For three consecutive nights, Ouyang Weng was escorted by several ghosts to the dried-up well in the center of the village, where he told stories to the bustling crowd of ghosts gathered around. At dawn, he would be taken back to the cell prepared for him.
I saw a lifeless look on Ouyang Weng’s face, and the ghosts even said that after his death, they would have him tell stories to them for eternity.
Reality is always cruel. Thinking back, just days ago in the teahouse, Ouyang Weng’s expression was completely different. Back then, he yearned to be among ghosts, believing it would be simpler than living among people, where one must constantly watch others’ moods. Now, he’s finally awakened to the truth: the world of ghosts is no different from that of humans.
Four more days passed, making it seven in total. Ouyang Weng now resembled a walking corpse, completely devoid of vitality. Although ghosts brought him food every day, he grew thinner, unable to eat or sleep.
On the seventh night, the ghosts arrived to escort him out again. Ouyang Weng, weak and exhausted, asked a question.
"I've been telling stories for you for seven days and seven nights. Can I go back now?"
"Ha! Leave? No way. You'll be our storyteller for life. Now get out here, old man."
A ghost opened the cell door and roughly dragged Ouyang Weng out. In the village center, ghosts crowded around, eager for stories. But Ouyang Weng fell silent until the ghosts began to grow restless. A flash of green light appeared, and the Blue Wraith, with a dark face and cunning eyes, approached, glaring fiercely at Ouyang Weng.
"What’s wrong? Start telling your story—continue from last night."
But Ouyang Weng only shook his head.
"We had an agreement before, but..."
"Huh? What agreement? We said we’d have you tell stories for seven days, but we never said you could go back."
The cunning Zhu Si, a Blue Wraith, patted Ouyang Weng on the back and spoke slowly, word by word.
"I remember you have a wife and child, don’t even think about escaping. If you don’t obey, what do you think will happen to your unborn child and your wife?"
Under threats and coercion, Ouyang Weng continued telling stories—one day, then two. He began marking tally lines on the wall. By the end of the Hundred Ghosts Banquet, he had lost all hope.
During this time, every day for Ouyang Weng felt like hell, each day dragging on endlessly. He was often mocked and ridiculed by the ghosts. I also learned that the three-eyed Blue Wraith was not the leader here—just an ordinary Blue Wraith.
The cunning Blue Wraith was called Zhu Si. There was another, more powerful Blue Wraith, said to be the leader here, named Lady Wraith. I never saw her. The three-eyed one ranked third among the Blue Wraiths.
I was surprised—the three-eyed one wasn’t the leader. I also heard that many ghosts avoided dealing with him. Although he was a Blue Wraith, he was very reclusive and seldom interacted with others, so over time, most ghosts ignored his existence.
Ouyang Weng muttered to himself alone in his cell. He was dazed, completely drained of energy, barely clinging to life.
One morning, a month later, I saw Mona Ouyang arrive at Ouyang Weng’s cell.
"How are you, Ouyang Weng?"
Mona Ouyang asked, and Ouyang Weng lifted his head. His eyes, now clouded, were lifeless.
"Is it you?"
"You always thought that living with ghosts would free you from worldly suffering, that everything would be clear-cut, and you’d never have to live so tiredly again, right?"
Ouyang Weng couldn’t answer, only muttering to himself.
"Such a dreamer. I used to be like you, always dreaming. But those were just empty illusions. Just because of the stories passed down in books, did you really think you understood ghosts?"
After saying this, Mona Ouyang left. From then on, she came every day and asked the same question.
"Ouyang Weng, how are you? Have you figured it out yet?"
Yet, although Mona Ouyang visited daily, she never intervened, only leaving that question before departing. After a whole year, Ouyang Weng was filthy, emaciated, and seemed close to death.
Gradually, even the ghosts lost interest in Ouyang Weng’s stories. The number of listeners dwindled until no one came to hear him anymore, and he was abandoned in his cell.
Every day, ghosts still brought food to Ouyang Weng, but his eyes were lifeless. For days, he hadn’t eaten and seemed close to death.
"Your child has been born—a son."
Mona Ouyang stood at the cell door and spoke. For a moment, I saw a spark of light in Ouyang Weng’s eyes.
