After the Goddess's Tragic Death, I Drew My Sword to Slay Ghosts - Chapter 4 - The Goddess's Downfall

A red dress?

I glanced at Fatty, who stood at a height of 1.7 meters and weighed 170 jin¹, and a suspicion formed in my mind: “Did she start the conversation with you?”

Fatty confirmed, saying that the rich and beautiful woman had no airs at all.

I pressed further, “Did you mention me during your chats with her? Did you talk about where we live?”

Fatty was surprised, “Yeah, how did you know? She asked, so I just told her the truth. She didn’t mind us being working-class guys and even said I was a nice person.”

Well, that explained it. The female property owner Fatty met every morning was undoubtedly the Red-Dressed Female Ghost! But why didn’t she harm Fatty? Why was she targeting me? And why did I keep encountering these supernatural things last night? Was I just unlucky?

With so much happening, I couldn’t focus on work. I messaged my boss to take a day off. Then, I headed to the bathroom for a shower. After a night of chaos, I was covered in sweat and grime.

As I took off my clothes, I was shocked. There was a dark, bluish face on my chest-a ghostly face! The face of the Red-Dressed Female Ghost was imprinted on my chest like a blurry photocopy, staring at me with hollow eyes, as if ready to devour me.

I left the bathroom with shaky legs, forcing myself to calm down and think of a plan. This mark was undoubtedly left by the Red-Dressed Female Ghost. She had marked me as her target.

Last night, the Old Lady had saved me at the cost of her life, and the Young Security Guard had protected me, allowing me to escape. But what about tonight?

In desperation, I remembered a relative from my hometown and called him immediately. This relative knew a local Yin-Yang² Master, reputed to be very skilled. People from miles around sought his help for supernatural troubles. However, he was elderly and only worked locally.

As an ordinary person facing such eerie events, I had no choice but to seek the Yin-Yang Master’s help. After getting his number, I called him right away.

The old master, over seventy but still robust, had a voice like thunder. After listening to my story, he pondered for a moment and said, “Every living person has three Yang Fires. As long as these fires burn, evil spirits can’t come near. If you’re seeing them, your Yang Fire is too weak. Young man, indulgence weakens Yang Fire. You’ve been overindulging yourself at night, haven’t you?”

I was at a loss for words, vowing never to reward myself so casually again.

The old master continued, “The ghostly face on your chest is a ‘ghost mark’ left by the Red-Dressed Female Ghost. She will come for you tonight. Ghosts in red are extremely dangerous. I can’t handle them, but I can teach you a way to survive tonight.”

He then explained a method to me. I needed to find a child under twelve, preferably a Silly Kid, and trade snacks or money for a piece of their clothing. I also had to know the child’s full name. During the exchange, I had to call out the child’s full name and ask, ‘So-and-so, do you agree to trade with me?’ Once the child agreed, the deal was sealed.

That night, I would cover my head with the child’s clothing, and the Red-Dressed Female Ghost wouldn’t be able to find me. However, this trick would only work once.

After hanging up, it was already 10 a.m. Finding a Silly Kid became my top priority. I remembered the Jianbing Guozi³ vendor at Zhongjin Primary School. She sometimes brought her Silly Kid, who was under ten, to her stall.

I decided to try my luck there. At the school gate, I was in luck. The vendor was busy making Jianbing Guozi for a few customers, and her Silly Kid was there, playing alone under a big tree by the wall.

The vendor was too busy to pay attention to her son, so I approached the little boy.

“Hey, kiddo, what’s your name?”

The Silly Kid smiled at me, “I’m Ma Xiaohu.”

“Your jacket looks really cool. Can I trade you some snacks for it?”

Ma Xiaohu eyed the spicy strips in my hand, drooling, “Sure!”

He took off his old jacket and handed it to me. I took the jacket with one hand and gave him the snacks with the other. Taking a deep breath, I asked, “Ma Xiaohu, do you agree to trade with me?”

Ma Xiaohu grinned, “I agree!”

Success! I grabbed his jacket and ran, fearing his mother might notice.

I had confirmed that this method wouldn’t harm the Silly Kid. Due to their incomplete souls, they were seen as kin by wandering spirits. I was merely borrowing the child’s identity for a night.

With the jacket in hand, I felt much more at ease and returned to my rental apartment. Fatty had already left. Lying on the bed, I searched online for solutions to ghost encounters.

Thinking of Ye Manman still suffering, I also looked up scams in Northern Myanmar and information about New North Pharmaceutical Factory No.2. I sensed that the Young Security Guard was my only hope of escaping the Red-Dressed Female Ghost. After all, Ye Manman’s mother had risked everything to get me to him.

For now, I set aside the Red-Dressed Female Ghost. At least, I had to fulfill the Old Lady’s last wish by delivering the gauze and hemostatic medicine.

As night fell, I bought the items and waited at the intersection. As the night deepened, the traffic and pedestrians dwindled. By 1 a.m., the intersection was deserted.

Clutching the plastic bag with the medicine, I listened intently to the surroundings. Suddenly, footsteps echoed behind me. I turned nervously to see a scantily clad woman standing at the intersection. Despite her revealing attire, I recognized her face instantly-clean eyes, gentle expression, just like I remembered.

It was Ye Manman!

Her face was pale, her beautiful eyes wide with surprise, “Zhou Yi? What are you doing here?”

My throat tightened. Memories from three years ago flashed through my mind like a carousel.

“Your mom asked me to bring you medicine,” I said, mustering the courage to approach her. Even if she was no longer among the living.

As I drew closer, Ye Manman looked alarmed, stepping back and instinctively covering her exposed chest. This must have been what she wore when she died in Northern Myanmar.

I lowered my gaze, avoiding her eyes, “I came in a hurry this time… I’ll bring you a dress next time, your favorite white one.”

Ye Manman didn’t reply. After a moment, I couldn’t help but look up, finding her face awash with tears.

“Thank you, Zhou Yi. Why didn’t my mom come?”

Mentioning the Old Lady filled me with guilt, my throat tightening, “She saved me at the cost of her life…”

I recounted the events of the previous night, feeling increasingly upset, wishing I could punch myself.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized, eyes red.

Ye Manman sobbed, “It’s all my fault. I trusted too easily and got scammed. It was all Yang Lei’s doing; that intermediary was connected to the Yang Family! Zhou Yi, my mom saved you, so live well. Don’t come back.”

She took the medicine from my hand, a grateful smile on her face, murmuring to herself, “Finally, medicine. Thank you.”

She looked so pale and fragile, her revealing attire so out of place.

Footnote:

1. Jin(斤):A traditional Chinese unit of weight, equivalent to approximately 0.5 kilograms.
2. Yin-Yang(阴阳):Yin-Yang is a concept in Chinese philosophy that describes how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary and interconnected in the natural world. Yin represents qualities such as darkness, femininity, and passivity, while Yang represents light, masculinity, and activity.
3. Jianbing Guozi(煎饼果子):Jianbing Guozi is a popular Chinese street food, often eaten for breakfast.