Lingering Spirit

"Tian Ge!" Yu Xiao Xue was trembling violently, and I could feel the coldness all over her body.

However, the girl's body temperature and the feelings swelling in her chest made me awkwardly prepare to comfort her, but the door suddenly seemed to be pushed open again and swung wide!

Sister Wife tugged urgently at my sleeve. Startled, I immediately stood up and even pulled Yu Xiao Xue back a couple of steps.

Outside the door, a group of people had gathered at some point. Every single one of them looked gaunt and pale. Had they not eaten for two days? I thought to myself.

But I recognized these people; they were the uncles and aunts from the hamlet, and there were even quite a few children among them.

Were they all here to burn incense?

Soon, my expression, which had been somewhat warm just moments ago, slowly stiffened because these people showed no intention of stepping forward.

"Uncle Li, Aunt Li, are you here to burn incense?" I calmed my inner fear and asked a middle-aged couple standing in the middle of the crowd from a distance.

What sent a chill down my spine was that Uncle Li and Aunt Li seemed not to have heard me at all, staring blankly at the incense in the basin.

Several children were sucking their fingers, looking like they had just eaten candy, giggling. To me, their smiles were grim and chilling.

Could it be...

My heart pounded wildly, and a cold dread seemed to surge towards me from all directions. I found my knees trembling uncontrollably because the things I had never believed in were now overwhelming my senses.

"Tian... Tian Ge... they... they won't come in to burn incense. Because when it was my turn to burn incense, they just stood at the door watching me. As soon as the incense went out, they left. I called them, but they didn't respond..." Yu Xiao Xue stammered, her face already as white as paper from fear.

After hearing her, my mind felt like it exploded: I wanted to say, Yu Xiao Xue, Yu Xiao Xue, should I call you naive and innocent, or should I say you're thick-skinned and brainless? Didn't you notice anything wrong when the incense burned so quickly? It was those "things" right in front of you that were eating it!

I was in a dilemma. The incense couldn't go out, but burning incense would attract this group of "dirty things." I had never seen ghosts before, but now, I had seen a whole group at once!

"You can see them?"

Yu Xiao Xue nodded like a pecking chicken: "Mm!"

"You don't know what they are?" I stared at Yu Xiao Xue doubtfully, speechless. How thick-skinned could this girl be!

Yu Xiao Xue first shook her head, then seemed to understand, covered her mouth, and couldn't utter a word.

It wasn't just Yu Xiao Xue who was like this; even I was seeing these ghostly things for the first time.

Sister Wife tugged at my sleeve, not letting go this time. I couldn't take a single step forward, and of course, I didn't dare to get close to them. I could only watch them enjoy the incense here.

According to Grandma, coming into contact with Lingering Spirit could lead to serious illness at best, and soul loss at worst. I used to get sick often because I encountered too many Lingering Spirit.

As the fastest burning of the three incense sticks extinguished, several of them slowly began to turn their heads to look at Yu Xiao Xue and me, seeming to want to come inside, but something seemed to be blocking them at the door.

"Tian Ge, my dad's soul is also outside, but no matter how I call him these past two days, he doesn't respond. He leaves as soon as I get close... It's the same at home. I clearly see him standing at the door, but he hides from me when I run home..." Yu Xiao Xue's eyes reddened as she spoke, lost and confused.

Uncle Yu Gen's Lingering Spirit was indeed standing outside, blending into the crowd, relatively far away.

Seeing that Yu Xiao Xue was showing signs of mental breakdown, I was startled. It seemed she wasn't entirely naive and innocent, but rather had encountered something deeply unsettling that caused a significant memory gap, leading to some cognitive distortions.

I started thinking about Zhang Yi Dan and changed the subject, asking her, "Where's your Brother Yi Dan? Have you seen him?"

Yu Xiao Xue came back to her senses when I asked, "The day Grandma passed away, Brother Dan took his wife and left the hamlet. They haven't returned since."

I breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but then I lost myself again: Yi Dan took his wife? Then why did I see him alone halfway into the hamlet when I entered? It had been two days since he left the hamlet!

Could it be...

Zhang Yi Dan is dead?

I felt a pang of sadness. My friend was dead, and Yu Xiao Xue and I were now like clowns on a stage, being observed by the "things" outside. We might be taken out at any moment.

I almost wanted to slam the door shut, but I couldn't move from my spot. Sister Wife was holding me tightly, preventing me from going forward. This was directly restricting my actions.

As I was contemplating other solutions, the two doors began to creak and bang erratically. I suddenly looked outside. Uncle Li, Aunt Li, and the group of hamlet residents all wore expressions that were neither smiling nor frowning, their ashen faces indescribably eerie.

"Burn incense!" Seeing the last stick of incense in the ash basin burn out, I quickly told Yu Xiao Xue to keep the incense burning, at least until dawn.

After my arrival, Yu Xiao Xue seemed to have sobered up quite a bit. Sensing the abnormality of the situation, her small body trembled as she shakily took a few incense sticks and lit them.

This incense, like the ones I burned, was eerily of varying lengths. They were still "evil deed incense." It seemed that tonight, neither of us would escape unscathed.

As the incense burned, the surrounding Yin wind subsided, and the group of Lingering Spirit outside stopped their restlessness. More importantly, Sister Wife let go of my hand, giving me a moment of relief.

