Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 6: Dire Circumstances

The rain kept pouring. 

Raindrops pelted on the two deformed corpses, diluting the blood into a pale red, spreading it everywhere.

Lao Mian and Mai Zi had died right outside the door of the empty house.

Lao Mian was almost chopped into mincemeat; his entire body had lost its shape, and the group could only barely identify him by his clothing. All the magical artifacts on his body were shattered, mixed in with the pieces of his corpse.

Mai Zi’s death was even stranger. Her body was mostly intact, but with some extra parts. Her spine was twisted, and four legs extended from her pelvis, with an arm protruding weakly from under her left armpit.

Even her neck had grown an additional head the size of an apple, its tiny facial features not yet fully formed. 

She had been pierced through the heart with Lao Mian’s copper coin sword. Her eyes were half-open, half-closed, with a gentle, peaceful smile on her face. Paired with her deformed body, the smile was especially eerie.

The woman who hadn’t drawn a lot let out a piercing scream, stumbling as she dashed out the door, running madly toward the village entrance.

Her figure was quickly obscured by the mist, and no one stood up to chase her. Clearly, some were too scared, others were indifferent, and some had other concerns—

“Did they—did they break a taboo?” Cheng Songyun’s voice was trembling. With the taboos unknown, she didn’t dare take a single step.

“Everyone, stay calm! Report your status!” Jia Xu shouted, though he looked like he was about to vomit.

The young man with the dyed Blondie spat, his face dark and grim. “No idea. My ghost doesn’t care about this stuff.”

“At the break of dawn, they went out on their own.” The gloomy teenager crossed his arms, though his attempt to appear calm couldn’t hide his pale face. He was trembling badly. 

“My ghost said the same,” the office girl added, shivering, while Cheng Songyun and Fang Xiu nodded in agreement.

Bai Shuangying: “?” You didn’t even ask me. What are you nodding for?

In truth, he had sensed something. At the time of their deaths, he hadn’t detected any intruders, which indicated that they hadn’t been killed by evil spirits. 

…Which meant, they had definitely broken a taboo.

“They definitely broke a taboo,” Fang Xiu said. 

“They were both veterans, experienced and armed. They died so quietly, without even a scream. It probably wasn’t an evil spirit attack.” 

As for a human attack, that was even less likely. Humans might be able to chop someone into pieces but couldn’t make someone grow extra limbs.

“However, all of Mai Zi’s belongings are gone. Maybe someone found the bodies before us,” Fang Xiu added.

“You…” Jia Xu hesitated before finally asking, “You seem pretty used to this?”

Earlier, he had thought Fang Xiu seemed pretty inconspicuous. 

Fang Xiu’s hair was a bit messy, and his bangs covered half his face. Not even a socially awkward college student would wear their hair like that. Combined with his thin frame, he gave off a vibe of being on the fringes of society.

His only impression of Fang Xiu was “this guy has guts.” 

But staying completely unaffected in the face of Mai Zi’s grotesque body wasn’t a matter of just having guts.

“I work as a cleaner in a hospital. I’ve seen a lot of dead bodies,” Fang Xiu said casually. “Now that they’re gone, what should we do next?”

With that, all eyes turned to Jia Xu.

“Let’s use the daytime to look for supplies. This place is too strange. Everyone needs to stick together and not separate.” Jia Xu quickly snapped back to his role as leader. “Once we’re familiar with the village, we can start investigating the taboos.”

His suggestion received unanimous approval. The group was terrified of going out, but they were even less willing to stay here with the two grotesque corpses.

There had been nine people when they entered the house, but only six left. 

As usual, Fang Xiu was the last to leave, and as he did, he closed the door to the empty house. The moment the door shut, it felt like something inside the empty room was watching him.

The feeling vanished as quickly as it had come, and Fang Xiu decided to ignore it. 

After all, they had spent a peaceful night here, so he’d just think of it as an ordinary roommate situation.

However, Bai Shuangying turned around and gave the empty house a couple of extra glances.

……

During the day, the village looked unexpectedly normal, like any abandoned village you might find anywhere. 

The village paths were made of trodden dirt, and the house walls were the straw-and-mud mix popular decades ago. Most of the houses had their doors and windows ajar. Fang Xiu glanced inside a few, seeing skewed furniture and mostly emptied belongings.

Outside, there wasn’t the scattered ghost money they had imagined, nor any strange funeral items. Some walls even had remnants of propaganda banners, their red fabric torn and decaying, the words barely legible but likely safety slogans.

The air was warm, with a light drizzle continuing. If not for having seen the two corpses earlier, the group might have relaxed a bit.

“Those are pumpkin seedlings. They’re edible.” 

Blondie pointed to an overgrown vegetable patch, his expression softening for once. “What are you staring at? I used to live in a village and grew this stuff.”

Yet, no one went to pick any, fearing that pulling up seedlings might count as breaking a taboo. 

Would entering an abandoned house count? What about picking wild fruits from a tree? …Or getting injured? Or killing something?

At that moment, the fear of “breaking a taboo” belatedly gripped everyone. 

Even two experienced veterans had died inexplicably. On reflection, any normal action they took could potentially violate an “E’s” taboo.

“Damn it, stop being so cautious. I’m going to eat today. If we’re not even allowed a bite of food, then what’s the point!” 

Seeing no one move, Blondie cursed and strode over the collapsed fence. Before long, he had gathered a bunch of pumpkin seedlings, unharmed.

“Bunch of cowards,” he sneered, snapping off a tender shoot and popping it into his mouth. 

He then demonstrated a spectacular display of projectile vomiting right in front of everyone.

“What the hell is this?!” he cursed, tossing the pumpkin seedlings far away. 

Seeing that the young man was unharmed, Jia Xu picked up a small leaf, put it in his mouth, and began to chew. The next second, he grimaced in pain and spat the leaf out.

“…It’s both fishy and foul. It’s impossible to swallow. Forcing it down doesn’t work either. It’s the kind of physiological reaction where you just can’t swallow it,” Jia Xu explained with difficulty.

Next to him, Blondie opened his mouth to rinse with rainwater, only to immediately start vomiting again. 

“Fuck, this is corpse water—!” His face turned a shade of purple-red.

Fang Xiu sniffed the rainwater on the back of his hand and detected no smell. He then picked up a pumpkin seedling and sniffed it. It smelled fresh, with no hint of any odd odor.

“Do you sense anything?” Fang Xiu plucked a pumpkin leaf and asked Bai Shuangying.

Bai Shuangying lifted his head, about to show some authority, when Fang Xiu kindly added, “If you don’t feel anything, don’t force it. It’s fine.”

Bai Shuangying suddenly deflated: “……”

He kept a stern face. “It’s not related to any evil spirits.”

“Then it must be one of the ‘E’s’ taboos,” Fang Xiu mused. 

Blondie and Jia Xu were still perfectly fine, so this taboo wasn’t lethal. But it was still troublesome. It meant their food and water sources were questionable.

It better not be some absurd taboo like “no eating” or “no drinking water”. After a whole night, the breakfast they had at the Disaster Relief Tower was fully digested, and Fang Xiu was already starting to feel hungry.

As it turned out, what they feared came to pass. 

Seedlings, mushrooms, roots, rainwater, river water, well water—Blondie, refusing to give in to superstition, tried everything like Shennong*, vomiting so much he almost painted the village in a rainbow.

*A mythological Chinese ruler known as the first Yan Emperor who has become a deity. He’s credited with various inventions: including the hoe, plow, ax and is known for being a horticulturalist, consuming a variety of plants (even poisonous ones).

By the end of the day, they hadn’t found a single edible thing, and everyone’s expressions were grim.

The information they gathered on the village was also lacking. The buildings were mostly the same, offering no breakthrough clues like ancient relics. The only two somewhat special places were a small shrine on the east side of the village and a graveyard on the west side. 

Considering the special nature of these two sites, they didn’t dare to investigate recklessly.

With one or two hours left before sunset, the group moved silently through the village. 

The rain steadily drained their body heat, making them hungrier faster. Fang Xiu adjusted the straw hat he’d picked up, feeling extremely thirsty, and was beginning to show signs of low blood sugar. His vision occasionally went black.

Suddenly, the scent of roasted meat wafted through the air. Just as Fang Xiu turned his head, Blondie bolted away.

The aroma was coming from an ordinary-looking courtyard, where faint human voices could be heard inside. 

Blondie’s face quickly turned ashen, his features became exaggerated and animalistic. He pushed off with his feet and leapt silently onto the wall.

“Power of a ghost that lures victims to their death*,” Bai Shuangying commented in a low voice.

*He’s referring to a [Cheng Gui] (伥鬼). It’s a ghost that has been devoured by a tiger, who then becomes enslaved to it. It then lures people so that its master (the tiger) can feed on them. Nowadays, rather than tiger, it can be anything (basically the master of the ghost).

Fang Xiu was intrigued. “So that hairless, cat-like thing was a ghost that lures victims to their death.” 

He only remembered what the ghost looked like but didn’t know its type. Unexpectedly, he learned something new. Fang Xiu looked encouragingly at Bai Shuangying. “You’re really knowledgeable.”

Bai Shuangying grinded his teeth. This human’s attitude was too strange, giving him the constant feeling of punching cotton.

Just as Fang Xiu finished processing this new knowledge, Blondie jumped back down from the wall. His distorted features returned to normal, leaving only shock and confusion on his face. He refused to speak no matter how much anyone asked.

Not until they returned to the warehouse.

“It was the group with the jade Buddhas.” Blondie finally collected himself. “That woman who ran away this morning… Her flowered jacket was on the ground, but she was nowhere to be seen. The roasted meat had a strange shape. They actually dared to eat…” 

He dry-heaved a few times, but perhaps because he had vomited too much earlier, nothing came out.

