Chapter 100

Chapter 100

You Jin, upon seeing this scene, hurriedly closed the door and locked it, acting as if he hadn’t seen a thing.

A group of people stood in the main hall of Chengde Medical Hall, clearly hearing the eerie giggles from outside. The foggy glass windows were being tapped by unknown entities from the outside, leaving bloody handprints, some clearly belonging to children.

The strange sounds came from all directions, so numerous they couldn’t tell how many ghosts were out there.

"It’s the New Year, what should we do?" Wang Dong, likely inheriting his parents’ tendencies, clung to his wife, trembling as he asked.

"When will Dr. Wu return?"

Wu Su stared at his phone, which had automatically connected to the ghost network again, and with 5G speed, he smiled and said, "Old Wu’s whereabouts are unclear, and young Wu’s are too."

Seeing them staring at him, Wu Su was honest: "The middle generation of the Wu family is a lost cause, inheriting nothing, don’t count on me."

After saying this, Wu Su felt he was being too hard on himself and added, "But I can offer emotional comfort to everyone, don’t be afraid!"

However, Wu Su had seen this situation many times before. He said, "Forget about those ghosts outside, according to tradition, we should worship our ancestors early in the morning on New Year’s Eve. I’ll go burn some incense and paper money for our ancestors."

With that, Wu Su opened a door leading to the backyard, assuming the exorcism potion had been sprinkled both morning and night, even the backyard wasn’t spared. The backyard was pitch black now, but no ghosts were seen.

Wu Su squatted in the middle of the backyard, deftly tossing paper money into an enamel basin to burn, murmuring for the Wu family ancestors to return home for the New Year and claim their offerings.

Seeing this, He Yunxiao and others, despite their trembling limbs, squatted in a row beside Wu Su, burning paper money for their own ancestors.

Piles of paper ash instantly filled the air, carried into the dark sky by icy gusts, yet there was no heat from the fire, and the surroundings were chilly.

A group of middle-aged parents squatted in front of their own paper money fires, cautiously looking up to see the backyard’s one-and-a-half-meter-high wall covered with evil spirits, each ghost’s face twisted into an unnerving grin, staring straight at them.

"Ah—"

Mr. He and others screamed at the sight, immediately terrified, their legs giving way as they sat on the ground.

This overwhelming scene was likely the most ghostly encounter they’d ever experienced.

Wu Su also looked up at those ghosts, immediately enraged: "What are you doing here? Trying to rob my ancestors of their offerings?"

Mr. He and others quickly dragged Wu Su back, quickly locking the backyard door securely, afraid that Wu Su would rush over to confront those ghosts.

You Jin had slept at Chengde Medical Hall last night, initially planning to head home early that morning.

He held his phone, looking at the messages in the Nanluo Village villagers’ WeChat group.

"Village Chief Zhou Dagui: @all members, there are ghosts everywhere outside, everyone stay home and don’t visit!"

Zhou Yi was at his own home, after using the high myopia prescription Wu Heng provided, and in just a few days, his eyesight had largely improved, so he had taken off his thick glasses.

But there was also a downside, as he could now clearly see those ghosts with his naked eyes.

Zhou Yi took the drone his grandfather had bought at a high price, flying it outside, and the real-time feedback showed a black and white scene, with ghosts littering the road.

A group of ghost children, barefoot and leaving bloody footprints, chased a terrified rooster on the road. The leading ghost child suddenly appeared in front of the rooster as though teleporting, raising its pale little hand to grab the rooster’s neck, opening its black mouth to bite the chicken.

A feather speckled with chicken blood drifted down from the air, and the ghost children licked their lips in satisfaction.

Zhou Yi felt a shiver run down his spine, and the next moment, several ghost children with randomly assembled faces leaned close to the camera, sticking out their bloody tongues to lick the drone lens, giggling and asking, 'Big brother, congratulations on getting rich, give us a red envelope.'

Zhou Yi’s heart skipped a few beats, wanting to take off his glasses but realizing his myopia was cured. He forced himself to stay calm and said, "No red envelope, but I’ve got some elementary school winter break homework, do you want them?"

The ghost children muttered indistinctly...

The leader of the ghost children flipped off the drone camera.

Zhou Yi quickly maneuvered the drone away, his scalp tingling with fear. The road was densely packed with ghosts and demons, more crowded than a country fair.

