Villainous Malevolent Ghost (2)
Song Xuyi and Xia Tian got into the car. Xia Tian sent the location to the driver, and the car began to head towards the city center.
On the way, Song Xuyi originally intended to catch up on some sleep, but Xia Tian appeared extremely nervous. Song Xuyi had to keep herself awake to comfort the anxious Xia Tian.
“When I was little, Brother Bai Jin was actually in the class next to mine. I was quite timid and never played with other children. The first time I saw him was during a kindergarten art performance: Brother Bai Jin participated in a play as a magician, and he looked exquisitely beautiful. A classmate playing the black bear spirit accidentally hit his head, but he still insisted on finishing the play and didn’t blame that classmate. At that time, seeing him with blood on his forehead frightened me so much that I burst into tears. To comfort me, he gave me all the rewards he had received…”
“Xuyi, you might not know, but there’s a rumor that the Bai family has a guardian spirit. If they discover someone lacking in virtue, they won’t let them enter the Bai family’s gates…”
Song Xuyi gently patted Xia Tian’s arm and softly reassured her, “You are so kind, and you like Bai Jin so much. You will definitely be able to enter the Bai family’s old estate.”
Without discussing whether this so-called guardian spirit exists or not, even if it does, the Bai family has engaged in all sorts of corrupt and hidden activities, including Bai Jin’s grandfather, who went to jail for taking someone’s life. In such a situation, if this guardian spirit still protects the Bai family, it only shows that this guardian spirit cannot distinguish between good and evil, is not upright, and has no right to prevent Xia Tian from entering the Bai family’s home.
However, Song Xuyi did not point this out.
Even though Bai Jin has fallen to the lowest point, in Xia Tian’s heart, he remains the warm and considerate boy. It is due to Xia Tian’s unconditional affection that Bai Jin, disillusioned with the world, finds the courage to regain his strength and strive to bring happiness to Xia Tian.
This is their destiny.
With Song Xuyi’s reassurance, Xia Tian gradually relaxed, and the smile on her face brightened once again—
“Xuyi, thank you for comforting me once again.” In the past, Song Xuyi would listen to Xia Tian’s complaints but mostly remained silent, unlike today, where she spoke extensively to comfort Xia Tian. Xia Tian knows that Song Xuyi actually doesn’t really agree with her following Bai Jin around, but didn’t say it due to their long-standing friendship. However, today, Song Xuyi seems different, sincerely planning for her and Bai Jin.
“Because I am happy for you.” Song Xuyi curved her lips, trying to avoid making the change in character too abrupt: “You are my only friend.” The original owner was somewhat solitary and focused on scientific research, with Xia Tian being her only close friend.
As she said this, Song Xuyi gave a look to the driver, who understood and drove past Bai Jin, who was standing by the vermilion gate, into the courtyard.
Xia Tian didn’t notice this little interlude and lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly: “Xuyi, you are really a good person. It’s just that you are so focused on research and not much into socializing. Actually, several boys in the institute like you…”
Song Xuyi listened to Xia Tian’s words while keeping an eye on the scenery outside. Seeing the car had entered the gate, she breathed a sigh of relief and was about to tell Xia Tian when suddenly a strange sensation surged through her body—like a current suddenly passing through her limbs, her heart inexplicably trembled…
Song Xuyi shivered involuntarily.
“What happened?” Seeing Song Xuyi’s movement, Xia Tian couldn’t help but worry: “Is your cold still not better?”
“It’s nothing,” Song Xuyi shook her head. The strange feeling inside her body vanished completely after a moment. Song Xuyi thought it might just be the car’s air conditioning being too cold that caused her reaction and didn’t give it much thought. She gestured for Xia Tian to look out the window: “Look where we are now?”
The car stopped on a bluestone-paved ground, surrounded by houses. Originally, there were neatly trimmed plants beside them, but over the years, as the Bai family gradually declined, the plants on both sides withered. However, the surrounding ancient-style houses and the extensive total area still revealed the luxury this courtyard once possessed.
This is…?
Xia Tian widened her eyes, both surprised and joyful, as she looked at Song Xuyi. Song Xuyi patted her head and smiled: “You don’t have to worry! We’ve already successfully entered the Bai family’s gate.”
The two got out of the car, and at that moment Bai Jin also came in to help the two girls lift their luggage from the trunk.