"Same question as before. Have you figured it out, Ouyang Weng?"
At night, Ouyang Weng was dragged out again, but tonight felt different. Clouds covered the moon, and apart from the ghostly flames, there was almost no light.
There were even more ghosts than usual. I didn’t know what was happening, but from their gossip, I learned tonight was Lady Wraith’s Burial Day.
The so-called Burial Day is when some ghosts, seeking greater power, willingly return to their bones and are buried three feet deep in yellow earth for ten or twenty years, gathering yin energy to strengthen themselves.
Burial Day requires a living sacrifice—the best candidate is someone who’s been exposed to ghosts but hasn’t died yet. That person was Ouyang Weng.
Because Ouyang Weng’s fate was unusually strong, even though contact with ghosts severely affected his body, he hadn’t died.
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Ouyang Weng was escorted to the dried-up well, surrounded by ghosts on all sides. Each ghost gathered, seemingly waiting for something.
Inviting Ouyang Weng to tell stories was just a pretense. Ever since Zhu Si started listening to stories at Ouyang Weng’s teahouse, he noticed something special about him—a normal human who could coexist with ghosts and remain mostly unaffected.
Realizing all this, Ouyang Weng finally couldn’t hold back and shouted.
"Why is the world like this? Why are both people and ghosts so ugly and cruel?"
But Zhu Si immediately sealed Ouyang Weng’s mouth, silencing him. From the bottom of the dried-up well came a low rumbling, and waves of yin energy spilled out. The surrounding ghosts respectfully backed away.
The rumbling continued from beneath the well—Lady Wraith seemed about to emerge.
Fear slowly appeared on Ouyang Weng’s face. Cloudy tears kept falling. The moment Zhu Si released him, Ouyang Weng took a deep breath, raised his head, and shouted to the sky with all his strength.
"Save me, Mona Ouyang!"
With that shout, a burst of purple light suddenly descended from the sky—it was Mona Ouyang, wrapped in purple light, landing atop the dried-up well.
Immediately, the well was sealed. I saw Mona Ouyang raise her hand, and with a thunderous sound, the ground next to the well erupted upward, pinning Zhu Si beneath it.
Mona Ouyang quietly watched Ouyang Weng, who lay on the ground, barely alive.
"What is it? Do you want me to save you?"
Ouyang Weng closed his eyes and nodded slightly.
"Then tell me, why should I save you?"
"I noticed a long time ago, Mona Ouyang, you’ve always listened to my stories. Maybe... we’re friends."
Mona Ouyang burst into laughter. Suddenly, she rose up, and ghosts from all directions wailed and rushed toward them.
At that moment, I remembered Mona Ouyang quietly lying on the table, listening intently, while Ouyang Weng spoke passionately from the stage. One could see, the other could not—such a strange feeling.
"Flame of Dream."
Mona Ouyang shouted, raising one hand. The rushing ghosts were instantly engulfed in a sea of fire. Yet, within the flames, a green light appeared—it was Zhu Si, wielding a whip. After several swings, the flames were extinguished.
"Hmph, trying to cause trouble? Courting death."
"I’m not here to cause trouble—just to save a friend."
As he spoke, Mona Ouyang was already standing behind Zhu Si.
"Impossible! You’re not even a Blue Wraith, how could you..."
"Have you ever heard that dreams can devour people?"
Mona Ouyang giggled. Suddenly, a black mass appeared in his hand, transforming into a wide-mouthed monster that swallowed Zhu Si whole.
Mona Ouyang reappeared beside Ouyang Weng, grabbed him, and flew toward the edge of the ruined village. Raising a hand, gray-mouthed monsters erupted from the ground, devouring the pursuing ghosts.
"Don’t panic, it’s just an illusion."
A deep female voice rang out. The purple light covering the well vanished, and a surge of dark green energy erupted from the well.
A tattered long dress, half her body skeletal, the other half still flesh—a Blue Wraith radiating green light emerged from the well. This was Lady Wraith.
With a swoosh, Lady Wraith blocked Mona Ouyang’s path.
"What’s this? You want to play with me?"
Mona Ouyang gave a teasing smile, but suddenly his laughter vanished. To my shock, a large hole appeared in Mona Ouyang’s chest.