Chapter 007: Water Marsh Ghost

While the two of us were smoking, the previously closed door was suddenly kicked open with a loud bang. The girl who came in stared at me with wide eyes, as if we had some ambiguous relationship. Although I am handsome, there was no need for her to look at me like that. However, I suddenly remembered that last night I had intended to urinate on her. Given her temperament, it was clear that this matter would not end easily.

This ghost first appeared in "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio". It is a person who died from consuming toxic water plant and cannot be reincarnated, thus seeking a substitute. Its behavior is similar to that of a water ghost; however, the water plant ghost dies from poison, while the water ghost dies from drowning. If we had not come to save you yesterday, you would surely have died and become a substitute ghost.

There is also a type of talisman called the "Sleepwalking Talisman." When drawing this talisman, one must first think carefully about the route to be taken. Then, before going to sleep, it should be affixed to one's chest. After falling asleep, the individual will walk towards the predetermined destination, albeit in a state of somnambulism.

"Use your silver needle, but have you cleaned the corpse poison from last time?" Brother Xiang swayed as he stood up, looking at the young girl and asking.

Some may ask whether there are individuals who excel in both areas. In fact, it is quite rare to find someone who is proficient in both. This is akin to one person being skilled in physical confrontation, while another is adept at devising strategies for such confrontations.

At that moment, Xiang Ge shouted, "Don't! This is my buddy. Don't use those corpse nails to pierce his seven orifices."

The girl suddenly became serious and said to us, "Alright, enough chatter. That is not an ordinary evil spirit; it is a water monster that kills indiscriminately. You need to figure out where it is located, and we must eliminate it tonight."

During the past few days in the hospital, I have been reading this palm-sized book of talismans. It contains a multitude of talismans, not all of which are for exorcism; there are many different kinds. For instance, there is a talisman called the Memory Talisman, which allows one to burn the book, mix the ashes from the burned book with cinnabar, and then draw it out. After consuming this talisman, one can memorize the contents of the book in three days. I truly regret not knowing about this during my college entrance examination; I only learned about it after the exam, and now I have no idea what schools I could apply to.

At that moment, upon hearing Brother Xiang's words, I felt a surge of emotion in my heart. I thought to myself, Brother Xiang, from now on you will be like my own brother, no, even closer than a biological brother, I love you

I originally intended to say something dismissive out of habit, but suddenly I widened my eyes and said: "What do you mean nothing's wrong? Damn it, do you know that the doctor said that silver nail is only one centimeter away from my heart? I almost died. Tell me, do you think I have nothing wrong?"

... ...

It hurts! Oh, it hurts so much! My whole body is in pain, especially my chest, where there is a silver nail as long as a matchstick. I looked at the blood all over my chest and began to tremble violently, my head also becoming increasingly dazed.

However, there is another procedure in drawing talismans, which is stamping. The talisman in my pocket has a stamp in the middle, and I later learned that this stamp is an old superstitious incantation. It is quite hasty, and I cannot understand it.

"Isn't your master quite superstitious? And who is that woman?" I asked him curiously.

Li Xuxiang, I XX you OO! At that moment, this was the only thought in my mind: no matter how much we mess around, it still comes down to a stab; isn't this asking for my life, oh my.

"No, Auntie doesn't know. I just said you ran into two old classmates and got drunk outside, so you spent the night at a classmate's house." Brother Xiang sat on the edge of the bed and handed over a cigarette.

I suddenly recalled the way that girl captured ghosts, so skillfully. I asked, "What exactly are the two of you? What was the entity that possessed me yesterday?"

Listening to the doctor's advice, I still need at least two more days before I can be discharged. After watching Xiang Ge and Han Sifan leave to catch ghosts, I took out the little booklet that my old superstition had given me to read during my boredom.

