Chapter 14: Finding Someone

  After it was completely daylight, Mr. Zhuo and I left the hotel to look for Zhao Kai.

  But the world is so big, there are thousands and millions of people named Zhao Kai in the world, how can I find him?

  I asked the question, and Mr. Zhuo replied very calmly: "Of course, I went to ask around."

  "Where did you hear that?"

  Mr. Zhuo smiled and said, "Of course, it's those old people in the village."

  According to the hotel owner, those who were relocated in the village have all moved into a residential building very close by.

  I and Mr. Zhuo went to that residential building and casually knocked on a resident's door.

  That person is an old man, looking like he should be in his seventies or eighties. When he smiles, the wrinkles on his face are so deep they could swallow a mosquito whole.

  He looked at me and Mr. Zhuo with a puzzled expression and asked: "What kind of people are you two?"

  Mr. Zhuo said that we two are just looking for someone, who is Zhao Kai, who lived in the village more than 30 years ago.

  The old man, upon hearing that we were inquiring about someone, immediately became very enthusiastic and invited us into the house. He then poured us a cup of water and sat on the sofa, looking at us and saying: "I know that person, he is the son of the village head from the neighboring village."

  I and Mr. Zhuo felt hopeful and couldn't help but ask: "Is Zhao Kai still in the village now?"

  "It's still there, just next to Zhaojia Village."

  Mr. Zhuo and I exchanged a glance and immediately set off for Zhaojia Village.

  Zhaojia Village looks like it has a certain history, many of the bricks have already loosened.

  I and Mr. Zhuo inquired about the village head's house, only to find out that the current village head had already been replaced.

  Mr. Zhuo looked at the current village chief with a sense of discontent and asked: "Where is Zhao Kai's family now?"

  "The head of the village said: 'In that abandoned house at the entrance of the village.'"

  After finishing speaking, he hurriedly closed the big gate, as if we were plague gods.

  Mr. Zhuo and I didn't pay attention to it and went to Zhao Ke's home.

  When the door was opened, there was only Zhao Kai in the whole house.

  I don't know what Zhao Kai encountered during this time, but he has lost a lot of weight and his eyes have even sunken in.

  Mr. Zhuo saw Zhao Ke's appearance and his eyes flashed with something I couldn't understand. Zhao Ke didn't understand either, looked us up and down and said: "Do you have anything to do?"

  "We want to ask if you know Ruru and Lingling, two sisters who want to meet you."

  Mr. Zhuo finished speaking, and Zhao Kai suddenly became frightened, shaking all over while shouting loudly and wanting to close the door.

  Mr. Zhuo's eyes were quick and he immediately used his elbow to block the door frame, the warmth in his eyes turned icy, and his tone was chillingly cold: "Today you don't want to go but you have to go!"

  "Spare me!" Zhao Kai was so scared that his face turned pale, as if Mr. Zhuo and I were ghosts.

  Mr. Zhuo asked somewhat strangely: "Us? Has anyone looked for you before?"

  Zhao Kai's body shook even more violently as he said, "Before, many yin-yang masters came to our village looking for me, saying that Ruru and Lingling would come find me."

  "Ru Ru and Ling Ling have long been dead, how can they come to find me? Moreover, my father originally didn't know about the matter of Ru Ru and Ling Ling, it was because these yin-yang masters kept coming to find me that my affairs were exposed to my father and the whole village."

  "Father was so angry that he fell ill, and the position of village chief was also taken away. Now he's being shunned by everyone in the village like a plague! It's all because of you! I'm like this now because of you!"

  I finally know why this guy was so scared after seeing us, it turns out he thought we were Onmyojis.

  It's clear that no matter how we explain it, this man won't believe the two of us anymore, so I couldn't help but look at Mr. Zhuo again.

  Mr. Zhuo sighed and his hand still didn't move from the door frame, instead he squeezed a bit closer to Zhao Ke's room.

  Zhao Kai saw Mr. Zhuo insisting on entering his own room and suddenly panicked, shouting loudly as he tried to force the door shut.

  Mr. Zhuo didn't rush either, propping up the door frame with one hand and asking in a low voice: "Don't you want to get rid of this fate?"

  Zhao Kai heard Mr. Zhuo's words and involuntarily stopped what he was doing, his face filled with doubt: "You're deceiving me again, aren't you?"

  Mr. Zhuo smiled helplessly and said: "Why would I cheat you? I just want to purify Ruru and Lingling, and then your troubles will be resolved naturally."

  Zhao Kai still didn't quite believe it, and I couldn't help but rush over and say: "Just give it a try, anyway, there's nothing to lose."

  Zhao Kai lowered his head and thought for a while, the fear on his face slowly faded away, and finally nodded in agreement.

  Mr. Zhuo and I immediately took Zhao Kei back to the hotel. By this time, it had already darkened outside, and the two female ghosts were sitting on the bed again, staring blankly out of the window.

  Zhao Kai couldn't see anything and was just looking around at this strangely constructed house.

