Chapter 510: The Next Death
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The curriculum in university was not that stressful; with all that had happened to them, the few of them decided to skip classes and paid a visit to the respectable people which Xiu Wen had recommended.
"Andong Road... It is a very secluded street!"
When the bus finally came, Bai Ling examined her surroundings. "We are about to reach the outskirts of the city. Xiu Wen, is the master you are recommending able to help us?"
"Master Liu is a respectable man! At their status level, they will naturally stay away from the city, understand? It is already fortunate for us that he is not living in some cave in the mountains!"
As Xiu Wen spoke, his voice became softer and softer as though he had lost his breath.
"Regardless, let's pay him a visit! He might have his own style of doing things!"
Yang Guang was the basketball captain in university and was the leader among the few of them. Looking at the short buildings and smelly canals, he frowned.
The 4 of them walked through a few alleys and even got lost for a few times before finally arriving at their destination.
"Block 57, Andong Road, Unit no. 26. This is the place."
Xiu Wen examined the apartment before him. Would a real master really stay in this dilapidated place?
Mustering his courage, he looked for Unit no. 26 and knocked on the door. "Hello... Is Master Liu in?"
"Who's that?"
The door opened and an awful stenched whiffed out of the unit. The two ladies quickly used their handkerchiefs to pinch their noses.
The unit was in a mess and there were a few altars lying around in a mess.
Of course, what had captured their attention was Liu Yuan.
The first time Yang Guan laid eyes on him, he thought he was looking at a wall of meat!
Liu Yuan was only wearing a pair of shorts. The fats on his body were folded in many layers as though he was a big fat pig!
"Are you Liu Yuan, Daoist Liu?"
Xiu Wen forced a smile.
"Oh, I recall. You have contacted me before. Are you looking to exorcise a ghost?"
The confused look on Liu Yuan's face disappeared and he became much more energetic. "Please come in!"
The few of them tiptoed into the apartment and opened a few windows before they could breathe normally.
"Haha... My place is in a mess. Please, make yourselves at home!"
Liu Yuan moved away a pile of dirty clothes from the sofa and invited them to sit.
"No, it's alright! We'll just stand!"
Wu Lu noticed the suspicious stains on the sofa and rejected the offer. Who would dare to sit on that sofa? Of course they would pass.
"Alright! I wonder what kind of ritual the few of you are interested in? The Middle Eastern one? Or the Western one? The daoist one? Or the Buddhist one? Or a mixed ritual?"
Liu Yuan rubbed his fists together and he resembled a butcher advertising his meat.
"Aren't you a daoist?"
Yang Guang looked around in confusion and realised that the several altars lying around were extremely mixed. There were daoist gods, Buddhist gods and even gods from the West.
"Sigh... This is for survival! I am well-versed in both Chinese and Western exorcism. Whatever type of service you are looking for, I will surely be able to satisfy you!"
Liu Yuan slapped his chest with confidence as he gave his assurance, but his pair of eyes always wandered to the two girls.
"Alright, if you are able to solve our problem, we will be willing to pay any price you ask for!"
Yang Guang slotted himself in front of Bai Ling and explained what had happened before taking out the photograph. "What do you think, Master?"
Although it was obvious that Liu Yuan was a conman, they were already too desperate. They were like drowning people. If they were to come across a strand of grass, they would still hold on to it tightly.
"Hmm... This is troublesome!"
Liu Yuan took the photograph over and examined it with a serious look.
"Do you think we have any hope?"
"The few of you... are being pestered by a ghost who was killed in a fire. In order to be saved, a Great Ritual Offering to the All-Embracing Heaven needs to be done!"
Liu Yuan shook his head. "We do not have enough materials here. I can only execute my version of it, known as the Small Ritual Offering to the All-Embracing Heaven. However, it will be enough to ensure your peace and survival for the entire year."
"Is that so? Quickly begin the ritual!"
Xiu Wen was getting impatient.
"No problem at all!"
Although Liu Yuan's room was dirty, it was still well-organised. Not long after, he was changed into a daoist costume and was wielding a wooden sword. The ritual began as he splattered water on the 4 of them:
"Disaster will be averted, the evil ghosts shall retreat as I order!"
"Rumble!"
As Liu Yuan executed his ritual, the flames on the candles in front started to grow bigger. Yang Guang and company started to feel hopeful.
"Master, how is it?"
"Don't worry!"
After the first round of ritual, Liu Yuan was heavily exhausted and was sweating profusely. "I have already engraved a daoist exorcism talisman on all of you! That evil ghost will no longer dare to approach you. Next up, as soon as you burn this photograph, you will be able to ensure peace for the following year!"
Liu Yuan gazed at the bronze basin before him and spoke in a serious tone.
"That's good!"
Yang Guang held the photograph and threw it in the fire basin forcefully.
"Whooo!"
The tongues of flame started to burn the photograph.
"It is finally over..."
