Kindred Spirits

It's here!! I wiped the cold sweat off my face and felt my nerves tightening. I dared not make a sound, as my forehead's temperature was low enough that she couldn't pinpoint exactly which room I was in—she had to search each one individually. I vaguely heard the ghostly woman's crying-like voice floating in:

"Where are you~~~ Are you in here~~~ Where are you~~~?"

I could clearly hear my own heartbeat, damn, this is torture. Let me describe it to you: imagine you're hiding in a room in the middle of the night, and there's a ghost in the hallway searching room by room for you. Seeing a ghost might not be the scariest thing, but knowing one is actively searching for you is definitely the most terrifying.

It's like playing hide-and-seek as a kid, except this time, I'm playing with my life on the line. Damn it.

Her voice grew louder and closer in the empty building, and my heartbeat quickened. It felt like my heart was going to leap out of my throat. I kept repeating in my head: "There's only one chance, don't mess it up. Don't mess it up." I could tell from the sound that she was very close—probably in the classroom next door. Damn, here it comes.

I was panting heavily, standing pressed against the wall by the door, waiting. I thought, if you don't come in soon, I'm going to go crazy. But then, just like that, her voice suddenly stopped.

I still didn't dare move, my ears straining to catch any sound. After about five minutes with no noise, I wondered if she had left.

Just as I was about to crouch by the door crack to see if she was gone, I suddenly heard a chilling voice from behind me: "So you're here~~~~~~."

"Ah!!!!" The shock nearly made me jump out of my skin! How could I have forgotten that ghosts can pass through walls? But it was too late. Before I could turn around, I felt a pair of icy hands grab my neck tightly.

God! What is this feeling? I couldn't breathe, and my face felt like it was swelling rapidly. My eyes felt like they might pop out. Thank goodness for the scarf Dong Shanshan gave me. If not, I would have been strangled. The end was near, and I didn't have time to think. I quickly raised my right hand holding the "Ding Yi Ju Qing Protective Talisman," and, struggling to speak because my neck was constricted, I managed to force out the words, "Ji ji ru lü ling!"

The "Ding Yi Ju Qing Protective Talisman" really saved my life. The hands around my neck loosened, and I could breathe again. I immediately bolted out of there. The plan had failed, but I grabbed the last talisman that was pressed against the window and clutched it tightly in my hand. By then, that damned woman had already passed through the wall and entered the room. I was relieved that the streetlights on the school's playground didn't turn off until dawn, casting light through the window.

In the light, I saw that the lower half of her clothing had turned completely blue, and her eyes had no pupils—just like in the classic Hong Kong horror film The Village of the Damned. The sight was unnerving.

Damn it, this is it. I'll fight her. She lunged at me with both hands outstretched, ready to strike. I quickly raised the "Ding Yi Ju Qing Protective Talisman" again. Taking advantage of her brief hesitation, I dashed to the side and ripped off the "Jia Zi Wen Qing Calm Spirit Talisman" from the wall.

That damn woman rushed at me again. I shouted, "Ji ji ru lü ling!" and threw the talisman like a playing card.

But she wasn't stupid. When she saw the talisman flying toward her, she swiftly dodged it. The talisman was immediately rendered useless. She had her back to the door, leaving me with no chance to escape. The only option was to retreat further, but after a few steps, my back was pressed against the wall of the empty classroom.

There was nowhere left to hide. As I watched her fly toward me, I felt an icy chill, but my body was drenched in sweat. Was I really about to meet my end?

The answer was no. Just as her claws were about to reach my eyes, I screamed, "Ji ji ru lü ling!!!" and crouched down. When I did, the "Jia Wu Yu Qing Breaking Evil Talisman" I had stuck to the wall appeared in full view.

Luckily, I had placed the most powerful talisman on the back wall earlier, intending to use a formation to deal with this woman, but the plan had changed, so I had to improvise. I used the talisman to shield myself and waited for the right moment to strike.

The moment her claws neared me, I made a quick roll to the side, hearing a terrible scream in my ears. She had fallen for it!

Exhausted from a semester of smoking, drinking, and staying up late, I struggled to get up, only to see the ghost's hands piercing through the wall. Her chest was now in direct contact with my "Jia Wu Yu Qing Breaking Evil Talisman."

I was afraid her scream might wake the students in the nearby rooms, but there was nothing I could do about it. After a few agonized screams, she collapsed, her chest charred, and the talisman on the wall was also scorched.

Looking at her now, sprawled on the floor, trembling, she was no longer the menacing figure she once was. Suddenly, everything felt still. I leaned against the wall, trying to steady my breathing, then cautiously approached to see how close she was to fully perishing.

It seemed that the talisman had created a large hole in her chest, but she wasn't completely gone yet. I realized that if I didn't finish the job, she would regenerate and keep causing harm.

I hesitated, thinking about the situation. She wasn't evil by nature; she was just lost, waiting for a man who wasn't coming back. My own emotions were in turmoil, and for a moment, I saw the similarity between her and me—both of us were driven by loss and vengeance. But I wasn't dead, I had a future.

Her voice broke through my thoughts, "Si Zhe, why won't you give me another chance? Do you hate me that much?"

"Si Zhe" seemed to be the man she was waiting for, and as she repeated this line, I felt a pang in my chest. Her words mirrored my own feelings of wanting revenge, of wanting to give up.

Suddenly, I felt deep sympathy for her. She wasn't an evil spirit; she was just someone who had been wronged, desperately clinging to the hope of seeing her lover again.

I sat on the floor, lost in thought. I didn't know what the right choice was. I didn't want to hurt her, but I couldn't let her continue to harm others. It was a dilemma, a no-win situation.

Finally, after contemplating, I spoke to her: "Can you hear me? Answer me."

She nodded, trembling. Her pupils had returned to normal, and her body was still shaking. I knew then that she still had consciousness, and that made things easier.

"I'm telling you clearly now: You are already dead, a ghost. You can't stay here any longer."

She trembled and said, "I don't want to harm anyone. I don't know how to be reincarnated. I just want to wait for him. I believe he will come back."

I could feel my heart breaking. I told her, "You're already dead. There's no chance left for you."

Upon hearing this, tears welled up in her eyes. A single tear fell down her cheek, and it shocked me deeply. Ghosts... can cry?

The tear fell to the ground, turning into a small bead, but I barely noticed that detail.

I sighed. "I'll take you to my master. He's also a ghost. I'll ask him how you can move on to the afterlife."

She didn't speak, but after a long moment, she turned into smoke and disappeared into a plastic bottle I had found.

As she vanished, I whispered to myself, As long as you're alive, there's hope. It wasn't just a message for her, but for me too.