Ghost Stories Series 10

Chapter 18

Chang Xiao took out a delicate little mirror from inside his clothes, waved his hand and chanted an incantation. Wang Qingshan's image appeared in the mirror, only his clothes were different. He looked extremely wealthy and powerful.

"What is this?" Wang Qingshan asked.

“This is what you looked like in your past life. Keep watching and you’ll understand,” Chang said with a smile.

In the mirror, Wang Qingshan swaggered down the street, arrogant and overbearing. Just then, a blind beggar by the roadside heard someone passing by and hurriedly grabbed the hem of his clothes, saying, "Have pity on me, my child hasn't eaten all day..."

Wang Qingshan kicked the beggar and said, "You old geezer! You dare to grab my clothes! And you've gotten such a big stain on them?! You lick them clean for me..."

The beggar trembled with fear: "Grandpa, please don't hold a grudge against a blind man like me..." Before he could finish speaking, Wang Qingshan kicked him again.

"Chang Xiao, I understand! I don't want to look anymore!" Wang Qingshan looked away from the mirror, unable to accept that he had been such a scoundrel in his past life.

Chang Xiao said, "I showed you your past life just to make you understand that Heaven will never let someone suffer for no reason; everything is earned through good deeds."

“I know you are not inherently evil, and you have extremely high comprehension. I only hope that you will not harm the world in the future, okay?” Ling’er said.

"I swear, I will never harm any living being on earth!" After saying this, he knelt down in front of everyone! Cai Meng and Shiba quickly helped him up.

"Thank you both for not pursuing my mistakes any further. I wish to return to Wutai Mountain and continue staying there," Wang Qingshan said, looking at the crowd.

"Alright, remember your vow," Ling'er instructed.

Wang Qingshan nodded, bowed deeply to everyone, and turned to walk outside.

Ling'er ran up to Elder Tianxing and tugged at his sleeve, saying, "Uncle-Master, you're the best person in the world! Please don't tell my master about us letting Wang Qingshan go, okay? Otherwise, he'll scold me again."

"It's good, but Ling'er, look, it's almost autumn now, the wind will get stronger, and I'll get cold when it's windy..." Elder Tianxing looked very smug.

"Speak! What do you want!" Ling'er waved her hand with a headache. She knew that her martial uncle was a formidable character and would never miss an opportunity to extort her.

"That's not good, making you younger generation spend money... But then again, aren't you always working part-time? I heard you've earned quite a bit, that new Nike hat is really nice, and not too expensive..." Elder Tianxing said with a smile.

"Does it have to be NIKE?? It's so expensive! You're really brand-conscious!" Ling'er pouted, dissatisfied.

When Chang Xiao heard that Ling'er also had to work part-time, she asked, "Where do you work part-time? I didn't know. Is it tiring?"

Hu Yidao: "Of course she's not tired! She has a side job, and she's really good at it, catching wanted criminals and stuff!"

Chang Xiao looked at Ling'er with confusion: "A wanted criminal by the state?"

"No, some people's bodies have long been possessed by demons. They just wear human skin and go around doing evil. Ordinary force can't solve the problem, so I arrested some of them," Ling'er said.

"Oh, I see!" Chang Xiao smiled.

Cai Meng then remembered that Ling'er and the others had saved his life, so he said, "Senior Sister, thank you so much for saving my life! I'll treat you to KFC tomorrow."

Ling'er smiled and said, "You've thanked the wrong person this time. If you want to thank someone, you should thank the Wolf King and Chang Xiao, and of course, your master! I haven't done anything. But you're a man of your word, and you can't go back on your promise! Remember to meet me at the KFC across from my school at 12:30 tomorrow noon!"

Cai Meng bowed and said, "Yes! Senior Sister, how could I not obey!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Hu Yi tugged at Ling'er's sleeve and said solemnly, "Quick! Lend me some money right away. I need to buy some clothes, and give me all your cosmetics too. Look at my dark circles under my eyes, they look awful from that stupid bear's beating. How can I face my Qingqingcao?"

