Hearing that the man before him wanted the prayer beads back, Hong Hui shook his head.
“No.”
His tone, rare for him, grew stern:
“The beads only have the ones for Right View, Right Thought, and Right Speech repaired. The rest still have cracks.
Master specifically instructed that all eight must be repaired together before you can take them back.”
On the other end of the line, silence.
Hong Hui spoke with gravity:
“If you run into an especially troublesome evil ghost, you can tell me. I may not be the most skilled, but maybe I can help. And if not, I can at least contact Master.”
After a pause Hong Hui continued, “So, what kind of evil ghost came to your house last night?”
Yan He: “…”
Hong Hui held his breath, waiting.
He thought: It must be an extremely troublesome ghost, for Yan He to call at six in the morning asking for the beads.
A ghost troublesome enough to make Yan He wary had to be one capable of stirring up a bloody storm.
If such a ghost were loosed to harm the living, he’d have to contact Master immediately.
But Yan He stayed silent for a long time, so long that Hong Hui, uneasy, finally asked:
“Was it really that troublesome? You can’t even say its name?”
At last, Yan He spoke.
“Not some vicious ghost, no…Just that, without the prayer beads last night, I didn’t sleep well”
“…Really?” Hong Hui asked hesitantly.
“Really,” Yan He replied.
Only then did Hong Hui relax, reminding him firmly to wait until all eight beads were fully repaired before taking them back.
Yan He’s eyelid twitched at the thought of enduring several more rounds of ghostly bed-pressing.
But the determination in Hong Hui’s voice left no room for negotiation. He could only say that he wasn’t used to sleeping without the beads, and wished to have them back sooner.
After some thought, Hong Hui promised: “I’ll try to speed up the repairs on the other five beads. Three days at most.”
Finally, Yan He felt a bit reassured. He thanked Hong Hui, then sat on the edge of his bed, eyes closed, composing himself for quite a while before rising to change clothes.
That night.
A cold crescent moon hung in the sky, its faint silver glow filtering hazily through the clouds.
The ghost market was as bustling as ever.
Two long streets were lined with ghost stalls, packed with dazzling wares that made the eyes swim.
Amid the cries of hawkers, tucked deep within the alleys were several old shops. No passing ghost dared to look inside.
Even headless ones hurried their steps, eager to leave quickly.
Through the open doors, one could glimpse groups of evil spirits sprawled within: some half-squinting as they smoked, others clustered around gambling fires, their curses and laughter mingling in chaotic uproar.
These old shops in the ghost market were the equivalent of pawnshops in the human world but far more dangerous. The goods exchanged there were all things obtained at the risk of being burned to ashes.
“Trading incense sticks.”
A wet cloth sack, still dripping, landed with a thud on the counter. The voice of the newcomer was cold and flat, cutting clearly through the racket of the shop.
The sack hit the wood with only a faint sound, yet it was enough to draw every ghost’s gaze. In an instant, the noisy shop fell silent, all eyes fixed on the figure who had just entered.
But the water ghost leaning against the counter didn’t move, his expression cold and rigid as he stared at the dripping sack.
The old ghost behind the counter chuckled, stretching out his withered hand to weigh the damp bag.
“Exchanging for the same incense as last time?”
The water ghost gave a small nod.
The old ghost tucked the wet sack into his sleeve, and at once the shop filled with noise again.
Several evil ghosts jeered at the water ghost by the counter:
“Bringing incense to that little ghost again, are you?”
“Ah Sheng, you’re late this time!”
Another ghost slapped down a card, grinning: “That little ghost’s gotten stronger than you now…”
“Isn’t that the truth? He even dared enter a human’s house…”
Their voices overlapped in a jumble, unclear in detail, but unmistakably malicious.
As the old ghost brought out bundles of incense, the water ghost said flatly:
“Add two bundles of silver wax.”
The old ghost slapped his forehead, chuckling: “Ah, look at me, almost forgot.”
While packing the silver wax, he went on with a sly smile:
“You’ve been away so long, I nearly forgot that little ghost liked eating silver wax.”
The water ghost said nothing, only staring blankly as the old ghost worked.
The shop grew louder still. A few long-tongued ghosts drifted to the counter, their excitement and malice written plain on their faces.
“These measly offerings won’t impress that little ghost anymore…”
“Better to just eat him up…”
“Eat him, eat him—”
“Or kill that human—”
The voices rose and fell in waves of vicious glee, stabbing into the ears like needles.
