IMMFBCG Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Contact Information

The doll that Ye Xue had brought back from the Tang Jiade family was now placed by the window in her room, so it could absorb the moonlight at night.

This was advice from Master Bai, who said it would help the spirit absorb the essence of heaven, earth, sun, and moon.

When Xu Zhou knocked and entered with a late-night snack, Ye Xue was busy placing talismans around the doll.

She took the bowl of porridge and casually asked, “Nephew, once a spirit gains sentience, shouldn’t it be able to speak? Why is this one so quiet?”

The last spirit Ye Xue encountered was an “audio ghost,” a spirit born from music. Despite its somewhat ugly appearance, it spoke fluent Mandarin.

Seeing Ye Xue’s eager curiosity, Xu Zhou glanced at the doll by the window and paused briefly before explaining in simple terms, “It’s probably just newly formed, still learning…”

Ye Xue chuckled at his analogy, finding it amusing but also quite accurate.

The doll’s energy was faint, indicating that it had only recently developed its sentience.

The doll itself was made of cotton, finely crafted, with bright, amber-like eyes. It had been deliberately modeled after a little girl, complete with two adorable pigtails.

However, its dress appeared tattered and worn from exposure to the elements.

Ye Xue was considering buying a new outfit.

“When it finally learns to speak, I need to give it a name. What should I call it…” Ye Xue frowned in thought. But she wasn’t good at naming things, so after thinking for a while without success, she finally said, “I’ll just let it take my last name for now—Ye.”

Xu Zhou couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head at her train of thought, as she had jumped from buying the doll new clothes to naming it in just moments.

Spirits are different from ghosts. They pose no harm to humans and aren’t under the jurisdiction of the Daoist Association, so there’s no need to report them—just provide offerings.

While Ye Xue was frantically working on her thesis at the temple, Bai Liu was also busy, either guiding the recently deceased to the underworld or chasing after vengeful spirits.

He had been spending most of his time outside recently. Every time he returned, it wasn’t long before he left again, with his soul departing in haste.

If it weren’t for Ye Xue’s unfinished thesis, she would’ve liked to join them in their endless ghost hunts, day and night.

Every time Bai Liu left with his soul, Ye Xue found herself feeling reluctant to part with him.

It got to the point where Bai Liu began to think he wasn’t going to the underworld, but to some kind of execution ground instead.

Master Bai, seeing his junior sister’s near-maniacal drive to earn money, silently wondered to himself, “Is our temple this poor? Even the ancestral statue now has new clothes, so it shouldn’t be that shabby anymore, right?”

Little did Bai Ziang realize, Ye Xue was envious of the body of a statue in another temple.

…

Bai Liu used his soul-catching rope to bind a new soul and led him down the path to the underworld.

Wei Xingteng had left early for other business.

Seeing that Bai Liu had become more adept at soul-catching lately, Wei felt confident enough to let Bai Liu go to the underworld on his own.

After all, young people need opportunities to gain experience.

The new soul was crying and pleading when Bai Liu caught him, “Ghost Officer, please spare me! I have great wealth at home and can share half with you.”

Bai Liu continued dragging the ghost along, his ears ignoring the pleas, until he was too annoyed and finally replied, “Unless you’re as rich as the nation’s wealthiest, don’t try to bargain with me. I’m not interested.”

After all, he had dealt with Yu Qi before and was no stranger to the world.

Moreover, this guy had been quite cunning earlier, trying to play hide-and-seek with Bai Liu by running into a crowd, hoping the living humans’ strong energy would repel the ghost officer.

If Bai Liu weren’t a living soul rather than a real ghost officer, the ghost might have succeeded.

As the human and ghost continued on their way, Bai Liu noticed a familiar figure sitting in the shadows not far away.

A young man with black hair sat cross-legged, his expression cold as he looked at the surrounding ghosts.

The wandering spirits, intimidated by the man’s enchanted wristband, dared not approach him. Upon spotting the ghost officer, they scattered even farther.

Perhaps their strange behavior caught the young man’s attention, as he calmly looked up and gazed forward, just in time to see Bai Liu dragging the male ghost along.

When Bai Liu looked closely, he realized it was someone he knew.

He contemplated whether to go up and greet Yu Qi and offer his help, but the young man calmly shifted his gaze away.

Bai Liu: “…”

He couldn’t help but think that from Yu Qi’s expression, he must’ve mistaken him for a stranger.

