Chapter 17

Xue Ming didn’t let the old man off easily. She stuffed many things into her pockets, making the old man’s eyelids twitch. Finally, he couldn’t hold back and said, “Miss, the items in my shop are not ordinary. Even if you take them, you might not know how to use them.”

Hearing this, Xue Ming immediately grabbed him and said, “Then tell me how to use them.”

“This… this…” The old man looked troubled and stammered, unwilling to answer.

Xue Ming had a trick up her sleeve. She turned and blew twice on the half-burnt incense, causing the nearly extinguished ember to show signs of reigniting. The old man was so frightened that he rushed forward to cover the incense with his hand, urgently saying, “Oh, miss! I’ll tell you everything! Don’t blow on it anymore, or my little shop will burn down!”

Xue Ming said, “Don’t waste my time. Hurry up.”

The old man became much more cooperative and explained the uses of each item Xue Ming had taken. Xue Ming was secretly glad that the old man had explained. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have known how to use these things. She had taken small items, including incense and paper money for the dead, which could stabilize spirits and enhance the abilities and cultivation of ghosts. The copper coins were used to predict fortune and misfortune, cinnabar for protection, and palm-sized paper figures and red strings, all used in human and ghost realms. One item seemed particularly valuable, and the old man showed a pained expression when introducing it. It was a small round bell, about the size of a date, with a hollowed-out floral pattern on the shell, looking very old. When shaken, it made a muffled sound, not the clear ring of a bell. But the old man said this bell was a powerful spiritual tool long ago. Although it had been damaged and was no longer as powerful, it still retained some spiritual energy and could be used to collect and nurture souls.

Although this item was useless to Xue Ming, she saw how reluctant the old man was to part with it and insisted on taking it. She asked, “How do you collect souls with it?”

The old man replied, “You just need to sprinkle ashes into the bell and call out the person’s name.”

Xue Ming pondered over the bell momentarily, then asked him, “What’s your name?”

The old man glared at her as if ready to argue but then glanced at Yu He standing nearby. He finally held back, his face turning red as he said in a low voice, “Miss, a ghost’s name is their lifeline. It cannot be casually revealed to others.”

Following his words, Xue Ming pressed further and finally understood the origins of the so-called ghost realm.

After death, most people have scattered souls that take seven days to gather fully, known as the “return of the soul on the seventh day” in the mortal world. After seven days, the soul enters the underworld, crosses the Naihe Bridge, drinks Meng Po’s soup, and reincarnates. However, those who died with grievances have stronger souls and often develop a vengeful mindset, harming the living, and are thus captured and punished by the underworld officials. Many ghosts who commit evil deeds hide in places with heavy yin energy or seek protection from powerful ghosts to escape punishment and capture by the world soldiers, thus forming the ghost realm. The four great ghost kings are currently the most prominent forces in the ghost realm. With countless minor ghosts under their command, they reach a level that rivals the underworld. The more powerful the ghost, the harder it is to find its weakness. Their only fatal weakness is their ashes. If someone digs up their burial site, they can control the ghost with spells, and if the ashes are scattered, the ghost will be destroyed entirely. Therefore, most ghosts hide their names and origins and never reveal their burial sites easily.

Seeing that the old man was babbling and subtly begging for mercy, Xue Ming felt that the lesson had been sufficient. She stopped troubling him, carrying the items, and left with Yu He.

After stepping outside, Xue Ming found that most street vendors had already packed up and left. The once bustling street had become sparse, and the Rakshasa Ghost Market was gradually disappearing. From a distant place in the east, the sound of dogs barking could be heard, seemingly getting closer and louder. The crowing of roosters at midnight and the barking of dogs at dawn signaled that daybreak was near.

Yu He said to her, “You should go back now.”

Xue Ming felt a surge of joy in her heart, but before she could speak, she suddenly heard a loud barking right next to her ear. In the next second, the scene before her eyes vanished completely. She jolted as if waking up from a dream. The first thing she saw was the beam of the small house where she was temporarily staying. She then realized she was lying on a tough surface, with her bones and the back of her head aching. She quickly sat up and saw that she had returned to the small house. Inside was the bed and table, which had been smashed to pieces by Nie Xiaoqian, and the contents of her bundle were scattered all over the place, creating a mess. She almost thought that last night she had been knocked out by Nie Xiaoqian’s sleeve and slept until now and that the Rakshasa Ghost Market, the Gathering Yang Talisman, and her entanglement with Yu He on the bed were all just a dream. But when she looked down, she saw a pile of items next to her hand.

Besides the small box containing the Gathering Yang Talisman, there were also some items she had taken from the Heaven and Earth shop.

Moreover, her clothes were indeed from the Ghost King’s palace, and the red string with the bell was still tied around her ankle.

Xue Ming rubbed her face, her mind becoming clearer, realizing that everything that happened at the Rakshasa Ghost Market that night was real.

After a night of turmoil, Xue Ming felt surprisingly refreshed. She got up, quickly tidied up the scattered items, and stepped outside.

The sky was already lightening, with clouds in the eastern sky tinged with gold as the sun began to rise. The morning breeze was cool and refreshing, and as it brushed her face, Xue Ming took a deep breath, finally feeling the exhaustion. She had narrowly escaped danger throughout the night, and it was only thanks to the lustful ghost’s consistent nature that she made it back. Stretching her body with a big yawn, she heard the door of the adjacent room open, and someone exclaimed, “Young Master Yan, you’re back?!”

