Chapter 46

Gu Feiyin met Aunt Luo at noon the next day. Before this meeting, Aunt Luo was puzzled as to why a little girl would dare to rent her house. After all, even she felt uneasy entering the old house alone and needed someone to accompany her. She wondered where this little girl got the courage to live there by herself.

Her doubts were dispelled when she saw Gu Feiyin, with her long black straight hair and a smile that seemed to exude Yin Energy. In that moment, Aunt Luo seemed to understand-perhaps it was a matter of matching vibes?

She led Gu Feiyin up to the fourth floor. Currently, the third and fourth floors were unoccupied, with only one family living on the first and second floors. The household consisted of two elderly people, as the younger family members had bought homes elsewhere and only returned on weekends, leaving the place quite deserted.

Aunt Luo opened the door and showed her around the room. They had cleaned it the day before, so there was no dust, though it looked a bit sparse. A second-hand mini fridge had been bought, and although the TV had quite a few static lines, it was still watchable. Water, electricity, and gas were all connected, making life and cooking convenient.

The bedroom was rather simple, with just a bed, a wardrobe, and a small table under the window. The wardrobe was a bit damp, with some mold spots due to disuse, but it wasn’t a major issue; airing it out for a few days would solve the problem.

“Is there anything else you need? If everything’s fine, we can sign the rental contract.”

Gu Feiyin replied, “There’s nothing else needed. Everything’s great. Thank you, let’s sign the contract.”

Gu Feiyin handed Aunt Luo twelve hundred yuan, signed two copies of the rental contract-one for each-and exchanged the keys and utility cards. The house was officially rented.

Aunt Luo didn’t stay long, having explained everything she needed to, she prepared to leave. She couldn’t quite explain why, but she felt a chill, as if a cold breeze occasionally brushed past her, making her feel uneasy.

“Oh, right,” Aunt Luo suddenly remembered, “How did you find my phone number to know I had a house for rent?”

Aunt Luo initially thought the little girl had seen the rental information she had posted on the wall downstairs. But when she came yesterday, she found that her rental information had been torn down and replaced with ads for fake certificates. She was puzzled because she had only posted one ad downstairs and the rest were with the agency.

Gu Feiyin could contact her directly, which meant she didn’t get her information from the agency. So how did she know?

Gu Feiyin said, “A friend recommended it. She said you had a house for rent and gave me your phone number, so I could contact you.”

“A friend? Who?” Aunt Luo thought she should invite them for a meal someday.

Gu Feiyin was stumped because she didn’t know the name of the Middle-aged Female Ghost who had told her. She usually referred to her as “Middle-aged Female Ghost.” “…Just someone you know. I’ll ask her name next time and let you know?”

Aunt Luo: “…………”

Aunt Luo agreed, saying she could find out later. She couldn’t think of who might have recommended her, so she left with lingering doubts.

……

Gu Feiyin was very satisfied with her new home. The floor was tiled, and the walls were clean and white, making it very comfortable, unlike her previous place where dust would rise with every step. Plus, there was electricity, so she wouldn’t have to worry about her phone running out of battery at night. With water, she wouldn’t have to go to the neighbor’s toilet for washing up, and with gas, she could cook many delicious meals.

Most importantly, there was a bed and a window, so she wouldn’t have to worry about drafts from all directions keeping her awake. The bed was particularly large and soft, like lying on a cloud, allowing her to roll around as she pleased.

This place was paradise, and the three hundred yuan was well spent.

After renting the house, she returned to the amusement park to work her afternoon shift. After work, she went to the supermarket to buy some essential items. Pots, pans, and bowls were indispensable, as were oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. She also bought a bag of rice, so she could cook her own meals, and when times were tough, she could eat plain rice with pickles.

When night fell and the world was quiet, she had the Old Lady and others dig up her coffin and move it to her new rental. The bedroom was spacious enough to accommodate a coffin. She took the bedding from the coffin and spread it on the bed, finding it soft, warm, and spacious-very comfortable.