No living souls were on the road, except... Zhou Yi saw Old Lady Lai, dressed in the special attire of a spirit medium, wearing a Wu Heng-designed cloth mask, pushing a barrel of exorcism potion and spraying it along the road.

The ghosts and demons seemed wary, making way for her, but the exorcism potion... seemed to be of little use.

Zhou Dagui sat dejectedly on the long bench at home, "How did things get so bad during the New Year? Are we all not going to make it to next year?"

He’d worked tirelessly to boost the village’s tourism, and it had indeed taken off, but now it seemed everyone was going to die.

Zhou Yi wasn’t sure if it was just Nan Nuo Village or if everyone was in the same situation. He frantically paced the house with his phone, finally connecting to the living world’s 5G network, and quickly logged into social media.

#Ghosts#、#Working with Ghosts on New Year's Eve#、#Home Exorcism Guide#, all fifty trending topics were about this.

"Can anyone relate? I opened the curtains this morning and saw ghosts floating outside, their faces pressed against the glass. I chugged a packet of exorcism potion."

"What am I supposed to do? My company still requires me to work today on New Year's Eve, and the streets are full of ghosts. Should I go or not? The boss said if I don’t go, my salary will be deducted."

"It's 9 a.m., and it's pitch black outside, like midnight. Haha, we’re not gonna make it to next year. What kind of New Year is this?"

"Being a single living alone is terrifying. Someone keeps knocking on the door, and someone even tried my electronic door lock, triggering the alarm. I’m too scared to see if it’s even human. I’m on the verge of a breakdown."

"Can anyone else relate? I’m too scared to go to the bathroom, afraid a ghost will crawl out of the drain and lick my butt 🙂 I’m about to lose it."

Seeing the hundreds of millions of discussions, Zhou Yi knew Nan Nuo Village wasn’t an isolated case; everyone was in the same situation.

It used to be very difficult to connect to the ghost network, but now everyone could connect, and even the normal 5G network of the living world was hard to access.

Chen Ying, who had returned from Peace Village just over a month ago, was not yet showing her pregnancy. Her husband had first checked every corner of their marital home, dousing every corner with exorcism potion, even in the drains.

Both families were well-off, so they had also purchased some talismans from Master Liu, sticking one every few feet on the windows. Occasionally, they could see ghosts flying past the windows, but not the kind that pressed against the glass as described online.

Both sets of parents sat crying while watching TV. The grainy black-and-white news broadcasted updates from the underworld. The four major ghost gates of the underworld were preparing to open, allowing the ghosts and demons returning home for the holiday to line up properly without cutting in line, and to bring their identification.

A ghost reporter pressed against the TV, loudly saying, 'Wishing everyone a happy Spring Festival!'

The scene of ghosts crowding was even more terrifying than the living world's Spring Festival travel rush.

Numb, it felt like death was closing in.

Chen Ying took a bowl of fetal protection medicine from her husband. The prescription was originally given to her by Wu Heng, and it wasn’t too bitter, just a bit sour, but she had gotten used to it.

After receiving the prescription, she had posted Wu Heng’s name online and shared it with other expectant mothers.

After drinking the fetal protection medicine and eating some honey, Chen Ying looked at her family sitting in the living room. She wasn’t in the mood to cook the New Year’s Eve feast, so she simply took out her phone, which automatically connected to the ghost network.

She tried playing a game of the underworld version of King of Glory, truly feeling how bad her uncle, the medium, was.

"What should we do now? Just keep hiding at home? We can’t stay indoors forever," Chen Ying’s mother asked fearfully.

Chen Ying stood by the window, looking down into the pitch-black darkness, uncertain, "It seems there’s a Taoist priest downstairs."

Taoist priests, mediums, and other practitioners of the mystical arts from all over had responded to the call, coming out of seclusion to cooperate with fully armed police officers.

But seeing the major ghost gates on the black-and-white TV still releasing ghosts, the living audience, led by Chen Ying, felt their hearts sink. This was going to be a nightmare.

"Yingying, Chengde Medical Hall has gone live."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ying immediately rushed over and snatched the phone from her husband's hand, watching the black-and-white footage. Behind Wu Heng were numerous Master Lius, each holding their own tools, with various magical instruments and talismans in abundance.

Wu Heng smiled at the camera: "Happy New Year's Eve, everyone!"

"Finally, Dr. Wu! The streets are full of ghosts. Although they haven't made any moves yet, it's really scary. What should we do?"

"How can we enjoy New Year's Eve like this? I just want to know if I'll make it to the new year."

