“Yes, yes, this is important.”
Chen Jingui looked around and saw no other pilgrims in front of the main hall, so she whispered instructions:
“When praying to the gods, one must fulfill their vows. Little Ye is young and her spirit is light; it would be bad if she were to clash with anything, so she and I will not go in to pray.
The City God likes you, so you go in, set out the offerings, and come back out... No, no, that won't do. One must be sincere to be effective.
Kowtow a few extra times so the immortal remembers you. Only then will he protect you and keep your life peaceful and smooth in the future.”
“Alright, I've got it. You go quickly and find someone to borrow a bucket from.”
Nanzhi could only agree helplessly. In any case, it was the game character praying, not her.
Chen Jingui gave a few more reminders before leading Nan Ye away with a lingering sense of worry.
Nanzhi carried the basket full of wine and meat into the main hall. She felt her vision suddenly dim, and a buzzing sound of voices reached her ears.
“Hee hee hee, a young lady has come.”
“She’s even carrying meat! It smells so good. I can tell—it’s pickled goose from the sauce meat shop in the east of the city!”
“Mmm, there’s the scent of wine—Wait? Why does this young lady look so familiar!”
“She’s the eldest daughter of Nan the Butcher, the one who killed the Painted Skin Ghost!”
“You mean that Painted Skin Ghost who took several lives and had the Underworld messengers and ghost officials out hunting it?!”
“Shh, shh, shh! She’s coming in!”
“What are you afraid of? She’s just a mortal. Can she even hear us talking?”
In the center of the hall, the smiling City God sat upon his divine throne with high cheekbones and a benevolent expression.
Beside the divine throne stood two statues of the Day and Night Wandering Gods. The Night Wandering God had blue hair and a green face, holding a “Night Patrol” token in one hand and a majestic iron fork in the other, with three skeletal ghost heads hanging from his waist, looking formidable and awe-inspiring.
The Day Wandering God had red hair and crimson eyes, bare-chested and fierce. He held a “Day Patrol” token in one hand and a spiked iron club in the other, with three small ghosts tied to his waist with red silk, looking terrifying.
On both sides of the hall were offering stands painted with red lacquer. Upon these stands were several rebirth lotus lamps, each inscribed with the name of the deceased.
Beneath the offering tables were various painted mud statues of small ghosts in different forms—hanged ghosts, big-bellied ghosts, headless ghosts, blue-faced ghosts—every kind imaginable.
The ones speaking just now were these very mud statues.
In the eyes of others, these mud ghosts were just silent, unseeing statues.
But in Nanzhi’s eyes, these little ghosts were incredibly lively, jumping and running around the temple, playing and bickering.
Seeing her enter the hall, a group of mud ghosts swarmed forward, surrounding her and talking loudly:
“How rare! Someone has actually come to pray to the City God!”
“Ever since the previous City God was promoted, there has been no presiding deity in this temple. The incense is no longer efficacious, so who would want to come?”
“I recognize this young lady! She’s that silly eldest daughter of the Nan family!”
“I recognize her too! Back when she was still foolish, she used to run into the temple to eat the offerings. It was only because the City God was kind-hearted that he didn't punish her for her transgressions!”
“Hee hee hee, Big Sister Nan isn't silly anymore, yet she comes to thank these blocks of wood that have no god living in them. Hee hee hee, she really is a silly girl!”
“Anyway, since the wine and meat are placed there, they’ll end up benefiting us in the end. Once she leaves, we can have a full meal!”
“Leave some for the old temple warden! Even though the incense is poor these days, he still rubs paper money to hire people to mold our bodies!”
Nanzhi pretended not to know as she quietly listened to the mud ghosts chatting. She bowed and carefully arranged the wine and food from the bamboo basket one by one:
A plate of pickled goose, a plate of pig’s head meat, a dish of flaky pastries, and a bag of candied fruits.
Naturally, there was also wine. It was fine wine bought from the tavern; half a jin cost thirty-five wen. Normally, Nan Dazhuang wouldn't even treat himself to it.
Emboldened by the fact that no one could see them, the mud ghosts became even more daring, circling around her:
“So hungry, so hungry! Oh, oh, this is killing me, this is killing me!”
“Such fragrant wine and meat! Big Sister Nan, hurry and put them down so we can have a taste!”
A female hanged ghost with a very long tongue hesitated, staring at Nanzhi and waving a hand in front of her eyes. “Can she hear and see us?”
“Haha, Wan'niang was always cowardly when she was alive, and now that she’s a ghost, she’s still as timid as a mouse.”
A fat-headed ghost laughed, patting its large belly. “With a mortal body of flesh and blood, how could she possibly see ghosts and gods—”
“If I put them here, you’ll be able to eat?”
Nanzhi set the plates down one by one and suddenly spoke. “What did you mean just now when you said there is no presiding deity in this City God Temple?”
“Just putting them here is enough. We ghosts only eat the incense and smell the aroma...”
The big-bellied ghost stepped forward impatiently, mumbling, “No presiding deity means no presiding deity. The previous City God was promoted, and the new one hasn't arrived yet. Otherwise, how could that Painted Skin Ghost have been allowed to cause trouble in our Dingyuan County—”
The scene suddenly went silent.
The hanged ghost: “...”
The big-headed ghost: “...”
The headless ghost: “...”
The drowned ghost: “...”
Nanzhi stood where she was, revealing a very kind smile.
“Ghost!”
The hanged ghost let out a sharp, piercing shriek.
The mud ghosts scattered in an instant, some fleeing, some hiding. Some dove under the offering tables, covering themselves with the red cloth.
Some leaped up to the rafters, using the hanged ghost’s hair to hide their tracks.
One dove headfirst into the ground, with half its body still stuck outside, leaving only two short radish-like legs struggling in the air.
Others, like the big-headed ghost, simply squeezed their eyes shut and kept chanting under their breath:
“Can’t see me, can’t see me, can’t see me...”
It was a vivid illustration of burying one's head in the sand.
“I say.”
In front of the screen, Nanzhi rubbed her ears, feeling as if someone were beating drums inside them.
“Aren't you all ghosts? Why are you shouting ‘Ghost’? In this situation, shouldn't I be the one who’s supposed to be afraid?”
No ghost answered for a long time.
Eventually, the muffled voice of the hanged ghost drifted down from the rafters. “Then... should we shout, ‘Person’?”
Not really necessary.
Why were they insulting themselves?
Nanzhi suddenly felt that this group of mud ghosts... was actually a bit cute.
...
...
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Nanzhi was sitting cross-legged on the ground. In front of her sat a circle of mud ghosts, crowded together and inhaling deeply in front of the wine and meat, their expressions full of enjoyment.
Watching ghosts eat was truly a first.
The ghosts leaned over the wine and meat, burying their heads to inhale.
Without any visible effort on their part, a thin stream of vapor condensed above the meat in the dishes, flowing into the throats of the mud ghosts.
As they inhaled and exhaled, the food slowly changed color.
The pickled goose became bland and tasteless, the pig’s head meat began to emit a faint smell of decay, and even the pastries and candied fruits were tinged with a moldy green.
If this were back in the modern world, she might have been able to start a new kind of mukbang.
A satisfied smile appeared on the big-headed ghost’s face. Finally, it patted its belly and asked Nanzhi the question that all the ghosts were curious about:
“You can actually see us? How on earth did you do it?”
Rate on N.U.
