Chapter 15: Say Good Things
Inspecting the house with his Compass took Yang Haoran over half an hour. To Jiang Zhenzhen, Master Yang Haoran was exceptionally meticulous in his work and thoroughly precise in his inspection, as if performing a comprehensive examination of the apartment she had rented.
Half an hour later, Yang Haoran put away his Compass and solemnly declared to Jiang Zhenzhen, "My Sense Yin was indeed correct. According to the Compass's readings, the Yin Qi in your bedroom is undoubtedly the heaviest. If my analysis is correct, the old. . . erm. . . the elder you dreamed of must have once lived in your current bedroom, and died there."
Yang Haoran had originally intended to say "old hag," but reconsidered, thinking those three words were somewhat disrespectful. Thus, he immediately corrected himself to "elder" to show his respect.
He originally didn't want to voice this speculation in his mind. Once spoken, it wouldn't just frighten Jiang Zhenzhen, but also scare him, the 'master' himself. Thus, he truly didn't want to say it.
But if he didn't, it would be difficult to add points to his 'master' persona. To make himself, this 'master,' appear more capable, he ultimately decided to speak.
However, the moment he spoke, Jiang Zhenzhen instantly gasped in fright, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. When her gaze fell upon her bedroom, she appeared even more terrified, almost on the verge of tears.
"Go and close all the windows. I'm about to perform the ritual," Yang Haoran stated, ignoring Jiang Zhenzhen's terror.
Although Jiang Zhenzhen felt fear in her heart, she still mustered her courage and went to close the windows. Meanwhile, Yang Haoran entered Jiang Zhenzhen's bedroom, found a table, and placed it in the center of the room. Once all this was done, Jiang Zhenzhen had also returned, having closed the windows.
At this moment, Jiang Zhenzhen was thoroughly terrified. She couldn't help but recall the nightmare from the first night, where that rotting old woman had slept beside her. This made a thought sprout in her mind: Was the bed she was currently sleeping on once the rotting old woman's bed? At this thought, she instantly felt a chill run through her entire body, and even the hairs on her arms stood on end.
Yang Haoran sensed Jiang Zhenzhen's instinctive closeness this time. He did not refuse, letting Jiang Zhenzhen draw as close to his body as possible. It wasn't that he hadn't seen women before or was looking to take advantage; rather, at this moment, he himself felt profoundly nervous and uneasy. With someone pressing close to him, he too would feel a bit more secure.
At this moment, Yang Haoran was actually very tired. He was very nervous, but he still had to pretend to be a profound expert. It was impossible not to be tired. Taking a deep breath, he didn't immediately begin the ritual. Instead, he took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and offered it to Jiang Zhenzhen.
"Care for a smoke? " Yang Haoran asked solemnly.
Jiang Zhenzhen shook her head, saying, "I don't smoke."
"No one knows how at first," Yang Haoran forced a smile and said. "You'll learn as you smoke. It's quite comfortable."
Jiang Zhenzhen still shook her head and did not take the cigarette. Yang Haoran didn't press the issue, lighting one for himself and taking a deep drag.
He offered Jiang Zhenzhen a cigarette, partly out of courtesy. If she wanted to smoke and he didn't offer her one, and then she pulled out her own pack, that would be awkward. He was quite particular about such minor details.
Secondly, he wanted to use this method to distract himself. He was too nervous. If he didn't distract himself, he worried he might make a fool of himself, revealing his true colors. And if Jiang Zhenzhen spread the word, his reputation would be utterly ruined.
As one cigarette burned down, Yang Haoran's inner tension eased somewhat. He disposed of the butt, then his gaze fell upon the empty table before him.
Subsequently, under Jiang Zhenzhen's watchful gaze, Yang Haoran took out three sweet potatoes from his Ghost-Hunting Bag. The sweet potatoes weren't large and looked somewhat malnourished. He then arranged the three sweet potatoes in a "pin" character shape (product) on the table.
Jiang Zhenzhen didn't know what Yang Haoran was going to do, but she was sensible enough not to ask any questions, simply leaning against Yang Haoran's body and watching intently.
After arranging the sweet potatoes, Yang Haoran rummaged through his Ghost-Hunting Bag, then consecutively took out several other items.
Three incense sticks, a pair of red candles, and a thick stack of yellow paper.
This yellow paper was, in fact, spirit money. However, this kind of spirit money wasn't the flashy, colorful type with billions written on it that was commonly sold in markets. Instead, it was yellow paper with perforations. It was rumored that only this kind of spirit money could circulate in the Underworld. As for whether that was true, Yang Haoran naturally didn't know; he was merely following what others did.
"Go and fetch me a large iron basin. If there isn't one, a large soup pot will do," Yang Haoran said to Jiang Zhenzhen.
Hearing this, Jiang Zhenzhen didn't immediately move, but showed a hesitant expression.
"What, there isn't one? " Yang Haoran asked.
"No, it's just. . . I'm a little. . . scared. Could you come with me? " Jiang Zhenzhen looked around, clutched her clothes tighter, and spoke in a pitiful voice.