The water ghost did not speak. But as he accepted the incense, there came a sudden clang.
His right hand gripped a blade, the edge driving down hard into the table with unerring precision.
His voice was cool and even:
“You’re short one bundle of silver wax.”
The long-tongued ghosts froze, exchanged uneasy looks then scattered like startled birds, vanishing without a trace.
After a moment, the water ghost picked up his incense bundles and stepped out of the shop.
Behind him, the rowdy store still buzzed with mutters seemingly casual, but all dripping with malice.
Walking slowly through the noisy ghost market, the water ghost understood well enough what those old shop ghosts were after.
He had never harmed the living.
Those evil ghosts, wicked at heart, never failed to taunt him whenever he came to trade incense, always trying to tempt him into killing, to stain his hands and become one of them.
But evil spirits carried heavy miasma, easily attracting the Yin Enforcers.
If caught, even the luckiest would have to shed layers of skin to escape.
So the others could say what they liked.
After all, this water ghost had drowned to death; his ears had been ruined by the water. He couldn’t hear clearly anymore.
To him, their taunts were nothing more than insults hurled at a half-deaf man.
Step by step, he walked on, incense in hand.
At last, he paused before a small ghost stall.
Laid out upon it were storybooks of every kind, a dazzling, colorful array.
The water ghost picked out a few storybooks, paid with some incense sticks, and slowly made his way toward the cemetery.
In the eastern corner of the graveyard, Mu Bai was just about to float off toward the city center, ready to fill his stomach as usual.
But he had barely drifted up for a few seconds when his eyes lit up. Turning his head, he spotted a figure in a green robe walking slowly in his direction.
The man looked young, his face so pale it had a bluish tint. His sharp features and cold demeanor carried the aura of a drawn sword.
Mu Bai’s eyes brightened, and he shouted excitedly, “Ah Sheng! Ah Sheng!”
The water ghost, still moving at his usual sluggish pace, wore the same cold, expressionless face.
The little ghost darted down, and only when he was a few meters away did the water ghost finally sense something. He raised his head, meeting Mu Bai’s overjoyed gaze.
Mu Bai floated down eagerly and followed him back to the familiar open clearing where they usually sat together.
Beaming, Mu Bai said with sparkling eyes, “You’re back so early this time!”
The water ghost sat down beside him, turning his head to look.
Mu Bai tilted his head closer to his ear, raising his voice, “I said, you’re back so early this time!”
The water ghost nodded. “This job was easy.”
Mu Bai circled him once, checking him carefully for wounds. Seeing none, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Ah Sheng was far stronger than him. Unlike Mu Bai, who could only scavenge incense scraps, Ah Sheng often took on dangerous jobs in exchange for incense.
The work was risky, but the pay was enough to last half a year, and sometimes Ah Sheng would even spare a little to help him.
The water ghost dropped a few bundles of incense on the ground, then pulled out a storybook. With no change in expression, he handed it over. “A new book.”
Mu Bai shook his head seriously. “Didn’t I tell you not to buy these anymore?”
Ah Sheng earned plenty of incense but also spent recklessly. He often bought random little trinkets, sometimes for himself, sometimes for Mu Bai. He once bought a ghost cricket without blinking, spending several sticks of incense in one go.
Mu Bai thought this was no good. He would often lecture him that incense shouldn’t be spent so carelessly. If Ah Sheng saved more, he wouldn’t have to take as many jobs and fewer jobs meant less danger.
Other little ghosts had told him that jobs earning so many bundles of incense were usually stolen from under the noses of underworld guards, which was incredibly risky.
The water ghost held out the book insistently. “It’s new.”
“It’s good.”
Mu Bai: “…”
He was about to say that no matter how good the story was, it wasn’t worth risking incense for, but Ah Sheng had already turned his head aside, pretending to be deaf just like always.
Helpless, Mu Bai asked, “Then why don’t you ever buy one for yourself?”
The water ghost’s pale face didn’t change. “I can’t read. I wouldn’t understand.”
Mu Bai: “…”
Scratching his cheek awkwardly, he muttered, “Right… I forgot about that.”
After a pause, he brightened. “Then tonight, I’ll read it to you.”
The water ghost shook his head, stubbornly repeating, “You read.”
The storybook was meant for the little ghost to enjoy, it had to be the newest one, too.
Knowing there was no use arguing, Mu Bai gave in with a sigh. “Fine, fine. I’ll read it.”
