Идеальная жизнь в династии Сун

Глава 6

"When the moonlight completely disappeared and the sky was pitch black, we quickly opened the window. A gust of cold wind swept out, and the room temperature immediately returned to normal. A moment later, the cold wind swept in from outside, and the temperature dropped again. At the same time, there was a noise from the copper basin under the bed. I immediately crawled under the bed and pulled the basin out. As soon as I pulled the basin, I felt something was wrong, because the basin only contained forty-nine ingots made of folded banknotes, which shouldn't be very heavy. But at this moment, it felt like it was full of things, and it was quite difficult to pull it out."

"After the copper basin was pulled out, the red paper pasted on it gradually bulged up and soon cracked. At the moment the red paper cracked, my husband and I were stunned, because what caused the red paper to crack was stacks of hundred-yuan bills, and these bills were still pouring up..."

Mr. He and his wife claimed to have obtained nearly ten million RMB from a "treasure bowl." The next day, a bank near their residence discovered that nearly ten million RMB was missing from its vault. Although Mr. He repeatedly claimed that he did not steal the bank's banknotes and that it was impossible for him to steal them without anyone noticing, firstly, the claim of a wealth-attracting technique was unconvincing; secondly, we could not find the altar of the homeless man who supposedly taught him the technique; and thirdly, all the banknotes they claimed to have obtained from the "treasure bowl" were sealed with the bank's seal. Therefore, the couple was ultimately convicted and imprisoned.

On the day Mr. He and his wife were imprisoned, their son inexplicably received a huge remittance, and the remitter's name was "Zhao Xuantan".

Just as I was wondering who this "Zhao Xuantan" was, the Heavenly Book said, "He is the God of Wealth! Legend has it that the God of Wealth Zhao Gongming was appointed as the 'Marshal of the Orthodox Unity Mysterious Altar' by the Jade Emperor, so he is respectfully called 'Zhao Xuantan'."

Did Mr. He really encounter the God of Wealth and receive the "Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth" technique from him? Even if that were the case, the money he "transported" from the bank vault was still theft, only the method he used was extremely bizarre.

[End of File 11]

Chapter 18 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

Chapter 18 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

The Twelve Evil Ghosts Files

Author: Seeking No Desire

First published on: Tianya Ghost Stories (Reposting should be done responsibly)

"The stock market crash of 1997 almost bankrupted me. If it weren't for a friend suggesting I raise ghost children, I probably would have gone bankrupt long ago. But... I never expected things to turn out like this..." The speaker was a Hong Kong businessman surnamed He, who was suspected of killing his wife, who was two months pregnant, resulting in the deaths of both mother and child.

"The early 1990s were a golden age. Back then, as long as you were even slightly clever, you never had to worry about money. I ate abalone, sea cucumber, and shark fin almost every day, living a life of debauchery every night. I didn't care about the price of anything I bought; I just pulled out my credit card. Those glorious years of extravagant spending, those dreamlike and wonderful times, are truly unforgettable. Unfortunately, the moment I awoke from that dream was like falling into the abyss of hell..."

"The stock market crash of 1997 turned me into a debtor overnight. My house, my car, everything I owned became debt. The shift from heaven to hell dealt me a heavy blow, leaving me utterly despondent. At that time, the only thing I could do was file for bankruptcy. However, for someone accustomed to extravagance, life after bankruptcy was simply a nightmare. I could only take the bus, eat the worst food, and could only go to entertainment venues in my dreams."

"I really can't imagine how long I could endure this before I went crazy. Rather than living a wretched life, I would rather die, so I chose to jump off the building. Sitting on the rooftop of the building, looking down at this bustling city, watching the pitiful people struggling to make a living like ants, I suddenly felt very happy, because with just a light jump, I would no longer have any worries or pain."

"Before leaving, I took out my phone to say goodbye to all my relatives and friends. They all advised me not to do anything foolish, but when I asked them what they could do to help me, they all fell silent. I dialed number after number, only to hear the same formulaic advice, until I called a friend who was also facing bankruptcy, and that's when things started to change."

