The shop door ahead was tightly shut. I walked over, climbed the side stairs, and when I reached the second floor, I saw the door was open.
As soon as I entered, I froze. It was the little girl from my dream last night. Her cartoon-patterned backpack sat on the desk, and she was in a rocking chair, a lollipop in her mouth, humming softly.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time. Tell me, why are you here?" Suddenly, the little girl on the chair stood up, her eyes sharp as she looked at me.
"Since you saw me last night, where are those two? Let them go." I replied bluntly. The girl before me looked fourteen or fifteen, but there was nothing simple about her. Tina Yu and Sophie Su were surely caught by her.
"Those two ghosts wanted to harm people, so I had to seal them. I plan to let them return to nature—not only will they avoid the suffering of reincarnation, but they won't be tormented here in the human world. What's wrong with that?"
"Nature?" I blinked.
"Nature means all things under heaven—the flowers, the grass, everything. I am Rufina Howard, the 213th generation Yin-Yang Master of the Howard family. I just left my village and immediately encountered people harmed by vengeful ghosts, so of course I intervened and sealed them."
Yin-Yang Master? I scratched my head, puzzled as I looked at the girl before me.
"Both of them died unjustly—especially Tina Yu. She was killed by people here, so she came back for revenge."
"Is it that vengeful ghost? You should know, vengeful ghosts always like to harm people. Even if they get their revenge, they won't be content to reincarnate. Instead, they'll linger in the mortal world, inching closer to becoming a Blue Wraith. If they keep absorbing yang energy, or eat people, once they become a Blue Wraith, they'll be a threat to humanity."
I blinked and glanced at Samantha Simons beside me.
"They're my friends. Can you let them go?"
"No. One is a vengeful ghost, the other drowned. Especially the drowned girl—she'll keep looking for substitutes to harm people. She herself is constantly tormented by the pain of drowning, so to ease her suffering, she'll seek substitutes and hurt others."
I let out a cry. Sophie Su always seemed so well-behaved. Ever since she moved into my building, I'd never seen her hurt anyone. She was a thoughtful little girl—whatever John Chou said, she listened. When asked to go to Putian Temple for someone, she went right away, never considering that the monks there might capture her.
"Let them go, or I won't be so polite."
"Looks like you're quite bewitched by ghosts. No wonder your body carries such heavy death aura. Usually, people with such a strong aura either died unnatural deaths or were killed by ghosts."
"Let them go, little girl."
"Need my help, Master Ethan?" Samantha Simons leaned in and whispered in my ear.
I shook my head.
"Be careful, Master Ethan. The aura around this girl is unusual—she's a Yin-Yang Master."
"There's no point in talking." The girl said, suddenly pulling out a fan and snapping it open with a swish. I clenched my fists, but then thought, she's just a little girl.
"Spirit of clarity, four seas and five realms, nightmare, drowsiness, approach, beware, sleep..."
The girl chanted, then suddenly jumped in front of me. She struck my forehead with her fan—a sharp smack—and instantly, I felt groggy, my mind spinning.
"So you're just a weakling."
My body felt limp and strangely excited, heat rushing through me. I had no idea what was happening.
"Master Ethan, Master Ethan..." Samantha Simons called out urgently, snapping me back to consciousness.
Suddenly, I saw a crowd gathered around me, pointing and whispering. Some were clapping.
"Keep dancing, kid! That routine you just did was pretty wild, hahaha..." someone laughed.
Suddenly, I felt a chill all over me. Only then did I realize I was completely naked. I hurriedly covered myself, shocked as I stared at the crowd around me, laughing uproariously.
"What just happened?"
"You fell victim to that girl's magic."
I turned my head and saw the girl from before, holding her phone and grinning.
Fuming, I hurriedly threw on my clothes, ignoring the stares around me, and chased after her.
"Want to go again?"
As soon as I caught up, I saw the girl connecting her phone to the LCD TV mounted on the wall. The TV turned on, and my face flushed bright red.
On screen, I was laughing wildly, rushing out, then dancing excitedly in the street. I stripped off my clothes piece by piece, singing Gu Dong's songs off-key as I danced, drawing a crowd of onlookers.
For a full half hour, my mouth hung open. If there were a hole nearby, I'd have crawled right in.
I looked at Samantha Simons with a wounded expression.
