IMMFBCG Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Following Like a Shadow

 

The Xuanzhen Temple usually closed by 8 or 9 o’clock, leaving the rest of the time free for personal activities.

In the evening, when things got busy, everyone else at the temple hadn’t had time to eat.

After wrapping up, Xu Zhou went to the kitchen and made some meat porridge, along with a bit of sweet soup.

When Ye Xue returned to the temple, Bai Liu was already sitting there with a bowl, eating.

Seeing him with such an appetite, Ye Xue chuckled and asked, “Didn’t you eat enough earlier? Why are you hungry again?”

Bai Liu muttered under his breath, “I did eat… but I was fed a stomach full of dog food.”

As soon as he said this, even Bai Liu was surprised at himself.

Why was he even using “dog food” to describe it? It’s not like Ye Xue and Yu Qi were a couple.

Ye Xue hadn’t heard him. “What did you say?”

Bai Liu quickly shook his head. “Nothing. I just meant, are you hungry, Shishu? I’ll get you a bowl of sweet soup.”

Just then, Xu Zhou brought over a fresh bowl for Ye Xue.

Ye Xue wasn’t that hungry, so she shared half of the sweet soup with the temple master Bai and finished the little that was left in the bowl.

After drinking, she set the bowl aside and, staring into the distance in thought, reached up to touch her neck.

Her fingers felt something cool, and as it absorbed the warmth of her palm, it gradually warmed up.

The protective charm from Yu Qi was quietly hanging from her neck.

Yu Qi had mentioned that he’d wanted to give her this charm for a long time…

Lost in thought, Ye Xue gripped the charm.

Seeing her empty bowl, Xu Zhou asked, “Would you like more, Shishu? There’s still some left in the kitchen.”

Ye Xue snapped out of her thoughts. “No, I’m not hungry.”

Bai Liu, sitting beside the temple master Bai and drinking porridge, still carried the smell of alcohol.

Bai Ziang caught a whiff of it from afar and immediately scolded Bai Liu, “You little rascal! I told you to take your Shishu out to have fun, and you took her drinking? Just wait till I get my hands on you!”

He grabbed Bai Liu’s ear and lectured, “Can’t you drink during the day? Why are you drinking at night and dragging her along? Have you ever considered your strength in case something happens?”

Bai Liu yelped, his ear stinging with pain.

Even though Ye Xue had suggested the drink, Bai Liu didn’t mention it, quietly accepting the scolding with his head down.

Seeing Bai Liu take the blame for her, Ye Xue quickly intervened, “Senior Brother, I was the one who wanted to drink. Bai Liu even tried to talk me out of it…”

Bai Ziang paused, then looked over at Ye Xue’s innocent expression and couldn’t help but say, “Junior Sister, don’t defend that rascal. Don’t I know my son?”

Ye Xue blinked, surprised. “Huh?”

Bai Liu looked just as shocked. “???”

Staring at Bai Liu in disbelief, he couldn’t hold back and exclaimed, “Wait, Dad, what are you implying about me?”

Bai Ziang snorted. “Do I need to spell it out? Just look at you with that smell of booze—and look at your Shishu. Wanting her to take the blame for you—isn’t that shameful for a grown man?”

Ye Xue started to speak again. “But, Senior Brother, it was me—”

Bai Ziang raised his hand to cut her off. “No need to keep covering for that rascal, Junior Sister.”

Ye Xue hesitated, glancing at Bai Liu.

Bai Liu shrugged it off with a nonchalant wave, signaling her not to worry.

Bai Ziang turned to Bai Liu and warned, “Try that again, and you’ll pay with your legs!”

Knowing his dad was just bluffing, Bai Liu nodded and said, “Got it.”

He sighed, about to resume eating, when he noticed the item around Ye Xue’s neck.

He froze, then, as if making a discovery, asked curiously, “Shishu, what’s that on your neck? I don’t think I’ve seen it before?”

Everyone turned to look.

When Bai Ziang saw the charm around her neck, he was momentarily stunned.

He almost thought he was seeing things. Wasn’t that a protective charm from the Yu family?

