Chapter 74

Chapter 74

◎She's Following You◎

It is often said that if you frequently walk night roads, you are bound to encounter a ghost. Wang Kai had always believed this to be true, but the night road he was walking should have led him to legal punishment—a pair of cold silver handcuffs. Yet, in this world, if you earn money honestly and lawfully, you'll only end up poor. To escape the poverty that trapped him, sometimes you have to walk where others don’t dare.

But he never expected that before the legal punishment and the silver handcuffs, what he encountered was an actual ghost.

Things started to go wrong from last week. That day, he had been out with friends, and because he had made some money recently, he felt a bit cocky. They drank a lot while boasting and joking around.

He returned home, drunk, and was woken up by thirst in the middle of the night. He got up to get some water.

While filling a glass in the kitchen, he thought he saw a vague shadow near the balcony. He was still drunk at the time, and his mind was still sluggish.

As he drank water, he thought to himself that the clothes on the balcony looked downright eerie at night. In the future, he really should close the curtains when drying clothes at night; otherwise, he might get startled when he got up in the night. He then stumbled back to his room to sleep.

The next day, he found to his surprise that there were no clothes on the balcony at all.

At that time, Wang Kai didn’t realize the severity of the situation. After all, he had been drinking, and it was normal for his memory to be a bit off, or maybe he had seen wrong. He didn’t take it too seriously.

The very next day, while he was editing a video late into the night, he felt hungry but didn’t want to order food delivery. So, he cooked a bowl of instant noodles. As he carried the bowl of noodles out of the kitchen, he saw a shadowy figure near the floor-standing air conditioner by the balcony.

Startled, he dropped the bowl of noodles. The noodles spilled and scalded his foot.

His heart pounding, he carefully looked towards the air conditioner, but saw nothing there. Still frightened, Wang Kai quickly turned on every light in the house. His heart was on edge for a long time. He then rummaged through his things to find Chinese currency and gold jewelry to wear on his body.

He remembered what his grandparents had always said: the state emblem on Chinese currency was imbued with protective energy, useful for warding off ghosts in emergencies. Gold jewelry was also considered protective.

Though he hadn’t believed in these things before, in nearly thirty years, he had never encountered anything like this. His family didn’t even have any statues of Buddha or deities at home. It was hard enough finding these items on the spot.

Miraculously, he didn’t see any shadows for the rest of the night. This left Wang Kai doubting again, wondering if he had just been seeing things from staring at the computer screen for too long.

But the next day, Wang Kai still went to a nearby temple to get some blessed Buddhist amulets. He hung one in the living room, one on the balcony, and one in each room. He wore two on himself. With so many amulets, he felt secure, thinking there was no way any evil spirit could come near.

That night, he indeed didn’t see any shadowy figures. Wang Kai locked himself in his room and occasionally checked the living room through a surveillance camera. Everything was quiet, and there was nothing. This gave Wang Kai some peace of mind again.

The next afternoon, when Wang Kai woke up and went to get his food delivery from the front door, he walked into the living room and saw someone sitting on the sofa.

Previously, he had only seen vague figures, but this time, he clearly saw her—a female, long-haired, and pale. When she noticed him, she even turned her head and smiled at him.

Wang Kai screamed and collapsed to the ground. He wanted to crawl back to his room, but his legs wouldn’t obey him. He flailed on the floor for a while but couldn’t move an inch.

He didn’t know when the female ghost had disappeared. When he looked up again, the living room was empty.

Wang Kai couldn’t stay in that house anymore. He was certain there was something evil in it, so he quickly packed his things and fled to a hotel during the day.

But it was useless. When he was washing up in the hotel bathroom, he saw a reflection in the mirror—a shadowy figure with half-visible long hair behind the shower curtain. He knew then that the ghost was haunting him, not the house.

Terrified, Wang Kai knelt on the ground and begged, "Great-grandmother, miss, I don’t even know you. Why are you following me? Can you please leave me alone? I’ll burn paper money and incense for you. Just don’t follow me anymore..."

After pleading for a while and seeing no movement in the bathroom or any shadows in the room, Wang Kai quickly grabbed his things and ran out of the hotel. He needed to go somewhere crowded, somewhere with lots of people.

For several days, Wang Kai didn’t dare go home. But staying away forever wasn’t a solution. So, he asked around, wondering if any of his friends knew someone who could help. At the very least, he needed to understand what the female ghost wanted from him. Otherwise, how could he solve the problem of being haunted?

Unfortunately, most of the people he met were frauds, with very few possessing real skills. He invited one master back to his home. The master claimed that the house had heavy yin energy and performed a ritual. He also sold Wang Kai a string of "Five Emperor Coins," claiming it would ensure peace.

But the very next day, Wang Kai saw the female ghost again.

