Chapter 106: The tadpole searches for its mother but doesn't find a big frog.
It wasn't too late, and there was still a buzz of activity at the community entrance with elders and children taking their evening strolls.
An old, somewhat worn-out van was parked at the entrance, exuding an air of daily life.
Chi Shen approached, tapping on the van's window before pulling the door open to sit inside.
"Let's go see your family first," said Chi Shen.
The van had only one man inside, Wei Zhuo, the one who had called out Chi Shen. As winter had set in, he was now dressed in a down jacket with the zipper pulled all the way up, covering his neck, and wore a face mask.
This attire, combined with his icy gaze, as if looking at lifeless objects, made him appear extremely unfriendly and intimidating.
Yet, despite this attire, his presence wasn't overpowering. Without direct eye contact, one wouldn't discern the menace in his eyes, and in ordinary circumstances, he could easily fade from view.
This man carried a curse that had thrust an entire family into despair.
Wei Zhuo drove silently towards the old city district.
He was incredibly astute, realizing that placing his family in a high-end, secure location wouldn't make a difference. Those who pursued him weren't beings that could be stopped by security guards, but entities invisible to most humans.
Hence, placing his family in the bustling old city was the most logical choice.
This ensured his family blended seamlessly with the crowd. Careless entities tracing his scent might target the wrong person. Moreover, the heavy foot traffic here saturated the place with the vital energy of the living, making it repulsive to wandering spirits.
Wei Zhuo led Chi Shen into an old house. Though its exterior betrayed its age, the interior was surprisingly well-kept, a clear indication of Wei Zhuo's careful selection.
Climbing the stairs together, Wei Zhuo halted in front of a door. He knocked, and a woman answered. A faint smile graced Wei Zhuo's face as they exchanged words, but he gestured with his hand and did not enter.
In that brief moment when the door opened, Chi Shen noticed a subtle shift in Wei Zhuo's eyes. They softened considerably as they settled on the woman, hinting at a trace of guilt that was hard to discern.
Is this what family feels like?
To bring out such tenderness from a man who often seemed so indifferent?
Chi Shen's thoughts drifted to his own kin: his so-called younger brother, mother, father...
A slight smile curved his lips.
No, it should be a younger sister, mother... and a spirit guardian.
Sensing his thoughts, a cool breeze swirled up from his shadow, winding twice around his fingers. Chi Shen gave a small gesture, and the breeze dispersed.
"Go on in," Wei Zhuo suggested after greeting his family, approaching Chi Shen. His gaze, pensive, settled briefly on Chi Shen's shadow, but he remained silent.
Chi Shen nodded and reached the doorway. Noting Wei Zhuo's reluctance to enter, he inquired, "Aren't you coming in?"
Wei Zhuo shook his head, "I fear I might bring something unclean with me. Go, see for yourself."
The woman, with a gentle appearance, beckoned him inside, though her laughter seemed somewhat forced.
The house exuded warmth, testament to the woman's homemaking skills. Chi Shen followed her into the bedroom where a pale, motionless girl, around twelve, lay on the bed, her face a mask of discomfort.
In the soft, amber glow, the girl appeared to be ill or perhaps lost in a nightmarish sleep, with a few plush toys by her side for comfort.
Yet, through Chi Shen's eyes, the room was far from comforting.
A dark curse sprouted from the girl, materializing into a massive black tree that reached the ceiling and blossomed with dark flowers.
The tree's roots enveloped the girl, draining her vitality ceaselessly. This was the manifestation of the curse.
Not just her, but dark seeds of the same curse nestled in the chests of both the woman and Wei Zhuo, though for the two adults, the curse had only just taken root and hadn't grown as vast.
To others, even someone like Wei Zhuo, the curse remained invisible. But Chi Shen saw it clearly, for he had borne his fair share of curses.
In that death game, there were quite a few who wished for his demise.
Even the owner of the shop where he learned to craft paper figures, when his own establishment was set ablaze and he himself was close to perishing in the inferno, still cursed him with malevolence.
Those curses were real within the world of the death game. They wouldn’t just vanish after he completed a level; the curses might even carry over to the next stage.
At first, Chi Shen was tormented by these curses. He considered enhancing his resistance against them, trying not to provoke NPCs while clearing levels, or even blaming others or objects instead.
But he later realized that wasn’t a long-term solution. The true solution was: he could rid himself of the curses.
It took him a considerable amount of time, but the outcome was satisfactory. He "tamed" the curses afflicting him and gained eyes that could see the forms of the curses.
At the moment, the curse he observed belonged to the Wei Zhuo family. To him, it appeared as a common curse; he had encountered such curses in the death game countless times before. It was easy for him to deal with.