It seemed that the rumors were true—Yu Qi truly didn’t care about much.

Bai Liu’s father also mentioned that Yu Qi had a unique constitution and frequently experienced his soul leaving his body.

Given Yu Qi’s calm demeanor, it was clear he had plenty of experience with this.

Meanwhile, the new soul Bai Liu had caught was itching to escape, ready to make a break for it at any moment.

After a few more glances ahead, Bai Liu confirmed that Yu Qi was safe and decided to continue leading the ghost to the underworld.

The new soul was still unable to accept his death. Realizing there was no way to escape his fate, he burst into loud sobs.

With practiced ease, Bai Liu stuffed a few sheets of joss paper into the ghost’s mouth.

After doing this job for so long, he’d become quite efficient at it.

The male ghost stared at Bai Liu in horror: “Mmm! Mmm!”

He was already dead—couldn’t he at least cry a little? This was downright cruel!

If Bai Liu could hear his thoughts, he would probably retort that the ghost wasn’t “almost dead”—he was already dead. By now, his body was likely reduced to ashes.

When Bai Liu returned, he saw that Yu Qi was still sitting in the same spot. He walked over.

Since he wasn’t very familiar with Yu Qi, he awkwardly asked, “Um, do you need any help?”

Yu Qi glanced at him and calmly shook his head.

Bai Liu, usually confident in social interactions, was at a loss for words when faced with someone as reserved as Yu Qi, who didn’t want to engage.

However, if his father found out he had left Yu Qi there unattended, he would be in for a beating.

So Bai Liu added, “Mr. Yu, just sitting here won’t do you any good. I’ve noticed the other ghosts are eyeing you like you’re a feast. Staying here could be dangerous. How about I escort you back to Xuan Zhen Temple, and my father can take you home after?”

Bai Liu assumed Yu Qi didn’t trust him, so he dropped the name of Xuan Zhen Temple.

When Yu Qi heard the temple’s name, his eyelids fluttered, and his expression finally showed a trace of emotion.

He quietly pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered that it was currently the National Day holiday.

That person should be at the temple too.

Yu Qi remained silent, and just when Bai Liu thought he was being ignored, the young man turned and repeated, “Back to Xuan Zhen Temple?”

“Huh? Yes!” Bai Liu quickly nodded.

Yu Qi stood up, meticulously straightening his clothes, and nodded. “I appreciate it.”

“You’re really in a dangerous spot here… Wait, you agreed?” Bai Liu was surprised mid-sentence.

How come the moment he mentioned Xuan Zhen Temple, Yu Qi agreed?

Something flickered quickly through Bai Liu’s mind, a sense that something wasn’t quite right, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it. He secured the soul-capturing rope around his waist and said, “Alright, let’s go.”

Master Bai hadn’t expected that when Bai Liu went out, he would return with an extra person—especially Yu Qi.

Seeing Yu Qi’s nearly transparent soul, Master Bai couldn’t help but ask with concern, “Mr. Yu, why has your soul left your body?”

Yu Qi had been spending time at Rong Gui Well, where many Daoist disciples gathered, so he shouldn’t have been in such a disheveled state.

Yu Qi calmly straightened his sleeves and replied, “It’s nothing, just a minor issue.”

For Yu Qi, having his soul leave his body was a common occurrence. Master Bai didn’t press further and signaled Bai Liu to bring over some food. Nodding, he said, “Please wait a moment, and I will take you back shortly.”

Ye Xue, hearing the commotion outside, came out with a book in hand and asked cheerfully, “Do we have a guest?”

She thought it might be another client, but when she stepped out, she saw Yu Qi in his spirit form.

Surprised, Ye Xue asked, “Did your soul leave your body again?”

Since meeting Yu Qi, his soul had left his body three or four times already, more than the number of ghosts Ye Xue had seen.

Bai Liu, carrying snacks, overheard their conversation. Thinking the interaction was about to fizzle out, he tried to say something to break the awkward silence. But then Yu Qi replied, “I was careless and fell into a trap.”

Ye Xue was puzzled. “Who set a trap for you?”

Yu Qi thought for a moment and seriously answered, “A vengeful spirit I encountered on the way.”

He hadn’t expected that white-clothed female ghost to follow him, blending in with the wandering spirits and forcing his soul out of his body.

However, Yu Qi was already accustomed to his soul leaving his body, so he had simply found a place to wait for sunrise or for his soul to return naturally.