“My friend was in Malaysia when he answered the phone. He told me not to rush into suicide, that there was still a chance. I thought he was just trying to comfort me, so I said what chance there could be, unless I won the lottery jackpot. He said that although he couldn't let me win the jackpot, he could 'borrow' some money from Mr. Ho to tide me over. I knew he wanted me to go to Macau to gamble. I thought that since things had already come to this, what was wrong with borrowing two or three hundred thousand from loan sharks and going all in?”

"So I asked him if he wanted to go to Macau with me. He said not to rush, going to Macau now would only give money to Mr. Ho, and told me to come to Malaysia first and then go to Macau. I asked him what he would do there? He said he found a sorcerer there who could raise ghost children for people. With the help of the ghost children, the casino would be no different from an ATM."

"Although I was skeptical of what he said, I was already planning to jump off the building, so I didn't think much about it. I took all the cash with me, borrowed some money from a finance company, and flew to Malaysia that night."

“My friend had already made all the preparations in Malaysia. As soon as I arrived, he took me to see a sorcerer. It turned out that the sorcerer he was talking about wasn’t just one, but a large group, probably about twenty people. The sorcerer who received us was a man in his forties. My friend had already explained my purpose to me beforehand, so he only asked me what kind of ghost child I wanted to raise.”

"It turns out there are many kinds of ghost children, but the most common one is the 'oil ghost child.' The oil ghost child is made by extracting the corpse oil from the chin of a child who died before the age of ten. The corpse oil is poured into a small coffin, and a small wooden doll is placed inside the coffin. After performing a ritual, the corpse oil and the doll are placed in a glass bottle. The worshipper only needs to drip a drop of blood on the doll's head and then take the whole glass bottle home to worship, and everything will go smoothly and wealth will be abundant."

"For the average businessperson, keeping a pet dog is a good choice, because although pet dogs are a bit naughty, they are usually very obedient. Unless the owner often breaks their promises, they will not rebel. However, although keeping a pet dog is not dangerous, its abilities are also very limited. For me at the time, it was too far away to help me in my immediate crisis, so like my friend, I chose to keep a 'mischievous ghost dog'."

"The most powerful of all ghost children is the Evil Ghost Child, whose magic is far stronger than that of the Oil Ghost Child. To create an Evil Ghost Child, you first need to find the corpse of an infant who died in the womb or died unexpectedly less than three days after birth. First, soak it in a medicinal solution, then dry it with a strong fire, then mold it in brass, and finally consecrate it for forty-nine days with incantations. The completed Evil Ghost Child is only the size of a palm, and its appearance is no different from that of an ordinary small bronze statue. You can't tell at all that it is a mummified infant corpse inside."

"With the help of a sorcerer, my friend and I each made offerings to a malevolent spirit and took two bronze statues back to Hong Kong. However, these two palm-sized bronze statues almost drained all the cash we had on us."

"After returning to Hong Kong, I was immediately pursued by people from a finance company for debt, and my friend was in a similar situation. After finally shaking off those thugs, we rushed to Macau. In the casino, we didn't have to worry about being penniless because there were plenty of loan sharks there; you could get the money just by signing an IOU."

"The evil spirits were really powerful. My friend and I went to gamble on big and small, and we almost always won big and small. Before long, we each won millions, which made the casino staff think we were cheating. They 'invited' us to the security room to search us. Although they found bronze statues on us, we said that the statues were lucky charms that had been blessed by a high monk. They couldn't find anything wrong with the statues, so they gave us some meal vouchers and other things and told us to 'rest' for a while."

"To put it nicely, they were telling us to take a break, but in reality, they were just kicking us out. Although I was a little resentful, my friend said that we had already won a lot of money, and if we stayed in the casino any longer, we would definitely be targeted by some thugs, and we might end up winning money but not leaving alive. So, after paying off the loan sharks, we immediately took a boat back to Hong Kong."

