IMMFBCG Chapter 48

Chapter 48: The Sun Sets

Not long after Ye Xue stepped outside, Yu Qi, hearing the commotion, also came out. He quickly noticed the ghost by the door, his expression faltering as he turned slightly away.

In the distance, the noise from the villagers grew louder as each household turned on their porch lights, illuminating the area like daytime. Seeing a familiar young man had fallen into the pit, someone quickly rushed to call over Mrs. Ling’s family.

The ghost was about to leave but hesitated, noticing the two of them looking his way. Curious, he floated over and asked directly, “Can you see me?”

When he was further away, Ye Xue had only caught a faint, odd odor. But as the ghost drew closer, the stench became overwhelmingly foul.

Yu Qi, thinking the ghost might harm them, instinctively stepped in front of Ye Xue.

Ye Xue felt a warmth at Yu Qi’s protective gesture.

Completely unaware that the man in front of him was essentially a ghost-repeller, the ghost leaned in closer with naive enthusiasm. “Wow! It’s been ages since I met someone who could see me!”

As the smell became unbearable, Ye Xue calmly reached into her pocket and pulled out a stack of talismans. “Do you think I can’t see you?” she asked plainly.

Seeing the powerful aura emanating from the talisman, the ghost recoiled, and panicked. “Oh, sorry for the disturbance!”

So, she’s an exorcist!

He quickly tried to make a run for it, but Ye Xue threw a talisman that rooted him to the spot.

The ghost struggled a little, regretting his curiosity. He thought, “Why didn’t I just leave? I could’ve been washing off this stench by now.”

Sensing the humor in the situation, Ye Xue asked, “Where are you from?”

Realizing she meant his burial place, the ghost replied, “I’m buried up on West Hill.”

Unclaimed souls like his were often buried in the untended West Hill graveyard, a place most locals avoided due to the dense concentration of tombstones and skeletal remains.

“West Hill?” Ye Xue asked. “It takes at least ten minutes to get here. How did you make it over? And by the way, I heard someone fell into the latrine. Was that your doing?”

The ghost shook his head vigorously, protesting, “No, Exorcist! He urinated on my tombstone first! I just wanted a little revenge by following him, but the moment I possessed him, he stepped right into that pit. I swear it was on purpose! Just smell me—I’ve got the scent of both urine and sewage all over me!”

Yu Qi: “…”

Ye Xue’s mouth twitched. “I believe you—I don’t need to smell you.”

The area around West Hill was full of wandering souls. Seeing this ghost had no malice, Ye Xue decided to let him off. She picked up a stick, tapped the talisman from his forehead, and said, “All right, since it wasn’t intentional, you can go.”

Surprised at her leniency, the ghost asked, “Aren’t you afraid I might trick you?”

Ye Xue smiled. “Aren’t you buried up on West Hill? If you lie to me, I’ll dig up your grave and whip your corpse.”

The ghost tried to reassure her. “My body’s probably decomposed by now…”

“Then I’ll feed your bones to the dogs,” she added nonchalantly.

The ghost: “!!!”

Exorcists are terrifying.

Ye Xue calmly continued, “So, are you lying to me?”

The ghost quickly denied it, saying, “No, no, no! I’ve been totally honest!”

“There we go, then. I don’t go after every ghost I see.” They have to be worth at least ten grand, she thought to herself. “I’ll also have someone clean up your grave tomorrow.”

The ghost’s face lit up with gratitude. “Thank you, Exorcist!”

The ghost drifted a few feet away but then turned back. Keeping a respectful distance, he spoke seriously, “By the way, Exorcist, something strange has been happening around the West Hill graves lately. A few of my companions have been devoured by other ghosts. I don’t know where they came from, but their presence is terrifying. I barely managed to escape by hiding in the grave piles. I also felt some strange summoning power calling me once, but I was napping, so I ignored it.”

A ghost-summoning talisman, perhaps?

After a moment of thought, Ye Xue replied, “You should return for now. I’ll come by tomorrow to take a look.”

The ghost nodded, floated away, and eventually faded into the darkness.

Not long after, Deng Fei’s family arrived, and Ye Xue could hear Mrs. Ling’s voice among the crowd.

Seeing the situation resolved, Ye Xue turned to Yu Qi. “Let’s go back and rest. I’ll be going up to West Hill tomorrow. Want to join me?”

Yu Qi looked puzzled, as if unsure why she would even ask. “Of course, I’ll go with you.”