Lao Mian and Mai Zi’s bodies were still outside the door, untouched. The outdoor temperature wasn’t low, and the bodies were decaying quickly, emitting a peculiar stench. 

Without the two veterans to keep watch, many footsteps had appeared outside. They were masked by the sound of rain, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, sometimes near, sometimes far, as if circling the warehouse.

Inside, there was no food and no water. Outside, the evil spirits were enemies, and so were the living. They didn’t even know if they could last until the day after tomorrow, let alone actively search for the “E”.

The office girl let out a suppressed sob, and Cheng Songyun gently patted her back. The gloomy teenager curled up into a ball, burying his face between his knees. 

Jia Xu was desperately scratching his hair. “Don’t panic, everyone, don’t panic. There must be a way…”

“Come on, this isn’t some game where there’s a guaranteed way out, is it?” Blondie said hoarsely, “They said we’re sacrifices, and ‘sacrifice’ isn’t exactly a nice word.”

After speaking, Blondie’s gaze drifted toward the door. The two bodies there hadn’t fully decomposed yet, and the odd, sweet stench was seeping in through the door gap. 

He licked his cracked lips, and a bit of red blood vessels appeared in his eyes. “If you ask me, we might as well—”

“I understand now,” Fang Xiu interrupted Blondie. “The taboo isn’t ‘no eating or drinking’. Things that meet certain conditions can be ingested. However, we lack the information to determine what those conditions are.”

“So we still have nothing to eat,” Blondie grumbled. “We’re already at the point of life and death, so we might as well—”

“I want to go outside and take a look,” Fang Xiu interrupted again.

“It’s dark out there.” Jia Xu stopped scratching his head. “Lao Mian and Mai Zi mentioned that it’s very dangerous at night.”

Fang Xiu: “But Lao Mian and Mai Zi are dead, and we didn’t get anything useful during the day.” 

If it was the same tomorrow, they would be incredibly weak and could only hide and wait for death. Fang Xiu didn’t like the term “waiting for death”.

Jia Xu: “Let’s not even talk about evil spirits. What if ‘going out alone’ is a taboo…”

“Is anyone coming with me?” Fang Xiu turned to the others.

Everyone was looking at him, but no one responded.

Fang Xiu took a deep breath and grabbed Bai Shuangying by the wrist. 

“I’ll go with my ghost,” he said. “I’m not alone.”

---

The author has something to say:

The nighttime world of just the two of them is about to begin☆

In fact, if he had met a normal person, Mr. Bai could have played the role of a terrifying villain who watches coldly from the sidelines.

But a normal person wouldn’t have been able to summon Mr. Bai in the first place…

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 5: Avoid Breaking Taboos

When Fang Xiu returned to the courtyard, he was speechless.

In the courtyard, there were seven people. Except for him and the woman who hadn’t summoned a ghost, everyone else had two shadows. Their fierce ghosts had all possessed them, hiding within their shadows. 

Bai Shuangying followed behind Fang Xiu, his bright white figure particularly eye-catching. As a supposed (fake) seductive ghost, his presence was astonishing, causing someone to gasp in surprise.

Fang Xiu hadn’t intended to draw attention, but he ended up making a big scene. He reflected for two seconds, thinking it was due to his mindset—

Last night’s illusion was indeed exaggerated, with grand scenes and big productions, but at its core, it was just an escape room challenge. The ghost hands were quite intimidating, but Bai Shuangying essentially only tried to strangle him, which was quite straightforward and unremarkable. 

So, when Bai Shuangying said he wasn’t strong, Fang Xiu believed him without a doubt.

For the others, their fierce ghosts might be some sort of trump card, and there were certainly those who didn’t want to show theirs. But Fang Xiu didn’t expect that everyone was hiding theirs, leaving him as the only one exposed when the tide receded. 

What a decline in morals!

Bai Shuangying also sensed that something was off and glanced at Fang Xiu.

Fang Xiu whispered to him, “When you possess someone like this, does it mean you can’t move around freely?”

“Yeah.”

“Then forget it, go ahead and play.” Fang Xiu shook his head. “You can possess me if you feel like it.”

There was no need to restrict a child just for the sake of appearances. A lack of space to move around was detrimental to both mental and physical health.

Bai Shuangying paused, his face slightly wrinkled, as if a cat had been kicked by a mouse.

Seeing him hesitate, Fang Xiu gently asked, “What’s wrong? Do you want to possess me?”

His tone was so softened it sounded almost affectionate.

“No.” Bai Shuangying slowly turned his head away.

Bai Shuangying seemed a bit upset. 

Of course, even during the lot-drawing phase, Bai Shuangying’s attitude had been extremely resistant. Fang Xiu understood; being weak and still pushed to do something was bound to be frustrating. 

If something were to happen, Fang Xiu would just have to protect Bai Shuangying more. After all, he only had this one ghost and couldn’t afford to lose him easily.

Bai Shuangying indeed felt a bit upset. 

Because of that word “mediocre”, this person seemed to have developed some very disrespectful misunderstandings about him. 

He wanted to keep a low profile, and Fang Xiu didn’t need his help, so he should have been content. But why did it feel so…off?

One human and one ghost each had their own thoughts as they continued moving forward.

……

Participating in the sacrifice was quite simple. 

People just had to step onto the stairs in the middle of the courtyard, climbing from the first floor to the second, shrouded in darkness. Beyond the darkness, the second-floor corridor looked like a dirt road in a rural area, ending at a rotting wooden door. 

Outside the door was a large expanse of muddy ground, and it was pouring rain. The damp air rushed against them, mixed with the pungent smell of earth.

Fang Xiu, busy whispering with Bai Shuangying, was the last to enter. As soon as he crossed the door, it disappeared, leaving only a dirt wall behind them.

And just like that, the sacrifice began. Fang Xiu touched the dirt wall and looked around.

Summer hadn’t ended yet. The rain was slightly warm, sticking to them with a muggy, smothering feeling. 

The area in front of them was sparsely covered with weeds, possibly an abandoned drying field for grains. It was right next to a village, but there wasn’t a person in sight. The distant scenery was swallowed up by the rain, obscuring everything.

Fang Xiu: “Huh?” 

The situation wasn’t what he had expected.

When they arrived, there were already quite a few people standing in the field—

Four were huddled in the center of the open space, led by a tall, sturdy man. 

About a dozen meters away from this group stood two people with serious expressions. They were covered in strange, magical artifacts, looking like experienced veterans. 

There was also a man with a crazed look, dressed in rags. He was squatting alone in a corner, digging in the mud with his hands, muttering to himself as if he had already gone mad.

So many people, Fang Xiu thought to himself in amazement.

On second thought, it wasn’t surprising. 

The Disaster Relief Tower was a tower, so it couldn’t have just been their little courtyard on that floor. The entire tower could have thousands of sacrificial offerings, all separated by different levels. 

What interested him more was that all these people had only one shadow. It seemed fierce ghosts weren’t standard, and the “defensive measures” for different groups weren’t necessarily the same.

These people were also observing them. While everyone scrutinized each other for a while, there was no sign of the rain letting up.

Jia Xu turned around and broke the silence first. “Let’s find a place to take shelter from the rain.”

His voice was neither loud nor soft, but his tone was more of a command than a suggestion. With these words, he essentially declared himself the leader to the others.

Next to Fang Xiu, the gloomy teenager let out a forceful “hmph” but didn’t say anything. 

Instead, the young man with dyed yellow hair spoke up in opposition, pointing into the distance, “This place seems pretty normal. We should go explore. Maybe we’ll run into someone.”

“Better not.” 

The pair of experienced veterans responded. One was a man and the other a woman. It was the man who spoke. “If you go too far, there are ghosts everywhere that will tear you apart.”

The yellow-haired young man snorted dismissively. He deliberately shifted his body, and the two shadows at his feet moved along with him.

“Let’s find a place to take shelter from the rain first. We can figure it out once the rain stops.”   Jia Xu’s tone hardened a bit, then he turned to the two veterans. “How should we address you?”

“Lao* Mian. She’s called Mai Zi, my wife,” the man said, clearly using fake names. “Is this your first time? I can see all eight of you are here.”

*Old (老). When used as a form of address, it signifies respect, familiarity, or endearment generally used for someone who is older.

Fang Xiu raised an eyebrow. Lao Mian clearly counted Bai Shuangying as a person.

Jia Xu didn’t correct him. “What’s the significance of all eight people being here?”

Lao Mian smiled. “Someone always dies in the first sacrifice. See, only the two of us are left in our group, and this is just our fourth time. We haven’t even made it halfway.”

“The sun is about to set. It’s not safe to wander around at night. Let’s find a place to stay for the night,” Mai Zi added.

Fang Xiu looked up at the sky. It was hard to judge the time on a rainy day, but the sky was indeed getting darker. They had just finished breakfast, so the timing didn’t add up at all. 

Everyone had been busy interviewing with their ghosts last night, basically pulling an all-nighter, so it was a good chance to get some rest.

“Shouldn’t we call the others?” The middle-aged woman pointed to the distance.

Fang Xiu had noticed during breakfast that the middle-aged woman was named Cheng Songyun. Earlier, she had summoned a vengeful ghost that covered its face with long sleeves. 

Cheng Songyun was the type to have an overflow of kindness. Thankfully, she was receptive to advice. It was unclear whether it was because she was quick-witted or simply indecisive. 

People like her could be quite useful at times, like right now.

Yeah, why not call the others?  

Never mind the lunatic; the group of four didn’t look like newbies and could be of help.

Lao Mian and Mai Zi exchanged a complicated glance. 

After a while, Lao Mian approached Jia Xu. “See the leader of that group over there? Doesn’t he have a lot of jade Buddha pendants around his neck?”