"The finance company was quite efficient; they found me not long after I disembarked. But it didn't matter, I had money anyway. A few million wasn't a small amount, but it wasn't a huge amount either. After settling all my debts, I only had about a million left. Although I wanted to try my luck in Macau, gambling brings only windfall gains. Before I left Malaysia, the sorcerer told me that the more windfall gains one has, the shorter one's life becomes, especially windfall gains obtained through evil spirits. The more one gains, the easier it is to attract death. So, I took this million to the mainland to partner with someone in business and earn money steadily. Thanks to the help of evil spirits, everything has gone smoothly for the past ten years. My business has been thriving, and my life is not much worse than before 1997."

“I’m over forty now, and I have everything I need except a home, so I got married. My wife is great in every way, but she’s very timid. She knows I’m keeping a malevolent spirit in the house, so she’s always on edge. And the malevolent spirit seems to really enjoy teasing her. Whenever I come home late, it makes noises in the unlit rooms, scaring her so much that she turns on all the lights before it gets dark.”

Chapter 19 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

Chapter 19 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

"The evil spirit often hid my wife's jewelry, underwear, cosmetics, and other things, usually under the bed. If she crawled under the bed to look for them, it would make noises to scare her. Later, it even appeared in her dreams, often waking her up in the middle of the night."

"Although the evil spirit would often play with me like this when I lived alone before, and sometimes it would make requests of me in my dreams, such as buying it toys or some delicious food. In my dreams, it was a baby with a ragged face, which looked really scary, but I was already used to it, and I knew that as long as I met its requests, it wouldn't harm me. So, I wasn't afraid of it."

"But my wife couldn't stand it; she was constantly terrified and became neurotic. Later, she got pregnant, and for the sake of the child, I decided to get rid of it. Besides, my career was booming, and I no longer needed the evil spirit's help."

"Because I was busy managing my business, I couldn't go to Malaysia in person, so I had to ask a trusted confidant to do it for me. That day, I personally handed the bronze statue to this confidant and asked him to take it to Malaysia. Shortly after he left, I received news that he had been hospitalized due to a traffic accident. When I arrived at the hospital, he had already passed away."

"I returned home with a heavy heart and found that the bronze statue was still in the same place, which terrified me. So I decided to take the statue to Malaysia the next day to find a sorcerer to put it in place. That night, I was too scared to sleep at home, so my wife and I stayed in a hotel. In the middle of the night, I saw the evil spirit sitting on the edge of the bed, howling at me. Tears like blood streamed down its tattered little face and onto the sheets, staining them red."

"The little evil spirit asked me why I didn't want it, was it because it was disobedient? I said it was very well-behaved, but Auntie was afraid of it, so she wanted to send it to the sorcerer. After hearing what I said, it stopped crying and smiled, saying that if Auntie wasn't around, it wouldn't have to leave. I nodded, and it immediately pounced on my sleeping wife, opening its small mouth to a size larger than its face, revealing sharp fangs of varying lengths, and bit down on her neck. I tried to pull it away, but as soon as I touched its body, it disappeared, and my hands suddenly became uncontrollable, gripping my wife's neck tightly."

"My wife woke up with a start, her eyes wide with panic as she looked at me. She tried to speak, but couldn't; her tongue kept sticking out, and her face gradually turned pale..."

Although Mr. He repeatedly emphasized that he was controlled by an evil spirit and strangled his wife, the fact remains that he killed his pregnant wife and therefore must be punished by law.

I asked the Heavenly Book for her opinion on this case, and she said, "The evil spirit child is the king of all spirit children. Because they cannot descend to the human world, or die young upon their arrival, they harbor immense resentment, making them a hundred times more powerful than ordinary spirit children. If the person who makes offerings to them treats them well, they will receive their secret help, and everything will go smoothly for them. They will even be able to turn misfortune into good fortune when they encounter danger. But if they treat them badly or even abandon them, they will suffer their revenge."

"Mr. He's situation is actually quite fortunate amidst misfortune, because he has been supporting the evil spirit for nearly ten years, and the evil spirit has developed some feelings for him, which is why it possessed him and strangled his wife. Otherwise, the evil spirit might have strangled itself."

