True Child

Moonlight streamed in through the thin window, scattering across the corner where the stove was located, the tin pot lid casting a cold beam of light into the sweltering air.

At the end of July, there was no air conditioning in the shed, and the electric fan that was turned on made a clattering sound, caused by the loose fan cover.

The ghost sat crookedly in front of the wall, probably never imagining that it could be bullied by the living even after it was dead. Its expression was one of utter despair.

Wen Dai leaned against the wooden cabinet behind her, crossed her arms, and raised her chin towards Qian Tong. She told Chen Sizhe about his birth chart: "It's an all-yin birth chart, with metal and water mixed together without restraint, a cold metal sinking into water image."

Wen Dai glanced over Qian Yan, who was standing next to Qian Tong, and saw that she was staring intently at Qian Tong. She moved to her right and gestured for him to bend down. Then she whispered in his ear, "Sister Qian Yan doesn't know that Xiao Tong is a virgin. Don't tell her."

She turned her gaze to the corner of her eye, and saw the little boy lying lifelessly on the bed, his already pale face showing signs of darkening. Beside him was his mother, who was waiting for him to wake up; it wasn't Qian Yan, it was his mother.

Suppressing the desolation in her heart, she whispered, "This is the first true child spirit I've encountered, and a true child spirit with a tragic fate. I don't know how to describe my feelings. Many fake child spirits tell of their difficulties, but little do they know that it's just due to sensitivity and bad luck. Sending a child spirit is simply a deception. No matter how powerful it is, it's just using up future good fortune in advance, a psychological comfort. Clearly, most true child spirits have smooth lives, they just can't live to adulthood; but Xiaotong is different. He's suffered so much, but because of his suffering, he's precocious, sensible, and strong; but I can't comfort him that the future will be better, because he has no future."

"Since you know he has no future, why interfere in their lives?" Chen Sizhe glanced at the two people on the bed, his gaze finally settling on Wen Dai's eyes. He was asking a question he already knew the answer to, or perhaps he was feigning ignorance.

She glared at him, then lowered her voice and said, "It's like a thread with several knots; something will always happen at those knots. Fate arranged for me to meet them, and there's no question of whether I should interfere. Do all you lawyers like to speak in riddles like this? If you want to know my motives, just ask directly. I know he has no future, but I just don't want to see him suffer alone. I don't want to see people who are suffering toil away without finding happiness. I know I'm doing something futile, but if my futile efforts can offer even a tiny bit of hope or a tiny bit of warmth, then it's worth it."

Unable to control his mouth, Chen Sizhe's tongue resembled that of most felines, except that he could send thorns flying onto people without licking. "Can I interpret this as you just wanting to satisfy your own savior complex?"

Wen Dai puffed out her cheeks, bent her arm, and shoved the person next to her away with her elbow. She glanced at him sideways and sneered, "Don't assume everyone else is as ruthless as you. I was just starting to change my opinion of you; I overestimated you. Think what you want, so what if it is or it isn't? A gentleman judges by actions, not intentions. I don't know if I'm just indulging my own emotions, but I just can't bear to see others suffer. I'm a saint, okay?"

Because of Qian Yan's presence, she had to suppress the sound she wanted to shout. Fortunately, the nearly broken electric fan was making noise, which prevented her from feeling even more frustrated.

"Hiss." Caught off guard, Chen Sizhe staggered a few steps to the side from her retort. He rubbed his arm, which had been hit hard, and looked at her with displeasure. He pursed his lips but did not say anything.

Wen Dai turned on her phone and glanced at the time; there was still more than an hour until 11 PM. She turned her gaze to the little ghost trapped in the ghost-binding lock, and happened to meet its expectant gaze. Being stared at by such a pair of dark eyes was quite chilling.

She touched the goosebumps that had suddenly appeared on her arm, took a few steps closer, and squatted down in front of the ghost, resting her elbows on her knees and supporting her chin with her palms. "Why haven't you been reincarnated yet? I remember you said you wanted to be reincarnated, right? Logically speaking, drowned water ghosts shouldn't be unable to be reincarnated. What's wrong with you? Why do you need to be released from your suffering?"

The ghost seemed somewhat lost in thought. It blinked, its already lifeless black eyes turning into black holes that seemed to swallow light, utterly empty. Perhaps trapped by memories from many years ago, it remained silent for a long while before finally speaking: "Because I didn't commit suicide, I was murdered."

The sudden silence that followed attracted Chen Sizhe, who was standing not far away. He turned around and walked closer to the ghost.

