Chapter Thirty: Ghosts (Thanks for the reward, added more updates~~~~)

  Children should take their afternoon nap at the scheduled time.

  Even if you pretend, lie down well on the bed.

  But kids will be kids.

  As long as no one is looking, I will secretly do something nice.

  It's impossible for the floor above to be quiet.

  But at this moment, it is unusually quiet here.

  The dawn wind perks up its ears, and can't even hear a snore.

  As if... nobody was there at all.

  Following Aunt Guo to the third room, on the old wooden door, there were several 'new wounds', as if they had been chopped with an axe, but the cuts were very fine.

  The wood shavings inside form a V shape.

  She sighed, turned her head and looked at Xiaofeng, saying: "Xiaofeng, Aunt Guo is old and can't keep up with the times. Now everyone in the courtyard is supporting each other, some say... this is their home, if it's gone, they'll have no roots. What do you think?"

  "No," said Xiao Feng shaking his head. "It's not just about this place... it doesn't count as home. I can do without these houses, and I can do without money. As long as the people are still here, that's all that matters to me."

  Aunt Guo smiled silently.

  He took out a string of keys from his waist and opened the door, hesitating for a moment before pushing it open.

  The chill is even stronger.

  Dawn frowned and looked inside.

  It was very simple inside, with just one bed and one window.

  On the windowsill, a pot of orchid was placed. The originally wide and green leaves were now all withered and yellow, leaning there, and it was unknown whether they were alive or dead.

  On the bed, a white sheet, a white quilt, and a little girl's head resting on a pillow.

  It gives people a sense of neatness.

  Too neat all text.

  The quilt bulged out with the outline of a girl's body, while other parts... were smooth without a single wrinkle.

  The girl lay quietly, if...if her head and face were covered at this time, it would be no different from the corpses in the morgue.

  Xiao Feng frowned again and looked at Aunt Guo, asking in a low voice: "This is..."

  Guo's aunt sighed and led Xiao Feng in, then casually closed the door.

  Xiao Feng felt a little scared. Although it was sunny outside and the window was very bright, the sunlight seemed to be isolated and couldn't shine through.

  Dark and gloomy, desolate and bleak.

  It was Aunt Guo who seemed so... ordinary.

  Just then, Aunt Guo took out the key again as she closed the door.

  Ka-chunk.

  The door was locked again from the inside!

  Then she walked over to the bed, reached out and carefully tidied up the girl's hair which was disheveled from lying down.

  Just try not to let his hands touch her body as much as possible.

  Aunt Guo turned to Xiaofeng and said, "Others say she's possessed by evil spirits, but I think she's just sick. If she's sick, there must be a way to cure her. Even if we can't now, we will in the future. She still has a long life ahead of her."

  Xiao Feng didn't say anything.

  But was carefully observing this girl.

  She should be around eleven or twelve years old, and isn't considered pretty, but without even opening her eyes, you can tell that they must be very big.

  The nose has some freckles and looks quite cute and lovely.

  But he was unusually thin.

  It's as if I haven't eaten for a long time.

  Just then, Aunt Guo's fingers accidentally touched her face.

  Suddenly, the little girl's eyes opened.

  Round and crimson red.

  Like two flames soaring upwards, carrying a bloody and murderous aura.

  The temperature in the whole house dropped again.

  Bang!

  With a swift motion, the arm in the cup seemed to dart out like a snake emerging from its hole, and grasped Guo's wrist with lightning speed.

  The girl's body slowly sat up straight without any support.

  Eyes blazing red but icy cold, face expressionless.

  He glanced around and swept a glance over Xiao Feng's and Guo Yi's faces.

  Then he opened his mouth and slowly said in a slightly hoarse, delicate voice: "By the bedside, nine feet away, no one can approach, I said... Have you all forgotten?!"

  He waved his hand abruptly.

  Aunt Guo was pushed far away.

  The little girl patted her sleeve twice, then walked down from the bed with her hands behind her back, chest out and head held high. She looked at Xiao Feng with a calm and composed demeanor, saying: "Who are you?"

  Extreme contrast, giving people a very funny and good-looking feeling.

  Just like a little girl with pigtails insisting on singing Peking Opera and playing the old male role.

  But Xiao Feng couldn't laugh at all.

  He took a slight step back, glanced at Aunt Guo and asked in a low voice: "How long has she been like this?"

  Aunt Guo sighed and said, "Half a month ago, she suddenly went crazy, covering her head and saying that her whole body hurt. She was sent to the hospital for examination, but nothing was found. Then she became delirious, speaking unclearly, but non-stop. Sometimes...she would say that she was suffering and in pain, sometimes...it was just like this...and sometimes she would jump around and smash things."

  But from the day before yesterday, there was a turn for the better, and he also started recognizing people, but it has become like this...

  Xiao Feng's eyelids trembled violently.

  She turned her head and looked at the cute little girl, but she was biting her lip tightly until fresh blood seeped out.

  To most people in the world, Xiaofeng treats them as 'air', whether they exist or not is unimportant.

  But for these children in the orphanage, Xiaofeng always felt that they were his own brothers and sisters, his family.

  But in fact, they are indeed a... strange and close-knit family.

  The little girl remembers it.

  Called Little Grass, also known as Oregano, lively and gluttonous.

  Every time Xiaofeng and Can Yue, the most popular big brother and sister of the two orphanages, come back, Xiao Cao always rushes to be the first one, asks how they are doing, then takes over the plastic bag in Xiaofeng's hand, secretly taking away the best food for himself.

  Very clever.

  Xiao Feng didn't dislike such behavior at all. He liked it when others fought over the things he brought for himself, which gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.

