Три призрака города

Глава 19

I looked up at him, not understanding what he meant. Gu Ming smiled and said, "Xiao Bi, Deng Fei, and Jia Yanji, sometimes they may not be able to help themselves."

"What's the meaning?"

"Fu Yi and the two transformed food spirits also need physical bodies, while Xiao Bi, Deng Fei, and Jia Yanchang are just unfortunate."

My heart tightened, and a faint sense of anticipation rose within me. Gu Ming meant that they were not in control of their own lives. "They were just having their bodies taken over, right?"

"No." Gu Ming frowned. "Then Fu Yi and the others chose their physical bodies from birth. Each body has two souls, one strong and one weak. He approached you a long time ago because you are a reincarnated spirit. Who would have thought that Fu Yi would stay by the side of the two high monks who harmed him? It's truly the most dangerous place is also the safest place. Over the years, although Fu Yi has rarely used his own soul to control that body in order to avoid being discovered, the original soul of the physical body is inevitably controlled by him."

"You mean Fu Yi and the others are hiding inside Xiao Bi and the others' bodies, using their own souls to control Xiao Bi and the others' souls to do things?"

"You could say that," Gu Ming nodded.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Although what Xiao Bi and the others did was still under the direction of Fu Yi and others, it wasn't something they wanted to do themselves, so I felt a little better.

"You just mentioned Jia Yanji's soul?"

“Yes.” Gu Ming nodded. “If it weren’t for him, we really wouldn’t have been able to find Fu Yi’s whereabouts. In a way, it might be fate.”

Jia Yan's body had been possessed by that soul for many years. Until a few days ago, when he accidentally went to the riverbank, he suddenly felt an unknown magnetic field vibration. In fact, small-scale vibrations of the Earth's magnetic field often occur. For thousands of years, people or things have often disappeared without a trace. That is because they traveled through space or time under the influence of magnetic field vibrations. Many uninformed people often explain this as absurd stories such as being abducted by aliens.

That day, there was a magnetic field vibration by the river. Jia Yanyan had two souls in his body. Although the Soul Eater was powerful, it could not escape the vibration. After a reflexive resistance, the original soul in Jia Yanyan's body actually left his body. Gu Ming accidentally discovered this and learned everything. He explained the seriousness of the matter to Jia Yanyan, who actually agreed to return to his original body and was willing to help him as an undercover agent. He said that if Fu Yi wanted to activate the Ten Thousand Ghosts Gathering Evil Technique, he would do his best to destroy and stop it.

"Infernal Affairs!" I blurted out, and Gu Ming's lips twitched.

“I knew my friend wouldn’t be so stupid as to commit suicide so easily. He even made me cry a lot back then. But what can Jia Yanji stop?” I asked again.

“That body is his after all. If the Ten Thousand Ghosts Gathering Evil is really activated, the Soul Eater will definitely use its shrieking breath. At that time, it depends on how much willpower he has to delay the other soul in his body from doing this. Even if it's just for a second, we will gain more opportunities.” Gu Ming replied, “Of course, we have other preparations, but more bargaining chips mean more hope.”

"Other preparations?"

“Yes, didn’t Xia Canyue tell you that she’s a variable?” Gu Ming continued, “She is our biggest bargaining chip.”

"How is she?" I asked impatiently.

Gu Ming smiled, and seeing how eager I was to know, slowly said, "I won't tell you."

"you……"

"Let her tell you herself when we get back. She instructed me to personally tell you how brave and invincible Xia Canyue is."

I felt three black lines appear on my forehead, and a faint aroma of millet porridge wafted by. Shaking my head, I looked at Gu Ming and asked the question I'd most wanted to ask, "How are Xiao Bi and the others doing now?"

Gu Ming chuckled, "All you care about is them. You never even asked me how I defeated them that night, or if I got hurt."

I was taken aback for a moment, remembering the relief I felt when I woke up that day and learned he was alright. I stubbornly said, "You're not dead, are you? You're perfectly fine now, so why are you asking?"

Don't you want to know my heroic and invincible story?

I twitched the corner of my mouth. Gu Ming and Xia Canyue really were siblings. They both loved to tell others about their invincible bravery. But when I saw him turn into a golden light and fly away and be buried in darkness by West Lake that night, my heart really ached terribly.

"Tell me quickly, how are Xiao Bi and the others?" She snapped back to reality and glared at him.

"They went to Bailu Mountain to recuperate. Daoist Cangyi will treat the injuries they suffered from years of breathing. Fuyi and the others were injured and can no longer stay in their bodies. I was afraid you would be worried, so I went to deliver them in person. You saw that I just got back."

