E there?”

Dian’er stood to the side, visibly shaken. “The yin energy is already heavy enough. If an E shows up too, the number of spirits it would attract—!”

“And with so many people coming and going, even minor taboos could cause chaos… the mortal world would definitely alert us. It wouldn’t make sense!”

It suspected Fang Xiu had picked a trap-laden location and was using the Underworld as a tool, but it didn’t dare say that aloud.

A’Shou examined the report in front of her and said nothing.

Indeed, in the modern world, people were everywhere. The mortal side’s metaphysics practitioners were no amateurs. If any taboo began to affect a densely populated area, they would report it to the Underworld within a day. If an E had ever been left in the human world, it would’ve been in remote, deserted places.

The best hospital in a major city—this location was too strange… Still, going back on her word now would only make things worse.

A’Shou didn’t answer Dian’er’s question. She circled a few more lines in her report. She had to find a way to establish the ritual site while minimizing disturbance to the mortal world.

“All the participants this time are metaphysical practitioners. Have the ghost envoys set up a spirit-screening array.”

Her voice was soft. “It’s troublesome, yes, but it’s feasible. We’ll just need to alert the local practitioners around the hospital.”

Seeing A’Shou ignore its concerns, Dian’er didn’t press further. Scratching its paper-made head, it tried to act like nothing had happened. “S-spirit-screening array?”

“It filters ‘reality’ into a space where the living and dead overlap. It has range limitations, but one hospital should be manageable.”

A’Shou explained patiently, “Once the array is active, only beings connected to the Underworld and spirits can enter.”

“To explain it to humans, just say ‘a mirrored world’. Young people will get it.”

This was something A’Shou had picked up in her past life as a ghost immortal. Before her assignment to the Disaster Relief Tower, she occasionally used it to minimize civilian casualties when handling powerful spirits in urban settings. Ironically, she had never used it during rituals, which were usually held in remote places.

If this had been any other ghost immortal, they wouldn’t have known what to do.

Was this also fate? She gave a bitter smile.

Speaking of fate…

“Dian’er, bring me the Heart-Stabilizing Elixir. Put the whole cost on my tab.”

As A’Shou drew up the new plan, she gave her orders. “Prepare some for yourself too—it can help resist karmic contamination. I’ve left some letters here. If Fang Xiu and his people attack me, send them out immediately.”

This was expensive, but in the face of a major event, there was no such thing as too much preparation.

The Heart-Stabilizing Elixir was extremely hard to refine and incredibly precious. The Underworld reserved it specifically for treating karmic contamination. Low-ranking ghosts couldn’t even apply for it. A’Shou had once wondered why the Tower treated this stuff as a strategic resource. Now she understood.

Dian’er, trembling, accepted the order and soon returned with a round blood-jade bottle.

A’Shou opened it on the spot and took out a pitch-black pill. The stench was overwhelming. She chewed through its bitter, sticky texture and reopened a record beside her.

[Seductive ghosts are poor at possessing bodies; damage to the flesh and vessel is common.]

[■■ ghosts ■■ possession, ■■ flesh ■■ tool. This is ■■.]

[This ghost’s possession is abnormal; it fuses flesh into a killing tool. This is a taboo.]

…This was from the Huanxi E ritual.

It had been corrupted by Bai Shuangying’s influence, but now she could forcefully read it again. With complete focus, she could just barely discern the original text.

No wonder Fang Xiu’s body had ended up like that during the ritual. “Seductive ghosts are poor at possessing bodies”? More like the Corner of Heaven’s Will had violently descended and wrecked his vessel.

Looks like the elixir worked. It could hold back a karmic surge when it counted.

A’Shou let out a breath and closed the report, tossing it back into the scroll pile. It landed on a slightly older scroll and nearly knocked it off the table. She grabbed that one by instinct and glanced at it.

A ritual report from ten years ago. There was nothing valuable—wait.

The report itself looked fine.

But in the section recording the ritual team, there was an odd blank space. Like two extra indents at the beginning of a paragraph. A’Shou stared at the blank patch over and over but couldn’t detect anything wrong.

Why hadn’t she noticed this before?

She checked several other reports. Most of them had similar empty gaps. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t make sense of it.

Maybe it was just a formatting quirk, she thought. These records didn’t feel disjointed. There was no hint of the usual chaotic pollution seen in tampered documents.

Besides, even if Bai Shuangying had casually messed with the reports, his level of karmic distortion wasn’t something ordinary people could comprehend. Maybe she was just getting jumpy after being tricked by Fang Xiu too many times.

She set the thought aside and stood up. “Prepare for the ritual.”

……

The final ritual had arrived.

Fang Xiu walked up to the second floor and caught the familiar scent of hospital disinfectant. The floor was covered in clean PVC tiles, and pale overhead lights reflected in soft pools across the ground.

The familiar double doors of the hospital stood before them. This time, Fang Xiu didn’t bring up the rear with Bai Shuangying. He held his ghost’s hand and was the first to pass through.

The lobby inside was spotless and brightly lit. Automated service machines were running normally, but not a single person was in sight. The entire hospital was steeped in an eerie silence.

Outside the hospital doors, a muddy fog like thick sludge cut off any path of escape.

Before the ritual, Dian’er had explained the spirit-screening array.

