You Write It, Sending a Soul Off at the Crossroads

When Corpse Head Song said that, I hesitated on the spot.

He wanted me to write it?

I looked at Corpse Head Song in disbelief.

"Me... me write it?"

But Corpse Head Song didn't think much of it.

"Of course. You're the one asking for blessings, so naturally you should write it.

If I write it, then the merit will be mine."

Hearing that, I hurriedly nodded.

Though I'd never done anything like this before, I had to try if I wanted to stay alive.

"Okay!"

"Zhang Qiang, what's your home address...?"

As I spoke, I opened the yellow bag.

Inside were several sheets of yellow paper.

There was also ink-dipped string, a writing brush, an inkstone, cinnabar, and other items.

I took out the inkstone, added some water, and began grinding the ink.

Corpse Head Song also had me add some cinnabar to it.

Once that was done, I followed Corpse Head Song's instructions and dipped the brush into the cinnabar ink.

On a sheet of yellow paper, I wrote down Zhang Qiang's birth date and eight characters, along with his home address.

After I finished, I had Corpse Head Song check it over.

He didn't touch it, merely glanced at it.

He said my handwriting was pretty good, then told me to burn the yellow paper and light a stick of incense so Zhang Qiang could go back.

After saying that, he turned to Zhang Qiang.

"Once you get back, wait until your parents are asleep.

Stand beside them—left for a man, right for a woman.

Whisper into their ears that you've come back.

You'll be able to enter their dreams for a short while.

Then you can say goodbye to your family.

But you only get one chance, and it won't last long. Make the most of it."

Zhang Qiang was overwhelmed with gratitude when he heard that.

He repeatedly bowed and thanked Corpse Head Song.

In the end, I took out a stick of Long Incense from the yellow bag, lit it, and inserted it into a crack in the rocks.

Zhang Qiang took a breath from the offering incense, looking utterly refreshed.

Then, right in front of Zhang Qiang, I burned the yellow paper I had just written on.

The flames were green, an eerie shade of emerald, and in the blink of an eye, the paper had turned to ashes.

As soon as the yellow paper burned away, Zhang Qiang looked around.

"This... this is Fish Mouth Pier. My home... my home is over there. I know how to get back now. I know..."

He pointed in a direction, visibly excited.

"Go on. Just make sure you're back within four hours."

Corpse Head Song spoke.

Zhang Qiang nodded at Corpse Head Song.

"Thank you, Master. Thank you, Jiang Ning. I... I'm going home first..."

"Okay! I'll wait for you here!"

Though he had been haunting me these past few days.

And last night, he had nearly gotten Uncle Yu and me killed.

Now that I understood the reason, I didn't hate him as much anymore.

Those who died violently would be burdened by resentment after death.

Ghosts could lose their minds as well.

He probably didn't even know what he was doing.

Driven only by the obsession from when he was alive—his teacher telling him to come find me—he had kept clinging to me.

Zhang Qiang gave an "Mm" and turned to run forward.

But the way he ran was still strange, still on tiptoe.

He hadn't gone far before he vanished from sight.

After Zhang Qiang left, Corpse Head Song spoke to me again.

"Watch the incense. Don't let it go out until that ghost comes back."

"Understood, Master Song."

I nodded in agreement.

After saying that, Corpse Head Song ignored me.

He picked up his fishing rod, sat back down by the pier, and resumed fishing.

I guarded that stick of Long Incense, exhausted, hungry, and terribly sleepy.

I hadn't had a proper rest in days.

But I didn't dare sleep. I just sat on the ground watching it, afraid the incense would go out.

After waiting for around two hours, I replaced the incense once.

Then, at that moment, I heard footsteps in the distance.

Looking up, I saw a delivery guy in yellow hurrying toward us.

The moment I saw the yellow-clad delivery guy, my heart tightened.

I immediately thought of the ghost delivery guy who had saved me.

I wondered whether the yellow figure I had glimpsed last night—

before the rooster crowed—had been him secretly helping me.

As I thought about it, the figure had already drawn close.

He was a deliveryman, but a living one.

