Chapter 1, The Silent Orphanage
I was born in 1989, a year of turmoil. Until I was ten, I lived in an orphanage on the outskirts of Shanghai, with few friends, eating simple food that was nearly expired, and sleeping in the coldest room of the entire orphanage
I often find myself alone, quietly walking behind the walls of the orphanage, gazing at the tall walls and wondering: what is the world like outside? Will life be a little better when I grow up?
I dared not respond; the White Impermanence was questioning me, and I felt I could not answer. I kept retreating, but just as I turned my head, a gust of cold wind swept past, and the White Impermanence floated right in front of me. Suddenly, a strong wind blew outside, striking the window with a loud "thud, thud, thud." I stared at the White Impermanence before me, swallowed hard, my eyes wide, wanting to plead for mercy, yet I could not utter a single word.
After a while, I woke up and, in a daze, saw that I was still in the corridor. A man stood in front of me, wearing a black shirt, holding an unlit cigarette in his mouth, and a peculiar red gourd was fastened to his waist
Many people do not believe that ghosts exist in this world, but today I will share my personal experience to tell you that this world has two sides: one is the ordinary world filled with bright sunshine, while the other is the bizarre and supernatural realm.
There is just one thing I can be certain of: the moment I nodded in agreement, my life would no longer be ordinary, destined to be different from that of common people
Something is not right. I am not a fool, and I have seen some strange movies on television. There is a type of vengeful spirit called a "ghostly messenger" that comes to collect souls. The one in front of me resembles the ghostly messenger from the underworld, known in legend as "Bai Wuchang"
I got up from the ground, afraid to approach the large door in front of me, and stepped back. However, as I breathed out, a puff of white mist escaped. It is May, how could there be white mist! Moreover, the temperature around me had noticeably dropped. I rubbed my arms with my hands, trying to warm myself, and continued to step back. I knew something was wrong with the orphanage; surely something strange was happening. Perhaps it was that kind of 'dirty thing' that had come in. I dared not think further, my legs trembling with fear.
Old Li is a newly wealthy individual engaged in real estate, a local from Hong Kong
I am going to die; this time it is finally my turn to die. One by one, the children around me have perished, and now it is finally my turn!
He looked into my eyes, felt my pulse, and said: "It's fine now, I have driven away the White Impermanence. However, it is quite rare for you to see the White Impermanence. So, what do you think? Would you like to become a Yin-Yang agent? You won't be afraid of ghosts anymore."
And he is also my master, the one who gave me my name
In the entire dark corridor, only the sound of my footsteps echoed. I stepped back and, as I passed by the Ming's room, I couldn't help but glance back. Little did I know that this glance would frighten me so much that I fell directly to the ground.
A figure wearing a long white hat and dressed in white mourning clothes stood by the bed of the Ming Dynasty, or perhaps it should not be described as standing, for it was floating. I thought I had misseen it and stared at its feet for a long time, only to finally confirm that it was indeed floating. The noise I made as I fell startled it, and then the person wearing the white hat and white mourning clothes slowly turned their head. I saw a terrifyingly pale face, devoid of any blood, a face even paler than the white walls of our orphanage.
The work is quite simple; it involves bringing back some things that you cannot see, but I can see, or sending them away...
However, a strange event occurred with mhetushucomcom. My loud shout was supposed to awaken everyone sleeping around me, yet at that moment, the entire corridor, and even the whole orphanage building, was enveloped in silence. Everyone seemed as if they were dead, not making a single sound
This scene appeared before my eyes; the real Ming was still asleep, yet another gray figure of Ming was bound by iron chains. The female caregiver was clearly dead, yet at this moment, she was also chained to these iron links
That was a commission from a wealthy tycoon, a businessman from Hong Kong
It is well known that the people of Hong Kong believe in feng shui
As it spoke, it pressed its hand against my head; it was a cold hand, very cold, so cold that I shivered. My hair and face quickly became frosted. I felt a sharp pain in my head, as if it were about to explode.
He has recently been dreaming of his mother, and each time, in the dream, his mother, with a face full of blood and tears, says that she has not been well underground and is always being oppressed by others
My profession is quite unique; those who understand call us soul summoners, while those who do not refer to us as agents of yin and yang
However, I know that my master's abilities are considerable
Especially, every child who sleeps next to me has mysteriously died. So far, five children have died, all of them waking up with stiff bodies and pale faces.
The caregivers have never treated me kindly, and the children also dare not speak to me. The reason for all this is that unfortunate events always seem to occur around me
At the moment when the fear in my heart reached its peak, a sudden stern shout rang out. Bai Wuchang's hand trembled and released my head, causing my body to go limp and collapse onto the ground
My birth name is Duanmu Qi, I am currently 26 years old. Later, I changed my name to Duanmu Sen, which was done by my master to help me with my fate. He said that my destiny is quite variable, and that the five elements are unbalanced, requiring the element of wood to support me in order to live a stable life. Therefore, I have been called Duanmu Sen ever since, even though I find this name somewhat silly.
