Chapter 052

Under the Ferris Wheel, by the ritual site.

Everyone watched the scene before them, dumbfounded.

A child appearing out of nowhere, a malevolent ghost suddenly captured. The ferocious vengeful ghost had only just manifested, and before it could even display its power, it had been beaten to the ground.

Although no one knew where this child had come from, anyone with eyes could see that the malevolent ghost was utterly powerless against him.

Several Yellow Talismans bound it so tightly it couldn’t move, leaving it no chance to struggle. It could only lie there, stripped of all dignity, as a child half its height pinned it to the ground and pummeled it. The child’s small fists didn’t pack much of a punch, but the humiliation was immense. The black mist surrounding the ghost surged violently in tandem with its emotions, causing dark clouds to roll across the sky and thunder to roar. But it was all for naught.

Watching this, the fear and terror the onlookers should have felt began to fade away.

“Master Yu, is… is this Little Master also someone you brought?” the amusement park manager asked, looking uncertainly at the one-sided battle. “And is that the vengeful ghost?”

Looking at that combat prowess, why did it feel like the kid was the one who was the ghost?

Master Yu hesitated. “I suppose…”

The Long-braided Ghost watched the pummeled vengeful ghost and vaguely recalled the time he had almost been blasted into oblivion by a bolt of thunder. Feeling a touch of pity, he said, “Little Master, stop hitting him for a moment. Let him speak.”

Pei Xiwang chimed in from the side, “That’s enough, that’s enough…”

Although Master Yu was confused by how quickly things had changed, he was still the one hired by the manager. He dutifully raised his Peach Wood Sword and said, “This… fellow Daoist, I am deeply grateful for your assistance. There is no need to trouble yourself further; I can handle the task of exorcising this vengeful ghost myself.”

Qiao Man stopped, panting for breath.

“Wait,” he said to Master Yu. “I’m not done questioning him yet.”

His anger hadn’t subsided. This vengeful ghost had snatched Lu Jianxing right from under his nose. If he hadn’t happened upon a Taoist performing a ritual and borrowed a Luo Pan and some Talismans, who knew how long it would have taken to catch this ghost?

As a father, he had failed to protect his son. Xingxing wasn’t very brave, he was even afraid of big bugs! How terrified must he be after being snatched away by a malevolent ghost?

He was such a failure as a father!

Guilt and fear filled his small chest. Overwhelmed with remorse, Qiao Man pouted and sat down hard on the vengeful ghost again, interrogating him fiercely, “Where did you take Xingxing?”

“…”

The malevolent ghost turned its head away.

It clearly had no intention of cooperating.

Qiao Man: “!!!”

This… this was a blatant provocation!

Qiao Man’s eyes went wide. He scrambled up and reached for the paper and brush on the table.

His brush danced, and a Thunder-Inducing Talisman took shape under his hand, guided by his will. As he gripped the Talisman Paper, thunderclouds rolled overhead.

Seeing this, the Long-braided Ghost took the opportunity while Qiao Man was drawing to urge the other ghost, “Brother, you’d better talk. Confess and you might still be transcended and sent for reincarnation. If you don’t, your soul will be scattered to the winds!”

Master Ding stroked his beard and agreed, “Indeed.”

Master Yu was utterly confused. “Junior Brother Ding¹, you know him?”

Master Ding introduced him, “This is Master Xiao Man.”

“Master Xiao Man?”

Master Yu thought to himself: That name sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before?

Looking at Qiao Man’s youthful face and small stature, then recalling the child’s skill in drawing talismans and catching ghosts, he wondered: Which Taoist sect could have produced such a genius?

Before he could figure it out, the previously uncooperative ghost on the ground suddenly stirred.

“…Master Xiao Man? You’re Master Xiao Man?”

The malevolent ghost suddenly began to struggle violently. Two trails of bloody tears flowed from its crimson eyes, and the black mist around it surged with its emotions. However, the gaze it fixed on Qiao Man was filled with a sudden, boundless hope. “I… I have something to tell you!”

“Huh?”

Holding the talisman, Qiao Man looked back at him in confusion.

The malevolent ghost haunting the amusement park was a middle-aged man. His face, shrouded in ghostly energy, was entirely unfamiliar; Qiao Man had never seen him before. Yet, the excitement and joy in the ghost’s eyes were genuine.

