Chapter 009: If I call out to you, would you dare respond?
The lady in red extended her only hand towards the doorway, then withdrew it, glanced at Chi Shen, reached out again, and looked back at him once more.
The lone spirit hesitated to step out of the room.
Standing behind her, Chi Shen sighed, "I'll go with you."
The red-dressed ghost joyfully extended her hand towards Chi Shen. He walked over and, grasping her hair, lifted her up.
Chi Shen had intended for the lady in red to help summon other spirits, not expecting her to be so fearful.
Yet, Chi Shen could empathize. In the realm of spirits, survival of the fittest was the golden rule. The headless ghost from the day before, upon seeing her current state, had wanted to devour her. If she stepped out alone now, it might just be akin to serving herself on a plate.
Despite her evident fear of him, the lady in red chose to stay in the same room with Chi Shen. Probably because he didn't seem to harbor any intent to harm her. Other ghosts dared not enter Chi Shen's room. It was a sanctuary for her, but stepping out alone changed the stakes.
Holding the red-clad ghost by the hand, Chi Shen emerged from the room in broad daylight.
It was late autumn, the sky vast and clouds sparse, an impeccable autumn day.
Chi Shen paused, extending his hand to catch a sliver of sunlight.
There are no sunny days in the game of death.
Even during the day, the skies remained perpetually overcast. He had once believed he would never witness such soft, fervent sunlight again.
At that moment, he rejoiced, like a child playing with the light, watching rays slip through his fingers and joyfully stepping forward to catch even more.
"Wh-wha?" After a couple more steps, sensing impending danger, the red-clad specter writhed in Chi Shen's grasp, muttering in a garbled voice, "No go, me die!"
Only then did Chi Shen halt. With a hint of regret, he glanced at the radiant autumn day before slowly walking in the direction the ghost had indicated.
He decided that in the future, he'd get a house with a sun-facing balcony, buy a lounge chair, and bask in the sun whenever he had free time.
The female ghost led him to a corner and pointed at an overturned broken bowl.
Inside, Chi Shen could faintly sense a trace of eerie energy, so subtle that he likely overlooked it the day before.
Such energy was far from that of a fierce spirit. It wasn't even that of a regular malicious ghost but more like a fleeting lost soul.
"How does such a weak spirit manage to survive here?" Chi Shen inquired, lifting the bowl without immediately flipping it, seeking answers from the lady in red.
She paused in confusion, then hesitantly muttered, "It can eat?"
Searching through the objects he'd brought from the death game, Chi Shen fetched a dark artifact and placed it in the bowl. Indeed, this spirit was so feeble it might not even tempt other ghosts. It was frail to the extent that he worried flipping the bowl might cause the spirit to perish under any sunbeam that might infiltrate.
Hence, he not only fed it but also carried the bowl back to his room, shut the door, drew the curtains, and then dared to turn the bowl right side up.
From within emerged a wisp of a soul, appearing on the verge of dissipating. It was so faint that one might overlook it without paying attention.
Chi Shen produced another dark artifact to feed the wisp.
"Whimper, whimper!" The lady in red emitted sounds, seemingly trying to convey something to Chi Shen.
He couldn't understand her this time and chose to ignore.
"Whimper, whimper!" She cried even more fervently.
Reflecting for a moment, Chi Shen decided to fundamentally address the communication barrier. He retrieved scissors associated with a ghost called "Slit-Mouth Woman" from his arsenal, pondering if his skill at spirit modification had regressed. Why else would this red-clad specter remain so inarticulate?
The moment she spotted the scissors, she attempted to flee. Chi Shen was quick to seize her, pressing her head down. Realizing escape was futile, tears of blood streamed from her eyes.
"What are you doing?" A soft and pleasant male voice reached Chi Shen's ears, a voice with a raspy charm that seemed to tickle one's heart.
Turning around, Chi Shen observed the once feeble spirit, now clearly discernible after consuming the two dark artifacts. It resembled a disheveled man in a suit with glasses, exuding an aura of exhaustion as if he had been overworking for months without compensation—indeed, the very embodiment of a beleaguered worker.
Wishing to leave a favorable first impression, Chi Shen smiled and said, "I'm just doing a small favor for a friend."
"Is it really a favor?" The spirit looked doubtfully at the lady in red's tear-streaked face. "She's crying, after all."
With an unwavering expression and silencing the lady in red's objections, Chi Shen retorted without missing a beat, "She's crying out of gratitude."
——
The Bai family main residence.
As Chi Shen pondered how to find work, the Bai family encountered some troubles of their own.
Elder He and the current head of the Bai family, Bai Ximing, were engaged in a confidential conversation in the study.
