Chapter 10, Who is the Ghost

Do not go over there, Fan Gege, he is not your grandfather at all, he will harm you

Behind me came a series of anguished cries, and that voice indeed resembled my grandfather's, but it was definitely not my grandfather

"凡娃子, what are you still dazed about? Even ghosts are adept at disguise. When you let down your guard later, she will absorb your vital energy, and by the time you want to regret it, it will be too late!" My grandfather continued to urge.

At that moment, the grandfather across from me lowered his voice and shouted, "Fan Wazi, what's going on? There's a female ghost standing next to you. Why are you still dazed? Come over quickly!"

"That child is a ghost, let go of her, do you want to be drained of your essence by a ghost?" Grandfather shouted without turning his head, and I was startled by his furious emotion.

"Child, do not listen to him. How can you believe such nonsense?" Grandfather reminded.

Her strength as a little girl is surprisingly greater than mine

This once again reminds me of Zhang Xiaoguang's experience, could it be a case of being haunted by a ghost wall

In that fleeting moment, Xiao Wei shot me a glance, and I understood her look; she urged me to escape quickly

Beside me are small mounds, each protruding; what else could these be if not those desolate graves

"Brother Fan, I know that no matter how I speak to you now, you will not believe me, but I truly am Xiao Wei. I will absolutely not let you go to your death, Brother Fan!" She still held onto my wrist tightly.

At this moment, I am completely confused about whom to listen to, whether my grandfather is the true one or if Lin Xiaowei is the true one

However, standing beside me was Lin Xiaowei, whose words just now had awakened me; otherwise, I would still believe that I had already entered the village with my grandfather.

If she is a ghost, why does she not hide

"Fan Wazi, just now we fell under the enchantment of that female ghost beside you, which is why we couldn't leave the bamboo forest. Why are you still dazed? If that female ghost makes a move, she will absorb your yang energy!" Grandfather said

Slowly opening my eyes, I no longer see the shadow behind me; however, I see a flickering candlelight ahead.

Lin Xiaowei was pressed against the grave by her grandfather, who was gripping her by the neck. Her face turned pale, so pale that it was frightening, resembling skin that was not that of a living person

Xiao Wei should still be at my house; it is impossible for her to appear here in the middle of the night. You are definitely not Xiao Wei! My thoughts gradually became clearer. Xiao Wei is a girl; how could she possibly show up in this bamboo forest, which is rumored to be haunted, at such an hour? It is simply not scientific

Grandfather is gripping Xiao Wei, his back is turned to me, and he cannot see the movements of my hands at all

At that moment, Xiao Wei said: "Brother Fan, close your eyes, keep running, don't look back, and you will be able to get out!"

He is becoming less and less like the grandfather I have known since childhood

I shook my head and carefully looked at my grandfather under the candlelight across from me

She extended her hand to me, and I held Xiao Wei's icy hand, still feeling a bit apprehensive. I closed my eyes and kept running towards the edge of the bamboo forest, thinking that I would collide with the bamboo, but unexpectedly, I did not touch anything at all

However, Lin Xiaowei's words just now made me feel uneasy. Although I do not fully believe what Lin Xiaowei said, I cannot help but think about it, because there are indeed some doubts regarding my grandfather, and also the green lamp that I saw. I remember that I seemed to have seen it correctly at that time. What on earth is going on

And what about you? I asked

I truly do not know whom to believe, but one thing is certain: at least one of the two must be a ghost, or perhaps they are all ghosts

A person will not have any sensation towards the yellow talisman; if one can feel the heat, it indicates that the person choking Xiao Wei's neck is truly not my grandfather, even though he looks exactly like my grandfather.

I feel a chill in my back, and my hands are moving involuntarily, but I also know that the blood from my middle finger can only be used once a month, and I have already used it just now

Grandfather had a worried expression on his face. I stared at that face; having been with him since childhood, I was too familiar with it. If he is not my grandfather, who else could he be

Being very close to Lin Xiaowei, I could feel the faint chill emanating from her, as well as her icy hand tightly gripping my wrist. How could this possibly be the temperature that a human should have

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed my grandfather holding the candle, and he saw me as well, waving at me.

I originally thought that after walking with my grandfather for such a long time towards the village, we had already entered the village. It now appears that we are merely circling among these piles of abandoned graves.

Grandfather is positioned to my right front. I looked in that direction and found him lighting candles. The candle flames gradually ignited, with an orange-red hue, nothing seemed out of the ordinary

Grandfather continued, "Fan Wa, hurry over here, your middle finger's blood can only be used once a month. You cannot handle her, and if you wait any longer, it will be too late. Quickly, Fan Wa, come to grandfather!" Grandfather was waving at me from over there, his face showing a look of concern for me, with no signs of any flaws.

Just as I was about to go over, Lin Xiaowei spoke up

At that moment, I thought of a method. I was still holding that yellow talisman in my hand. If the person in front of me was indeed my grandfather, applying it now would not matter. If he was not, then the talisman would serve its purpose.