  After eating and drinking to one's heart's content, the little grass will find an opportunity to give a gentle tap on the shoulder or a pat on the back to Xiaofeng, which is considered as 'hush money'.

  If you pretend to be angry, the little grass will give you a big smile.

  It was as if... a rare sunny day in November, with the big sun hanging in the sky, bringing warmth to passersby.

  Dazzling, intoxicating.

  But now, the grass has become like this, Xiaofeng knows, he clearly and distinctly knows that the grass... is dead.

  He's dead!

  ……

  "Are there really ghosts in this world?"

  Xiao Feng was good at asking tirelessly until Master retreated.

  "Alright, alright! I'm afraid of you, so I'll tell you, but... just listen and don't dig deeper or try to find out... there really are ghosts in this world, but very, very few."

  The short and lovely master stretched out his arm to hook onto Xiaofeng's shoulder, but he always had to pat him twice like this for him to feel like a mentor.

  The dawn wind excitedly pricked up its ears.

  The master sighed and continued: "Ghosts, they are called ghosts, but this title is too general. Generally speaking, a ghost is one whose spirit returns to heaven, flesh returns to earth, blood returns to water, pulse returns to the marsh, voice returns to thunder, movement returns to wind, eyes return to sun and moon, bones return to wood, tendons return to mountains, teeth return to stone, oil and grease return to dew, hair returns to grass, and breathing air transforms into a lost soul that returns to the netherworld, with the body remaining intact.

  But in fact... ghosts are 'soul gone and left' good-looking.

  The spirit and soul are yin and yang. The spirit is the intelligent soul, while the soul is the physical body. After death, the spirit is light and floats upwards to fly in the sky, while the soul is heavy and murky, buried underground.

  So for the dead, a spirit tablet should be set up to receive their soul, and a solid coffin should be used to house their body.

  The legendary phrase "soul flying and scattering" refers to the most tragic way of death, which is actually "destroying the ancestral temple and shattering the corpse", a truly unbearable tragedy.

  After people die, they can't avoid this ending, their souls separate and disappear separately.

  There's always an exception!

  People who cultivate themselves, people who practice martial arts, people of great wisdom, people with great power and prestige, people who have received the mandate of heaven...

  They are either spiritually strong, or their fate is predetermined by heaven. Their physical bodies may perish, but the way of operation will not be destroyed...

  Three souls and seven spirits have many remnants left behind, mixed together as one entity, lingering in the mortal world, thus becoming a 'ghost'!

  Xiao Feng's curiosity got the better of him, and he asked again: "What are the three souls and seven spirits?"

  The master rolled his eyes and continued, "Three souls and seven spirits, the three souls are 'heaven, earth, and fate'. The first connects to heavenly luck, the second to earthly energy, and the third to one's destiny. A person's gains and losses, their fate and fortune, are all determined by these three souls, and very few people can break through."

  As for the seven pò, they are Corpse Dog, Hidden Arrow, Sparrow Shade, Swallowing Thief, Non-toxic, Excluding Filth, and Stinky Lung. They are just turbid ghosts in the body.

  I'm just a cultivator of martial arts, legend has it that some people can 'cultivate', cultivating means to strengthen the three souls, eliminate the seven spirits, when the three souls stand alone and the seven spirits are gone, one can ascend to the realm of immortals, shattering the void... Cough cough, but those legends are just too unreliable

  Xiao Feng's eyebrows twitched violently as he exclaimed in surprise: "Master, you mean to say that not only can't just anyone become a ghost, but also that only extremely powerful individuals have the possibility of becoming ghosts?!"

  Master said with a nod after eating the big white rabbit: "En, no mistake, good-looking! For people now, ghosts are almost the most powerful existence! You must not try to find them, once you really let you find... Hehe, then even your master I have no way to save you ~"

  Xiao Feng was taken aback and asked in confusion: "So... Master, you're not a match for those ghosts either?"

  "Pffft! Pffft! Pffft!"

  The master was furious and jumped up and down on Xiaofeng's head with a flurry of fists.

  He then said, "How is that possible? Those ghosts don't let me catch them, or else I'll really catch one back to show you, humph! However... if you encounter them, it's not that I can't save you, but by the time I arrive, you'll already be dead."

  Xiao Feng was taken aback and hastily asked: "Will I be killed by ghosts? Are they really all bad guys?"

  The master shook his head and said, "This... can't be said to be good or bad. As for killing... no, no, no, you will definitely experience things more cruel than being killed. What's the benefit of killing?"

  The master looked up and down at Xiaofeng's handsome face and figure, his face turned red, and he coughed twice to cover it up.

  He continued: "I'm afraid even a ghost wouldn't bear to ruin this good skin... As for whether the ghost is good or bad... I really can't say, I'll just ask you one question, if you were someone who had been starving for several days, without a drop of water, and in front of you was a bowl of soup, steaming hot and fragrant, within reach, could be picked up at will, and drunk into your mouth...

  "Do you drink or not?"

  Xiao Feng scratched his head and said: "What kind of problem is this? Of course, it's drinkable! Even if it's poisonous, just drink it. Being poisoned to death is better than starving to death!"

  The master nodded and said: "Then if... you drink it, someone else will starve to death or die of thirst. What would you do?"

  Xiao Feng rubbed his head again and asked tentatively: "Give it to him?"

  "Probably not," said the master, shaking his head. "This soup is his, and if you drink it, he will die. If you want it, he absolutely won't give it to you. Will you... drink or not?"

  "This..."

  Xiao Feng really didn't know what to choose, but in his heart, he still thought, "A friend will not die for the sake of wealth, but a friend will die for the sake of friendship..." Cough cough, it's all just words.

  The master chuckled and said, "You see, you're just going to be entangled for a short while, but the 'ghost'... will be entangled on this issue for hundreds of thousands of years!" It was after noon.

