Go all out

Chapter 12: The Ghostly Messenger

I stood there in silence, and so did the female ghost. She had died so young, and now, seeing her own familiar body lying on the ground with her own eyes—a body she once owned but could no longer control—I doubt anyone could truly comprehend the depth of that sorrow. After waiting for a while, I saw a figure emerge from the darkness in the distance. As soon as I recognized him, I rushed forward in delight. “Tian Zhan, what about that ghost?” Tian Zhan showed no signs of injury, though his face was slightly pale—clearly, he’d put in a lot of effort—which made me breathe a sigh of relief. “It’s taken care of.” After saying this, Tian Zhan glanced at the corpse on the ground, then turned to the female ghost standing nearby. The female ghost immediately wiped the sorrow from her face and addressed me respectfully, “Zhang Fei’er greets you, Master.” “No need to be so formal.” Tian Zhan waved his hand impassively and said to Zhang Fei’er in a calm tone, “Shall I send you on your way, or will you go down on your own?” “I…” A look of inner conflict flashed across Zhang Fei’er’s face. But before Zhang Fei’er could finish, Tian Zhan’s expression darkened instantly. She instinctively took a step back, her face betraying a look of fear. I hurriedly stepped in front of Tian Zhan, for I sensed a chill emanating from him—it seemed as though he might annihilate Zhang Fei’er’s spirit at any moment. “Tian Zhan, don’t be like this. Let her finish what she has to say,” I said, blocking him. “Finish? Do you know what she wants to say? She wants to stay in the mortal world!” Tian Zhan said, looking at me. I was taken aback and looked at Zhang Fei’er with curiosity. My master had once told me, as if recounting a story: Ghosts who remain in the mortal world become wandering spirits, and every so often, underworld officials come up to capture these wild spirits—and once caught, their fate is far from simple. What’s more, since Fei’er died an unjust death, she’d be sent straight to the City of the Unjustly Deceased, where she’d never have a chance to be reincarnated. “Is that true?” I asked, as tears were already streaming down Zhang Fei’er’s face. She looked at me with pleading eyes. “Yes. My dad died three years ago, leaving just my mom and me—we were already in a pitiful situation. If she found out her only daughter was dead too, she wouldn’t be able to handle it. I beg you—I just want to stay with my mom for one month. After one month, I’ll leave!” Tian Zhan let out a cold laugh. “Hmph! The paths of the living and the dead are separate—humans have their way, and ghosts have theirs. You know this better than anyone. If you insist on staying in the mortal realm, then I have no choice but to do what my Taoist order requires!” With that, Tian Zhan pulled out a yellow talisman, looking as if he were about to destroy Zhang Fei’er on the spot. I was startled and grabbed his arm. “Tian Zhan, don’t do this. What’s wrong with letting her stay in the mortal world for a month? Won’t she leave on her own when the time comes?” “What do you know?” Tian Zhan glared at me. “Do you have any idea how dangerous a ghost is? Ordinary people who encounter ghosts are bound to suffer misfortune—or even die. You might think she looks pitiful, but you’d never imagine that the moment she turns her back, she could kill someone and drain their yang energy. I’ve seen this happen far too many times.” “You’re being too extreme. Just as there are good people, there are also good ghosts,” I said, shaking my head. “Let me make this clear: any ghost who dares to linger in the mortal world—I’ll kill every single one I come across!! The two of us helping her find her body is already more than we could have done—and yet she’s still pushing her luck by wanting to stay in the mortal world? Don’t you think she’s just insatiable?” “She just wants to see her mother—how is that insatiable?” I sighed, my eyes gradually reddening. Zhang Fei’er still had a mother to see, but what about me? Where was the mother who had abandoned me in the snow? …No, she wasn’t my mother—how could a mother ever be so heartless toward her own flesh and blood? “Xiaotian, you shouldn’t feel sympathy for everything. Acting this way is dangerous and could end up hurting a lot of people.” Seeing my sorrowful expression, Tian Zhan’s expression softened slightly. “Even if I beg you, let me feel compassion just this once.” I stared intently at Tian Zhan as I spoke. A complex expression flashed across Tian Zhan’s face. He cast a cold glance at the weeping Zhang Fei’er. “You’d better remember what you just said!” “Thank you, Master!” Zhang Fei’er wept with joy and immediately knelt down. I let out a sigh of relief and walked over to Zhang Feier. She looked at me gratefully, as if she wanted to say something in thanks, but I shook my head, and Zhang Feier lowered her head without speaking. I glanced at the corpse on the ground and asked, “Tian Zhan, what should we do with this body?” “Since you’re so compassionate, why don’t you take it home?” Tian Zhan said, looking at me. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I walked over, put my arm around Tian Zhan’s shoulder, and gave him a few good shakes. Tian Zhan finally broke into a smile and said helplessly, “Her body is finally at peace. It’s best to call the police and let them handle this. After all, someone’s died—this is no joke.” “But if the police show up, they’ll quickly trace Zhang Fei’er’s information. If they go to her family’s house, her mother won’t be able to handle it,” I said worriedly. At that moment, Zhang Fei’er looked at Tian Zhan with pleading eyes. Tian Zhan glared at me fiercely. “I’ll do a good deed for once.” After saying that, he flipped his hand and produced a small black bottle. Curious, I asked, “What’s that?” But Tian Zhan didn’t answer me; instead, he looked calmly at Zhang Fei’er. Zhang Fei’er glanced at her own body and nodded. Without hesitation, Tian Zhan opened the vial. A drop of liquid, emitting white vapor, fell onto Zhang Fei’er’s face. With a soft “drip,” it landed on the center of her forehead, where it seemed to evaporate into a wisp of white smoke that spread out, completely covering her entire face. Just as I was wondering what this was, a scene unfolded that immediately startled me. Although a faint layer of mist covered her face, putrid, bloody fluid soon began to ooze out. By the time the white mist had completely dissipated, Zhang Fei’er’s entire face was disfigured beyond recognition, as if it had been doused with sulfuric acid. I was speechless. In this state, even if the police arrived, they wouldn’t be able to identify Zhang Fei’er right away—unless they used other methods, but those wouldn’t yield results in just a few days. That would be enough time for Zhang Fei’er to help her mother come to terms with the reality of the situation. “Will the police charge us with desecration of a corpse?” I asked timidly. Tian Zhan shot me a look. “Don’t worry, bro. This kind of thing happens all the time. We’ll just give the police a rough account of what happened, and someone will come to handle it.” “You mean the relevant authorities?” I chuckled. It was true—the “relevant authorities” really were a mysterious bunch; jokes about them were all over the internet. “Right. There are some things the police can’t handle, so naturally they have to let me… oh, let the Paranormal Investigation Team handle them.” I looked at Tian Zhan curiously—he’d almost let something slip just now. Was he part of the Paranormal Investigation Team, too? Tian Zhan shook his head and deliberately said, “I’m calling the police now,” then walked away. It seems Tian Zhan has really been through a lot these past three years. Back then, we were as close as brothers who shared a pair of underwear—he’d even tell me every detail about his dates with my deskmate, down to what progress he’d made and where he’d touched her. Now, he’s actually keeping secrets from me. Looking at Tian Zhan—who was completely different from the guy I knew three years ago—I smiled. On the surface, he was still his usual goofy self, but deep down, he’d grown stronger than I could ever have imagined. “Thank you, Master.” Zhang Fei’er said softly. Those four simple words were filled with gratitude. “Don’t call me ‘Master.’ My name is Li Tian. I’m older than you, so if you don’t mind, you can call me ‘Brother Tian,’” I said with a smile. “Brother Tian,” Zhang Fei’er called out, her face flushing. “That’s better. Don’t hold it against my brother—that’s just the kind of person he is. He’s tough on the outside but soft on the inside. He didn’t really mean to kill you just now,” I continued. “Mm-hmm, I know, Brother Tian. Please thank Brother Zhan for me later,” Zhang Fei’er nodded. Well, now she’s even calling him “Brother Zhan”—I chuckled to myself. Zhang Fei’er really is smart, and she’s even sharper with her tongue. Next, I asked Zhang Fei’er a few simple, casual questions—where she lived, how old her mom was, and so on—but just then, Tian Zhan, who had been on the phone, suddenly rushed over, looking flustered. “Oh no! I forgot something—today’s the day the ghostly officers come to the mortal world to round up wandering spirits and wild ghosts! Zhang Fei’er…” Tian Zhan looked a bit embarrassed as he continued, “She… if she gets caught, she’ll definitely end up in the City of the Wrongfully Deceased.” My heart skipped a beat. I instinctively glanced around and hurriedly asked, “What should we do?” But no sooner had the words left my mouth than I felt a chilling breeze blowing in from the distance. I couldn’t help but shiver, and Tian Zhan, standing beside me, turned pale in an instant.