“You know me?”

Has my reputation reached the underworld already?

“I just heard someone mention you! He said you’re an incredibly powerful master and that you’d definitely be able to help me!” The malevolent ghost struggled urgently, red light flashing within the black mist. His body, though suppressed by the Yellow Talismans, seemed on the verge of breaking free. “Please, help me!”

“Who told you about me?” A possibility occurred to Qiao Man. “Was it Xingxing? The person you just snatched?”

“Yes, yes! It was him!”

“What did you do to him?” Qiao Man asked anxiously, clutching the Thunder-Inducing Talisman. Purple lightning began to flicker within the thunderclouds above.

“He’s fine, I didn’t touch him,” the ghost said. “He’s the one who told me all about you.”

“He’s okay?”

“Not a scratch on him!”

Qiao Man scrutinized him. The malevolent ghost was so anxious that bloody tears were streaming down his face; he looked as if he were ready to raise his hand and swear to the heavens. Only then did Qiao Man tentatively believe him.

Lu Jianxing was safe, and he had even bragged to the ghost about how powerful Qiao Man was. Once his heart was at ease, Qiao Man felt a little smug. Oh my, so Xingxing often praises me behind my back!

He composed his small face into a serious expression and said solemnly, “Alright then. Tell me what you need help with, and I’ll listen.”

“Little fellow Daoist, the words of a malevolent ghost cannot be trusted,” Master Yu quickly warned. “This ghost has taken lives; he is no ordinary spirit. Be careful, this might just be his deceptive honeyed words.”

Clutching the Thunder-Inducing Talisman, Qiao Man looked at him hesitantly. “Is that so?”

“Look at the resentment surrounding him. A vengeful ghost with such heavy resentment will likely fall into a murderous frenzy because of its obsession,” Master Yu shared his experience. “He has indeed taken innocent lives. A vengeful ghost that harms people cannot be treated like a common spirit.”

Qiao Man hesitated. “My master said something like that too…”

There were indeed differences among ghosts. Spirits like the Long-braided Ghost looked almost like normal people, aside from their pale complexion. But once a spirit became a vengeful ghost, its face turned terrifying and ferocious, with a green complexion and protruding fangs that would strike fear into anyone’s heart.

The amusement park manager was terrified by the Vengeful Ghost’s horrific appearance. Seeing the two of them catch the ghost but do nothing, instead standing there exchanging experiences, he was so anxious he almost wanted to step in himself. “Master Yu, and this Little Master, please get rid of the ghost first!”

Hearing his words, the evil ghost’s struggles intensified. The Yellow Talisman Paper rattled from the resentment vibrating around him, nearly blown away by the force.

“I… I can’t accept this…” He shed tears of blood while revealing savage fangs, his stiff body straining to sit up from the ground. “I have something… I want… help…”

Master Yu quickly raised his Peach Wood Sword. “Not good, everyone be careful.”

The park manager jumped in fright and hurriedly hid far away. Master Yu gave a loud shout, brandishing his Peach Wood Sword while chanting incantations.

Qiao Man tilted his head, studying the evil ghost before him.

It was indeed an evil ghost. The resentment surrounding it was so thick it had almost materialized, yet his crimson eyes stared straight ahead, blood-tears flowing. Beneath the ghostly aura, there was actually an honest, simple face.

Qiao Man thought for a moment and asked again, “Is Xingxing really okay?”

The evil ghost slowly shook its head. “I didn’t… touch him…”

“Alright. Then what do you want me to help with?”

Qiao Man said seriously, “If you lie to me, I will curse you.”

Seeing this, Master Ding grabbed the corner of Master Yu’s robe, interrupting his spellcasting.

Master Yu turned back in surprise. “Junior Brother Ding?” What was he doing? Why stop him from eliminating the evil ghost?

The park manager was terrified. “Master Ding?!”

“Senior Brother, let’s watch for a moment,” Master Ding said, stroking his beard. “If anything really happens, Master Xiao Man can handle it.”

Master Yu was completely baffled but didn’t have time to press for more. Over there, the evil ghost had already stated his request.

“My body is buried under here,” he said slowly. “I want to go home. Can you dig me out and send me home?”

Qiao Man asked, “Your body?”

