Chapter 15: The Ghost Car Bird

Chapter 15: The Ghost Car Bird

Beneath the photo, there was a small urn, which I assumed contained ashes.

Xu Mingyang even spoke to the urn, saying, "Master, how can you sneak out and scare people?"

I was completely stunned, pointing at the old man's photo with a trembling finger as I asked Xu Mingyang, "This is your master?"

Xu Mingyang nodded.

I asked again, "Your master is dead?"

He nodded once more.

"So… what I saw last night was a ghost?"

Xu Mingyang sighed. "Sigh, to be honest, I sent my niece away because I didn't want to scare her. I figured you wouldn't believe me if I just explained it to you, so I decided to let you see for yourself. Now that you've seen it, you should understand."

After hearing that, a chill ran down my spine, and I stood there shivering, unable to speak. Staring at the old man's faintly smiling face in the photo, I felt my entire worldview collapse.

If it were just the ghostly maze I encountered last night, I could still try to convince myself that I was hallucinating. But now, the old man's photo was hanging right in front of me. Even if I had delusions, there was no way I could hallucinate something I had never seen before.

"How is it? Did I scare you?"

My mind was completely blank when Xu Mingyang patted me on the shoulder. The touch startled me so much that I nearly jumped.

I stammered, "W-what do you think?"

He just smiled and said he understood. He told me that the first time he saw a ghost, he wasn't much better than me.

Then he started telling me about his past.

He said he had been learning the craft since he was a teenager. His master was an exceptionally skilled man. Though he looked like he was in his sixties in the photo, he was actually eighty-six when he passed away.

My brain felt overloaded, and I didn't know how to respond, so I just stood there and listened.

Xu Mingyang explained that his master had been dead for five years. After his death, Xu Mingyang took over the shop and had been running it ever since. Over the past five years, he had felt his master's presence but had never seen him. He figured that while he was away recently, his master must have gotten lonely and decided to reveal himself.

Hearing this, I found it even more bizarre. I asked Xu Mingyang, "If he didn't even show up for you, then why did I see him the moment I came here?"

Xu Mingyang smirked. "Normally, people can't see ghosts. But someone like you—whose three guiding lights have all been extinguished and who has a thick aura of death lingering over their head—could probably even see the Supreme Lord Lao himself. My master probably showed up because you're just too special."

I felt like he was mocking me, so I glared at him and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Xu Mingyang explained, "Every person has three guiding lights: one on the top of the head and one on each shoulder. These lights are what we call 'Samadhi True Fire.' When people walk at night, no matter what sounds they hear, as long as they don't turn around, their lights won't go out, and ghosts won't be able to approach them. But if they succumb to temptation and turn back, each turn extinguishes one light. Once all three lights are out, ghosts can do whatever they want with them.

"And as for the aura of death, that's even more concerning. This kind of thing usually only appears on people who are about to die or are already dead. But the fact that you're still standing here, alive and well, means that someone powerful is protecting you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have lasted a week."

After hearing that, I was scared stiff.

Then I suddenly thought of Yingying. I quickly took out the jade pendant and asked Xu Mingyang if he knew what it was.

"The Ghost Car Bird?"

Xu Mingyang snatched the pendant from my hand, his eyes widening in shock as he examined it from every angle. Then he looked at me with excitement and asked, "Where did you get this?"

Seeing his reaction—like a cat that just had its tail stepped on—I figured this thing must be important. So I didn't hide anything from him. I told him everything: the conversation I had with the old man, the events of the past few days, and how I got the pendant.

The more I spoke, the more serious Xu Mingyang's expression became. By the end, his brows were tightly furrowed.

I started feeling uneasy and asked, "What's wrong? Am I doomed?"

"If my guess is correct, the painting you mentioned is not just an ordinary image of a Bodhisattva—it's actually a magical artifact, one that is slowly absorbing your soul.

"And the red mark on this jade is the blood essence of the Ghost Car Bird. This fierce creature specializes in collecting human souls, which just so happens to counteract the artifact's ability."

Xu Mingyang sighed and handed the pendant back to me. "A true master… She's definitely a true master. If I ever get the chance, I'd love to meet her."

Hearing this, I felt a cold chill spread from my feet to the top of my head. I asked Xu Mingyang, "Why would He Weimin want to harm me? What does he gain from this?"

Xu Mingyang shook his head. "I don't know. But there must be a reason. That's why I've decided to go with you to school tonight and check out that painting myself."

I asked him another question: "Then is Yingying a ghost?"

Xu Mingyang shook his head.

"So… she's human?"

He shook his head again. "I don't know."

I was confused. "What do you mean you don't know? I just saw Yingying last night. She has a heartbeat, and other people can see her too. How can a ghost have a heartbeat?"

Xu Mingyang asked, "Who told you ghosts can't have heartbeats? Can't ghosts possess living people? And besides, have you ever really seen what a ghost looks like? Who decided that ghosts have to be like the ones in horror movies?"

I was at a loss for words, so I stayed silent.

Xu Mingyang reassured me, telling me not to rush things. He said we would find out tonight whether Yingying was human or ghostly. But even if she was human, the fact that she had access to such a powerful item meant she was definitely not ordinary.

As he spoke, he glanced at the old man's photo and muttered to himself, "My master probably found your situation interesting. That's why he appeared last night to save you. As for why he suddenly vanished, it was likely because Yingying showed up. He probably wanted to avoid trouble."

As he spoke, he glanced at the photo again. I followed his gaze but quickly looked away because, for some reason, I felt like the old man in the photo was smiling at me.

Just then, Xu Nuo returned with a bag full of breakfast and called us out to eat.

As soon as we stepped out, Xu Nuo asked Xu Mingyang, "So, what's the verdict? Did you get a good read on him?"

Xu Mingyang nodded. "Yeah, I've got a rough idea. Tonight, we'll go back to school together and take a look."

As she set the food on the table, Xu Nuo told him, "Uncle, you better help him out properly. He's completely bewitched right now, obsessed with that ghost girl. You need to make sure he doesn't fall under her spell."

I shot Xu Nuo a glare, but she pretended not to notice. Xu Mingyang just laughed at me, clearly thinking something mischievous.

I opened my bowl of lamb soup and took a sip when Xu Nuo suddenly said, "Oh, by the way, Gu Yan, I found out where Shen Mengying lives. Do you want to go check it out?"