Xia Tian felt somewhat embarrassed yet extremely happy, her sparkling eyes occasionally glancing secretly at Bai Jin. Bai Jin’s expression was as usual, but Song Xuyi noticed his reddened ears…
After instructing the driver to come back in four days to pick them up, Song Xuyi decided not to be a third wheel anymore and took her luggage to the room Bai Jin had arranged.
“This house is too big, and over the years I haven’t had the energy to manage it, only two livable rooms have been cleaned. My ancestors for several generations were sorcerers, creating many ghost and spirit enemies. Since then, there has been a family rule: once the house is occupied, talismans must be pasted on the windows.” Bai Jin helped Song Xuyi and Xia Tian carry their luggage into the room and noticed Song Xuyi’s gaze on the talismans on the window. He spoke apologetically to Song Xuyi: “The house is old, covers a large area, and many places are already in ruins, inevitably breeding snakes and insects. To prevent accidents, it’s best not to wander around without my guidance…”
Song Xuyi nodded, her main purpose for coming was to accompany Xia Tian, and she also needed to prepare for her graduate exams, so she spent the entire afternoon diligently reviewing in the room. Meanwhile, Xia Tian began preparing with Bai Jin for the family worship taking place in three days.
The Bai family still maintains the tradition of ancient family worship; every year, on the guardian spirit’s birthday, they must worship the family ancestors. After the family fell into decline, Bai Jin’s father became an alcoholic and stopped caring about family matters. The other branches were barely able to protect themselves. Even though they didn’t want to spend time on what they saw as useless worship, the grandfather in prison repeatedly urged them, so Bai Jin has been persisting with the ancient worship tradition.
The ceremony for this worship is extremely peculiar, with the prayers alone taking half a day. Before that, there are many preparations, and only Bai family members can participate. In previous years, Bai Jin had simplified the worship process, but this year marks the guardian spirit’s millennium birthday, so the grandfather repeatedly urged Bai Jin to prepare carefully.
By dinner time, Bai Jin and Xia Tian, looking exhausted, finally called Song Xuyi to eat.
Bai Jin set up a simple barbecue stand in the yard, and the three of them began barbecuing in the courtyard. Song Xuyi, knowing that the other two were probably very tired after the whole day, took on the task of barbecuing. Meanwhile, Xia Tian was already engaging Bai Jin in stories about their ancestors.
“Our family’s ancestors were indeed illustrious, having produced two emperors and countless marquises and ministers. The family extended for a thousand years, with prosperity and fortune. Perhaps the ancestors used up the family’s fortune, and it has come to me…” Bai Jin gave a bitter smile, raised his wine glass, and glanced at Xia Tian, his expression not as despondent as usual: “Tiantian, I have now figured it out. The family’s wealth belonged to the ancestors. I will rely on my own hands to rebuild a new Bai family. Even if it might not match what it was before, I absolutely will not let you suffer!”
Xia Tian shyly lowered her head, her eyes shimmering with tears.
The day they arrived, the weather was clear, but at night there were no stars. By the end of the barbecue, the sky even began to sprinkle slight raindrops, so everyone packed up the barbecue and returned to their own rooms.
But perhaps moved by the scene, Bai Jin drank a bit too much, and when returning to his room, his steps were noticeably unsteady.
“Xuyi, I…” Xia Tian looked at Bai Jin’s back, standing somewhat embarrassedly by the door. Song Xuyi paused for a moment, instantly understanding Xia Tian’s meaning, and considerately said: “You go take care of Bai Jin first, don’t worry, if anything happens, I will definitely call you.”
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Xia Tian repeatedly apologized, fearing that returning too late might disturb Song Xuyi. She took the room key and then went to Bai Jin’s room next door.
Song Xuyi locked the door.
The room was cleaned extremely well. Although the exterior was in an ancient style, the inside had modern facilities. The room’s sound insulation was also excellent, and even though it was only separated by a wall, no noise could be heard from next door.
Under the system’s strong request, Song Xuyi once again pasted three talismans on the main entrance.
Song Xuyi took a shower and lay on the bed to read a book for a while. She originally intended to wait for Xia Tian to return, but the day’s hustle was really too tiring, and Song Xuyi unknowingly fell asleep.