Pei Xiwang cried out in alarm, “Buried where?!”

“Below,” the evil ghost said. “Right under here.”

Everyone looked around, their gaze passing the massive Ferris Wheel nearby. Finally, following the ghost’s words, they looked down at the floor tiles beneath their feet.

The colorful tiles were arranged in a regular, beautiful pattern, providing a path for tourists to walk on every day. People walked back and forth here constantly, but now this ghost was saying… his body was underneath?!

Pei Xiwang swallowed hard. “This used to be wasteland, not a cemetery… was it buried later?”

“Impossible!” the park manager shrieked. “How could there be a body in our amusement park!”

The evil ghost said stubbornly, “I want to go home. Dig me out, I want to go home…”

As he spoke, tears of blood streamed down his cheeks again.

“My wife, and my daughter… I want to see them one more time… I want to go home…”

Although he was a fierce Vengeful Ghost, everyone present could feel the sorrow emanating from him.

Pei Xiwang looked hesitantly at Qiao Man. The child had his head lowered, his small hands quickly calculating, his brow furrowed.

After a moment, Qiao Man looked up again. “Were you a worker in this amusement park before?”

The evil ghost was a beat slow. Following the question, he barely managed to remember some things from when he was alive. “Yes…”

He used to be a worker in this amusement park.

Before the park was built, countless people like him came from all over the country, using their own hands to build this massive playground that brought joy to so many, brick by brick.

He just had bad luck.

One night, he walked out of the workers’ shed. In the pitch black, he took a wrong turn and accidentally fell into wet cement.

By the time his coworkers woke the next morning, the cement had dried, and along with his body, it became the foundation of the park. Someone noticed he was missing and reported it, but no one found where he went. No one found his body. Dying with unreconciled resentment, he became a Vengeful Ghost.

No one knew he had died in a foreign land. They only knew he was a ghost consumed by resentment. The resentment had clouded his reason, but one day, after a fight with a Taoist, he suddenly regained his senses and remembered his obsession.

“My daughter just got into college, and my wife is still waiting for me to send money back… They don’t know I’m dead…” The ghost murmured, tears of blood falling. “I want to go home, I want to go back…”

But after death, going home was a luxury.

Ordinary people couldn’t see him, and the Taoists who could would try to kill him as soon as they realized he was a Vengeful Ghost. He could only hide in the park, waiting for a chance to see his family again.

“Even so, you can’t kill people,” Qiao Man sighed. “Killing after becoming a ghost is a sin. You won’t even be able to have a good reincarnation in your next life.”

“Exactly!”

Everyone hadn’t forgotten that this was a Vengeful Ghost who had harmed people.

The park manager said indignantly, “You even killed someone in our park, causing a murder case. If not for that, I wouldn’t have asked Master Yu to catch you.”

“I didn’t mean to, I just wanted to find someone to help me…” the ghost said.

Taoists had no way to help him, so he could only try to seek help from humans.

As it turned out, as soon as he appeared before a human, that person was scared to death.

Qiao Man clenched his small fists. “You even took Xingxing!”

Faced with the questioning, the ghost was uncharacteristically flustered. He lowered his head. “I… I did it on purpose.”

Qiao Man was speechless.

“I saw someone say he was a big star. So I thought… if he disappeared, people would look for him, and then maybe they would find me…” the ghost said incoherently.

He had caused a death before, but the incident had ended quietly. He thought that if it were a big star, many people would pay attention. He didn’t want to kill anyone; he just wanted to hide the person so people would think he was missing and dig three feet into the ground of the park to find him.

As long as one person found it, found his body, he could go home!

“I just want to go home,” the ghost pleaded, tears streaming down his face. “Please, dig me out and send me home! I want to see my daughter one last time!”

Qiao Man looked at him with a hint of sadness.

They were both fathers. Hearing the ghost’s tearful lament, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of empathy. The mere thought of being separated from Xingxing made him feel incredibly miserable. He couldn’t bear to leave Xingxing’s side at all, and wished he could just cling to Xingxing like a little tail, let alone be separated for ten, twenty years, or an entire lifetime.

The thought of that made Xiao Man feel a heavy tightness in his chest.

He also thought of his own master.