  Children should take their afternoon nap at the scheduled time.

  Even if you pretend, lie down well on the bed.

  But kids will be kids.

  As long as no one is looking, they will always secretly do something.

  It's impossible for the floor above to be quiet.

  But at this moment, it is unusually quiet here.

  The dawn wind perks up its ears, and can't even hear a snore.

  As if... nobody was there at all.

  Following Aunt Guo to the third room, on the old wooden door, there were several 'new wounds', as if they had been chopped with an axe, but the cuts were very fine.

  The wood shavings inside form a V shape.

  She sighed, turned her head and looked at Xiaofeng, saying: "Xiaofeng, Aunt Guo is old and can't keep up with the times. Now everyone in the courtyard is supporting each other, some say... this is their home, if it's gone, they'll have no roots. What do you think?"

  "No," said Xiao Feng shaking his head. "It's not just about this place... it doesn't count as home. I can do without these houses, and I can do without money. As long as the people are still here, that's all that matters to me."

  Aunt Guo smiled silently.

  He took out a string of keys from his waist and opened the door, hesitating for a moment before pushing it open.

  The chill is even stronger.

  Xiao Feng furrowed his brow and looked inside.

  It was very simple inside, with just one bed and one window.

  On the windowsill was a pot of orchid, originally wide and green leaves, now all withered and yellow, leaning there, don't know if it's alive or dead.

  On the bed, a white sheet, a white quilt, and a little girl's head resting on a pillow.

  It gives people a sense of orderliness.

  Too neat.

  The quilt bulged out with the outline of a girl's body, while other parts... were smooth without a single wrinkle.

  The girl lay quietly, if...if her head and face were covered at this time, it would be no different from the corpses in the morgue.

  Xiao Feng frowned again and looked at Aunt Guo, asking in a low voice: "This is..."

  Guo's aunt sighed and led Xiao Feng in, then casually closed the door.

  Xiao Feng felt a little scared. Although it was sunny outside and the window was very bright, the sunlight seemed to be isolated and couldn't shine through.

  Dark and gloomy, desolate and bleak.

  It was Aunt Guo who made everything seem so... ordinary and yet beautiful.

  Just then, Aunt Guo took out the key again as she closed the door.

  Ka-chunk.

  The door was locked again from the inside!

  Then she walked over to the bed, reached out and carefully tidied up the girl's hair which was disheveled from lying down.

  Just try not to let his hands touch her body as much as possible.

  Aunt Guo turned to Xiaofeng and said, "Others say she's possessed by evil spirits, but I think she's just sick. If she's sick, there must be a way to cure her. Even if we can't now, we will in the future. She still has a long life ahead of her."

  Xiao Feng didn't say anything.

  But was carefully observing this girl.

  She should be around eleven or twelve years old, and isn't considered pretty, but without even opening her eyes, you can tell that they must be very big.

  Her nose has some freckles and looks a bit cute.

  But he was unusually thin.

  It's as if I haven't eaten for a long time.

  Just then, Aunt Guo's fingers accidentally touched her face.

  Suddenly, the little girl's eyes opened.

  Round, crimson red.

  Like two flames soaring upwards, carrying a bloody and murderous aura.

  The temperature in the whole house dropped again.

  Bang!

  With a swift motion, the arm in the cup seemed to dart out like a snake, and grasped Guo's wrist with an incredibly fast and firm grip.

  Nor was there any support, and the girl's body slowly sat up straight.

  Eyes blazing red but icy cold, face expressionless.

  He glanced around and swept his eyes across Xiao Feng's and Guo Yi's faces.

  Then he opened his mouth and slowly said in a slightly hoarse, delicate voice: "By the bedside, nine feet cannot be approached by people, I said... Have you forgotten?!"

  He waved his hand abruptly.

  Aunt Guo was pushed far away.

  The little girl patted her sleeve twice, then walked down from the bed with her hands behind her back, chest out and head held high. She looked at Xiao Feng with a calm and authoritative tone: "Who are you?"

  The extreme contrast gives people a very funny feeling.

  Just like a little girl with pigtails insisting on singing Peking Opera and playing the old male role.

  But Xiao Feng couldn't laugh at all.

  He took a slight step back, glanced at Aunt Guo and asked in a low voice: "How long has she been like this?"

  Aunt Guo sighed and said, "Half a month ago, she suddenly went crazy, covering her head and saying that her whole body hurt. She was sent to the hospital for examination, but nothing was found. Then she became delirious, speaking unclearly, yet non-stop. Sometimes...she would say that she was suffering and in pain, sometimes...it was just like this...and sometimes she would jump around and smash things."

  But from the day before yesterday, there was a turn for the better, and he also started recognizing people, but it has become like this...

  Xiao Feng's eyelids trembled violently.

  She turned her head and looked at the cute little girl, but she was biting her lip tightly until fresh blood seeped out.

  To most people in the world, Xiaofeng treats them as 'air', whether they exist or not is unimportant.

  But for these children in the orphanage, Xiaofeng always felt that they were his own brothers and sisters, his family.

  But in fact, they are indeed a... strange and close-knit family.

  The little girl remembers it.

  Called Little Grass, also known as Oregano, lively and gluttonous.

  Every time Xiaofeng and Can Yue, the most popular big brother and sister of the two orphanages, come back, Xiao Cao always rushes to be the first one, asks how they are doing, then takes the plastic bag from Xiaofeng's hand, secretly taking the best food for himself.

  Very clever.

  Xiao Feng didn't dislike such behavior at all. He liked it when others fought over the things he brought for himself, which gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.

  After eating and drinking to one's heart's content, the little grass will find an opportunity to give a gentle tap on the shoulder or pat on the back to Xiaofeng, which is considered as 'hush money'.

