"What..."

Before the girl could finish the word "sound," the boy beside her covered her mouth and whispered, "Shh, don't make any noise."

Zhang Shi was a little surprised and whispered, "You guys stay here, I'll go out and take a look."

The boy seemed about to say something, but then Zhang Shi said, "Don't worry, I know magic."

For days, the girl had been pestering Zhang Shi, asking him what other magic he knew, asking him to show her some to broaden her horizons. No matter how much she pestered him, Zhang Shi refused.

Now, hearing Zhang Shi was going to use magic, the girl was excited. Although she couldn't go along, the thought of it was exciting.

The boy hesitated, finally saying, "Be careful."

Zhang Shi glanced at the boy, then took a stack of talismans and left.

Following the sound, Zhang Shi approached and heard it more clearly: a wolf's whimpering. He couldn't be sure it was a wolf, but he was certain it was a ghost, and not a good one.

Thinking of the boy's expression before he left, Zhang Shi decided to go back and talk to him privately. The whimpering suddenly ceased, and Zhang Shi figured it had probably found its target.

Sure enough, a dark shadow appeared around the corner ahead—more accurately, it floated out, its feet a foot off the ground.

Zhang Shi pretended he saw nothing, moving forward without a single slack.

With a distance of ten feet between them, the evil ghost suddenly slammed its right foot downward, lunging forward before hitting the ground, its open bloody basin aimed at Zhang Shi's head, as if to devour him in one gulp.

As the saying goes, "If you walk by the river, you'll get your feet wet." The invincible swallower had failed this time.

Zhang Shi dodged to the left, his right hand not idle either. Two white talismans slipped from his long sleeves, balled them up, and flung them forward. The evil ghost caught them with its open bloody basin.

Zhang Shi barely dodged the fierce bite, turned, threw two more talismans, and quickly retreated.

With a bang, the two talismans exploded upon contact with the evil ghost's head. The trouble was solved. Zhang Shi looked back at the fallen evil ghost and breathed a sigh of relief.

A voice came from behind, along with slow, powerful footsteps.

"Kill a man, pay with your life. Kill a ghost, how about being a ghost?"

Startled, Zhang Shi immediately turned and looked at the figure, feeling as if he were facing a formidable enemy.

The approaching figure was a muscular, burly man with a broad mouth, fangs, and horns. He carried a large iron rod studded with nails—another ghost.

"Why are you so nervous? I'm not saying you can't even be a ghost. Once you become a ghost and become my subordinate, I guarantee you'll be well fed and well fed, as happy as a god. Don't worry, if it hurts any more, I'll just hit you with a stick. Just stand there," the evil ghost promised.

So being a ghost is better than being human these days.

Zhang Shi was momentarily stunned, but then he saw the evil ghost striding towards him. He took it as an agreement and was about to bring him under his wing. Seeing the evil ghost raise the massive iron rod, Zhang Shi shouted, "Wait."

The evil ghost actually stopped, but he shouted, "What are you afraid of? If it hurts, it hurts. Besides, how could I be a ghost if it didn't hurt? How could I enjoy happiness without suffering? How could I enjoy happiness without suffering?"

At first glance, this sounded reasonable, but Zhang Shi wasn't hopeless, nor was he seeking death. So why shouldn't he enjoy happiness after his death?

The evil ghost, feeling persuaded, raised his rod again.

Zhang Shi said helplessly, "Yes, yes, there's no such thing as enjoying happiness without suffering. But if I don't enjoy happiness, then I don't have to suffer, either."

The evil ghost glared, shouting, "If you don't take what God gives you, you will suffer the consequences. I'm giving you wealth for nothing, and you dare not refuse!"

This time, the evil ghost, annoyed at his lack of listening, gave him no chance to refuse. Gathering his strength, he brought the massive iron rod down with all his might, determined to kill him instantly. Zhang Shi narrowly dodged sideways. The falling iron rod seemed to have eyes, shifting from a smash to a sweep, its force doubled and its speed even faster.

The rod had a second, larger hand attached to it.

The evil ghost was slightly displeased at the impact.

Zhang Shi survived, but his left hand was crippled.

There was no way Zhang Shi could dodge the sweeping rod, so he had no choice but to face it head-on. Even with twice the strength, his left hand was still painful the moment it struck the iron rod, and there was a distinct crack of bone.

Reflecting that he had been tempted to recruit a talented person after seeing his skill, the evil ghost felt relieved. He hoped he wouldn't let himself down too much. The evil ghost once again hefted the massive iron rod, grinning, "Isn't that what I said true? Fortunately, a little more hardship now will mean more happiness later. Otherwise, this blow would have been in vain."

Zhang Shi remained silent. He had brought quite a few talismans with him, but now that his left hand was paralyzed, the talismans in his left trouser pocket were mostly useless. Excluding the two he'd used to kill the evil spirits, there were still five left in his right trouser pocket.

Critically, the three talismans hidden in his sleeves had already been used, which diminished the potential for a sudden, fatal strike.

Looking at the other man again, he walked towards that station with a calm and relaxed demeanor. The difference between the two was self-evident.

The evil ghost glanced at Zhang Shi's trouser pocket. "You still have quite a few talismans, but I don't have much time. If you're capable, you can use them all up at once. After that, just follow me obediently."

This was his ultimate power, designed to completely subdue Zhang Shi, leaving him no room for resistance. It was also intended to ensure that Zhang Shi would truly serve him wholeheartedly. It looked like it was ready to use all its might. Without hesitation, Zhang Shi retrieved all five talismans from his right trouser pocket. They were similar to the one just now, and their power could be stacked.