For dinner, she used her newly bought cookware to make her first meal: Carp Soup with tofu, using two carp caught by the Water Ghost. The carp were cleaned by the Water Ghost, then fried until golden on both sides. She added ginger slices and tofu, poured in some water, and simmered for about twenty minutes. The soup turned out milky white and fragrant. A sprinkle of salt and chopped scallions completed it, and she could drink three big bowls in one go!

The carp meat was tender and flavorful, though it had many bones, requiring careful eating.

She also steamed Minced Garlic Shrimp, prepared by the Water Ghost, who deveined the shrimp and arranged them in a bowl. She minced a bowl of garlic, fried it with some seasoning, and the aroma made her mouth water! She spread the garlic over the shrimp and steamed them for about ten minutes. The fresh shrimp tasted incredibly delicious.

Eating shrimp and drinking Carp Soup felt like a heavenly life. Keeping the Water Ghost turned out to be a great decision; otherwise, where would she find such tasty food?

The Neighbor Miss and Old Lady floated around the room, but they were more restrained now. This place wasn’t as free as the unfinished building, and they couldn’t risk scaring the downstairs neighbors by breaking through the walls. More importantly, Gu Feiyin couldn’t afford to pay for damages, so they had to behave as good ghosts. If they couldn’t hold back, they could go to the overpass to let off steam.

Later, the Middle-aged Female Ghost came to visit. Although the house hadn’t been rented for two years, it still looked quite new. The walls were white, and after the previous murder case, a lot of effort had gone into cleaning and repainting, making it look brand new.

“I told you this place was good-cheap and nice. It’s a great deal.”

“It really is a great deal,” Gu Feiyin agreed enthusiastically. “Thank you.”

The Middle-aged Female Ghost waved her hand, saying it was nothing, just a small favor. “As long as you’re happy living here.”

Gu Feiyin even bought a candle to thank the Middle-aged Female Ghost. Without her, she wouldn’t have found such a good place. The Middle-aged Female Ghost didn’t stay long, took a few glances, and left, munching on the candle. She had to go back to help her son with his homework. High school was demanding, with frequent tests and endless assignments. Her son had lost a lot of weight and had persistent dark circles, which made her heart ache.

……

That night, Gu Feiyin had a peaceful sleep. The window blocked the howling wind outside, and with the curtains drawn, it felt like sleeping in a large coffin, allowing her to roll around freely. It was truly delightful.

She lay in bed and played with her phone for a while, checking a post she had made days ago. No useful information had been shared by netizens, and her advertisement hadn’t received many responses either. Thinking about the twenty thousand yuan she might lose made her heart ache.

Forget it, she thought, and decided to sleep.

She rolled over twice in bed, turned off the light, and quickly fell asleep.

She didn’t notice that the Neighbor Miss and Old Lady had gone somewhere, leaving the room quiet. The silence and darkness made the room feel eerie.

Suddenly, there was a loud “bang” from outside, jolting Gu Feiyin awake. She opened her eyes to see the room was pitch black, the darkness seemingly flowing like a shadow.

She turned on the light, and the darkness vanished instantly.

Gu Feiyin got up and looked around. The room was quiet, with no sound of anything falling. After searching for a while, she found that the sound was caused by the kitchen door being blown shut by the wind.

But the kitchen window was closed, so where did the wind come from?

Gu Feiyin rubbed her chin and walked around the room, even checking the unoccupied room. It was quiet and empty, with nothing inside.

The stark white light flickered, casting an eerie glow.

She flicked the switch, turning off the light. “The bulb’s broken; I’ll have the landlord replace it later.”

Finding nothing, she returned to the bedroom to continue sleeping.

With the light off, the room was dark again.

The shadows in the corner seemed to flow, like a silhouette, inching closer to the bed, eventually crawling under it.