  If you pretend to be angry, the little grass will give you a big smile.

  It was as if... a rare sunny day in November, with the big sun hanging in the sky, bringing warmth to passersby.

  Dazzling, intoxicating.

  But now, the grass has become like this, Xiaofeng knows it, he clearly and distinctly knows that the grass... is dead.

  He's dead!

  ……

  "Are there really ghosts in this world?"

  Xiao Feng was good at asking tirelessly until Master retreated with a smile.

  "Alright, alright! I'm afraid of you, so I'll tell you, but... just listen and don't dig deeper or try to find out... there really are ghosts in this world, but very, very few."

  The short and lovely master stretched out his arm to hook onto Xiaofeng's shoulder, but he always had to pat him twice like this for him to feel like a mentor.

  The dawn wind excitedly pricked up its ears.

  The master sighed and continued: "Ghosts, they are called ghosts, but this title is too general. Generally speaking, a ghost is one whose spirit returns to heaven, flesh returns to earth, blood returns to water, pulse returns to the marsh, voice returns to thunder, movement returns to wind, eyes return to sun and moon, bones return to wood, tendons return to mountains, teeth return to stone, grease returns to dew, hair returns to grass, and breathing air transforms into a lost soul that returns to the netherworld, with the body remaining intact.

  But in fact... ghosts are 'souls that have left but remained'.

  The spirit and soul are yin and yang. The spirit is the intelligent soul, while the soul is the physical body. After death, the spirit is light and floats upwards to fly in the sky, while the soul is heavy and murky, buried underground.

  So for the dead, a spirit tablet should be set up to receive their soul, and a solid coffin should be used to house their body.

  The legendary phrase "soul flying and scattering" refers to the most tragic way of death, which is actually "destroying the ancestral temple and shattering the corpse", a truly unbearable tragedy.

  After people die, they can't avoid this ending, their souls separate and disappear separately.

  There's always an exception!

  People who cultivate themselves, people who practice martial arts, people with great wisdom, people with great power, people who have received the mandate of heaven...

  They are either spiritually strong, or destined by heaven, their physical bodies may perish but their souls will not...

  Three souls and seven spirits have many remnants left behind, mixed together as one entity, lingering in the mortal world, thus becoming a 'ghost' that's pleasing to behold!

  Xiao Feng's curiosity got the better of him, and he asked again: "What are the three souls and seven spirits?"

  The master rolled his eyes and continued, "Three souls and seven spirits, the three souls are 'heaven, earth, and fate'. The first connects to heavenly luck, the second to earthly energy, and the third to one's destiny. A person's gains and losses, their fate and fortune, are all determined by these three souls, and very few people can break through."

  As for the seven pò, they are Corpse Dog, Hidden Arrow, Sparrow Shade, Swallowing Bandit, Non-toxic, Excluding Filth, and Stinky Lung. They are just turbid ghosts in the body.

  I'm just cultivating martial arts, legend has it that some people can 'cultivate', what they cultivate is to strengthen the three souls, eliminate the seven spirits, and when the three souls are left alone and the seven spirits disappear, they can fly up to the immortal realm, shattering the void... Cough cough, but those legends are too unreliable

  Xiao Feng's eyebrows twitched violently as he exclaimed in surprise: "Master, your meaning is... not only can't just anyone become a ghost, but also that only extremely powerful individuals can possibly become ghosts?!"

  Master said with a heavy nod after eating the Great White Rabbit in two or three bites: "En, no mistake! For people nowadays, ghosts are almost the most powerful existence! You must not try to find them, once you really let you find them... Hehe, then even your master I have no way to save you ~"

  Xiao Feng was taken aback and asked in confusion: "So... Master, you're not a match for those ghosts either?"

  "Pffft! Pffft! Pffft!"

  Master was furious and jumped up and down, punching Xiao Feng's head with a flurry of fists.

  He then said, "How is that possible? Those ghosts don't let me catch them, or else I'll really catch one back to show you. Humph! However... if you encounter them, it's not that I can't save you, but by the time I arrive, you'll already be dead."

  Xiao Feng was taken aback and hastily asked: "Will I be killed by ghosts? Are they really all bad guys?"

  The master shook his head and said, "This... can't be said to be good or bad. As for killing... no, no, no, you will definitely experience things more cruel than being killed. What's the benefit of killing?"

  The master looked up and down at Xiaofeng's handsome face and figure, his face turned red, and he coughed twice to cover the whole text.

  He continued: "I'm afraid even a ghost wouldn't bear to ruin this good skin... As for whether the ghost is good or bad... I really can't say, I'll just ask you one question. If you were someone who had been starving for several days, without a drop of water, and in front of you was a bowl of soup, steaming hot and fragrant, within reach, could be grabbed at any time, would you drink it?

  "Do you want to drink or not?"

  Xiao Feng scratched his head and said: "What kind of problem is this? Of course, it's drinkable! Even if it's poisonous, just drink it. Being poisoned to death is better than starving to death!"

  The master nodded and said: "Then if... you drink it, someone else will starve to death or die of thirst. What would you do?"

  Xiao Feng rubbed his head again and asked tentatively: "Give it to him?"

  "Probably not," said the master, shaking his head. "This soup is his, and if you drink it, he will die. If you want it, he absolutely won't give it to you. Will you... drink or not?"

  "This..."

  Xiao Feng really didn't know what to choose, but in his heart, he still thought that a true friend would rather die together than live apart... Cough cough, it's also possible.

  The master chuckled and said, "You see, you're just going to be entangled for a short while, but the 'ghost'... will be entangled on this issue for hundreds of thousands of years!" It was after noon.