In his early forties, Bai Ximing didn't look old. In the prime of his life, dressed in a soft, quality Tang suit, he sat regally in a rosewood chair, exuding an air of condescension typical of those in power. Behind him, a cabinet was filled with talismanic items like the Bagua mirror and statues of Guanyin — meant for warding off evil. One might wonder if it was due to his longstanding research or a simple fear of death.
"You mentioned that the Special Security Bureau entered the old mansion?" Bai Ximing calmly lit a stick of incense, with a faint scent of smokiness wafting from the burner.
He had just received a call from the bureau but had brushed them off.
Elder He reassured, "Don't worry. I entered with the Bai family's heirloom, ensuring protection against spirits. They discovered nothing inside the old mansion."
Bai Ximing nodded, "Well done."
"There's one thing that's puzzling," Elder He began, "Someone nailed a deceased young boy to a post using an icy spike that retained traces of a dark aura. It appears to be the work of someone versed in malevolent arts."
Bai Ximing's previously indifferent gaze sharpened, "Are you suggesting someone else entered the mansion?"
Elder He confirmed, "Indeed, and they effortlessly bypassed the century-old array set by our ancestors, leaving no trace of their exit."
"No," Bai Ximing suddenly realized, "there's still one person in the mansion..."
Elder He looked at him inquiringly, "You mean Chi Shen, who lacks any noticeable talent?"
Both of them shook their heads in unison:
"Impossible."
"It couldn't be him."
"It was mere luck that he survived last night," Elder He stated bluntly.
The corner of Bai Ximing's mouth twitched, but his eyes held no mirth. His tone indicated indifference, as if discussing a stranger rather than his blood relative, "He can't be lucky forever."
Yet, Elder He appeared somewhat concerned, "What if he truly manages to stay in the old mansion for a full month? What about our ancestral decree?"
"Are you referring to the decree that anyone staying in the old mansion for a month can claim the title of clan leader?" Bai Ximing laughed heartily, "I entertained that idea when I was younger. As for what transpired later, you're well aware. I still believe depriving my siblings of their inheritance—"
Bai Ximing didn't continue. After chuckling for a moment, he dismissed Elder He.
Before leaving, Elder He looked at Bai Ximing and said, "He Chao died inside the old mansion."
Bai Ximing waved dismissively, "As long as you don't release Bai Wan, do as you please."
Elder He's hand, hidden within his sleeve, clenched so tightly it almost drew blood from his wrist.
Why did the intruder in the mansion nail the young boy to the post but didn't save his grandson?
He vowed to find that person, confine them in the mansion's most dreadful room, and personally ask why they didn't save his grandson.
——
Chi Shen was oblivious to the Bai family's ancestral decree. He had no interest in inheriting the Bai legacy. Even in the past, he simply hoped to blend in with the prominent family and live a slightly better life, at least not suffering from hunger and poverty.
Now, he just wanted to find a job, earn some money, secure a place to live, and move out of here.
Although he felt he got along well with his new friends, this was still the Bai's domain, and he didn’t want to linger.
At that moment in the room, Chi Shen had introduced himself to the wandering soul who once was a laborer and warmly regarded the spirit.
Having understood Chi Shen's needs, the wandering soul adjusted his glasses and courteously said, "I worked in an international trade company, liaising with overseas clients. I've been in this state for about three years. I'm sorry, I don't remember how I died. My name is Ji Xingchen, implying a star sinking into the water."
"Wait," Chi Shen looked up at the spirit, "You remember your name?"
Ji Xingchen nodded, "Yes, I do. Is that unusual?"
Chi Shen turned to the ghost in red, "What's your name?"
The ghost in red had a bit more of her tongue cut off, making her speech clearer. At Chi Shen's question, she looked lost: "I... I can't recall. I must have had a name. What was my name?"
With every word she uttered, her nails grew longer, blood vessels appeared on her pallid face, her pupils suddenly rolled back, revealing a stark white, and her tongue showed signs of elongating further—
Chi Shen quickly pulled out the Slit-Mouthed Woman's scissors.
The transformation of the female ghost immediately halted. Her pupils returned to their place, even exuding a hint of docility.
Ghosts who've been dead for a long time usually forget their names, remembering only their obsessions at the time of death.
But this spirit remembered his.
Moreover, ghosts typically retain the state they were in at the time of death. For instance, the ghostly woman in red with her elongated tongue and protruding eyes was clearly a victim of hanging, while the headless specter had been decapitated, and the young boy in burial clothes was poisoned. Even Bai Wan still has the wound on her chest from her death.
Yet, this wandering soul exhibits no abnormalities. He appears completely normal.
*
Author's Note:
The woman in red: "I want it too! I want it too!"
Chi Shen: "Has my ability to cosmetically alter souls diminished? Maybe I should tweak it a bit more."
The woman in red: "?"
I've decided to update at a time filled with positive energy. Let's make it noon, 12 o'clock sharp.
