Chapter Nine, The Shadow of the Green Lantern

In the distance, I heard my grandfather's voice; it was truly my savior. I hurriedly tried to respond, but something slimy was stuck around my neck, making it impossible to make a sound

In an instant, the surroundings were engulfed in darkness, the candlelight extinguished; could this not indicate that something was about to happen

I made every effort to avoid the female ghost that was entangled with my body, taking a deep breath to calm myself slightly. My father once said that in any dangerous situation, in order to solve a problem, one must remain calm

Brother Fan

Then the voice appeared again, right by my ear. I even felt something slippery moving along my neck. I wanted to evade it, but there was simply no way to do so.

However, my grandfather did not continue to ask, and I did not tell him about Xiaowei. Perhaps I really misheard. My grandfather continued to lead me towards the village, but just a few steps later, suddenly, there was a rustling sound from the bushes ahead.

With a sudden sound, a woman's scream came from behind me. Instantly, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. I hurriedly got up from the ground and pulled up the pants that had been partially stripped off.

I have never had such an experience; being young, I am somewhat naive about such matters, yet I cannot ignore the constant movements of that thing behind me.

I once again noticed the azure flames in his hand, which swayed with the wind, appearing somewhat enchanting

"Grandfather, is the female ghost still there?" I didn't dare to turn around at all, fearing that I would see a pale face if I did.

In fact, in sudden darkness, the human eye requires a certain amount of time to adapt; once it has adapted, one will not see nothing at all, as there is no absolute darkness

She shouted in a suppressed voice, and I couldn't help but turn around to look. I thought to myself that even though the rules had already been broken over there in the bamboo forest, it was still my grandfather who told me to look back. Now that we were almost at the village, taking a glance back shouldn't be a problem.

Looking back, I discovered a small figure standing beside the poplar tree, not far from me; it was indeed Xiao Wei.

Immediately afterwards, I felt something resting on my back. I couldn't tell if it was my imagination, but I distinctly felt a chill below, as if something had touched me there.

In fact, according to the original plan, I should have returned to Grandpa Zhu's house by this time. If Grandpa discovers that I have not returned, he will definitely come looking for me. I can only hope that Grandpa will quickly remember his own grandson

It truly is a case of wanting something and having it come to fruition

I had just... I had only spoken half of my words when I turned back to look in the direction of the poplar forest, but I did not see Lin Xiaowei's figure.

He picked up a stick and poked it into the bushes a few times, muttering to himself: "There's nothing here, could it be wild cats or dogs?"

Upon noticing this detail, I could not help but feel a jolt in my heart

I always felt that I had seen it wrong, so I rubbed my eyes and looked again at the candlelight in my grandfather's hand. To be honest, it was quite strange; this time it was indeed different, the orange-red light was perfectly fine

Could it be that I was too scared just now and misread it

During weekdays, I find it amusing to think about this matter, but the more I think about it now, the more frightened I become. I certainly do not want to become a laughingstock like a needle!

I want to break free, but those small hands are gripping tightly. I feel something is amiss. Although girls often have cold constitutions, it is still summer now, and it is not that cold. How could Xiaowei's hands be so icy?

What is Lin Xiaowei doing here

I was almost in tears when I said this, my nose felt all tingly.

The one holding my hand is not a human

If one falls under the spell of this female ghost, even my grandfather would be able to save them, but it is likely that he would have to endure great suffering. The last time Zhang Xiaoguang woke up, he vomited black water for half a day before gradually recovering

I am Xiaowei, Fan Gege, what is wrong with you? He is clearly not your grandfather, why can't you see that?" She paused for a moment and continued, "Fan Gege, take a good look and think carefully about where this place is.

No, I must find a way to escape

Meanwhile, I saw a hand as white as jade resting on my shoulder, and my hand became unresponsive. The candle fell to the ground and extinguished, plunging my surroundings into darkness

I quietly glanced at my grandfather's face out of the corner of my eye, and indeed, he was my grandfather without a doubt. Although the bluish candlelight cast a somewhat grim and terrifying shadow on his face, perhaps it was normal given his old age, as his face was marked by deep creases and furrows.

That kind of chill crawled all over my body in an instant

I remember my father telling me that blue flames are called ghost flames, while the flames used by living people in the world are all orange-red.

I was puzzled and was about to ask when Lin Xiaowei made a gesture for silence towards me. At that moment, my grandfather seemed to have noticed my movement and turned to ask, "Fan, what's wrong?"

I scratched my head and said to my grandfather: "Grandpa, it's nothing, I seem to have misread it!"