Back then, the Yu family had requested two blessed charms from the ancestral patriarch of the Zhengyi Sect—one for Yu Qi, but how did the other…

Under their curious gazes, Ye Xue quietly tucked the charm away, saying, “Yu Qi gave it to me.”

“Pfft—” Bai Liu, hearing this, was so startled that he nearly spat out his sweet soup, barely missing Xu Zhou.

Fortunately, Xu Zhou had anticipated this and dodged it just in time.

The spilled soup landed near Xinghe’s feet, who wordlessly slid his foot away.

Suppressing his urge to hit him, the temple master Bai scolded Bai Liu, “What’s with all the fuss?”

Bai Liu coughed and quickly shook his head. “No, nothing…”

Still, Bai Liu was genuinely shocked.

What exactly was Yu Qi up to? First, he had a hot pot with them, and now he was giving out charms.

Bai Ziang, slightly annoyed by Bai Liu’s reaction, glared at him. “You have too much free time. When you get back, write out the Tao Te Ching for me five times!”

Bai Liu looked horrified. “What? Are you serious, Dad?”

Bai Ziang ignored him.

After the midnight snack, Qin Haoran and Xinghe cleaned up the dishes and took them to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Bai Liu was dragged off by the temple master to start his writing assignment.

Ye Xue slowly got up, and Xu Zhou fell a step behind her, whispering, “When the sword was kept at the temple, Xinghe never approached the side hall.”

Ye Xue paused, casting a thoughtful glance at Xinghe’s retreating figure as he and Qin Haoran entered the back courtyard.

It was unclear why the thief had stolen the female sword, but since they’d targeted the Demon-Breaking Sword, they would probably come for the male sword in Ye Xue’s possession eventually. But so far, everything had been peaceful, and the sword was still safely with her.

Ye Xue nodded slightly. “Got it.”

…

The next morning, Bai Liu woke up unusually early, knocking on Ye Xue’s door just as dawn broke.

Ye Xue was roused by the knocking, yawning as she opened her eyes.

She climbed out of bed, opened the door in a daze, and then went to fetch water to wash her face.

The warm towel gently pressed against Ye Xue’s face, and she felt the heat, gradually becoming more alert.

After washing her face, she grabbed a cup to rinse her mouth and started brushing her teeth.

Following right behind her like a little shadow, Bai Liu said, “Shishu, we finally received a response from one of the ghost-repellent charms we sent out.”

In the name of Xuanzhen Temple, Bai Liu had drawn a lottery for followers, selecting ten winners. Besides the two charms they sent to Tianyi Temple, they mailed the other eight to various social media followers.

Most people just joined in for fun, and since encounters with ghosts are rare for regular folks, they hadn’t received any feedback about the charms for a while.

That was expected, as promotion takes time.

Another period passed until, late last night, Bai Liu, while scrolling through his phone, suddenly got several private messages.

One woman who had previously won messaged Xuanzhen Temple’s official account, explaining that strange things had been happening in her home recently. The ghost-repellent charm she received even turned black, and she wasn’t sure what to do.

Seeing her message, Bai Liu knew he couldn’t handle this himself, so he slept on it and, as soon as the sun rose, dashed over to Ye Xue’s room.

After explaining the situation to her, he added, “She seemed anxious, even asking if we could go to her house to check it out… But, Shishu, once the charm worked, shouldn’t those things have run away? Why would they still be in her home?”

Ye Xue put down her toothbrush and, after rinsing her mouth, asked, “Did she mention what exactly was happening?”

Ghost-repellent charms can’t handle everything, and certain cases require special approaches.

Bai Liu shook his head. “No, she sounded really scared and kept stumbling over her words. She won’t leave her house and even took time off work to stay there because she’s too frightened to go anywhere else. She mentioned trying to stay with a friend once but ended up seeing two ghostly figures while lying beside her friend. So now she doesn’t dare to go anywhere.”

Ye Xue thought for a moment. “Do you have her phone number? Let’s call and ask where she lives. If we have the time, we can head over right away.”

Bai Liu dialed her number, and shortly after, the call connected.