This makes me even more certain of my thoughts; Lin Xiaowei is a ghost, and the person standing opposite me is indeed my grandfather

Xiao Wei was firmly pressed to the ground, she reached out, coughing violently, her eyes rolling upwards incessantly, and she squeezed out a little sound from her throat

"Kill her, kill her, she is a ghost!" My grandfather kept urging me from the side, but at the moment I saw Lin Xiaowei in tears, I hesitated. She was actually crying; can a ghost cry?

"Be careful behind you, kid!" Grandfather shouted, and in the next moment, he rushed towards me.

I reached into my pocket and felt that yellow talisman. As I took it out, preparing to stick it on Lin Xiaowei's forehead, she slightly shook her head. She did not evade; at that moment, she unexpectedly shed tears.

Originally, I entered the village with my grandfather, and we should have been walking along the small path towards Zhu Danian's house. After passing through that grove of poplar trees, we would be able to see the houses in the village

When the candlelight flickered to life, Grandpa was taken aback and exclaimed, "Oh dear, what the hell, have I been bewitched today? How come after all this time I'm still here?"

His speed was astonishing, as he appeared before Xiao Wei in almost an instant, his incredibly powerful hand directly gripping her neck

The screams behind us gradually faded away. I turned back to take a glance and saw a dark figure, a face as pale as death, rapidly approaching us.

"Grandfather, don't, she might really be Xiao Wei. Grandfather, did you perhaps see it wrong?" I went to pull Grandfather, but when I touched his shoulder, I felt a chill emanating from him, as if I had touched a block of ice

Grandfather also felt something was stuck to the back of his head, and without turning his head, he asked: "Ouch, what is this so hot, Fan Wazi, what are you doing?"

Without hesitation, I took the yellow talisman and directly stuck it on the back of my grandfather's head.

"Did you see that, Fan Wazi? Don't you understand whether she is Xiao Wei or not? Fan Wazi, there is a yellow talisman in your right pocket; take it out and stick it on her forehead to find out if she is a ghost!" Grandfather said from across the room. He knew I had a yellow talisman in my pocket, and I would have completely forgotten about it without his reminder. Indeed, before we left, Grandfather had given each of us a yellow talisman.

I even feel that Xiaowei's neck could be snapped by grandfather at any moment

Upon thinking of this, I immediately felt the temperature around me drop, and this terrifying sensation brought me to the brink of collapse

As soon as I finished speaking, I prepared to break free from her grasp, but her icy little hands tightly clutched my wrist. Although her hands appeared quite frail, they were surprisingly strong, and I found it impossible to escape.

However, at this moment, I realized that there were no poplar trees around; I was still in that grove of bamboo, and what I had just experienced felt like a dream.

I was even about to make a decision at that moment regarding the method of exorcism. If my grandfather were disguised as a ghost, then a wandering spirit should not know the details so well.

I pulled Xiao Wei and kept running, kept running, but despite the road being just ahead, we kept circling in this bamboo forest.

However, no matter how you look at it, the person standing opposite is my grandfather, and he is definitely not a woman

However, Xiaowei was still being choked by that thing, how could I possibly abandon her

I do not know why, but I feel that my grandfather is indeed very strange tonight. My grandfather is a kind person; he is quite measured in his actions. He may be harsh with my father, but he would never speak to me in such a loud manner. Is it possible that he is truly anxious?

However, she is looking at me, and in her eyes, there is a familiar feeling from childhood. This gives me the illusion that she is indeed Xiao Wei. What on earth is going on?

If grandfather had turned into a ghost, having walked such a long distance with him just now, he could have easily acted, yet he did not

However, Grandpa simply would not listen; he continued to grip Xiaowei's neck tightly, as if he had gone mad.

"Fan Ge, you must believe Xiao Wei, he is definitely not your grandfather. How can you not see that he is simply the appearance of a woman!" Lin Xiao Wei said this, gripping my hand tightly. I wanted to break free, but her grip was very strong.

"Brother Fan... hurry... hurry and leave..." These are Xiao Wei's words. Is she really a ghost? I do not believe it

He thought of me after he finished speaking, turned around to look, and was also taken aback. However, Grandpa did not speak immediately; he simply made a gesture for silence towards me

According to grandfather, Xiao Wei is a female ghost, but shouldn't we use grandfather's methods for dealing with ghosts, such as yellow talismans or peach wood swords? How did grandfather end up grappling with a ghost?

Grandfather, please don't! I shouted at Grandfather uncontrollably

Then, my grandfather remained silent and gestured to me, indicating that I should hurry over to his side

Taking advantage of this moment, I picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the creature's head, not knowing if I hit it. Seizing this opportunity, I grabbed Xiaowei's hand and ran towards the bamboo forest.

If he is not my grandfather, then who could he be? Could it really be as Xiao Wei said, that he is a female ghost?

Grandfather's voice has changed, becoming neither distinctly masculine nor feminine

Immediately afterwards, I saw the yellow talisman stuck to the back of that thing's head start to smoke, its body began to convulse, and it shouted: "You little brat, how can you treat your grandfather like this..."