The weight on my heart finally lifted. Thank goodness! Although I already knew they weren't injured, hearing their current condition with my own ears finally put my mind at ease. Then I thought of Gu Ming, who barely rested to see Xiao Bi and the others off, and now he's out eating with me. It warmed my heart. "Now you can tell me about your invincible bravery."

I ordered a milk tea, intending to listen while I drank, but Gu Ming smiled slyly and said, "Let Xia Canyue tell the whole story too; she seems to portray me as more heroic."

I almost spat out my milk tea. I rolled my eyes at him, and he continued, "Now let's talk about you."

"I?"

"kindness."

"Didn't you say I can't get on TV? So I'll continue living my ordinary life. If you're willing to hire me, please pay me this month's salary, and I'll continue working for you until I find a formal job."

That's not what I meant.

"You dare not pay me my salary?"

"No, I meant our business."

"Us? You want to give me a raise?"

"Lin Xiaomo!" Gu Ming sighed. "I will pay her salary. Now, let me talk about something else."

"oh?"

"Is that something from the Gu family around your neck?" Gu Ming's eyes suddenly brightened, becoming so deep that they were unfathomable.

I unconsciously reached out and touched the warm, purple pebble, my body tensing up as I silently wondered, "What is he going to say?"

"Xia Canyue told you the meaning of this purple jade, right?" Gu Ming continued, but I didn't even dare to raise my head, my heart pounding wildly.

"You have two choices now: either take that thing off and give it back to me, or wear it for the rest of your life..."

A lifetime... Suddenly I felt a little dazed, my hands clenched tightly as I recalled everything that had happened these past few days: Gu Ming I first saw on the street, Gu Ming who led the way for me, Gu Ming who called me an idiot, Gu Ming who cast spells, Gu Ming who smiled lazily, Gu Ming who pretended to be unconscious after being injured, Gu Ming who conjured up a sky full of stars, Gu Ming who held my hand tightly under the umbrella...

Can this little stone still be picked off?

"Which one... do you choose?" His voice came from beside me. I looked up and saw his bright eyes smiling at me, but at that moment they were filled with a hint of nervousness and anticipation.

I could feel my hands trembling as I held the little stone. I opened my mouth, but couldn't find the words. After a long while, all was quiet. I closed my eyes, and my thoughts slowly cleared. I lowered my hands, and the little stone hung comfortably around my neck, warm and cozy. This must be the answer. I don't know if I can wear it forever, but right now I really don't want to take it off.

I looked up at Gu Ming, whose eyes were curved at the corners. I said, "My mom said that I should find someone with a stable job when I look for a partner in the future."

Gu Ming's eyes, which had been curved in a smile, twitched slightly. "You... is my current job not good enough?"

"If I tell my mom you're a ghost hunter, she'll cry."

"They said I owned a bar."

"My mom must think that people in brothels are all bad."

"Where are my master's and doctoral certificates?"

“My mom hates bookworms. You only need an English level 4 certificate.”

"..."

"..."

The sky was very blue on April 12, 2005, and the clouds seemed very close.

We returned to our courtyard at 3:30 a.m. yesterday. Xia Canyue was eating a pot of millet porridge with resentment, clearly looking down on Gu Ming and me for our avoidance. We completely ignored her gaze.

As I lay in bed preparing to rest, Xia Canyue, reeking of millet porridge, rushed over and pressed me for details about my whereabouts. She then asked me, with a suggestive look, how things were going between me and Gu Ming. I touched Xiao Shitou, and Xia Canyue dramatically exclaimed, demanding that I call her "cousin." After a long pause, I reluctantly called her that softly, just as Gu Ming walked in through the door. I felt extremely annoyed.

Afterwards, Xia Canyue stayed in my bed and told me about her invincible bravery, also mentioning Gu Ming's invincible bravery. It turned out that shortly after Xia Canyue arrived in Hangzhou, she discovered that there was something wrong with the lake, but she couldn't figure it out. Later, Gu Ming called her and said that he seemed to have seen Deng Fei flash across the lake in the illusion of the Phantom Technique. Just as Xia Canyue was about to go to the lake again, she saw Xiao Bi grab someone and cast a spell to throw them into the lake. Suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration. She immediately found a corpse, crawled inside, used magic to disguise herself, and pretended to fall into the lake by accident. From then on, she spent several long days with the thousands of living dead in the lake until the night of Qingming Festival.