After listening to the response on the other end, he hung up and told Ye Xue, “She says she’s available, but her apartment is a bit far from the temple. If we take the bus, it’ll take us about an hour and a half.”

Ye Xue didn’t hesitate. “Let’s take a taxi instead.”

Grabbing their things, the two of them quickly left the main hall.

On the way, they happened to run into Su Xinghe, who seemed to have just returned from meditation. Seeing Ye Xue and Bai Liu heading out, he looked a bit surprised and asked, “Where are you off to so early?”

Ye Xue replied, “We got a job request. Could you let Shixiong and the others know?”

Su Xinghe nodded.

Ye Xue and Bai Liu hailed a taxi near the square and arrived at a residential complex around 8:30 a.m.

The woman was waiting at the entrance for them. As soon as she saw the two, she approached and asked, “Are you the Daoists from Xuanzhen Temple? I’m Xue Yasuo.”

Ye Xue noticed her pale face and exhausted expression, and she nodded lightly. “Yes, let’s head to your place first.”

Xue Yasuo, looking dazed, nodded and, after speaking briefly with the security guard, led them into the complex.

…

The moment they entered her apartment, a Golden Retriever leaped at Xue Yasuo.

Holding it in her arms, she sighed, “Niu Niu, play on your own for a bit. Mom has some business; I’ll play with you later, okay?”

The dog barked twice but soon stopped clinging to her.

It seemed curious about the visitors and circled Ye Xue, trying to stand up and paw at her.

“Niu Niu, behave!” Xue Yasuo quickly called out.

Feeling ignored, Bai Liu couldn’t help but mutter, “Wow, even the dog has a type.”

Ye Xue gave him an exasperated look for making a joke at a time like this.

She glanced down at the dog, then reached out to pat its head gently.

After a bit of reassurance, Niu Niu ran off to play by itself.

Xue Yasuo poured them each a drink and, with a sigh, began, “I apologize for troubling you, but I didn’t know what else to do. These strange incidents have just been… too much.”

Ye Xue replied, “No need to worry. Please take your time and tell us everything that’s been happening.”

Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, Xue Yasuo described her recent experiences: “Work has been hectic, and I’ve had to put in a lot of late hours. Sometimes I don’t get home until eleven or midnight, and by the time I finish washing up, it’s around one. I often don’t get enough sleep and have been feeling quite drained. A little while ago, after another late night at work, I was hoping to catch up on rest, but, for some reason, I started hearing the sound of a woman crying from the apartment next door. It was so disturbing that I couldn’t get any sleep. I’m quite shy, so I held off on saying anything, but after several nights, I was starting to feel it.”

“A few more days passed, and the crying didn’t stop. Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore, so I decided to go over and talk to my neighbor about it.”

As she recalled the events, Xue Yasuo’s face paled a bit. “But before I could even reach the front door, the doorbell rang, and my neighbor was there.”

“‘Miss Xue,’” her neighbor, a young man, said with an apologetic expression, “‘I hate to intrude, and I understand people need to let off steam, but could you try to keep the noise down at night? I’ve been working on my thesis alone and can’t concentrate with the crying.’”

The words sent a chill through her. She thought she had been hearing crying from his apartment, but he was hearing it from hers.

Terrified after hearing the whole story, Xue Yasu clutched onto Niu Niu to sleep that night. Every time her hand rested on the edge of the bed, she felt Niu Niu licking it. Half-awake, she scolded, “Niu Niu, stop playing; I have to work tomorrow.”

But as soon as she spoke, Xue Yasu froze, a chill running down her spine. Niu Niu was cuddled up in her arms, nowhere near the bedside, let alone licking her hand.

In shock, she opened her eyes to see a dark shadow standing beside the bed, watching her and slowly approaching. Suddenly, as it reached the pillow, it recoiled like it had been startled, and then darted toward the door, vanishing from sight.

Startled awake, Xue Yasu lifted her pillow, only to find that the exorcism charm tucked underneath it had turned black on one corner.