As the saying goes, "It's easy to invite a god but hard to send him away." If Mr. He had known he would end up like this, I wonder if he would still have kept evil spirits.

I think he definitely will; people are always greedy.

[End of File Twelve]

Archive Thirteen: Sea Burial

Author: Seeking No Desire

First published on: Tianya Ghost Stories (Reposting should be done responsibly)

“Applying for a legal sea burial from the government requires many complicated procedures and costs a lot. Unless the local government strongly promotes sea burial, it is difficult for ordinary citizens to carry out the procedure even if they want to. Therefore, we secretly operate illegal sea burials…” The speaker was a funeral worker surnamed Chen, commonly known as “Nam Mu Master” or “Nam Mu Lao”. He was the sole survivor of a bizarre maritime disaster.

"Although cremation is now the norm and there is no need to buy a burial plot for ancestors like with traditional burial, it is still necessary to properly dispose of the ashes of ancestors. Generally speaking, not many people are willing to take the ashes of their ancestors home for worship. However, if people choose not to keep the ashes during cremation, then the ashes of their ancestors will be treated as garbage and may eventually end up being mixed into concrete for bridge and road repairs, which would be a great disrespect to their ancestors."

"If you don't want to bring your ancestors' ashes home and don't want them to be disposed of haphazardly by the crematorium staff, you can only buy a memorial tablet in the cemetery. However, the price of a memorial tablet is no less than that of a house. Even a small space can easily cost tens of thousands of yuan. Moreover, after purchasing it, you have to pay a management fee every year, and sometimes you have to pay some inexplicable fees."

"People nowadays are already overwhelmed by housing while they are alive, and they have to worry about finding a place to rest after they die. It's so hard to die even if you want to. As a result, many descendants who can't afford a memorial tablet are turning their attention to sea burial."

"The local government does not promote sea burial like it does in Shanghai and Tianjin, so to have a legal sea burial, you have to go through a series of cumbersome procedures. First you have to go to this department for comments, then you have to go to that department for stamps, and then you have to run around and keep getting comments and stamps. If you don't give a bribe, it's simply impossible to get it done."

"The vast majority of those who want to hold sea burials for their ancestors are ordinary people who have no money or power. If we ask them to apply for a legal sea burial, they might as well buy a memorial tablet, because the money they spend on dealing with government departments is no less than that for buying a memorial tablet. That's why we secretly hold sea burials for these poor people who can't afford to spend a lot of money."

"Those who want to hold sea burials for their ancestors are mostly poor people, so our fees cannot be too high, usually around a thousand or a few hundred. Because the fees are not high, we must try to save costs as much as possible, otherwise we will not only fail to make money, but also incur losses."

"I only hold a sea burial after every six or seven clients, renting a small fishing boat to take us out to sea. Because the boat is small, we can't have too many children attend the ceremony. Usually, only one child can accompany each deceased person. If the client requests more children to accompany them, there's an extra charge. We've held more than ten sea burials before, and everything went smoothly. I never expected this to happen so soon after Ghost Month began..."

Chapter 20 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

Chapter 20 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

"It was early morning in early July of the lunar calendar. Because sea burials must be held before sunrise or sunset, we prepared everything very early. Around four or five o'clock, another monk, Lao Jiang, and I led seven sons, each carrying an urn containing the ashes of their ancestors, onto the boat. It was a rather dilapidated small fishing boat. Since we weren't preparing for a celebratory event and the price we paid was relatively low, we could only rent this run-down boat. However, although the boat looked very old, it was quite stable when sailing, at least it hadn't had any accidents before."

"Before dawn, the fishing boat set sail because the location for our sea burial was quite far from the port, so we had to leave very early. While the fishing boat was sailing, Lao Jiang and I chanted sutras for our ancestors who were to be buried at sea. Although we couldn't set up an altar and perform a real ritual for them on the boat, firstly, these filial sons didn't really understand these things, and secondly, they couldn't afford the fees for setting up an altar and performing a ritual. Sea burial was just a way to make them feel more at ease."