Turning, she saw it was Chun Ye and suddenly remembered the forgotten Ning Caichen. She quickly asked, “Has your young master returned?”

Holding a basin of water, Chun Ye closed the door behind her and said, “Last night, Qiu Sheng and I followed Young Master’s instructions and lit fires outside your and Young Master’s rooms after the rooster crowed. Young master returned, but you didn’t, so Qiu Sheng and I were worried about you.”

Xue Ming looked down and saw a pile of burnt ashes in front of her room, feeling puzzled. If Ning Caichen had been called back, it meant the method worked. Why hadn’t it worked for her? Was it due to some unknown reason or because her soul came from the 21st century and wasn’t originally from this body, making it impossible to call her back using this body’s name?

“How is Young Master Ning now?” Xue Ming asked.

“Young master has been asleep since he returned and shows no signs of waking up,” Chun Ye sighed worriedly. “I don’t know if he’s been affected by some evil spirit. If something happens to him, what will we do…”

Xue Ming wanted to comfort him but didn’t know if Ning Caichen was in danger, so she patted Chun Ye’s shoulder without saying anything. Just then, Qiu Sheng came back carrying water. Seeing Xue Ming, he was delighted. He not only gave her water to wash up but also diligently prepared a new room for her.

Xue Ming felt embarrassed but, lacking strong self-reliance, accepted their help without protest. After washing up and eating a little, the morning sun peeked through the clouds, enveloping her in a warm glow.

Xue Ming began to feel tired. She had been on edge all night, and now that she was relaxing, she couldn’t resist the drowsiness. She exchanged a few words with Chun Ye and Qiu Sheng, instructing them to wake her before dark, and then went to the new room to sleep. She thought she would finally rest well, but as soon as she fell asleep, she found herself in a small courtyard surrounded by thick fog. Apart from the dense white fog, two intertwined locust trees grew lushly, their roots twisting and partially exposed like old snakes. Xue Ming looked around and realized this place was familiar; it had appeared in her dream before. In front of her was still the same house, but unlike last time when the door was only slightly ajar, this time it was open wide enough for a person to pass through.

Perhaps because she was in a dream, Xue Ming felt her senses were not as sharp. Despite knowing something was off, she walked forward, pushing the door wider and peeking inside. The room was still somewhat empty and neglected, with a gust of cold wind blowing in her face. She raised her hand to shield her eyes and saw a man in green clothes sitting with his back to her.

Xue Ming tried calling out, “Hey.”

The man in green didn’t move. Xue Ming took a few steps forward, fully entering the room and approaching the man, asking, “Who are you?”

The man finally reacted, his body swaying slightly before turning to look at her. His face was a ghastly gray, emaciated with prominent cheekbones. Blood dripped from the corners of his eyes, and his eyes filled with intense resentment, staring fixedly at Xue Ming.

One look was enough to make Xue Ming’s scalp tingle with fear. She instinctively stepped back, tripping over something and falling. The next moment, she screamed and sat up in bed, waking from the nightmare, her forehead covered in sweat. She cursed a few times to ease her fear and quickly realized something was wrong. This was the second time she had such a dream, and it was clear that the man in green was a dead person who had somehow latched onto her. She was already at odds with Nie Xiaoqian and being drained of yang energy by Yu he, and now she was being haunted by this male ghost, making her situation even worse. She feared that one day, she might be killed in her sleep.

Terrified, Xue Ming quickly took out a small box from her bundle at the bedside. Inside was an octagonal pendant with a circle of gold inlay containing a folded yellow talisman. It was somewhat heavy but only the size of a thumbnail. This was the Gathering Yang Talisman. She removed the silk pouch she had been wearing, threaded the red string through the Gathering Yang Talisman, and put it back around her neck. With the talisman on, she felt much more at ease.

Xue Ming got out of bed and opened the window, seeing that it was already dusk, with only a few rays of sunlight left in the sky. She realized with a start that she had instructed Chun Ye and Qiu Sheng to wake her before sunset, but they hadn’t done so.

It seemed that Nie Xiaoqian had become stronger after consuming human flesh and could appear before dark. If she caught Xue Ming, she would surely tear her apart. Not wasting any time, Xue Ming hurriedly put on her shoes and ran outside. The courtyard was silent, all the doors closed, and the atmosphere eerie. But Xue Ming had no time to worry about anything else and ran towards the lotus pond. After running for a while, she turned a corner at the end of the eaves corridor and suddenly saw a white figure standing ahead. That back was all too familiar to Xue Ming, with black hair flowing and a slender figure swaying like a willow. It was Nie Xiaoqian. At her feet lay two people with bright red blood flowing all over the ground, incredibly striking.

Xue Ming stopped in her tracks, staring in horror, and saw that the two people lying at Nie Xiaoqian’s feet were Chun Ye and Qiu Sheng. The two servants seemed to be dead, with large holes in their stomachs, lying motionless.

Hearing the noise, Nie Xiaoqian turned her head. Her face was still beautiful, but the previous injuries had festered, showing no signs of healing. She smiled wickedly at Xue Ming, her expression sinister, and licked the blood on her hand with a blood-red tongue, saying, “Let’s see how you escape this time.”