Ye Xue smiled. “Great. Let’s get to bed. Otherwise, once five a.m. comes, even if you want to sleep, you won’t be able to.”

Thinking she was planning an early morning visit to West Hill, Yu Qi didn’t fully understand her words until he was awakened by a loud clanging noise right at five. He checked his phone, only to realize she’d meant this all along.

The bell ringer seemed to cover the entire Fengyang Village, the sound ringing out sharply and drawing closer and farther away.

Yu Qi opened his door to find Ye Xue in the courtyard, boiling water and ready to wash her face.

She’d pulled all her hair up into a neat bun, fixing her bangs in place to reveal her clear, fair face. Today, she wore a pink padded jacket instead of her usual black or beige, making her usually cool expression look as radiant as spring blossoms.

Ye Xue looked up at the noise, her eyes crinkling in a smile, making her look even more like a blooming peach blossom.

Yu Qi had never seen her like this; she usually wore more subdued colors, but today, she wore something vibrant for the first time.

Ye Xue smiled and said, “I told you, didn’t I? No more sleep after five o’clock.”

Yu Qi snapped back to reality and nodded with a smile. “You’re right on time.”

As Ye Xue wrung out a towel and washed her face, she said, “It’s almost New Year. At the ancestral hall, they’re preparing for the lion dance. They’ll be banging drums over the next few days to remind the villagers to head to the hall and get ready.”

This was a tradition in Fengyang Village, and Ye Xue was used to waking up before the drums sounded.

After washing her face, a few water droplets clung to her skin like dewdrops on petals, poised to slip down. It gave an almost irresistible urge to wipe them off for her.

Yu Qi found himself staring.

Noticing Yu Qi was silent, simply watching her, Ye Xue blinked in surprise.

Yu Qi averted his eyes and washed his face as well.

After a moment, he asked, “What would you like for breakfast?”

Ye Xue looked at him. “They should be selling buns at the entrance to the village. Let’s have some buns!”

Yu Qi paused, then nodded. “Sure.”

After washing up, they headed to the village entrance.

On the way back, Ye Xue spotted a familiar figure.

She said to Yu Qi, “Let’s go over there. I think I recognize someone.”

With that, she led him in that direction.

The person was locking his door when he heard a familiar yet hesitant female voice behind him. “Bao Wenxuan?”

He turned and broke into a smile when he saw her. “Daoist Ye, what are you doing here?”

Ye Xue replied, “I live here, remember? I told you I grew up in the countryside.”

Bao Wenxuan recalled the conversation and laughed a little sheepishly. “Oh, right, I almost forgot! Quite the coincidence, though—of all places, to meet here!”

Turning to Yu Qi, Ye Xue explained quietly, “A self-proclaimed fortune-teller I met back in Haicheng.”

Hearing her description, Bao Wenxuan immediately protested, “Hey, I’m a reformed man now!”

Ye Xue gave him a skeptical look. “Last time, you tried to scam me with a fortune-telling.”

Bao Wenxuan tried to argue but couldn’t find a good excuse, so he just laughed awkwardly.

Ye Xue then asked, “What brings you here? Are you from Fengyang Village?” Then, dismissing her guess, she added, “Actually, that can’t be right. If you were, I would have recognized you.”

Bao Wenxuan explained, “I’m not from here. My sister married into this village, and with the New Year coming up, I thought I’d visit her.”

Ye Xue nodded. “I see.”

Bao Wenxuan looked at Yu Qi, studying his features carefully before remarking, “With such a full forehead and clear, intelligent brows, you’re clearly from a well-off family! Interested in a fortune reading? I can do career and love predictions using the Six Lines Coin Divination!”

Ye Xue sighed, seeing him falling into old habits. She pulled Yu Qi behind her and said, “You said the same thing to me last time—‘full forehead, intelligent brows.’ Is that all you know?”

Bao Wenxuan tried to defend himself, saying, “Daoist Ye, I’m the real deal!”

Ye Xue turned to Yu Qi and said, “He’s a fraud. Don’t listen to him.”

Yu Qi nodded, “Got it. I won’t.”

Bao Wenxuan: “…”

He felt totally out of place.

Ye Xue still needed to head to West Hill, so she didn’t linger. “We’ve got things to do, so we’ll be going. And be careful not to go around calling everyone ‘from a rich family.’”

As they walked away, Bao Wenxuan scratched his head, muttering, “No way… I couldn’t be wrong…”

After a moment, he nodded to himself confidently. “At least this one has to be from a wealthy family.”