At two o’clock in the afternoon, it is the hottest time of the day in this season.
Wu Chun sat in the middle of the main hall with a pinecone on the table in front of him.
Wu Chun stared at the pinecone without blinking for a long time.
Other than being prettier than other pine cones? There didn’t seem to be any difference.
Until now, Wu Chun’s belief in atheism that he had held for eighteen years has finally been shaken a little bit.
There must be a reason why this thing appeared in his pocket for no reason.
Wu Chun carefully reviewed the events before and after the appearance of the pinecone. It was the night he followed his grandfather to Shili Mountain because he was worried, and in the middle of the trip, he was attracted by a peculiar pine tree, and later, he obtained this pinecone.
Just now, he clearly placed this pinecone on that pine tree, but now it appears here again.
Wu Chun always felt that this thing was like a plaster; once you’re stuck with it, you can’t get rid of it.
“What the hell is going on with this!”
Wu Chun, with his hands clasped around his head in distress, gave up on his plan to throw away the pinecone again. He was now convinced that even if he threw it away a hundred or a thousand times, the pine cone would still appear on him.
“Do ghosts really exist in this world?” Wu Chun murmured to himself. His knowledge of ghosts came entirely from what he heard on the Taoist path. He had never actively sought out information on this aspect.
It was always said by others that ghosts have an ugly and terrifying appearance. Their faces are ghastly white, their eyes are lifeless, their tongues are constantly sticking out, and no matter what they do, their expressions are always terrifying. It is said that they are guilty of ten evil acts, which is why they are not allowed to live in the light and can only survive by sneaking around at night. They cannot enter people’s homes because they will be blocked by door gods.
Their targets of attack are only those who wander outside at night.
However, if those people carry items such as peach wood for exorcism, the ghosts will not dare approach them.
Wu Chun remembers that when he was very young, his grandfather once told him that when walking alone on a night road, he should never turn back because everyone has two flames on their shoulders that dirty things fear. But if one turns back, the flames will be shaken off, giving dirty things the opportunity to take advantage.
Although he claims not to believe in ghosts and gods, upon further reflection, he realizes that he is not ignorant of this aspect. Wu Chun is distressed as he finds it difficult to overturn his 18-year-old belief in atheism; suddenly transforming from an atheist to a believer in ghosts and gods is a rare thing. However, the things happening now are difficult to explain.
Wu Chun hesitated for a long time before deciding to call his mother.
It was the time when his mother should have been at home.
Walking over to the telephone, which was also treasured by his grandfather and wiped clean several times a day with a clean square cloth covering it every time.
After a few rings, someone picked up the phone, and Wu Chun heard a familiar voice.
“Dad, why did you think of calling me? Is Chenchen doing okay over there? Did he cause you any trouble?”
Wu Chun pursed his lips and took advantage of something he didn’t really want to do.
“It’s me, your beloved son,” he said.
“Son?” His mother’s voice became pleasantly surprised.”Why did you think of calling your mom? Weren’t you all angry and said you wouldn’t call for a week when you left?”
Wu Chun continued to purse his lips, as he had indeed said that sentence, but what was the point? He was still thrown onto the bus heading to the mountainous area.
“Mom, do you think there really are ghosts in the world?” Wu Chun asked.
This question not only silenced the other end of the phone, but Wu Chun himself also felt that he had asked something inexplicable.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“I just saw some strange things here recently, and I feel a bit uneasy,” Wu Chun said lightly.
After listening, the mother chuckled softly.
Not long after, Wu Chun heard his mother’s gentle voice.
“Son, you must remember that besides us humans, everything else in this world can be treated with sincerity, as long as you don’t do anything that goes against morals and ethics. Those things you fear won’t harm you or disturb your life. Since that’s the case, does it really matter if they exist or not? Son, you must remember what your mother tells you: do good deeds, and don't worry about the future.
After hanging up the phone, Wu Chun sat in his original position and thought for a long time.
At around three o’clock in the afternoon, the hottest time of the day had passed.
Wu Chun picked up the pinecone from the table and went to Shili Mountain again.
Along the way, Wu Chun’s mood was heavy, not because he was anticipating what would happen next but because he was contemplating whether he had done anything excessive in his eighteen years of life.