  Children should take their afternoon naps at the scheduled time.

  Even if you pretend, lie down on the bed and take a good look.

  But kids will be kids.

  As long as no one is looking, they will always secretly do something.

  It's impossible for a floor to be quiet.

  But at this moment, it is unusually quiet here.

  The dawn wind perks up its ears, and can't even hear a snore.

  As if... nobody was there.

  Following Aunt Guo to the third room, on the old wooden door, there were several 'new wounds', as if they had been chopped with an axe, but the cuts were very fine.

  The wood shavings inside form a V shape.

  She sighed, turned her head and looked at Xiaofeng, saying: "Xiaofeng, Aunt Guo is old and can't keep up with the times. Now everyone in the courtyard is supporting each other, some say... this is their home, if it's gone, they'll have no roots. What do you think?"

  "No," said Xiao Feng shaking his head. "It's not just about this place... it doesn't count as home. I can do without these houses, and I can do without money. As long as the people are still here, that's all that matters to me."

  Aunt Guo smiled silently.

  He took out a string of keys from his waist and opened the door, hesitating for a moment before pushing it open.

  The chill is even stronger.

  Xiao Feng furrowed his brow and looked inside.

  It was very simple inside, with just one bed and one window.

  On the windowsill, a pot of orchid was placed. The originally wide and green leaves were now all withered and yellow, leaning there, and it was unknown whether they were alive or dead.

  On the bed, a white sheet, a white quilt, a little girl's head resting on the pillow.

  It gives people a sense of orderliness.

  Too neat.

  The quilt bulged out with the outline of a girl's body, while other parts... were smooth without a single wrinkle.

  The girl lay quietly, if...if her head and face were covered at this time, it would be no different from the corpses in the morgue.

  Xiao Feng frowned again and looked at Aunt Guo, asking in a low voice: "This is..."

  Guo's aunt sighed and led Xiao Feng in, then casually closed the door.

  Xiao Feng felt a little scared. Although it was sunny outside and the window was very bright, the sunlight seemed to be isolated and couldn't shine through.

  Dark and gloomy, desolate and bleak.

  On the contrary, Aunt Guo seemed so... ordinary.

  Just then, Aunt Guo took out the key again as she closed the door.

  Ka-chunk.

  The door was locked again from the inside!

  Then she walked over to the bed, reached out and carefully tidied up the girl's hair which was disheveled from lying down.

  Just try not to let his hands touch her body as much as possible.

  Aunt Guo turned to Xiaofeng and said, "Others say she's possessed by evil spirits, but I think she's just sick. If she's sick, there must be a way to cure her. Even if we can't now, we will in the future. She still has a long life ahead of her."

  Xiao Feng didn't say anything.

  But carefully observed this girl's whole body.

  She should be around eleven or twelve years old, and isn't considered pretty, but without even opening her eyes, you can tell that they must be very big.

  Her nose has some freckles and looks a bit cute.

  But he was unusually thin.

  It's as if I haven't eaten for a long time.

  Just then, Aunt Guo's fingers accidentally touched her face.

  Suddenly, the little girl's eyes opened.

  Round and crimson red.

  Like two flames soaring upwards, carrying a bloody and murderous aura.

  The temperature in the whole house dropped again.

  Bang!

  With a swift motion, the arm in the cup seemed to dart out like a snake emerging from its hole, and grasped Guo's wrist with lightning speed.

  Nor was there any support, and the girl's body slowly sat up straight.

  Eyes blazing red but icy cold, face expressionless.

  He glanced around and swept a glance over Xiao Feng's and Guo Yi's faces.

  Then he opened his mouth and slowly said in a slightly hoarse, delicate voice: "By the bedside, nine feet away, no one can approach, I said... Have you all forgotten?!"

  He waved his hand abruptly.

  Aunt Guo was pushed far away.

  The little girl patted her sleeve twice, then walked down from the bed with her hands behind her back, chest out and head held high. She looked at Xiao Feng with a calm and composed demeanor, saying, "Who are you?"

  Extreme contrast, gives people a very funny feeling.

  Just like a little girl with pigtails insisting on singing Peking Opera and playing an old male role.

  But Xiao Feng couldn't laugh at all.

  He took a slight step back, glanced at Aunt Guo and asked in a low voice: "How long has she been like this?"

  Aunt Guo sighed and said, "Half a month ago, she suddenly went crazy, covering her head and saying that her whole body hurt. She was sent to the hospital for examination, but nothing was found. Then she became delirious, speaking unclearly, yet non-stop. Sometimes...she would say that she was suffering and in pain, sometimes...it was just like this...and sometimes she would jump around and smash things."

  But from the day before yesterday, there was a turn for the better, and he also started recognizing people, but it has become like this...

  Xiao Feng's eyelids trembled violently.

  She turned her head and looked at the cute little girl, but she was biting her lip tightly until fresh blood seeped out.

  To most people in the world, Xiaofeng treats them as 'air', whether they exist or not is unimportant.

  But for these children in the orphanage, Xiaofeng always felt that they were his own brothers and sisters, his family.

  But in fact, they are indeed a... strange and close-knit family.

  The little girl remembers it.

  Called Little Grass, also known as Oregano, lively and gluttonous.

  Every time Xiaofeng and Can Yue, the most popular big brother and sister of the two orphanages, come back, the little grass always rushes to the first place, asks for a good voice, and then takes over the plastic bag in Xiaofeng's hand, secretly taking away the best food and good-looking things.

  Very clever.

  Xiao Feng didn't dislike such behavior at all. He liked it when others fought over the things he brought for himself, which gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.

  After eating and drinking to one's heart's content, the little grass will find an opportunity to give a gentle tap on the shoulder or a slight knock on the back to Xiaofeng, which is considered as 'hush money'.