Of course, dealing with curses is different from dealing with ghosts. It’s not about merely removing the black tree sapping the life force from a little girl; in contrast to malevolent spirits, curses are more like a cause-and-effect relationship, and one must address the underlying issue, not just the outward appearance.
Chi Shen didn’t stay at Wei Zhuo's place for long. After all, he had to work the next day and needed to get some sleep.
In the car, Wei Zhuo handed him a hefty backpack and said, "Everything you need is in here. You've seen the state of my daughter and wife. Can you help?"
Chi Shen smiled, "Of course, otherwise I wouldn’t have come."
Perhaps Chi Shen’s tone was too casual, as Wei Zhuo cast a fleeting glance of doubt at him.
Without checking the contents of the bag, Chi Shen continued with a smile, "You don’t really have any other choice, do you? After all, the Bai family couldn’t solve your problem."
Wei Zhuo fell silent.
"You're right." After a moment, he started the van and drove Chi Shen home.
In the back seat, Chi Shen opened the bag and, finding a pile of documents inside, instantly dragged Ji Xing Chen out of the shadows, saying, "This is your job now."
Ji Xing Chen adjusted his glasses, giving Chi Shen an expressionless look.
Chi Shen stared back.
An eerie silence enveloped the backseat.
"You know," Chi Shen broke the silence, "I feel like someone who's just received the teacher's exam focus the day before the final exam. You have to help me."
Ji Xing Chen adjusted his glasses again, suggesting, "I propose we hand them over directly."
Chi Shen remarked, "...So there are times you don't want to study, after all."
Ji Xing Chen silently averted his gaze.
As the two—a man and a ghost—conversed in the back seat, Wei Zhuo remained expressionless. It was only when they mentioned handing over the documents that he spoke up: "It's all Bai family business, nothing concerning you. It can be given to the Special Security Bureau."
After a pause, he added, "There’s nothing about me in there either."
Chi Shen had briefly glanced at the table of contents on the first page. Judging by Wei Zhuo's classification, he seemed to be right: all records were of the Bai family's dealings with the living. Chi Shen looked at Wei Zhuo, "You've been with the Bai family for many years, haven't you?"
Wei Zhuo responded, "I've been with the Bai family since birth."
Chi Shen nodded thoughtfully, his gaze landing on Ji Xing Chen's hands as he held the documents. Despite Ji Xing Chen's insistence on turning them in, he began reading them intently.
Then Chi Shen inquired, "How much do you know about the Bai family's old mansion?"
"It's where the Bai family keeps the spirits," Wei Zhuo replied, glancing at them through the rearview mirror. However, only Chi Shen's figure was reflected; Ji Xing Chen's form was absent, too insubstantial to appear.
"I go there often," Wei Zhuo said, "Whenever the Bai family needs something done, it usually involves utilizing spirits. I frequently retrieve them from the mansion."
"So you’re quite familiar with the place," Chi Shen noted.
Yet, Wei Zhuo shook his head, "I never venture where I shouldn't."
"What's inside the main house?" Chi Shen suddenly asked.
Wei Zhuo's grip on the steering wheel tightened momentarily. It seemed he had sensed something amiss, "Isn't it the ancestral tablets of the Bai family?"
Through the rearview mirror, Chi Shen locked eyes with Wei Zhuo. Their gazes met in the reflection, a silent understanding passing between them.
Yet, Wei Zhuo didn't seem particularly concerned. Lacking a certain curiosity, he said, "If you have questions, you can ask me. If you can lift the curse from my family, I'll assist you."
Chi Shen queried, "Has anything significant occurred at the Bai family mansion in recent years?"
"Does what you did count?" Wei Zhuo retorted.
Chi Shen responded, "Exclude my actions."
After pondering briefly, Wei Zhuo shook his head, "If we don't count what you did, then no, nothing has occurred. The old mansion has always been stable. If it weren’t, the Bai family wouldn't have lasted this long."
If something were to happen at the old mansion, releasing all the ghosts, it would indeed spell trouble for the Bai family. Hence, Wei Zhuo's remarks are justified.
When and how did Ji Xing Chen enter the Bai family's old mansion, becoming one of the spirits within the main house?
The van pulled up in front of Chi Shen's apartment complex. As Chi Shen gathered his materials, preparing to disembark, Wei Zhuo suddenly remarked, "Speaking of the old mansion, Wen Qin is back. Be wary."
Chi Shen turned to him, "Who's Wen Qin?"
"A genius with the ability to perceive the spiritual realm. Two decades ago, he guarded the old mansion. Later, he moved to the capital city. He seems benign but is insufferable," Wei Zhuo glanced at Chi Shen, a cold hint of a smile in his eyes, "If you can't handle things, I might seek his assistance."