“A vengeful spirit?” Ye Xue’s eyes lit up as if she could see $10,000 floating in front of her. She quickly asked, “Do you know where that ghost is now?”

Yu Qi was momentarily taken aback, then seemed to understand. With a faint smile, he explained, “She was destroyed by the Five Peaks Talisman, so she probably wasn’t one of the escaped spirits from Rong Gui Well.”

Just an ordinary white-clothed ghost.

Ye Xue was visibly disappointed. “Oh, I see.”

Not wanting to see her disappointed, Yu Qi added, “If I encounter another one next time, I’ll call you.”

Ye Xue nodded with a smile and said, “Sure! But…” she then asked, “How will you call me when the time comes?”

Yu Qi’s hand at his waist seemed to tense slightly before he looked at Ye Xue and carefully chose his words. “Your contact information…”

Ye Xue realized they hadn’t exchanged numbers yet, so she pulled out her phone and asked, “What’s your phone number? Let’s exchange contact info.”

Yu Qi recited a string of numbers.

Master Bai, listening from the side, was slightly surprised because—

This wasn’t Yu Qi’s usual work number.

But soon, he figured it out—this must be Yu Qi’s number.

The thing was, other than his family, Yu Qi never gave out his number. Even when he communicated with his assistant, it was always through his work number.

And after Yu Qi’s parents and mentor passed away, no one else had access to his private number.

Ye Xue quickly dialed his number.

Though Yu Qi didn’t have his phone with him, he carefully memorized Ye Xue’s number and then looked up at her.

Ye Xue said, “If you ever run into trouble, feel free to call me.”

Given Yu Qi’s unique situation, he was probably bound to encounter vengeful spirits regularly.

Yu Qi smiled softly and nodded as if sealing a deal. “Alright.”

Bai Liu, holding a tray, widened his eyes slightly in disbelief as he looked at the two of them, thinking to himself, Earlier, he would barely answer after being asked ten questions, and now he’s responding to everything? And they even exchanged numbers?

Even his father didn’t have Yu Qi’s number, right? They only had his assistant’s contact, after all…

After Yu Qi left, Bai Liu, still munching on an apple, secretly followed Ye Xue into her room.

Bai Liu’s face was full of gossip as he was about to ask his shifu how she managed to get along so well with Yu Qi.

But before he could spill all his gossip, he noticed a small doll by the window.

The moonlight spilled over the doll, making it look as if it were bathed in a mystical aura.

Bai Liu took a bite of his apple, quickly swallowed it, and curiously asked, “Shifu, what is that? Why haven’t I seen it before? Are you raising a cotton doll now?”

Ye Xue glanced back at it and explained, “No, I brought it back from Tang Jiade’s house. The doll has developed a spirit, and he didn’t dare keep it, so I took it.”

“Oh, it’s spirit-infused!” Bai Liu walked over, even more curious. “Does that mean it can talk? But why isn’t it saying anything?”

Bai Liu leaned in closer, but the cotton doll remained still, quietly absorbing the moonlight by the window.

If Ye Xue hadn’t said it had a spirit, it would’ve looked just like any ordinary cotton doll sitting in someone’s home.

Ye Xue said, “Xu Zhou mentioned it’s still learning, so it might take a little longer.”

It probably needed to absorb a few more nights of moonlight.

“Oh, I see.” Bai Liu nodded in understanding.

He then asked, “Have you named it yet? If not, I can come up with one for you!”

Before Ye Xue could reply, “I haven’t thought of one yet,” Bai Liu started rattling off a string of names, as if he didn’t even need her input.

Ye Xue looked at him speechlessly, unable to help but laugh.

Bai Liu clapped his hands as if he had an epiphany. “Got it! Let’s call it Xiao Bai! It’ll have my last name—simple and easy to remember!”

Suddenly—

Both Bai Liu and Ye Xue heard a voice that wasn’t either of theirs. They exchanged glances and instinctively looked toward the window.

There was a faint sound coming from that direction.

The little doll had spoken.

“…Go.”

They had no idea what it was trying to say, but it kept repeating the word “go.”

Bai Liu edged closer, trying to catch what it was saying.

A light breeze blew, and the doll’s clothes fluttered slightly.

Finally, they could make out its words.

In a furious tone, the cotton doll emphasized angrily, “Go to hell! My last name is Ye!”

Ye Xue was stunned for a moment. “…?”

Bai Liu: “???”

What the heck?!