Seeing Qing Dai had vanished, I stood at the intersection and called out a couple of times, but received no response.
I could only choose to hurry back.
It was late at night, and spirits were rampant.
If those disfigured mother and son decided to return, I wouldn't be able to handle them alone.
I picked a direction and started running.
Soon, I found my way back to the rental house.
And at the spot where I was previously disoriented, I saw the fallen Bagua mirror and fox paws.
I picked them up and quickened my pace back.
The night's encounter left me deeply startled.
I never expected to run into a pair of life-claiming ghost mother and daughter on my way back to the rental house.
Fortunately, I was blessed with great fortune and was saved by Miss Qing Dai, thus narrowly escaping death.
However, this masked Miss Qing Dai also made me feel strange.
She had also ridden the netherworld carriage with me.
When Li Ge left, he said he met her downstairs and also said she was my girlfriend.
Even more absurdly, Li Ge's home was more than a ten-minute drive away.
How could it be such a coincidence that she also came here?
Was she following me all along?
Moreover, she must have some cultivation, and seemed very powerful.
She made that disfigured mother and son dare not show themselves directly.
At first, I suspected she was a ghost, but when I saw her eyes just now.
They were no different from a living person's eyes – not grey, black, or white, but her hands were a little cold.
We had interacted quite a bit these past few days, making me feel that this woman was exceptionally mysterious.
I felt she wasn't a ghost, but she was definitely not an ordinary person.
Otherwise, how could she have saved me from the disfigured ghost mother and son in the ghost building?
But no matter what, Qing Dai shouldn't be a bad person.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have saved me.
It was a pity I didn't get her contact information.
Lost in thought, I soon arrived at the rental house.
Returning home, my mood improved considerably.
I charged my phone and set my alarm.
I wanted to call my master and tell him about the ghost building and the disfigured female ghost.
But thinking it was already past midnight, I gave up.
I'd tell him tomorrow during work.
After washing up, I finally lay down to rest.
Looking at the dimly lit ceiling, I felt that the encounters of the past few days had been too tense and terrifying.
It was not only shocking but also dramatic, having gone through life and death.
And in the future, I would have to continuously compete with ghosts for lifespan. I had never expected to embark on such a bizarre path of survival.
Perhaps I was too tired, and as I thought, I fell asleep.
When I woke up, it was already eight in the morning.
Feeling a bit sleepy, I yawned and got up.
Looking in the mirror, I noticed that the dark circles under my eyes had completely disappeared, and I looked much more spirited.
But compared to last night, the color of the ghost lifespan money on my hand had faded again.
To maintain my complexion, I still had to constantly seize ghost lifespan and add lamp oil.
The disfigured mother and son in the ghost building were clearly the prime targets.
I definitely didn't have the cultivation to deal with them.
I could only return to the shop and ask my master, Gu Hui, to intervene.
With that in mind, I washed my face, changed my clothes, and then went out.
I called Brother Chen downstairs.
Brother Chen had even been admitted to the hospital for my sake, and I hadn't had time to visit him these past two days.
The call was quickly answered, and I heard Brother Chen's hearty voice:
"Hahaha, I knew it was you calling, so I knew you were fine.
Master Gu is amazing, right? He got rid of the evil spirits?"
Hearing Brother Chen's cheerful laughter, I showed a wry smile.
I told him about my experiences of the past two days and my current situation.
Brother Chen was also very surprised to hear this and finally sighed.
He said I would have to rely on seizing ghost lifespan to survive, which was beyond his expectations.
But he was also pleasantly surprised and felt lucky that I could become Gu Hui's disciple.
He said he wanted to learn from Gu Hui, but Gu Hui wouldn't accept him.
His few amateur skills were only reluctantly taught to him when Gu Hui got tired of him pestering.
He told me to follow Gu Hui closely, and in five years, I would surely be able to graduate and reclaim all the eaten lamp oil.
Brother Chen and I chatted for over ten minutes.
I hung up only when the bus arrived.
Brother Chen's condition had stabilized, and he should be discharged tomorrow, so he told me not to worry.
He also said he would come to see me for a drink during his next day off.
After hanging up, I called my supervisor and director again and informed them of my resignation.
I was just a small worker on the assembly line in the factory, and no one would care about me.
Except for that idiot supervisor, who made a few sarcastic remarks,
The director directly agreed, telling me to get the papers and find him to sign.
The rental house was eight stops away from my workplace.
It was about a thirty-minute bus ride.
After getting off the bus at 8:40, I could still grab some breakfast.
Upon arriving at Wan Fu Tang, I found my master filling his pipe with tobacco.
"Master!"
My master didn't look up and continued filling his pipe:
"How was last night? Was Ms. Zhang's matter settled?"
I nodded:
"It's settled, Master.
Her husband was the netherworld carriage driver who took me to Long Gang Mountain last time.
He was the one who found me for the netherworld money on me!"
When my master heard this, he showed a hint of interest:
"Oh! So you have quite a connection with that ghost driver.
But it's good that you sent him away.
After all, it's not good for the dead to cling to the living.
Let me see how much lamp oil your ghost lifespan money has increased..."
Hearing this, I showed the ghost lifespan money bracelet on my left hand.
My master glanced at it and concluded:
"Not bad, it's increased by two to three days."
After speaking, my master lit his pipe.
But I wasn't paying attention to what my master said.
I was thinking more about the mother and son ghosts in the ghost building.
Those two ghosts were so fierce; if Master made a move, it should increase my lamp oil significantly.
So, I directly said:
"Master, besides this matter.
Last night, I encountered fierce ghosts again.
And I was almost hanged to death in a dilapidated building..."