Wandering Spirit Tavern - Chapter 9 - The Young Man

Arguing isn’t about logic; it’s about presence. If your words are tough enough, you win.

Feng Bei knew this tactic well. He had used it before, often successfully, when he chose not to reason. But this time, he was on the side of reason. Because he had a point, he neglected the art of arguing and started to reason-and that’s how he lost.

The logic was simple: “You can’t decide someone’s fate based on your personal likes or dislikes. Even if someone wants to die, even if they really might die, even if they are utterly despicable, it’s not right, because as long as they are alive, there are endless possibilities. We cannot simply strip away someone’s potential, not even to save someone else.”

Lin You retorted, “By your logic, I should have been dead long ago. Should I kill myself now to give you justice?”

Feng Bei replied, “You are an exception.”

Lin You challenged, “Then why can’t she be an exception? Isn’t that what our tavern is for? If we’re not doing that, we might as well shut it down.”

Feng Bei conceded, “You do make a point. Let’s close the tavern.”

Lin You agreed, “Fine.”

Thus, the Wandering Spirit Tavern closed in its 101st year of operation.

Well, of course, the tavern didn’t close. The preceding conversation took place in a non-existent dimension. The real story went like this-Lin You simply ignored Feng Bei’s grand principles. Her response was terse: “I don’t care.”

She didn’t care about any moral or ethical considerations; she was determined to save the girl she loved, no matter what.

Feng Bei, feeling helpless, left her with these words: “No matter what you do, I will stop you.”

Unable to win the argument, he resorted to action, although his words lacked confidence because he knew he was dealing with a madwoman.

But having spoken, he had to follow through. From that day on, he continued to shadow Lin You, ready to stop her from finding a death substitute for Zhou Man.

The little ghosts soon found people who wanted to commit suicide, not just one but dozens around the small town, a fact neither Feng Bei nor Lin You had anticipated-how could such a small place harbor so much pain?

They decided to meet them one by one.

The first was a middle-aged man who had failed in his investments. Burdened with debt that would affect his family, he thought to end it all.

Lin You scolded the man, who then broke down in tears. It seemed he didn’t truly wish to die but felt he had no other options.

An ordinary, deluded man shouldn’t die. Ultimately, Lin You pitied him and decided to let him live. She arranged for a little ghost to change his luck and, as compensation, promised the ghost a year’s supply of free drinks at the tavern.

At that moment, Lin You didn’t realize how significant this promise would be and the trouble it would bring.

The second was a woman heartbroken from a ruthless breakup. Her boyfriend had cut off all contact, refusing to hear from her again.

Desperate, the woman decided to commit suicide by cutting her wrists and taking pills. But before doing so, she managed to send a message to her ex, hoping to make him feel something.

However, the man did not respond. She knew he must have seen the message but chose to ignore it.

“What a foolish woman.”

Lin You was frustrated and somewhat disliked the woman but couldn’t bear to see her die.

Together with Feng Bei, they took her to the hospital. The woman survived.

Then Lin You dragged the woman to confront her ex-boyfriend, urging them to fight it out.

Confused, they fought under Lin You’s instigation. Eventually, they cried, laughed, and parted ways properly.

Afterward, Lin You arranged for the little ghost to improve the woman’s romantic fortunes, promising the same compensation-a year’s worth of drinks.

This pattern continued with many more who wished to die. Gradually, Lin You realized that these were all people in despair, but their despair stemmed from once having great hopes. They all had reasons to live, and she couldn’t bring herself to act. She began to agree with Feng Bei.

Just as Lin You was about to give up on finding a death substitute and think of another way to save Zhou Man, a little ghost pleaded with her to meet one last suicidal person, promising that this one would satisfy her.

It was a boy, sixteen or seventeen, clean-cut with neatly trimmed hair, tall and slim as young men often are. He had some acne marks but looked fresh and clean, with clearly visible dimples when he smiled and very white, even teeth.

Overall, he looked like a bright, sunny boy. That afternoon, he got up, played basketball with friends, ate, spent the night at an internet cafe, and then repeated the cycle: basketball, eating, internet cafe. There was no sign that he was suicidal.

“Could there be a mistake?” Lin You asked the little ghost after following the boy for a day, growing impatient.

The little ghost solemnly replied, “This kid will definitely commit suicide. Just wait and see.”

Lin You retorted, “You can’t just force someone to commit suicide!”

The little ghost insisted, “Of course not. I’m not that kind of despicable ghost.”

So, Lin You and Feng Bei stayed up all night following the boy.

Middle-aged people really can’t keep up with teenagers. Lin You felt she was about to die from exhaustion and needed to sleep.

At dawn, Lin You and Feng Bei watched the boy return home, then scolded the little ghost and decided to go home to sleep.

As they left, the boy went up to the rooftop.

It was a cool breeze on a summer morning, 20 stories high. The boy stood at the edge of the rooftop, bathed in the wind, watching the clouds turn blood red, then decided to jump right then.

Of course, he didn’t succeed. Feng Bei, halfway through his return, suddenly remembered how the boy had left the internet cafe alone that morning, walking briskly while his friends slept-a briskness that was slightly off, though Feng Bei couldn’t pinpoint how.

Troubled, Feng Bei decided to consult the I Ching to check the boy’s fortunes. The reading was ominously bad. Immediately, Feng Bei rushed back, arriving at the complex to find the boy sitting alone on the rooftop, unnoticed by others in the busy community below.

Feng Bei aimed to save the boy, despite this conflicting with his principle of non-interference. He couldn’t bear to watch a young man die like this.

Waiting for the elevator was futile that morning, and unsure how long the boy could hold on, Feng Bei climbed 20 floors himself.

When he reached the rooftop, the boy’s foot was already stepping into the air. Feng Bei rushed forward, nearly pulled down by the boy himself.

In the end, both were safe.

“Why are you committing suicide?” Feng Bei asked immediately after the rescue.

“It’s a buzzkill!” the boy replied irritably, then left without looking back, taking the stairs down.

Feng Bei was left alone on the rooftop, bewildered.

It seemed as if the suicide attempt had never happened. The boy was just a normal teenager, without anger or sadness, just weariness like a child denied TV.

What was really going on? Would the boy attempt suicide again? Should he continue to save him? Should he tell Lin You?

With a multitude of questions in his mind, Feng Bei decided to keep observing the boy.

That afternoon, the boy resumed his usual routine: playing basketball, eating, but not going to the internet cafe because he had found a cat and brought it home.

Feng Bei thought the boy had given up on suicide, intending to care for the cat, and he breathed a sigh of relief. But the next morning, the boy threw the cat’s horribly mangled body into the trash, a scene so gruesome that Feng Bei and Lin You could barely recall it when recounting the story.

While Feng Bei was digging through the trash for the cat’s body, the boy went back up to the rooftop.

Feng Bei climbed the 20 floors again and saved the boy.

“Why? Why kill the cat? Why commit suicide?” Feng Bei asked, angered.

“Why is it you again?” The boy pushed Feng Bei away and went downstairs.

Feng Bei followed, seeking answers, but the boy locked him out, ignoring all his knocks at the door.

From then on, Feng Bei became somewhat obsessed, watching the boy’s house continuously.

But in the following days, the boy behaved normally, cycling through basketball, meals, internet cafes, and sleep, like any typical rebellious teenager.

Just when Feng Bei began to doubt whether the previous experiences were just a delusional fantasy, another night came when the boy didn’t go to the internet cafe. This time, he was following a girl.