Cold and devoid of any warmth

It now appears that it is indeed the female ghost encountered by Zhang Xiaoguang

"Fan Ge, I have distracted him, you should hurry and follow me, he is not your grandfather!" That was Lin Xiaowei's voice, she was right beside me, but in this extreme darkness, I could not see her at all

Grandfather had previously instructed me not to look back, but now he says I should turn around and look. Since it was Grandfather who said it, I did not think much of it. When I turned around, fortunately, there were no ghostly shadows behind me; I only saw a piece of white cloth lying on the ground, with a small red bloodstain on it.

What is going on? Lin Xiaowei was clearly standing right there just a moment ago, how could she disappear in the blink of an eye?

Common child! Common child!

Upon witnessing this scene, I finally felt a sense of relief

Grandfather heard the shouting and ran over here, holding a candle in his hand. Strangely, the candle in his hand emitted a bluish-green light

A terrifying thought suddenly appeared in my mind, and when this thought emerged, it startled me.

As we approached the village, it was strange that my grandfather did not say a word. This was not his style; he usually enjoyed singing opera while walking at night. Even if he didn't sing, he would chat with me for a few moments. It shouldn't be this quiet.

I couldn't hear clearly because the sound was very faint, which left me puzzled. Could it be that I encountered some dirty thing again

My grandfather's reminder suddenly enlightened me; I had not thought of that method in such a situation. What method? It is the blood from the middle finger!

Just as I was eagerly waiting for my grandfather to relight the candle, a voice suddenly appeared beside my ear

I nodded, and my grandfather walked alone towards the bushes from which the sound was coming.

In an instant, I was covered all over with goosebumps. I wanted to shake it off, but she said, "Brother Fan, you may not understand what I am saying, but the one who brought you here just now was definitely not your grandfather; he would harm you!"

But what does she mean by that? If he is not my grandfather, then who is he? How could I possibly mistake a face I have been so familiar with since childhood?

There is a grove of poplar trees on the outskirts of the village, which is an economically planted forest collectively cultivated by the villagers for timber sales. As I passed by there, it seemed as though I heard someone calling me once again

The experience I just had left me feeling uneasy; here in the bamboo forest, I do not wish to stay even for a moment, and my grandfather is urging me to hurry and leave with him

"Be careful, the nights in our village have been unstable lately. If you see anything, make sure to tell Grandpa," Grandpa instructed.

I exerted all my strength to tear off the thing around my neck, and hoarsely shouted over there: "Grandfather, I am here!"

However, it wasn't long before a voice called out from that direction again. This time, I recognized it; it was actually Lin Xiaowei's voice. However, it was quite strange, as the voice was very faint

I have practiced countless times; in the past, I hesitated even when biting my fingertips. At this moment, without any hesitation, I bit down on my right middle finger. Blood immediately oozed out along the finger. I did not dare to look back and directly pressed my middle finger behind me.

Soon, I felt a pair of icy little hands holding mine

As soon as grandfather's words fell, the lamp in his hand went out with a puff.

Grandfather walked towards me, and as he got closer, I could hear his footsteps. However, his footsteps were very light, and with each step he took, it seemed as if he was being extremely cautious

In addition, since then, Zhang Xiaoguang's lower body has been particularly small. While those of our age have grown, his has hardly changed at all. Every time he goes swimming or bathing in the river, Zhang Xiaoguang only dares to secretly hide to wash himself. He is afraid that others will see and mock him, saying, "Oh dear, Xiaoguang, this is really too small, it's almost comparable to a young girl's embroidery needle!"

"Well done, kid. Look back; that female ghost was scared away by the blood from your middle finger. Where could there be any more female ghosts?" Grandfather said as he walked towards me, but he made not a sound as he walked.

Grandfather immediately became alert, shielding the candle flame with his hand. He turned to me and said, "Fanwa, wait here. I will go take a look; it seems there is something over there!"

I struggled desperately, but the female ghost wrapped me tightly. I saw the flickering light of a candle approaching from not far away, swaying towards the bamboo forest.

"But are you really Xiao Wei?" I asked directly, though I was afraid, I still asked.

I attempted to look around, and upon doing so, I was once again filled with a sense of shock and fear

Xiao Fan

I even felt a little excited; I could actually exorcise ghosts, which is enough for me to boast about among my friends

I used to not understand why my father always insisted that I practice this, but now I finally understand. Just now, I saved my own life with the blood from my middle finger

In an instant, I felt a tingling sensation on my scalp, the sound of gasping echoed in my ears, and a series of chilly breezes brushed against my neck. Remembering Zhang Xiaoguang's experience, I was truly terrified

Grandfather has already heard the commotion from the bamboo grove, and he shouted over here: "Fanwa, hurry, use the method your father taught you!"