It seems that in the year when he just started kindergarten, when he was only five years old, he kicked his teacher because he resisted going to school.
However, he was young at the time, so he should be forgiven.
Wu Chun also remembered that when he was in elementary school, he accidentally dug up an old man’s sweet potato in this village when he came to his grandfather’s house. But at that time, two pieces of land were adjacent to each other, and Wu Chun made a mistake. After apologizing, the old man not only wasn’t angry but also gave him a large roasted sweet potato.
After middle school, Wu Chun focused all his energy on studying, going back and forth between school and home every day, and never doing anything excessive.
Thinking of this, Wu Chun breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn’t expect that when he came back to his senses, he was already standing at the foot of the mountain.
Wu Chun looked up at the tree, its branches swaying in the wind as if beckoning to him.
He looked at the pinecone in his hand, which had not withered at all despite the long time that had passed and was still as bright and fresh as if it had just been picked from the tree.
Wu Chun took a deep breath and encouraged himself, then climbed up the mountain once again.
This time, he didn’t dare approach the pine tree and just stood far away.
It’s unknown if it was Wu Chun’s illusion, but just standing around the tree felt noticeably cooler.
Wu Chun swallowed his saliva and stared at the tree fixedly. Suddenly, he bowed ninety degrees and made a bow.
“Sorry!” Wu Chun said without lifting his head, “I offended you that night; I didn’t mean to intrude, nor did I intentionally climb onto you. If my presence disturbed you, I apologize here. Can you take this thing back?”
Wu Chun stood up as he spoke, and the tree opposite naturally wouldn’t give him any response, which was what Wu Chun expected.
From yesterday to now, it seemed like there was an invisible hand that Wu Chun couldn’t see or feel, but something real had happened.
“Then I’ll give it back to you, and I promise I won’t come to disturb you again.”
Wu Chun carefully walked forward, placed the pinecone under the tree, and then ran away as fast as he could.
As he ran, he shouted, “I really didn’t do anything wrong.”
Unfortunately, it was of no use.
As soon as Wu Chun reached the bottom of the mountain, the pine cone appeared in his pocket again.
When Wu Chun took the pinecone out of his pocket, his expression didn’t show much surprise. It was as if he had already guessed it would happen, and the beliefs he had held for eighteen years had completely collapsed. If Wu Chun was struggling with it just this morning, now he has given up completely.
Wu Chun was not sure if there was a ghost, but there is definitely something here that is beyond rational life.
Wu Chun held the pinecone and stood at the foot of the mountain, not knowing what to do for a moment.
This was something that he absolutely couldn’t tell his grandfather. The old man already had unwavering faith in these things, and if he found out that his grandson was being haunted by ghosts, he wouldn’t be able to bear it.
As for Wu Chun facing it alone, he was completely clueless.
After finding out that he was being haunted by something, Wu Chun expected to feel fearful, but instead he felt an unusual calmness in his heart.
He should have been afraid. Aren’t humans supposed to turn pale with fear at the mention of ghosts?
But Wu Chun’s brain told him to be afraid, yet he couldn’t muster up any feelings of fear.
“Young man, don’t come to these kinds of places unless you have to,” a voice suddenly said.
Wu Chun turned around and saw that it was the so-called master. He spoke in a normal tone, and Wu Chun surprisingly understood him and could converse with him fluently.
“Uncle, what brings you here?” Wu Chun asked tentatively.
The master kept his hand behind his back. Wu Chun saw that his eyebrows were furrowed and his expression was very serious.
“I came to check the situation,” the master said solemnly. “What are you doing here? This is not a place for children.”
“Uncle,” Wu Chun said, looking around and seeing that there was no one else. He leaned in and whispered, “Um, I’m actually interested in your line of work. Can you teach me?”
Wu Chun didn’t know if the person in front of him was a real master, but he had no other choice but to try his luck.
Upon hearing his words, the master was pleased and patted his shoulder.
“Okay, tonight I’ll take you on a field trip, and many people from the village will come.”
…
At eleven o’clock at night, Wu Chun snuck out of his house and even took his grandfather’s peach wood sword with him.