Gu Feiyin slept soundly, dreaming of a shadow approaching her, wrapping around her feet. A piercing, wailing voice echoed in her ears: “Why, why did you kill me…”

“Give me back my life, give me back my life…”

“I’m in pain, I’m in pain…”

“Help me, help me…”

The voice grew sharper, as if shouting directly into her ear. Annoyed, Gu Feiyin waved her hand, turned over, and continued sleeping, hugging her blanket.

She didn’t see that her sudden movement kicked something to the window, where it lay motionless, the wailing voice silenced, replaced by a child’s sobbing. The sound cried for a while before fading into the darkness.

Gu Feiyin woke up early the next day. She opened the curtains to see the world outside covered in snow. She folded her blanket into a neat square, washed up, and went to the kitchen to cook Fish Fillet Porridge. The fragrant, steaming porridge warmed her from head to toe.

Only then did she notice the Neighbor Miss and Old Lady seemed absent, not knowing where they had gone to play.

She didn’t think much of it, locked the door, and went to work.

She was particularly excited because today was payday!

Although she had already advanced a thousand yuan when she became a full-time employee, she could still receive twelve hundred yuan this time. With this twelve hundred, she could barely cover her expenses from the past few days, soothing her heart.

…

The group of boys led by Shan Feng couldn’t take it anymore after days of fear. They gathered a few more friends and headed to the overpass. As they approached the bridge, they hesitated, pushing each other forward but too scared to take the lead.

They had been plagued by nightmares, always seeing the Long-haired Woman crawling out of a grave, her sinister eyes filled with malice. They were too terrified to walk alone at night, constantly feeling like someone was following them, causing them to flee in panic every time. Their sleepless nights had left them with dark circles under their eyes.

“I can’t do this, Feng-Ge. Let’s just go back.”

“Are you scared?”

“…”

“It’s not about being scared, but have you thought about it, Feng-Ge? If there really is something there, can we even escape?”

This made the more timid ones tremble even more.

“… I asked my teacher, and he said there’s no such thing as ghosts. What we saw that day was probably a prank. Yeah, maybe Tao Lizhi set us up! He’s probably laughing at us right now. If you’re scared, go back. Don’t call yourselves my brothers anymore.”

“…”

Although Shan Feng had lost some face to Tao Lizhi, he was still formidable and had a following. However, his influence wasn’t as strong as before.

The few who came with him were his closest friends, and they didn’t want to back down now.

The group of five or six boys finally decided to check out the overpass.

As they got closer, they heard a “thump, thump, thump!” and a “swish, swish, swish!” sound. They also thought they heard voices.

They exchanged glances. Could someone be down there?

Shan Feng breathed a sigh of relief. “Sounds like someone’s down there. Let’s go check it out.”

The stairs leading down were wide enough for them to walk side by side. As they descended, they craned their necks to see. To ease the tension, Shan Feng called out, “Who’s there? Anyone inside?”

“…”

No one answered. The air was still, only the wind howling. Even the voices seemed to have faded away. Shan Feng felt uneasy, but he couldn’t show fear now.

He pressed on, and as they reached the bottom, they saw nothing but an empty space and strange pits in the ground.

He shouted, “Who’s there? I know you’re hiding. Come out!”

“…”

Silence. It was as if the air itself had frozen.

No, there was no one here!

Shan Feng’s eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. The boys around him were already trembling with fear.

“No one… How can there be no one?”

“Who was talking then? I heard voices. I can’t be wrong.”

“I heard it too. It was a man’s voice…”

“If there’s no one, how could there be voices?”

They looked at each other, feeling a chill run down their spines.

Suddenly, a fish flew out of the river and landed on the grass. It was a gutted, dead fish with bulging, gray eyes and a twitching tail, blood oozing out.

“…”

Everyone froze, staring at the fish in horror.

They couldn’t take it anymore. Screaming, they turned and ran! Shan Feng didn’t stay either, scrambling up the stairs without looking back.

“Ahhh, there’s a ghost!”

“Help! Help!”

“I don’t want to die!”