“We’ve heard about those jade Buddhas. Each one is worth three lives. He took his teammates’ jade Buddhas so he’s not someone you can lightly deal with…”

Fang Xiu glanced over with his peripheral vision. Around the neck of the tall, sturdy man hung five or six jade Buddha pendants, the red cords of the necklaces standing out. 

Everyone’s “defensive measures” were indeed different. The jade Buddhas were identical in style, probably issued by the underworld. Since the man was openly wearing several of them, it seemed that taking them from others still counted.

The man was covered in muscles and had so many jade Buddhas that it made him harder to kill than a demon cat with nine lives. Fang Xiu couldn’t help but take a few more looks.

Of course, he wasn’t sure if Lao Mian and Mai Zi were telling the truth. 

After all, the two veterans had plenty of magical artifacts themselves, likely picked up from others.

“…We don’t have enough manpower. We need trustworthy people. It’s your first sacrifice, and you need our experience. Let’s work together fairly,” Lao Mian continued sincerely. “You all have two shadows, so you must have items like spells that can’t be taken away. No need to worry about us killing for loot.” 

What he said was reasonable, making it hard to refuse.

Half an hour later. 

With the two veterans leading, the group found shelter in an empty house at the edge of the village. 

Inside the house, there were only a few bundles of firewood, suggesting it was a spare storage room. The windows were covered with newspaper, and the ground was unpaved, exposing dirty mud.

The rainy day made the air hot and humid, with a damp, moldy smell. Nine people crowded into the narrow space, making it almost unbearably uncomfortable.

Instinctively, Fang Xiu stayed close to Bai Shuangying. The ghost was cool to the touch, which was quite pleasant. Bai Shuangying remained motionless, stiff like a corpse.

“‘E has a lot of yin energy around it, attracting evil spirits. It’s best to investigate during the day and defend at night,” Mai Zi explained kindly before anyone could complain. “When choosing a place to spend the night, make sure to pick one with little connection to karma. It’s less likely to break any taboos.”

“Taboos?” Fang Xiu asked curiously.

Mai Zi gave a wry smile. “Yes, avoid breaking taboos or you could die in a confusing way.”

“The paper figure only said that ‘E’ is a source of yin energy pollution…but actually, ‘E’ does more than just release yin energy. It carries its own taboos.”

The term “taboo” was too vague, leaving everyone puzzled.

“For example, during our first sacrifice, the ‘E’ was a butcher’s knife. It was used as a murder weapon and hidden in an ancestral tomb by the killer,” Mai Zi recalled with a grim expression. “The taboos of that ‘E’, let me think, were ‘don’t stay indoors alone’ and ‘don’t respond to any invitations’…breaking a taboo would definitely bring trouble.” 

“It’s not too bad to face some trouble, but some taboos are deadly, like ‘don’t get injured and bleed’. If someone starts bleeding, the wound will keep opening until all their blood is drained.”

“That’s easy. Just be careful,” Blondie scoffed.

“Easy? There are no hints about the taboos. We have to figure them out ourselves,” Mai Zi said, enunciating each word.

“In short, the sacrifice involves three steps: identify the taboo of the ‘E’, understand the karma associated with it, and finally find the ‘E’ itself.”

Fang Xiu silently took note.

It seemed that the taboos of an “E” weren’t randomly generated but were subtly linked to its origin. 

So as long as they figured out the taboos, they could use them as clues to locate the “E”.

A few steps away, Cheng Songyun opened and closed her mouth several times before finally asking, “Miss, do you know what’s happening outside? Are we considered missing? What about our families…?”

Mai Zi’s expression softened slightly. “No need to worry about that. After the first sacrifice, the paper figure will explain… It’s getting dark. Let’s leave it for today.” 

Cheng Songyun seemed to want to ask more but, seeing this, could only close her mouth in disappointment.

Lao Mian waved the copper coin sword in his hand and walked over to Mai Zi. “Don’t rush. It’s only the first day. We can talk more tomorrow during the day.” 

“We’ll keep watch tonight. If you don’t trust us, feel free to have someone keep watch with us—”

“We trust you,” Jia Xu said generously.

It has nothing to do with trust. It was the confidence his ghost gave him, Fang Xiu thought. Ghosts didn’t need to sleep and could secretly keep an eye on things.

The group prepared to spend the night. 

Fang Xiu picked a corner far from the windows and pulled over a bundle of firewood to use as a backrest, making sure to leave space beside him for Bai Shuangying. As Bai Shuangying settled next to him, Fang Xiu naturally gathered his long hair to keep it from touching the dirt.

“I’ll keep watch for you,” Bai Shuangying offered. 

No, he wouldn’t. He planned to take this chance to go out for a walk, eat a ghost or two, and clear his head. As long as Fang Xiu didn’t die, it would be fine.

“No need. Just pretend you’re human,” 

Fang Xiu took the opportunity to put an arm around Bai Shuangying’s shoulder, holding him tightly like a mother hen protecting her chicks. “Let’s rest together. I’m a light sleeper.”

Bai Shuangying: “……”

He wasn’t particularly happy, remembering that time they had “interlocked fingers”.

This time was similar; Fang Xiu’s fingers were practically digging into his flesh. Bai Shuangying gave the arm a sidelong glance but ultimately didn’t pull away.

After settling his ghost, Fang Xiu yawned. 

He heard Lao Mian and Mai Zi whispering to each other, with Lao Mian repeatedly urging Mai Zi to be careful, showing a strong bond between the couple.

Before falling asleep, Fang Xiu drowsily thought about gathering some information from the couple tomorrow and probing their character. 

However, when he opened his eyes again, all those plans were dashed.

The next day, they found the bodies of Lao Mian and Mai Zi. 

Their deaths were extremely tragic, and they died silently. 

---

The author has something to say:

The novice guide was tragically skipped! 

Bai Shuangying: My strength is “mediocre” (compared to my unrestrained self). 

Fang Xiu: “Mediocre strength” = “lack of strength” = very weak, got it. 

Bai Shuangying: ? 

Bai Shuangying: Don’t believe or spread rumors.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 4: Disaster Prevention and Calamity Relief

Thud, thud, thud. Thud, thud, thud. Thud, thud, thud.

Half-asleep, Fang Xiu heard a faint knocking sound.

Fang Xiu opened his eyes. This time, he finally woke up in bed. Unfortunately, what he saw wasn’t the familiar ceiling but an unfamiliar face.

The owner of the ghost hand was floating in the air, his back against the ceiling, staring directly at Fang Xiu. His long hair hung down menacingly, creating a striking visual impact. He still had that tiny blood-red mole.

“How did we get back here?” Fang Xiu asked cheerfully, blinking.

“That was a dream illusion. Now you’re awake.”

“Oh, I see.” Fang Xiu sat up.

So, it wasn’t an ordinary dream. The taste of blood in his mouth was gone, but the funeral pot was still in his arms, pressing painfully against his chest. His feet were intact, but the white cloth on them was soaked with blood, cold and sticky to the touch, and embedded with several teeth.

He wondered if he had dirtied the sheets. Hopefully, the underworld wouldn’t charge him a cleaning fee.

Thud, thud!

The knocking came again.

“Rise and shine for breakfast, live long and healthy. Don’t bring ghosts along, no service after hours—” The paper figure shouted at the door, its shrill voice piercing through the cracks.

Before leaving the room, Fang Xiu managed to ask one question—

“Hey, so-and-so, how strong are you?”

He wasn’t counting on the ghost to help him, but he needed to know his partner’s basic capabilities.

Upon hearing the question, the owner of the ghost hand finally showed some expression.

A hint of pride appeared on his handsome face, but then it slowly faded into a subtle frustration, as if he had thought of something.

“Average,” the ghost muttered with a sigh. He flipped over on the ceiling, facing the wall. The dejection seemed genuine, not an act.

Fang Xiu: “…Got it, then just make sure to take care of yourself.”

So, his strength wasn’t that impressive. Last night, when this guy asked him, “Why don’t you ask for my protection?” he had a strong, confident vibe.

This works too. The ghost wouldn’t overly interfere with his decisions, so getting along would be stress-free.

Fang Xiu took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

In an instant, a strong stench hit him in the face, and wails nearly burst his eardrums. 

The sound was coming from the room next door, where the traditional-style door had several holes punched in it. Through the dark openings, a man’s voice screamed endlessly.

“Help! Help…!”

The man’s cries were filled with terror. “It’s eating me. It’s eating me… Save me…”

Something heavy slammed against the door, causing it to shake constantly. Blood and flesh kept oozing through the cracks, staining the green stone slabs at the doorway and spreading towards the small courtyard.

The small courtyard now had two rectangular tables filled with food. But no one was seated. Everyone was huddled on the other side of the courtyard, nervously watching the spreading blood.

At a glance, Fang Xiu saw that, including himself, there were only six people in the courtyard. The skinny, dark man who had wet his pants and the woman who didn’t dare draw a lot were missing.

“Sit, sit, sit. Feel free to eat.”

The paper figure was busy preparing breakfast, acting as if it had just heard the screams. “Oh dear, that person couldn’t make a deal and left early. Only one has gone so far. You all are doing great!”

It smiled much more warmly than it had yesterday.

Fang Xiu averted his gaze. “Only one has gone,” so it seemed the woman was fine, just hiding and not coming out.

“Everyone should eat. We need to eat something.” The calm young man stepped forward again. He looked a bit better and spoke with firm conviction.

“Can’t we help him?” A middle-aged woman gulped.

She looked to be in her forties or fifties, with short hair reaching her ears, less than 1.6 meters tall, and kept her eyes on the ground as she spoke.

“Everyone has already negotiated with their ghosts. It’s his fault he couldn’t make a deal. There’s nothing we can do to help,” the calm young man said gently.

The woman murmured an “oh” and fell silent.

The calm young man’s gaze moved past the woman and stopped on Fang Xiu. He relaxed his expression and walked over with large strides.