Elder Tianxing said, "No way, little fox? You really want to meet Qingqingcao? Don't you know there are no beautiful women online these days?" He seemed very knowledgeable about this.

"No, my Green Grass told me she's very beautiful!" Hu Yi looked at the computer with deep affection, and even blushed.

Ling'er was so disgusted she couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Don't stop him, let him go!"

Chang Xiao and the Wolf King nodded, probably also trying their best to hold back from vomiting! Cai Meng and Elder Tianxing, on the other hand, had expressions that said, "You'll regret this," and were just waiting to see them make a fool of themselves! As for Eighteen, let's not even mention him; he actually fell asleep sitting on the bed! Note that he was sitting on the bed, not lying down!

Hu Yi took Ling'er's makeup bag and left the dormitory. As she closed the door, she even gave everyone a sweet smile! Just like a bride getting into her bridal sedan chair! Oh my god! Everyone finally couldn't hold back anymore and started vomiting!

Elder Tianxing said, "Since there's nothing else, Mengmeng and I will be leaving now. We're going to Wutai Mountain for a trip!"

Ling'er hurriedly nodded and said, "Okay, okay~ Wutai Mountain must be so much fun now." Hehe, he actually forgot about knocking on her.

"Then Mengmeng and I will set off tonight! See you later!" Ling'er was so happy she couldn't express it in words! "By the way, Ling'er, this is a hotel I booked near Wutai Mountain. Remember, I need to see my hat within five days! Otherwise, I'll have to catch up with my senior brother, your master~"

"Fine!" Ling'er gritted her teeth and glared at Elder Tianxing! She watched the two leave the room and said, "Don't bother seeing me out!" Hmph! So old! Yet their memory hasn't declined at all!

Chang Xiao placed the blue tear in Ling'er's hand and said, "You can keep this for now. It will protect you along with that little jade pendant!"

Ling'er looked at Lan Lei and said, "Now that you have time, can you tell me who Lan Lei is?" She felt that she had asked at least ten times, but she had never received an answer.

The Wolf King said, "I'm leaving now. As for him," he said, pointing to the loudly snoring Eighteenth, "you should get rid of him. I'll arrange a place for him to stay."

Chang smiled and said, "Well, I'll stay for a while before going back. Ling'er has been made such a mess by Hu Yi and Shiba, I'll help him tidy up."

Only Chang Xiao and Ling'er remained in the dormitory. "Can you tell me now?" Ling'er pressed, feeling that she should have some connection with Lan Lei, but she couldn't remember.

"Blue Tears has the power to bring the dead back to life, you know that too."

“I know, but why would it save someone? A dagger…” Ling’er asked, puzzled.

"It's not an ordinary dagger. To give you an analogy, it's like a person who's sick and needs an IV drip. Cai Meng, who lost his soul at the time, was the patient, and that soul was like the medicine. Blue Tears was the tube through which the fluid was administered, do you understand?"

Ling'er nodded and said, "I understand, but my martial uncles just said that there are three types of people Blue Tears can't save, just like Wang Qingshan. What are those three types?"

“One type is a severely injured corpse, another is someone whose heart is dead, and then…” Chang Xiao closed his eyes, as if in great pain, “and then there’s a pregnant woman! Blue Tears can’t help these three types!” Ling’er looked at Chang Xiao and reached out to smooth his furrowed brow: “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Chang Xiao nodded. She said, “In that case, why don’t you go back first today? Tell me when you feel better, okay?”

"I'm fine. Your room is still such a mess, let me help you tidy it up." Ling'er said with a smile, "Tidying up isn't your job, I can do it myself. You've worked hard these past few days because of me, I feel a little bad about it! Oh no! I forgot something."

Chang Xiao, thinking something was wrong, hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? Is it important?"

Ling'er said resentfully, "Those two, master and disciple, are really cunning! Mengmeng is gone, who's going to treat me to KFC tomorrow?"