Chapter 106: The tadpole searches for its mother but doesn't find a big frog.
It wasn't too late, and there was still a buzz of activity at the community entrance with elders and children taking their evening strolls.
An old, somewhat worn-out van was parked at the entrance, exuding an air of daily life.
Chi Shen approached, tapping on the van's window before pulling the door open to sit inside.
"Let's go see your family first," said Chi Shen.
The van had only one man inside, Wei Zhuo, the one who had called out Chi Shen. As winter had set in, he was now dressed in a down jacket with the zipper pulled all the way up, covering his neck, and wore a face mask.
This attire, combined with his icy gaze, as if looking at lifeless objects, made him appear extremely unfriendly and intimidating.
Yet, despite this attire, his presence wasn't overpowering. Without direct eye contact, one wouldn't discern the menace in his eyes, and in ordinary circumstances, he could easily fade from view.
This man carried a curse that had thrust an entire family into despair.
Wei Zhuo drove silently towards the old city district.
He was incredibly astute, realizing that placing his family in a high-end, secure location wouldn't make a difference. Those who pursued him weren't beings that could be stopped by security guards, but entities invisible to most humans.
Hence, placing his family in the bustling old city was the most logical choice.
This ensured his family blended seamlessly with the crowd. Careless entities tracing his scent might target the wrong person. Moreover, the heavy foot traffic here saturated the place with the vital energy of the living, making it repulsive to wandering spirits.
Wei Zhuo led Chi Shen into an old house. Though its exterior betrayed its age, the interior was surprisingly well-kept, a clear indication of Wei Zhuo's careful selection.
Climbing the stairs together, Wei Zhuo halted in front of a door. He knocked, and a woman answered. A faint smile graced Wei Zhuo's face as they exchanged words, but he gestured with his hand and did not enter.
In that brief moment when the door opened, Chi Shen noticed a subtle shift in Wei Zhuo's eyes. They softened considerably as they settled on the woman, hinting at a trace of guilt that was hard to discern.
Is this what family feels like?
To bring out such tenderness from a man who often seemed so indifferent?
Chi Shen's thoughts drifted to his own kin: his so-called younger brother, mother, father...
A slight smile curved his lips.
No, it should be a younger sister, mother... and a spirit guardian.
Sensing his thoughts, a cool breeze swirled up from his shadow, winding twice around his fingers. Chi Shen gave a small gesture, and the breeze dispersed.
"Go on in," Wei Zhuo suggested after greeting his family, approaching Chi Shen. His gaze, pensive, settled briefly on Chi Shen's shadow, but he remained silent.
Chi Shen nodded and reached the doorway. Noting Wei Zhuo's reluctance to enter, he inquired, "Aren't you coming in?"
Wei Zhuo shook his head, "I fear I might bring something unclean with me. Go, see for yourself."
The woman, with a gentle appearance, beckoned him inside, though her laughter seemed somewhat forced.
The house exuded warmth, testament to the woman's homemaking skills. Chi Shen followed her into the bedroom where a pale, motionless girl, around twelve, lay on the bed, her face a mask of discomfort.
In the soft, amber glow, the girl appeared to be ill or perhaps lost in a nightmarish sleep, with a few plush toys by her side for comfort.
Yet, through Chi Shen's eyes, the room was far from comforting.
A dark curse sprouted from the girl, materializing into a massive black tree that reached the ceiling and blossomed with dark flowers.
The tree's roots enveloped the girl, draining her vitality ceaselessly. This was the manifestation of the curse.
Not just her, but dark seeds of the same curse nestled in the chests of both the woman and Wei Zhuo, though for the two adults, the curse had only just taken root and hadn't grown as vast.
To others, even someone like Wei Zhuo, the curse remained invisible. But Chi Shen saw it clearly, for he had borne his fair share of curses.
In that death game, there were quite a few who wished for his demise.
Even the owner of the shop where he learned to craft paper figures, when his own establishment was set ablaze and he himself was close to perishing in the inferno, still cursed him with malevolence.
Those curses were real within the world of the death game. They wouldn’t just vanish after he completed a level; the curses might even carry over to the next stage.
At first, Chi Shen was tormented by these curses. He considered enhancing his resistance against them, trying not to provoke NPCs while clearing levels, or even blaming others or objects instead.
But he later realized that wasn’t a long-term solution. The true solution was: he could rid himself of the curses.
It took him a considerable amount of time, but the outcome was satisfactory. He "tamed" the curses afflicting him and gained eyes that could see the forms of the curses.
At the moment, the curse he observed belonged to the Wei Zhuo family. To him, it appeared as a common curse; he had encountered such curses in the death game countless times before. It was easy for him to deal with.