"Dr. Wu, if it were bad people, I might as well grab a kitchen knife and fight them, but these are ghosts and demons. How can ordinary people deal with them? We can't just keep exorcising them passively. Taking action feels like a suicide mission."

"Happy New Year's Eve, Hengheng. Can you stay on the line? I'm alone at home and scared. Watching your livestream makes me feel safer."

Looking around at the still pitch-black surroundings, Wu Heng said to the camera: "With the supernatural resurgence and demons everywhere, it's advised that ordinary people stay at home and not act rashly. Just like any other New Year's Eve, don't sit around overthinking. Except for those who are immobile, get moving to boost your energy and vitality."

"If you have incense, candles, or joss paper at home, you can burn some for your ancestors first, but be careful with fire safety."

Immediately, some netizens speculated, could it be to burn some joss paper and then beg the ghosts to spare them?

Wu Heng on the other side of the livestream continued to tell the hundreds of millions of online fans: "If you should invite your ancestors home for the New Year, do so. If you should prepare the reunion dinner, do so. If you should chat, do so."

After Wu Heng's words, although the netizens were still scared, some parents started pushing their kids to get married, suggesting they go on blind dates while they still can. These days, it's a win just to meet someone alive and not a ghost.

Elderly folks gossiped about the young relatives who just started working, asking about their salaries and when they would buy a house or car.

The kids also got grilled about their grades and class rankings.

Though these topics were a bit distasteful, they were indeed the most common during the New Year.

At this time, most families had prepared some offerings for the deceased. Hearing Wu Heng's words, they were puzzled, not understanding why they should still offer to their ancestors at this time. However, most fans followed Wu Heng's instructions, burning incense, offering roast chicken, fruits, and cakes, and even burning some joss paper.

While burning joss paper, Chen Ying silently recited Nie Wei's name in her heart.

Suddenly, the electronic doorbell rang, and everyone in Chen Ying's family was on edge. At this moment, they didn't even have the courage to look through the peephole.

However, the long-haired white cat, Snowball, raised its tail high and stared at the front door, meowing happily.

Hearing Snowball's unafraid voice, Chen Ying stared at the door and whispered, though not daring to open it, "If you are a family member who won't harm us, please come in."

Her husband and parents felt their scalps tingle. No wonder Chen Ying dared to go to Ping'an Village; this girl had some serious guts.

The door didn't open, but a young figure floated in from outside. Nie Wei, holding a package, smiled at Chen Ying, "Yingying, I knew you would invite me to have dinner at home on New Year's Eve when you welcomed your ancestors. Happy New Year's Eve."

Her husband and parents were stunned; they also saw Nie Wei!

But thinking about the ghosts outside, seeing Nie Wei wasn't that strange.

Chen Ying was overjoyed, "Duo Duo is here, she won't harm us."

"Duo Duo, are you doing well down there? I heard you... are in labor reform. Will they let you return to the mortal world for the holiday?"

Nie Wei nodded: "The underworld wouldn't let us before, but Yanjun issued a special pardon this year. Ghosts in prison who pass the review and are deemed not to cause trouble can return for the holiday. We have a special pardon stamp on our hands. If we don't return on time, we will directly dissipate."

Nie Wei looked at the ghosts floating outside the window, a sneer on her pale lips: "These filthy things are really sick of death."

Nie Wei, originally the queen of fierce ghosts, suddenly floated to the window. The ghosts outside, frantically peeking in, screamed and darted to other windows.

The husband and the four elders were actually delighted by the situation. So what if they saw ghosts? They’re all over the place outside! It’s their own family coming back. It’s their ancestral ghosts returning, and they might even protect them.

Sure enough, people online were already sharing that their deceased parents and grandparents had returned, carrying a white bag, seemingly filled with New Year gifts.

"If it’s my family, I wouldn’t be afraid. My grandpa was a veteran of the War of Resistance against Japan. If he came back, wouldn’t he just wipe out all those harmful evil spirits? It’s a huge sense of security!"

"Thanks to Dr. Wu for reminding us to honor our ancestors. I was too scared to burn paper money this year, fearing it might attract evil spirits."

"Even though the supernatural resurgence isn’t a good thing, it’s the only thing that makes me happy. I saw my mother whom I’ve never met before!"

A girl living alone lit some electronic incense candles and folded some gold ingots by herself. Maybe because the yin energy outside was too strong, burning a few pieces of paper money at home didn’t cause a fire.