Satisfied, the water ghost nodded and pushed the incense toward him. “Eat.”
But Mu Bai shook his head. Pulling out an incense stick from his sleeve, he nearly burst with excitement. “This time it’s my turn. I brought incense for you!”
The water ghost blinked, staring at the stick in his hand.
Mu Bai tried to look calm and mature, but the joy bubbling out of him was impossible to hide. His voice quivered with excitement. “Ah Sheng, I found the right person!”
The next moment, he completely forgot about acting serious. Like a bird freed from its cage, he chirped happily, “Now I can eat every night!”
The water ghost still looked stunned, but Mu Bai’s grin only grew wider. “From now on, I’ll save up the incense I pick up. Then you won’t need to go out on those dangerous jobs anymore.”
The water ghost immediately shook his head, frowning. “No.”
If he didn’t earn incense, he couldn’t buy storybooks for the little ghost.
But Mu Bai copied his trick, pretending to be deaf. He sat cross-legged in the air, mumbling and counting on his fingers, trying to calculate how much incense the two of them would need in the future.
Feeling a little defeated, the water ghost finally asked, “Whose bed did you press?”
Mu Bai stopped counting, leaned close, and whispered mysteriously in his ear, “Yan He.”
“Do you remember that big villa we saw a few years ago when we were scavenging incense?”
“He lives there.”
The water ghost froze.
Mu Bai went on in a conspiratorial whisper, “He’s timid, and the bald monks he hires are all frauds.”
“I’ve been pressing on him for quite a while now.”
“The other little ghosts think I’m amazing, but honestly, it’s just because he’s such a coward.”
His eyes sparkled as he gestured excitedly. “I’ve even seen the whole villa! There’s a big swimming pool on the third floor. I’ll sneak you in someday.”
“The water there is clean! You can play in the pool, and he’ll never notice.”
Ah Sheng liked staying in water, but most natural pools were filthy now. Every time he climbed out, his body would be covered in trash.
The name Yan He sounded strangely familiar to the water ghost, but with his poor hearing, he wasn’t sure. Maybe he had heard it somewhere before but misheard.
Looking at Mu Bai’s excited face, he figured he must have just remembered it wrong.
So he nodded and said expressionlessly, “Okay. I’ll go live there.”
Mu Bai nearly burst with joy. He asked eagerly, “How long are you planning to rest this time?”
The water ghost thought for a moment. “Same as last time.”
“Once the incense is gone, I’ll head out again.”
Mu Bai’s eyes lit up as he nodded.
In the past, he was too weak as a bed-pressing ghost and often went hungry. Aside from Ah Sheng, he had almost no friends.
Now that he had someone to wait for, even his daily meals seemed less important.
He sat cross-legged as always, chattering with bright eyes about his day, asking Ah Sheng about his adventures.
And just like before, the water ghost sat beside him, speaking slowly of the people and things he’d seen on his latest job.
The stars shifted as the cold moon slipped behind the clouds, and the night grew darker.
Inside a black-and-white bedroom, a man in an armchair lifted his head, glancing at the quiet window.
Outside, everything was still, no sound, not even the breeze stirred the curtains.
The clock’s hands crept toward nine-thirty, but the little ghost still hadn’t appeared.
Yan He stood and opened the wardrobe, half-expecting to see the little ghost curled up asleep inside. But it was empty.
He frowned. After a moment, he remembered that he no longer had the prayer beads on him. The ghost not coming was, technically, a good thing.
Still, the restless night wind troubled him. He shut the window but left a small gap in the sill.
Yet through that gap, the entire night passed, and no ghost came drifting in.
The next night, stars glittered above the suburban cemetery.
Mu Bai squatted on the ground, eyes sparkling as he shook the water ghost lying there with eyes closed.
“Ah Sheng, Ah Sheng!”
The water ghost lazily turned over, pretending not to hear.
Mu Bai persisted, shaking him harder. “I know you’re awake!”
The water ghost opened his eyes, his face expressionless as he muttered:
“Not going to pick up trash.”
Mu Bai tapped his head with a serious look, “How can you call picking incense ‘trash collecting’? That’s our food!”
The water ghost sat up and pointed to the few bundles of incense lying behind him,“We already have some.”
Mu Bai shook his head,“Not enough.”
The water ghost’s face darkened, a faint aura of menace leaking out, he looked every bit the evil ghost he was rumored to be.
Mu Bai crouched down, grabbed his shoes, and tossed them into his lap.