“Jia Xu.”

The calm young man pointed to himself. The screaming from next door was so loud he had to raise his voice. “Come on, let’s have breakfast together. It’s easier to discuss things with more people.”

Jia Xu then pointed behind him, and two young people waved at Fang Xiu. One was a quiet girl dressed like an office worker and the other was a young man with dyed yellow hair, looking rather roguish but healthy.

“You guys know each other?” Fang Xiu asked.

“Just met,” Jia Xu replied with a hearty smile, extending his hand to Fang Xiu.

He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, with a friendly, sunny look. But having seen the owner of the ghost hand, Fang Xiu found this face rather unremarkable.

“My name is Fang Xiu.” Fang Xiu didn’t shake his hand but nodded politely.

Before approaching, Jia Xu had been standing very close to the two young people, with a bit of a leader’s demeanor. Besides the middle-aged woman, there was also a gloomy-faced teenager nearby.

But Jia Xu bypassed the woman and the teenager, greeting Fang Xiu, who was the farthest away. 

Four strong young people, just enough for one table. Jia Xu was looking to form a team with him.

Only a step away, the screams were gradually weakening, and the frequency of the door slamming had also slowed down. Jia Xu looked at Fang Xiu with friendly eyes, his expression expectant but not overbearing.

“Nice to meet you.” Fang Xiu remained composed and didn’t accept Jia Xu’s invitation to breakfast. “You’re right. We should help each other.”

Choosing to distance himself from the older person and the troubled teenager, Jia Xu’s approach was practical. Fang Xiu didn’t want to judge, but Jia Xu seemed eager to play the role of the leader, while Fang Xiu didn’t need an uninvited “captain”.

Jia Xu understood the undertone of Fang Xiu’s words. He didn’t get angry. He just scratched his face and said, “Alright, maybe we can talk later.”

After returning, Jia Xu sat down with the two young people at a table, conversing quietly.

Fang Xiu chose the other table.

The breakfast was abundant but odd. The white rice was piled high, accompanied by greasy roast chicken, both cold. There were no vegetables in sight, only some relatively fresh apples and oranges. 

The middle-aged woman hesitated but eventually sat down. The teenager took a chicken leg and two apples, then squatted alone in a corner.

Finally, the man’s cries ceased. The door stopped shaking, and only the faint sound of chewing remained inside. The smell of blood spread out but was quickly overshadowed by the incense smoke.

“Eat well, drink well. You need energy for work.”

The paper figure was lying on the incense burner, inhaling the smoke with pleasure. “In half an hour, your first sacrifice will begin.”

It clearly didn’t want them to eat in peace. Fang Xiu helplessly picked up a piece of roast chicken.

The paper figure continued, “Speaking of the disaster relief sacrifice, it’s quite simple. You go to the sacrificial site, find an object, destroy it, and the sacrifice is complete.”

“Hey, tell us what to look for!” The yellow-haired young man next to Jia Xu banged on the table, his voice loud.

“We call that object an ‘E¹’. It’s a soul with an obsession becomes a ‘ghost’ when tainted with yin energy²; an object with an obsession becomes an ‘E’ when it gathers karma,” the paper figure explained in a thin, soft voice, squinting its “二³”-shaped eyes.

¹The word is (厄) which is a character in Chinese primarily related to disaster, bad luck, or misfortune. The E [È] is the pinyin form for the word.
²This is referring to qi, traditionally believed to be a vital force part of all living entities. Translated, it could be “energy”, “vital energy”, “vital force”, ect. Yin energy is often associated with the moon and is represented by femininity (characterized by dark, wetness, cold, passivity, disintegration), though in cases with Nian Zhong’s work, she often incorporates her own interpretations of these things while borrowing on the idea.
³This word means two, but it’s not the meaning, but the shape of the character. In this case, the paper figure has its eyes like 二 instead of how humans usually have their eyes.

According to its explanation, an “E” is a super pollution source.

Once an “E” forms, it continuously produces yin energy, fostering evil spirits. Unfortunately, the underworld only knows which area the “E” is in but can’t determine what the “E” actually is. 

It could be as small as a grain of rice or a needle, or as large as a coffin or a statue.

The so-called disaster relief sacrifice is essentially making the living act as minesweepers, finding and destroying the “E”.

“Uh, why not have the evil spirits look for it?” This time, the question came from the office girl, who seemed relatively calm.

“We can’t have wolves looking for sheep.” The paper figure shook its head repeatedly. “Evil spirits love yin energy. They wouldn’t obediently destroy the ‘E’.”

“Is there a time limit for the sacrifice? What if we can’t find it—” As expected, Jia Xu stepped in with the critical question.

“There’s no time limit. You keep looking until you die.”

The paper figure spread its mouth into a grin, revealing a dark, gaping hole. “As for how long you can live, that depends on your abilities. That’s the way it is with sacrifices.”

An awkward silence fell over the group.

In the heavy atmosphere, Fang Xiu took another piece of chicken, chewing as quietly as possible.

……

Crunch, crunch.

The owner of the ghost hand broke off a finger bone, slowly chewing it up. Black and red flesh mixed with bone made a dull, unpleasant sound. He ate carefully, not spilling a single drop of blood.

After gorging on human flesh, the fierce ghost next door had the nerve to walk through the walls for a stroll, and the owner of the ghost hand caught it. 

Last night, he had tried to break away from the summoner, wasting a lot of energy. Eating this ghost could somewhat replenish his yin energy.

In the coming days, he would have to stick with this human—

The Disaster Relief Tower had its rules. To prevent ghosts from slacking off, if a summoner died, the ghost would lose some of its power. Conversely, if the summoner survived until the end, the ghost would also receive a reward.

Given the situation, letting that person die would only be a loss for himself.

No worries, he thought. Since he was here, he might as well settle in. All he needed to do was hide his identity and keep a low profile.

The owner of the ghost hand lowered his head and countless fine shadows swayed gently. Invisible chains bound him tightly, just as they had for thousands of years. 

As long as the underworld didn’t notice, his plan could continue smoothly…

Creak!

There was a noise at the door. He hurriedly stuffed the remaining ghost meat into his mouth, nearly choking himself in the process.

“The instructions are here. We’re about to head to the sacrifice.” Fang Xiu pushed the door open.

The owner of the ghost hand sat on the edge of the bed, looking over with a blank expression. For some reason, Fang Xiu thought his cheeks seemed a bit puffed.

He glanced around the room. Everything was in its place; everything looked normal. It must have been his imagination, he thought.

“By the way, you should have a name, something to call you by.” Fang Xiu continued, “You can just call me Fang Xiu, and I’ll call you…”

Xiao¹ Bai? Da² Bai? No, that didn’t fit. It was too frivolous.

¹Little (小) When used as an address, it signifies familiarity, closeness, or endearment to someone who is younger or lower rank than you.
²Big (大) When used as an address, it signifies familiarity, endearment, or showing respect to someone who is older or more senior than you. You can associate this as adding a Mr./Ms. to the person’s name when it’s the latter.

Since this guy was being called a seductive ghost, he needed a more elegant name. Looking at the owner of the ghost hand, who was sitting properly, Fang Xiu suddenly remembered a ghost story he had heard—people possessed by ghosts were said to have two shadows. 

Two shadows sounded like having a constant companion.

“…I’ll call you Bai Shuangying*. How’s that?” Fang Xiu asked.

*His name literally translates to White Twin/Double/Two Shadows.

Now that he was somewhat bound to this fierce ghost, he hoped they could get along until the end.

The owner of the ghost hand—ah, no, Bai Shuangying—nodded and said nothing. 

Fang Xiu wasn’t too surprised. This guy always seemed to have an unreadable expression. Even if he had called him Bai Yanyan*, he probably wouldn’t have had an opinion.

*This is the literal name from the type of ghost Fang Xiu thinks he is (a seductive ghost). Due to his appearance, Fang Xiu thinks he’s a [Yan] (艳) Ghost [Gui] (艳). The Yan means beautiful/attractive/gorgeous, but also in some context can refer to erotic/lewd (with a sexual undertone, thus a seductive ghost). Giving him this name is basically an apt way to call him by what type of ghost he (supposedly) is albeit inappropriate given the context.

“Good morning, Bai Shuangying.”

Fang Xiu gave a slight smile. “The sacrifice is about to begin. Let’s go.”

---

The author has something to say:

The name is officially SET √ 

One person, one ghost: Since we’re already here, let’s eat first.jpg 

Their inner thoughts are exactly the same! 

I’m planning a new novel. If any little angels are interested, please bookmark it!

~A Contract Between Enemies~

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Preview summary for Nian Zhong’s next upcoming novel:

A young noble failed to summon a demon and died a violent death on the spot. 

The bad news: He accidentally summoned a Chaos Demon God, who then took over the body of the sacrificial slave. 

The good news: He also accidentally summoned the spirit of the Hero who perished alongside the Demon God, and this spirit possessed the dead noble’s body. 

When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with hatred. However, while they once fought so fiercely that they shook the heavens and earth, now they can only chip away at the walls. Even worse, their epic battles have been reduced to mere exaggerated legends, and the only living beings they know are each other.

So, for the first time, they reach an agreement: figure out their current situation, regain their power, and then, finally, kill each other again— 

A crumbling-Hero gong × a Demon God shou who has lost his body.

The two legends, struggling (?), start again from a newbie village, embarking on an adventure from perishing together to living and dying together.

…

I’m always a huge fan when it comes to anything western fantasy by Nian Zhong (plugging in Stray and Full Server First Kill) and no doubt this summary got me hooked. It doesn’t help that I’ve been on an enemies-to-lovers binge recently.

Unfortunately, we probably won’t see this until next year (depending on how long Help is… which, given Nian Zhong’s track record… will probably be quite long; one can only hope).