However, its lips are a deep crimson, and it is still smiling. This is a chillingly eerie smile that sends shivers down one's spine. In its hand, it holds an iron chain, to which two people are bound: one is the sleeping Da Ming, and the other is surprisingly the female nurse
At the age of only ten, the only thought in my mind was to quickly return to my room and bury my head under the blanket, feeling afraid, truly afraid
Recently, however, this wealthy household has encountered a significant problem
It seems that you can truly see me, which is a pity for your innate spiritual perception. However, if those below were to find out about my unauthorized soul locking, it would be troublesome for me. Therefore, I might as well collect your soul along with it
Before I turned ten, my world consisted solely of myself. Everyone avoided me, afraid to come into contact with me, for they perceived me as ominous. If it were not for the policies in place, I might have been cast out long ago
Since I left the orphanage with him, everyone who sees him in our company respectfully addresses him as "Senior Jiang"
From the wealthy to the common people, there is a widespread superstition regarding feng shui
It saw me, a pair of glistening green eyes fixed on me without wavering. After a moment, it spoke in a chilling voice: "You, can see me?"
From a distance, a man approached and said to the White Impermanence, "Locking souls without permission, White Impermanence, you truly have some nerve"
After each time I am bullied, I always thrust my head under the faucet and wash it vigorously, rinsing away the stench of urine from my head, the mud from my face, and the memories of my humiliation
Even the caregivers and the director are very afraid to see me, and they want to sweep me out of the library, but due to policy reasons, they have been suppressing it.
To be honest, at that time, I was just a little kid, only ten years old, and I didn't really care about things like feng shui or ghosts. If it weren't for having seen a white impermanence once, I swear I would never believe in the existence of such ghostly things in my lifetime
I left the orphanage at the age of ten, not because I was kicked out, but because I was adopted. The person who adopted me was named Jiang Tianxin; he was a very handsome man, though not particularly clean. He did not drink alcohol, liked to hold a cigarette without lighting it, and wore a gourd at his waist. He spoke in a rather cheeky manner and had a strong personality.
My master is a wealthy businessman with the surname Li. His name cannot be disclosed, so he can only be referred to as Old Li, as this pertains to his identity and status
Having lost my mother at a young age, I have worked tirelessly to build my fortune, which now amounts to at least several billion
However, every time I wash my clothes, I still cry, because no one is willing to help me. This orphanage is home to children, but for me, it is a hell. Even though I later encountered the true underworld, these humiliating memories continue to echo in my mind, and I have been unable to forget them for a long time
At that moment, my mind was completely blank, and in a daze, I agreed.
During meals, I always sit in the corner because no one is willing to come near me
I curiously leaned over to take a look, and through the crack in the door, I witnessed a scene that I would never forget for the rest of my life. A female nurse sat naked on a chair, facing me, her clothes open, revealing large areas of snow-white skin. However, her once rosy face had turned a deathly pale, with blood streaming from the corners of her eyes and the edges of her mouth. She was dead. The female nurse, who had been perfectly fine during the day, had suddenly died by night! Seeing this scene startled me greatly; my legs trembled, and as I took a step back, I lost my balance and fell to the ground, letting out a terrified scream!
From that moment on, I became a Yin-Yang agent and the only disciple of Jiang Tianxin, embarking on a path that even to this day, I cannot definitively say is good or bad
However, the people of Hong Kong believe in it and are quite fascinated by it
Because I am always alone, I am often bullied by the children in the orphanage. One of them is a chubby boy named Daming. He likes to pull my hair, slam my head against the wall, then knock me to the ground, urinate on me, and shout to the other children around: "Come and see, didn't you say that getting close to him would be fatal? I didn't die, haha!"
Then I felt dizzy and collapsed to the ground
To be honest, ever since I entered this field, I realized that spirit mediums are truly the lowest tier among us, because for people in our circle, seeing ghosts and summoning a couple of souls is as easy as having a meal
When queuing, I always walk at the end, because no one is willing to hold my hand
Moreover, we, as spirit mediums, earn Renminbi, which naturally leads to us being ridiculed by many of our ghost-catching peers
His methods made a profound impression on me the first time he took me to conduct business.
I have no memories from before the age of five, but everyone tells me that every year before I turned five, a child sleeping in the bed next to mine died, until eventually, no one was willing to come near me anymore
The encounter with him occurred on a windy night. Feeling thirsty, I got out of bed and walked to the tea room in the hallway to drink some water. However, as I passed by the room where the female nurse was on duty, I noticed the door was slightly ajar, and I could hear some sucking sounds coming from inside, accompanied by a peculiar chewing noise.
It is not because of his seniority, but because of his capabilities
In the distance, the sound of Bai Wuchang's terrified shout could be heard: "Yin-Yang Agent, Jiang Tianxin! Damn it, you've discovered me!"