After Lan He joined the team, he quickly got along with everyone. Shi Xuan liked him the most, and Lan He suspected it was because she didn’t have a professional background. She needed to immerse herself in the role, and once she was in character, she truly saw him as her brother.
“Brother, you know, they all say things have been weird lately.” In the makeup room, Shi Xuan spoke mysteriously to Lan He.
Lan He glanced at her and couldn’t help but gasp, “It is quite weird… Can you talk to me after you’ve put on some blush?”
Shi Xuan looked at herself in the mirror. She had just applied foundation, and her face was pale without blush or lipstick. Under the light, she looked even more bloodless, indeed a bit terrifying. She held her face and said, “So flawless, hahaha!”
She usually liked to play with the camera. Inspired, she raised the camera to take a picture of herself and Lan He in the mirror, one with a snow-white face and the other seemingly unable to bear looking. She found it interesting, capturing the actors’ state before the shoot.
As she took photos, Shi Xuan continued, “It’s not that, you know there’s a five-element feng shui array in the capital, right? The five elements correspond to five objects: the east wood is the sacred wood from the ancient Shenmu Factory, the south fire is the ancient Yandun, the west metal is the bell of Juehui, the north water is the bronze ox of Minghu, and the center is the Wanshou Mountain.”
Lan He played dumb, “I’ve heard of it, but aren’t there many versions? I’ve also heard of things like iron towers, bronze wells, and screen walls.”
He had heard from First Lady about the new and old five-element arrays in the capital. These were the five elements of the Ming Dynasty, and there were also hidden five elements. It was chaotic because of the recent issues. But First Lady hadn’t revealed which version was true and which objects were problematic.
Shi Xuan brought up the topic with great certainty, mentioning the recent weirdness in the capital. Could she know something? Maybe she also dealt with the supernatural?
Shi Xuan said, “Recently, the bell of Juehui, the west metal object, rang unexpectedly! They say it was due to ghosts, and someone placed paper effigies at the police station overnight. So the monks at the temple rang the bell once to suppress it. But this year’s fortune is bad. Unless the bell is rung 108 times, it won’t fully calm down. But these are cultural relics. Can they withstand 108 strikes?”
Lan He thought, “…”
This event sounded very familiar… It seemed Shi Xuan was merely repeating rumors without an accurate timeline. So he calmly said, “Which fortune-teller told you this? Every year there are such rumors in the circle.”
In this circle, many people were superstitious, each worshipping their gods from various sects. Lan He had seen many types of mystics over the years, from common monks, Taoists, and priests to niche ones like Mongolian shamans, Menba exorcists, and Cantonese masters. There were too many.
But even if there were ghosts, one mustn’t lose their composure. The more scared you are, the more likely you are to be targeted.
“Yes, it happens every year, but no year has the Juehui bell rung without reason during non-festive times. I heard they might choose a new object to replace it. I wonder what they’ll pick,” Shi Xuan said awkwardly.
That was possible. First Lady seemed to be busy with something similar. It wasn’t surprising that the metaphysical community knew and vaguely leaked it. Lan He casually said, “If it involves some big officials, maybe they rang the bell for blessings.” In fact, the bell was rung to guide Song Futan.
At this point, Zhang Qingyou entered, hearing part of the conversation, and laughed, “Shi Xuan is talking about that disaster year theory again. Didn’t the newspapers debunk it? The bell was struck for maintenance, and the paper effigies were recovered for their owners, placed at the police station for collection…”
Lan He thought, “I didn’t watch the news. Even I didn’t know the official explanation! I should read the papers more to keep up.”
Shi Xuan argued, “But who steals paper effigies? Isn’t that strange!”
“The world is full of strange things,” Zhang Qingyou said. “Anyway, Lan He doesn’t believe in ghosts. I heard about a creepy incident on a film set he was on, and he wasn’t scared at all.”
The circle was small, and Zhang Qingyou heard from others on the same set. After all, it was Lan He and Chen Xingyang who discovered the tombstone-made inkstone. Such a bizarre thing, yet Lan He wasn’t afraid. When discussing mutual acquaintances, it was inevitable to mention it.
Shi Xuan reluctantly said, “Okay.”
These days they were shooting outdoor scenes. They got up early to do their makeup and then took a car to the location. At this time, it was only five o’clock, and the sky was just starting to brighten.
Several young actors had agreed to sit in the same business car. Just as they were about to start, Zhang Qingyou suddenly saw something flash outside and quickly told the driver, “Wait! Don’t start yet!”
His keen eyesight allowed him to notice something. He got up and checked, “I think I saw a small animal run under the car. We don’t want to run over a stray cat.”