Wu Chun arrived at the designated location with the master and saw that the master was dressed in all black and holding a rope in his hand. The others also held axes, clearly indicating that they were going to cut down pine trees.
“The Soul-Locking Rope, used for self-defense,” the master explained.
Half-believing, half-doubting, Wu Chun nodded. He wasn’t really interested in what it was; he just wanted to get rid of his troubles.
The group arrived at the mountaintop together, and this time, they didn’t stop halfway up the mountain.
Just as Wu Chun was about to ask what to do next, he saw the master lay the rope on the ground and start folding the pine branches. The others were even more exaggerated, swinging their axes directly. Wu Chun: “…”
“Uncle.” Wu Cun called out helplessly.
“This is for helping Grandma Wang, the head of the village. She’s old and has no firewood to burn. I happened to pass by and lend a hand. You can also come and help.”
Wu Chun sighed helplessly and tucked the peach wood sword he was holding into his arms. He walked forward, and as soon as his hand touched a pine branch, he felt a gust of wind blowing behind him.
Wu Chun was startled.
“What’s wrong, kid? Let’s finish our work quickly.”
Wu Chun shook his head and wanted to go pick up the branch again. At this moment, he felt the wind more strongly, or more precisely, it was like someone’s breath brushing past his neck. Vaguely, Wu Chun seemed to hear a sigh.
Wu Chun’s back immediately broke out in goosebumps, and he became nervous. His breathing gradually slowed down, and his hand holding the pine branch gradually loosened.
“There’s a ghost!”
With a shout, the people here scattered in all directions.
However, Wu Chun’s legs were as if they were bound by a thousand-pound hammer. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move, and he could only stand still. Moreover, Wu Chun found that his consciousness was gradually weakening.
In the end, Wu Chun fainted.
Half an hour later, the place became quiet again.
At that moment, the human-shaped figure that had been in the pine tree walked out from behind Wu Chun. Dressed in white with long hair, his face was finally visible under the moonlight.
He had phoenix eyes, a high nose bridge, and thin lips. It was a very exquisite face, but it didn’t appear soft. Instead, it exuded a sense of ruthlessness.
He walked gently to Wu Chun’s side, his feet as white as his face and somewhat melancholic.
He slowly crouched beside Wu Chun and gently touched his face.
He could actually feel warmth!
For him, maybe it didn’t matter to come into contact with some yang energy in his first year as a ghost, but now, in his fifth year, all the yang energy on his body has long since dissipated. Too much contact with people would undoubtedly cause him some harm.
However, in front of this person, he could not help but want to get closer.
After a person dies, their ghost will generally enter reincarnation after seven days.
He himself is not sure why he stayed here. He hasn’t drunk Meng Po soup or seen the underworld of Yama, but he has forgotten everything about his life, even his name. However, he knows that he told himself to stay.
Over the years, he has explored the reasons for his lingering here but has gained nothing, until the appearance of this person in front of him. He has a strange feeling that has been getting stronger and stronger, especially when the other person gets closer to him.
This afternoon, he heard the other person’s plea. Normally, he would only scare away people who secretly came to chop down trees at night and had never caused trouble for anyone.
But that person…
He let the pinecone continue to stay on him.
When a ghost’s entire body is cold, no one can feel it except for him.
Too much confusion left him at a loss.
He had a guess in his heart…
Suddenly, he picked up the person lying on the ground and slowly walked towards the nearby cemetery on the mountain…
… I don’t think it’s a good place for your second date ( you guys hugged on the first one so this… Sigh)
Good place for research?
Thank you for your translation 💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝
»“At two o’clock in the afternoon..« until ».. appeared in his pocket for no reason.”« I have no idea why that part is in direct speech.
».. the pine cone would still appear on him.« pinecone (Also you can use both versions but since you used the other all the time, I guess you stick to it.)
»Didn’t she cause you any trouble?« Did he
»He hasn’t drunk Meng Po soupor seen..« soup or
Hmm? Where are you bringing him, eh? xD
Thx for the ch ٩(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )و
I corrected them!
Where we going ghost… Thanks for the update 🤣❤️👀
Yo. Is he gonna bury him and have an underworldly date? 🤭🤭