This was a “mirrored world”, where unlucky patients and staff wouldn’t be caught up in the mess. But if they damaged the building or equipment, it would still affect the real world.

Just as Fang Xiu expected. Under the pretense of “protecting mortal infrastructure”, A’Shou had requested a large number of spirit weapons and brought them in with full legitimacy.

To maintain fairness, she was observing from the shadows, with no plans to accompany Fang Xiu directly.

It was Bai Shuangying’s first time in a hospital. Everything looked novel to him. After a while, he leaned in and whispered, “The yin energy here is heavy, but the spirits aren’t active.”

Fang Xiu smiled. “It’s a hospital. The living world keeps a close watch. They don’t dare act up.”

Guan He looked around and suddenly had a realization. “Fang Ge, you said you worked as a hospital janitor. Did you work here?”

“That’s right. I know this place like the back of my hand. See that corner? There’s even a convenience store over there.”

Fang Xiu grinned, pointing down a hallway. “But not yet. You guys, follow me for now.”

“We’re not waiting for the others?” Cheng Songyun looked surprised.

They always waited for the group to assemble before starting. Although Cen Ling was on the roster, most of the others were “on their side”.

Fang Xiu shook his head. His smile deepened.

And so, shoulder to shoulder with Bai Shuangying, Fang Xiu led them deeper into the hospital. Elevators, corners, corridors, courtyards… He walked confidently, clearly knowing the place inside and out.

Fang Xiu’s pace was brisk. Guan He could keep up, but the shorter Cheng Songyun had to jog to match him. Despite this being one of the most ghost-infested kinds of places, they hadn’t seen a single spirit.

Under the spirit-screening array, nurse stations were empty, and the wards held no patients. Rows of metal chairs gleamed under the lights. A soft, female voice echoed in the waiting area, announcing appointment numbers.

This place didn’t feel like real life, but more like a game environment loaded with assets but no NPCs.

Maybe there really was a secret organization nearby, Guan He thought. Even if Fang Xiu wasn’t with the authorities, with his skills, he must have had contact with them.

Maybe there was a hidden underground space or a secret door behind one of the walls. Fang Xiu and his colleagues could have been using the crowd to conceal an exorcism base. Maybe the hospital was in on it too…

As for the “hospital janitor” story—he hadn’t believed it for a second. Fang Xiu was too confident walking these halls. Maybe some of his metaphysical colleagues were still lurking around under the effects of the array.

Guan He followed deeper into the hospital, imagination running wild.

Eventually, Fang Xiu stopped in front of a patient room.

The room looked unremarkable. Through the door came the soft beeping of medical machines. Fang Xiu rested a hand on the door and exhaled.

Finally, the moment had come.

He gripped Bai Shuangying’s hand. He wanted to smile, but his mouth twisted slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bai Shuangying staring at the door, growing increasingly confused.

Not far away, A’Shou was surely watching this as well.

“Fang Ge, is this where you used to work?” Guan He asked curiously.

“Yes.”

With a creak, the door opened slowly, revealing the scene beyond.

Cheng Songyun instantly stepped back. Guan He was frozen as if struck by lightning.

Bai Shuangying raised a hand and touched his lips in silence.

…The room wasn’t large. There was only one bed.

A pot of thriving pothos sat on the windowsill. A bright red T-shirt hung from the bedframe.

Lying in the bed was an extremely thin person.

Eyes shut, unkempt bangs covering the face. He wore a loose hospital gown, a respirator over his mouth, and was connected to a tangle of tubes leading to a machine by the window.

He looked exactly like Fang Xiu.

The chair next to the bed was filled with evil spirits. Like family members, they guarded the patient solemnly. All of them turned to the door at once, gazes expressionless.

“You’re back,” said the elder ghost, grinning eerily as he bowed toward Fang Xiu.

“Nope. Still in the middle of the ritual. You’ll all have to wait a bit longer.”

Fang Xiu waved cheerfully, tone unnervingly light. “So, any updates from the doctor?”

“Your body is even weaker than before, but fortunately there’s no immediate danger,” said a female ghost with her eyes rolled back. “Officer Yuan still visits every day. He—”

“No need to say more. I know,” Fang Xiu interrupted gently.

Bai Shuangying walked up without hesitation and pressed a finger to the forehead of the “Fang Xiu” in the bed. After a brief pause, his brows tightened deeply.

“You… your body is severely damaged. Your soul can’t return. Your living soul is wandering outside, which is why you can see spirits.”

Judging by the body’s condition, Fang Xiu’s soul had been out for over ten years.

Bai Shuangying withdrew his hand and raised his eyes.

Souls with obsession, tainted by yin energy, become “ghosts”.

Objects with obsession, soaked in karma, become “E’s”.

An E could only be a lifeless object, something without a soul. Like a body that had lost its soul and was on the brink of collapse.

So that was it.

No wonder Fang Xiu’s knocking was so unique. No wonder he was obsessed with killing and resolving E’s to collect karma. No wonder the more Bai Shuangying learned about him, the more karmic chains broke.

From the very moment they met, he had been refining an E called “Fang Xiu”.

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The author has something to say:

Some readers had already guessed very close!

Xiao Fang’s living soul is intact, and he is a mortal. Just… his body (.

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