Even more terrifying, he noticed that the female ghost was getting closer. At first, she was on the balcony, but slowly, she moved inside—from the air conditioner’s location to the sofa, then the living room. The last time he saw her, she was standing at his bedroom door.

Wang Kai was about to lose his mind from fear. He wondered if he delayed a few more days and the female ghost continued to get closer, would she eventually appear right behind him and kill him?

It was said that ghosts could find a substitute to take their place, and once they did, they could be reincarnated. But Wang Kai couldn’t understand why the female ghost was following him. Although he had done some unethical things, he had never killed anyone.

Wang Kai really couldn’t stand staying at home anymore. The Buddhist temple he had visited before was unreliable, and the blessed Buddhist amulets he got there were useless.

So, he went online to search for a more famous Taoist temple in the area. Later, he saw recommendations for Yuchun Taoist Temple, which even had rental rooms for tourists. Although the daily accommodation fee was more expensive than a five-star hotel, it would be worth spending more money if he could really avoid the female ghost.

It was at this time that the legal team from Ji Nanxing's family reached out to Wang Kai. Wang Kai was already going crazy from being haunted by the female ghost and really didn’t want any legal troubles at this point. No matter the settlement, he agreed to everything, and whatever amount they asked for, he would pay.

He just wanted to resolve these unrelated matters quickly and then hide in the Taoist temple to see if he could escape the female ghost.

On the day he was about to leave for the Taoist temple, carrying his luggage, Wang Kai got into a car accident.

A car came hurtling toward him, and Wang Kai reacted quickly, turning the steering wheel. Although the accident didn’t take his life, it did take his leg. His leg was crushed and had to be amputated to save him.

If before Wang Kai was terrified of the female ghost haunting him, he was still clinging to a sliver of hope. He hadn’t committed murder; the worst thing he had done was use a drone to secretly film some private moments. Surely that wouldn’t be enough to attract a female ghost.

So, he thought the female ghost haunting him might have some purpose. He had a bit of confidence in the Taoist temple’s ability to help him avoid the female ghost.

But now, lying in the hospital with one leg missing, he truly and clearly realized that being haunted by a ghost could indeed be fatal. Now that he had lost a leg, next time it might be his life.

Wang Kai was utterly desperate. He didn’t even have time to grieve about being disabled; reality was already pushing him to actively seek ways to save his life. After all, he didn’t even know if he had a future.

But what could he do? He believed that if there were really ghosts in this world, there must be capable individuals who could handle such matters. But the problem was, where could he find them?

After the accident, his friends came to visit him. Since his family wasn’t around, and seeing how severely injured he was, with no one to take care of him, they felt sorry for him and helped hire a caregiver.

Knowing that he made short videos for a living, and thinking that he would need money in the future, they bought him a computer. This way, even while lying in the hospital, he could still earn some money. Otherwise, with expenses outpacing income, how would he get by?

Wang Kai's own computer had been wrecked in the accident. Although he had no mood to earn money—since he didn’t even know if he would be alive to spend it—he still thanked his friends for their kindness.

With the computer, Wang Kai had no one to turn to and searched desperately for solutions to his haunting: what to do if he encountered a ghost, how to exorcise one, what to do if a ghost was haunting him, and what to do if a ghost wanted to kill him. Unfortunately, all the results on Baidu were useless.

When he saw suggestions like black dog blood and donkey hoofs, Wang Kai knew just how unreliable these Baidu results were. This information was probably extracted from various fictional novels.

Just as he was about to give up and close the computer, a pop-up appeared from some unknown webpage.

Paranormal Affairs Department: "Are you encountering a ghost? Do you need to find a way to resolve the situation?"

In a last-ditch effort, Wang Kai replied.

User: "Yes, do you have any solutions?"

Paranormal Affairs Department: "Could you briefly describe your situation with the ghost?"

Wang Kai explained everything, from the days he encountered the ghost on the balcony to the room, and how he tried to escape but ended up in a car accident.

Paranormal Affairs Department: "Do you have any relevant information about the female ghost haunting you, or any suspicions of suspicious events that might have led to her haunting you?"

User: "If I knew why I was being haunted by a ghost, I wouldn’t be so desperately asking for solutions. What exactly do you guys do? Do you have people who can handle ghosts? If you're scammers, don’t waste my time. I’m lying in a hospital bed, missing a leg, and might lose my life any day now. I’m not joking."

Wang Kai even sent his hospital room number to them, challenging them to come if they were scammers. But if they weren’t, then they should come and save him.

Paranormal Affairs Department: "We will send someone to investigate. We are from the Paranormal Affairs Bureau. If you are truly haunted by a ghost, we will send someone to resolve it, but there will be a fee charged."

User: "I’ll pay whatever it takes to resolve this!!"