Outside, the sound of rain gradually grew louder, and the wind made the window rattle ‘bang bang.’ Inside, the originally bright light bulb began to flicker with a ‘zz zz’ sound. Soon after, accompanied by a slight ‘pop,’ the room was plunged into darkness—
On the windowsill, the talisman suddenly started glowing with golden light, but after a moment, it was as if something extinguished it, and the golden light completely vanished.
In a daze, Song Xuyi seemed to hear the system screaming something, and her wrist inexplicably felt hot. Song Xuyi furrowed her brow tightly, trying to open her eyes. However, in an instant, all her senses seemed blocked. A shadowy figure appeared at the foot of Song Xuyi’s bed, lips slightly pursed, gaze thoughtfully fixed on Song Xuyi’s wrist.
Song Xuyi once again fell into that elusive dream.
This time, the little girl had grown a bit, appearing increasingly beautiful and clever. Due to her excellent talent, the family head took her to be raised by his side. The little girl was extremely intelligent, learning many talismans in just one try. As the little girl’s status rose, the treatment of her mother, who was originally diagnosed as unable to bear more children, also improved significantly. When the little girl was six years old, she even gained a little brother.
Everything seemed to be developing in a positive direction, and when the little girl turned six, she was given her own name.
In ancient times, people deeply believed in metaphysics, and there were many metaphysical families in the country. The Bai family had been gradually declining over the years, but after seeing the little girl’s talent, the family head believed she was the hope to revive the family. Therefore, she was named Bai Yu, not only with the hope that she would continue to be gifted and beautiful but, more importantly, with the hope that she would “revive metaphysics to nurture the Bai family”…
Song Xuyi’s dream abruptly stopped here.
She immediately fell into an extremely mysterious state, as if she were awake, yet also as if she were not.
In front of her was pitch black, and in a daze, Song Xuyi felt as if she had fallen into an embrace, an extremely cold embrace. For a moment, Song Xuyi even felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
Song Xuyi wanted to struggle but was completely unable to move. Contrary to the cold that enveloped her body, her wrist felt as if flames were burning, incredibly hot.
The person holding Song Xuyi moved with extreme gentleness. She leisurely supported Song Xuyi’s body, which had fallen asleep at the head of the bed, letting Song Xuyi lie on her back. She meticulously smoothed all the wrinkles in Song Xuyi’s nightgown and placed Song Xuyi’s hands crossed on her abdomen.
Immediately after, the cold body slowly descended, and beside her ear, the ‘rustle rustle’ of fabric could be heard. Cold lips touched Song Xuyi’s wrist, accompanied by a slight sting, and for a moment, her wrist became increasingly hot…
Later that night, Song Xuyi felt extremely cold, and the next morning, upon waking, she couldn’t help but shiver.
Outside the window, it had rained all night. The ground was covered with fallen leaves, and the scene in the yard looked increasingly desolate. The temperature had noticeably dropped a few degrees.
As soon as Song Xuyi woke up, she heard the sound of the system’s teeth chattering fearfully in her mind, making a ‘cluck cluck’ noise.
“What happened?”
“Wowu! Wowu wowu…” the system cried and wailed in a collapsed state: “Wowu wowu…”
After struggling for half a day, Song Xuyi finally understood—the system, for some reason, seemed unable to communicate with her, as if something had blocked its mouth, and it could only make “wowu wowu” sounds.
What could directly harm the system?
Song Xuyi’s heart skipped a beat as she recalled the system’s concerns during this time, and she couldn’t help but become vigilant.
She carefully checked the room: everything seemed unchanged, and there was no sign of anyone breaking in. The talisman on the window showed no signs of tampering, and the door lock was intact. It was probably due to the thunderstorm that the light in the room was broken.
Song Xuyi thought of the strange dream and the burning pain in her right hand at midnight and couldn’t help but glance down at her wrist.
On her wrist was only a bead given by the shop owner the day before. Song Xuyi didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she felt this bead seemed more vivid and transparent than when she first bought it. As Song Xuyi’s gaze fell on the bead, the “wowu wowu” sound from the system in her mind became increasingly agitated.
Is the problem with this bead?
Even though she didn’t know what had happened, Song Xuyi still planned to remove the bead from her wrist.
