Chapter 8

Ling Chen originally thought that this “homebody” grand wizard’s “homebody” meant not going out, not meeting people, and avoiding socializing. Who would have thought that it was actually the “homebody” of the anime world?

Inside the Buddhist altar, there was a statue of Hatsune Miku. If the former grand wizard knew about it, he would definitely jump out of his grave and shout, “Private study, steaming goose heart!”

“We should wait a bit longer,” He Jinchao suggested. “He should have just stepped out temporarily. The bed isn’t made, and the dishes aren’t washed. He’ll probably be back soon.”

As soon as Ling Chen heard that the grand wizard might be returning, he immediately put down the gift and turned to leave, fearing that he would run into him if he was even a second slower.

He Jinchao caught up to him in the elevator. “Xiao Ling, you’re leaving without even meeting the person. How are you going to explain that to Director Song?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to see him, it’s that he doesn’t want to see me,” Ling Chen said firmly. “I know my place. I’m just a newbie player in the village. The village chief gave me a task to deliver a letter, and once I deliver it, I’m leaving. I don’t want to get involved in side quests.”

He Jinchao asked again, “…Then what about me?”

“What do you mean, what about you?” Ling Chen retorted. “The grand wizard believes in Hatsune, not Guanyin. He Jinchao, do you think Hatsune Miku can resurrect you?”

“…” He Jinchao fell silent, his thin lips tightly pressed into a line. His features were handsome, but his face was sharp, and when he stopped smiling, an aura of coldness surrounded him.

They were in the confined space of the elevator, just a step apart, but the steel door of the elevator only faintly reflected the figure of one person.

Ling Chen glanced at the security camera in the corner of the elevator, thinking: If a security guard saw me arguing with thin air, they’d probably think I’m crazy.

Ling Chen looked up at the man floating in mid-air and decided to be blunt: “I know, you said you came to town for coffee, but your main goal is to see the grand wizard. The feudal beliefs in the deep mountains are a result of low productivity, which magnified the reverence for nature. But that was many years ago. Even if the original grand wizard had divine powers, the chances of his descendants inheriting them are almost zero. Please be rational. Do you really think a young homebody who likes anime, online shopping, and takeout can help you out of your predicament?”

Ling Chen wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but after he finished speaking, he felt like the lighting in the elevator had dimmed slightly.

He Jinchao stood in the dim light of the elevator, looking at him with eyes that seemed to pierce through him. “Xiao Ling, you’re the opposite of the grand wizard. You don’t like anime, online shopping, or takeout. So do you have any way of helping me?”

Ling Chen was about to respond, but suddenly the elevator shook lightly. It had unknowingly descended to the first floor. After a chime, the elevator doors slid open smoothly.

The worst part was that there were others waiting outside the elevator.

Two elderly men in their sixties stood outside, one holding a fan and the other holding a chess set, looking as if they’d just come from an intense game.

With people around, this was not the time to argue with He Jinchao. Ling Chen quickly closed his mouth, ready to leave the elevator. But before he could step out, the two old men rushed in, blocking his way.

The one with the squinting eyes glanced at Ling Chen and turned to the other man. “These young people nowadays really don’t know manners. They don’t even know how to make way for the elderly.”

“Exactly!” The other squinted-eyed man added, “What did the school teach them? Don’t they remember to respect the elderly and love the young?”

Ling Chen almost laughed in frustration. Even if they were to argue, the elevator should let people off before allowing others to enter. He hadn’t even stepped out yet, but these two old men had rudely pushed their way in.

But Ling Chen, being someone who didn’t like to make a fuss, decided to remain silent and walk out of the elevator. However, the two old men took his silence as a sign of weakness and continued to jabber.

“At noon, when everyone is resting, why is he just wandering around the neighborhood?”

“He looks like a stranger. Could he be putting up flyers or something?”

“Wasn’t he the one who was talking loudly in the elevator? Mumbling all kinds of nonsense, I thought there were several people, but it turned out it was just him.”

The two old men, relying on their age, became more and more audacious in their remarks.

Ling Chen was just about to leave the building when he suddenly stopped.

He turned around, his eyes staring directly at the two old men in the elevator. His face was devoid of expression.

The two men felt uneasy under his gaze, and the squinting-eyed man blurted out, “What are you looking at? Did we say something wrong?”

“You did say something wrong,” Ling Chen said unexpectedly, breaking into a smile. It was like ice melting to reveal warmth, but his words felt like a sharp blade hidden in a spring breeze: “Who told you that there was only one person in the elevator?”

The moment Ling Chen finished speaking, the elevator lights suddenly flashed!

The dim light in the elevator turned on to its maximum brightness, then immediately went out, flickering several times in just a few seconds. Finally, with a loud “bang,” several of the ceiling lights shattered, and the entire elevator plunged into darkness.

At the same time, the elevator doors slowly closed, and no matter how much the two old men tried to press buttons or pry at the door, they were powerless.

After the doors closed, a few painful screams were heard from inside. After some time, a semi-transparent figure slowly passed through the walls of the elevator.

Ling Chen: “…What did you do to them?”