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 3: Becoming a Seductive Ghost

The paper figure turned to the bronze mirrors showing the other sacrificial offerings.

The illusions for the others were fairly straightforward. As long as they didn’t panic, they should be able to survive. The rules of the Disaster Relief Tower prohibit creating inescapable death traps.

But Fang Xiu’s situation was clearly a dead end.

There were hanging corpses on the tree; anyone trying to take wood for padding would definitely be attacked. Fang Xiu only took the cloth strips and didn’t damage the dead tree, which was lucky for him. 

There were human heads in the river, so swimming wasn’t an option. Fang Xiu had to obediently walk on the ground. 

In fact, Fang Xiu’s judgment wasn’t wrong. The faint light was indeed the endpoint. But at his walking speed, he would definitely die before reaching it.

What a pity. This kid has guts. He could have been a good candidate.

Just as the paper figure sighed, Fang Xiu made a move—

Fang Xiu climbed up and down the dead tree, taking down all the cloth strips. He wove the white strips into a net, then tore the flesh from his wounds and tossed it into the river. Fresh human blood spread through the water, causing the heads to swarm frantically, competing to devour it.

The next second, the white cloth net descended from the sky.

These traditional evil spirits had never encountered modern fishing techniques and were instantly caught in the net.

The heads collectively froze for a moment.

When they realized what was happening, the heads on the edges tried to bite through the net’s ropes, but they were so squeezed by their companions that they couldn’t open their mouths.

The heads in the center tried to sink, but were dragged by the others, stuck halfway up, creating a chaotic scene like rush hour in a crowded subway.

Then Fang Xiu just jumped on top of them.

He jumped on top of them.

Jumped on top of them.

The paper figure, who had been watching the entire time: “……” A phantom pain throbbed in its head. 

What a ruthless guy!

And it wasn’t over yet. As soon as Fang Xiu steadied himself, he hung a piece of flesh on a cloth strip, placing it on one side of the “raft of heads”, like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey. Then he carefully walked to the other side and started tapping the funeral pot like a wooden fish.

The heads instantly reached a consensus. The half closer to the flesh advanced eagerly, while the half further away from the pot fled in terror. They charged towards the faint light at full speed, creating waves as they went, moving as fast as a motorboat.

The paper figure: “?”

It needed a word stronger than “ruthless”.

Meanwhile, Fang Xiu, happily riding the waves, found even the tree shadows on both sides of the river more pleasing.

As he approached the faint light, the dead trees on the banks changed in appearance. The cloth strips hanging from the trees turned from white to bright red. The corpses hanging from the trees were dressed in red and green, fresh and full, looking as if they had just died—a lively sight.

As Fang Xiu sped past them, the corpses’ pupils followed him from one corner of their eyes to the other.

“Good evening,” Fang Xiu cheerfully waved.

However, after reaching his destination, his evening didn’t go so well—

Fang Xiu did find the ghost hand that had run away, but the number of them wasn’t quite right.

The source of the beautiful faint light was actually a dim hill. Thousands of ghost hands protruded from the hill, each surrounded by a white glow, resembling a field of glowing mushrooms upon closer inspection.

Which one was his?

Or were these hands all connected underground like mushrooms, forming a single entity…

As Fang Xiu pondered, he suddenly felt a tightening on his back.

A ghost hand extended rapidly, lifting Fang Xiu into the air. The other hands nearby followed suit.

Countless wrists slithered like snakes, gripping his limbs and squeezing his waist and abdomen. Numerous fingers engulfed him, squirming over his skin. It felt like falling into an icy abyss or being trapped in a grotesque embrace.

Cold hands covered Fang Xiu’s eyes, his ears were tightly sealed, and even his tongue was pinned down by fingers as cold as ice.

A pair of hands encircled his neck, slowly tightening, in a motion that was impossible to distinguish as either gentle or torturous. 

There wasn’t even a hint of murderous intent.

Bzzz—

The funeral pot fell heavily to the ground beside Fang Xiu’s feet.

Fang Xiu couldn’t breathe, veins bulged on his neck, and his head throbbed with pain. He recognized this feeling—death was hovering nearby, waiting for him to exhale his last breath.

No, something was off.

If they could beat a fierce ghost one-on-one, then what would be the point of summoning one? Directly fighting a ghost would be against the rules, so there must be restrictions set by the underworld. Since these restrictions hadn’t taken effect, this was definitely another test.

If he gave up now, everything would be over.

Using all his strength, Fang Xiu slowly clenched his jaws. 

The fingers in his mouth were incredibly hard, sending sharp pains through his teeth. But he resolutely bit down, ignoring the piercing pain and the sound of bones cracking—like his mouth was just a numb pair of pliers.

Crack.

He bit off two fingers from the ghost hand. Remembering the direction, he spat the severed fingers forcefully.

Bzzz—Bzzz—

As the broken fingers hit the funeral pot precisely, the pot responded immediately, emitting a chilling sound once more.

In the next moment, the countless ghost hands holding Fang Xiu loosened their grip. Seizing the opportunity, he struggled desperately, falling back to the ground.

With no ghost hands covering his eyes, he saw silver chains filling the sky.

At some point, thousands of chains had shot out from the void, wrapping around the ghost hands on the ground like a spider web. The ghost hands stopped struggling and became still in the night.

Fang Xiu coughed twice, spitting out bloody foam. He chose the ghost hand nearest to him and removed the silver chain.

“Hey brother, want to chat? If you do, move a bit.” Enough is enough. Any more tests would be rude.

The hand lay there dejectedly for a moment, then waved towards Fang Xiu. 

Relieved, Fang Xiu bent down to grab the ghost hand. Suddenly, it tightened its five fingers and stretched upward. Fang Xiu tried to pull it out—but it wouldn’t budge.

The atmosphere grew awkward.

Without a shovel this time, Fang Xiu had to use both hands to grab the ghost hand, pulling with all his might. The ghost hand’s muscles twitched strangely, as if the thing underground was constantly changing shape. 

The chains dissipated like smoke, and the ground trembled. The countless ghost hands slowly withdrew into the earth, leaving only the one Fang Xiu was holding onto.

Swish…!

The soil loosened unexpectedly. Fang Xiu put all his strength into pulling the ghost out, couldn’t stop himself in time and fell backward. The thing he pulled out fell forward, pinning him down securely.

Fang Xiu was about to complain when the sight before him stopped him in his tracks.

…This guy is really handsome.

Though he had just emerged from the ground, not a speck of dirt stained him. He wore a white robe, and his black hair flowed down like a waterfall over Fang Xiu’s chest.

The key point was that face.

That face was properly handsome. At first glance, it was stunning, but on closer inspection, it seemed human yet not quite, like an overly exquisite doll that gave one chills. 

Especially those eyes. Their irises were snow-white with a thin ring of light gray around the edges, showing no emotion. Such a void-like white reminded Fang Xiu of a shroud in a hospital.

…But still, he’s incredibly good-looking!

The love of beauty was common to all, and Fang Xiu was no exception.

“You’re crushing me,” he politely reminded.

The figure slowly rose, his movements stiff and awkward. He sat sideways on Fang Xiu’s lower leg, seemingly confused about how to stand.

Fang Xiu: “……”

Forget it, there are more important matters.

“I won’t ask much of you. Just consider this a nominal partnership and don’t interfere with me. In the future, we can… Ow!” Fang Xiu began, but before he could finish, the owner of the ghost hand leaned in close, placing a hand on his cheek.

Instantly, Fang Xiu’s vision distorted, and his senses became chaotic. The hand seemed to be kneading his brain, not causing pain but the invasive sensation was maddening. 

Fang Xiu retched on the spot. With nothing in his stomach, he only spat out a small amount of bile.

The entire ordeal lasted about five or six seconds.

“Enough already. Don’t be so rough…” The dizziness finally subsided. Fang Xiu wiped his face, nearly choking on his own saliva.

“Speak… Words…”

The ghost hand’s owner spoke. His voice was pleasant, but the words didn’t match his mouth movements, like a video with a lag.

“…Learned to speak… from you…”

Fang Xiu: “?”

Is this a crash course in speaking? How does the underworld even select its ghosts?

The owner of the ghost hand quickly got the hang of synchronizing his voice and lips. “I didn’t intend to intervene… But since you broke my trap, by the rules, I must assist you…”

So that’s how it is.

The so-called negotiation mentioned by the paper figure was actually a “test set by the fierce ghost, solved by the summoner”. As long as the summoner passed the test, regardless of the ghost’s willingness, the partnership was considered established.

These fierce ghosts don’t have it easy either.

“Don’t worry, I’m tough,” Fang Xiu said. “I really don’t have any demands. You do as you see fit.”

“Why don’t you ask for my protection?” The owner of the ghost hand stared expressionlessly at Fang Xiu.

“Brother, your lot had a whole string of ‘death’ characters on it…”

…It looks like there’s a lot of resentment here. 

Fang Xiu had treated the earlier bloody tests as just business for the ghost, but the lot seemed to carry a bit of personal grudge.

Going further might offend the ghost, so Fang Xiu quickly changed the subject. “Can I ask about your, uh, species?”

“No.”

“What about your name?”

“I don’t have one.”

What kind of work attitude is this? Fang Xiu choked. No name, fine, but “unknown species” was really conspicuous, and he didn’t want to stir up trouble.

“…Then if someone asks later, I’ll just say you’re a seductive ghost,” he said.

A seductive ghost, a relatively harmless and common type of evil spirit. With that face, it was a convincing choice.

“Alright, let’s make a contract,” the owner of the ghost hand agreed without objection.

That easy? Fang Xiu fell into thought.

The paper figure had explained the process of “making a contract”. After a partnership was established, the human must give the ghost a drop of blood. This step was more symbolic, like stamping a certificate.

