Netherworld’s Spirit Envoy - -

The landlord was brought in front of me, looking helpless, and after a bit of pushing and shoving, he said, “Xiaofei, is everything okay with you lately?”

“I’ve been doing well.” What did the landlord mean by this? Was he looking for my help?

The landlord appeared troubled but couldn’t find a way out after thinking for a long time. Finally, he sighed and said, “Xiaofei, it’s not just me. Even the neighbors around are scared. What’s been going on with you lately? You live alone, but you’re always talking to someone. The neighbors think there’s a ghost, and no one dares to stay here anymore.”

Talking? Of course, ever since Lin Shishi returned, I’ve been speaking with her. I haven’t even touched my phone in the past few days.

But that shouldn’t be enough to scare people like this.

I quickly explained to the landlord, “Here’s the thing: a director noticed me and wants me to go for an audition in a few days, so I’ve been busy memorizing my lines.”

With my explanation, everyone nodded in understanding, giving me encouragement and telling me to work hard. In no time, the crowd that had been blocking my doorway disappeared.

I’ve been cooped up at home these past few days because it’s the full moon, and Lin Shishi has been absorbing the moon’s energy to replenish her missing Yin energy. This was a perfect opportunity for me to step out and enjoy the sunlight.

Although Lin Shishi always talks to me from the Willow Writing Brush, she’s still a ghost, and over time, this could affect my health.

After wandering outside all day, I stopped by a street food stall, had some skewers with beer, and continued wandering.

Li Bai had also told us to take a break for these few days, and I hadn’t noticed that I’d run out of phone credit, so I took this chance to go out and top it up.

The area I needed to go to was rather remote, and to top up the credit, I had to walk through a somewhat dirty and trash-strewn narrow road, a place I liked the least.

There were no streetlights on that road, so I had to rely on my instincts to walk, cautiously avoiding stepping on any ‘surprises’.

The road was five hundred meters long, but strangely enough, there weren’t any houses on either side. It was bizarre, and at both ends of this road, there were four locust trees with trunks as thick as my waist, which seemed to have been there for a long time. The locals say they’ve been there for at least two hundred years.

Locust trees attract Yin, an unchanging truth, but why they were planted here is indeed perplexing.

Here’s a story about this road, which has been widely circulated among locals.

Once, this road was an official route used by officials traveling to and from the Capital City.

There was once a newly appointed Zhuangyuan¹ who was on his way to the Capital City via this road. Due to a late notification, the Zhuangyuan had to travel overnight. When he reached this road, it was already midnight. Suddenly, what had been a star-filled sky was swiftly covered by a dark cloud, and in the blink of an eye, thunder roared and heavy rain began to pour down.

His attendants, concerned only with finding shelter from the rain, neglected the Zhuangyuan, who had already fallen asleep in his bridal carriage. When he awoke, everything outside had quieted down.

Thirsty, the Zhuangyuan stepped out of the carriage, only to find himself in a place that seemed like paradise, with clouds floating around, white jade railings, and clear waters with white lotuses.

A fragrant breeze wafted by, and a stunningly beautiful woman appeared. From that moment, the Zhuangyuan was deeply in love and no longer wished to leave.

The downpour had come quickly and left just as abruptly. When the attendants returned and continued carrying the bridal carriage forward, they wanted to take a rest halfway and discovered that the Zhuangyuan had turned into a mummified corpse, a ghastly sight to behold.

People say the Zhuangyuan was drained of his life force by a Ghost Woman in that area, but whether this is true or whether there was a Ghost Woman at all remains unknown.

It’s like scaring oneself. Why did I suddenly remember this story? It’s all made up, although I’ve seen my share of ghostly things. I believe I am strong and healthy, certainly not a target for lonely ghosts.

The more I thought about it, the colder sweat began to form on my body. For safety, I unconsciously quickened my pace, but even after a long while, I hadn’t reached the end of the road, which puzzled me.

Looking back, all was pitch-dark; nothing was visible.

Looking ahead, it was still pitch-dark, and I could see nothing. As I moved to the side, I no longer felt the sensation of stepping on trash or other odd materials.