“I had a girlfriend I was about to marry, no, I should say fiancée. But my buddy of many years told me with absolute certainty that she cheated on me. He said he saw her leaving a hotel with another man, and that she was very promiscuous in private. He even saw her videos online.” The ghost tilted his head back as if he were about to break his neck, and his red lips curved deeply as if they were about to bleed, a smile more bitter than bitter herbs.

Its eyes still held the past, and its tone of voice was indistinguishable from the deathly stillness of its skin: "He showed me screenshots from that so-called video. It was indeed my fiancée's face, but I didn't dare look closely at the rest. I didn't even dare look closely at that photo. I was blinded by rage and confronted her, and then we had a cold war. My brother invited me out for drinks, and after I drank too much, he brought me to this riverbank, saying it was secluded and I could vent by shouting and yelling; but unexpectedly, he pushed me in. He told me he liked my fiancée, and that someone like me who believes everything others say doesn't deserve to be with her."

"I died, and he called 120. The ambulance came, but it was all for nothing. I just stood there watching my body being dragged away. In the end, my death was ruled an accidental drowning while drunk. How ridiculous. Later, I saw my fiancée standing by the river crying. I wanted so much to hug her, and I wanted to apologize to her. Resentment, I can't let go of the resentment, otherwise I wouldn't be here." The ghost twitched its facial skin, squeezing the torn flesh as if trying to reconnect it. When it met Wen Dai's gaze, it laughed self-deprecatingly, "I haven't been dead for long. My cultivation is insufficient, and I'm often exploited by that vengeful ghost. That's how it is."

Like Wen Dai, who was squatting, Chen Sizhe showed no emotion whatsoever. He furrowed his brow and keenly picked at the barbs in the ghost's words: "The brother you mentioned should, in principle, be held responsible. Even if he escaped criminal charges, the Civil Code stipulates the determination of fault liability. How did he get away unscathed?"

The ghost, as thin as a sheet of paper, suddenly raised its voice. If it weren't restrained, it probably would have pounced on Chen Sizhe. "I'm not lying! I don't know the specifics, but there are no surveillance cameras on the other side of the river, he was drunk, and the mud was indeed slippery. The police station sent many people to check the traces... He did push me, and I slipped and slid down the slope. You'll see when you get there. The concrete and mud are connected, and I couldn't steady myself even after taking a few steps forward. Plus, I often went out drinking with him during that time, and I kept posting things on social media about not wanting to live anymore. I told my parents and friends that I felt hopeless about life. I guess it was because of these circumstances. He even came over with a branch and pretended to extend it towards me, but the branch that broke on the riverbank was one he broke himself."

Wen Dai lowered her chin and said with a slight smile, "I guess the lack of thorough investigation by Chizheng is one of the reasons. Who knows, maybe that brother has some connection with the higher-ups. Is this kind of thing rare?"

The ghost nodded several times in a row, staring at its black pupils with little white, and hurriedly said, "His family is extremely rich."

Tranquility spreads throughout this small area, while the whirring electric fan creates a sense of life within the room.

A short, sharp laugh escaped her nose first. Wen Dai tugged at the corners of her lips, a mocking smirk playing on her lips. She stood up, supporting herself on her knees, her gaze falling on the ghost. "It's a pity. I'm not a detective, nor am I someone with connections. I'm too busy with my own affairs to overturn your case. But I can get you out of here, I can send you back to your own home. Whether you want a dream visit is up to you. After all, your resentment needs to be dispelled before the ritual. If you want him to receive his just deserts, then go for the dream visit. Dream visits cost money, and I'll pay the money for you. You just need to convey the truth to your parents... and your ex-fiancée. Although I don't believe in miracles, let's give it a try. Maybe they'll actually demand an overturned case because of this one dream. Even if it doesn't succeed, it's not a loss if it lets them see your brother's true colors."

What she said to others was always categorized as hope, and Wen Dai knew all too well that this could never succeed.

Chen Sizhe pinched the bridge of his nose with his hand, then lowered his head, remaining silent for a moment.

The immortals behind them appeared at the right time and locked the bound ghost in a cage in another dimension.

Qian Yan, who had been silently observing, leaned against the headboard. She looked up at them and tentatively asked, "Are you finished talking?"

She pointed to Qian Tong lying beside her, "Xiao Tong opened his eyes, but he didn't move. I called him just now and he didn't respond."

Chen Sizhe, who was closer to Qian Tong, leaned over first and examined Qian Tong's eyelids. His brows furrowed as he looked closer. "The whites of her eyes are bluish, and her pupils don't reflect light. We can't wait any longer; we have to go now."

“Okay!” Wen Dai immediately pulled the canvas bag off the wooden cabinet, hugged the bag with one hand, strode over, opened the door, and rushed into the night.

The shantytowns were lower than the city skyline, and the air was even more stifling in that sunken space.

There were no lights on the path leading to the stream, and her long, loose hair swayed wildly against her back. Wen Dai groped her way through the darkness, relying on the fairy's guidance to avoid obstacles, but she still couldn't escape the fate of being knocked away by the outstretched hands of low trees.

Wandering through a thicket of trees, one comes into view of a long, winding river. The clear moonlight spills across its surface, and the gentle murmur of the flowing water soothes the ears. What should have been a serene scene appears only as desolation to a discerning observer. People have died in this river, far more than one; and those who died in the river have devoured others, and not just one.

The ethereal shadow floating before the riverbank was indistinct and vague, cradling only a phantom soul. Wen Dai disregarded Chen Sizhe following behind her, slung the strap of her canvas bag over her shoulder, pulled out a piece of yellow paper, bit her fingertip, drew a talisman with her blood, and combined it with the convenient incantation from the upper realm, striking directly at the ethereal shadow not far away.

But since it can become a vengeful ghost, it cannot be so easily harmed; with just a flick of the finger, the vengeful ghost vanished without a trace.

A hoarse voice came from behind Wen Dai: "Now the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. You acted impulsively just now." Chen Sizhe brushed aside the fallen branches and walked out to stand back to back with Wen Dai, turning his gaze to take in the surroundings with meticulous detail.

"Then be careful, I have a protector, it can't hurt me." Wen Dai said irresponsibly and closed her eyes. She sensed the location of the evil spirit and, through her spiritual vision, she saw that the evil spirit was rapidly changing its position, moving from a distant mound to the other side of the river.

However, in a moment, she suddenly pushed Chen Sizhe away from behind. She saw four claw marks where Chen Sizhe had just stood, and the sunken soil was emitting black energy. Because she had just stretched out her arm, her forearm had been injured by the evil spirit, and the soul within her body was emitting black energy that was no different from that in the soil.

The pain of the soul is incomparable to the pain of the body. Wen Dai clicked her tongue, turned her gaze away from the wound on her arm, looked up and glared fiercely at the vengeful ghost, and said sarcastically, "A piece of trash is a piece of trash. All you can do is use dirty tricks. It's good that you know your place and know that you can't beat us head-on."

Chen Sizhe, who had taken several steps back, stared at her in astonishment, his gaze slowly moving from her injury to her face; the young woman in her early twenties had a hint of naivety in her features, yet the expression on her face was shrewd and experienced. She was using reverse psychology. The words of concern stuck in his throat were not appropriate to be uttered at this moment, so he pursed his lips.

The sinister, sharp laughter went straight to his brain, making his temples ache. Every word he uttered was filled with ruthlessness: "You little brat, you haven't even grown your hair yet and you dare to spout such nonsense. Today, your ancestor will teach you how to be a human being!"

Suddenly, the wind howled, and the nearby bushes swayed and the branches rustled. Several fallen leaves became blades, flying towards Wen Dai and Chen Sizhe.

"Five thunders, five thunders, hurry to Huang Ning. The mist changes, the thunder roars and the lightning flashes... Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!" Chen Sizhe promptly formed the thunder seal, and the leaves seemed to have suddenly had their souls taken away, returning to the soil.

He reached out and pulled Wen Dai in front of him, making a few hand gestures and poking her shoulders and back. Sensing that she was about to struggle, Chen Sizhe explained, "I can see the spirits on you. I didn't harm them or touch your acupoints. I just placed a protective spell on you. Thanks for earlier. Leave the rest to me."

The vengeful ghost happened to leap from the distant sky, its five fingers forming claws, seemingly intent on attacking the heart. "You're truly fearless, aren't you? Do you think my skills are nothing? Today I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

In an instant, Chen Sizhe pulled Wen Dai behind him, then his left thumb formed a mudra, and his right hand formed a thunder seal, chanting, "Swish, fire, lightning, thunder! Thunder God beats the drum, Wind God stirs the dust! With a tremor of thunder, all demons turn to dust..."

Just a second before the vengeful ghost's claws were about to reach into Chen Sizhe's heart, the thin clouds that had been drifting in the tranquil night sky suddenly began to churn, and a blinding flash of lightning struck down unexpectedly, followed by a deafening roar that echoed throughout the shantytown.