However, despite being just an ordinary red string, Song Xuyi found herself unable to untie it. Even when she used scissors, she couldn’t cut the red string. At the moment the scissors touched the red string, Song Xuyi felt a pain, as if the red string was growing on her hand…
Song Xuyi eventually moved the scissors away and pursed her lips as she looked at the increasingly vibrant bead.
Although she was unwilling to admit it, the fact was right in front of her: this world indeed has things beyond the scope of scientific explanation.
Seemingly realizing this, the ‘wowu wowu’ sound from the system in her mind gradually lowered, sounding extremely dejected.
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“Xuyi, are you awake?” Just as Song Xuyi was bewildered and uncertain, there was a knock on the door, and Bai Jin’s voice sounded from outside: “I made breakfast and left it at the door.”
“Wait,” Song Xuyi realized that Xia Tian hadn’t returned all night. She opened the door to stop Bai Jin, who was about to leave: “Was Tiantian in your room all night? Did you notice anything unusual?”
With something strange happening to herself, Song Xuyi didn’t know whether it was caused by the bead she bought or the old house. If something unusual also appeared in Bai Jin and Xia Tian’s room, it would indicate everything was caused by the old house, and they would need to leave as soon as possible.
“Yes,” upon hearing Song Xuyi’s words, a blush instantly appeared on Bai Jin’s fair face, and he lowered his eyes evasively: “Tiantian stayed in my room last night… we both didn’t… didn’t notice anything strange.”
Song Xuyi furrowed her brows and couldn’t help but glance at Bai Jin, whose face showed even more embarrassment: “I still need to prepare for the ritual. If there’s nothing else, I’ll go first—”
Bai Jin almost ran into the next room as if escaping.
What on earth is going on?
Song Xuyi furrowed her brows, instinctively feeling that Bai Jin’s words were hiding something. Song Xuyi originally wanted to talk with Xia Tian again, but found that Xia Tian hadn’t appeared all morning.
It wasn’t until noon, when Song Xuyi almost couldn’t resist pushing open Bai Jin’s door to find out, that Xia Tian leisurely came out of Bai Jin’s room.
Xia Tian’s complexion looked a bit haggard. Clearly, she had been chatting and laughing with Song Xuyi yesterday, but today, as soon as Xia Tian’s gaze met Song Xuyi’s, she turned red-faced and started to avoid her.
Song Xuyi furrowed her brows: Both Bai Jin and Xia Tian seemed a bit strange, as if they were hiding something from her. Could there really be a problem with the old house?
Just as she was about to find Xia Tian for answers, Xia Tian came to Song Xuyi with a red face, pulling her into the room. Song Xuyi noticed that Xia Tian’s steps were much smaller, and even when sitting down, she was holding her waist…
Is she injured?
“I and Bai Jin couldn’t help ourselves, last night…” Xia Tian bit her lower lip and lowered her head, not daring to look at Song Xuyi, her voice barely above a whisper: “Xuyi, in my current state, leaving the old house will definitely be noticed by others, so I plan to rest here for one more day. I’m sorry, but I’ll have to trouble you to stay with me for another day…”
Song Xuyi didn’t expect Bai Jin and Xia Tian’s hesitance was for this reason, and her face turned a bit red for a moment. However, remembering her own doubts, she still asked despite the embarrassment: even if her doubts can’t be answered, at least it might make the two stop being so skeptical about the supernatural.
Xia Tian and the other person were lovey-dovey the previous night and didn’t discover any anomaly. When Song Xuyi told Xia Tian about the red string situation, Xia Tian panicked, feeling as if her worldview was shaken. She didn’t know why this situation occurred but was more concerned about her good friend’s safety, so she subconsciously sought help from Bai Jin. Unexpectedly, Bai Jin gave an uncertain explanation—
“Our Bai family always had a legend about a guardian deity, and I always thought it was a lie,” Bai Jin said with a frown: “Now, thinking back, it might be related. Rumor has it the guardian deity has a very strong territorial awareness and, once it perceives the magic aura of other factions, it would uncontrollably launch an attack, perhaps because of this reason…”
To verify this statement, Bai Jin took Song Xuyi out of the Bai family’s house and walked about a hundred steps. Sure enough, the bead that seemed stuck on Song Xuyi’s hand suddenly came off.
Song Xuyi believed Bai Jin’s explanation, and to prevent further complications, she removed the bead, put it in her pocket, and no longer wore it on her hand.
