Chapter 5

Bi Heng had never seen anyone lose a front tooth while eating a pancake. Although the person involved looked surprised and bewildered, holding her tooth helplessly, the next second she cautiously continued to nibble on the pancake with her now-gapped front teeth…

Bi Heng felt his own teeth ache in sympathy and quickly stopped the Long-haired Woman’s actions. She held the pancake and looked at him, puzzled, saying, “Do you want some too? It’s a bit hard, but it’s still edible.”

No, he didn’t. Not at all.

Bi Heng took a deep breath and said, “Let me cut it for you. I’m worried you might hurt your teeth again.”

…

Bi Heng and Jiang Long came from wealthy families, the third generation of affluence. They had been pampered since childhood, never having to lift a finger, and had always enjoyed the finest food and clothing. They had never imagined that one day…

One day they would be struggling with a knife and a pancake, just to cut a piece to eat.

The pancake was truly hard-cold and unyielding. It took several attempts with the knife to make even a slight mark. Sweat broke out on Bi Heng’s forehead, and he began to suspect the pancake might even dull his knife. Of course, it also proved that the Long-haired Woman’s teeth were remarkably strong.

Gu Feiyin said gratefully, “Thank you. This is much easier to eat. You’re so kind.”

Bi Heng: “…”

Jiang Long: “…”

For a moment, both Bi Heng and Jiang Long’s expressions were indescribable.

They had never imagined they would do something like this in their lives, and they couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of pity for the Long-haired Woman. After all, it was rare to see someone so poor that they had to gnaw on a pancake.

Finally, they managed to cut two small pieces, which were much easier to eat. Gu Feiyin was genuinely afraid of losing another tooth. While she didn’t care much about how many teeth she had, eating without front teeth would be inconvenient. Jiang Long even found a bottle of mineral water in the car, making it even easier to eat with the pancake.

Bi Heng glanced at the police officer ahead and said, “Miss Gu, you mentioned you know why we’ve been going in circles. Can you tell us what’s going on?”

Gu Feiyin said with a hint of longing, “You have Yin Energy on you.” And it smelled quite enticing.

That simple sentence sent a chill down Bi Heng and Jiang Long’s spines. They were stunned: “We have Yin Energy on us? How is that possible? We haven’t been to any strange places!”

Gu Feiyin sniffed the air again, confirming her nose wasn’t mistaken: “You do. You must have touched something.”

Bi Heng pondered for a while, but honestly, he couldn’t recall coming into contact with anything strange. Jiang Long also furrowed his brow. Although they were idle rich kids, aside from eating, drinking, and ogling beautiful women, they hadn’t done anything shady or underhanded. How could they have possibly encountered such ominous things?

At the moment, they couldn’t think of anything. The priority was to resolve the immediate predicament.

Bi Heng asked, “Is it this Yin Energy that’s making us go in circles all night? If we go find the police now and ask them to drive us back, would that work?”

Gu Feiyin wasn’t entirely sure either. After all, she usually consumed Yin Energy and wasn’t affected by it. “Probably not. Before the Yin Energy dissipates, the people around you might also be affected, and then we’d all get lost together. But we won’t know for sure until we try. I’m not certain.”

Bi Heng felt a sense of despair. “What if it doesn’t work? What should we do now? Is there really no way to solve this?”

Jiang Long also grew anxious. “Yeah, yeah, we can’t just wander around on this road all night, can we? Who knows what we’ll encounter next? I don’t want another strange encounter. Sis Gu, do you have any way to help us get rid of this Yin Energy?”

Gu Feiyin said, “This kind of Yin Energy doesn’t kill people. At most, it just brings bad luck. Don’t be afraid.”

…Bad luck like encountering all sorts of ghosts? Bi Heng and Jiang Long grew even more terrified.

In truth, Gu Feiyin had always dealt with such things by consuming them. She was a ghost herself, with no one to offer her sacrifices or worship. When she was hungry, she had to find food on her own. The taste of Malevolent Ghosts or evil spirits was the best, or perhaps long-buried sinister objects-anything tainted with Yin Energy could be her snack. She wasn’t picky-she even suspected that her indiscriminate eating habits had angered the heavens, which was why she had been struck down and turned into a poor girl who couldn’t even afford a meal.

But she wasn’t sure if she could still do it now, as she was so fragile that even biting into a biscuit might knock out her front teeth.

Seeing the Long-haired Woman’s troubled expression-her pale face showing genuine distress-Bi Heng and Jiang Long’s hearts sank. They thought to themselves, “Are we really going to meet our end here tonight?” Their faces turned pale, and cold sweat broke out on their palms.

Gu Feiyin said, “I can try first. If it doesn’t work, we’ll have to wait until dawn to leave. Don’t be afraid; I’ll protect you.”

Hearing this, Bi Heng and Jiang Long both breathed a sigh of relief. “Then we’ll leave it to you, Miss Gu.”