“Hurry up, put them on. If we’re late, the other little ghosts will snatch everything!”
The water ghost silently put on his shoes, his expression showing a trace of defeat.
He didn’t think Mu Bai should be the one scrounging incense. If anyone should be out there, it ought to be him.
But for some reason, he couldn’t explain why this thought stuck in his head.
Like Mu Bai, he had only fragmented memories of the past; the rest was a blur.
Mu Bai was luckier, he remembered his mother, remembered that he had once been a scholar traveling to the capital for the imperial exams, before drowning in a flood.
But the water ghost, he remembered nothing. Nothing except the fact that storybooks once cost three copper coins, while new ones were five.
Why he remembered that, he had no idea. He couldn’t even read the words in them.
Still, he put on his shoes and followed after Mu Bai.
The little ghost dragged him along, rushing through the night wind toward the suburbs.
As they flew, Mu Bai gave him a lecture in that earnest, nagging tone of his, “Picking incense isn’t shameful, you know! You’ve got to change that mindset.”
The water ghost thought, I know it’s not shameful.
Back when he had just become a ghost, he too picked incense often. Then, to spare Mu Bai from worry, he’d pretend it was offerings burned specifically for him, and the two of them would share it together.
It wasn’t that picking incense was shameful, it was just that Mu Bai shouldn’t be the one doing it.
If there was a word that was the exact opposite of “picking,” that word should belong to Mu Bai.
Unfortunately, he was illiterate, and couldn’t think of a better word to match the boy in front of him.
Mu Bai dragged him at full speed to a newly-started construction site, heading straight for the strong scent of incense.
The site wasn’t active that night, only a few workers with hard hats mixing concrete.
At the entrance, a middle-aged man was enthusiastically shaking hands with a monk in robes.
“Master, these past two days I’ve followed your instructions, burning paper offerings every night at the southeast gate. Sure enough, no more ghost trouble! Thank you, Master, thank you!”
Grinning, he added, “I’ve booked a vegetarian restaurant, may I invite you to dinner?”
The monk, holding prayer beads, declined politely with a smile.
“I’m sorry, I have a friend waiting outside. I can’t stay.”
The man thought it was just an excuse, but when he turned his head, sure enough, a sleek black Maybach was parked not far away.
Disappointed, he still thanked the monk repeatedly before leaving.
The monk, Master Honghui bowed slightly, then walked toward the waiting car.
The Maybach’s window was half-open, a strong arm resting casually against it, the cuff neatly rolled up to reveal an expensive, cold-glinting watch.
Honghui opened the door. Inside, a man sat with his head turned toward the window. His voice was faint, indifferent, “It’s just a few little ghosts. Why bother coming here yourself?”
Honghui fingered his prayer beads.
“I was bringing you the Buddha beads anyway, and this site wasn’t far. So I came.”
Yan He asked, his tone still flat:
“What’s going on inside?”
Honghui chuckled.
“Nothing serious. A few days ago, when they were driving piles, something went wrong. Someone tried burning offerings in secret, but not enough.”
“The hungry ghosts didn’t get their share. When they saw others eating while they starved, they made a fuss on the site.”
“Just have them burn more offerings, and it’ll settle.”
Superstition ran deep among construction workers.
It wasn’t uncommon for a pile to refuse to go down no matter what, only to go in smoothly once paper money was burned.
As Honghui explained, he glanced toward the southeast corner. Sure enough, the faint glow of burning paper flickered in the dark.
Yan He followed his gaze and then froze.
A crowd of little ghosts huddled around the incense, squatting on the ground and scrambling for scraps.
Among them, wearing that shabby gray robe, was the little ghost who hadn’t appeared in his room last night.
Mu Bai.
The brat was beaming, stuffing incense into his hands like it was the greatest feast of his life. And to top it off, he kept bumping heads playfully with another ghost beside him.
Honghui sighed in surprise, “Whose little ghost is that? Even eating the incense ash! Looks like he’s starving.”
Yan He spoke without thinking:
“…He’s not starving.”
Starving? Impossible.
That little ghost spent every night lying on his chest, drinking his spiritual energy like a leech.
Honghui blinked at him, puzzled. He didn’t understand what Yan He meant.
Yan He cleared his throat, covering it with a cough. But when he looked back, he saw Mu Bai choking too, coughing violently after inhaling incense ash.
His nose turned red, his face smudged with gray. He looked pitiful like a child who’d eaten dirt.