The "Gathering of Ten Thousand Ghosts" technique requires ten thousand ghosts; if even one is missing, it will fail. Therefore, Xia Canyue discarded the corpse and escaped the spell's range when activating it. Naturally, the 9,999 ghosts could not activate the "Gathering of Ten Thousand Ghosts." Fu Yi also noticed the anomaly and, fearing a backlash from the spell, jumped out of the spell's core. At that moment, Gu Ming rushed away with a ghost, and Xia Canyue jumped to Fu Yi's location in time. The situation changed in an instant, and Xia Canyue actually obtained this extremely rare body. Subsequently, Xia Canyue and Gu Ming engaged in a fierce battle with Fu Yi and the others, forcing them out of Xiao Bi and the others' bodies.

I suddenly realized that what Gu Ming had taken from Master Yin Chen that day was not some powerful magical artifact, but a suppressed ghost. In that case, everything could be explained.

When Xia Canyue narrates this passage, he naturally wants to show his unparalleled bravery, and his wording is extremely elaborate, for example:

"The night was as black as Chinese ink, and I, beautiful, kind, and intelligent, was surrounded by countless ugly, disgusting, and mentally challenged living dead..."

"The eerie green ghosts all gathered towards the center of the magic circle, but I, beautiful and clever, moved with agility surpassing even Hollywood action movies, and used my deeply rooted magical power to escape..."

"At this moment, my tall, handsome, and incomparably dashing Gu Ming suddenly flew over, surrounded by a golden halo. In the pitch-black night, he appeared even more heroic, like a god. Countless ghosts were instantly suffocated, staring blankly at my Gu Ming, forgetting their actions. Even Fu Yi was captivated by my Gu Ming..."

"The beautiful and intelligent me and the tall and handsome Gu Ming fought against those three monsters. It was a war that shook the heavens and earth, and the wind howled. All living things within a radius of ten thousand miles sang for our unparalleled combination..."

When I finally finished listening, I realized I had lost my ability to laugh, while Gu Ming, the person involved, smiled innocently, as if he had always been that towering figure. Looking at these two siblings, I felt that my future was going to be extremely difficult...

After that, I took a nap and woke up at 4 PM. I ate lunch, went out for a walk with Gu Ming, and returned to our place when it got dark. Gu Ming went to return the rental car, and I went to sleep. I thought we should leave this place...

Around 5 a.m. this morning, Xia Canyue shook me awake. She said it was time to leave, and the three of us went to the airport. When Xia Canyue waved goodbye to us, I realized that she was the only one going back to manage the bar. Gu Ming, on the other hand, used the excuse that I was too traumatized and asked me to travel around the country with him, and also to visit Xiao Bi and the others at Bailu Mountain. Looking at the plane ticket in my hand and Gu Ming's smiling eyes, I felt I had no choice.

I called my mom before boarding the plane. She asked where I was and why she couldn't find me when she called the school. I nervously told her that I was in Hangzhou for fun and also wanted to visit some surrounding cities. My mom agreed and said, "Okay, have fun. You won't have as much time after you start working. But are you going by yourself or with your classmates?"

I looked at Gu Ming and suddenly realized that lying was a difficult thing. I stammered for a long time and was about to say that I came with Xiao Bi, but Gu Ming snatched the phone away. Then he smiled and called out "Auntie" in such a sincere tone that you couldn't tell that he was actually just a charlatan.

"I am Xiao Mo's friend."

"..."

"We're not classmates. I've already graduated. I earned two doctoral degrees from XX University a few years ago."

"..."

"No, I'm only 24 years old." Gu Ming's lips twitched slightly.

"..."

“Auntie, your voice sounds so young. Xiao Mo said you look very young too, and much prettier than her. Now that I hear your voice, I’m even more sure.”

"..."

"No, I'm telling the truth. It would be a waste if you didn't use your voice to sing."

"..."

"Ha ha."

"..."

"Yes, we also need to check out other places."

"..."

"Okay, don't worry, I will take good care of her."

"..."

"No, she's very sensible and doesn't cause any trouble."

"..."

"Okay, I heard it's gotten colder over there these past few days. Auntie, please wear more clothes and take care of yourself."

"..."

"Okay, we'll bring you a gift when we get back. Is there anything you particularly like?"

"..."

"It's no trouble at all, why would it cost you anything?"

"..."

"Okay, I'll give her the phone."

Gu Ming gave me a smug wink. I got goosebumps just listening to him talk; so hypocritical, so hypocritical...