Not three minutes after the doctor left, Brother Xiang limped in as well. He looked no better, with his head bandaged like a wooden doll, dressed in a blue checkered hospital gown. As soon as he entered, he sat down by my bedside and said, "Are you alright"

With Brother Xiang's explanation, I suddenly understood much better

Xiang Ge also sat by my bed and patiently said: "You do not understand, most ghosts actually do not harm people, or rather, they do not harm people indiscriminately. It is simply that grievances have their origins and debts have their owners. We generally do not deal with such ghosts because they cannot reincarnate until they have avenged themselves, unless someone requests our help. However, this water ghost died in a mysterious manner and does not even know who to seek revenge against, so it will randomly look for substitutes, leading to the deaths of innocent people. Therefore, such ghosts must be eliminated at the first opportunity.

After Xiang Ge finished speaking, I laughed and said, "Isn't it just something similar to a water ghost? Is it really as formidable as you all claim?" In fact, in my mind, no, in everyone's mind, the concept of ghosts is particularly vague. Although we know they are ghosts and can cause harm, there is still much that we do not understand.

I looked at him and thought he was being extremely ungrateful. The main issue is that he clearly has a head injury, yet he pretends to limp around for what purpose? Isn't this an insult to my intelligence

In two days, I will finally be discharged from the hospital, and I will finally return home at noon.

"Feng Shui masters? Aren't they all Yin-Yang masters?" I asked curiously

"It's nothing much. Haven't you seen a ghost before? Li Shigao has told me about it, or rather, I've known about your family's matters since I was young." Brother Xiang said: "Old Li came from out of town. When he first arrived in Changshou, he brought along a companion, but you wouldn't recognize him. Later, my master came to take me as his apprentice, and then I just followed Old Li to learn the art of Taoism. That's how it is."

Yin Yang Master

Brother Xiang quickly picked me up and said: "That girl has been spoiled since childhood. If you point that thing at her, it's lucky that she didn't take personal revenge and castrate you just now. Hold on, I will hurry and take you to the hospital"

In simple terms, a feng shui master is someone who understands various feng shui arrangements and can assist individuals in adjusting their positions and locations. They can also calculate a person's fortune based on their birth date and time. Another type of practitioner, often referred to as a ghost catcher, utilizes various talismans and Daoist methods to subdue demons and spirits. The term "yin-yang master" commonly used by people encompasses these two roles.

Little Hui! The one on you is a malevolent spirit, chased here by this girl. When she inserts into your seven orifices, it will temporarily seal this malevolent spirit within your body, and then we will find a way to exorcise her. Just bear with it for a while.

I groggily opened my eyes, and a blinding light made it difficult for me to fully open them. I blinked a few times and looked around; I was in a hospital room. The room was not large, about ten square meters, and it was dimly lit. The bed next to me was empty. Looking out the window, I saw the bright sun, indicating that a night had likely passed. From the window, I could also see the scenery of Changshou District, so I must be in the district hospital.

I moved slightly, but my left chest still hurt terribly, and I didn't dare to move around anymore. After calling out for a doctor a couple of times, a doctor in his thirties walked in. As soon as he saw that I was awake, he told me not to move around. He then lifted my eyelid and shone a small flashlight into my eyes, before nodding, indicating that there didn't seem to be any major issues. I then asked, "Doctor, how long have I been asleep?"

"That ghost ran away, bastard, keep an eye on this guy, he shouldn't be able to escape, I'm going to chase her!" After the woman finished speaking, her figure disappeared from my sight, and I regained control of my body, only to be replaced by something else

Oh dear, my great-aunt, it was just a wicked ghost that ran away. Look at what you’re saying; I can have Old Li set up a platform to divine where it’s hiding, can’t I?" Brother Xiang said with a flattering expression, then pointed at me and added, "And you can’t blame me; I was also valiantly injured yesterday. Look at this kid, he’s the most useless; you should hurry up and deal with him.

"Xiang, Brother Xiang." I was in severe pain all over my body, and at that moment, I had already been picked up by Brother Xiang. He was running wildly while holding me, and just before I lost consciousness, I asked, "What exactly do you do?"

