Otherworldly Merchant

After observing for a full hour and confirming that Mr. Qi was all right, I heaved a sigh of relief. It was almost lunch time, so Mrs. Qi ordered some food for everyone.

While eating, the red-haired girl asked me, “Doesn’t Mr. Qi need to eat something too?”

Thanks to her reminder, I realized I hadn’t paid attention to Old Qi’s meals. I turned to Mrs. Qi and asked, “Has your husband eaten anything?”

Mrs. Qi shook her head. “No, he hasn’t. He’s been unconscious ever since I came home. Let alone eating, he hasn’t even taken a sip of water.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Why didn't you tell me this earlier? It’s okay for a man to go without eating for a day, but it’s not okay if he doesn’t drink any water. Aren’t you worried that he might die of dehydration?”

Mrs. Qi patted her head. “My bad. Why didn’t I think about it earlier? I’m going to give him food and water.”

“It won’t work,” I said. “He’s unconscious now, and even if you wake him up, he won’t have the mood to eat.”

Mrs. Qi was flustered. “What should I do then?”

“It seems that the departed soul doesn’t want Mr. Qi to eat. In that case, we’ll prevent the soul from eating as well. Prepare a bowl of congee and smoke it with three joss sticks. I’ll handle the rest.”

Mrs. Qi nodded and rushed to prepare the ingredients.

I quickly finished my lunch and buried the ink slab in the sea salt. Departed souls also needed energy to work, and the way they collected energy was different from human beings. People collected energy through food, while departed souls fed off Yin energy.

When a soul attached itself to an otherworldly item to survive, it would no longer be able to gather Yin energy on its own; it could only do so through the otherworldly item.

Since I had buried the otherworldly item in the salt, I had cut off the soul’s source of Yin energy. Without meals, the soul would become ‘hungry.’

When that happened, I would use food rich of Yin energy to lure it out. The soul would have to eat the food I had prepared if it wanted to collect Yin energy. It was also the way we could help Mr. Qi get some nourishment.

Soon, I had prepared everything and kept the ink slab buried in sea salt.

Then, I heard the girls screaming. “Oh my God, he woke up! Brother Zhang, come and see!”

I hurried back to the bedroom, and Mr. Qi was now sitting up straight in his bed. His red eyes were rolled to the back of his head, and half of his tongue was sticking out. He looked quite frightening as he sweated and glared at me in anger; he was no different from someone who was about to choke to death.

I gasped and suddenly recalled something. The otherworldly item wasn’t just the spirit’s source of energy, it was also what helped it survive. It was similar to oxygen to humans.

When I cut off his source of Yin energy, I also cut off his source of oxygen. It would be strange if he wasn’t enraged.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw Mr. Qi get up and rush toward me with the intent to strangle me. I ran and screamed, “All of you, get out of the room! Mrs. Qi, is the congee ready?”

“Yes!” Mrs. Qi answered.

“All right, bring it in!” I screamed.

Soon, Mrs. Qi brought a bowl of congee into the room. There were some wisps of smoke hovering over the bowl. I knew it was due to the incense used to smoke it.

Mrs. Qi gasped in fright as she saw her husband trying to strangle me. I threw her a quick glance. “Put the bowl down and get out!”

Mrs. Qi placed the bowl down and strode out of the room.

Mr. Qi noticed the strong Yin energy as soon he caught sight of the bowl. He let me off and rushed to the bowl, finishing it a single breath. I heaved a sigh of relief. Everything should be fine for now.

Mr. Qi ate the bowl of congee and turned to me, shooting me an angry look.

I quickly ran to take the ink slab out of the sea salt. As soon as the ink slab was exposed in the air, the man was able to resume his intake of Yin energy and stopped his mad chase after me. In the end, it was still broad daylight, and it wasn’t convenient for him to take action.

I exhaled in relief and called the girls to help me take Mr. Qi back to bed.

The young ladies were excited after the short but terrifying encounter. They encircled me and asked, “Did that ghost get angry? Did he go on a rampage because of that?”

“What are you talking about? It’s pretty obvious that Mr. Qi was possessed.”

The girls were even more excited once they heard that Mr. Qi had been possessed by a ghost. “Wow, that’s awesome! This is much more exciting than visiting the haunted house attraction!”

I was speechless.

After dinner, I asked them to prepare, and all the girls changed into the ancient costumes they had borrowed.

However, the clothes they had chosen were really flimsy, and they put great emphasis on their bodies. Their beautiful skin was visible through the silk gauze.

These girls were already beautiful and had stunning figures. Wearing ancient costumes made them look even more magnificent. Li Mazi and I felt were mesmerized, and even Mrs. Qi clicked her tongue in admiration.

