After the Goddess's Tragic Death, I Drew My Sword to Slay Ghosts - Chapter 10 - I Had Come from the East

“Alright, stop looking like you’ve lost your last hope. Since you treated me to a meal, I can’t just stand by and watch you die.”

Just as I was about to tear up, the Young Security Guard spoke with calm assurance.

I snapped my head toward him. “I knew you’d have a solution! From now on, you’re my real brother. You have to save me!”

He rolled his eyes. “Stop trying to cozy up to me. Listen carefully, Zhou Yi. You’re missing a piece of your soul, which means you’re no longer fully a living person. That’s why you can see ghosts, and why they can approach you.

“If you don’t fix this, you’ll keep running into creepy things. Some of them might be harmless and uninterested in you. But others-malicious spirits-will actively try to harm you.

“Even if you manage to avoid being haunted, the longer your soul remains incomplete, the more your mind will deteriorate. Eventually, you’ll forget everything and turn into a fool.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “You have less than two months before that happens. So, the most important thing right now is learning how to protect yourself-making sure you don’t turn into a fool and ensuring you can survive encounters with malicious spirits.

“As for Ye Manman… if you want to save her, you need to stay alive first. Got it?”

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “Got it. I need to stay alive. If I’m alive, I can save her.”

The Young Security Guard added, “I can’t leave this place, so I can’t help you find your missing soul. But I know someone who can. Go find him and tell him I sent you. He might be able to help.”

He then gave me an address and told me his name.

“My name is Ye Zhu. Mention my name, and he’ll know.”

“Got it! I’ll go find him tomorrow. By the way, why can’t you leave here?”

I asked, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to look at the area behind the security booth. Behind it stood the old factory of New North Pharmaceutical Factory No.2.

With no lights illuminating it, the factory was nothing more than a dark silhouette-a massive, ominous figure standing silently in the shadows. Just looking at it for a few seconds sent chills down my spine.

Ye Zhu turned back to me and smiled faintly. “If you survive, I’ll tell you why. Zhou Yi, humans and spirits walk different paths. If there’s nothing urgent, don’t come looking for me.”

I nodded in agreement. “Alright.”

He smiled again, turned, and walked into the security booth. The booth’s worn-out door creaked shut, and the entire structure slowly sank into darkness. In the blink of an eye, the Young Security Guard had vanished, and the booth returned to its original dilapidated state.

“Young man? Ye Zhu?”

No response. The night was silent except for a gentle breeze brushing past.

I pulled out my phone to check the time. It was 1:30 a.m. I decided to head back to rest and make plans to find the person Ye Zhu had mentioned first thing in the morning.

Ye Zhu had said this person was a master-someone far more skilled than Uncle Ma in spirit sending. Uncle Ma’s abilities were basic and amateurish, not even worth mentioning. If I could persuade this master to help, I might be able to resolve my issue of Soul Loss.

Back at the dormitory, I rested for the night. The next morning, I bought some cigarettes and alcohol as gifts and took a bus for over ten stops to reach the place Ye Zhu had mentioned: Huangquan¹ Street.

The name itself sounded ominous. Its official name was Wangquan Street, but because most of the shops there sold funeral supplies, it had gradually become known as Huangquan Street.

The street was only three kilometers away from the city’s largest funeral home. As soon as I entered, I noticed that half the shops on both sides were dedicated to funeral-related goods. Some sold burial clothes, others paper effigies, urns, or even rented out hearses.

It was my first time visiting such a place, and the sheer variety left me overwhelmed. Despite the somber nature of their business, the street’s atmosphere was surprisingly ordinary. It was lunchtime, and shop owners and employees were eating boxed meals while chatting and laughing heartily.

I walked down the street and stopped in front of a smaller shop. A sign outside read:

Fortune-telling, Face Reading, Divination

Yin-Yang Feng Shui², Luck Enhancement

Inside, a young man who looked about twenty was cleaning. I stepped in and asked, “Excuse me, is Mr. Zhang Chenglou home?”

The young man paused his cleaning and gave me a once-over before shaking his head. “Not here, not here, not here. We’re closed today. Don’t come in.”

He waved his cleaning cloth at me, trying to shoo me out.

I was stunned. Who was this guy? There was no way I was leaving just like that. Dodging his cloth, I asked, “When will Mr. Zhang be back?”

The young man was about to reply when his phone rang. He answered it right in front of me.

“Has the person I was waiting for arrived?” A man’s voice came through the phone, sounding like he was in his forties or fifties.

The young man grimaced and glanced at me before replying, “He’s here. Just like you said-wearing a white T-shirt, jeans, and carrying a big red plastic bag.”

I froze. White T-shirt, jeans, red plastic bag-that was me.

The voice on the phone continued, “Alright, let him wait in the shop. I’ve been held up and will be late.”

The young man looked displeased but didn’t argue. Hanging up, he pointed at me. “You, come in. Don’t touch anything in the shop. Just wait for Mr. Zhang to return.”

With that, he went back to his cleaning, occasionally sneaking glances at me.

I sat at a chair and took in the shop’s surroundings. It wasn’t cluttered with goods. One side of the shop had shelves stocked with incense candles, paper ingots, ceremonial paper, and vermilion stones. The other side, where I was seated, featured a large tea table. Against the wall were Feng Shui compasses, divination sticks, and tubes.

Clearly, the shop specialized in two types of business: fortune-telling and selling funeral supplies.

The fact that they knew my exact outfit and what I was carrying beforehand-was it divination? If they were letting me wait here, it meant Zhang Chenglou was willing to meet me. That made my request seem promising.

Time ticked by, and before I knew it, it was already 3 p.m. I hadn’t eaten since rushing here, and hunger was gnawing at me. I ordered some food delivery and sat at the tea table, devouring it.

As I was scarfing down my meal, the young man, who had been dozing off after finishing his cleaning, suddenly jumped up. His face lit up with a smile as he greeted someone at the door. “Master, you’re back!”

A man in his fifties, lean and rosy-cheeked, strode in confidently.

“I haven’t taken you as my disciple. Stop calling me Master,” he said.

The young man grinned and served him tea. “Sincerity moves mountains. One day, you’ll take me as your disciple!”

It was clear that this was the man I was looking for-Zhang Chenglou.

Zhang Chenglou took a sip of tea, ignoring the young man’s comment. Instead, he asked, “Where’s the person?”

I quickly wiped my mouth. The young man pointed at me. “Over there.”

I immediately greeted him. “Master Zhang, hello. I-I’m…”

Zhang Chenglou cut me off. “No need to explain. I already know.”

Huh? He already knew?

Seeing my bewildered expression, Zhang Chenglou studied me and said, “You’ve lost a piece of your soul, and it happened recently. There’s Yin Energy on you, and you’ve been running into ghosts frequently, haven’t you?”

I nodded fervently. “Yes, yes, yes!”

He continued, “Yesterday morning, while offering incense to my ancestors, the incense broke. So I purified myself and cast a divination. The signs revealed that today at noon, a young man would arrive-wearing white on top, blue on the bottom, holding red, and carrying gifts of cigarettes and alcohol, coming from the east.”

I lived in Qing Shan District, which was in the eastern part of Anyang City. So yes, I had come from the east!

Footnote:

1. Huangquan(黄泉):Huangquan, literally “Yellow Springs,” is a term from Chinese mythology referring to the underworld or the realm of the dead. It is similar to the concept of Hades or the afterlife in other cultures.
2. Feng Shui(风水): Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice that involves arranging the physical elements of a space to promote harmony and balance with the natural environment.