Of course, dealing with curses is different from dealing with ghosts. It’s not about merely removing the black tree sapping the life force from a little girl; in contrast to malevolent spirits, curses are more like a cause-and-effect relationship, and one must address the underlying issue, not just the outward appearance.
Chi Shen didn’t stay at Wei Zhuo's place for long. After all, he had to work the next day and needed to get some sleep.
In the car, Wei Zhuo handed him a hefty backpack and said, "Everything you need is in here. You've seen the state of my daughter and wife. Can you help?"
Chi Shen smiled, "Of course, otherwise I wouldn’t have come."
Perhaps Chi Shen’s tone was too casual, as Wei Zhuo cast a fleeting glance of doubt at him.
Without checking the contents of the bag, Chi Shen continued with a smile, "You don’t really have any other choice, do you? After all, the Bai family couldn’t solve your problem."
Wei Zhuo fell silent.
"You're right." After a moment, he started the van and drove Chi Shen home.
In the back seat, Chi Shen opened the bag and, finding a pile of documents inside, instantly dragged Ji Xing Chen out of the shadows, saying, "This is your job now."
Ji Xing Chen adjusted his glasses, giving Chi Shen an expressionless look.
Chi Shen stared back.
An eerie silence enveloped the backseat.
"You know," Chi Shen broke the silence, "I feel like someone who's just received the teacher's exam focus the day before the final exam. You have to help me."
Ji Xing Chen adjusted his glasses again, suggesting, "I propose we hand them over directly."
Chi Shen remarked, "...So there are times you don't want to study, after all."
Ji Xing Chen silently averted his gaze.
As the two—a man and a ghost—conversed in the back seat, Wei Zhuo remained expressionless. It was only when they mentioned handing over the documents that he spoke up: "It's all Bai family business, nothing concerning you. It can be given to the Special Security Bureau."
After a pause, he added, "There’s nothing about me in there either."
Chi Shen had briefly glanced at the table of contents on the first page. Judging by Wei Zhuo's classification, he seemed to be right: all records were of the Bai family's dealings with the living. Chi Shen looked at Wei Zhuo, "You've been with the Bai family for many years, haven't you?"
Wei Zhuo responded, "I've been with the Bai family since birth."
Chi Shen nodded thoughtfully, his gaze landing on Ji Xing Chen's hands as he held the documents. Despite Ji Xing Chen's insistence on turning them in, he began reading them intently.
Then Chi Shen inquired, "How much do you know about the Bai family's old mansion?"
"It's where the Bai family keeps the spirits," Wei Zhuo replied, glancing at them through the rearview mirror. However, only Chi Shen's figure was reflected; Ji Xing Chen's form was absent, too insubstantial to appear.
"I go there often," Wei Zhuo said, "Whenever the Bai family needs something done, it usually involves utilizing spirits. I frequently retrieve them from the mansion."
"So you’re quite familiar with the place," Chi Shen noted.
Yet, Wei Zhuo shook his head, "I never venture where I shouldn't."
"What's inside the main house?" Chi Shen suddenly asked.
Wei Zhuo's grip on the steering wheel tightened momentarily. It seemed he had sensed something amiss, "Isn't it the ancestral tablets of the Bai family?"
Through the rearview mirror, Chi Shen locked eyes with Wei Zhuo. Their gazes met in the reflection, a silent understanding passing between them.
Yet, Wei Zhuo didn't seem particularly concerned. Lacking a certain curiosity, he said, "If you have questions, you can ask me. If you can lift the curse from my family, I'll assist you."
Chi Shen queried, "Has anything significant occurred at the Bai family mansion in recent years?"
"Does what you did count?" Wei Zhuo retorted.
Chi Shen responded, "Exclude my actions."
After pondering briefly, Wei Zhuo shook his head, "If we don't count what you did, then no, nothing has occurred. The old mansion has always been stable. If it weren’t, the Bai family wouldn't have lasted this long."
If something were to happen at the old mansion, releasing all the ghosts, it would indeed spell trouble for the Bai family. Hence, Wei Zhuo's remarks are justified.
When and how did Ji Xing Chen enter the Bai family's old mansion, becoming one of the spirits within the main house?
The van pulled up in front of Chi Shen's apartment complex. As Chi Shen gathered his materials, preparing to disembark, Wei Zhuo suddenly remarked, "Speaking of the old mansion, Wen Qin is back. Be wary."
Chi Shen turned to him, "Who's Wen Qin?"
"A genius with the ability to perceive the spiritual realm. Two decades ago, he guarded the old mansion. Later, he moved to the capital city. He seems benign but is insufferable," Wei Zhuo glanced at Chi Shen, a cold hint of a smile in his eyes, "If you can't handle things, I might seek his assistance."