"Heh heh, what are you afraid of, with me here? " Yang Haoran said with a laugh.
Although he said this, Yang Haoran still accompanied Jiang Zhenzhen out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen. He spoke with great bravado, but in truth, the fear in his heart was no less, and possibly more, than Jiang Zhenzhen's. However, he hid it very well, and Jiang Zhenzhen simply hadn't noticed.
After retrieving a soup pot from the kitchen and re-entering the bedroom, Yang Haoran did not allow Jiang Zhenzhen to enter the bedroom with him, but stopped her outside.
"When I perform the ritual, it's best you don't go in and watch. It won't do you any good. I'm afraid it might scare you," Yang Haoran said to Jiang Zhenzhen.
In truth, Yang Haoran would have loved for Jiang Zhenzhen to stay with him in the bedroom. That way, he would have company and feel a little more secure. But he couldn't do that. He had to keep Jiang Zhenzhen outside the door.
Because his so-called ritual could only be described as utterly humiliating. It would greatly diminish his image in Jiang Zhenzhen's eyes. If Jiang Zhenzhen witnessed the entire process of the ritual, then he likely wouldn't be able to continue making a living in this line of work, because no one would believe in him, Master Yang, anymore.
Jiang Zhenzhen naturally also wanted to enter the bedroom with Yang Haoran. Being left alone outside the bedroom, she was still very afraid. But as soon as she heard that even more terrifying things would happen inside, she still nodded and decided to stay outside the bedroom.
"You don't need to worry," Yang Haoran said, comforting Jiang Zhenzhen with a smile. "My rituals usually don't take long. I'll be out very soon. You won't have to wait too long."
His words seemed to comfort Jiang Zhenzhen, but in reality, he was comforting himself. It was just that his act was too convincing, and Jiang Zhenzhen simply hadn't seen through it.
Entering the bedroom, Yang Haoran gritted his teeth, and with a surge of courage, closed the bedroom door. As the door clicked shut with a 'thump,' his heart skipped a beat.
This door seemed to sever his connection with the mortal realm. And the Yin Qi inside this bedroom seemed to have grown a few shades denser the moment he closed the door.
Yang Haoran no longer bothered to pretend. He reverted to his true self. The calm and composure on his face vanished, replaced by an expression of sheer terror. He cowered, glancing around nervously, afraid that the rotting old woman might suddenly appear.
He wasted no time, immediately beginning his so-called ritual. It wasn't that he was genuinely efficient in his work, but rather that he didn't want to stay in this room for another second. He wanted to finish things as quickly as possible and leave this haunted place without delay.
Carrying his inner fear, Yang Haoran tremblingly lit two red candles, inserting them into the sweet potatoes on the left and right sides, respectively. He then picked up three incense sticks, lit them above the red candles, and stuck them into the topmost sweet potato.
Wisps of smoke curled upwards, while the candlelight occasionally flickered with small popping sounds. Although the bedroom lights were on, at this moment, the atmosphere was filled with an eerie strangeness.
In such an environment, Yang Haoran couldn't help but shiver. He felt his entire body turn icy cold, and his limbs even began to tremble.
Taking several deep breaths, Yang Haoran tried his best to suppress the fear in his heart. If he remained in his current state, the subsequent steps of the ritual would be impossible to proceed with.
As Yang Haoran deliberately suppressed it, his inner fear lessened slightly. Of course, it was only a slight reduction. His heart remained filled with dread.
Next, he first pressed his palms together and bowed to the three burning incense sticks, then picked up the yellow paper money from the table and began to burn it beneath the table. And the soup pot Jiang Zhenzhen had fetched naturally became the tool for burning the paper money.
When burning the paper money, Yang Haoran was quite particular. He would take only three sheets at a time and place them into the soup pot. When the paper money was almost burned through, he would take out three more, smooth them out, trying to keep them from overlapping, and then place them into the soup pot. He timed it perfectly, ensuring the flames in the pot never went out.
While burning the paper money, Yang Haoran mumbled and muttered to himself. His voice was low; Jiang Zhenzhen outside the bedroom certainly couldn't hear what he was saying. However, if one were to stand beside Yang Haoran, one could clearly hear his words.
"Granny, I'm burning you a lot of money. Buy whatever you like. This is all from Jiang Zhenzhen, burned by me on her behalf. Just consider this her rent payment to you."
"Granny, this girl Jiang Zhenzhen is actually quite nice. If you keep scaring her like this, you might actually frighten her to death. Do a good deed, and don't scare her anymore in the future. If you're short on money, just say so. Anything that can be solved with money isn't a problem at all."
"Granny, how about this? From now on, on the first and fifteenth of every lunar month, I'll have Jiang Zhenzhen offer you incense and prayers in this room, to ensure you always have endless money to spend down there, and live a glorious life as a ghost."
"Granny, I think this girl Jiang Zhenzhen is quite good. Please be kind and don't scare her anymore. It's not easy for a young woman living alone out here. If you really scare her to death, what good would that do you? We're all women, why should women make things difficult for other women? Wouldn't you agree, dear elder?"
"Granny. . ."
Comments