"When we set sail, the weather was pretty good, and the waves weren't too big. However, the fishing boat was really too small, and even a small wave would make the boat rock constantly. Old Jiang and I had been on this boat more than ten times, so we were used to it and didn't feel uncomfortable. But the seven filial sons couldn't stand it, and two of them kept vomiting."

"About an hour later, the fishing boat sailed to a relatively calm area of the sea. This is not a fishing area, and few boats usually pass through here, so it is not easy to be discovered when we hold a sea burial here. After all, the sea burial we are about to hold has not been approved by the government."

"When the fishing boat stopped, the sun was just rising where the sea met the sky, the best time for a sea burial. So Lao Jiang and I brought the bereaved son to the deck, burned incense and chanted scriptures as usual, and then had the son put paper offerings and paper money into the brazier to burn. Then, one by one, they stood on the edge of the boat and scattered flower petals and the ashes of their ancestors into the sea. That was how the sea burial ceremony was completed. Although the ceremony was very simple, even a bit casual, the low price only resulted in rudimentary service."

"When the first two sons scattered the ashes, nothing unusual happened. But when the third son did, a strange gust of wind suddenly blew by, and the boat rocked violently. The son lost his footing and fell into the sea. This terrified Lao Jiang and me, and we quickly threw him a lifebuoy. He seemed to know how to swim, and after a few strokes, he grabbed the lifebuoy. Just when I thought it was a close call, he suddenly screamed for help at us in terror, and then, as if pulled by something, he sank and disappeared without a trace."

"This really terrified us. Just as we were about to call the captain and crew for help, the ship started rocking violently again. A crew member rushed onto the deck and threw down four or five life jackets, shouting at us that the cabin was flooding and the ship was about to sink."

"This shout caused an uproar. Everyone rushed over to grab the life jackets. Old Jiang and I were closer to the life jackets, so we were the first to get them. Those who couldn't get them started fighting over them. In the process, the ashes of our ancestors were scattered all over the deck. Faced with a life-or-death situation, the filial piety of these sons had long since vanished. In their fight for the life jackets, they didn't hesitate to trample on the ashes on the deck, which were now indistinguishable from one another."

"The boat rocked more and more violently, which made me suspect that it was not just a simple leak in the cabin. I had just put on my life jacket when I lost my footing and fell into the sea. The same thing happened to everyone else; they all fell into the sea one after another. Not long after, the entire fishing boat sank."

"In the vast ocean, there was no one to help you. Even if you were wearing a life jacket, you weren't guaranteed to make it to shore alive. Just when I didn't know what to do, something even more terrifying happened. People around me screamed for help in terror, and then, as if pulled by something, they sank to the bottom of the sea. Even Lao Jiang, who was wearing a life jacket, disappeared without a trace, just like the other crew members and their sons who were wearing life jackets or holding life rings."

"The scene before me terrified me. Everyone had sunk to the bottom of the sea. Would I be able to get back alive? Suddenly, I felt something grab my left foot, like a hand, and then my right foot was immediately grabbed tightly by another hand. Then, I felt many hands grab my feet and pull me into the sea."

"Like Lao Jiang and the others, I was pulled down all at once. In my terror, the incantation of the 'Purifying Heaven and Earth Mantra' suddenly appeared in my mind, and I subconsciously recited it silently in my heart. As my consciousness began to blur, I felt the hands that were holding my feet loosen, and my body began to float upwards..."

Before the fishing boat sank, the captain sent out a distress signal, which was received by a cargo ship sailing in the nearby waters. However, when the cargo ship arrived at the scene, apart from Mr. Chen, who was already unconscious, no one else was found, and not even the wreckage of the fishing boat was visible.