Chapter 009: If I call out to you, would you dare respond?
The lady in red extended her only hand towards the doorway, then withdrew it, glanced at Chi Shen, reached out again, and looked back at him once more.
The lone spirit hesitated to step out of the room.
Standing behind her, Chi Shen sighed, "I'll go with you."
The red-dressed ghost joyfully extended her hand towards Chi Shen. He walked over and, grasping her hair, lifted her up.
Chi Shen had intended for the lady in red to help summon other spirits, not expecting her to be so fearful.
Yet, Chi Shen could empathize. In the realm of spirits, survival of the fittest was the golden rule. The headless ghost from the day before, upon seeing her current state, had wanted to devour her. If she stepped out alone now, it might just be akin to serving herself on a plate.
Despite her evident fear of him, the lady in red chose to stay in the same room with Chi Shen. Probably because he didn't seem to harbor any intent to harm her. Other ghosts dared not enter Chi Shen's room. It was a sanctuary for her, but stepping out alone changed the stakes.
Holding the red-clad ghost by the hand, Chi Shen emerged from the room in broad daylight.
It was late autumn, the sky vast and clouds sparse, an impeccable autumn day.
Chi Shen paused, extending his hand to catch a sliver of sunlight.
There are no sunny days in the game of death.
Even during the day, the skies remained perpetually overcast. He had once believed he would never witness such soft, fervent sunlight again.
At that moment, he rejoiced, like a child playing with the light, watching rays slip through his fingers and joyfully stepping forward to catch even more.
"Wh-wha?" After a couple more steps, sensing impending danger, the red-clad specter writhed in Chi Shen's grasp, muttering in a garbled voice, "No go, me die!"
Only then did Chi Shen halt. With a hint of regret, he glanced at the radiant autumn day before slowly walking in the direction the ghost had indicated.
He decided that in the future, he'd get a house with a sun-facing balcony, buy a lounge chair, and bask in the sun whenever he had free time.
The female ghost led him to a corner and pointed at an overturned broken bowl.
Inside, Chi Shen could faintly sense a trace of eerie energy, so subtle that he likely overlooked it the day before.
Such energy was far from that of a fierce spirit. It wasn't even that of a regular malicious ghost but more like a fleeting lost soul.
"How does such a weak spirit manage to survive here?" Chi Shen inquired, lifting the bowl without immediately flipping it, seeking answers from the lady in red.
She paused in confusion, then hesitantly muttered, "It can eat?"
Searching through the objects he'd brought from the death game, Chi Shen fetched a dark artifact and placed it in the bowl. Indeed, this spirit was so feeble it might not even tempt other ghosts. It was frail to the extent that he worried flipping the bowl might cause the spirit to perish under any sunbeam that might infiltrate.
Hence, he not only fed it but also carried the bowl back to his room, shut the door, drew the curtains, and then dared to turn the bowl right side up.
From within emerged a wisp of a soul, appearing on the verge of dissipating. It was so faint that one might overlook it without paying attention.
Chi Shen produced another dark artifact to feed the wisp.
"Whimper, whimper!" The lady in red emitted sounds, seemingly trying to convey something to Chi Shen.
He couldn't understand her this time and chose to ignore.
"Whimper, whimper!" She cried even more fervently.
Reflecting for a moment, Chi Shen decided to fundamentally address the communication barrier. He retrieved scissors associated with a ghost called "Slit-Mouth Woman" from his arsenal, pondering if his skill at spirit modification had regressed. Why else would this red-clad specter remain so inarticulate?
The moment she spotted the scissors, she attempted to flee. Chi Shen was quick to seize her, pressing her head down. Realizing escape was futile, tears of blood streamed from her eyes.
"What are you doing?" A soft and pleasant male voice reached Chi Shen's ears, a voice with a raspy charm that seemed to tickle one's heart.
Turning around, Chi Shen observed the once feeble spirit, now clearly discernible after consuming the two dark artifacts. It resembled a disheveled man in a suit with glasses, exuding an aura of exhaustion as if he had been overworking for months without compensation—indeed, the very embodiment of a beleaguered worker.
Wishing to leave a favorable first impression, Chi Shen smiled and said, "I'm just doing a small favor for a friend."
"Is it really a favor?" The spirit looked doubtfully at the lady in red's tear-streaked face. "She's crying, after all."
With an unwavering expression and silencing the lady in red's objections, Chi Shen retorted without missing a beat, "She's crying out of gratitude."
——
The Bai family main residence.
As Chi Shen pondered how to find work, the Bai family encountered some troubles of their own.
Elder He and the current head of the Bai family, Bai Ximing, were engaged in a confidential conversation in the study.