  If you pretend to be angry, the little grass will give you a big smile.

  It was as if... a rare sunny day in November, with the big sun hanging in the sky, bringing warmth to passersby.

  Dazzling, intoxicating.

  But now, the grass has become like this, Xiaofeng knows it, he clearly and distinctly knows that the grass... is dead.

  He's dead!

  ……

  "Are there really ghosts in this world?"

  Xiao Feng was good at asking tirelessly until Master retreated.

  "Alright, alright! I'm afraid of you, so I'll tell you, but... just listen and don't dig deeper or try to find out... there really are ghosts in this world, but very, very few."

  The short and lovely master stretched out his arm to hook onto Xiaofeng's shoulder, but he always had to pat him twice like this for him to feel like a mentor.

  The dawn wind excitedly pricked up its ears.

  The master sighed and continued: "Ghosts, they are called ghosts, but this title is too general. Generally speaking, a ghost is a 'returnee'. Its spirit returns to heaven, its flesh returns to the earth, its blood returns to water, its pulse returns to the marsh, its voice returns to thunder, its movements return to wind, its eyes return to the sun and moon, its bones return to wood, its tendons return to mountains, its teeth return to stone, its grease returns to dew, its hair returns to grass, and its breath is transformed into a wandering spirit that returns to the netherworld.

  But in fact... a ghost is 'a soul that has left but remains'.

  The spirit and soul are yin and yang. The spirit is the intelligent soul, while the soul is the physical body. After death, the spirit is light and floats upwards to heaven, while the soul is heavy and murky, buried in the ground.

  So for the dead, a spirit tablet should be set up to receive their soul, and a solid coffin should be used to house their body.

  The legendary phrase "soul flying and scattering" refers to the most tragic way of death, which is actually "destroying the ancestral temple and shattering the corpse", a truly tragic fate.

  After people die, they can't avoid this ending, their souls separate and disappear separately.

  There's always an exception!

  People who cultivate themselves, people who practice martial arts, people of great wisdom, people with great power and prestige, people who have received the mandate of heaven...

  They are either spiritually strong, or destined by heaven, their physical bodies may perish but their souls will not be destroyed...

  Three souls and seven spirits have many remnants left behind, mixed together as one entity, lingering in the mortal world, thus becoming a 'ghost'!

  Xiao Feng's curiosity got the better of him, and he asked again: "What are the three souls and seven spirits?"

  The master rolled his eyes and continued, "Three souls and seven spirits, the three souls are 'heaven, earth, and fate'. The first connects to heavenly luck, the second to earthly energy, and the third to one's destiny. A person's gains and losses, their fate and fortune, are all determined by these three souls, and very few people can break through."

  As for the seven pò, they are Corpse Dog, Hidden Arrow, Sparrow Shade, Swallowing Thief, Non-toxic, Excluding Filth, and Stinky Lung. They are just turbid ghosts in the body.

  I'm just a cultivator of martial arts, legend has it that some people can 'cultivate', cultivating means to strengthen the three souls, eliminate the seven spirits, when the three souls stand alone and the seven spirits are gone, one can ascend to the realm of immortals, shattering the void... Cough cough, but those legends are just too unreliable

  Xiao Feng's eyebrows twitched violently as he exclaimed in surprise: "Master, your meaning is... not only can't just anyone become a ghost, but also that only extremely powerful individuals can possibly become ghosts? How wonderful!"

  Master said with a heavy nod after eating the Great White Rabbit in two or three bites: "En, that's right! For people nowadays, ghosts are almost the most powerful existence! You must not try to find them, once you really find them... Hehe, then even your master can't save you!"

  Xiao Feng was taken aback and asked in confusion: "So... Master, you're not a match for those ghosts either?"

  "Pffft! Pffft! Pffft!"

  The master was furious and jumped up and down on Xiaofeng's head with a flurry of fists.

  He then said, "How is that possible? Those ghosts don't let me catch them, or else I'll really catch one back to show you. Humph! However... if you encounter them, it's not that I can't save you, but by the time I arrive, you'll already be dead."

  Xiao Feng was taken aback and hastily asked: "Will I be killed by ghosts? Are they really all bad guys?"

  The master shook his head and said, "This... can't be said to be good or bad. As for killing... no, no, no, you will definitely experience things more cruel than being killed. What's the benefit of killing?"

  The master looked up and down at Xiaofeng's handsome face and figure, his face turned red, and he coughed twice to cover it up.

  He continued: "I'm afraid even a ghost wouldn't bear to ruin this good skin... As for whether the ghost is good or bad... I really can't say, I'll just ask you one question, if you were someone who had been starving for several days, without a drop of water, and in front of you was a bowl of soup, steaming hot and fragrant, within reach, could be picked up at will, and drunk with ease...

  "Do you drink or not?"

  Xiao Feng scratched his head and said, "What kind of problem is this? Of course, he drank it! Even if it's poisonous, he'd still drink it. Dying from poisoning looks better than dying from starvation!"

  The master nodded and said: "Then if... you drink it, someone else will starve to death or die of thirst. What would you do?"

  Xiao Feng rubbed his head again and asked tentatively: "Give it to him?"

  "Probably not," said the master, shaking his head. "This soup is his, and if you drink it, he will die. If you want it, he absolutely won't give it to you. Will...you drink or not?"

  "This..."

  Xiao Feng really didn't know what to choose, but in his heart, he still thought that as long as there were friends who would die for him, he wouldn't die of poverty. Cough cough, it was indeed the case.

  The master chuckled and said, "You see, you're just going to be entangled for a short while, but the 'ghost'... will be entangled on this issue for hundreds of thousands of years!" It was after noon.