Since that’s the case…

The owner of the ghost hand quietly waited, his white irises reflecting Fang Xiu as he raised his head.

Fang Xiu was lean, with skin that had an unhealthy pallor. His bangs were a bit messy, usually covering his eyes, making him look rather ordinary at first glance.

Since entering the illusion, this was the first time Fang Xiu had properly shown his face.

He had surprisingly handsome features, with slightly curved eyebrows and a natural smile, giving off a unique freshness. The owner of the ghost hand had seen many humans, and this one’s appearance was definitely top-notch. 

It was just a pity that those black eyes, lacking brightness, appeared a bit sinister.

“In fact, a human face isn’t symmetrical. This ‘asymmetry’ is what makes people perceive ‘harmony’.” Fang Xiu said earnestly, “I can make you look more like a seductive ghost. Trust me, and don’t move.”

The owner of the ghost hand didn’t move, his gaze repeatedly scanning Fang Xiu’s features as if trying to engrave them in his memory.

Fang Xiu bit his ring finger, then gently dabbed a drop of blood on the ghost’s face—

A tiny blood mark appeared beneath the left eye of the ghost hand’s owner, like a small, blood-red mole.

With the addition of the mole, his otherworldly aura diminished somewhat, and his face, previously lifeless, gained a bit of vitality.

“All done.” Fang Xiu contentedly sucked on his wound. “Can we go back now? I’m exhausted.”

On the other side of the bronze mirror, the paper figure stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning.

How could this be possible?

The owner of the ghost hand had first set a death trap and then tried to kill him. The Disaster Relief Tower forbade ghosts from killing the sacrificial offerings casually, yet this one had managed to defy the rules, delaying the underworld’s rescue spell.

Luckily, Fang Xiu had managed to hold on. By accidentally ringing the funeral pot, he disrupted the illusion, allowing the rescue spell to activate in time.

Fang Xiu assumed that the ghost hand was under the jurisdiction of the underworld and thought he was following a standard procedure. The kid didn’t even realize he had just narrowly escaped death or how dangerous his situation was. 

Right now, the ghost was barely being suppressed by the Disaster Relief Tower and needed to be reported immediately…

The eyes of the owner of the ghost hand suddenly moved. His pale irises pierced through the mirror, directly stabbing at the paper figure.

A brief stare.

Everything around the paper figure twisted and turned, like stirred paint. A moment later, everything returned to normal.

The paper figure put the bronze mirror back in place.

“A seductive ghost, a seductive ghost. That kid actually summoned a seductive ghost,” it muttered, clicking its tongue but otherwise appearing calm. “We were wondering why there was an extra lot, but it turns out a seductive ghost snuck in…”

Everything had a cause and effect. The ghosts summoned were closely related to the summoner’s own characteristics. 

A mere seductive ghost was nothing to worry about. The paper figure had been a little interested in Fang Xiu, but now it seemed like nothing special. Picking up the half-written abnormal report, it continued to chew on it with great interest.

No abnormalities. No abnormalities. No abnormalities.  

The sacrificial ritual would undoubtedly proceed smoothly, as always.

---

The author has something to say:

The long-standing prologue meeting! The two have finally seen each other’s faces, not easy. 

Fang Xiu: You talked so tough, hit so hard, didn’t even learn how to speak human language properly beforehand… I get it. 

Fang Xiu: You must really not want this job, huh? Don’t worry, you can slack off. 

Bai Shuangying: ………………

---

Kinky Thoughts:

This marks the end of the prologue.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 2: Becoming Roommates

Fang Xiu opened his eyes and saw an upright ground.

After a few seconds, he realized he was lying on the ground with his right cheek pressed against it… Wait, this development felt a bit familiar.

In the dim moonlight, he saw that he was surrounded by dark shadows of trees. In the distance, the mountains undulated endlessly, like a vast sea.

From within the shadows came the sound of trickling water; a river flowed nearby. The water was dark and dull at night, and Fang Xiu could only see the white stones protruding from it.

A sharp pain throbbed in his temple, and Fang Xiu groaned as he sat up. Something heavy was pressing down on his thigh. As he saw what it was, his recent memories flooded back into his mind.

……

The paper figure gave Fang Xiu a shovel.

Fang Xiu decisively started digging. Unfortunately, he couldn’t follow the ghost hand to its source. The ghost hand was black, gray, and translucent below the wrist, blending into the ground like a shadow.

So, Fang Xiu turned to the paper figure again and asked, “Do you have a flowerpot?”

The expression on the paper figure grew increasingly complex. It seemed to want to say something but stopped. In the end, it turned to an incense burner and dug out a funeral pot used for burning paper money.

A pot is a pot; the difference wasn’t significant. Fang Xiu wielded the shovel and began his grand plan of transplantation.

Faced with this simple labor scene, everyone momentarily forgot their fear, watching intently alongside the surrounding malicious ghosts. After ten minutes or so, Fang Xiu managed to scoop the ghost hand along with the soil into the pot.

“Sorry for keeping everyone waiting,” Fang Xiu said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. In the center of the funeral pot, the ghost hand hung limply.

The eerie atmosphere of summoning the fierce ghosts completely collapsed, and the paper figure seemed somewhat resigned. It allocated rooms in the small courtyard on the spot, saying that they would discuss serious matters after everyone survived the night.

It said this while glaring at Fang Xiu.

Fang Xiu was unfazed. It wasn’t his fault that the ghost hand wouldn’t move. He held the funeral pot tightly, surveying his new room.

According to the paper figure, he had to stay here for an extended period before leaving.

The room was square-shaped, compact but well-equipped with a wardrobe and a desk. The bed was against the wall, quite spacious, and the headboard was next to a glass-partitioned shower room.

A standard studio apartment.

However, three things made him uncomfortable: the room had no windows, no toilet, and an old offering table was placed at the entrance. The table was made of old wood with chipped paint, and there were suspicious stains on its surface. Fang Xiu wiped off some dust in disdain and decided to place the funeral pot on the bedside table.

He couldn’t mistreat this hand. A good impression was the first step to a friendly cooperation.

Fang Xiu stared intently at the potted plant—no, the ghost hand.

This room was less than twenty square meters. Even couples would find it cramped to live together. The others, forced to share rooms with fierce ghosts, must be under a lot of pressure.

His ghost, however, was great. It didn’t take up space and was pleasant to look at. The ghost hand was about the same size as his hand, probably a hand belonging to a male, so sharing the room wouldn’t be inconvenient.

“Hey brother, want to chat? If you’re willing, just move a bit,” Fang Xiu tried to strike up a conversation.

The ghost hand didn’t respond.

Fang Xiu nodded. “Then I’ll sleep for a bit. Goodnight.”

After being dragged around in the middle of the night for so long, he was tired.

The paper figure had asked them to survive the night, not necessarily to come to an agreement tonight. Just in case, Fang Xiu moved the ghost hand to the side of the bed. Gently, he pried open its five fingers and interlocked them with his own.

He was a light sleeper. This way, he would know as soon as it moved.

……

The memory ended here.

The trial of “surviving the night” had begun quietly. It seemed he didn’t sleep as lightly as he had thought, Fang Xiu introspectively noted.

The funeral pot containing the ghost hand was pressing down on his leg, feeling heavy and real. The pot was covered in incense ash, and the dirt dug out from the courtyard was still there, but the ghost hand was nowhere to be seen.

This made him a bit nervous.

The paper figure had only mentioned “being killed by the ghost if negotiations failed” and “forming a pact with the ghost if negotiations succeeded”. It didn’t mention that the fierce ghost would silently vanish. Did it get upset because he had held its hand?

Whether this was an illusion or reality, he had to find the runaway ghost hand first.

The moonlight was better than nothing. It was so dark that he couldn’t see his own hand in front of him. A faint light flickered at the end of the river, like an invitation.

Fang Xiu stumbled along the riverbank toward the light, stepping deeper and shallower as he went. The sound of a suona drifted eerily from all directions, making his head spin. Fortunately, the sound of the river was clear and distinct, and the white stones in the middle of the river clustered in threes and fives, serving as makeshift markers.

However, Fang Xiu’s pace gradually slowed down.

He had woken up barefoot. The ground was covered with sharp stones, which occasionally dug into his feet and tore away his flesh, and even seemed to burrow into his wounds.

Oddly enough, he felt no pain.

Unconsciously, his feet became a bloody mess, his footsteps changing from dry “tap-tap” sounds to a sticky “squelch-squelch”. As the blood kept flowing, his strength quickly waned. His body felt like a sack of meat, numb and heavy.

Fang Xiu roughly grasped the nature of the “trial” ahead of him—

With every step he took, his flesh would wear away a little, like a game with a limited number of moves.

The problem was that this place was too vast and pitch dark. If he took a wrong turn, he could only wander in the darkness until his feet were completely ruined. Then he would have to crawl on the ground until he turned into a pile of minced meat.

The design concept was quite malicious, but the process was really tedious. Fang Xiu couldn’t help but sigh.

The sound of the suona grew louder and louder, as if it was trying to penetrate his brain and squeeze his mind out through his ears.

A few steps away, there was a willow tree. Fang Xiu leaned against its trunk in exhaustion, deciding to rest for a bit.

He was still far from the faint light. The blood loss was happening too fast; he couldn’t leave it unchecked. He had to find something to pad his feet.

His underwear fabric was too soft to be useful, and his pants were too thick and tough to tear apart. His T-shirt fabric was just right, but he really liked this red T-shirt…

Something gently brushed his face.

Fang Xiu then noticed that the tree had long since withered. What he had assumed to be willow branches were actually strips of white cloth hanging down. Among the white cloth hung a dozen shriveled skeletons, wearing faded burial clothes, swaying in the breeze.

One pair of skeletal feet dangled just a few centimeters above Fang Xiu’s head.