Upon hearing this, Chang Xiao burst into laughter, saying, "What did I mean? Oh, it's like this! Of course, it's me who will complete the task for Mengmeng tomorrow!"

(4) Black magic

Ling'er lay in bed, the Blue Tear dagger beside her pillow, still emitting a faint blue glow. Ling'er knew this dagger was far more complex than Chang Xiao had described. She desperately wanted to know more, but for some reason, she felt an inexplicable resistance to knowing anything. Had the Blue Tear brought her some pain? Never mind, she thought. Ling'er closed her eyes; these past few days had truly been exhausting.

"Are you really determined to leave?" A woman stood against the wind at the edge of the cliff, as if a stronger wind could blow her off the cliff, because she was so haggard and thin.

"sorry……"

"Don't say sorry! I just wanted to know if you wouldn't stay no matter what..." The woman seemed somewhat calmer. Her calm eyes gazed at a man.

"Listen to me..." The man's troubled expression burned the woman's heart. Was it really going to be so difficult for him?

"You don't need to say anything, I already know." Tears finally streamed down the woman's face, each drop hitting her clothes. "So you're finally going to abandon me and the child..."

"What did you say?" The man stared at the woman in shock.

"Take care..." The woman leaned back, blooming like a flower petal in the wind, but she disappeared so quickly.

"No..." The man's heart-wrenching cry echoed throughout the valley, but could the woman hear it...?

Ling'er sat up abruptly, touched the corner of her eye, and found it was wet. It turned out everything was just a dream; no one jumped off the cliff, and no one was heartbroken.

It was already daylight. Ling'er checked her phone. Oh my god! It was already 11 o'clock. She checked the date again. Good heavens! Today was the legendary day for students to return to school?! So she quickly got dressed, washed up, and prepared to go out.

"No..." A man's heart-wrenching voice echoed throughout the dormitory. Ling'er looked in the direction of the sound and saw that it was Hu Yi!

"What's wrong with you? You've actually been drinking? Aren't you afraid your true colors will be revealed?" Ling'er had never seen Hu Yi so down on his luck, and she couldn't help but worry. She snatched the bottle from his hand.

"Don't worry about me, I want to drink more..." Hu Yi waved away Ling'er's hand that was supporting him.

"Okay, okay! You can drink it, but you have to tell me what happened, okay?" Ling'er patted Hu Yi's head like she was coaxing a child.

"Green Grass actually..." Before she could finish speaking, Hu Yi's tears started flowing again, washing away the makeup on her face and revealing dark circles under her eyes. Ling'er tried her best to control herself from laughing. After all, Hu Yi was heartbroken right now.

"What happened...? Is she a dinosaur? Oh well, it's nothing. A person's appearance isn't important. What matters is their heart. If you really like her, what does it matter if she's a little bit like that? Right? Okay, stop crying, Hu Yi. If it really doesn't work out, I'll work part-time a few more times and earn some money to take your Qingqingcao to get plastic surgery..." Ling'er said patiently.

"But... but what if Qingqingcao is an old man in his sixties? How are you going to take him for plastic surgery..." Hu Yi's snot and tears flowed down his face.

"What?! You're saying Green Grass is an old man... Are you kidding me?!"

"My first love..." Hu Yi reached out and snatched the wine bottle away.

Ling'er placed the sleeping Hu Yi on her bed, then set up a protective barrier on the bed before leaving the dormitory to register at the student registration office. As soon as she went downstairs, she saw Chang Xiao waiting there and asked, "Why are you here?"

"I'll wait for you to go register together. Why are you so late?" Chang said with a smile.

"It's Hu Yi again! He's really pitiful! Sigh!" Ling'er thought about how painful Hu Yi looked just now and felt a little uncomfortable.

"What's wrong? Is Hu Yi in some trouble? Can I help?" Chang asked with a smile.

"No one can help him! No one can help him! Who told him that the green grass he loves is an old man in his sixties?" Ling'er couldn't help but laugh when she thought of this.

"What??" Chang Xiao also laughed exaggeratedly.

