When they reached the convenience store, Xiaoyue suddenly turned around and went inside.
I thought she wanted to buy water, so I called out to her back, "Just buy your water, I'm not thirsty."
"I'm not buying water!"
She was rummaging through the shelves, a small section of her lower back exposed from the hem of her white T-shirt.
"I'm buying spicy strips! For self-defense!"
My lips twitched violently.
"Don't buy spicy strips anymore."
I grabbed her and led her toward the public restroom.
"Go get some 'Red Dragon' (a type of spicy snack). Spicy strips are useful, but not as effective as Red Dragon. It's just for emergencies. It's just to tell you what things can ward off ghosts. You can't carry a bag of spicy strips with you everywhere you go, can you?"
"Red Dragon?"
She tilted her head and looked at me, puzzled. "Is it one of those fire-breathing models? Can those catch ghosts too?"
"no."
I lowered my voice: "The sanitary napkins used by women during menstruation are commonly known as Red Dragon."
Her face flushed instantly, and her Crocs screeched against the tiles: "Master, what do you need that thing for?!"
"To ward off evil spirits."
I took out my cigarette case and tapped it: "Menstrual blood belongs to Yang and can dispel Yin evil—especially dried red dragon blood, which has the strongest Yang energy."
"Don't you young people say that 'sanitary napkins are girls' biological weapons? They're perfect for warding off evil spirits.'"
"But they say that menstruation makes you more susceptible to ghosts..."
She clutched the hem of her clothes and backed away: "Isn't this a paradox?"
"A weak constitution indicates deficient Yang, while menstrual blood indicates excess Yang."
I spoke as if I were lecturing an elective course to college students: "Just like a power bank is easy to shut down when it runs out of power, but can keep other devices running when it's fully charged—the principle is the same."
She nodded as if she understood, and dawdled toward the women's restroom, glancing back at me three times along the way, her eyes looking at me like I was a pervert.
A few minutes later, she crept out furtively, carrying a pile of sanitary napkins in her arms.
Is that enough?
She shoved the sanitary napkins into my arms: "I took ten, including the extra-long overnight version!"
Looking at her serious expression, my throat tightened: "You don't need that many... just one piece will do. Tear open the seal and stick it to your chest."
"Place it on your chest?"
Her eyes widened: "That's so embarrassing..."
"What's there to be afraid of?"
I pulled one out and stuffed it into her hand: "It's better than being choked by a ghost. Remember, if the sanitary napkin gets hot and smokes, tear it open and throw it away immediately. That means the yin energy is too heavy and the red dragon is spontaneously combusting."
Blushing, she stuffed the sanitary napkin into her T-shirt, squeezing the cartoon bear's eyes out of shape: "Master, if my classmates see this... I'll never be able to clear my name!"
"Before jumping into the Yellow River, let the ghosts die first."
I patted her on the shoulder: "Besides, the Yellow River is muddy and has a strong yang energy, even ghosts are afraid of it."
Let's go.
I pulled out a lighter and waved it around: "When we get to Mengmeng's house, you're in charge of putting on the red dragon stickers, and I'll be in charge of lighting the fire. If the sanitary napkins get too hot, remember to call me 'firefighter'."
She nodded vigorously, and the corner of the sanitary napkin packaging peeked out from her T-shirt, like a small white flag.
Sometimes it has to be admitted that folk wisdom is more effective than classical texts when it comes to exorcising ghosts.
After all, even ghosts would never imagine that humans would use everyday items to create such a down-to-earth display.
Upon reaching the entrance of the building, the walls were covered with small advertisements for "drain cleaning" and "certificate processing".
As they reached the top of the stairs, Xiaoyue suddenly pointed and exclaimed, "Master! Aren't those Mengmeng's slippers?"
How would I know whose slippers they are?
I looked in the direction she was pointing and saw a pink slipper lying on the steps.
The shoes still had fresh mud stains on them, with the toes facing inwards.
This is the formation of "ghosts blocking the road".
However, if these are cute slippers.
Shouldn't her house be on the 3rd floor?
Why should I leave my slippers at the bottom of the stairs on the first floor?
I grabbed my slippers and stuffed them into the trash can.
I accidentally bumped into the metal cover.
With a loud bang, the old man upstairs poked his head out and exclaimed, "Bang, bang, bang! What's going on?!"
I quickly apologized to him.
The old man had a fiery temper; he cursed at me for a minute before pulling his head back.
Xiaoyue's hands trembled as she clutched the sachet, and her Crocs made a creaking sound as she stepped onto the stairs.
"Master, Mengmeng lives in 302, and her security door keeps rattling by itself..."
"knew."
I took out the VIP card the landlady had given me, folded it into a triangle in my hand, and used it as a temporary talisman.
"Remember, no matter what you see later, don't scream or run around. Cover your nose with the sachet and always keep an eye on the red dragon on your chest."
She nodded vigorously, and the cartoon bear's ears stood up.
"I'm not afraid! I'll fight the evil spirits if necessary!"
The motion-activated lights in the hallway were broken, so we groped our way upstairs in the dark.
Someone had drawn a distorted smiling face on the wall with a red pen, which looked like a bleeding wound in the moonlight.
On the third floor, at the corner, there were several bags of moldy Chinese medicine residue.
This is a folk remedy for "exorcising ghosts," but unfortunately it was used in the wrong place and instead attracted evil spirits.
"arrive……"
Xiaoyue's voice trembled as she fumbled on the iron door of room 302.
"Mengmeng! It's me! Open the door!"
The interior was as silent as a grave.
"Master, is no one home?"
I leaned closer to the crack in the door and smelled a strong, rotten odor.
It wasn't a corpse, but rather the sour stench of accumulated yin substances.
"We don't know if there's anyone inside, but there's clearly something wrong with this door. Even if there is someone inside, you can shout until you're hoarse and it won't open, and the person inside won't hear you."
"What does that mean?" Xiaoyue was a little confused.
I pushed Xiaoyue aside and took out a five-emperor coin from my pocket.
"This door is locked by yin energy; it needs to be opened with yang energy."
"Phallic object?"
Xiaoyue's eyes widened: "You're going to take off your shoes?"
"What are you thinking about!"
I rolled my eyes at her. What does this have to do with taking off your shoes?
I inserted the five-emperor coins into the crack in the door: "Look carefully, this is called 'using coins to open the door to the underworld'—it's the same principle as you using your campus card to open the dormitory door."
As soon as he finished speaking, the iron gate creaked open a crack on its own.
Xiaoyue suddenly grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my flesh: "Master... is that evil thing waiting for us inside?"
"Don't be afraid."
I patted the back of her hand: "With the things I gave you, plus the red dragon you stuck to your chest, ghosts won't dare to come near."
Upon hearing my words, Xiaoyue took out several red dragon cards and slapped them against her chest.
I asked her, "What are you doing?"
"Slap on a few more insurance policies." Xiaoyue chuckled twice.
"OK."
I said, "When we go in later, you'll be in charge of throwing the red dragon, and I'll be in charge of beating up the ghost—remember, throw it in the ghost's face."
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