Reflecting on everything that had happened, Xue Yasu felt close to a breakdown. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she continued, “After that, I was so scared I stayed at my friend’s house for a night. But I realized I couldn’t escape them. That night, at my friend’s house, I experienced sleep paralysis, unable to move at all. Worse, there were not one but two shadows at the bedside. I left the next day, afraid I’d bring harm to my friend.”

“Since then, I’ve noticed the shadows follow me wherever I go. Sometimes there’s one, other times two, or even more. Oddly enough, it’s quieter at home—they can’t seem to do much to me here. But with the charm growing darker by the day, I got scared that it might wear out, so I reached out to you for help on social media.”

With a pale face, she looked at Bai Liu and Ye Xue, seeking any semblance of comfort. Bai Liu, now clinging to Ye Xue, trembled as he whispered, “Oh my god, Shishu, this is terrifying!”

Xue Yasu looked at him, dumbfounded.

Ye Xue nudged Bai Liu with her elbow. Embarrassed, Bai Liu stammered, “Uh, well, even if I’m scared of ghosts, I’m still very capable!”

He wasn’t lying; with his Soul Hook in hand, ordinary spirits didn’t dare get close.

Xue Yasu hesitated, now doubting the competence of these exorcists. Still, their charms did seem to work.

She asked, “Master, do you know what exactly is haunting my home?”

With little experience, Bai Liu instinctively looked at Ye Xue, who listened intently before confidently saying, “It’s likely a Men Gui.”

“Men Gui?” they echoed.

Ye Xue nodded. She recalled a similar case from her youth, when her master had handled a Men Gui haunting for a neighboring village family, leaving a lasting impression on her.

Men Gui are spirits born of Yin energy. They emerge at night, typically when people are at their weakest. The number of Men Gui is proportional to the household’s occupants; if there are two people, there’ll be two Men Gui, and so forth. Xue Yasu’s sightings varied because of this.

These spirits gradually mimic their host, and as they drain the person’s life force, they fully replace them. If left unchecked, the host’s life force would be consumed, forcing them into the afterlife.

Ye Xue explained to Xue Yasu, “Your fatigue drew the Men Gui to you. The crying you heard at night was imitating you. Don’t worry about your friends—these shadows are bound to you alone. But once a Men Gui attaches itself, it follows relentlessly. Either you destroy it, or it replaces you.”

Terrified, Xue Yasu stammered, “What should I do, Master?”

Ye Xue replied calmly, “Don’t worry. When it shows up tonight, I’ll take care of it.”

“Y-you’ll… take care of it?” Xue Yasu stammered, feeling unsettled by the bluntness.

Ye Xue nodded. “Yep, just chop it up. Easy.”

Seeing Ye Xue’s composure, Xue Yasu relaxed a bit.

They stayed at Xue Yasu’s house the entire day. By nightfall, she put Niu Niu in the dog bed and led Ye Xue and Bai Liu to her bedroom.

As she and Ye Xue lay in bed, Bai Liu, not able to join, sat by the bedside.

The night passed in eerie silence, and Bai Liu nearly drifted off to sleep.

It was just after 2:30 AM, the peak of Yin energy when the woman’s wailing returned. Three shadows emerged, slipping through the doorway and approaching the bed.

Seeing the familiar shadows, Xue Yasu’s nerves frayed. Under the covers, her hands trembled, but Ye Xue squeezed her hand in reassurance.

Feeling the warmth in her palm, Xue Yasu slowly regained her composure.

Bai Liu’s head bobbed as he fought off sleep, but as the wailing grew louder, he finally cracked an eye open, only to find a shadow hovering inches from his face.

With a startled yell, Bai Liu’s soul nearly left his body. He grabbed his Soul Hook and shouted, “Get lost!”

Meanwhile, Ye Xue dispatched each approaching shadow with a swing of her sword, efficiently vanquishing them.

Switching on the bedside light, she said, “It’s over.”

Xue Yasu sighed in relief, seeing two of the shadows gone.

But then she noticed Bai Liu sprawled on the floor, motionless and not breathing.

Terrified, Xue Yasu screamed, “Master Ye Xue, did Master Bai… d-did he just die?”