Something was wrong. This road is less than five meters wide, with four meters covered in trash. According to the distance I moved to the left, I should have taken about five steps, around two meters, and certainly should have stepped on the trash that couldn’t have been cleared away so quickly.

“Meow…” Suddenly, a cat’s cry rang out unexpectedly, causing me to break out in a cold sweat. I quickly looked in the direction of the sound, but there was nothing there.

“Meow…” Another cat cry, this time from a different direction, but the sound was getting closer.

This time, the sound came from right behind me, and I didn’t have the courage to look back, afraid of seeing a blood-soaked face.

“Meow!” The cat’s cry was sharp, almost like it had its tail stepped on, and suddenly a small black shadow jumped over my shoulder from behind. I could even feel its fur brushing against my face.

I exhaled in relief; it was just a stray cat. Walking alone at night, I was just scaring myself-there was nothing to be afraid of.

I continued walking ahead, my spirits lifting a bit. Maybe to ease the tension, I began to hum a tune that I didn’t quite recognize.

It was completely out of tune. Even I found it annoying, but it helped distract me. It wasn’t long before I noticed another voice guiding mine.

It was a gentle female voice, soft and ethereal, seeming both far away and right next to me. I couldn’t quite grasp where it was coming from.

As her voice blended with mine, I realized the tune actually sounded quite pleasant. It was rhythmic and melodic, with an elegance and flow that captivated me.

Her voice was like a lullaby, pulling me in deeper, making me forget what I was doing and where I was headed.

My only wish was to find the owner of that voice, to see the face that could hum such an enchanting tune.

But I forgot… I was on a main road, notorious for heavy trucks and frequent accidents at night.

A large truck was coming toward me, its headlights glaring in my direction, but I couldn’t control my body. I watched helplessly as it barreled straight at me. At that moment, a small shadow appeared in front of me again…

In my last conscious moment, a thought flashed through my mind: “Damn, this really hurts!”

When I came to, I found myself lying in a speeding ambulance. Nurses in white coats and masks surrounded me, one holding an IV. They all had tense expressions, occasionally glancing at me and wiping sweat from their foreheads.

Seeing this scene, I wanted to laugh, but some gas kept pushing into my nose and mouth, making me uncomfortable and unable to speak.

A sweetness rose in my throat, and I felt saliva trickling from my mouth.

This must be the most embarrassing moment of my life. How could I drool in front of a beautiful woman? No matter how smitten I might be, I would never do something like this.

Sure enough, the nurse with big eyes next to me turned around abruptly, looking at me with a mixture of shock and concern. She seemed to say something, then she wiped my face with a towel. The towel was red.

It was blood… How could I be coughing up blood? I tried to sit up, but my arms and legs felt completely numb. What is happening to me?

“The patient is agitated, blood pressure is rising, and the bleeding is accelerating…” This was the last thing I heard. I thought I was done for.

When I woke again, everything was stark white. Everywhere I looked, it was all white. Is this heaven? Shouldn’t I be in the Netherworld Administration?

I lay there, staring blankly, devoid of any color in front of me. My biggest fear was becoming a vegetable-that would be worse than knowing I was dead. Time passed endlessly with no one appearing, and I was completely despondent, not feeling hunger and hearing no sounds.

Lin Zhe appeared in front of me, waving his hand in front of my eyes. I stared straight at him. Does he think I’m a fool?

He looked disappointed, and I was disappointed too. Couldn’t he see that there was still hope for me?

Lin Zhe’s mouth kept moving. He wasn’t eating; he was speaking to me, but I couldn’t hear him or respond in any way. All I could do was watch helplessly.

It wasn’t until Leilei showed up that I finally felt a little more spirited. Honestly, lying around day in and day out like this was actually kind of nice.

Leilei came in with Lin Zhe, and I was not happy. Why were they together, looking so perfect for each other? It gave me a pang of jealousy. I had promised Lei Heng that I would take good care of Leilei, and now, as soon as something happens to me, Lin Zhe swoops in.

Footnote: