Chapter 13: Taking In Two Little Imps

Because it has always been people who fear ghosts, now that ghosts are afraid of me, I can’t help feeling a bit smug.

“All right, master, what do you want to ask?” The two little ghosts obediently stepped forward.

“I’m not a ghost catcher, I’m a messenger between the living and the dead. So whatever I ask, you must answer truthfully.”

Upon hearing my identity, the two little ghosts became even more compliant, nodding so vigorously their heads resembled rattles, and added, “Please, sir, instruct us!”

“Do you know about the female corpse found at the entrance of the village today?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“No!” They answered differently. I looked at them and pressed, “Do you know or not?”

“Sir, we dare not speak of it!” Both looked frightened.

“What’s there to be afraid of?”

“This…” The two ghosts exchanged glances and whispered, “He’s a messenger; it’s probably fine to tell him.”

“But we’re no match for that female ghost. She told us not to tell anyone.”

“Telling me is different. I’m here to help her!” I reassured them.

The little ghosts nodded, and the round-faced one spoke first. “The female corpse has been there for three days. She was thrown there at night. We were nearby and saw it happen.”

“And then? Did you see her spirit?” I asked urgently.

“Yes, she seemed to be following someone!” said the square-faced ghost.

“Who?” I pressed, eager.

But again, they hesitated, making me feel helpless. “What are you afraid of? It’s fine. If you’re scared, you can follow me from now on.”

“Really?” They were quite excited.

I nodded. Though they were only little ghosts, I did consider having them tag along. Such ghosts tend to know the most, and they’re useful for gathering information.

Seeing my determination, the square-faced ghost said, “That night, we saw her following Luo Wenyuan. After that, we didn’t see her anymore.”

Luo Wenyuan? I frowned; he was the village head’s son.

Could it be that Zhao Xue—the woman—had some connection to the village head’s son? With this in mind, I called the two little ghosts to accompany me to the village head’s house.

Initially, they were apprehensive, but once I said they could follow me, their courage grew.

“Uncle Luo!” I called out, knocking on the door as we arrived at the village head’s home.

The door was open, but no one was in sight. I dared not enter directly—it was the village head’s house, after all.

But while I waited outside, the two little ghosts were free to go in. Quietly, I instructed them, “Go in and look for Zhao Xue. Check if she’s inside or not. Don’t be afraid. If she tries anything, come find me.”

They nodded and drifted inside, while I waited at the threshold.

After a while, the village head’s wife came out and asked, “Oh, it’s you, Xiaobei. What brings you here?”

“I’m looking for Uncle Luo,” I replied respectfully.

She asked, “What do you need him for?”

“There’s something I’d like to ask him.”

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“That’s unfortunate. Your uncle has gone to town; he’s not home. Come back later.” She was polite at first, but her demeanor shifted when I mentioned Luo Wenyuan.

“Is Wenyuan home?” I asked.

“He’s not. I need to feed the pigs. If you want your uncle, come back later.” With that, she closed the door.

Seeing the drastic change in her attitude, I knew something was amiss. Perhaps Luo Wenyuan was the one who killed Zhao Xue.

As I pondered this, the two little ghosts returned and reported, “Sir, Luo Wenyuan isn’t home, but his room is full of talismans to ward off ghosts. Maybe it’s because…”

“Most likely. Let’s go home first.” I led the little ghosts back to my place.

Now that I knew the woman’s name, should I inform the police officer and share information?

Thinking this, I dialed the emergency number and asked specifically for Officer Lin Chuan.

The call was quickly transferred, and they asked who I was. I introduced myself directly, “Officer Lin, this is Zhang Xiaobei. You came to see me this morning.”

“Yes, I remember. What can I do for you?” he replied.

“The woman found in our village is named Zhao Xue!”

“How do you know?” he asked skeptically.

“Because I can see ghosts. My task is to escort her spirit to the underworld, and right now, her spirit is following the person who might have harmed her.” I told him everything, leaving nothing out.

But he didn’t believe me at all. “Thank you for the information. But with such an imaginative story, you might want to write a book instead of contacting me.”

Seeing his disbelief, I didn’t explain further and simply said, “If you need anything, feel free to call me!”