As soon as he came over, he held up the food and asked,

"Who's Song Decai?"

"Over here!"

Without turning around, Corpse Head Song raised a hand and replied.

The Delivery Guy carried the food and ran over.

As he passed in front of me, he looked strangely at me as I guarded a stick of Long Incense.

Once he handed the food to Song Decai, he hurried off.

Song Decai ate his delivery meal while fishing.

The smell made my hunger nearly unbearable.

Corpse Head Song took two bites of rice.

Then he said to me,

"There's another meal here. Take it and eat!"

I was a little surprised to hear that.

I hadn't expected Corpse Head Song to order food for me too.

That strange old man actually had a bit of humanity in him.

I really was starving, tired and hungry.

"Thank you, Master Song!"

I stepped forward, took one of the boxes.

It was braised pork over rice.

I held it in my hands and wolfed it down in a few bites, but I was only half full.

Just as I finished eating, waves of cold wind blew toward me.

The incense in front of me suddenly began flickering.

Before I could react, Zhang Qiang's voice sounded behind me.

"Jiang Ning, I'm back..."

Hearing Zhang Qiang's voice put me at ease.

When I turned around, I saw Zhang Qiang running toward us on tiptoe.

"Zhang Qiang!"

I stood and called out to him.

When Zhang Qiang reached me, he respectfully bowed to Corpse Head Song.

"Thank you, Master Song. I went home and saw my parents.

I entered their dreams too and said goodbye to them.

Now I can go down there in peace."

Corpse Head Song, who was fishing, didn't answer directly.

With his back to me, he merely said,

"Xiao Jiang, take that incense and find a crossroads to plant it.

Say this: Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

The dead walk on, down to the underworld.

Say his name and tell him to be on his way.

If he walks west, he can go down..."

I memorized it firmly, picked up the Long Incense that had burned down by only a third, and said to Corpse Head Song,

"Understood. I'll send Zhang Qiang down right away."

Zhang Qiang bowed to Corpse Head Song again, then turned and left with me.

I led Zhang Qiang out of the pier.

There was a crossroads outside, perfect for sending Zhang Qiang down.

At first, Zhang Qiang and I were both fairly quiet.

But halfway there, he suddenly apologized to me.

"I-I'm sorry, Jiang Ning.

On my way back, I remembered some more things.

I remembered that I almost got you and an older man killed.

Please apologize to that man for me. I didn't know anything before..."

Seeing Zhang Qiang regain his senses and reveal such remorse.

I merely smiled.

After all, we had shared a dorm for three years, yet now we were separated by life and death.

What he had done before hadn't been his intention either.

After dying violently, his resentment had made him lose his mind.

"It's all in the past. Don't think about it. I'll pass it on for you later."

Zhang Qiang nodded at me.

The two of us chatted on and off along the way.

But the incense was about to burn out, so we couldn't talk for long.

When we reached the crossroads, I planted the offering incense as Corpse Head Song had instructed.

Zhang Qiang said his final goodbye to me.

"Jiang Ning, I'm leaving. I'll wait for you down there."

Hearing that, I nearly cursed out loud.

Was this guy cursing me to die?

When Zhang Qiang saw me roll my eyes, he hurriedly laughed.

"Just kidding. You come down later. I'm going."

We bumped fists.

Zhang Qiang then walked west.

And I shouted toward the west.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

The dead walk on, down to the underworld.

Zhang Qiang, be on your way..."

As soon as I finished, a gust of eerie wind swept through the crossroads.

The cold wind blew westward, as though it were carrying Zhang Qiang away.

Then Zhang Qiang suddenly turned back and shouted at me.

"Oh, right, Jiang Ning. When I came back,

I vaguely heard Teacher Chen urging me again.

He told me to hurry and bring you back to the Anatomy Room.

You have to be careful of him. Now that I'm gone, he might come looking for you too.

Be careful, remember that..."

As he said this, the eerie wind grew stronger, and Zhang Qiang's figure vanished with it.

His voice gradually faded away.

He had clearly only walked a few meters, yet it felt as though he had suddenly gone very, very far away.

Until I could no longer hear him clearly...