Despite not being particularly afraid of ghosts, I was still startled.These sudden scares are truly unbearable, as if they could give me a heart attack.But this made me realize something: it's not that I'm not afraid of ghosts; it's just that I'm not afraid of my ghostly wife.I didn't flee immediately.I looked at the bed frame; there was nothing wrong with it.Suddenly, the bulb in the room flickered twice.In the dead of night, the light was my last line of defense.Forget it, if I can't provoke it, I can at least avoid it.I quickly grabbed my backpack and keys, but before I could leave, the bulb exploded with a "pop!"I hurriedly ran out.Cold sweat covered me, and it felt like my heart was in my throat.Looking back at the pitch-dark shop, an eerie aura hit me.Fortunately, it was my ghostly wife's aura.Typically, wherever she appeared, that area was off-limits.In other words, she didn't want me to enter the shop.I looked back at the dark road and walked to the temple gate, sitting down on the steps. Where could I go in the middle of the night?As I thought about it, I became increasingly indignant.I rented this house; why shouldn't I live here? Who is this wicked ghost, and why isn't it afraid of peach wood swords and compasses?Though I felt frustrated, I was helpless.Grandfather only taught me how to read faces, never how to exorcise ghosts.To exorcise a ghost, one must first master the Qi Gong from the Ma Yi ghost image. My grandfather, at his advanced age, has yet to master it, so it's just a pipe dream for me.If my grandfather were dealing with this, he'd probably buy good wine and food, and negotiate with the ghost sincerely.After calming down, I decided to give my grandfather's approach a try.After all, ghosts were once people, and if they're people, they should be reasonable.I spent so much money renting this place; I can't just squat outside every night.I thought there'd be nowhere to buy anything this late, but surprisingly, the food street in the city center was bustling with people.I bought a bulb, a flashlight, some white wine, and a bowl of spicy hot pot from the supermarket.Returning to the shop, I placed the hot pot on the counter, opened the wine, poured a large bowl, and earnestly said, imitating my grandfather, "Uncle Ghost, Grandpa Ghost, I know you're reluctant to leave this place, but I have my struggles too. I'm still a student, and because my family is poor and I have no relatives to help me, I have to fend for myself, renting this place to cover tuition fees.""This hot pot and wine are my humble offerings. I don't mean to drive you away; I'd like to discuss whether we could share the place. I only need to stay for two months, and after that, I'll go back to school and won't disturb you anymore."I felt like a lunatic talking to myself.But I had no choice; I felt guilty.Respecting the dead, I bowed several times towards the room after saying my piece.Then, I poured the wine on the ground.Using the flashlight, I changed the bulb.The shop lit up again.No strange sounds occurred, so I quickly tidied up.After waiting a while longer with no unusual noises, I didn't dare sleep on the bed or close the door, so I lay on the counter to rest.Perhaps I was too tired because I soon drifted into a daze."Da Lei, Da Lei..."A girl called out to me.I looked up and saw a girl in her twenties with a delicate face and dark skin, her features indistinct.I asked, "Who are you?""Silly, I'm your wife!" she replied with a smile, revealing two rows of white teeth. "Don't sleep just yet; you need to read Uncle Huang's fortune. He used to own this shop; see if you can help him."I tried to get a clearer look at my ghostly wife but couldn't."Kid, thanks for the wine. Can you tell me why I died so young?"No one had been sitting on the chair to my left, but now a middle-aged man in slacks and a floral shirt sat there.His appearance was also vague; I could only make out a rough outline.Given the circumstances, I could only judge by the twelve houses.I noticed Uncle Huang's illness house was very dark. He was around 44 or 45, and this age corresponded precisely to that house.In other words, Uncle Huang had a major crisis around 44 or 45.But since he was already dead, there was no point in mentioning it.As I pondered, I noticed a black mole on his right cheek, indicating a daughter of significant destiny.Seeing me hesitate to speak, Uncle Huang impatiently waved his hand, "Never mind, no need to read my fortune. I can read faces too; I know I was doomed. But I don't understand why a vengeful ghost would harm me when I did nothing wrong. Kid, find the evil ghost who killed me and eliminate her, and I'll marry