In the past, Zhang Shi could only use two talismans at a time in one hand, and at best, three in a short period of time. Because of the severe aftereffects, he only brought six with him when he left.

But now, Zhang Shi felt he had too little.

After he finished removing the talismans from his right trouser pocket, he fell silent, as if waiting for him.

The evil ghost smiled, swung his iron rod, and after a few strides, leaped high, rising two feet off the ground. With a sudden roar, a murderous aura emanated, and he slammed down with a ferocious force.

At this moment, the iron rod in its hand was negligible. Of course, its lethality was insufficient, but compared to its towering and ferocious body, it was not even the icing on the cake.

The iron rod was merely a distraction; its ferocious body was the real killer. With a rumbling sound, the ground trembled slightly, as if a huge rock had crashed to the ground. The ground not only sank but also cracked.

Another explosion echoed, and a raging fire vanished in an instant, leaving only billowing smoke.

Before the smoke could dissipate on its own, a strong wind swept by, dispersing the swirling smoke.

Only the fierce ghost remained, not Zhang Shi.

As the fierce ghost's body fell, Zhang Shi first affixed one talisman from his right hand to his left, then the remaining four to his legs. His left hand, which had been affixed with talismans, barely moved, and he quickly retrieved all the talismans from his left trouser pocket.

After leaving all the talismans behind, Zhang Shi didn't dare linger and ran away.

"Looks like I've won," the fierce ghost muttered. After glancing around, he found a direction and gave chase.

Zhang Shi was familiar with the area, but so what? How could he outrun the pursuer?

Soon, Zhang Shi stopped, for the fierce ghost was waiting for him to die. "If you don't have any other skills, you'll be in trouble if you don't obey," the evil ghost said.

"What kind of trouble?"

The evil ghost was about to answer when he suddenly realized something, his eyes filled with fear. He tried to leave, but a flame suddenly appeared, blocking his way.

A woman walked out. She was in her prime, her long black hair just cascading down her shoulders. Her left sleeve was rolled up, revealing a red bracelet on her wrist.

Zhang Shi felt relieved and smiled easily, "It really is trouble."

"My name is Ying, and your name is Zhang Shi?" Ying looked at Zhang Shi.

The Yin-Yang master had arrived.

Zhang Shi nodded and flatly refused, "I don't want to be an Yin-Yang master."

Ying seemed to have known the answer. "Did I say I was looking for you for this? Let's talk first."

"What about?" Zhang Shi didn't think there was anything to talk about.

If you hesitate when you should make a decision, you will suffer the consequences, and this chaos is completely life-threatening. "Your home is nearby, right? Let's go first," Ying said to herself, adding, "Since you don't want to be an Onmyoji, you want to leave the notice? That might not be a good thing."

"I'll go get it and return it to you now," Zhang Shi said, worried that going with her would not be a good thing for the two little ones at home.

"I'm your savior, and do you think you can take care of those two little ones?"

Zhang Shi then realized the evil ghost had disappeared. Just as he was about to thank her, Ying had already left for his home.

A poem later goes: "People say that cause and effect are cyclical, the cause comes first, the effect comes later." It's not a chance encounter or coincidence; there is truly a cause and an effect.

Arriving home, Zhang Shi handed the notice back, but Ying didn't take it.

Zhang Shi wasn't embarrassed, as if remembering Ying's words, "Let's talk first. I'll return the notice after we're done."

"Call the little ones out; they should know something," Ying said sternly.

As soon as he entered the house, Zhang Shi had the boy take the girl to her room to play. While Zhang Shi was hesitating, the boy had already walked out with the girl and sat quietly beside him.

This time, the girl, who considered herself brave, felt a little frightened. It was the boy who comforted her, holding her hand from the moment they walked out until they sat down. Ying began, "I'm not sure what you know and what you don't, so I'll keep it brief."

"Ghosts are the souls that leave the body after death and, driven by the instinct of knowing after death, journey to the underworld. Ghosts are caused by excessive distractions and deep obsessions that affect the soul's instincts, causing it to remain in the human world. Over time, these ethereal souls become material, transformed by their various thoughts into various ghosts."

"Originally, ghosts devoured each other out of their survival instinct, like breeding insects. After a certain point, ghosts became good or bad, depending on the extent of their thoughts, good or bad."

"When you encounter those who abide by the law, turn a blind eye; when you encounter those who commit evil, respectfully carry out the punishment of heaven and bear it without shirking responsibility."

Hearing this, the boy asked expressionlessly, "Will we be like this too?"

"No one is exempt."

"For better, or for worse?"

The boy subconsciously gripped the girl's hand tighter as he asked. The girl pursed her lips, feeling uneasy. Ying said truthfully, "It's impossible to predict."

"How long will this last?"

"There's no specific timeline. Maybe a month, maybe ten days, maybe three or five."

"What kind of place is that? The Yellow Springs."

"I've never been there, so I don't know."

"Everyone has to go?"

"It's just a matter of time."

The boy's doubts were resolved, and he looked at the girl. "Are you going? Together?"

The girl obviously had no answer. When Zhang Shi called them out, the boy, before leaving, said that when people sleep, they die in a minor way; when they sleep deeply, they die; and when they die, they become ghosts.

This was a bolt from the blue, and the girl remains dazed and confused to this day. A soul without a body, she felt even more lost and devastated.

Zhang Shi, who had remained silent, felt embarrassed and a little regretful for calling them out, even though it might have been the best outcome for them.

But for now, Zhang Shi wouldn't say anything, let alone do anything. He couldn't influence their hearts. Unless they made a choice, then he would decide what to say and do.