Bai Ling and Wu Lu were on the verge of crying, while Liu Yuan was wiping away his sweat as he smiled at them. "Now, shall we discuss about the price?"
"Wait a minute!"
Xiu Wen screamed. "Look!"
Liu Yuan froze. Looking at the fire basin, the ashes slowly regrouped to form a new... photograph!
"You're a liar! Do you call this resolved?"
Yang Guang was enraged as he held his fists up high.
"Ghost... ghost!"
Liu Yuan was weaker than he thought. As soon as he witnessed this creepy scene, he froze on the floor and started to pee in his pants.
"Let's go!"
Bai Ling turned around. "He's a cheat!"
"Bang!"
"Bang! Bang!"
The door and windows slammed shut and the entire unit became dimmer.
"Whooooo!"
Under the glow of the candlelight, Bai Ling's body on the photograph started to blur up.
"Ah!"
The two girls screamed.
"Let's go!"
Yang Guang arrived at the door and realised that the doorknob was not working. Immediately, he started to kick at the door.
"No... save me!"
Behind him, Liu Yuan's cries were heard.
"Quick! Come on!"
Bai Ling's face was covered in tears and she was about to break down.
According to the signs on the photograph, she was the next victim the ghost would kill!
"Sha! Sha!"
"Sha! Sha!"
Behind, Liu Yuan's cries became softer and softer. A suspicious shuffling noise was heard as though something was crawling on the ground.
Wu Lu turned around. All she saw was a charred head reaching out from the darkness behind.
"Bang!"
Finally, after the two guys worked together, the door was kicked open, revealing a corridor.
"Let's go!"
Yang Guang held Bai Ling's hand and ran out of the unit before arriving at the stairs.
"Yang Guang! Save me! I don't want to die!"
Bai Ling started to sob.
"Don't worry, I will surely save you!"
The two of them held each other's hands and ran down, ignoring the cries for help behind them.
"Dong! Dong!"
"Dong! Dong!"
When they had arrived downstairs, they realised that it was no longer the entrance which they had come from, but an underground basement.
"What's happening?"
Bei Ling tightened her grip on Yang Guang's hand. "This was the path we took to come up!"
Looking at the dim surroundings around, she became increasingly frightened as she held on to Yang Guang's hand tightly and ran frantically.
...
"What happened?"
Xiu Wen, Wu Lu and Yang Guang ran out of the apartment and looked around.
"Where's Ling Ling? Where's Ling Ling?"
Yang Guang was starting to panic. When they first kicked the door down, Bai Ling became crazy as she ran out first with the rest following behind. However, they had lost her at the stairs.
"She was in front all along and should have come out first!"
Xiu Wen tried to comfort Wu Lu.
"Bai Ling! Bai Ling!"
Yang Guang shouted at the top of his lungs as his voice was filled with desolation.
...
"Wait a minute!"
Bai Ling could hear Yang Guang's voice from afar and felt confused. "Guang.... Guang is outside? Then who am I holding on to right now?"
After the brief period of confusion, she could feel a rough and burning sensation coming from her palm.
"You... you..."
Her body started to shiver as she tried to let go of the hand.
However, the other hand started to exert more strength and held on to her wrist tightly like a pair of handcuffs.
"No... Don't..."
Under extreme fear, Bai Ling turned around and all she could see was a charred corpse following closely behind her, holding her wrist tightly.
"Ahhh!!!"
...
"It's Ling Ling screaming!"
Outside, Yang Guang became mad. He ran up the stairs but soon after collapsed to the ground, paralyzed.
"Ah!"
Wu Lu and Xiu Wen followed closely behind. As they rounded the same corner, Wu Lu started to shriek and supported herself against the wall before gagging.
At that corner, a charred corpse quietly sat there and hugged its own legs.
From the appearance and the clothing of the corpse, it was Bai Ling!
"Let's go!"
Xiu Wen pulled Yang Guang along. "We cannot let others see this..."
They had already created a lot of commotion. If anyone were to come by to see this, they would surely call the cops!
If they were to be arrested and brought to the police station, even if they were not suspected of murder, they would still die anyway!
None of them felt that the police would be able to do anything against the ghost. If they were to be retained in the police station and were to encounter the ghost there, they would not be able to run away.
"Yang Guang, if you do not leave, how will you be able to avenge Bai Ling?"
Xiu Wen shouted in Yang Guang's ears.
"That's right! Avenge her!"
Flames of willpower erupted in Yang Guang's eyes. "I will avenge both Bai Ling and Lu Xia!"
He gritted his teeth as he stood up. "Let's leave this place now!"
"What do you intend to do?"
Wu Lu gazed at Yang Guang with a worried look.
"Will the next death be Wu Lu?"
Yang Guang felt his pocket and took out a photograph. Bai Ling's body was entirely white. Among the 3 of them remaining, Wu Lu's face started to blur up.
"The both of you, look for that detective!"
Yang Guang gritted his teeth. "I will return to the apartment to look for the camera and destroy it! It is the cause of all these!"