The long-haired woman was about to perform a ritual, and both Bi Heng and Jiang Long were on high alert. However, they noticed that she merely leaned closer to them, her straight black hair swaying with the movement. Her hair was so dark and shiny that it looked quite beautiful. Jiang Long, who tended to talk more when nervous, couldn’t help but ask, “Do all women like to keep their hair down?” He had never found long hair scary before; in fact, he used to think it was quite sexy. But today had completely changed his perspective, and he feared he might develop a psychological aversion to it in the future.

The long-haired woman turned her dark eyes to look at him, remaining silent for a moment with a hint of sadness. Jiang Long thought he might have asked something inappropriate and began to feel uneasy. Then, the woman replied in a simple, honest tone, “It keeps me warmer.”

…?? How… how pitiful.

Jiang Long choked up: “…” It was terrifying, yet somehow heartbreaking at the same time. What was going on?

Bi Heng also fell silent for a moment.

Gu Feiyin, however, didn’t notice the complex emotions of the two men. As she moved closer, the Yin Energy around them indeed grew stronger. She licked her lips, tempted to absorb it directly into her body as she had done before-but human bodies were too fragile. What if it caused stomach problems?

Of course, gratitude was one of her virtues. If it did upset her stomach, she would just have to endure it.

After a brief moment of hesitation, she decided to absorb the Yin Energy from both men into her body. Surprisingly, it tasted quite good, and once the energy settled in her stomach, she no longer felt as hungry as before.

Bi Heng and Jiang Long waited for a while, but nothing seemed to happen. However, they strangely felt that the chilling sensation in their hearts had disappeared. The oppressive atmosphere around them also lifted, and they felt much lighter.

Bi Heng asked, “Is… is it done?”

Jiang Long added, “Really? That fast?”

Gu Feiyin sat back and said considerately, “The Yin Energy is gone, but you might have a bit of bad luck over the next few days. Try to avoid walking at night and get more sunlight during the day.”

That simple?

Bi Heng and Jiang Long exchanged glances. Although they hadn’t seen the long-haired woman do anything, they could detect a strange sense of satisfaction on her face, as if she had just enjoyed a hearty meal…

No, they must have been mistaken.

Though they didn’t know what the long-haired woman had done, it was clear that she knew a great deal and had highly effective methods-far more reliable than the Taoist priests and monks their family had hired in the past.

They used to be skeptical, but now they were completely convinced.

Bi Heng said, “Since it’s resolved, let’s drive to City A now. Hopefully, we won’t run into any more trouble on the way.”

Jiang Long wholeheartedly agreed. From now on, he never wanted to walk at night again.

The car started and continued forward, bypassing the temporarily set up caution tape. Bi Heng glanced outside a few times. The car accident had happened some time ago, and now all that could be seen were overturned vehicles. The pure white snow had buried all traces.

The rest of the journey was indeed much more normal, and they even encountered some vehicles on the road. Jiang Long was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes, exclaiming, “Sis Gu, you’re amazing! Sis Gu, are you a reclusive master? Sis Gu, you’re our savior, wuwuwu!”

At this moment, he no longer found the long-haired woman frightening and affectionately called her “Sis Gu” repeatedly.

Gu Feiyin sat in the back seat, feeling dizzy from the praise, her pale cheeks showing a few hints of red.

Bi Heng also felt much more at ease. Seeing the long-haired woman in the rearview mirror no longer scared him as much, and he smiled slightly, saying, “Miss Gu, thank you so much for tonight. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have known what to do. If you ever need any help in the future, you can come to me.”

Jiang Long also became more lively and immediately chimed in. The long-haired woman was a bit scary and eerie, but she was probably a master. Masters are special, and being unconventional isn’t something hard to accept.

Bi Heng suddenly said, “By the way, Miss Gu, you mentioned that we have Yin Energy on us, which is why we kept encountering those things, right?”

Jiang Long pondered, “Right, if it weren’t for the things we encountered tonight, I wouldn’t have believed that ghosts exist in this world!”

Bi Heng glanced at the rearview mirror and saw the long-haired woman staring at him with her pitch-black eyes, saying, “Yes, Yin Energy attracts Yin Energy. They naturally gather where there is more Yin Energy. You were affected by it, and your Yang Energy¹ also decreased, so you could see spirits that are usually invisible.”

Bi Heng and Jiang Long suddenly understood, “So that’s why, no wonder.”

However, this sudden realization and the relief of surviving a close call didn’t last long. Bi Heng’s relaxed expression gradually stiffened, and even Jiang Long’s smile became hesitant and uncertain-

He looked at Bi Heng, and Bi Heng looked back at him. Both of them showed fear in their eyes and shivered simultaneously!

Yin Energy gathers where there is more Yin Energy. If that’s true… the first ghost wall they encountered was the long-haired woman!

Bi Heng looked into the rearview mirror, meeting the long-haired woman’s dark gaze. She curled her lips into a simple, honest smile.

Footnote:

1. 1. Yang Energy(阳气):Yang represents brightness, warmth, activeness, extroversion, and masculinity. Places with strong yang energy are considered to be full of vitality and energy, such as yang dwellings and temples.