In legend, Yang energy is strongest during the day, so ghosts can only come out at night.
Because Yang energy is so potent during the day, ghosts that appear in the sun are easily melted by the extreme, fierce light.
But looking at that dark, blurry mass crouching on the offering table, Nan Zhi couldn't see any sign of weakness at all.
As the thing moved into the shadows, its outline became clearer, slowly revealing the appearance of an ordinary middle-aged man:
Medium build, round face with small eyes, a slight beer belly, and a grey suit jacket covered in blood. His lumbar spine was twisted at an extremely awkward angle.
His calves and forearms were half-severed, skin and flesh separated, dragging messily on the ground, barely attached.
【Chen Ping】
A yellow name, symbolizing neutrality, floated above the ghost's head, which actually surprised Nan Zhi a little.
No one else present seemed to see this scene.
Even Master He appeared oblivious to the dark mist that was likely Chen Ping, continuing to burn yellow talismans on his own.
While Chen Ping was devouring the eggs, Master He's granddaughter suddenly gave a violent shiver.
Master He glanced at her, then faced the offering table and said slowly:
“Since you've come, then things are easier to handle.”
“Today, the host has prepared tofu, cilantro, and phoenix eggs, along with good wine and food. Please excuse the humble hospitality; eat and drink your fill, eat and drink your fill.”
As he spoke, he took out an empty bowl and cracked the raw eggs that Chen Ping's ghost had just 'eaten' into it one by one:
“Plop.”
“Plop.”
“Plop.”
Everyone present craned their necks to watch, their expressions filled with intense excitement.
Every raw egg Master He cracked was missing its yolk; there was only the runny egg white.
Manager Huang, who was leaning in closest, was already starting to feel a bit scared.
Master He maintained his air of an expert, calmly waving a hand:
“There's no need to be afraid. There are many of us here, and our human vitality is strong. I'll call it out first to have a chat and see if we can reach an agreement.”
He picked up the bowl of rice from the offering table again, using the tip of his pinky to carefully pick out forty five grains of white rice, dropping them one by one into the bowl of clear water.
With every grain he dropped, he asked a question.
“Are you Chen Ping?”
The rice grain, which should have sunk, floated steadily on the surface of the water.
It worked!
A look of joy appeared on Master He's face as he dropped another grain of rice:
“Is the one causing trouble here the Chen Ping who died in April 20**?”
This grain of rice also floated steadily.
“Do you have someone you're concerned about here?”
The rice grain hesitated for a moment before sinking to the bottom of the bowl.
What did that mean?
Master He focused his mind and continued dropping rice into the bowl:
“Did someone in this office accidentally offend you?”
“Is there some Yin object here locking you down, which is why you can't leave?”
“Are there any other troublesome ghosts here?”
“If we burn more offerings for you, are you willing to leave?”
“If we burn more gold and silver ingots, paper villas, and paper figures, are you willing to leave?”
“If we burn more paper horses and oxen for you to carry you to the Yellow Springs, are you willing?”
After several questions in a row, the rice grains all sank to the bottom of the bowl.
Master He's movements in dropping the rice slowed down, and he began to breathe heavily.
The others were confused, not knowing what was happening.
They only saw Master He dropping rice into the water bowl, his expression becoming exceptionally solemn as he did so.
Nan Zhi, however, saw everything clearly.
Every time Master He dropped a grain, Chen Ping's ghost would reach out and poke the rice in the bowl.
If the answer was "yes," the rice grain would float.
Conversely, Chen Ping would do nothing, and the rice grain would sink.
She didn't know what kind of technique this was, but it actually allowed Master He, who couldn't see ghosts, to communicate with Chen Ping's soul.
Coming to watch the show today was definitely worth it.
...
While Nan Zhi was marveling, Master He was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Scattering Rice to Question Spirits was a genuine skill passed down from his ancestors.
It required selecting fresh rice harvested that year, soaking it in well water, rainwater, and river water, then storing it in a jar in a dark corner for three years.
Rice selected this way was an excellent material for questioning spirits or traveling to the Underworld.
The He family had a special constitution that allowed them to use scattered rice to communicate with ghosts. If they were more skilled, they could even use spiritual rice to drive away ghosts, gods, and demons.
But as it was passed down generation after generation, by the time it reached Master He, he only knew how to scatter rice to question spirits.
After all, in the modern era, spiritual energy had dried up, and there was the ironclad decree that no one could become a spirit after the founding of the nation.
Forget about powerful ghosts; even if the Five Immortals of the Northeast wanted to manifest, they had to file a report in advance.
So, for most of Master He's life, he had stayed out of trouble and never encountered a particularly vicious ghost.
But this one today—
He had scattered rice so many times and still couldn't send it away.
Just how vicious was this thing!
Despite being in an air conditioned room, beads of sweat hung from Master He's forehead.
With ordinary ghosts, scattering a few grains of rice and promising some gold and silver ingots, paper clothes, or paper money would usually be enough to make them leave.
For slightly more vicious or difficult ghosts, promising to provide offerings on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month or burning more paper money during festivals could usually manage to send them off.
Master He had encountered those who died violent deaths before.
But those ghosts were mostly dazed and confused, and at most, they would cause a disturbance for a while before dissipating.
Nothing like this Chen Ping, who could not only manifest despite the Yang energy of the Ghost Festival but also stubbornly refused to leave.
The man had committed suicide by jumping, and he was only being temporarily suppressed by the Ghost Festival's Yang energy, which was the only reason Master He could barely communicate with him.
But after dropping over thirty grains of rice, having said all the nice things he could and offering increasingly generous terms, the other party remained unmoved and simply refused to go.
This couldn't continue.
Master He looked at the few remaining rice grains, hardened his heart, spat into his palm, and shouted at the empty air:
“First courtesy, then force! Since you won't listen to reason, don't blame me for being impolite!”
With that, he threw the rice in his hand into another bowl of clear water and grabbed the willow broom hidden under the table:
“A strike from a willow branch makes a ghost three inches shorter. Since you've refused the toast only to take the forfeit, I'll have to use force.”
As he spoke, the master acted as if he could see Chen Ping's position and lashed out with the willow broom—
“Swish!”
The willow branches made a grating sound as they cut through the air, sounding as if they had actually struck something.
Master He pressed his advantage, using that willow broom to strike every corner of the office, inside and out.
Still feeling uneasy, he untied the large rooster and led it around the office three times.
The rooster stopped and started; every time it stopped, Master He would scatter rice and burn yellow paper at that spot.
After finishing the circuit, Master He looked back at the bowl.
The rice in the bowl was all floating, densely packed together.
Finally, an agreement had been reached.
Master He showed a satisfied smile.
Manager Huang, who didn't understand what had happened, leaned in and asked in a low voice:
“Master, is... is it done?”
That was too fast.
Could scattering some rice, waving a willow broom, and running around the office like a shaman really send a ghost away?
In any case, he hadn't understood a thing.
Rate on N.U.