The online department of the bureau, which was the backend customer service of the Human Realm Network, gathered most of its cases this way. Otherwise, people wouldn’t even know such a bureau existed, and when faced with paranormal events, they'd have nowhere to turn.

These people usually search online for what to do if they encounter ghosts, and their network system would assess the searches to determine whether the person is purely curious or genuinely seeking help for a real ghost encounter.

After the evaluation, they would briefly make contact again via pop-ups for a secondary review. Although sometimes they might be mistaken for scammers, those who are genuinely desperate would grasp at straws, just like this person.

The customer service team would edit and post this case on the Human Realm Network, and the system would send the case to the nearest Taoist based on location. The closest Taoist was, of course, from Yulan City. Although Xiao Ye's account on the Human Realm Network was a secondary account linked to Ji Nanxing's, it was still a Taoist account, so he received the notification once it was sent to him.

As he opened the Human Realm Network, the case popped up. Xiao Ye nudged Ji Nanxing, who was lying on the table with his eyes closed: "Naonao, there's a mission."

Ji Nanxing turned toward him, still lying on the table with his eyes closed, and hummed: "What's the mission?"

Xiao Ye said, "Someone encountered a ghost, got entangled, had a car accident, and had a leg amputated. The person is in the hospital, and we probably know them."

Ji Nanxing opened his eyes at hearing this: "Should know?"

Knowing is knowing. What do you mean 'should know'?

Xiao Ye handed the task details over to Ji Nanxing and pointed at the information: "Wang Kai, this is the drone-peeping blogger Waka. The name and phone number match up."

Ji Nanxing sat up and looked at the task details on his phone. Xiao Ye also pulled up the WeChat message his friend had sent with the blogger's information: "Look, the name and phone number match."

Ji Nanxing looked closely: "Indeed."

Xiao Ye leaned on the table, resting his head on one hand: "Want to take it?"

Ji Nanxing thought for a moment before nodding: "Take it. Let's see why the ghost is haunting him."

Seeing that Ji Nanxing had accepted the mission, Xiao Ye glanced at his watch; the first period had just ended: "Go now?"

Ji Nanxing looked at the empty podium: "What reason to ask for leave? I'll say I'm not feeling well."

Xiao Ye frowned: "Even if it's fake, we can't keep cursing ourselves like this. They say there's something like a 'word spirit.' If we say it too much, what if it becomes true? No need to find a reason, just skip class."

Skipping class, no big deal.

Ji Nanxing, who usually asked for leave, had rarely skipped class because asking for leave was enough; there was no need to skip.

Seeing them pack their bags as if they were leaving, Zhang Yuan knocked on the table: "What are you two doing?"

Xiao Ye took Ji Nanxing's bag: "Saving the world. If the teacher asks, just say I'm hungry and taking Ji Nanxing out to eat."

Zhang Yuan was full of questions. Escaping class was one thing, but taking the grade's top student with him? Wasn't he afraid of being torn apart by the teacher tomorrow?

The two sneaked out from the back door. Jiang Tangtang, who was chatting with Xiao Xiao, shook her head: "Our academic god is being led astray by the school bully, skipping class in broad daylight, white paper stained black."

Chen Shiyi, sitting in front of them, turned around and looked back. He wanted to skip class too, but he didn't dare. If he skipped class, he would be beaten to death when he got home.

So, he texted Ji Nanxing, asking if he would be back. He wanted to ask if Ji Nanxing could bring him some meat pies from the school gate.

Unfortunately, Ji Nanxing replied that he probably wouldn't be back. Chen Shiyi sighed and continued staring at the blackboard as if it were an incomprehensible text.

The two went home first. The sudden noise startled Xie Paner, who was lying in a pile of dolls playing games: "In broad daylight, why are you back? Is school on holiday?"

Ji Nanxing took off his school uniform: "Got a case, going to handle it."

Xie Paner nodded: "Need help? I can help you communicate with the ghost."

Ji Nanxing chuckled: "Aren't you afraid of ghosts?"

Xie Paner: "Last time I encountered that ghost sister, she didn’t seem that terrifying. Do you need help?"

Ji Nanxing: "This time, you really can't help. That ghost has developed a murderous intent towards humans and is extremely vicious. If you go, you’ll just end up being devoured."

Upon hearing this, Xie Paner immediately shrank back into the corner. She decided to continue playing her game, jumping around with her An Qi La character and pushing down towers.

Xiao Ye, who couldn’t hear their conversation, took out two jackets from his room and handed one to Ji Nanxing. "What’s up? Is senior sister coming too?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head. "She’s not going. That ghost is clearly dangerous. If Xie Paner goes, she’ll just be throwing herself to the wolves."