According to the celestial book, if the deceased did not wish for a sea burial, their soul might not find peace, wandering the waters near the burial site and transforming into a water ghost. Mr. Chen's ordeal was likely due to his ancestors, who had been buried at sea on or before the incident, being dissatisfied with the arrangements made by their descendants, and thus taking their anger out on Mr. Chen and others. Mr. Chen himself had some knowledge of Taoist incantations, and at the most critical moment, he subconsciously recited the "Purifying Heaven and Earth Mantra," which has the effect of exorcising evil spirits, thus escaping the disaster.

[End of File Thirteen]

Files of Fourteen Skin Dolls

Author: Seeking No Desire

First published on: Tianya Ghost Stories (Reposting should be done responsibly)

“Some people like to collect stamps, some like to collect coins, even matchboxes. I enjoy collecting things just like everyone else, it’s just that what I collect is a bit unusual.” The speaker was a stylish urban woman surnamed Luo. She was mature and feminine, exuding an air of aristocratic elegance. She had a respectable job, earning over a million yuan a year, and was adept at investing. Houses and cars were like clothes to her; she could change them whenever she wanted. However, despite her excellent circumstances, she remained single after turning thirty. The reason wasn't that she was unattainable, but rather her unusual hobby—collecting artworks made from human remains.

Miss Luo leisurely lit a cigarette, her every movement elegant, her expression calm, her eyes gleaming with a cool and wise light. However, no matter how she tried to conceal it, I knew she was uneasy, because the cigarette she had lit just a minute earlier was still smoldering in the ashtray. She casually recounted her strange experience: "About three or four years ago, my company sent me to Taiwan to handle some business matters. After finishing my work, Xiao Yao, who was in charge of receiving me, took me to an art exhibition. The exhibition mainly displayed dolls made of human hair. During the visit, I learned from other visitors that there was an old man in Tainan who owned a doll with continuously growing hair. This information intrigued me, and I had plenty of time to go to Tainan."

"It wasn't difficult to find out the whereabouts of the doll, because the doll was somewhat famous locally, and Xiaoyao was born in Tainan, so it didn't take me long to get the old man's address. Although asking Xiaoyao to come to Tainan with me was an excessive request that was beyond her job scope, she was happy to do so because she hadn't been back to Tainan for a while."

"Tainan is a nice place, but unfortunately I didn't have time to stop and appreciate it properly. As soon as we arrived, we rushed to the old man's house. After explaining our purpose, the old man showed us his treasured mysterious doll. It was a Girls' Day doll dressed in a gorgeous court kimono. The workmanship was very exquisite, and it was a rare work of art. Usually, the hair of a Girls' Day doll is tied up, but the hair of this doll is cascading down like a waterfall."

The old man said the dolls were passed down from his maternal grandmother to his mother, and since he had no sisters, they were passed down to him. Originally, the dolls were a complete set, with dozens of them, but the others were lost due to relocation and other reasons. He repeatedly emphasized that his maternal grandmother was Japanese and that he himself had Japanese blood and was also Japanese.

"I wasn't interested in whether the old man was human or Japanese, because I was deeply attracted to the doll in front of me. The old man kept babbling about some pro-Japanese things, and I got annoyed, so I just asked him to name a price and sell me the doll. He said that the doll was passed down from his grandmother and was the best proof that he was Japanese. If he sold the doll, it would be like giving up the glory left to him by his ancestors."

"Although the old man's words were sweet, I still bought the doll for a price that would make him forget the glory of his ancestors. That's how people are; there's nothing they wouldn't sell for money, it's just a matter of price."

Chapter 21 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

Chapter 21 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

"After returning from Taiwan, I placed the doll in my bedroom and checked it every day to see if its hair had grown longer. But six months passed, and the doll's hair remained the same length. Although I was deceived, I didn't regret it because the doll was indeed very exquisite. Even if the hair didn't grow, it would still be a collectible work of art. Moreover, during these six months, I collected many other artworks made from human remains, candlesticks made from skulls, calligraphy and paintings made from human skin, necklaces made from human bones, and many other different artworks."

