Chapter Sixty-Five: Gathering Place of Spirits

In the afternoon, after making some simple preparations, I headed out. I didn’t bring much with me—just a few talismans and some copper coins soaked in cinnabar. I had thought of taking the Blood Massacre Formation Diagram, but since Tu had been refining the spiritual energy he absorbed from the treasure site since last night, I had to give up on that. Instead, I took the Sword of Sentient Beings. However, since the sword appeared quite worn and Nie Xiaoke still couldn’t survive independently from it, I had no choice but to wrap the sword in cloth and stuff it into my backpack.

With the backpack on my shoulders, I stood at Xiyue’s door and softly mentioned that I had some business to take care of that evening.

After a long moment, a gentle voice replied from inside, “Be careful.” Just those two words, but they filled my heart with peace.

I quietly stepped out, glanced up at the sky—the sun had set by then. As I set foot outside, a cold, gloomy wind swept over me. Many little ghosts begin their activities at this hour, not for any particular reason other than the rampant growth of yin energy as night falls.

I’d heard stories about this street. Chen Chuyi had told me that Shuigui Street was once filled with wandering spirits—a place left undeveloped, until people from the Longevity Agency came here, bought the land, and built the current, not especially grand, house. They settled in, and over time, many ghosts began to gather in the area. Most were drifting souls, and many had been sent to a place known as the Netherworld Apartments, not far from this street. But after a great calamity between the worlds of the living and the dead, the owner of the Netherworld Apartments was gravely wounded, and the place vanished. Since then, wandering spirits began to roam the entire city, but this street remained the place most saturated with yin energy.

In the past, whenever he had time, Chen Chuyi would perform rituals and lead these ghosts to the Ghost City for reincarnation, but more often, the spirits gathered here on their own.

Back when my cultivation was insufficient, I couldn’t see any of these ghosts. But now, I could spot them almost at a glance. Naturally, I had considered all sorts of situations I might encounter that night.

A quick check of my watch showed it was already past six.

I picked up the card and made a phone call.

Then, I followed a little girl as she ran off toward the distance.

Naturally, this little girl was a ghost. Once the sun set, this place became shrouded in darkness.

The little girl ran ahead, singing a song. I couldn’t quite make out the words, but it was clearly a nursery rhyme, not from modern times, but more like something from the Qing Dynasty, the kind you’d hear sung along the street in old television dramas.

Halfway along, I stopped at an intersection, looking at the girl with a faint smile.

She ran up to a woman wearing a blue-and-white porcelain robe, tugging at the ghostly woman’s sleeve.

The woman turned and spotted me immediately.

I smiled gently and spoke softly, “I mean no harm. Tonight, I’d like to take your daughter somewhere. As compensation, in a few days, I’ll take you both to the Ghost City for reincarnation!”

The woman looked at me in disbelief, then replied in a low voice, “Where are you taking Yinyin?”

She didn’t ask any other questions. She must have seen me around the Longevity Agency and realized I worked there.

“To a prominent household in the east of the city. There may be some trouble there tonight. I promise I’ll keep your daughter Yinyin safe, you have my word.”

The woman nodded, saying softly, “You’re from the Longevity Agency. We trust you. It’s just that Master Chen hasn’t taken us to the Ghost City in a long time. There are over a thousand spirits here now.”

I nodded. “Don’t worry. Chen Chuyi is away for a few days, but when he returns, I’ll tell him. Even if he doesn’t come, I’ll take you all to the Ghost City myself!”

I wasn’t just making empty promises—I truly wanted to help them. When I first joined the Longevity Agency, Chen Chuyi often spoke to me about these wandering souls. I learned that behind Shuigui Street, the agency had built a high-rise specifically to house over a thousand households. They’d also set up layers of formations around the building to gather yin energy, which was why hardly anyone bought property in the area. The building was left vacant and thus became a haven for these drifting souls. Over time, it achieved the same kind of fame the Netherworld Apartments once had. Many lonely ghosts came here, all waiting for Chen Chuyi and Zhao Fifteen to lead them to the Ghost City.

These were spirits who, for various reasons, couldn’t enter the Ghost City on their own. Entering the city was no trivial matter; without a guide from the world of the dead, it was easy to get lost on the way and never return, becoming trapped forever. That’s why the passage to the Ghost City always required a guide.

With her mother’s consent, the little girl happily ran to me.

These were gentle, kind spirits. None of them had committed any heinous acts. Almost every soul simply wished to resolve their lingering grievances and finally step onto the path of reincarnation.

The little girl stopped before me, took my hand, and said, “Big brother, let’s go!”

I nodded, turning to give a reassuring look to the woman in the blue-and-white dress.

When I reached the agency’s entrance, Zhang Hansheng was already waiting, his car parked out front as he looked around.

It was the latest model BMW. I recited an incantation, then sealed the little girl into a talisman, carrying her close, and walked over to Zhang Hansheng.

“Master Yang, let’s go…” he said.

I nodded. It seemed Zhang Hansheng truly didn’t recognize me, which was just as well—fewer awkward moments that way. If he’d recognized me right away, things might have been uncomfortable. But then again, I was doing this for Chen Chuyi’s sake, for his boss’s sake, so I didn’t really care. Even if he did recognize me later, I could always put him in his place. Just thinking about what Zhang Hansheng did back then made my blood boil!