Wandering Spirit Tavern - Chapter 10 - Business

At eight in the evening, the first evening self-study session at Luo’an Town Middle School ended. Junior high school students and freshmen headed home, while sophomores and seniors continued with their studies. Around this time, some sophomores and seniors would seize the opportunity to sneak out of school, wandering the streets to engage in the typical mischief of seventeen or eighteen-year-olds.

He Mi’s first time skipping class happened during this period, but her reasons differed from her peers. She wasn’t involved in any unavoidable romances, had no interest in internet cafes or games, and wasn’t embroiled in any “gang disputes” requiring her to fight. In fact, she couldn’t quite explain why she decided to skip class that day.

That evening, like many before it, she was working on problems when her desk mate suddenly instructed her, “If the teacher asks, just say I’m sick.”

She felt annoyed, tired of telling such lies, and impulsively replied, “No, I have something to do tonight.”

She hadn’t thought through how to cover for this statement, but as her desk mate teased, “Good students shouldn’t learn from us…” she suddenly decided to skip class.

Following her desk mate out of the classroom, she blended into the crowd, exited the campus, nervously shed her school uniform, and melted into the town’s night.

Her classmates each had their own destinations, and since He Mi wasn’t familiar with them, tagging along would be awkward. She bid them farewell and wandered the streets alone, avoiding familiar faces by sticking to dark corners and changing direction whenever she spotted someone she knew.

Summer nights in the town were lively, with many familiar faces. As He Mi dodged acquaintances, she inadvertently strayed into the less populated development area.

Unbeknownst to her, her unique nervousness had caught the attention of a boy.

Shortly after leaving campus, the boy who had killed the cat began following her. Throughout her attempts to evade familiar faces, she never noticed him.

It was past nine, and people on the streets began heading home. The development area was even more deserted, and He Mi found herself alone in the newly constructed Riverside Park.

Dim lights were surrounded by trees of varying heights, casting large shadows that concealed a few human-shaped statues.

He Mi regretted skipping class. She planned to stay in the park until ten, waiting for the evening study session to end before heading home. But as soon as she sat down, she felt as if someone in the darkness was watching her.

Unable to sit still, she decided to leave. Unlike on the streets, she no longer feared familiar faces and sought out the light. However, the park’s trees were too dense, and she soon lost her way.

Growing anxious, she felt the eyes watching her drawing closer.

Afraid to look back, she quickened her pace. Finally, fear and curiosity peaked, and at a corner, she abruptly turned to see what was behind her.

In the darkness stood a tall figure. Her legs went weak, and just as she was about to scream, she realized it was a statue.

Relieved, she continued walking, but dared not look back again.

Thus, she didn’t see the person emerging from behind the statue, coldly watching her leave-the boy who had killed the cat.

Once He Mi left the park, she stuck to the brightest paths, walking quickly until she reached the main street.

The boy didn’t follow. As he exited the park, he noticed a black cat by a trash can, eating. Approaching it, the cat rubbed against him, and he picked it up, disappearing into the darkness.

Feng Bei observed everything from a distant embankment. He was convinced the boy was dangerous but didn’t know what to do. Whether from a civilian standpoint or as a Taoist priest, he was at a loss. He couldn’t go to the police, as what he knew was meaningless, nor could he ask Lin You to deal with the boy, as it conflicted with his principles.

He could only hope he was wrong and that the boy wouldn’t do anything drastic.

But the boy had taken another cat. If it died tomorrow, soon that girl or another would surely follow.

The only mystery was why the boy had attempted suicide twice.

Guessing wasn’t a solution. Feng Bei decided to confront the boy directly and ask.

He resolved to wait at the boy’s home.

And so, he waited until midnight, but the boy never returned, leaving Feng Bei increasingly anxious.

It was past one when Feng Bei felt certain something had happened and that he needed to find the boy quickly.

There was no choice but to seek Lin You’s help.

After sprinting down two streets, he finally reached the tavern, only to be shocked by the sight before him.

Hundreds of ghosts crowded the tavern entrance, blocking half the street. Their yin qi made the entire street chillingly cold.

Feng Bei pushed through the ghosts, his skin crawling with goosebumps.

Inside, the tavern was packed with ghosts. Honest Chen was there, not at the counter, but by Lin You’s office door.

All the ghosts were staring at the office, seemingly waiting for Lin You to emerge with some important announcement.

Feng Bei was so startled by the scene that he didn’t dare speak, intending to retreat. As he turned to leave, Honest Chen noticed him.

“Mr. Feng, you’re here! Please talk some sense into our boss!” Honest Chen shouted.

Feng Bei had no choice but to step forward, discovering that the tavern was facing a serious crisis-there was no more wine.

Both Lin You and Feng Bei initially thought the solution was simple: just buy more. But they quickly realized it wasn’t that easy.

The wine served to ghosts in the tavern was infused with human yang qi, meant to alleviate the ghosts’ suffering.

The patrons of the Wandering Spirit Tavern were mostly wandering spirits burdened with heavy karmic debts. They harbored strong obsessions from their past lives, often unaware of them, but these obsessions prevented them from entering the netherworld, as even the Mengpo Soup¹ couldn’t erase them, leaving them unable to reincarnate.

These wandering spirits drifted in the limbo between yin and yang, enduring the burning torment of hell’s yin fire daily.

However, a bit of yang qi from the human world could shield them from the yin fire, allowing them to enjoy a day of comfort. The tavern’s wine was a remedy for this.

Yet, the yang qi in the wine didn’t appear out of thin air; it came from living humans.

People in the human world were plagued by various troubles-careers, love, fame, fortune, power, desires. Some issues required the help of ghosts, and the tavern facilitated these services. Payment for these services, besides money, was yang qi.

This yang qi, transferred through special means into the wine, aided the wandering spirits.

For decades, the tavern had maintained a ledger of these transactions, accumulating a stockpile of wine, allowing it to operate smoothly.

But in the few days since Lin You took over, she had promised away all the wine, throwing the ledger into chaos and the tavern into disarray, causing unrest among the wandering spirits.

Feng Bei understood the problem and realized the immediate priority was to get the tavern back in business to replenish the wine.

“I promise on behalf of your boss, we’ll resolve the wine issue within a week. Please disperse for now. Also, if you have any suitable business leads, feel free to discuss them with the boss,” Feng Bei called out to the ghosts, hoping to ease the situation. To his surprise, the ghosts erupted in an uproar.

Honest Chen spoke up, “Tavern rules state we ghosts can’t solicit clients or take private jobs. If caught, we’d be banned from drinking forever.”

Another blunder. Feng Bei regretted not casting a divination before leaving.

“Alright, in any case, the tavern will be back to normal within a week. Please calm them down. I’ll go discuss solutions with your boss… Lin You, open the door for me.”

Feng Bei squeezed into Lin You’s office, feeling utterly drained.

There were so many issues to address: the wine problem, the cat-killing boy, and Zhou Man. He didn’t know where to start.

Lin You seemed equally overwhelmed, unsure where to begin.

They exchanged a glance, then wearily leaned against the door, sliding to the floor.

Footnote:

1. Mengpo Soup(孟婆汤):In Chinese mythology, Mengpo Soup is a potion given to souls in the afterlife by Meng Po, the Lady of Forgetfulness. It erases memories of past lives, allowing spirits to reincarnate without lingering attachments or regrets.