The movement was clean, decisive.
Air split.
Silence followed.
Qin Yue froze, his eyes fixed ahead.
“Why why why did you do that?”
Qin Yue slowly lowered the sword and his expression didn’t change.
“It didn’t work.”
“Oh it worked. In fact it worked too well. Woosh! See me dissipating like dust in the wind?”
Qin Yue was annoyed by his sarcastic tone.
“Speak properly”
“So now you respond to me. You made me think I was going crazy acting like you couldn’t hear a word I was saying”
Qin Yue scoffed.
“You? What about me?”
Hanguang Zhe wasn’t in the mood to squabble.
“I can’t be bothered to argue with you. All I have to say is that you’ve created a disaster for us with that thing”
Hanguang Zhe gestured towards the sword in disgust, forgetting that Qin Yue still couldn’t see him.
Although he didn’t know where the ghost was pointing at, Qin Yue had a fairly good idea.
“This was supposed to make you go away. Don’t peach wood swords work that like that?”
“It might have worked, if it was a peach wood sword. You were deceived. Whoever sold that to you calling it a peach wood sword is a scam. That’s clearly a peach blossom sword! I performed a simple binding spell to be able to communicate with you but with your hasty actions, it has now become a life and death spell”
He didn’t want to share a lifespan with a human..
what would happen to him if he couldn’t achieve his goal before the young man died?
Qin Yue realized the seriousness of the matter immediately.
“You mean to say I got the wrong prop which somehow made my situation even more dire than it was?”
“Why yes, at least someone is going along with the class.”
Qin Yue let out a deep breath.
“Why didn’t I know you were this annoying?”
And to think he found him pitiful.
Hanguang Zhe scoffed.
“My name is Hanguang Zhe. I feel like the polite thing to do in this case is to exchange pleasantries as we shall be stuck together for quite a while.”
Qin Yue could almost hear the sound of his teeth grinding from how hard he was clenching them and gave his name through gritted teeth.
“Qin Yue.”
“Nice to meet you, I shall be your faithful companion from now on!”
He needed to find that fraud.
However, before he could get to the door, he felt a throbbing pain in his chest, he almost collapsed to the floor.
Hanguang Zhe on the other side hissed softly.
“Where are you going? We can’t be too far away from each other.”
Qin Yue looked up dazedly
“What do you mean?”
“A side effect. If we are certain distance apart, we both experience immeasurable pain. I’m already in soul form so it doesn’t really affect me, but you…” he tsked softly.
” You get hit hard.”
Qin Yue struggled to lean his back on the wall.
So not only was he being haunted by a ghost, but it was one which he simply couldn’t get rid of.
“Why didn’t I notice you being so blackbellied earlier.”
“Naturally because my interests weren’t on the line. Now, I can’t afford to be friendly to you. But I’ll give you two choices, one, we cooperate, you get your freedom, I get what I want. Two, you listen to me and do whatever I say so that we can both get rid of each other faster.”
Qin Yue raised an eyebrow.
“Isn’t that basically the same thing?”
Hanguang Zhe shrugged, then remembered Qin Yue couldn’t see him, he gave a snort.
“Alright then, so you have one choice.”
Qin Yue scolded him for being shameless in his heart.
“I don’t think you would want to keep being stuck with me we need to go find the solution”
Hanguang Zhe made a sound that was part laugh, part sneer.
“You don’t really think the “master” is going to undo this do you? I doubt someone who doesn’t even know the difference between a peach wood and peach blossom sword will be able to help our case.”
Qin Yue couldn’t be bothered with him.
“Are you coming or not?”
Hanguang Zhe let out a long sigh.
“I shall humour you. It’s been quite long since I strolled the streets of this city anyways.”
Qin Yue understood.
The ghost was treating this mission like a casual expedition.
There was nothing he could do about it and if he was being honest, he didn’t have much hope in that man either.
He hailed a taxi and got in, searching up how to get rid of ghosts on his phone.
There were various suggestions such as telling them to leave, burning sage, placing salt across thresholds and the like.
For some reason, he didn’t think these would work on this ghost.
Hanguang Zhe took a glance at his search and clicked his tongue. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“I’m not some vengeful ghost—although he did have thoughts of vengeance, or an earthbound spirit. I’m here through cultivation, those methods don’t work on me.”
Qin Yue snorted softly and the driver turned back to look at him to which he smiled and shook his head.
“I don’t know why The Badgers don’t just put Lee in and keep benching him. We all know he would be the solution to them making a turnaround this season.”
The driver’s eyes lit up as though he had found a kindred spirit.
“Exactly! I keep telling people this but…”
By the time the car stopped, Qin Yue’s ears had almost grown calloused.
He paid the driver and alighted, quickly rushing off.
Hanguang Zhe kept talking beside his ear.
“Why did you have to engage him in conversation? I would have much preferred a quiet ride.”
“I wouldn’t have had to, if you weren’t being such a bother.”
Hanguang Zhe floated around Qin Yue in circles
“I didn’t see you having such a hard time ignoring me before”
Qin Yue shrank his neck
“Can you stop breathing down my neck!”
“It’s not my fault you’re so sensitive, you’re not even supposed to feel I’m here.”
“So you’re saying it’s my fault?”
“If the shoe fits”
“How old are you?”
“Way older than you.”
“How do you speak this way?”
“I’m not stupid, I learnt the slangs of any era I find myself in. What did you think? Hey, there’s a red mole on your neck ”
Hanguang Zhe reached out to touch it and Qin Yue shivered slightly, his whole neck turning red.
Hanguang Zhe withdrew his hand immediately.
“What are you doing? I don’t even have a physical body and you…”
Qin Yue clenched his teeth but eventually couldn’t hold back.
“Shut up!”
A few pedestrians turned his way and Qin Yue realised that in their eyes, he was essentially alone on the street talking to himself.
He doubled down and said in a singsong voice
“.. And dance with me”
For the sake of the plot, peach blossom swords are a thing(^^)