Lingling, though a ghost, was no different from an ordinary child except for the lack of flesh and blood.
Seeing me and Mo Ting, she ran over happily.
She hugged me and then said to both of us gratefully:
"Brother, you're finally back. Lingling was so worried about you. Did you defeat that big bad guy?"
Lingling had only one hand, and her gray eyes were filled with surprise.
Mo Ting and I patted her little head:
"We defeated him! Let's go back to the cemetery quickly!
Brother brought you a lot of apples before.
Don't run out of the cemetery carelessly anymore."
Lingling nodded. Although she lost a hand to the headless fiend, she was still innocent and cute.
At the same time, Mo Ting and I saw several children's heads peeking out from behind the archway.
Their complexions were pale, and their pupils were gray.
They were all looking in our direction.
They were likely children buried in the cemetery, Lingling's little friends.
One or two were waving at Lingling:
"Lingling, Lingling, go play..."
I smiled:
"Go play! Brother will come to see you again. "
"Okay, I promise. Pinky swear!"
Li Lingling pouted and said.
Mo Ting and I exchanged a glance and reached out to link fingers with the little female ghost.
Not only that, but Lingling also took out two origami cranes folded from spirit money from her pocket.
She gave them to Mo Ting and me.
Then she turned around and ran towards the other ghost children with giggles.
Then, in a swarm, they ran towards the depths of the cemetery.
Seeing this scene, and the origami cranes folded from spirit money in our hands.
Mo Ting and I felt a sense of accomplishment.
It felt like all the hard work and dangers we had experienced had become very meaningful.
I subconsciously looked at the ghost money bracelet on my left wrist; its color had deepened considerably.
This, perhaps, could be considered Yin Virtue!
I thought to myself.
Mo Ting held the spirit money cranes and kept looking at them:
"This must be the most memorable and meaningful gift I've ever received?"
He said, and then he smiled.
It was as if his stomach didn't hurt as much.
We stood at the entrance and waited for a while longer, and then the car arrived.
Mo Ting and I didn't hesitate and got into the car.
As the ride-hailing car was about to leave, I saw from a distance.
An old woman standing inside the cemetery, behind the fence.
The old woman was holding that big rat in her arms, standing under the lamppost in the cemetery.
She was watching us leave from afar.
It was the proprietress of Rose Supermarket.
I looked at her from afar and didn't speak, but waved gratefully to her.
Without the help of the big rat in her arms, we might not have escaped that old house.
The proprietress smiled slightly, nodded at me, and watched us leave...
The driver saw that Mo Ting and I were in a sorry state and kept observing us through the rearview mirror.
After all, it was unsettling for someone to be waiting for a car at the entrance of a secluded cemetery in the middle of the night.
Mo Ting and I didn't pay much attention; we just felt tired now.
Leaning against the chair, we recalled the night's experience.
It was truly too dangerous; we had almost not escaped...
Fortunately, everything had been resolved safely.
At the same time, it made us realize our own weakness even more.
Just knowing a few moves didn't mean we could truly subdue demons and ghosts.
When encountering truly powerful fiends and fierce ghosts, our current cultivation was far from enough.
Not long after, we arrived at the hospital.
I helped Mo Ting to the emergency room; we had blood drawn and X-rays taken, which took over an hour.
After the doctors' examination, they said Mo Ting had one fractured rib and two cracked ribs.
There were also muscle contusions and fluid accumulation...
There were many professional terms that sounded very serious.
But fortunately, his lungs were not injured, and there was no internal bleeding.
They said he only needed a minor surgery to drain the fluid, get an IV drip for inflammation,
and set the bone, then wear a chest binder.
He could return to normal life in about a week.
Hearing this, Mo Ting and I felt much relieved.
At the same time, Mo Ting received a phone call.
It was from his master. Because Mo Ting's protective amulet was special,
one was worn by Mo Ting, and the other was in his master's hand.
As the amulet had been released before, the one in his master's hand had cracked.
His master got up to use the restroom at night and found the talisman on the table broken.
This prompted him to call and inquire about the situation.
Mo Ting didn't hide anything, saying he was injured while performing an exorcism outside and was now in the hospital.
It was evident that Mo Ting's master was also very concerned about him.
About forty minutes later, Mo Ting's treatment was finished.
The doctor said he needed to be observed in the hospital for a day to see how he was doing.
If there were no major issues, he could go home to recuperate.
In a week, the cast would be removed, and there would be a follow-up appointment in a month.
Thus, Mo Ting was arranged in a two-person room for the night.
The patient in the next room was an old man, about seventy or eighty years old.
It was already past two in the morning, and his family of seven or eight people was guarding the ward.
Each face was etched with melancholy.
As I helped Mo Ting pass by the old man's bed, I glanced at it.
The old woman was leaning against the headboard, her eyes half-open, seemingly still saying something.
Beside her, two older women were sobbing softly.
I looked at the old man in the bed; his complexion was ashen and dark.
Black energy was lingering around his forehead.
Having studied physiognomy and observation of qi with my master for days, I had gained a slight understanding.
This old man was likely nearing his end; it might happen in the next few days...
Birth, aging, sickness, and death are experiences everyone must go through.
As long as it is a natural death, it can be considered a complete life.
Mo Ting and I were discreet and careful, not making any loud noises.
We spoke in very hushed tones.
It was already late at night, and I had no intention of leaving.
I pulled the curtain and unfolded the accompanying bed.
I planned to rough it out in the hospital for the night; I couldn't be bothered to go back.
However, just as I lay down.
A crisp ringing sound suddenly came from outside the window.
"Ring-ring-ring, ring-ring-ring..."