Seeing beauties in real life was completely different than seeing them on TV.

I didn’t expect that they had even prepared a costume for me. It looked like a long scholarly robe.

Of course, I didn’t put it on as I understood what it meant. If I wore it, I would have to participate in the play, and they would tease me to death.

The girls were very lively. Li Mazi and I found some wine and shared it while sitting by the window and watching them.

Even a charming woman like Mrs. Qi felt inferior in front of this group of beauties; she kept on sighing.

“Why are you sighing?”

Mrs. Qi shook her head with a wry smile. “If I hadn’t married Old Qi, I would have been like them now, enjoying my precious youth! Sigh, if the heavens gave me another chance, I would never choose Old Qi.”

I smiled and comforted Mrs. Qi. “It’s not as easy as it seems. They have to fight for their livelihood every day, and it’s not guaranteed that they’ll get to star in a movie. They have to constantly face the unwritten rules in the film industry, and if they’re careless, they might even lose their job. In short, they have their difficulties as well.”

Mrs. Qi sighed again. I wondered if she even listened to what I had just said.

The ladies were having fun in the courtyard under the pale moonlight. On this hazy night, they looked even prettier. Their gait was gentle, and their laughter beautiful. It was a wholesome scene that one didn’t feel like disturbing.

I suddenly remembered a verse from an ancient poem.

The silver candle illuminates the chilly panel, Her silk fan delicately swats away the fireflies. As the sky takes on the color of night, it becomes as cold as water, She sits and gazes at the stars of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid.

The scene in front of us was really similar to this ancient poem, right?

While we were silently enjoying the beautiful play, some noises arose from Mr. Qi’s bedroom. I immediately turned around to check and saw that Mr. Qi was up.

His eyes had sunk deep into his sockets, his hair disheveled. He tiptoed, walking out of the room and heading directly to the bathroom.

The girls who were playing in the yard noticed Mr. Qi. They quieted down as they just watched Mr. Qi’s bizarre actions.

Mr. Qi acted as if he didn’t see us. He went to the bathroom and began to wash himself without taking off his clothes, just like he did the day before.

My eyes happened to look at the ancient long robe the girls had prepared for me. Something flashed in my head. I picked it up and threw it over to the bathroom.

Who knew, perhaps that departed soul liked to wear ancient clothes? 

Sure enough, Mr. Qi looked excited when he saw the robe. He hurried to pick it up and gently stroke it. Then, he put the robe on, carefully checking himself in front of the mirror. In the end, he smiled happily.

I chuckled quietly, thinking that this fellow was really narcissistic.

I called the ladies and asked them to stand close to me. I hoped that one of them could stir the soul’s heart and make him talk about his old stories.

All the girls had creamy skin and exquisite appearances. If they had lived in ancient times, they would have been more charming than royal princesses!

However, Mr. Qi just shot them a glance and went back to his room. He didn’t even give them a second look as he continued with his drawings.

Just like the previous day, Mr. Qi pounded his chest and spurted out some heart blood. Tonight, the blood looked a little lighter. I guessed it was because of Mr. Qi’s feeble body.

Then, he ground the ink and made some poems and drew more pictures. After his work was done, he silently enjoyed the pictures. But then, he felt unsatisfied about the girl and tore the picture, starting the drawing anew.

The girls started to lose their interest. They complained to me, “Brother Zhang, this is not scary at all.”

“She’s right, Brother Zhang. You should one of your spell already and defeat the ghost! Show us something cool.”

“What kind of lazy ghost is that? He’s bringing shame to all ghosts!”

I was speechless. Do you guys really think that it’s like the stuff you’ve seen on TV, where they throw some talismans or wield a shining sword to expel the evil spirit?!

I sighed with emotion. These girls were too young and naive.

As I didn’t take action, they pressed forward. “Don’t tell us that you don’t know how to subdue that ghost?”

I carefully explained my plan. I wanted one of them to strike a conversation with the ghost so that we could understand his story.

The red-haired girl said, “You should have told us earlier! You just need us to seduce that ghost, right? That’s simple!”

I looked at her in puzzlement. “Aren’t you afraid of him?”

“What there is to be afraid? Isn’t that ghost a male? As long as he’s male, he can’t escape my temptation.”

Then, the red-haired girl started to walk toward Mr. Qi.

Her actions startled me. Sure enough, a newborn calf did not fear tigers!

Although Mr. Qi appeared to be harmless now, I was sure he would get angry if the red-haired girl harassed him. At that time, things wouldn't end well for her.

I hurried to stop her, warning her not to approach him carelessly.

The red-haired girl was displeased. “How can I seduce him if I can’t get close to him?”