Chapter 3: Black Jade

"Fortunately, I have the amulet that my grandmother gave me," Nie Huayu said, pulling out a small pendant from around her neck

"Nie Huayu." I gently patted her face: "Nie Huayu."

Nie Huayu had cried enough, and her emotions had calmed down. With tearful eyes, she suddenly asked me: "Have we encountered a ghost?" I was taken aback, unsure whether to answer yes or no

Accompanied by the last sharp and unwilling scream of the vengeful spirit, it was reduced to ashes under the slaughter knife

In my childhood, I often heard elders say that the tip of the middle finger is where a person's essence resides. Following the words of a fortune teller, I bit the tip of my middle finger, letting a drop of black jade fall onto it. The black jade emitted a purple light, swirling rapidly in front of me like a vortex. Various runes began to appear on the vortex, which I could not understand. Soon, I saw a knife gradually materializing in the center of the vortex, a pitch-black knife shaped like a crescent moon. As the vortex disappeared, the knife lay quietly on the ground before me. I had originally expected it to be like those in novels, glowing with light and inscribed with ancient and mysterious characters. However, the reality was that this knife neither glowed nor bore any mysterious inscriptions; it had no patterns at all, resembling a butcher's knife, and it was even a curved butcher's knife.

When I groggily woke up, I was still in the warehouse. I propped myself up and slowly sat up. The overhead light was still bright, and the police had not yet arrived. Nie Huayu was still lying under the nearby shelf, and the butcher's knife was missing. I touched my neck; the black jade was still there, quietly hanging like an ordinary pendant

After that, I lost consciousness

What on earth is going on! Nie Huayu, after all, is just a little girl, and she suddenly burst into tears

I rested for a while and felt my strength gradually returning, only then did I stand up. I stumbled backward for a moment and quickly supported myself against the table behind me. Seeing my glasses placed on the table, I picked them up and put them on, and only then did I unsteadily go to look for Nie Huayu

However, the vengeful spirit completely disregarded me. I watched helplessly as its teeth were right on Nie Huayu's neck. But in the next moment, a flash of white light suddenly appeared before me, so bright that I instinctively closed my eyes. I heard the sharp, piercing howl of the vengeful spirit. I quickly opened my eyes to look at Nie Huayu, and she was still lying on the ground, unharmed, while the vengeful spirit covered its face and crashed into the shelf on the other side.

... ...

The vengeful spirit calmed down, shouted at me, and then charged at me like a madman. Instinctively, I crouched down and picked up the butcher's knife, holding it in front of my face. The vengeful spirit was right in front of me, its bloodied and disfigured face almost touching mine. At such a close distance, I could see several of its teeth.

Although I have been able to see ghosts since I was young, this is the first time I have encountered such a terrifying and malevolent spirit, with such a heavy aura of negativity. I couldn't help but swallow hard and slowly step back. The malevolent spirit kept its gaze fixed on me, seemingly contemplating whether to devour me first or to consume Nie Huayu. Then, the spirit turned its attention back to Nie Huayu and lunged at her head.

This is ... ... '' I squinted my eyes to closely observe the patterns above; this is a nameplate made of rhino horn, with delicate lines engraved on it, adorned with intricate floral designs. Is this a talisman? But as far as I know, rhino horn is something that connects to the spirit world.

I do not know what has happened, but it is evident that if we do not deal with the malevolent spirit at this moment, neither I nor Nie Huayu will be able to survive. Thinking of this, I immediately took off the heavy glasses resting on my nose and retrieved the necklace I was wearing around my neck, which was made of black jade tied with a deep red sandalwood cord.

As I listened to Nie Huayu's intermittent words, I furrowed my brow. Indeed, I felt that the negative energy surrounding her was somewhat heavier compared to ordinary people, and what was the source of that white light before she fell unconscious

When I was 18 years old, I had just arrived in this magnificent city. On the roadside, I encountered an old man who claimed to be a fortune teller. He said that I was born with a yin-yang fate, destined to attract malevolent spirits, bringing misfortune to my relatives, my wife, my superiors, and my friends. Anyone who got close to me would meet a tragic end, and there was no remedy for it. He then gave me this jade pendant and instructed that if I ever encountered something unclean, I should take out the black jade, bite the tip of my middle finger to draw blood, and let it drip onto the black jade to save my life. Because I could see ghosts, and due to the upheaval in my family, I took the fortune teller's words to heart and from that moment on, I never parted with the black jade.

I was already quite weak, and with her sudden leap, I fell directly to the ground, feeling a sense of joy as if I had survived a disaster. I laughed and said, "We are still alive"

In the blink of an eye, the purple light vanished, and I felt a wave of fatigue wash over me, as if all the strength in my body had been completely drained away. The slaughtering knife slipped from my hand, making a crisp sound as it fell to the ground. My legs weakened, and I knelt down, then collapsed face down.

When a girl cries, I find myself at a loss, flustered and struggling to comfort her. I do not know how to explain these matters, and I am not a person who is good with words, stammering for a long time without being able to utter a single word

She stirred slightly, and I called out to her twice before she slowly woke up. Perhaps seeing my excitement, she suddenly leaped into my arms: "Bai Ling!"

Stop! I shouted again

I am done for, I surely must be dying; how can this butcher's knife save my life! In a moment of desperation, I tightly gripped the butcher's knife, but accidentally cut my own brow. Before I could lament my bad luck, a miracle occurred. The butcher's knife, with the blood droplets trickling down my brow, emitted a faint halo, which pulsated in layers, radiating a fierce purple light. In the instant the light burst forth, it tightly ensnared the malevolent spirit within it. The spirit, shrouded in invisibility, let out piercing wails of despair. At that moment, the butcher's knife I held tightly surged forward, pulling me along. The knife, surrounded by purple light, lifted my arm high and struck down towards the glowing mass, accompanied by the spirit's final sharp and unwilling scream, as it was obliterated under the butcher's knife.

"You don't have to lie to me, I know. " She suddenly trembled: "Recently, I have always felt a chill around me, and my body often feels cold. Sometimes, while walking, it feels as if I bump into someone, but when I look up, there is no one in front of me. The most bizarre incident was in the hallway of my apartment complex; there was a time when I spent several hours climbing the stairs and still didn't make it home, and my home is only on the fourth floor. I secretly searched online and found that this is called 'ghost hitting the wall.' There have been too many supernatural events happening around me lately. You mentioned that today in the warehouse, that person suddenly died, and I suddenly fainted. Could it be..."