Facing this eerie tree with its floating white cloth and dangling corpses, Fang Xiu held his breath, his heart pounding.

Good lord, what had he seen?

…It was a wild bandage!

“Excuse me,”

Fang Xiu tried to suppress his excitement, as he cautiously addressed the skeletons hanging from the tree. He gently plucked a few strips of white cloth. The cloth felt unnaturally cold to the touch, but it seemed clean and was thick enough.

He took back his earlier statement. This giant escape room wasn’t so boring after all; it had some unexpected surprises.

Fang Xiu sat down by the river and began to treat his wounds using the running water.

Perhaps it was because he had been walking in the dark for so long, but his eyes gradually adapted to the darkness. Fang Xiu dug out a handful of sharp fragments from his wounds, only to realize in shock that they were actually yellowed human teeth.

No wonder they tried to dig deeper into his flesh.

Disgusted, Fang Xiu threw the teeth into the water, causing a small ripple.

The white stones in the middle of the river seemed to be disturbed and floated closer… Narrowing his eyes, he looked carefully. They looked more like human heads than stones.

Their skin was swollen, with the lower half of their faces submerged in the water, revealing only bulging eyes. Drawn by the scent of blood in the water, more and more heads gathered, quickly closing in on Fang Xiu’s bleeding feet.

The river was pitch black and the heads clustered together densely, looking like maggots on rotten flesh.

What to do? Fang Xiu thought. He hadn’t finished cleaning his wounds yet.

He had a funeral pot, but it was meant for retrieving the ghost hand. If he washed his feet with it and then used it to hold the ghost hand, that would be too much.

...Oh, right. It’s said that beasts are afraid of banging sounds, but what about wild human heads? Suddenly struck with inspiration, Fang Xiu grabbed a bone and tentatively tapped the edge of the pot.

Bzzz—

Though the funeral pot was made of clay, it emitted a piercing and chilling sound with great resonance.

The nearby heads recoiled, squeezing together with the newcomers, keeping a distance of about an arm’s length from the pot. Hundreds of eyes were glued to Fang Xiu.

Bzzz—Bzzz—

The sharp sound spread across the water’s surface, chilling him to the bone. With just a light tap, the pot vibrated as if it were alive, its echoes lingering for a long time.

No wonder it was a product of the underworld—it was incredibly effective. Fang Xiu let out a sigh of relief and quickened his pace to clean his wounds.

His heels had already worn down to the bone, with several teeth piercing through his toes. Fang Xiu highly suspected that as long as the teeth were still scattered along the path, even padding his feet with cloth wouldn’t last long.

He had a strange feeling that he was being chewed up by the entire space.

When this mountain ground him into pieces, his teeth would also scatter across the ground, ready to bite into the feet of someone else.

If he didn’t want this fate, he’d have to find a branch to hang himself from, so his feet would stay off the ground, at least leaving his body intact. Alternatively, he could jump into the river and potentially become part of the army of heads… Wait, the army of heads?

Fang Xiu glanced at the tree on the riverbank, then at the mass of heads in the water, and suddenly had an idea.

Meanwhile, in a certain room of the Disaster Relief Tower.

The paper figure was holding a bronze mirror, constantly observing the scene within. The mirror showed Fang Xiu’s image.

The view in the mirror was very clear; it not only reflected the hanging corpses and the heads but also countless other evil spirits in the distance—hundreds of eyes were fixed on Fang Xiu, waiting for him to get lost or make a mistake.

Honestly, the paper figure was more concerned about the ghost hand than Fang Xiu himself.

The lottery tube had exactly one hundred sticks, each representing a registered fierce ghost known to the underworld and memorized by the paper figure.

Yet it didn’t recognize the ghost that Fang Xiu had drawn.

Fang Xiu was the seventh to draw, leaving ninety-four sticks in the tube. The paper figure could identify every remaining stick, meaning Fang Xiu had somehow pulled out a nonexistent one hundred and first stick.

This was bizarre, incredibly bizarre. Such a thing had never happened before, and it needed to be carefully observed and reported in detail.

…That was, if Fang Xiu could survive the night.

This was just the preliminary screening. Fierce ghosts would use illusions to test the summoner. If they were compatible, they would form a pact; if not, the ghost would eat them—a simple and brutal process.

According to the rules of the Disaster Relief Tower, the illusion should display the original setting of the fierce ghost. It might be an abandoned house, a desolate grave, or at most, a palace.

However, the illusion that Fang Xiu was in seemed to stretch endlessly, with a rich underworld ecosystem. This was completely abnormal. There shouldn’t be any other evil spirits in the original illusion of a fierce ghost.

There was only one explanation: something had gone terribly wrong with the ghost summoning.

Whatever Fang Xiu had summoned, it was very, very ominous.

---

The author has something to say:

Mr. Bai has made a 5% appearance in the literal sense, but the two have already achieved the milestones of “ten fingers interlocked” and “sharing the same bed” √ 

They’ve just met and are already playing a warm game of hide-and-seek, how lovely (…

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 1: Become a Living Sacrifice

Fang Xiu opened his eyes and saw the ground standing upright.

It took him a few seconds to realize that he was lying on the ground, with his right cheek pressed against the dirt. Dizzyingly, Fang Xiu got up, still a bit dazed.

He heard a muffled sound of a suona in his ears, the sound intermittently breaking off, making it unclear whether it was music of celebration or mourning. Fang Xiu focused to listen, but the sound disappeared again.

It was dark and cold around him. Not far away, a circle of large red lanterns swayed gently.

Fang Xiu finally fully woke up. Those lanterns were clearly a dozen meters away—his room wasn’t this big.

One moment he was lying in his bed, the next he had fallen into this dilapidated place.

His pajamas were gone, inexplicably replaced by a bright red T-shirt. He recognized this T-shirt; it was a gift from his family that he really liked.

What the hell?!

Could it be that he died suddenly in his sleep and was cremated wearing his favorite T-shirt, ending up in the underworld without any transition? Fang Xiu hurriedly patted his body all over. His breathing was steady, and his heartbeat was strong. He was probably still alive.

Being alive is good, he thought with a sigh of relief.

…Then he exhaled right onto the face in front of him.

Fang Xiu: “?”

A face had somehow appeared in front of him, less than half a meter away.

The face was pale as paper, with a stiff smile on its mouth. The eyes weren’t arranged left and right like a normal person’s, but vertically in a “two” shape, with the corners of the eyes tearing outward. Judging by the features, the face seemed to belong to a child of six or seven, but it floated at Fang Xiu’s height—it hovered like a mask in the darkness, emitting the smell of burning paper.

Fang Xiu: “…!”

Thank God, finally someone to ask for directions.

Since he was a child, he never had any particular thoughts about demons and ghosts. Whether he encountered an evil person or an evil ghost, at worst, he’d lose his life. Besides, if one compared the cruelty of humans and evil spirits, the result wasn’t really clear-cut.

Encountering a strange ghost was no different from encountering a strange person.

Fang Xiu flashed a friendly smile. “Hello.”

The face returned a more enthusiastic smile but didn’t speak or move, which disappointed Fang Xiu a little. However, since there was someone here, there might be others nearby.

He calmly shifted his gaze and moved toward the red lanterns.

The face froze for a moment, then swiftly floated back in front of Fang Xiu, almost nose to nose.

Too close. That’s a bit rude.

Fang Xiu frowned and stepped around the face as if it were forcefully handing out flyers.

The smile on the face slowly disappeared, and it persistently floated back in front of Fang Xiu. The two pairs of eyes stared silently at each other; it was hard to say whose expression was more speechless.

After a few rounds of blocking, Fang Xiu stopped in cooperation.

It wasn’t because he had a particularly good temper, but because, although the circle of red lanterns seemed close, after walking five or six meters, it felt like he was just walking in place. Perhaps he had taken a wrong turn, and the face was reminding him.

Fang Xiu calmly said, “Hello, do you need something?”

The face gradually distorted. “…Is that all you want to ask?”

Its voice was sharp and unpleasant, filled with a lot of displeasure.

“So you can speak!” Fang Xiu was pleasantly surprised. “Could you please tell me how to get out of here?”

This question seemed to trigger a keyword, and the face immediately perked up. It floated around Fang Xiu in a circle, laughing grimly. “Leave here? You think too soon, you think too soon.”

“Those who come here are all living sacrifices, meant to ward off disasters. You have to survive eight sacrificial rituals to earn a way out…”

The face spoke theatrically, and Fang Xiu listened very intently. As time passed, he gradually understood the situation:

The underworld had kidnapped him.

The underworld had trapped him in this place called the “Disaster Relief Tower”.

The underworld wanted him, a living person, to serve as a sacrifice, surviving through some sort of ritual to fulfill a survival KPI in order to leave.

It sounded like being forced to work for free, and in a high-risk job at that. Fang Xiu looked at the face that was talking non-stop, and his mood gradually darkened. “Aside from ‘leaving here’, is there any other reward?”

The face: “Huh?”

Rewards? Would a normal person consider rewards at a time like this?

From the beginning, it had tried hard to create a terrifying atmosphere. Who knew this person would be so thick-skinned? It had said everything it needed to say and followed the entire procedure, yet inexplicably, it felt frustrated.

For example, right now, it should be throwing out the “ultimate reward” as bait when the other person felt hopeless and scared.

However—

“If you just needed a living sacrifice, you could have knocked me out and thrown me onto the altar,” Fang Xiu stated matter-of-factly. “Yet you pointed out the way out and explained the rules. If I survive, it seems to benefit you.”

Fang Xiu’s words were polite, but his face was clearly saying, “The underworld is a millennia-old establishment. Don’t be so stingy.”

The face: “……”

“If you manage to survive eight rituals, the underworld will grant you a wish.” No matter how hard it tried, it couldn’t regain control of the conversation, and the face’s expression looked a bit deflated.