His master had died a long time ago in some unknown place, and Xiao Man couldn’t even visit his grave. Perhaps his master had already been reincarnated, and he hadn’t even had the chance to see him one last time.

Qiao Man’s eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

Master Yu pondered for a moment before speaking. “Since this is your obsession, if we resolve this matter, will you be willing to let go and go for reincarnation voluntarily?”

“Yes!” The ghost nodded frantically. “As long as I can go back and see my wife and child one last time, I’ll go to reincarnation. I’ll be anything in my next life.”

“In that case, we will dig you out, find your remains, and help you find peace in the ground.” Master Yu looked at Qiao Man, seeking his opinion. “Little Daoist, shall I handle this?”

Aside from digging someone out of concrete, this involved dealing with the police station, closing a years-old missing persons case, and transporting the remains back to a distant hometown. Every step was a tedious task.

Qiao Man naturally nodded, happy not to bring trouble upon himself.

The amusement park manager was stunned. “What? You still want to dig?”

Digging up a corpse in the amusement park was the kind of thing that would make the news again!

Master Yu said, “If we don’t dig up this body, the Vengeful Ghost will continue to haunt this park. With my abilities, I am no match for it.”

“This… this…”

The manager looked at the Vengeful Ghost, but before he could get a clear look, he hurriedly averted his eyes. He then looked at Qiao Man, but the child was no longer interested in catching ghosts and was anxious to go find Lu Jianxing.

The manager gritted his teeth and made a hard decision. “Fine, if we must dig, then we dig!”

…

Lu Jianxing didn’t know how long he had been in that space.

There had been a ghost with him, but halfway through their conversation, a small hand had suddenly reached in and snatched the ghost away.

He recognized it as Qiao Man’s hand. The sleeve was identical to the clothes Qiao Man was wearing today, and only the child in his family had that kind of ability.

Since Xiao Man had taken the ghost, it meant he would be found soon, right?

With that thought, he waited a bit longer in that silent world. Soon, he felt all the sounds rushing back into his ears. Sound, wind, and the passing tourists reappeared in his world.

He seemed to appear suddenly by the roadside, giving the person walking next to him a fright. Was there someone here just now?

He was out.

Lu Jianxing stood in place, deep in thought.

The problem was, where should he go to find Xiao Man?

He started walking toward the visitor center.

Since entering the park, tourists could hear cheerful background music playing throughout the grounds, coming from speakers hidden within the decorations. At that moment, the continuous background music stopped.

Soon, a warm voice came over the broadcast. “Little friend Lu Jianxing, little friend Lu Jianxing. Upon hearing this broadcast, please immediately seek help from nearby staff and go to the visitor center service desk. Your dad is looking for you.”

The broadcast repeated three times before switching back to the original background music.

Lu Jianxing: “…”

Lu Jianxing: “…………”

Some among the passersby recognized him. Upon hearing the broadcast, casual glances drifted his way. Someone even held up a phone, pointing the camera at him.

Lu Jianxing: “…”

Lu Jianxing reached up to pull down the brim of his hat, only to realize with a touch of despair that he wasn’t wearing a hat today.

…

The broadcast room.

the staff member turned off the microphone and turned around to ask, “Is that okay?”

“Mhm!” Qiao Man nodded vigorously. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.”

The staff member gave him some small snacks and told him to wait in a seat. “Don’t worry, once he hears the broadcast, he’ll be back in no time.”

“Okay.”

Qiao Man sat obediently in the seat, his small feet dangling in the air and a balloon floating above his head.

The staff member looked at him, then at Pei Xiwang sitting next to him. The young man had silver hair and handsome features, looking very young, like a college student who had just graduated.

Perhaps because he was worried about the lost child, the young man’s expression was stiff, and he seemed distracted.

The staff member offered some comfort. “Sir, don’t worry. Our amusement park is very safe and has plenty of security. Your child won’t be in any danger.”

The young man didn’t answer, but the child next to him chirped, “Mhm!”

“Xingxing is very good,” Qiao Man said seriously. “He’ll come find us right away.”

“Yes, once our staff finds the child, they will contact us. If not, I’ll broadcast it again in five minutes.”

“Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome, it’s my job.”

Listening to the tender child’s voice and recalling the content of the broadcast just now, Pei Xiwang breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

Luckily, I’m not famous.

Translator’s Notes