"Master Ethan, didn't you just say you didn't want me to interfere, so..."
Thinking back to just now, dancing down below with so many people filming me on their phones, I covered my head in shame, shouting out. Then I stood up, furious, and pointed at the girl in front of me.
"You... you..."
"Such a simple spell, and you fell for it. Sigh, go home, kid. You can't beat me."
I glared at the girl, gritting my teeth.
"Now your video has probably been uploaded already, haha..." the girl said, laughing so hard she nearly doubled over.
"You... you... you..."
For a long time, I couldn't say a word. My cheeks burned, my mind a total mess.
"How could you be so cruel?"
I said, my voice trembling with tears. Now I really couldn't face anyone.
"Alright, alright. At first, I thought you weren't just anyone. After all, those two female ghosts reached out to you in your dreams, didn't they? So I decided to test you a little."
(This chapter is not finished yet~.~ Please click 'Next Page' to continue reading the exciting content!)
I clenched my fists, focusing my intent. Instantly, a surge of death aura spilled from my hand. With a flick, a mass of black energy shot forward.
The girl instantly dropped her smile, leapt onto the table, and began waving her fan through the air.
"East Sea Aming, tomboy, five elements touch..."
A pale blue pentagram lit up. As soon as the death aura touched it, it seemed to sink into water and vanished.
"That was close, that was close! You scared me! It's the first time I've seen someone able to control death aura!"
The girl stuck out her tongue, grinning.
"Master, need any help?"
Suddenly, I heard heavy footsteps. Turning around, I saw a large group of burly, thick-waisted men walk in.
I stared intently at them.
"What are you guys doing down here? Get out."
The leader, who looked to be in his forties, had a scar on his face and glared at me fiercely.
"Kid, do you want them?" he suddenly asked, pulling out a strange-looking little jar.
The jar was cylindrical, with five layers of color—gold, green, blue, red, and brown. Its bizarre lid was topped with the head of some unknown beast.
In that instant, I realized Tina Yu and Sophie Su were inside.
"You killed people and still dare to act like this?"
I roared in anger.
"Where's the evidence? Where is it?"
I was stunned. Evidence—Tina Yu's body had already been turned to ashes by me.
Then the scar-faced leader glanced at his men, and a few thugs walked over.
"Let them go!" I roared, death aura surging from my body.
"Go home, kid. These two ghosts are sealed in the Five Elements Jar. In a few days, they'll return to nature."
I turned to look at the girl. Suddenly, my eyes widened—she was surrounded by a faint blue glow, currents of energy making her hair stand straight up.
"Zebi Qilai, Duderen Si, from adversity comes prosperity, pray for rhyme, sever the blind saw, north as dove crystal, fire, wood, earth..." the girl chanted, then flew in front of me. Her ten fingers interlocked, a pale blue light flared, and she pressed her hands to my chest.
"Three Symbols Sealing Technique..."
I cried out, mouth agape, drooling. My stomach churned, and the death aura vanished from my body. I collapsed to the floor.
"Throw this kid out," the scar-faced man ordered, and I was lifted up.
"Master Ethan, need my help?"
Samantha Simons asked. I nodded immediately.
Suddenly, with a whoosh, Samantha Simons raised her hand, and cherry blossoms filled the air. She returned to her original form, dressed in splendid robes. With a tearing sound, the hands of the two men grabbing me were slashed and they let go immediately.
"Who are you?"
The girl looked serious as she stared at Samantha Simons.
"Enough. Hand over those two girls to me, or for the first time in centuries, I may be forced to slaughter."
As soon as Samantha Simons finished speaking, the temperature in the room dropped and the atmosphere turned gloomy. With a bang, the door slammed shut, and a chaotic gust overturned tables and chairs. Those trying to escape huddled in the corners.
"I never expected that, just after coming out, I would encounter such a powerful Soul Capturing Ghost."
"Master, think of something!" the scar-faced man cried, clutching the jar in terror.
The girl retreated to the corner, clutching her backpack, her face full of fear.
In an instant, Samantha Simons flew over and reached out her hand. The girl shrieked, but Samantha Simons merely stroked her forehead gently.
"Child, in life you must distinguish right from wrong. Though I am a ghost, I know justice and fairness. Helping these villains is not the conduct of a righteous person."