Lighting Long Incense—What Kind of Souls Are These?

Uncle Yu had said that sticking incense into rice meant inviting ghosts to visit.

Now that I had lit a stick of Long Incense and was here myself,

Zhang Qiang, who had been haunting me, should be able to find me soon.

The sooner he came, the sooner I could send him away and let him move on.

That way, he would not haunt me again in the future.

But what I never expected was this.

Less than ten minutes after the incense was lit, I sensed movement nearby.

Warily, I scanned the surroundings from the corner of my eye.

The moon was huge, and visibility was excellent tonight.

But at a glance, my scalp went numb.

Because I could vaguely make out figures appearing all around the park.

Those figures were far away from me, and many of them wore white.

Some were even standing on the opposite shore of the lake.

They said nothing, merely facing in my direction without moving.

Every one of them had a pale face, and something about them looked off.

There were at least twenty or so, scattered about.

When I had arrived, I had not seen a single person nearby.

Yet the moment I lit this incense, more than twenty had appeared around me.

I could figure out what was going on even with my toes.

Those figures were all wandering ghosts from nearby.

They had either been drawn in by the incense or by the scent of the Yin Dish in my basket.

I stood nervously by the lake, one hand gripping the handle of my cleaver tightly.

If anything happened, I would be able to respond immediately.

If Uncle Yu had not specifically warned me not to draw my blade carelessly,

I would have loved to pull out the Dragon-Head Cleaver right then and there.

As time passed, I noticed even more figures appearing.

And those figures were slowly approaching me.

Every one of them stood ramrod straight. Whenever I looked at them, they remained perfectly still.

But the instant I turned my head, those figures would move forward some distance.

Though there were many figures, the entire park was deathly silent, without even the chirp of an insect.

The more ghostly figures I saw, the more stifled I felt.

I wondered why that bastard Zhang Qiang still had not come.

The sooner you get here, the sooner you leave, and the sooner I can get out of this damned place.

I really did not want to stay with these filthy things. They made my skin crawl.

Just as anxiety churned in my heart, a familiar, hoarse voice suddenly sounded to my left:

"Calamity-avoiding brat, you came last night, and you're here again tonight?"

My heart skipped a beat at that voice, and I slightly turned my head.

When I looked, four or five figures had suddenly appeared behind me to the left.

And at their head was the old man from the pavilion last night, dressed in black burial clothes and wanting my clothes and white porcelain bowl.

The men and women behind him stared at me with numb expressions.

Every one of them was gaunt and sallow-faced.

They were about the same color as the preserved meats sold in supermarkets.

Seeing them made me tense up for no reason.

But I did not speak immediately. Instead, I tightened my grip on the cleaver handle, ready to draw it at any time.

Seeing that I said nothing, the old man did not pay me any mind.

Instead, he leaned toward the basket beside me and sniffed deeply several times.

"Sniff, sniff, sniff..."

Then, a greedy expression spread across his face.

"What fragrant food.

Calamity-avoiding brat, are you offering this to us?"

Old Ghost spoke hoarsely, a hint of excitement appearing on his sallow face.

I did not want to clash with these filthy things.

I quickly grabbed several handfuls of peanuts and threw them over.

"Eat them and leave! The food here isn't for you."

I said.

When the filthy things behind Old Ghost saw the peanuts scattered on the ground, their eyes all lit up.

Then, like madmen, they all pounced on the ground.

They began searching the grass for those tiny peanuts one by one.

Whenever they found one, those filthy things would show excited, thrilled expressions.

The figures in the distance saw me toss peanuts as well. Desire filled their eyes as they all moved closer toward me.

I could clearly feel waves of icy cold rushing in my direction.

When I looked in the other directions, I found that those filthy things were already very close to me.

They all stared at me, stared at the basket beside me, and sniffed the fragrant Yin Dish.

Seeing this, I grabbed several more handfuls of peanuts and scattered them in every direction.

At the same time, I called out to the figures around me:

"Brothers, sisters, uncles, aunties.

This junior had no intention of disturbing you. Have a little to eat, then please leave!"

I scattered more than half the peanuts.

The filthy things around me were all ownerless wandering ghosts, the kind with no offerings.

They went hungry every day, enduring the wind and rain.

Now that they saw me scattering offerings, they became like ravenous wolves and no longer retained their previous calm.

They rushed forward one after another, fighting over the golden peanuts on the ground.

As they ate them, their mouths made crackling sounds, their faces filled with satisfaction.

Just as the filthy things around me were fighting over the food with great delight,

Pavilion Ghost, who had been standing motionlessly in front of me to the left, looked disdainfully at the filthy things around him.

Then he spoke to me in a hoarse voice:

"Calamity-avoiding brat, I want the meat in your basket."

This Old Ghost was clearly different from the wandering ghosts around him. The cold yin aura he gave off was stronger, and the oppressive feeling he brought was heavier.

When I heard him say he wanted the meat in my basket, I naturally refused.

I lifted the plastic bag and threw the last of the peanuts over to him.

"Sir, we've got nothing against each other. Take all of these and leave!"

Old Ghost caught the plastic bag from my hand and gave it a disdainful glance.

Then he looked at me with a sinister grin.

"Calamity-avoiding brat.

If that fierce woman hadn't been there last night, I would've stripped off your clothes long ago.

I would've made you the Water Monkey's substitute.

That fierce woman isn't here tonight, so if you won't give me the meat in your basket,

I'll flip your table, strip off your clothes, and throw you into the water to be his substitute."

After saying that, Old Ghost took another two steps toward me, his face full of menace.

I frowned.

He said that a "fierce woman" had been there last night, which was why he had not dared touch me.

But I had not seen any woman around me last night.

Or perhaps she had appeared, and I simply had not seen her...

And who could that woman have been?

Who would protect me? Who would follow me?

Xiao Yu's image instantly surfaced in my mind.

Along with the faint scent of formaldehyde I had smelled when Old Ghost fled.

I did not rush to answer him. Instead, I asked in return:

"This fierce woman you mentioned—what did she look like? Where did she appear?"

Old Ghost narrowed his eyes at me and continued in his hoarse voice:

"She was quite pretty, quite a looker.

But from what I saw, she could barely protect herself. She definitely won't be able to come out tonight.

You'd better listen to me and take all the meat from your basket for me to eat.

Otherwise, I'll come over right now, flip your table, and push you into the water..."