In his early forties, Bai Ximing didn't look old. In the prime of his life, dressed in a soft, quality Tang suit, he sat regally in a rosewood chair, exuding an air of condescension typical of those in power. Behind him, a cabinet was filled with talismanic items like the Bagua mirror and statues of Guanyin — meant for warding off evil. One might wonder if it was due to his longstanding research or a simple fear of death.
"You mentioned that the Special Security Bureau entered the old mansion?" Bai Ximing calmly lit a stick of incense, with a faint scent of smokiness wafting from the burner.
He had just received a call from the bureau but had brushed them off.
Elder He reassured, "Don't worry. I entered with the Bai family's heirloom, ensuring protection against spirits. They discovered nothing inside the old mansion."
Bai Ximing nodded, "Well done."
"There's one thing that's puzzling," Elder He began, "Someone nailed a deceased young boy to a post using an icy spike that retained traces of a dark aura. It appears to be the work of someone versed in malevolent arts."
Bai Ximing's previously indifferent gaze sharpened, "Are you suggesting someone else entered the mansion?"
Elder He confirmed, "Indeed, and they effortlessly bypassed the century-old array set by our ancestors, leaving no trace of their exit."
"No," Bai Ximing suddenly realized, "there's still one person in the mansion..."
Elder He looked at him inquiringly, "You mean Chi Shen, who lacks any noticeable talent?"
Both of them shook their heads in unison:
"Impossible."
"It couldn't be him."
"It was mere luck that he survived last night," Elder He stated bluntly.
The corner of Bai Ximing's mouth twitched, but his eyes held no mirth. His tone indicated indifference, as if discussing a stranger rather than his blood relative, "He can't be lucky forever."
Yet, Elder He appeared somewhat concerned, "What if he truly manages to stay in the old mansion for a full month? What about our ancestral decree?"
"Are you referring to the decree that anyone staying in the old mansion for a month can claim the title of clan leader?" Bai Ximing laughed heartily, "I entertained that idea when I was younger. As for what transpired later, you're well aware. I still believe depriving my siblings of their inheritance—"
Bai Ximing didn't continue. After chuckling for a moment, he dismissed Elder He.
Before leaving, Elder He looked at Bai Ximing and said, "He Chao died inside the old mansion."
Bai Ximing waved dismissively, "As long as you don't release Bai Wan, do as you please."
Elder He's hand, hidden within his sleeve, clenched so tightly it almost drew blood from his wrist.
Why did the intruder in the mansion nail the young boy to the post but didn't save his grandson?
He vowed to find that person, confine them in the mansion's most dreadful room, and personally ask why they didn't save his grandson.
——
Chi Shen was oblivious to the Bai family's ancestral decree. He had no interest in inheriting the Bai legacy. Even in the past, he simply hoped to blend in with the prominent family and live a slightly better life, at least not suffering from hunger and poverty.
Now, he just wanted to find a job, earn some money, secure a place to live, and move out of here.
Although he felt he got along well with his new friends, this was still the Bai's domain, and he didn’t want to linger.
At that moment in the room, Chi Shen had introduced himself to the wandering soul who once was a laborer and warmly regarded the spirit.
Having understood Chi Shen's needs, the wandering soul adjusted his glasses and courteously said, "I worked in an international trade company, liaising with overseas clients. I've been in this state for about three years. I'm sorry, I don't remember how I died. My name is Ji Xingchen, implying a star sinking into the water."
"Wait," Chi Shen looked up at the spirit, "You remember your name?"
Ji Xingchen nodded, "Yes, I do. Is that unusual?"
Chi Shen turned to the ghost in red, "What's your name?"
The ghost in red had a bit more of her tongue cut off, making her speech clearer. At Chi Shen's question, she looked lost: "I... I can't recall. I must have had a name. What was my name?"
With every word she uttered, her nails grew longer, blood vessels appeared on her pallid face, her pupils suddenly rolled back, revealing a stark white, and her tongue showed signs of elongating further—
Chi Shen quickly pulled out the Slit-Mouthed Woman's scissors.
The transformation of the female ghost immediately halted. Her pupils returned to their place, even exuding a hint of docility.
Ghosts who've been dead for a long time usually forget their names, remembering only their obsessions at the time of death.
But this spirit remembered his.
Moreover, ghosts typically retain the state they were in at the time of death. For instance, the ghostly woman in red with her elongated tongue and protruding eyes was clearly a victim of hanging, while the headless specter had been decapitated, and the young boy in burial clothes was poisoned. Even Bai Wan still has the wound on her chest from her death.
Yet, this wandering soul exhibits no abnormalities. He appears completely normal.
*
Author's Note:
The woman in red: "I want it too! I want it too!"
Chi Shen: "Has my ability to cosmetically alter souls diminished? Maybe I should tweak it a bit more."
The woman in red: "?"
I've decided to update at a time filled with positive energy. Let's make it noon, 12 o'clock sharp.