He chuckled but didn’t reply before hanging up. He probably thought I was crazy.

Still, I believed he would seek me out. When I looked at him this morning, I could tell what kind of person he was. Though he claimed not to believe, he knew some things defied scientific explanation, and only this could make sense.

“How’s your search?” Tan Xiao asked as soon as she arrived.

“I’ve got a lead,” I replied.

She eyed the two little ghosts behind me and asked, “Who are they?”

“Oh, let me introduce them!” I turned to the little ghosts. Not knowing their names, I gave them ones based on their appearance: “Round and Square, my newest little ghosts.”

“...Can they be trusted?” Tan Xiao scrutinized them.

Before I could answer, they replied, “We can be trusted! We’ve never harmed anyone!”

“I’ll check, but if you want to keep them, go ahead. Tell me about Zhao Xue,” Tan Xiao said, sitting down.

I told her about Zhao Xue following Luo Wenyuan, explaining that finding him might lead us to Zhao Xue.

Tan Xiao immediately stood up. “I’ll find out where he is!”

“He’s not home—I’ve already been…” I hadn’t finished before she vanished. I didn’t mind; she had the skill to teleport, so it would only take a moment for her to check.

“Sir, if you find Zhao Xue, what will you do to her?” Square asked.

“I’ll escort her to the underworld so she can reincarnate!” I replied, then turned to the two little ghosts. “By the way, how did you die?”

“I don’t know. As far as I can remember, I’ve always been like this, same as him,” Square said.

“What are your names?” I asked.

“We don’t have names, but since you called us Square and Round, we’ll use those.” They seemed to like the names.

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But how could they not remember anything from their previous lives, not even their names?

While waiting at home, Tan Xiao returned and told me, “Luo Wenyuan is indeed strange. His house is full of ghost-warding talismans; he seems haunted.”

“I already know—Square and Round checked,” I replied.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier!” she complained.

I was speechless. “You left so quickly, how could I finish?”

“All right, what’s next?” she asked.

“We’ll wait for the village head to return, then I’ll go see him. If he’s covering up for his son, he won’t keep his position as village head for long,” I said.

Tan Xiao nodded, then vanished again. With nothing else to do, I picked up the messenger’s handbook to read.

Square and Round went to sleep on the couch.

Suddenly, I felt that these ghosts were no different from ordinary people—they sleep, they get sick, they get hurt.

“Sir, I think the village head is back,” Round sat up and told me around five in the afternoon.

Without him going out, I asked, “How do you know?”

“I heard his voice!” he replied.

“Okay, got it!” I put down my book and prepared to visit the village head.

Just as I stepped out, He Yanran, who came to call me for dinner, spotted me and said, “Xiaobei, did you know it was time to eat? I hadn’t called you yet and you’re already out.”

I pretended that was the case and nodded. “I smelled the food.”

“Really? Then come on over and eat.” He Yanran’s face was full of joy.

I nodded, glanced at the two little ghosts, and said, “You two go wait for me at the village head’s house.”

They left, looking reluctant. I knew they probably wanted to eat too, but since I was going to someone else’s house, I couldn’t bring them along.

Arriving at He Yanran’s home, her grandmother still treated me coldly, but I was used to it and said nothing.

When she saw Yanran carrying dishes from the kitchen, she muttered under her breath, “Don’t do things you’re not sure about. Some people aren’t to be provoked.”

“I understand!” Knowing she was speaking to me and who she meant, I responded quietly.

“That’s good. Many things in this world aren’t as wonderful as you imagine. You must be ready to face the darkness,” Grandma Wang whispered again.

Her concern surprised me, especially her words about preparing for darkness. Before I could ask more, Yanran returned from the kitchen.

After dinner, her words lingered in my mind, haunting me. While she was tidying up, I approached Grandma Wang. “Would you mind talking outside, Grandma Wang?”

“There’s nothing to talk about. You’ll understand one day. Go on.” She refused to say more.

I nodded and left her house. With my task in mind, I didn’t return home but went straight to the village head’s house.

Outside the yard, I saw the two little ghosts waiting for me.

I looked at them and asked, “Is he inside?”