I huddled under the covers, my whole body trembling. Four knocks on the door that night—I knew without a doubt that it was someone from outside who was up to no good.
Just as I was filled with terror, I heard a voice outside again, "Tu Dao, how many times have I told you, when you knock on someone's door at night, don't knock four times."
My tense heart immediately relaxed; it turned out that Hu Ergou and his son had arrived.
I jumped out of bed and ran to open the door.
As soon as Hu Tudao saw me, he asked, "Changming, I forgot what my dad told me. Did I scare you?"
"Uh, no, come in and sit down." Of course, I wouldn't admit to something so embarrassing.
Damn it, you almost scared the crap out of me! Who knocks on the door like that in the middle of the night?
If Hu Ergou hadn't been there, I would have given you a few good whacks on the head.
"Changming, where is that dirty thing you mentioned?" Hu Ergou walked into my small room, looked around, and asked.
“It’s in that little house by the wall. I’ll take you there now,” I said, pointing in the direction of the house.
"No rush." Hu Ergou sat down in a chair and said slowly, "It's the same as before. Changming, you go get the offerings to lure him over, and then I'll take care of him."
"Uncle Hu, aren't you going over? But I heard that evil spirit is really powerful." I swallowed hard, remembering what Old Li had told me, and a chill ran down my spine. If I were to walk right into his house so late at night, and he dragged me inside, I'd be dead for sure.
"Don't worry, I'm here, you don't need to worry." Hu Ergou raised the seal in his hand and said with an arrogant look, "I don't know if this little brat has developed any intelligence yet. I'm afraid that my appearance will scare him into hiding."
"But... Uncle Hu, I'm still a little scared." I hesitated for a moment, but decided not to worry about dignity and just told Hu Ergou that I was scared.
Actually, there's a reason I'm afraid. I always feel that this filthy thing is different from the ones I've encountered before. Although I was also afraid of the ones I encountered before, I didn't feel like I was facing death. But this one is different. Every time I encounter it, I feel like I'm its food.
Upon hearing this, Hu Ergou took out a talisman from his side bag and handed it to me, saying, "This is a talisman I drew myself. It has been blessed, so you can go without worry. If he dares to get within half a meter of you, this talisman will blast him away."
“Yes, Changming, my dad’s talismans are incredibly powerful, and they’ve already been blessed. Most evil spirits wouldn’t even dare to get close to you,” Hu Tudao said from the side.
I reached out and took the talisman, carefully placing it on my chest. If it had been given to me by Hu Tudao, I might not have believed it, but Hu Ergou is different; Hu Ergou has real skills.
"Okay, I'll go lure him out." I gently touched the talisman in my chest, and a sense of security inexplicably welled up inside me.
"Go ahead, I'll have Tu Dao keep an eye on you from afar. As soon as anything happens on your end, I'll rush over and wipe him out with one big seal." Hu Er Gou said domineeringly, holding the big seal in one hand and gently patting my shoulder with the other.
"Let's go, Changming. I've prepared everything for you. Don't worry, with me and your dad behind you, you can confidently lure him out." Hu Tudao patted my shoulder, mimicking Hu Ergou, and said casually.
At this point, I could only nod, pick up a cardboard box, and walk toward the small hut by the wall, while Hu Tudao followed me at a distance.
I used my phone to light my way as I walked forward, glancing back at Hu Tudao every now and then. Whenever Hu Tudao saw me turn around, he would give me an "OK" sign, meaning that I could rest assured.
With immense trepidation, I finally reached a spot two meters in front of the hut. I glanced back at Hu Tudao and saw him hiding around the corner, peeking out with half his head and making the "okay" gesture with his left hand again.
Doesn't this look a bit like when I was secretly watching An Lili today?
I shook my head and stopped thinking about it. Just knowing that Hu Ergou was right behind me made my fearful heart feel much calmer.
Put the cardboard box on the ground, take out the food offerings, and place them on the ground one by one. Hu Tudao had already told me the specific process, which was actually similar to what I gave Xu Huihui last time.
I lit the white candle and placed it in front of me, then lit three incense sticks and placed them next to the candle. I also arranged the tea and wine cups, but this time I didn't bring any paper money. In Hu Tudao's words, since we're going to die anyway, why bother burning paper money for him?
After arranging everything and sprinkling some incense ash around it, I glanced back at Hutudao and found that Hutudao was still watching me. I suddenly felt less nervous. What's wrong with him? He's just a vicious, dirty thing.
With Hu Ergou around, it wouldn't be easy to get rid of him. I secretly cheered myself on, constantly telling myself not to be afraid.
I picked up the teapot and poured half a cup of tea into the three cups in front of me. Then I picked up the wine pot and poured a little wine into the three cups behind me. Then I stood up and, as usual, clasped my hands in a fist salute.
After bowing, I stood there, staring intently at the small house. It was quiet all around, and there was no movement.
I held my breath. Although I kept telling myself not to be afraid, I could still hear my heart pounding, and my expression gradually became tense.
I waited for a while, but there was still no movement. Just as I was about to squat down and offer another toast,
"Creak!"
I heard the door open, and I shuddered. In the dim light of the candle, I saw the wooden door slowly open a crack, and then a gust of cold wind blew out.
I immediately shivered and subconsciously looked back, only to find that Hu Tudao was nowhere to be seen around the corner.
When I turned around, I saw that the candle flame had turned a ghostly blue.
I wanted to scream, but with my mouth open, no matter how hard I shouted, I could only make weak whimpering sounds. If I didn't make those sounds myself, I don't think I would even hear them myself. It felt like someone was choking me.
When I couldn't call out, I tried to run back, but my legs felt like they were made of lead and I couldn't lift them at all.
It's over, it's really over this time.
Under my gaze, I saw a row of footprints appear on the incense ash I had scattered on the ground, slowly approaching me. Soon they appeared in front of the offerings, and then a strange scene unfolded.
The tea and wine cups on the ground suddenly shattered, as if someone had grabbed them and crushed them. The food was also kicked over and over.
But I couldn't see anything in front of me at all; it all seemed to happen out of thin air.
Oh right, I suddenly remembered something and reached into my pocket.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com