Just then, they saw a group of people gathered downstairs at the teachers' dormitory, and police officers were pointing and gesturing. Chang Xiao knew something had happened, so she pulled Ling'er over. Several people were carrying a stretcher out of the building; the white sheet covering the stretcher was stained crimson with blood. Ling'er quickly asked a classmate beside her, "What happened? What's wrong?"

The man said, "Oh dear! This morning someone found Teacher Zhang dead in his dormitory! How terrifying! What's wrong with the school? We were just calm for a few days and then this happened!"

Ling'er didn't hear what the man had said before walking towards the stairwell with Chang Xiao. Many students, seeing the body being carried out, wanted to get a closer look, causing the police to scramble to maintain order. Ling'er carefully examined the white sheet; the shape of the blood was exactly the shape of a person. At this moment, Chang Xiao said, "Let's go, this person is definitely beyond saving!" Ling'er said, "I want to see how he died." So she silently recited the Gentle Breeze Spell, and a gust of wind blew, lifting the white sheet. Ling'er gasped in horror; the teacher was covered in blood, as if blood was gushing from every pore. This scene reminded Ling'er of the Blood Breaking Spell. The surrounding students were horrified by the gruesome scene. Those who had been rushing to get closer retreated, while those at the back, unaware of what was happening, still tried to get closer, resulting in a chaotic situation. Chang Xiao pulled Ling'er back quickly.

The two stopped in front of a bamboo grove. Ling'er said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know it would be this scary, otherwise I wouldn't have used the Gentle Breeze Spell..."

"Never mind, it's already like this anyway." Chang Xiao pulled her to sit on the stone bench.

"I'm so curious, why does this teacher's death look so much like the Blood Breaking Curse? But ordinary people can't use the Blood Breaking Curse!" Ling'er frowned.

"Blood Break Curse?" Chang Xiao asked, lighting a cigarette.

"Do you smoke? I had no idea." Ling'er did not answer his question.

"When I'm upset, a cigarette makes me feel much better. How much do you really know about your Hunter Group?" Chang Xiao couldn't help but ask.

"What's wrong?" Ling'er asked, puzzled as to why he was asking her that.

"The Hunter Group is a global organization. It is composed of Chinese martial arts and magic, Japanese ninjutsu, Native American natural forces, and European black and white magic, among others. The Blood Breaking Curse you mentioned originates from Thai black magic."

"You said the Blood Breaking Curse originated in Thailand?" Ling'er asked, somewhat incredulous.

“Yes. The Hunter Group aims to eradicate evil forces in the world, which is a good intention. However, some local forces do not accept this, so wars break out. The Hunter Group has to go through a baptism of blood and tears to establish itself in every place.” Chang Xiao lightly flicked his cigarette ash.

"This is so complicated. Do you need my help?"

"No, as you know, there's always been a problem between me and the hunters... Besides, they don't want me to get involved."

Ling'er was somewhat disappointed, so she nodded and said nothing more.

"By the way, Ling'er, I've already arranged for Hu Yi and Shiba to stay at school. They're freshmen now. That way, they can help take care of you when I'm not around. That Shiba guy, he's secretly declared you his master." Chang Xiaoxiao said with a smile.

"Huh? Don't I already have Hu Yi? How can he acknowledge me as his master without my consent?" She was worried that this would be detrimental to Hu Yi.

"Don't worry. Since obtaining the Three Treasures, Shi Ba can be said to no longer be a demon, unlike Hu Yi. The Hunter Group stipulates that you can only take one demon servant, but there is no rule that you cannot take immortal servants at the same time as taking demon servants!" Chang Xiao explained.

"What? You're saying Eighteen is a celestial servant? Is he really that powerful?" Ling'er was a little incredulous.

“Of course. It’s just that his power hasn’t been fully unleashed yet because no one is guiding him.” Chang Xiao stood up. “We’re going to register. I might have to go out later. Be careful.”

Ling'er asked, "Where are you going?" Chang Xiao replied, "You'll find out when the time comes."