This spell looked impressively mysterious and indeed brought out its greatest effect. As the light flashed, the doll let out a distorted, miserable scream.
One of the doll’s arms came off. Its eyeballs rolled, and it wanted to escape. Seeing this, 卿桑 hurriedly sent out silver threads. The silver threads hooked around the doll’s two feet, stopping its attempt to run away.
“Let go of me… let go of me…”
The doll screamed mechanically and struggled with all its strength. Its resentment was extremely strong, and 卿桑 could barely hold it down. He frowned and shouted, “Wan Er!”
“I know!”
夏婉儿 nodded. She swung her arm. “Take another hit from my big sword! Slash!”
“What the hell kind of big sword is that? What kind of ghost move is this?”
At that moment, the door opened, and 薄司 walked in.
夏婉儿 froze for a moment, then burst into tears of joy. “薄老板!”
Happy as she was, she still could not draw back the spiritual energy in her hand. 薄司 waved his arm, and that force vanished into nothingness.
When the doll saw him, it let out an even more piercing scream. “Let go of me… let go of me!”
薄司 glanced sideways, reached out, grabbed the doll in his palm, and snapped it in two with a crack.
The doll’s head rolled to the floor.
“…”
The three of them stared in dumbfounded silence.
What a simple and brutal method…
After 薄司 dealt with the doll, 夏婉儿 was the first to react. Tears streaming down her face, she ran toward 薄司 crying, “薄老板, you finally came. You scared me to death just now, sob sob sob…”
“Get lost.”
薄司 pushed her away, and a sharp glare shot toward 顾意.
“…” 顾意 silently hid behind 卿桑.
薄司 walked forward, and 夏婉儿 clung to his leg again, crying, “薄老板, you don’t even comfort me, you’re breaking my heart so badly, I hate you…”
薄司 looked coldly at 顾意, then crooked a finger, his eyes so terrifying they seemed as if they wanted to eat people alive. “You brat, don’t hide. Come here.”
顾意 said softly, “Boss, I was wrong.”
卿桑 said, “薄老板, tonight we insisted on dragging 顾意 here. This matter can’t be blamed on him.”
“That’s right, that’s right.” 夏婉儿 also added, “Who knew we’d run into something like this at night? We just wanted to bring 意哥哥 out to have some fun too. Luckily, 薄老板 arrived in time, otherwise who knows what would have happened!”
顾意 lowered his head. Suddenly, he saw the broken doll on the floor move.
He immediately shouted, “That doll is still alive!”
Everyone looked over. Sure enough, a wisp of black energy floated out from the doll’s headless body.
It passed through the window and disappeared.
The barrier in the room had been broken, and they heard hurried footsteps in the corridor.
That was true, two people had died in the room, and after a while, the police would probably arrive too.
The four of them knew this was no place to linger, and they quickly left the hotel.
夏婉儿 was extremely heartbroken. “A perfectly good gathering, ruined just like that, and two classmates died too. I’m so sad. What exactly did that evil spirit have against us, why did it have to make such a scene at our class reunion? And it ran away too, will it still come out to cause trouble later? Oh, 薄老板, why didn’t you completely wipe it out back then!”
薄司 gave her a sidelong glance and said, “Why would I wipe it out? If it ran, then it ran. I’m not an exorcist. I only came to take my employee back.”
夏婉儿 pouted. “But it’ll go hurt people! It’s an evil spirit that wasn’t even afraid of my fire of dao. Who knows how many people it’ll kill!”
“There are so many ghosts, wronged souls, evil spirits, monsters, and demons in this world. Even if all the exorcists in the world were added together, they still wouldn’t be able to exorcise them all. Why worry about so much? As long as you haven’t done anything against your conscience, just mind your own business.”
Hearing this, 卿桑 looked at 薄司 calmly and said, “薄老板, we walk different paths and cannot work together. We are a family of ghost exorcists, so we cannot agree with your view.”
“That’s right, 薄老板.” 夏婉儿 echoed, “All things reinforce and restrain one another. If the existence of ghosts and monsters were correct, why would exorcists exist?”
薄司 looked at her and said, “Where there is light, there is darkness. Where there is hope, there will be evil. Existence itself is reasonable. Ghosts and monsters, in the end, are all humans who have changed. Since they exist, even the King of Hell will not interfere. Why take it so seriously? Forget about different paths, but in the future, please don’t casually take my employee away. He’s very stupid, and I don’t want anything to happen to him.”
After saying that, 薄司 grabbed 顾意 by the shoulder and forcibly dragged him into the car.
On the way, 顾意 carefully looked at 薄司 and said, “Boss, 卿先生 and Wan Er aren’t bad people. They took me to the hotel out of kindness. Look, they even gave me a set of clothes…”
“I know they’re good people. Next time you go out to play, remember to call me.”
顾意 nodded. “Got it, Boss. Because it happened so suddenly, I didn’t know how to tell you for a moment…”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll eat you?”
“…”
“Did you get hurt anywhere?”
“Huh?”
薄司 glared at him. “I’m asking you, did you get hurt anywhere? The moment I got to that room, I felt a very strong chill. I knew you were trapped. That evil spirit can’t be underestimated. I wasn’t intentionally letting it escape, but for now, it still can’t be destroyed.”
“I’m fine. I used the talisman paper you gave me. It was pretty useful, it subdued that doll right away.”
“You lacked resolve and didn’t bring out the talisman paper’s full power, but that was enough. I can’t set my expectations too high for you right now. Being able to protect yourself is enough.”
顾意 thought that reciting a spell like that, it would be strange if anyone’s resolve were firm…
“Um, Boss, let’s go buy fish. Didn’t you want to eat fish?”