When she looked up, a woman who felt both familiar and unfamiliar stood before her. Unfamiliar because she had never seen her before, familiar because she had seen her in photos.

Her mother died giving birth to her, and in her twenty-two years, she’d never seen her. Since she was young, outsiders had spread that she was the disaster star who killed her mother.

But tonight, her mother answered her invitation to return for New Year’s Eve, telling her personally that she was not the disaster star who killed her mother, she would always be her mother’s little treasure.

So, she was a child loved by her family after all.

Li Juan, a student at Beijing Tech, became an orphan when Zhao Qingyun, the hypocritical philanthropist, took her parents’ lives under the guise of charity. She could only live at her uncle’s home during the New Year.

She once thought the last time she’d see her parents was when her senior, Yang Xing, showed her the underworld trial in a dream.

But there they were, her parents, smiling and teaching her how to make steaming buns. They weren’t good at anything else, but they were great at making buns.

Li Juan covered her mouth and burst into tears: "Mom and Dad, I really miss you."

This New Year’s Eve was unlike any other. Outside, countless evil spirits were wreaking havoc, but also countless family members crossing the ghost gate, fulfilling the daily thoughts and expectations of many people.

Zhang Dayong handed out six sets of nail art to his family, and everyone wore them on their fingers.

Zhang Dayong watched the mother dog inside the house feeding her newborn puppies, among which the only black puppy was particularly noticeable, chubby and falling asleep next to its mother and siblings after drinking milk. Zhang Dayong went forward and covered it with a small blanket, a satisfied smile on his lips.

Hearing a knock, Zhang Dayong, who was wearing fox fairy nail art and stood out from ordinary folks, looked out the window and cursed loudly: "Get lost! Go away."

It was the spirits of his foster parents and uncle.

Some people felt confused.

"Why didn’t my grandpa come back? I burned a ton of paper money for him in the yard. Is it because he was shot in the leg and walks slower than others?" A middle-aged man tried to ignore the evil spirits running amok outside the yard, suppressing his fear and muttering.

"I’ll wait a little longer. I got the sweet potato wine he loved, and I also bought Maotai, it’s really good."

Wu Heng noticed the Taoist priest was already setting up a formation to trap ghosts, and he explained to the camera: "Those with great merits have the priority to reincarnate. If they didn’t return, either they didn’t want to come, or they have already reincarnated."

Wu Su sat on the sofa watching his son’s live broadcast, constantly marveling: "Looks like our Wu family is full of talented folks. None of our ancestors returned, have they all reincarnated early?"

The ancestors of the Wu family were all doctors. Those from the distant past have already reincarnated, and those from the more recent times, like my great-grandfather, went out to serve as a military doctor. Moreover, the profession of a doctor inherently has merit bonuses, so they probably have all reincarnated.

Wu Su thought about his father, Old Master Wu Tai, who also participated in the vaccine development team. After death, he would probably also have the priority to reincarnate, and his son seems to be no less capable.

Only Wu Su frowned and said, "When my Wu family passes on, am I the only one stuck waiting in line to reincarnate? If Xiao Heng reincarnates before me, wouldn’t I have to call him dad in the next life? Oh my!"

"I should have started a business earlier, but Old Wu forced me to rely on the old and the young, now it’s all over."

What a sad story.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Wu Su’s eyes lit up, thinking it was his ancestors, so he quickly checked the surveillance to see who it was. But it was Zhou Yi standing outside.

Zhong Wu scowled, "What are you doing running around outside, kid? Are you out of your mind? Why are you here?"

Zhou Yi, still clutching the medicinal talisman that Wu Heng had drawn for him earlier, panted nervously, "There's a fight going on! The evil spirits and ghosts are attacking and killing people! A tourist who went out to use the restroom... seems to have gotten hurt."

Zhou Dagui immediately sent Zhou Yi to Chengde Medical Hall.

Although Wu Heng wasn't there, inside there was a spirit snake and a fox spirit, and likely some protective items Wu Heng had left for his family.

Wang Jun led the police from Hezipo Town, and the Taoist priests were outside. At this moment, the gu ladies and feng shui masters had all sprung into action. Blood-curdling screams echoed from outside, and ghosts and demons were lurking everywhere.

Chengde Medical Hall was made of wood, and they could hear something banging against the wooden doors and walls, emitting eerie creaks.

'Hiss hiss hiss—!' Xi Xi immediately perked up, stood up straight, and sprang out of He Yunxiao's arms.