"I've become increasingly interested in artworks made from human remains, and because of my work, I often travel to different places, so I've been able to collect human body art from all over the world. These artworks are displayed in almost every corner of my house, which makes my friends afraid to visit. They find these artworks terrifying and even fantasize that they are possessed by ghosts, but I'm fascinated by their mysterious artistic feel. If they really were possessed by ghosts or had some incredible aspect, I would be even happier... at least, that's what I thought before I got those two human skin dolls."

"They were a pair of dolls made from human skin and hair, a boy and a girl, who looked like four or five-year-old children, and their size was exactly the same as real people. When I first saw them, I thought they were two living children because their workmanship was so exquisite. They were made from whole human skin and the seams were hidden very well. If the seller hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known that the seams were on the top of their heads."

"The seller said that the dolls were originally a brother and sister, but for some unknown reason they were turned into dolls. After many years of changing hands, they finally ended up in his hands, and they should be fifty or sixty years old now. He also said that the room where the dolls are kept often has the sound of children playing coming from it in the middle of the night, so he absolutely dares not go near that room at night."

"The seller went on and on about the legends surrounding the human skin dolls, telling a long, taleful story, but I didn't listen to a word he said. Because no matter where I buy human skin art, the sellers always spout a bunch of supernatural nonsense, just like the old man who sold me the Girls' Day doll. Actually, their only goal is to inflate the price, so I ignored his ramblings, gave him a satisfactory price, and took the dolls home. I put them in my bedroom; I only put art pieces that I consider perfect in my bedroom."

"At first, I didn't notice anything wrong, but soon after, I went on a business trip for several days and didn't get home until late at night. I casually put my luggage in the living room and went to take a shower in the bathroom in the bedroom. However, when I got to the bedroom door, I vaguely heard children's voices coming from inside. I thought I might have misheard because I was too tired, so I didn't pay attention. But when I opened the door, I was almost stunned because I saw two dolls sitting on the bed playing."

I quickly rubbed my eyes and turned on the bedroom light, but when I looked again, I found that there was nothing on the bed, and the pair of human skin dolls were still in the same place. I thought I was probably just too tired, so I immediately took a shower and rested.

"Nothing strange happened for a while after that, but when I came back from my business trip again, the situation was the same as before. I heard noises outside the bedroom door again, and when I opened the door, I saw the doll playing on the bed again. However, when I turned on the light, everything returned to normal."

"I began to doubt whether the dolls were truly possessed by ghosts, but as someone with many years of higher education, I quickly dismissed such superstitious ideas. I think it might be due to work, which made me too tired, and the recent personnel changes at the company, which put me under a lot of stress, causing me to hallucinate."

"I comforted myself with that thought until I drifted off to sleep. In that half-awake state, I felt a tingling sensation in my wrists. I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt heavy, and I managed to open them a tiny bit. In my hazy state, I saw two human-shaped dolls biting my wrists and sucking my blood. I figured I was dreaming, so I closed my eyes and went back to sleep."

"When I woke up this morning, I had completely forgotten my dream from last night, but when I noticed two small red spots, about the size of my little finger, on my wrists, everything I saw in the dream immediately came flooding back. I couldn't help but look at the pair of human-skin dolls; their faces seemed eerie, and their skin appeared to have a faint hint of blood..."

Miss Luo is indeed a shrewd urban elite. Even faced with such a bizarre situation, she remained calm, as evidenced by her decision not to rush into seeking help from a charlatan, but instead to turn to the police. Even if we couldn't help her, she wouldn't suffer any loss, and she could use her connections to put pressure on us. Therefore, we'll have to take care of finding a "charlatan" for her.

I asked Fang Qin for help. She locked herself in Miss Luo's room, and an hour or so later, she came out carrying two human skin dolls and said to Miss Luo, "Do you want to raise ghosts?"

Miss Luo shook her head and said, "Are ghosts really possible?"

Fang Qin said irritably, "If there were no ghosts, would you need to come to me?" She was speaking to Miss Luo, but her eyes were fixed on me, clearly implying that I would only come to her when I was in trouble.