my daughter to you.""Uncle, what nonsense are you talking about? I'm his wife," the ghostly wife protested, her hands on her hips, unyielding.Uncle Huang smacked his lips, "Why are you so agitated? You're a ghost, and my daughter is a living person. How can you carry on the family line?""But, but it doesn't matter; I'm still his wife." The ghostly wife stood her ground.Uncle Huang waved dismissively, "Fine, my daughter can be a concubine.""Hmph!"The ghostly wife was clearly unhappy but didn't argue further.Uncle Huang then turned to me, "Da Lei, my daughter is Huang Rong, a sophomore in college. After I divorced her mother, that wicked woman didn't tell her about my death. She'll be back in a couple of days, so please take care of her. And don't worry, I'll come to the wicked woman and my daughter in their dreams. If you find the culprit and destroy the evil ghost, I'll marry my daughter to you."Uncle Huang spoke as if I was eager to marry his daughter.What if she's ugly? I'd be at a loss."Uncle, it's not that I don't want to help, but you don't even know who the vengeful ghost is. How can I find her?""Am I supposed to search aimlessly? Besides, I can only read faces, not exorcise ghosts."Hearing this, Uncle Huang suddenly stood up, waved his hand, and sternly said, "I don't care. If you want this shop, you have to help me. Otherwise, you won't live peacefully here. If you help me, I'll not only marry my daughter to you but also bring you great wealth. I'll contact you if there are any leads."With that, Uncle Huang left.I noticed a basin-sized hole in his back, bloodied with visible organs.I woke up with a start, realizing it was just a dream.But it felt so real.I couldn't sleep, drenched in cold sweat.What should I do?I considered giving up the shop to avoid trouble.But I couldn't bear to lose the two thousand yuan in rent, which was my living and school expenses.The thought of marrying a prosperous woman and gaining wealth was tempting.If I could get rich, I could at least help my uncle's family out of their predicament.But helping a dead man find his killer, without knowing who the culprit was, seemed utterly absurd.That night, I was torn.After a while, exhausted, I continued sleeping on the counter.Half-asleep, I woke up before dawn.Upon waking, I couldn't help but ponder Uncle Huang's situation.In Feng Shui, flowers symbolize peach blossoms, whether in patterns or real plants, they enhance romantic luck.A man who likes floral shirts and is divorced likely has bad romantic luck.So, I suspected Uncle Huang might have harmed a woman, and she returned as a vengeful ghost.But I felt it couldn't be that simple. It could also be a malicious person using an evil ghost to kill him.Grandfather once told me that malicious people harm others by giving them objects, either edible or usable, containing evil spirits, killing them silently.Thinking about this, I became wary of the items left by Uncle Huang.I moved everything out of the shop and searched every corner.While searching, I found a pair of red high heels wrapped in red paper in the corner of the counter.In the bed's compartment, I discovered bloody stockings and women's underwear.These could very well be evil objects.But to determine whether they are, they need to be burned.Grandfather told me that evil objects, if burned, won't catch fire immediately and make a crackling sound.I've seen this happen once.It happened at Old Man Zhuang's house next to my grandfather's.Old Man Zhuang's son had a girlfriend with whom he was very close. But after marriage, the couple fought every time they saw each other, day and night, for over half a month.Grandfather found it odd and warned Old Man Zhuang.Old Man Zhuang and his wife searched everywhere and finally found cursed items in the shoes worn by their son and daughter-in-law during the wedding.Needles were used to curse people, and barley awns were used to curse people. Sharp against sharp, no wonder they fought.To get revenge, Old Man Zhuang's wife burned the needles and boiled the awns, cursing as she did so.Soon after, the third uncle ran over, kowtowing and apologizing.It turned out that the third aunt did it out of jealousy.Old Man Zhuang's wife couldn't bear it and threw the needles and awns into the water, and the third aunt immediately recovered.So, I need to verify whether these things are evil objects.
YOU ARE READING
Maiyi Onmyoji
ParanormalI was born lacking yin energy, so to save me, my grandfather arranged for me to marry a ghost bride. Grandpa said I couldn't learn his art of face reading until I turned thirty, or I would be plagued with trouble. But even though I don't go looking...