Seeing the wooden door on the verge of breaking, Xi Xi quickly slipped through the gap and let out a ferocious roar at the fierce ghosts outside, opening its mouth wide and biting down.

"No doubt, the He Family's guardian spirit is something else!" Li Hao shouted with envy and jealousy.

Su Dayi peered at the cracked gap and compared it to her own body, realizing she might not be able to squeeze through.

"Everyone, pluck a hair from me," Su Dayi immediately said.

Everyone looked at Su Dayi expectantly, recalling her illusionary abilities. What could plucking a hair turn into? Turning into a Taoist priest to spook those evil spirits? But they lacked real abilities, and if they really transformed into Taoist priests, they'd become targets.

Su Dayi thought for a moment and said, "Pretend to be rampaging fierce ghosts! Survival comes first."

Everyone: "..."

Well, that could work. Survival is key.

Wu Su was the first to grab a hair from Su Dayi's head; he had experience. Soon, everyone appeared bulkier under the illusion.

Wu Su stood in front of the mirror, frantically inspecting himself, "So this is what I'd look like if I became a fierce ghost after death? My legs seem to float, but I still have to walk."

"I'll go outside and try."

Wu Su cautiously opened the door of Chengde Medical Hall, and a bone-chilling wind hit him, making him dizzy.

Outside, the fierce ghosts that were wildly attacking people and trying to break into houses glanced at them, noticing they lacked proper credentials and appeared to be allies, then floated away.

You Jin was so scared he immediately rushed to the pharmacy and snatched the feather duster Wu Tai had used in the past, but he still didn't dare to go outside.

At last, they spotted the yin emissary, Lai Yin Chai, following behind his grandmother, watching them deal with the evil spirits and then taking advantage.

Lai Yin Chai waved his soul hooks excitedly, shouting, "Hahaha, so many fierce ghosts! Oh my, I'm going to get a big promotion this time! I'll be the top yin emissary in Hezipo Town!"

Old lady Lai was speechless; this kid.

Wu Su watched as even Lai Wazi could contribute. Was he going to rely on his elders and his son again, waiting to be saved?

Just then, his phone in his pocket vibrated. It was a WeChat message.

"Baby Heng Heng: On the third floor warehouse, there's Yang Xing's invention. Dad can use it."

Wu Su immediately rushed to the third-floor warehouse with Li Hao and the others, retrieving several boxes, which were the birthday gifts Lai Yin Chai and Tang Xueshan had given to Wu Heng.

Opening the boxes, they found several paper-made cannons and 98k rifles.

"Baby Heng Heng: Blow on them."

Wu Su immediately blew a breath of yang energy from a living being and obtained the real object. "Holy crap, this thing is insane!"

Wu Su waved his hand again, turning the items back into paper effigies, and took them downstairs to face the frenzied evil spirits outside. Suddenly, he was filled with a rush of determination. If he didn’t work hard now, Xiao Heng might really reincarnate as his son in the future.

Merit points!

"Zhou Yi, get my cannon over here, now!"

Zhou Yi immediately brought the box, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the rows of darkened weapons transformed from paper effigies.

At this moment, Zhou Yi wasn’t thinking about merit or reincarnation. What he was really focused on was—

The honor of offering the first incense at the Zhou family ancestral hall in the future!

Zhou Fenghua, due to her special constitution, wouldn’t be attacked by the fierce ghosts, so she was currently helping the police. The first incense offering would undoubtedly be hers.

But if he pushed himself, maybe he could match Zhou Fenghua’s status. That would be the first incense offering!

In peaceful times, it’s hard for anyone to surpass the achievements of their ancestors, but now, in this chaotic world of supernatural resurgence, Zhou Yi felt a surge of excitement and immediately pulled out the paper cannon.

Wu Su looked at the distant area where yin energy was surging into the sky. Master Liu from Hezipo Town was locked in a fierce battle with the evil spirits, using all kinds of talismans and magical tools, yet the situation remained deadlocked. Some Masters had already been injured, collapsing to the ground and vomiting blood.

Wu Su stared at the paper effigies in front of him, his mind filled with memories of the underworld version of Plants vs. Zombies he used to play, even though his brains were always eaten by the zombies. This was like stepping into a real-life version of the game!

He might be bad at the game, but he loved playing it!

Wu Su immediately fired the first yin energy cannon, just like in the game, and shouted with immense passion, "Boss, the game has changed!"