Neighbor Miss, who had bumped into the bridge top: “…”

Old Lady, hiding with a broom: “…”

Water Ghost, who had just surfaced with a puzzled look: “…”

The Water Ghost scratched his head, deftly de-veining a crawfish and tossing it into a plastic bag on the shore. He glanced at Old Lady and Neighbor Miss and resumed his daily persuasion, “You two, as ghosts, do you really plan to stick with that human woman? Doesn’t it hurt your ghostly pride? We should work together for our freedom!”

Neighbor Miss and Old Lady gave him a blank stare, their dark eyes showing no emotion, as if looking at a dead fool.

The Water Ghost was genuinely frustrated. He didn’t understand what kind of trick the Long-haired Woman had used to make the other ghosts obediently follow her. It was too much!

He let out a wail, hoping the heavens would open and save him.

He submerged again.

At the riverbed, two other Water Ghosts with green hair like seaweed looked at him curiously.

Water Ghost No. 2 and No. 3 asked, “What’s with the rope? Can’t you untie it?”

Water Ghost No. 1 replied, “If I could, why would I need you? I don’t know how that Long-haired Woman is so strong. This rope keeps me from going anywhere… It’s too much!”

“Is she really that strong? Is she some kind of master?”

“I don’t think so. She seems pretty normal, but she knocked me out with two punches. And she’s a heartless Ghost Trader! She wants to sell me for fifteen yuan!”

“What? A Ghost Trader? That’s too much. You’re worth more than fifteen yuan!”

“That’s what I said! I’m priceless!” Water Ghost No. 1 sighed. “I barely convinced her to keep me. I work hard every day catching fish and shrimp, but she still threatens to sell me if I’m useless!”

“… That’s really sad.”

“Someone dares to sell ghosts? I want to meet her.”

“Don’t. You don’t know. She has a lot of ghosts under her command. She can knock them out with one punch. I can’t fight back! My life is so miserable.” Water Ghost No. 1 wiped away tears. “So, brothers, please catch some big, fat crabs from Hong Lake for me. I’ve moved all the stones here and found only a few. I need those with yellow roe. I’ll stay and deal with the Long-haired Woman. My freedom depends on you!”

Water Ghost No. 2 and No. 3: “…”

And so, the Long-haired Woman’s reputation as a Ghost Trader spread.

…

Meanwhile, Shan Feng and his friends fell ill after returning home, babbling about ghosts under the overpass and begging for a Taoist to exorcise them. Of course, no one believed them. Shan Feng even got a few slaps, “Skipping class again? Now you’re lying too!”

Shan Feng clutched his head, “… I’m telling the truth. We all saw it. Ask them!”

“Still talking back? You’ve been called to the principal’s office so many times. How many promises have you made? But you still skip class, smoke, fight, and bully others. Is this how we raised you?”

Shan Feng cried, “… But this time, I’m telling the truth. Please believe me!”

Shan’s father: “Let’s eat. I’m hungry.”

Shan’s mother: “Let’s go.”

Shan Feng: “…”

He suddenly felt like he was standing on a high ground, looking down at the world. Truth is indeed in the hands of the few.

…

Since moving into her new home, Gu Feiyin had been having dreams. In her dreams, a dark shadow cried, saying things like “Why did you kill me?”, “Injustice!”, “Give me back my life”, and “Save me”. But when she woke up, there was nothing, not even a ghost.

She had checked the house thoroughly when she first moved in. Although there was a lot of Resentment Energy, there were no ghosts.

So, while it was a haunted house, there were no actual ghosts.

There were occasional issues, like flickering lights or doors slamming shut. Anyone else might have been scared off, but Gu Feiyin wasn’t bothered. She ate, slept, and even watched TV, though the TV was old and often needed a tap to work.

The Red-Dressed Ghost sat on the couch, watching Gu Feiyin hit the TV. “Stop watching that. Just download a video app. You can watch anything on your phone.”

Gu Feiyin turned to her, “Hehe, I’m out of data. I need to save it. TV is fine, though it costs money too. Sigh.”

“Get broadband. With broadband, you can surf the internet all you want.”