“Any wish?” Fang Xiu’s eyebrows twitched.

The face reluctantly added, “No, the wish must be within the bounds of your karma.”

It spoke ambiguously, but fortunately, Fang Xiu had heard similar things before.

Within the bounds of karma meant that the wish’s subject must have some connection to Fang Xiu himself. The content of the wish should also be related and cannot go beyond reality.

For example, Fang Xiu couldn’t wish for a public figure he had no connection with to streak naked, nor could he wish for aliens to visit his house. But he could ask for an enemy to hang themselves or for himself to win the lottery.

It was more or less what he had guessed. The reward was reasonable.

Given the current situation, he was in an unfamiliar place with no way to resist the underworld on his own. Now that he was here, he might as well make the best of it.

“I understand. Shall we go?” Fang Xiu’s enthusiasm returned.

This time, as Fang Xiu approached, the face floated away, looking as if it were hesitating over its lines.

“By the way, is there any other support?”

Fang Xiu continued to approach. “I’m not a professional. The idea of a living sacrifice is pretty terrifying. You’re not expecting me to go in unarmed…”

“Don’t rush. We’ll talk when we get there,” the face said dispiritedly, floating further away.

……

With the face as his guide, Fang Xiu finally approached the circle of red lanterns.

As soon as he stepped into the circle of lanterns, everything around him suddenly lit up. The light, which came from an unknown source, was particularly cold and pale.

Fang Xiu found himself standing in an old courtyard, with the lanterns securely hung along the eaves of the surrounding buildings.

In the middle of the courtyard was a long incense burner, resembling a coffin. The incense burner was painted blood red, and it was crowded with incense sticks inside, giving off a strange sweet, metallic smell.

Behind the incense burner stood a wooden staircase leading up to the second floor, disappearing into the darkness. The sky above the courtyard was equally pitch black, making it feel as if the courtyard was built inside a tomb—strange and oppressive.

Sounds of sharp gasps echoed around him.

Fang Xiu quickly turned his head to look. As it turned out, he wasn’t the only unlucky person here. There were seven others.

The others had been led here by different faces, each looking equally terrified. The middle-aged woman closest to Fang Xiu was shaking uncontrollably; the thin, dark-skinned man opposite him had wet his pants, reeking of urine.

The most composed one was a young man, who managed to stay relatively calm, though his face was pale, and cold sweat covered his forehead.

“Everyone’s here—”

The eight faces called out in unison. As their voices fell, a child-sized paper figure peeked out from behind the incense burner.

The paper figure had a blank face and was dressed in a red jacket adorned with paper flowers. Its body shape didn’t reveal its gender.

The eight faces lined up neatly, sticking to the blank face of the paper figure. They layered one over the other, fitting together seamlessly, as if they were a part of the paper figure.

As the faces returned to their place, the paper figure’s facial features became more three-dimensional, and its smile grew wider and wider.

Unfortunately, the face that had greeted Fang Xiu wore a pained expression, not quite fitting in. As the eighth face settled in, the paper figure’s eerie grin twisted into an awkward but polite smile.

The paper figure tried to pull its mouth back into place, pretending nothing had happened. “…Don’t panic, don’t be afraid. We know none of you are from the metaphysical world. Since we brought you here, naturally, we’ll provide some means of protection.”

Means of protection!

Hearing this, the other seven people seemed to find hope in their desperate situation, their eyes suddenly brightening with a glimmer of optimism.

“What kind of protection?” the relatively calm young man asked first.

He had a dignified appearance and was dressed in an expensive shirt and trousers. He took two steps forward, showing a bit of leadership quality, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

The paper figure clearly appreciated this development. It chuckled and reached into the incense burner, pulling out a filthy bamboo tube.

On the bamboo tube, large characters were engraved:

[The Fate of the Nine Springs*, Never Parting in This Life]

*It’s a poetic way to refer to the underworld/the afterlife.

“Congratulations, everyone, congratulations!” the paper figure said joyfully. “The evil spirits will assist you—do not waste this chance—”

“All you need to do is draw a lot, and you can summon a fierce ghost to stay by your side. Having a ghost guard you is a great fortune!”

Wonderful, a ghost with you 24/7. Judging by the expressions on the others’ faces, no one was thrilled by this “good news”.

The composed young man asked with difficulty, “The fierce ghosts won’t harm us, right?”

“Of course they will. Evil spirits, after all, are naturally like this.”

The paper figure’s mouth almost reached up to its cheekbones. “So, you have to negotiate with them properly and establish a contract beforehand. Once everything is settled, we’ll start the rituals.”

“What if the negotiation fails…”

The paper figure: “If you can’t, you die. There’s no other way. You don’t have to summon them, but you do so at your own risk.”

The young man immediately froze in place.

Fang Xiu could guess what he was thinking.

They had all been dragged to the underworld to serve as living sacrifices, and their opponents were likely to be all sorts of demons and ghouls. When the time came, if everyone had a fierce ghost by their side and you didn’t, it was pretty clear who would get into trouble first.

Even if you fail to negotiate with the fierce ghost and die tonight, at least it would be a quick death instead of a prolonged agony.

Sure enough, the composed young man took a deep breath and bravely accepted the bamboo tube. He shakily drew a lot. From a distance, Fang Xiu couldn’t see the characters on it.

Following the paper figure’s instructions, the young man inserted the lot into the ground. The ground seemed to be pierced, and a thick cloud of gray smoke spewed out. When the smoke cleared, there was a figure standing there.

Without a doubt, it was a “painted skin” ghost*”.

*Referring to the demon in the short story by Chinese writer Pu Songling from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. You can read the story by going to the Wikipedia. TLDR: Demon put on human skin and try to seduce a human.

This ghost’s features were unmistakable—Miss Painted Skin’s human skin was misaligned, her facial features were distorted, her eyes nearly drooping to her neck, and her skin was covered in terrifying wrinkles.

Looks like she didn’t iron her clothes before coming, Fang Xiu thought.

Miss Painted Skin grinned with a mouth that stretched all the way down her throat, giggling non-stop. The young man who summoned her almost lost his balance, and two people threw up on the spot.

“Next,” the paper figure sang in a drawn-out tone.

It was obvious to anyone that, as a “means of protection”, this Painted Skin ghost was definitely strong. The composed young man set an example, and people, bracing against their fear, began to draw lots with trembling hands.

Various strangely shaped evil spirits appeared one after another, each similar in style to Miss Painted Skin—the fierce ghosts, though bizarre, were all humanoid and seemed capable of communication.

Apart from a panic-stricken woman who refused to draw a lot no matter what, Fang Xiu was seventh in line to the bamboo tube.

You can’t rely on others. It’s better to rely on yourself. Fang Xiu didn’t plan to place all his hopes on a fierce ghost.

Please, it’s okay if it’s weak or ugly, just give me one that’s easy to talk to. Fang Xiu prayed silently as he shook the lot tube covered in incense ashes.

Click, click, click.

An extremely worn-out lot jumped out.

Fang Xiu carefully picked up the lot and saw eight dark red characters: [Death, Death, Death, Death, Death, Death, Death, Death]

How straightforward. No need for interpretation. The only problem was that it seemed to suggest that the entity opposite might not be very easy to talk to.

Fang Xiu: “Can I give up the summoning?”

Retreating when things go south is also a strategy.

“No,” the paper figure replied concisely.

For some reason, the paper figure looked more puzzled than gloating. It suspiciously examined the lot for a while, then counted the remaining lots in the tube.

Resigned, Fang Xiu sighed and stuck the unlucky lot into the ground.

This time, instead of gray smoke, the ground released a pure white mist. As the mist slowly dissipated, it revealed… a left hand.

The hand was very beautiful. The fingers were long and graceful, and the skin was flawless like jade. The fingers were slightly curled, the index finger slightly relaxed, in a gesture that resembled a lotus bud.

In the dim and hazy surroundings, the ghost hand seemed to emit a faint white glow.

Fang Xiu held his breath and waited for the owner of the ghost hand to appear. But after a while, the ghost hand still stood quietly in place, revealing only the palm and wrist.

He gently tugged at the hand, but it was cold, stiff, and unmoving.

Fang Xiu: “……”

The good news was that this thing didn’t seem very aggressive.

The bad news was, how was he supposed to communicate with just a hand? Become pen pals?

But the urgent matter wasn’t that. He needed to figure out how to take it with him. Fang Xiu flexed his wrist and squatted down in front of the left hand.

“Does anyone have a shovel?” he asked.

---

The author has something to say:

Starting a new project—! Right on the last day, just like me.

The comment section for this story is open without restrictions. Daily updates every evening at 7:00 PM, with advance notice for any breaks (^ρ^)/

A few rambling notes on reading:

★ This novel will have a Happy Ending. It’s set in a purely fictional world, leaning toward traditional local supernatural style.

★ Feel free to point out any typos or mistakes. As long as I see them during the serialization period, I’ll give a small reward for corrections!

★ Important: Please refrain from posting comments about ‘breaking up the main CP’. They are locked, and the key is welded into my stomach ←

Happy reading! And please don’t let the story get too fat from lack of updates_(:D」∠)_

---

Kinky Thoughts:

When this project was announced, I was ecstatic since I’m a big fan of Unlimited/Infinite flow novels and I can always count on my favorite author to write up a masterpiece. Though it has been stated this is pseudo-infinite flow.

For those new to this author, you can check out her other works I have worked on, which I all highly recommend (in order of my personal ranking): Stray, Full Server First Kill, Sendoff, Happy Doomsday, Evil As Humans, Access Denied.

For those who like infinite flow novels, you can check out these works I’ve done: Midnight Owl, Escape from the Asylum or check our My Recs for IF novels I’ve read and enjoyed.

---

|| Table of Contents || >>>