In the corner where Xiao Ye couldn’t see, Xie Paner’s face scrunched up like a steamed bun, but she really was no match for the ghost, a fact that couldn’t be denied. She was annoyed.

Although they had eaten lunch, after the lunch break and another class, the two of them felt hungry again when they smelled the aroma of jianbing (Chinese pancakes) from a street vendor outside the hospital.

As Ji Nanxing glanced over, Xiao Ye instinctively understood and led him to the stall. "Which one do you want? How about a 'Family Delight'? Can you finish it?"

Ji Nanxing weighed his stomach and nodded. "I can finish it."

Xiao Ye smiled and said to the vendor, "Two Family Delights, with chili and no green onions."

The vendor cheerfully responded with "Alright," and swiftly cracked an egg onto the griddle, quickly adding the ingredients, rolling it up, and cutting it in half. A steaming hot Family Delight was ready.

Ji Nanxing ate quickly but gracefully. Maybe it was because he looked good, but everything he did seemed elegant.

After a few bites, Ji Nanxing noticed Xiao Ye staring at him and asked, puzzled, "What’s wrong?"

Xiao Ye pointed at his cheek. "There’s a sesame seed."

Thinking the sesame seed was near his mouth, Ji Nanxing instinctively stuck his tongue out to lick it off. Unexpectedly, Xiao Ye, in a moment of confusion, reached out, plucked the sesame seed off his cheek, and popped it into his own mouth.

Ji Nanxing froze, and Xiao Ye did too, feeling that something was off but unable to pinpoint exactly what. Instinctively, Xiao Ye hooked his arm around Ji Nanxing’s shoulder and urged, "Eat quickly, eat quickly. After we finish, we’ll go inside and find Wang Kai."

In a place Ji Nanxing couldn’t see, Xiao Ye briefly showed a look of regret. What had he just done? It felt weird, like he had acted like a weirdo.

After finishing their jianbing, the two entered the hospital and found Wang Kai in the ward, based on the information provided in the task.

Wang Kai was a rather ordinary-looking guy with droopy eyelids, giving him a somewhat triangular eye appearance. His whole demeanor gave off a sleazy vibe, likely because of his habit of secretly filming others. At that moment, he was lying pale-faced on the hospital bed, enveloped in a gloomy aura.

Ji Nanxing walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Xiao Ye pulled the curtain to block the view of the person in the next bed.

Ji Nanxing said, "Wang Kai, right? I’m from the Supernatural Management Bureau. Tell me everything in detail about your encounter with the ghost."

Seeing the extremely handsome young man before him, Wang Kai was stunned for several seconds, somewhat surprised that someone had actually come. "Do you have any identification?"

Ji Nanxing replied, "Believe it or not, it’s your choice. It’s not me who’s encountering the ghost. I see a karmic thread on you, meaning that female ghost isn’t haunting you for no reason. If you want to resolve this, cooperate fully. If you don’t want to believe me, we can leave right now."

Wang Kai glanced at the tall young man standing next to him. Although they both looked very young, Wang Kai had no other options and had to cooperate honestly. If they were scammers, they’d only take a bit of his money. But if they weren’t, this might save his life.

Wang Kai recounted his experiences over the past few days in detail, from encountering the ghost to hiding in a hotel and then attempting to go to the Taoist temple, which resulted in a car accident.

Wang Kai: "Since the car accident, nothing has happened to me. I don’t know if it’s because the hospital has a lot of people, but I can confirm that I really did see a ghost."

Ji Nanxing: "It’s not because the hospital has a lot of people. The female ghost never intended to take your life."

Wang Kai, looking at his missing leg, said emotionally, "She didn’t want my life? On the day of the accident, if I hadn’t reacted quickly, I would have been hit and killed! I lost a leg because of her. Even if I survive, I’ll be a cripple. And you’re saying she didn’t want my life?"

Ji Nanxing explained, "The female ghost approaching you wasn’t because she couldn’t get close. She wanted to make her presence known to you. It’s normal for you to feel fear and hide in a hotel, but she didn’t do anything to you. It was only when you decided to go to the Taoist temple that she got angry. The Yuchun Taoist Temple has real abilities. If you had truly taken refuge there, the female ghost wouldn’t have been able to follow you. So, she gave you a warning with the car accident."

Ji Nanxing glanced at the corner and continued, "As for after you were hospitalized, the female ghost didn’t stop haunting you. She’s been following you but just hasn’t appeared in front of you because she never intended to kill you."

With that, Ji Nanxing pulled out a talisman, gently swiped his finger across it to activate the symbols, and stuck it on Wang Kai’s body.

Given Wang Kai’s current low luck and insufficient vitality, it was easy for his third eye to open.

Wang Kai then saw a long-haired female ghost standing in the corner opposite his bed.