The system was also somewhat confused—originally, upon seeing the female ghost’s familiar face last night, the system thought she was the villainous fierce ghost from the plot summary. However, the talisman did not attack the woman, and apart from kissing Song Xuyi’s wrist, the woman didn’t do anything harmful. Could it be… it made a mistake? In this world, the woman did not become a fierce ghost villain but instead became a guardian deity?
The system no longer went “wuwuwuwu,” and Song Xuyi felt she had guessed correctly, letting out a sigh of relief. However, she did not expect a sudden change to occur the next moment—
On the way back, a car approached from ahead, and although it had looked fine before, as it passed Song Xuyi, the car suddenly changed lanes and crashed toward her!
Song Xuyi froze, hurriedly dodging to the side. The car did not slow down at all and still rushed toward the wall—
In a daze, Song Xuyi seemed to see the driver’s eyes glowing green.
With a “boom,” the car hit the wall, the front of the car immediately caved in, and the driver inside passed out…
Bai Jin was also greatly startled by this incident and immediately called the police after coming to his senses.
This was a small interlude. Although Song Xuyi was frightened, she didn’t take it to heart and returned to the old house to continue her revision.
However, Song Xuyi didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she always felt as if something in the sky outside was secretly watching her…
Those gazes were filled with malice, as if she was some kind of elixir, making Song Xuyi involuntarily recall the dream from two nights ago—the demons and ghosts in the dream were staring with such covetous eyes at the infant Bai Yu, who was born with yin-yang eyes…
Having experienced too many things that day, Song Xuyi didn’t read much in the afternoon. She also remembered the room’s light was broken. This type of old-style crystal chandelier required professional repair, so Song Xuyi called the repair company.
At this time, Bai Jin and Xia Tian were busy with the ritual, and Song Xuyi didn’t want to disturb them over small matters. She sat alone in the room waiting for the repair company to arrive. Before long, Song Xuyi heard a knocking sound from the mansion’s front door—
Song Xuyi opened the door and saw two repair workers holding tools, wearing repair company uniforms. Even though the workers looked extremely formal, Song Xuyi subconsciously felt something was strange about them; their faces seemed somewhat grayish at first glance…
“We have some tools in the car, can you help us get them?” The two workers did not enter, standing at the door and staring directly at Song Xuyi.
Song Xuyi furrowed her brows: “You can drive the car in…”
“The car is broken!” One of the workers mechanically rotated his eyeballs while looking at Song Xuyi: “We are also in a hurry, so we can only trouble you.”
Though they said they were in a hurry, the two workers did not step into the mansion at all, standing two meters away from the door.
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What are they afraid of?
Song Xuyi’s mind raced with thoughts, and she subtly stepped back: “I left my phone in the room, I’ll check your work ID first, and if everything’s fine, I’ll come out to help you get the tools—”
Song Xuyi quickly ran back to the room, considering her suspicions, and gritting her teeth, she tore a talisman paper from the window before walking back to the door.
The two workers heard Song Xuyi’s footsteps and mechanically looked over. Seeing Song Xuyi holding a phone, they did not suspect anything and began to report their work ID…
“I’ll check!” Song Xuyi stepped forward two steps and, just as she was about to walk out of the door, suddenly raised her phone high!
—Behind the phone, a talisman paper was clearly pasted.
The two workers looked astonished, but it was already too late. The talisman paper ignited without wind, emitting two beams of golden light that shot into the workers’ bodies.
From the workers’ bodies, two black shadows floated out, fleeing toward the sky, and the workers, shedding their previous mechanical expressions, shivered and looked at Song Xuyi: “Excuse me, are you Miss Song? Sorry, I was just a bit distracted.”
“It is me.” Song Xuyi nodded and stepped aside, her eyes complexly watching the workers walk past her into the room…
If I guessed correctly, those two people were just possessed by evil spirits. Probably because of the guardian deity in the mansion, the evil spirits did not dare to enter and could only coax me to leave. If I had fallen for it and left the mansion, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
What exactly has happened? Why have I suddenly become the coveted prize for evil spirits?
Song Xuyi pursed her lips: For now, staying in the mansion means the guardian deity and talisman are protecting me, but what if I leave the old mansion in the future?
LP: Re-translated on September 08, 2024