  Children should take their afternoon naps at the scheduled time.

  Even if you pretend, lie down well on the bed.

  But kids will be kids.

  As long as no one is looking, they will always secretly do something.

  It's impossible for a floor to be quiet.

  But at this moment, it is unusually quiet here.

  The dawn wind perks up its ears, and can't even hear a snore.

  As if... nobody was there.

  Following Aunt Guo to the third room, on the old wooden door, there were several 'new wounds', as if they had been chopped with an axe, but the cuts were very fine.

  The wood shavings inside form a V-shaped pattern of all the words.

  She sighed, turned her head and looked at Xiaofeng, saying: "Xiaofeng, Aunt Guo is old and can't keep up with the times. Now everyone in the courtyard is supporting each other, some say... this is their home, if it's gone, they'll have no roots. What do you think?"

  "No," said Xiao Feng shaking his head. "It's not just about this place... it doesn't count as home. I can do without these houses, and I can do without money. As long as the people are still here, that's all that matters to me."

  Aunt Guo smiled silently.

  He took out a string of keys from his waist and opened the door, hesitating for a moment before pushing it open.

  The chill is even stronger.

  Xiao Feng furrowed his brow and looked inside.

  It was very simple inside, with just one bed and one window.

  On the windowsill, a pot of orchid was placed. The originally wide and green leaves were now all withered and yellow, leaning there, it's unknown whether they're alive or dead.

  On the bed, a white sheet, a white quilt, and a little girl's head resting on a pillow.

  It gives people a sense of orderliness.

  Too neat.

  The quilt bulged out with the outline of a girl's body, but the rest... was smooth without a single wrinkle.

  The girl lay quietly, if...if her head and face were covered at this time, it would be no different from the corpses in the morgue.

  Xiao Feng frowned again and looked at Aunt Guo, asking in a low voice: "This is..."

  Guo's aunt sighed and led Xiao Feng in, then casually closed the door.

  Xiao Feng was a little scared. Although the outside sunlight was sufficient and the window was very bright, the sunlight seemed to be isolated and couldn't penetrate through at all.

  Dark and gloomy, desolate and bleak.

  It was Aunt Guo who seemed so... ordinary.

  Just then, as she was closing the door, Aunt Guo took out a key again.

  Ka-chunk.

  The door was locked again from the inside!

  Then she walked over to the bed, reached out and carefully tidied up the girl's hair which had become disheveled from lying down.

  Just try not to let his hands touch her body as much as possible.

  Aunt Guo turned to Xiaofeng and said, "Others say she's possessed by evil spirits, but I think she's just sick. If she's sick, there must be a way to cure her. Even if we can't find one now, we will in the future. She still has a long life ahead of her."

  Xiao Feng didn't say anything.

  But was carefully observing this girl.

  She should be around eleven or twelve years old, and isn't considered pretty, but without even opening her eyes, you can tell that they must be very big.

  Her nose has some freckles and looks a bit cute.

  But he was unusually thin.

  It's as if I haven't eaten for a long time.

  Just then, Aunt Guo's fingers accidentally touched her face.

  Suddenly, the little girl's eyes opened.

  Round and crimson red.

  As if two flames rose, carrying a bloody murderous aura.

  The temperature in the whole house dropped again.

  Bang!

  With a swift motion, the arm in the cup seemed to dart out like a snake emerging from its hole, and grasped Guo's wrist with lightning speed.

  Nor was there any support, and the girl's body slowly sat up straight.

  Eyes were fiery red but icy cold, face was expressionless.

  He glanced around and swept his eyes across Xiao Feng's and Guo Yi's faces.

  Then he opened his mouth and slowly said in a slightly hoarse, delicate voice: "By the bedside, nine feet cannot be approached by people, I said... Have you forgotten?!"

  He waved his hand abruptly.

  Aunt Guo was pushed far away.

  The little girl patted her sleeve mouth twice, then walked down from the bed with her hands behind her back, chest out and head held high, looking at Xiao Feng with her nostrils, saying in a calm and majestic tone: "Who are you?"

  The extreme contrast gives people a very funny feeling.

  Just like a little girl with pigtails insisting on singing Peking Opera and playing an old male role.

  But Xiao Feng couldn't laugh at all.

  He took a slight step back, glanced at Aunt Guo and asked in a low voice: "How long has she been like this?"

  Aunt Guo sighed and said, "Half a month ago, she suddenly went crazy, covering her head and saying that her whole body hurt. She was sent to the hospital for examination, but nothing was found. Then she became delirious, speaking unclearly, yet non-stop. Sometimes...she would say that she was suffering and in pain, sometimes...it was just like this...and sometimes she would jump around and smash things."

  But from the day before yesterday, there was a turn for the better, and he also started recognizing people, but it has become like this...

  Xiao Feng's eyelids trembled violently.

  She turned her head and looked at the cute little girl, but she was biting her lip tightly until fresh blood seeped out.

  To most people in the world, Xiaofeng treats them as 'air', whether they exist or not is unimportant.

  But for these children in the orphanage, Xiaofeng always felt that they were his own brothers and sisters, his family.

  But in fact, they are indeed a... strange and close-knit family.

  The little girl remembers it.

  Called Little Grass, also known as Oregano, lively and gluttonous.

  Every time Xiaofeng and Can Yue, the most popular big brother and sister of the two orphanages, come back, Xiao Cao always rushes to be the first one, asks how they are doing, then takes over the plastic bag in Xiaofeng's hand, secretly taking away the best food for himself.

  Very clever.

  Xiao Feng didn't dislike such behavior at all. He liked it when others fought over the things he brought for himself, which gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.