“Nothing,” He Jinchao raised an eyebrow. “I just turned off the lights. But who told them to scare themselves? Don’t worry, I called for the property management to rescue them. Aren’t I very ‘respectful’ of the elderly?”

Ling Chen pushed open the building’s main door, and the midday sunlight poured in. He raised his hand to shield his eyes, adapting to the light before slowly opening them.

He took a step outside, with He Jinchao floating nearby, eager to take credit. “How was that? Didn’t I cooperate well with you just now?”

Ling Chen asked, “When did you learn to control the lights?”

“Just now,” He Jinchao hummed, his previously suppressed anger flaring up again. “Why did you say such things in the elevator? I was really angry and didn’t know how to control it. Then I felt some energy surging inside me, and that’s when I realized I could control the lights in the elevator.”

Ling Chen remembered that when he had been arguing with He Jinchao earlier, he did feel the lights dimming. He thought it was just his imagination, but now it seemed like it was He Jinchao’s first time using his “ability.”

“You should thank me,” He Jinchao floated in front of Ling Chen, blocking his way. “If I hadn’t taught those two old men a lesson, how would you have been able to argue with both of them?”

Ling Chen took a sharp turn, deliberately avoiding He Jinchao. “Why don’t you thank me? If I hadn’t set the stage for you, you wouldn’t have awakened your ‘mischievous’ abilities.”

“‘Mischievous’? That’s way too harsh.”

“Isn’t that exactly what it is?” Ling Chen clicked his tongue, dismissing it. “The elevator ghost shadows are the most basic horror movie trope. Break a light bulb, close the elevator doors, scare some passersby… I watch these kinds of movies as my bedtime routine when I’m on night shifts.”

“Fine, Ling Chen, you’d better watch out,” He Jinchao said with a forced laugh. “Tonight, when we go to your house, let’s see if I’ll make all your lights stay on all night.”

“Ah, I’m so scared,” Ling Chen said dryly. “I didn’t expect the big movie star to be so smart. You can even help me control all the appliances in the house. From now on, when I get home, I won’t have to search for the remote control everywhere. I can just call your name: ‘Xiao Chao, Xiao Chao, turn on the lights, turn on the air conditioner, turn on the dehumidifier…’ Everything will be solved effortlessly.”

He Jinchao: “……”

As they bickered back and forth, they walked out of the Xingfuli community. Ling Chen specially wore a pair of wireless headphones so that even if others saw him “talking,” they would think he was just on a call.

The next bus back to the mountain was still two hours away. Ling Chen glanced around and pointed to the coffee shop across the street. “Big star, the coffee shop you’ve been thinking about is here.”

It was a very famous chain coffee shop called “Cold Winter Coffee.” Unlike the cheap 9.9 yuan coffee shops all over the streets, this one focused on premium coffee and a book bar, typically located in large shopping districts or across from universities.

The shop’s decor was simple yet elegant, with three glass walls that created a transparent and clean atmosphere. Ling Chen ordered a regular iced Americano, intending to sit inside to enjoy the air conditioning. But when he saw that all the customers were immersed in their reading, he worried that his conversation with He Jinchao might disturb them, so he decided to sit outside in the open area with his coffee.

It was noon, and there were no other customers outside except for them. The umbrella stood straight up, casting a circle of shade on the table. The owner had used a circle of potted plants as a divider to enclose the outdoor area, neatly separating it from the surrounding pedestrian street.

Ling Chen helped He Jinchao pull out the chair, sat across from him, and then pushed the coffee in front of the man.

He Jinchao asked, “Aren’t you going to drink it?”

Ling Chen had bought a bottle of iced mineral water for himself. He unscrewed the cap and gulped down half the bottle before speaking. “I don’t really like coffee. You’ve been pestering me since yesterday to offer you one, so I bought it. If you don’t drink it, I’ll have to waste it.”

He Jinchao stared at the coffee for a while, his gaze flickering, his brows furrowed, looking as though he was putting in some effort. Unfortunately, he soon gave up. “How am I supposed to drink it in this condition?”

“Don’t ask me about ghost things,” Ling Chen was also confused. “But from the ghost sleep-aid movies I’ve watched, ghosts’ powers have several stages. Level 1 can control lights; Level 2 can move objects remotely. For example, those who offer drinks to little ghosts to grant wishes, as long as you insert a straw, the drink will drip out from the straw, one drop at a time…”

He Jinchao interrupted him: “I thought ‘siphon effect’ was basic science knowledge for anyone who’s been to middle school.”

Ling Chen pushed the coffee a little further, his tone serious: “Mr. He, please don’t talk about science when discussing superstitions, and don’t talk about superstitions when discussing science, okay?”

He Jinchao: “……”

The coffee was a dilemma: those who wanted to drink it couldn’t, and those who could drink it didn’t want to.

The two stared at the coffee in a daze. Suddenly, Ling Chen “eh”-ed and looked He Jinchao up and down, his tone hesitant as he asked, “Did you… darken?”

He Jinchao froze, looking down at his hand. As Ling Chen said, his body had indeed solidified a lot more than before!