  Mr. Zhuo walked over and stuck a leaf on Zhao Ke's eyes, and after a while, Zhao Ke saw Ru Ru and Ling Ling sitting on the bed.

  Zhao Kai was suddenly frightened, his face turned pale, and he quickly hid behind Mr. Zhuo, trembling all over and asked: "Are these two human or ghost?"

  "It's a ghost." Mr. Zhuo replied calmly, making Zhao Kai even more frightened.

  I looked at Zhao Kei's appearance and couldn't help but laugh, covering my mouth to say to Mr. Zhuo: "I don't know whether the two female ghosts are happy or resentful when they see Zhao Kei coming."

  Mr. Zhuo smiled with a mischievous grin: "It's up to his fate now." As he said that, he pushed Zhao Kei towards the two female ghosts with force.

  The female ghost heard the noise and turned her head, only to see Zhao Ke standing in front of her. They looked at Zhao Ke, who was trembling with fear, in disbelief and said in unison: "You're here?"

  Zhao Kai was about to faint, his two legs trembling like sieves.

  Those two female ghosts were unconscious and suddenly pounced on Zhao Kei. Zhao Kei let out a loud cry and sat down on the ground with a thud.

  Two female ghosts sat down beside Zhao Kai, wanting to pull up Zhao Kai's hand, but their fingers passed through Zhao Kai's hand.

  The two female ghosts tried to grab Zhao Ke's hand again, looking a bit dazed, but the result was still the same - their hands passed through Zhao Ke's. They looked at each other in confusion, then back at Zhao Ke, and finally at their own hands, with a hint of horror in their eyes.

  "Not good! They don't even realize they're already dead!" Mr. Zhuo's face suddenly changed, I didn't know the reason for his change in expression, and couldn't help but ask him what had happened.

  Mr. Zhuo took out two talismans from his pocket and held them in his hand, then turned around to ask how many talismans I had left.

  I patted my pocket and remembered that I had used up a few talismans the night before last. Now there were only three left.

  Mr. Zhuo nodded and continued to stare at the two female ghosts without saying a word.

  The two female ghosts had white dresses that gradually turned red from the hem, but they didn't notice at all and covered their heads, screaming loudly.

  That cry is familiar, just like the wails of those monsters last night. I understand that these two female ghosts might be turning into extremely yin and extremely fierce entities.

  Zhao Kai was apparently driven mad by the shouting and rolled his eyes, falling to the ground and convulsing all over.

  Mr. Zhuo motioned for me to sit down, while he himself rushed to the female ghost's side, shouting "Ji ji ru lü ling" as he simultaneously stuck a talisman on each of the two female ghosts' foreheads.

  Two female ghosts were still screaming, with the lower half of their skirts completely turned red, while the upper half remained white.

  Mr. Zhuo wanted to make another move when the two female ghosts suddenly tore off the Taoist symbols on their heads and flew towards Mr. Zhuo. I felt a fierce evil spirit constantly rushing around my body, while Mr. Zhuo was already lying motionless on the ground after facing the evil spirit head-on.

  I hastily stood up, but was also knocked to the ground by the female ghost's evil spirit. A wave of cool air surged up from my chest, and that chill tried desperately to burst out from my chest cavity, making my chest ache so much that I almost fainted.

  The two female ghosts were still screaming, and I faintly heard that the two female ghosts screamed: "Why can't I catch your hand? Why?"

  "What's going on!" I couldn't help but shout loudly, "You two are already dead! You've become ghosts!"

  As soon as I said this, I felt regretful, because the white dresses on these two female ghosts were almost completely turned red.

  Their eyes both emitted a red glow at the same time, like two wild beasts in the dark!

  I wanted to help Mr. Zhuo up from the ground, and then I heard Mr. Zhuo whispering to me: "Quickly, quickly use the Taoist symbol."

  I came to my senses and hastily pulled out two talismans, shouting at the female ghost: "Hurry up, as if it were an imperial decree!"

  The two female ghosts slowed down their charging speed and almost stopped moving. I let out a sigh of relief and quickly pulled Mr. Zhuo back to the position at the door.

  Mr. Zhuo seemed to have regained some of his energy, grasping my hand and saying: "Han Dong, I may not have the strength to fight these two female ghosts now. Help me, help me subdue..."

  "Good!" I tightly grasped Mr. Zhuo's hand, and in my heart, it didn't feel right either.

  Mr. Zhuo whispered a few words in my ear, and my heart started racing.

  I looked at Mr. Zhuo hesitantly and couldn't help but ask: "Can I really?" Mr. Zhuo nodded and then closed his eyes.

  I pulled out the last few talismans from Mr. Zhuo's clothes, casually stuck a few on the wall, and then sat down cross-legged to meditate.

  I kept repeating the incantation that Mr. Zhuo told me earlier and found that the talisman he placed on the two female ghosts was about to lose its effect.

  I was anxious in my heart, and as a result, I misread the incantation, so I had to start all over again.

  I'm now filled with despair, I don't know if I'll be able to finish the incantation when those two female ghosts pounce on me. All I know is that if I don't finish the incantation, Mr. Zhuo and I are probably done for this time.