  After eating and drinking to one's heart's content, the little grass will find an opportunity to give a gentle tap on the shoulder or pat on the back to Xiaofeng, which is considered as 'hush money'.

  If you pretend to be angry, the little grass will give you a big smile.

  It was as if... a rare sunny day in November, with the big sun hanging in the sky, bringing warmth to passersby.

  Dazzling, intoxicating.

  But now, the little grass has become like this, Xiaofeng knows it, he clearly and distinctly knows that the little grass... is dead.

  He's dead!

  ……

  "Are there really ghosts in this world?"

  Xiao Feng was good at asking tirelessly until Master retreated.

  "Alright, alright! I'm afraid of you, so I'll tell you, but... just listen and don't dig deeper or try to find out... there really are ghosts in this world, but very, very few."

  The short and lovely master stretched out his arm to hook onto Xiaofeng's shoulder, but he always had to pat him twice like this for him to feel like a mentor.

  The dawn wind excitedly pricked up its ears.

  The master sighed and continued: "Ghosts, they are called ghosts, but this title is too general. Generally speaking, a ghost is one whose spirit returns to heaven, flesh returns to earth, blood returns to water, pulse returns to the marsh, voice returns to thunder, movement returns to wind, eyes return to sun and moon, bones return to wood, tendons return to mountains, teeth return to stone, oil and grease return to dew, hair returns to grass, and breathing air transforms into a lost soul that returns to the netherworld, with the body remaining intact.

  But in fact... ghosts are 'souls that have left but remained'.

  The spirit and soul are yin and yang. The spirit is the intelligent soul, while the soul is the physical body. After death, the spirit is light and floats upwards to heaven, while the soul is heavy and murky, buried in the ground.

  So for the dead, a spirit tablet should be set up to receive their soul, and a solid coffin should be used to house their body.

  The legendary phrase "soul flying and body scattering" refers to the most tragic way of death, which is actually "destroying the ancestral temple and shattering the corpse", a truly unbearable tragedy.

  After people die, they can't avoid this ending, their souls separate and disappear separately.

  There's always an exception!

  People who cultivate themselves, people who practice martial arts, people with great wisdom, people with great power, people who have received the mandate of heaven...

  They are either spiritually strong, or their fate is predetermined by heaven. Their physical bodies may perish, but the way of operation will not be destroyed...

  Three souls and seven spirits have many remnants left behind, mixed together as one entity, lingering in the mortal world, thus becoming a 'ghost'!

  Xiao Feng's curiosity got the better of him, and he asked again: "What are the three souls and seven spirits?"

  The master rolled his eyes and continued, "Three souls and seven spirits, the three souls are 'heaven, earth, and fate'. The first connects to heavenly luck, the second to earthly energy, and the third to one's destiny. A person's gains and losses, their fate and fortune, are all determined by these three souls, and very few people can break through."

  As for the seven pò, they are Corpse Dog, Hidden Arrow, Sparrow Shade, Swallowing Thief, Non-toxic, Excluding Filth, and Stinky Lung. They are just turbid ghosts in the body.

  I'm just cultivating martial arts, legend has it that some people can 'cultivate', what they cultivate is to strengthen the three souls, eliminate the seven spirits, and when the three souls are left alone and the seven spirits disappear, they can fly up to the immortal realm, shattering the void... Cough cough, but those legends are too unreliable

  Xiao Feng's eyebrows twitched violently as he exclaimed in surprise: "Master, you mean to say that... not only can't just anyone become a ghost, but also only those extremely powerful individuals can possibly become ghosts?!"

  Master said with a heavy nod after eating the Great White Rabbit in two or three bites: "En, no mistake! For people nowadays, ghosts are almost the most powerful existence! You must not try to find them, once you really find them... Hehe, then even your master can't save you!"

  Xiao Feng was taken aback and asked in confusion: "So... Master, you're not a match for those ghosts either?"

  "Pffft! Pffft! Pffft!"

  The master was furious and jumped up and down on Xiaofeng's head with a flurry of fists.

  He then said, "How is that possible? Those ghosts don't let me catch them, or else I'll really catch one back for you to take a good look. But... if you encounter them, it's not that I can't save you, but by the time I arrive, you'll already be dead."

  Xiao Feng was taken aback and hastily asked: "Will I be killed by ghosts? Are they really all bad guys?"

  The master shook his head and said, "This... can't be said to be good or bad. As for killing... no, no, no, you will definitely experience things more cruel than being killed. What's the benefit of killing you?"

  The master looked up and down at Xiaofeng's handsome face and figure, his face turned red, and he coughed twice to cover it up.

  He continued: "I'm afraid even a ghost wouldn't bear to ruin this good skin... As for whether the ghost is good or bad... I really can't say, I'll just ask you one question, if you were someone who had been starving for several days, without a drop of water, and in front of you was a bowl of soup, steaming hot and fragrant, within reach, could be picked up at will, and drunk with ease...

  "Do you drink or not?"

  Xiao Feng scratched his head and said: "What kind of problem is this? Of course, it's drinkable! Even if it's poisonous, just drink it. Being poisoned to death is better than starving to death!"

  The master nodded and said: "Then if... you drink it, someone else will starve to death or die of thirst. What would you do?"

  Xiao Feng rubbed his head again and asked tentatively: "Give it to him?"

  "Probably not," said the master, shaking his head. "This soup is his, and if you drink it, he will die. If you want it, he absolutely won't give it to you. Will...you drink or not?"

  "This..."

  Xiao Feng really didn't know what to choose, but in his heart, he still thought that as long as there were friends who would die for him, he wouldn't die of poverty. Cough cough, it was indeed possible.

  The master chuckled and said, "You see, you're just going to be entangled for a short while, but the 'ghost'... will be entangled on this issue for hundreds of thousands of years!"