Gu Feiyin had considered it, but broadband was expensive. She was out during the day and only home at night. It wasn’t worth it. “I’ll pass for now. I’ve been spending too much lately. Need to save.”

The Red-Dressed Ghost rolled her eyes. When Gu Feiyin lived in the unfinished building, she had to buy food. Now she could cook, saving money. Plus, the Water Ghost brought fresh fish and shrimp daily. She barely spent anything, except for gas.

But Gu Feiyin had been eating a lot of fish and shrimp lately. She wanted a change, maybe some ribs. She craved sweet and sour ribs, but they were expensive, over ten yuan for a piece. She didn’t know when she’d have them again.

The Water Ghost felt neglected, worried that the Long-haired Woman would sell him. He hung on the fishing line, hoping his brothers would bring back crabs soon.

…

Gu Feiyin had another dream. In it, she was entangled by a dark shadow, unable to move.

She opened her eyes and found herself in the living room. The door was being opened from the outside. A sneaky man peeked in, checking if anyone was there. Satisfied, he slipped inside.

He went to the room where the mother and child were. Gu Feiyin followed, watching as the man raised a knife and started stabbing the sleeping pair. The woman woke up in pain, trying to scream, but the man smothered her with a pillow, muffling her cries.

The man sneered, “You whore, daring to marry another man with my child, making my son call someone else dad. I’ll make sure you die miserably!”

The woman, severely injured, bled profusely. Her struggles weakened, and finally, she went limp, her hands falling to her sides.

The man confirmed the woman was no longer moving. He tossed the pillow aside and saw her wide-open eyes, as if questioning him why. “He’s your own son, how could you do this?”

“Exactly because he’s my son, I have to kill him. His life was given by me, so it’s only right for me to take it away!” The man, consumed by rage, struck again, even delivering an extra blow to where the little boy lay. “You’re my son. If I tell you to die, you die!”

Gu Feiyin stood at the doorway, witnessing the man covered in blood. Suddenly, she heard a door open behind her. Turning around, she saw a girl in pajamas with long hair coming out of a room, looking sleepy as if heading to the bathroom. The man with the knife charged out!

“Ah-”

It turned into a massacre. Not only were the mother and son killed inside, but even the girl living with them met a tragic end.

The entire house reeked of blood.

After the killings, the man hurriedly left.

…

Gu Feiyin finally understood why the house seemed haunted despite having no ghosts. It was because the Resentment Energy of the three murdered souls lingered there. Their deaths were so sudden and tragic that they couldn’t even comprehend how they died, scattering their souls and spirits. Ghosts only possess One Soul and One Spirit, and losing either means they drift aimlessly, unaware of their identity, unable to find peace or reincarnation.

The room retained one of the spirits from the three wrongful deaths, the Supervisor consciousness.

Thus, anyone who moved into this house would be influenced by that spirit, experiencing strange dreams and occurrences.

Back when she was still a ghost, a few aimless Little Ghosts wandered into the mountains. They knew nothing, cared for nothing, drifting like they had no consciousness. Some mischievous Little Ghosts bullied them, but they didn’t resist, remaining dazed. Then, the Handsome Monk appeared, sitting cross-legged with prayer beads, chanting the Rebirth Mantra.

She feared monks chanting, hiding in the mountains, covering her ears to avoid listening.

The Handsome Monk was powerful. Whenever he chanted, he glowed brighter than his bald head. She could smell the enticing scent from him, the source of temptation, urging her to take a bite, though doing so would cause her stomach pain. She resisted with great effort.

From then on, whenever she saw the Handsome Monk, she avoided him, controlling her mouth by controlling her legs.

The Handsome Monk was truly skilled. With just a bit of chanting, the dazed Little Ghosts regained their lost spirit, understanding their identity and cause of death.

His abilities were so formidable that even tapping a wooden fish could make Malevolent Ghosts kneel and beg for mercy, as if the wooden fish contained boundless power. It scared her enough to consider moving!

