Hanguang Zhe looked speechlessly at the person who had passed out on the bed.
Did he go overboard?
At least he could rest now.
He hovered around the unconscious person, taking in every inch of his face.
He stretched out his hand to touch his face but his hand passed straight through his skin.
Hanguang Zhe withdrew his hand with a sigh.
He was getting weaker by the day.
Not being able to cultivate in the form, he could only draw energy from the moon but this could only sustain him for so long.
It took too much effort and yielded little results.
Doing that could only help his soul from dissipating but even that wasn’t enough anymore.
He had never met someone with such a high aptitude for cultivation before and this could be his last chance.
He apologised to the young man in his heart and performed a binding spell.
Now he would be able to talk to the young man directly instead of using those unconventional methods to get his attention.
Qin Yue woke up feeling refreshed.
He couldn’t remember when last he was this well rested.
He swung his legs off the bed stretching when the events of last night came pouring into his brain and he froze mid yawn.
That must have been a dream.
Qin Yue brushed it off and headed to the bathroom when he heard a soft sound by his ear.
“Hello”
Qin Yue paused imperceptibly then kept on walking.
The voice—faint at first had gotten clearer, kept chattering by his ear.
“Can’t he hear me? I’m sure that was the right spell. Heloooo?? Is he pretending not to hear me?”
Qin Yue used every last bit of willpower left in him to keep a straight face until he stepped into the bathroom.
He collapsed against the door and let out the breath he had been holding.
Ghosts could go through walls right?
He put his ear against the door and heard the mutters.
“It is impolite to follow so I’ll wait here. Even though he can’t see me. Or hear me.”
Qin Yue seemed to detect a hint of sadness in the voice but he quickly shook his head.
If he felt sorry for the ghost, who would feel sorry for him?
His breath came out in soft gasps as he struggled to slow his breathing.
He walked out of the bathroom expressionlessly and went to take his phone, keenly noticing another presence in the room.
After that, he walked back into the bathroom and shut the door, then started googling taoist temples in the city.
Qin Yue stared at the search results on his phone for a long time before finally picking out a few.
He stepped out of the bathroom again, face completely composed.
The faint voice immediately perked up.
“Oh! You came out. I thought you were going to stay in there longer.”
Qin Yue picked up his jacket, slipped on his shoes, and walked out of the house without responding.
Behind him, the voice paused.
“…He really can’t hear me.”
There was a noticeable dip in its tone.
Qin Yue clenched his jaw but didn’t stop walking.
The first place he went to was a temple not too far from his neighborhood.
It was quiet, incense drifting lazily in the air.
A few elderly people knelt in front of statues, murmuring prayers.
Qin Yue stood there for a moment before approaching one of the attendants.
“I need to ask something.”
The middle-aged man looked up.
“Go ahead.”
“I think… I might be followed by something.”
The man blinked.
“…Followed?”
“A ghost,” Qin Yue said plainly.
The man stared at him for a few seconds, then sighed.
“Young man, you shouldn’t joke about these things.”
“I’m not joking.”
“Then you’re overthinking. You look tired. Have you been sleeping properly?”
Qin Yue’s silence was answer enough.
The man nodded as if he had confirmed something.
“That’s your problem. Lack of rest can cause auditory hallucinations. Go home, get some sleep, and stop reading strange things online.”
Qin Yue’s expression flattened.
“I see.”
He turned and left.
The second temple gave him almost the exact same answer.
This time, an elderly monk listened to him patiently, even nodding along as Qin Yue described the voice.
When he finished, the monk smiled kindly.
“The human mind is very powerful. When it is under stress, it creates what it fears.”
“So you don’t believe me,” Qin Yue said.
“It’s not about belief,” the monk replied gently.
“It’s about understanding yourself.”
Qin Yue stood there for a moment, then bowed slightly and left.
By the third place, his patience was already worn thin.
This one was smaller, less maintained, tucked away in a quiet alley.
Qin Yue repeated his story again.
The old man sitting inside didn’t even let him finish.
“Nonsense,” he snorted.
“If ghosts were that easy to encounter, the world would be in chaos.”
Qin Yue’s lips pressed into a thin line.
“So there’s nothing you can do?”
“There’s nothing to do,” the man said bluntly.
“Go back and live your life.”
By the time Qin Yue stepped out, the sun was already tilting toward evening.
He stood on the side of the road, staring ahead blankly.
He was about to give up when he noticed a small stall set up near the roadside.
It was out of place compared to the surroundings—bright red cloth, strange talismans, wooden trinkets laid out in messy rows.
An old man sat behind it, fanning himself lazily.
Qin Yue stopped.
The old man looked up immediately, his eyes sharp despite his relaxed posture.
“You,” he said, pointing.
“You look like someone who has encountered something unclean.”
Qin Yue’s steps halted.
Slowly, he turned back.
“…You can tell?”
The old man chuckled.
“Of course I can tell. It’s written all over your face.”
Qin Yue stared at him for a few seconds, then walked over.
“I’ve been hearing a voice.”
“Describe it.”
Qin Yue did.
When he finished, the old man nodded sagely.
“A lingering spirit.”
Qin Yue’s gaze sharpened.
“So you believe me.”
“Believe?” the old man scoffed.
“This is my line of work.”
He reached under the table and pulled out a small wooden sword, about the length of Qin Yue’s forearm.
“Peach wood sword,” he said.
“Specially made. It repels evil.”
Qin Yue looked at it.
“…That’s it?”
“That’s it,” the old man confirmed.
“Swing it at the spirit. It won’t be able to stay near you.”
Qin Yue narrowed his eyes slightly.
“And the price?”
The old man named a number.
Qin Yue didn’t even bargain.
He took out his phone and paid immediately.
The old man’s smile widened.
“Wise choice.”
Qin Yue took the sword, its surface smooth and unexpectedly warm.
“For best results,” the old man added, “strike when it manifests.”
Qin Yue nodded once and turned to leave.
Behind him, the old man watched him go and clicked his tongue softly.
“Another sucker”
When Qin Yue got back home, the sky had already darkened.
He placed the peach wood sword on the table and stood there for a moment.
“…You’re back.”
The voice appeared again, cautious this time.
Qin Yue’s fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
“You went out all day,” the voice continued.
“Were you avoiding me?”
Qin Yue exhaled slowly.
Then he picked up the wooden sword.
“Are you going to keep ignoring me?” the voice asked, sounding aggrieved now.
Qin Yue turned his head slightly.
“Can you hear me?”
There was a pause.
Then…
“You CAN hear me!”
The voice lit up instantly.
“I knew it! That spell worked! You’ve been pretending this whole time, haven’t you? That’s really not polite—”
Qin Yue didn’t let it finish.
He raised the peach wood sword and slashed forward without hesitation.
Hanguang Zhe recognized the item in the young man’s hand and his pupils shrank.
“Wait no, don’t!”
Accidentally set this chapter for premium.
Rookie mistake