Back to Yuan Ying's paper fire shop.
I gathered 180 sheets of paper money, nine pairs of paper figures and horses, and also a paper luxury yacht and an exquisite villa.
I carried these items and found an open space.
It was already dark, and only the occasional sound of the wind could be heard.
I neatly arranged the paper money, paper figures, paper horses, yachts, and villas, then took out a lighter and lit a corner of the paper money.
The flames spread rapidly, instantly engulfing the paper money.
As I added paper money to the fire, I began to recite as Yuan Ying had instructed: "Four Lords of the Underworld, I have offended you out of ignorance. I have prepared this small gift in hopes that you will forgive me and not hold it against me."
Just then, I suddenly felt the air get cold.
It felt as if all warmth had been instantly drained away, and a chill shot straight from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.
I shivered and looked around.
Before anyone knew it, a large crowd had gathered around.
They stood silently not far away, their eyes fixed on my burning fire.
I was startled and looked closely at these people. I found that their feet were half an inch off the ground and their figures seemed somewhat illusory.
Moreover, their faces were as pale as paper, their eyes were empty, and they had no life in them.
These are not living people; they are all wandering ghosts attracted by these things.
They stared greedily at what I was burning, their eyes gleaming with longing.
Just as the little devils were getting restless, the ground suddenly began to shake violently.
The familiar black vortex reappeared, exuding a nauseating stench.
Upon seeing this, the little devils screamed in terror and scattered like birds and beasts, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Just then, I felt something moving behind me.
A bone-chilling coldness swept over me from behind.
Although I didn't turn around, the chill told me that four underworld officials were standing right behind me, staring straight at me.
I forced myself to remain calm, my hands still moving as I continued reciting, "I sincerely apologize and hope that the four gentlemen will show leniency."
Just then, a deep engine sound came from afar, and a dilapidated bus slowly drove up.
The car body was covered in rust, and the headlights emitted a faint, dim light.
After the car came to a stop, the door creaked open and two hunched-over ghost messengers stepped out.
They were dressed in long black robes, their hats covering most of their faces, revealing only a pair of eyes that emitted an eerie green light.
They walked to the fire and began to collect the ashes.
Surprisingly, the ashes transformed instantly in their hands.
The paper yachts, villas, paper figures, and paper horses that had been burned to ashes gradually came to life under their touch.
The yacht was brand new and shiny, and the villa was restored to its magnificent appearance.
The most amazing thing was the paper horse.
As the ashes swirled, the horse's form gradually solidified, transforming into a lifelike, tall, magnificent steed.
Upon seeing this, the two underworld messengers grabbed the reins of the tall horse and forcefully shoved it into the bus.
The carriage looked small and dilapidated, but when the tall horse was pushed in, it was as if it had entered an endless space.
"They do know the rules."
A hoarse voice came from behind, carrying a metallic, rusty smell.
I kept my head down and glanced at my side out of the corner of my eye.
It was definitely those four underworld officials.
"If you go to places you shouldn't go again next time, it won't be as simple as just accepting gifts."
The leader of the underworld officials used a ghost-head knife to lift my chin.
I pretended not to see him and continued reading: "Four Lords of the Underworld, I have offended you out of ignorance. I have prepared a small gift and hope you will forgive me and not hold it against me."
I didn't dare to look up until the bus disappeared into the fog.
The embers in the brazier suddenly ignited without wind, outlining four twisted blood-red characters on the ground: "Debts have been absolved."
Is this the end?
I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave.
Back at the paper craft shop, he hung up the paper wind chimes as Yuan Ying had instructed.
Yuan Ying once warned me that there are specific rules about how to hang wind chimes.
In the morning, a copper wind chime should be hung at the entrance to welcome living people.
In the afternoon, the paper wind chimes are put up to receive the "guests" from the underworld.
The regularity of business hours in this paper craft shop is somewhat unusual.
Usually, seven or eight o'clock in the morning is the busiest time of day.
This time often coincides with the funeral procession or the moment when people bring the deceased home from the hospital.
Purchase firecrackers to ward off evil spirits, or select funeral supplies such as paper money to send off the deceased.
But once the afternoon was over, the shop was deserted and the whole place fell into a dead silence.
If people still come to patronize the place at night, then there's more to it than meets the eye.
Those who come at this time are generally not doing ordinary business.
It's not that ghosts will necessarily appear to buy things, but those customers must have encountered something extremely difficult at home.
Perhaps it was the inexplicable series of disasters that befell them, or perhaps it was the strange phenomena that kept appearing in their home that left them with nowhere to turn.
They could only pin their hopes on the items in the paper offering shop, hoping to resolve the crisis through them.
After hanging up the paper wind chimes and seeing that no one was coming, I took out my phone and dialed Luo Tianhe's number.
The phone rang three times before it was finally answered, but it wasn't Luo Tianhe who answered; it was the voice of the policeman who had called me earlier.
I asked him if Luo Tianhe had returned, and he said no before hanging up the phone.
He was quite polite when he spoke to me before, but now he's incredibly cold.
I figured he must be busy, so I didn't call again.
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