Immediately, the two of them went straight to the hospital to find that water ghost, while I, due to my injury not yet healed, could not accompany them. This Han Sifan did not trouble me either; I wonder if he is in a hurry to find that ghost. I hope he won't settle scores later.

However, the girl in front of me remained remarkably calm, dressed in a tight red leather jacket. Suddenly, she pulled out seven nails from her hand, not the ordinary kind, but rather thin wooden ones, about the same size as matchsticks in terms of thickness and length. This girl was about to stab me with these seven nails, and I was drenched in cold sweat. If she were to stab me, not to mention anything else, just the fact that they were made of wood made me uneasy. I could only imagine the feeling of having splinters left in my flesh when they were removed, and just thinking about it made me feel nauseous.

I will now introduce myself. My name is Li Xuxiang, and I am a disciple of Wu Jiu. I primarily study Feng Shui and am a Feng Shui master

"Buddy, you better take care of yourself!" Upon seeing the girl's appearance, Brother Xiang whispered to me, then he covered his head and limped out, saying, "Ouch, my head hurts. You two chat first; I’ll go lie down in the ward for a while."

I sighed, thinking about that girl with an angelic appearance and terrifying combat skills. I shook my head, realizing that it was best not to provoke someone like her. Suddenly, I thought of my mother and asked, "I haven't told my mom about my injury, have I?"

Xiang Ge shook his head and said: "Of course not, I don't even know who my master is. I've only met him a few times. He just came to see me once a few days ago, and I don't know the specifics. As for that woman, she is a superstitious distant relative who often comes to see her. I only know her because of that. Just yesterday, I picked her up from the car, and she said that the alley has a negative energy, so she rushed over, and then those things you encountered happened."

Xiang Ge had not finished speaking when that girl kicked me down. I fell to the ground, watching as she held a silver nail and slammed it into my chest with one hand. At that moment, I didn't feel any pain, just saw a lot of blood flowing. Just as that girl was about to continue her assault, suddenly I felt a chill all over my body, as if something inside me had pushed that ghost out. I relaxed completely.

There are also a variety of whimsical talismans, such as the fart talisman, which, when applied, causes a person to fart all day long, purely for the purpose of teasing. There are many others as well, and I find myself itching with curiosity, feeling that these talismans are quite interesting, and I can't wait to start drawing them and having fun.

"Alright, I will listen to you." Upon hearing this, Brother Xiang's expression became more serious, and I suddenly felt curious, asking: "Brother Xiang, what is a water mang ghost?"

It was a disaster; I was panicking at that moment. Who wouldn't panic? Although it seems quite simple from the text, just imagine your body moving uncontrollably, and other people's voices coming out of your mouth. I was very scared at that time

I was dizzy all night; the surgery was relatively successful, and the recovery is quite good. That silver nail is only one centimeter away from the heart. You children nowadays are just reckless... The doctor went on to say a lot more before finally turning to leave

Of course not! That girl walked over and looked at me, saying: "Let me introduce myself, my name is Han Sifan, and I am a ghost catcher"

The book also states that in order to draw talismans effectively, one must have their own Taoist name. It is necessary to write down one's birth date and time, along with other relevant details, on a piece of paper. Then, one should write their Taoist name and burn it. After that, create a seal engraved with one's Taoist name. Only after drawing the talisman and stamping it with this seal will the talisman become effective

That girl also vented her frustration on me, directly pushing him back and pointing at the two of us, saying: "It was because of you two that the evil spirit escaped yesterday. What do you both have to say about that?"

"Isn't it still alive? It's a miracle that you haven't caused any fatalities after provoking that girl like that. What more do you want?" Brother Xiang appeared to be apprehensive, clearly having endured quite a bit of hardship from that girl.

Xiao Hui, these things may be difficult for you to understand given your intelligence. To put it simply, you can think of it as a job change in an online game; it just means that the skills you possess are different. Do you understand