She had surveyed the terrain seriously, contemplating relocation. Her pit was filled with treasures, but finding another pit with such good terrain was difficult. Watching the sunrise in the morning, sunset in the evening, surrounded by mountains and village smoke was rare. She searched long but couldn’t find a suitable pit to move to.

The pit of the beautiful ghost on the neighboring mountain was nice, with good terrain. She thought of borrowing it for a few decades, waiting for the Handsome Monk to pass away before returning. But the beautiful ghost was too unreasonable, refusing to share her fresh air…???

Gu Feiyin was infuriated, learning for the first time that ghosts needed to breathe!

She lingered for half a month, then the Handsome Monk came to chant and perform Transcendence. The mountain was in chaos, with ghosts fleeing in terror, and she escaped faster than anyone, surviving stealthily.

Gu Feiyin knew the Rebirth Mantra was needed to summon spirits, but she lacked the Handsome Monk’s power. Would chanting be ineffective? She searched online, finding many results in this advanced internet age. Searching for the Rebirth Mantra yielded numerous results.

She found a video of the mantra and played it. If it didn’t work, she’d have to call Zhang Daoist, the most powerful Daoist she’d encountered, though still not a match for the Handsome Monk.

After playing it twice, the room showed no reaction. She sighed, realizing the monk’s power was lacking. The mantra’s words were unfamiliar, and the chanting incomprehensible, “Namo Amitabha, Tathagata, Bodhisattva…”

She stammered through the annotations, wondering how the Handsome Monk memorized it so effortlessly.

Suddenly, a shadow in the corner moved, forming a vague human shape. Emerging from the darkness, she appeared in her original form, wearing pajamas, with long hair, nearly transparent, wide-eyed and dazed.

Gu Feiyin recognized her from her dream, the last one to appear.

Soon, another figure appeared, a woman with a child beside her, both as dazed as the first.

Quickly, the newly formed trio passed through the wall, disappearing into the night.

They had returned to their soul bodies. With the missing spirit restored, they regained consciousness, ready to reincarnate or seek vengeance against the murderer.

Gu Feiyin could finally sleep peacefully.

…

She hadn’t expected to wake up to three unfamiliar yet familiar faces, two women and a child, pale and blood-stained, looking agitated.

At her feet stood two others, an Old Lady and Jumping Sister, their eyes dark, staring at her with displeasure.

Gu Feiyin opened her eyes, quickly closing them, covering herself to sleep again. She hadn’t slept well last night, and without rest, she’d be drowsy at work.

The five ghosts retreated a step, showing fear.

The three new Little Ghosts touched their foreheads, retreating further.

Gu Feiyin woke again after seven, yawning. The group now sat on her coffin. She rubbed her eyes, asking, “Why aren’t you reincarnating or seeking revenge? What do you want from me?”

The woman knelt, respectfully saying, “We came to thank you. We’ve been trapped in this house, unaware of our actions, reliving the night of our deaths. Without you, we wouldn’t know when we’d awaken, letting that vile man enjoy freedom for so long!” Her face turned fierce with the last words.

The little boy asked, “Mom, can I kiss the sister who saved us?”

Gu Feiyin: “…?? No?”

The boy pouted: “…Oh, okay.”

The younger girl said, “We came to thank you. After that, we’ll leave. If I don’t find that beast for revenge, I won’t be Miss Li!”

Miss Li seemed furious, tears of blood streaming down her face. She was covered in blood from the man’s multiple stabbings, wounds visible upon closer inspection. The boy’s mother was worse, stabbed multiple times, intestines spilling out…

The boy was killed with a single blow to the head, now a ghost, appearing obedient.

Neighbor Miss and Old Lady sat aside, tilting their heads to watch.

Gu Feiyin waved, “Then hurry up.”

The three Little Ghosts expressed endless gratitude before leaving, still fearful of their benefactor’s eerie gaze, “The benefactor seems different…”

Miss Li said, “Is she different?”

The boy pondered, “Sister is pretty.”

“…???”