Maybe that way, 薄司’s mood would improve a little.
薄司 drove and said lightly, “No need. Let’s just eat something simple when we get back. I’ll cook, you can help.”
“Huh?” 顾意 was shocked. “Didn’t you say you’d only cook once?”
薄司 tapped his head. “Don’t act all grateful after getting a bargain. Do you think using a talisman doesn’t drain your own energy? Today was your first time. I’m afraid if word got out, people would say I mistreated my employee.”
顾意 felt a warmth in his heart. “Boss…”
“However, your behavior tonight has to be handled as skipping work. I’m going to deduct your salary.”
“…”
He knew it…
After they returned, while 薄司 was cooking, 顾意 stayed right beside him, helping with the prep.
The two of them were in the kitchen. 薄司’s manner as he cut vegetables was very focused.
顾意 had thought 薄司 would be a little angrier, but unexpectedly, after saying a few words, he stopped and was even willing to personally cook.
顾意 felt a little flattered.
He had come back so late, so 薄司 probably hadn’t eaten yet either, right? Had he really received 夏婉儿’s address and rushed to the hotel immediately?
顾意’s washing of the vegetables slowed for a moment. He glanced toward 薄司, and at that moment, 薄司 somehow cut his hand, and blood flowed from his index finger.
顾意 was startled and walked over. “Boss, I’ll go get a bandage.”
“No need.” 薄司 shook his head and beckoned to him. “Come here.”
“Hm?”
顾意 leaned closer, not understanding.
薄司 held his index finger to the edge of his mouth. “Anyway, you’ve already tasted my blood. Lick it off. It’s good for you.”
“Ah?”
顾意 widened his eyes. “This…”
薄司’s face darkened. “You little brat, would I harm you? Hurry up and lick it.”
“…”
顾意 felt that recently, he had been doing a lot of very strange things.
It was as if his life had been turned upside down, and all the settings were being reset.
How could this be?
Would he understand it someday in the future?
顾意 had no way to disobey 薄司’s orders. Just like when they first met, whatever he said was what it was, he took him to work at the coffin shop, and he really ended up living here with him.
顾意 slightly opened his mouth and took 薄司’s index finger into his mouth.
He was very familiar with the taste of 薄司’s blood, although this time there was only a little.
He did not have the courage to lick 薄司’s finger, and could only hold it in his mouth, letting the blood slowly dissolve there.
During this, 顾意 raised his eyes and looked at 薄司.
薄司 was also looking at him.
Under the bright kitchen light, his features were so good-looking they could not be described in words.
The first time he saw 薄司, he knew he was a handsome man, different from himself.
At that moment, a subtle feeling suddenly surged in 顾意’s heart.
It was impossible to say clearly, impossible to explain. In these eighteen years, he had never experienced it.
He felt that he was strange, and he was a little afraid to touch such a feeling. After it was almost done, 顾意 took two steps back and said, “We should still put a bandage on it. It’ll heal faster that way. Boss, wait for me.”
He turned and left the kitchen.
薄司 watched his back, then lowered his eyes and looked at the wound on his index finger.
It had only been a short while since he had last cooked for himself, and he was already unable to even hold a kitchen knife steadily.
Habits were truly frightening.
And he had already lived alone for many years.
When 顾意 did not come back on time, what did he feel?
Was he about to return to his former life again?
Again…
Because it was already very late, dinner became a late-night snack. After the two of them finished eating, they each went back to their rooms to sleep.
顾意 could not quite fall asleep. Thinking of the little girl from tonight, that doll, it had not disappeared, it had escaped. Where would it go next, and what would it do?
Ghosts, evil spirits, what exactly were they? Should their obsessions be fulfilled?
顾意 had no answer. Before he finished working at 终详, these things were too far away from him.
He lay in bed for a while, still unable to sleep, so he simply got up, turned on the computer, and watched some TV.
It was a recently popular palace intrigue drama. Although 顾意 did not watch such things much, he still quietly watched it to pass the time.
Time slipped away, and the night grew deeper and deeper. Apart from the sound coming from the computer, there was nothing else in the room. 顾意 curled up in front of the computer, and sleepiness gradually came over him.
Half-asleep, he felt himself drifting off, and just then, the image on the computer suddenly disappeared.
The screen turned pitch black.
Pleasant singing came from the speakers.
It was very moving.
“Little sister carries a doll on her back, walks into the garden to look at the cherry blossoms, the doll cries and calls for mama, the little bird on the tree is laughing ha ha, doll, oh doll, why are you crying, is it because you remembered what mama said…”
顾意 jolted awake and sprang to his feet.
“Who is it?”
He had heard this nursery rhyme before. It was pleasant, yet eerie, and it should not have sounded at this time.
He knew he had been watching a palace intrigue drama, and at this moment, the disappearance of the image was not an accident, nor was it his dream.
Something was in his room.
He had not turned on the light, and the surroundings were pitch black.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
The music disappeared.
He heard another sound.
It was the sound of something lightly knocking on the window.
顾意 turned around.
Sure enough, there was a thin little arm constantly knocking on his window.
It was clearly a child’s hand. Even though everything was dark, only that hand was especially clear to 顾意, carrying a deep chill.
顾意 backed away, but that hand did not give up, continuing to knock without tiring.
At the same time, the little girl’s voice from the hotel rang in 顾意’s ear.
“Big brother… hehe, big brother… We agreed that you would take me home, you can’t go back on your word, big brother…”
顾意 retreated to the bedside and sat down. He stared at the window, not knowing when that hand would stop.
He had already confirmed it. It was that little girl, that evil spirit hidden inside the doll. She had come looking for him again, but why? Could it be because he had promised to take her home?
But how was he supposed to know where her home was?