Yan He’s fingers clenched. His brows furrowed tighter and tighter, his handsome face darkening.
So he’d rather choke on incense ash outside than come to me for spiritual energy?
But before Yan He could untangle the knot of irritation in his chest, Mu Bai turned happily to the ghost beside him and chirped:
“A-Sheng!”
With sparkling eyes, he shoved the best piece of incense into the water ghost’s mouth, his smudged cheeks dimpling with a bright little smile.
“Eat more!”
Sheng is such a nice friend! Taking care of Mu Bai! No wonder the little ghost survived so long!
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ChaptersChapter 1 · New TargetChapter 2 · Pervert Little Ghost?Chapter 3 · Little one is MischievousChapter 4 · New MountChapter 5 · Fake Master?Chapter 6 · Blanket StolenChapter 7 · A presentChapter 8 · Rhino HornChapter 9 · Clinging like body PillowChapter 9 · Meeting Old FriendChapter 11 · Just like ChildChapter 12 · New AddictionsChapter 13 · Jinxed StarChapter 14 · Creeping out the old IdiotChapter 14 · Creeping out the old IdiotChapter 15 · New Set of ClothesChapter 16 · Big Wife, Little WifeChapter 17 · Chapter SE 17: Raising as A SonChapter 18 · Another Ghost?!Chapter 19 · Scared away the Evil ghostChapter 20 · NingNing’s SoulChapter 20 · Chapter SE 20: NingNing’s SoulChapter 21 · Green TeaChapter 22 · VisitChapter 23 · Turned into DollChapter 24 · Reunited with Yan HeChapter 25 · I’m UglyChapter 26 · I will stomp youChapter 27 · Ghost AgainChapter 28 · Looking for new HostChapter 29 · Just a BiteChapter 30 · Chapter SE 30: BurnChapter 31 · Trapped Again!Chapter 32 · Call me Lord Official….Chapter 33 · I devote myself to you completely…Chapter 34 · Husband or son?Chapter 35 · Ghost sleep during Day time….Chapter 36 · You could buy more than four thousand sticksChapter 37 · Gu TingChapter 38 · Looks familiarChapter 39 · You’re sleeping with my ancestor?!Chapter 40 · Great great great great GrandsonChapter 41 · We can afford itChapter 42 · HotpotChapter 43 · New StoryChapter 44 · Past Memories…Chapter 45 · Kidnapping Ancestor!Chapter 46 · Copy Buddhist scripturesChapter 47 · Ancestor Flew away…Chapter 48 · Xiao He might not be spending his birthday aloneChapter 49 · May everything go as you wishChapter 50 · I lied…Chapter 51 · Young Master turned into half humanChapter 52 · LettersChapter 53 · Lord OxChapter 54 · Male… destined love???Chapter 55 · A kindred spiritChapter 56 · Chapter SE 56: I like YouChapter 57 · Yan ZhangChapter 58 · Is two hours a bit too short?Chapter 59 · Going down the middle is indeed the correct choiceChapter 60 · Excel spreadsheetsChapter 61 · He had forgotten to tell A’Sheng.Chapter 62 · The person he disliked most had become the young mistress?Chapter 63 · Rip him to shredsChapter 64 · I was wrongChapter 65 · Lord Mu is very happyChapter 66 · I’m about to get marriedChapter 67 · I want to go on a date with youChapter 68 · You’d probably overturn the entire underworldChapter 69 · Head tableChapter 70 · It was meChapter 71 · Junior King of HellChapter 72 · His wife is a little ghost who lies on the bedChapter 73 · Chen LanChapter 74 · Sister in LawChapter 75 · Chapter SE 75: Pick up my boyfriend from workChapter 75 · Extra 1Chapter 76 · Can you still talkChapter 77 · Extra 2Chapter 77 · Aren’t you going to ask about yourselfChapter 77 · Extra 3Chapter 78 · How many ordinary little spirits dare fall in love with the Yan King?Chapter 78 · Extra 4Chapter 79 · I never realized that the bird man’s status was so high… Yan KingChapter 79 · Extra 5Chapter 80 · I’ve ridden on the little Yan King’s headChapter 80 · Extra 6Chapter 81 · Is… this very important?Chapter 81 · Extra 7Chapter 82 · Young master… will you marry me?Chapter 82 · Extra 8Chapter 83 · He’s just a stubborn little old manChapter 84 · End of Main StoryChapter 93 · Extra 9Chapter 94 · Extra 10