Over the past few days of turning into a ghost, He Jinchao had gradually gotten used to his semi-transparent body. But now, his body actually had color! He tried to hold his hand in front of the coffee cup and was surprised to find he could no longer see the cup clearly.

It was like a photo with 40% transparency suddenly changed to 60%!

The cause of this change was most likely He Jinchao’s punishment of the two gossiping old men in the elevator.

“…So it’s really a ghost,” Ling Chen murmured. “The more the ghost causes trouble, the stronger it gets.”

He Jinchao thought for a moment. “Does that mean if I do enough bad things, I can regain a full body?”

Hearing this, Ling Chen immediately became alert. “Bad things? What kind of bad things are you planning to do?”

He Jinchao lowered his head in contemplation. He had a strange little habit where his left index finger would slide along his nose when thinking, as though there were an invisible pair of glasses perched there.

Finally, he got the answer to his question.

The man looked up at Ling Chen across the table, suddenly breaking into a smile, like a peacock spreading its feathers, and shamelessly released his charm: “For example…(sucking someone’s energy?)”

Ling Chen: “…………Xiao Chao Xiao Chao, power off, go offline, quickly shut down.”

He nearly wanted to slam the coffee over the head of this narcissistic ghost.

Ling Chen was rolling his eyes, about to say something, when suddenly he felt something fluffy and warm brush his ankle. He jumped up from his seat, startled.

“Is there a mouse—ah?” He bent down to look, but it wasn’t a mouse at all. It was actually a fluffy hamster!

The hamster was incredibly cute, with yellow and white fur and natural curls. It was about the size of a grown man’s fist when curled up, and its small, dark eyes looked like a character from a cartoon.

What was even cuter was that it was wearing a little floral vest, suggesting its owner had taken good care of it. However, it had somehow ended up wandering into the coffee shop alone.

Ling Chen had no idea how to catch a hamster. He clumsily cupped it in his palm, afraid of squeezing it too hard. Fortunately, the little hamster had a gentle temperament and didn’t struggle, instead curling up obediently.

He Jinchao was even more surprised than Ling Chen. “Where did this mouse come from?”

Ling Chen: “What mouse? This is a pet hamster.”

He Jinchao: “It doesn’t look any different from a normal mouse, just fatter, more fur, oh, and no tail.”

Ling Chen poked the hamster’s head, feeling his finger sink into a fluffy cotton-like ball. “It probably got lost from its owner. It’s been raised so well, the owner must be really worried.”

Just as Ling Chen was playing with the hamster, wondering if it had any collar or tag, He Jinchao suddenly turned his head to look across the street at the community entrance. “Someone’s waving at you over there.”

Ling Chen followed He Jinchao’s pointing finger and saw a young man waving at him energetically. As soon as the light turned green, the young man rushed over, out of breath.

He looked about the same age as Ling Chen, with messy curly hair almost covering his eyes. He looked like he had the same hairstyle as the hamster in Ling Chen’s hand. Though tall, he hunched his back, lacking confidence as he spoke. His loose T-shirt had a Pikachu design, and he wore flip-flops, exuding an awkward vibe.

“Is this your hamster?” Ling Chen asked.

“Yes, yes!” The young man hurriedly nodded, reaching for the hamster but first rubbing his hands on his shirt, worried about getting it dirty. He then carefully took the little creature from Ling Chen’s hand.

The hamster, sensing its owner’s familiar scent, quickly climbed up his arm and perched on his shoulder, both owner and pet looking perfectly in sync.

The young man was sweating profusely and spoke in a jumbled manner. “When I went out to get the takeout, little Chaicha Wan slipped out through the door. I searched everywhere for it, even turned over the wild cat dens in our community, worried it’d get taken by a wild cat as food.”

He thanked Ling Chen profusely, his gratitude spinning in circles like a broken record.

“Turns out this little mouse even has a name.” He Jinchao teased from the side, “What’s with the ‘Xiao Chaicha Wan’? I’ve only heard of ‘Xiao Chaihu Wan.'”

The young man shyly scratched his head: “I like watching anime and playing games, and ‘Chaicha Wan’ is from a character I like in a game. ‘Chaihu Wan’ is a type of Chinese medicine, so these two have nothing to do with each other.”

Unexpectedly, after he said this, there was a moment of silence.

“……”

The young man tilted his head, the heavy bangs covering most of his vision, making it hard to see the expressions of the two kind-hearted people.

“Uh, what’s wrong?”

Both spoke at the same time.

He Jinchao: “Can you see me???”

Ling Chen: “Can you hear him speak???”

The young man: “…………”

Once again, they spoke in unison.

He Jinchao: “Are you the ‘Great Witch’ of this generation?”

Ling Chen: “I’m a staff member from xx Funeral Home, specially here to find you!”

The young man: “…………”

The young man’s expression seemed to freeze.

He blinked awkwardly, shifting his gaze from Ling Chen to He Jinchao, then from He Jinchao back to Lingchen…

Then, he slowly stepped back, one step, two steps, three steps, until he was out of a safe range, and the next moment, quickly turned around—fleeing in panic.

“Help!!!” The young ‘Great Witch’ ran off with his hamster, “There’s a ghost here ahhhhhhhhhh!!!”