But then I suddenly thought: Yu Xiao Xue is the only living person in the village. Why was she able to remain safe and sound in Xiao Yi Hamlet?

"Xue, think carefully. What was Grandma doing before she passed away? What were the people in the village... doing? When did this group of... Lingering Spirit appear?" I asked her subtly.

Upon hearing the words "Lingering Spirit," Yu Xiao Xue's small face instantly lost all color. She sat beside me, hugging her knees.

"Two days before Grandma passed away, she told everyone in our Xiao Yi Hamlet to pack up and leave. I didn't know what was happening then, and the adults descended into chaos. Those with elderly parents at home left one after another, but some elders, being sentimental, didn't leave."

Yu Xiao Xue recalled with lingering fear and glanced at Uncle Li and Aunt Li at the door.

Uncle Li, whose name was Li Changkun, was the hamlet chief and in charge of the hamlet. It was normal for him not to leave, and his decision not to leave would greatly influence most people.

As for those with elderly parents, they were the ones who had lived in Xiao Yi Hamlet since Grandma first arrived. They knew of Grandma's abilities, while the younger generation might not have experienced any supernatural events, so they didn't trust Grandma.

"Grandma tried to persuade them for a long time to no avail, then she asked me to persuade my dad to discuss it with Uncle Li. But my dad wouldn't listen to me when I went to him. After Grandma passed away, a thick fog descended upon Xiao Yi Village. Everyone started getting colds and fevers, then coughing up blood."

Yu Xiao Xue's chest began to heave noticeably. Then, she fearfully glanced at Uncle Yu Gen, who was staring into the house from the doorway, and said doubtfully, "I remember I also got a cold and fever, but then I slept for two days and two nights, and I was fine when I woke up. Dad seemed to have recovered too, but he always avoided me..."

According to Yu Xiao Xue, Grandma's death caused a thick fog to shroud the path in Xiao Yi Village, which was also the cause of everyone's death. But in this era, even a cold and fever could kill people; that seemed rather absurd.

I didn't know why Yu Xiao Xue hadn't died when everyone in Xiao Yi Hamlet had, but I quickly attributed it to Grandma. Perhaps she had given Yu Xiao Xue some powerful protective item.

It's like the Spirit Communication Talisman I have on me. Thinking of the paper talisman, I immediately took it out and held it in my hand. I tried shaking it a few times, and the next moment, Yu Xiao Xue and I almost simultaneously saw the spirit bodies outside becoming a bit unstable. It seems the reason they dare not approach us largely comes from this talisman.

The Spirit Communication Talisman is made with pure yang essence and blood, capable of communicating with ghosts and gods, and warding off demons.

However, I also clearly felt that the paper talisman had become much dimmer than before. It seems that although this thing is good, it's not very durable. When it loses its effectiveness, it will probably be the death of Yu Xiao Xue and me.

"Have you seen this thing before?" Yu Xiao Xue has been safe and sound these past few days. The only explanation is that she also has this talisman.

"It's Grandma's Spirit Communication Talisman!" Yu Xiao Xue answered me, her eyes wide open, covering her mouth.

She probably also saw the group of spirits outside becoming unstable. If she still thinks they are human now, she's truly gone mad.

"It seems you know about this thing." I nodded.

"Grandma burned it into talisman water a few days ago... and made me drink it. It was so disgusting." Yu Xiao Xue's face was frighteningly pale. She was trying hard to digest the fact that the things outside were indeed spirits.

I slapped my forehead: Right! How could I forget this? The Spirit Communication Talisman can be completely burned and dissolved in water for consumption, greatly increasing its duration! Holding it like this now is just for show; although it looks imposing, its effectiveness is greatly reduced.

I casually picked up a disposable cup and was about to light the Spirit Communication Talisman, but as I reached out to light it, Sister Wife stopped me.

I suddenly looked outside. Uncle Li and Aunt Li's eyes were now bulging, and they bared their teeth in a terrifying grin. It seems they plan to pounce on us while I'm burning the talisman. By then, no matter how powerful the door gods Grandma drew are, a group of spirits, risking their lives, could still kill me.

I quickly put the Spirit Communication Talisman back into my wallet, thinking how close that was. I almost did something foolish out of greed.

Yu Xiao Xue didn't understand what was happening and asked me why I wasn't like her. I could only make an excuse that I couldn't get used to eating this stuff.

"The incense is about to burn out again." I asked Yu Xiao Xue to continue burning incense, while I also started planning my next move.

Judging by the fading characters on the Spirit Communication Talisman, I have at most two or three more days. As for how long Yu Xiao Xue can last, I don't know, but looking at her current complexion, it won't be long. After all, she's been in Xiao Yi Hamlet, full of dirty things, for several days. If she's not dead, she can't be doing much better.

Once the yin energy surpasses her yang energy, her death will be imminent. This time, it won't be a cold; it will be directly coughing blood, and then her life will be over.

I couldn't figure out a solution because I had never encountered such a situation before. After much thought, I decided to go to Grandma's bedroom to look. If I could find an extra Spirit Communication Talisman, that would be best. If not, perhaps I could find some clues left by Grandma regarding this matter.

So, to save Yu Xiao Xue, I ignored Sister Wife's obstruction, stood up, and walked towards Grandma's bedroom. But in the blink of an eye, my clothes were being tugged.

I was so angry that I tried to pull Sister Wife's hand away, but a solid feeling came over me, and my heart sank: Sister Wife, you're joining the fun too?