“Oh no, is there a cat? Driver, please don’t start the car yet.” Shi Xuan, who had a cat at home, felt a pang of concern, “Wait a moment, I’ll go shoo the cat away.”
By this time, the other vehicles in the crew had already started to leave. The driver, not wanting to offend the lead actress, softly urged, “Please hurry, otherwise we’ll fall behind.”
Shi Xuan and her assistant got out of the car, and within seconds, they heard her exclaim, “Ah!!”
Both were girls. Lan He, sitting by the door, immediately jumped out, “What’s wrong?”
Zhang Qingyou also poked his head out, “What happened?”
Shi Xuan, still shaken, covered her mouth, “I thought it was a cat, but when I squatted down to look, it turned out to be… Oh my god, it’s a huge hedgehog! Seeing it so close scared me to death.”
A hedgehog? Lan He squatted down to look and saw a large, motionless, light brown ball of spikes under the car.
Shi Xuan took another look, her face turning pale, though it was not noticeable through her makeup. Her voice was tense, “Why is it lying in that position?”
Typically, a hedgehog disturbed would curl up and show its spikes, but this one lay on its back, exposing its belly. Shi Xuan had just talked about eerie events in the capital, and her mind was still filled with shadows, leading her to overthink.
Had Zhang Qingyou called out a little later, the car’s wheel might have crushed it. The hedgehog was so close to the wheel that the scenario was unthinkable.
Lan He said, “Hedgehogs naturally like dark places. You guys get back in the car. I’ll use a stick to move it. Hedgehogs carry a lot of bacteria.”
Shi Xuan, glancing back repeatedly, got back in the car, “Be careful.”
The driver, who was initially in a hurry, immediately agreed when he heard it was a hedgehog, “Please move it quickly, don’t hurt it. Hedgehogs are said to be spiritual creatures.”
Shi Xuan turned back, hesitant to say more.
“Right away.” Lan He found a stick and prodded the hedgehog, managing to drive it away. The hedgehog, seemingly frightened, hesitated for a while before running into the shadows by the wall.
As soon as Lan He got back in the car, the driver quickly started the engine to catch up with the other crew vehicles.
Seated, Lan He heard Shi Xuan nervously say, “I remembered my mom saying that hedgehogs are white spirits, like deities of wealth. They like peace and shouldn’t be disturbed. That one was so big… Are we going to be okay after driving it away?”
Lan He almost forgot, hedgehogs were associated with the Bai Immortals. Because the fame of the Hu and Huang clans was so great, the Bai Immortals weren’t as well known, even less so than the least ranked Liu Immortals.
He hadn’t noticed anything human-like about the hedgehog, but it might have some spirituality due to its long life. “We moved it to avoid running over it. Besides, I was the one who moved it, so it’s fine.”
Shi Xuan worried for a moment, but once work began and she got busy, she quickly forgot about the white spirit.
…
That evening, everyone returned in the same car, but they were too exhausted to talk and dozed off with their eyes closed. The driver, also tired, wiped his face with cold water, focusing on the road, thinking it was fortunate they were almost there.
Lan He, sitting in the passenger seat this time, suddenly shouted, “Stop! What is that?”
The sudden command startled the driver, who saw a white thing dash across the road. Strangely, on such a wide road, the thing seemed to appear out of nowhere, and he hadn’t noticed it at all earlier. Instinctively, he slammed on the brakes.
They were also afraid of running over something on the road, especially those animals believed to have spiritual significance, like cats, dogs, or even the infamous yellow weasels. The driver’s vision seemed to blur for a moment, and he felt a chill run through him. He quickly parked the car and got out with a flashlight.
The others were jolted awake by the sudden stop, “What’s going on?”
“It seems we might have hit an animal,” Lan He replied, turning on his phone’s flashlight. As he got out of the car, he saw the driver staring at something with a peculiar expression. The beam of light illuminating his face revealed a mix of rigidity and fear.
“What is it?” Lan He directed his light in the same direction.
Hanging in front of the car was a large hedgehog, stained with blood. Such a large hedgehog wasn’t something you saw every day.
“Is this the one from this morning?” The driver’s voice was dry. He hadn’t checked the car in the morning, only hearing from them about a big hedgehog. Now there was another one, appearing out of nowhere!
The hedgehog had evidently been injured, with blood oozing from its body. It had turned over, revealing many of its spines had fallen off, looking quite pitiful.
Although they had stopped in time and didn’t run it over, it seemed the car had still hit the hedgehog. Despite its size, it couldn’t withstand even a slight collision with this steel beast.
“What did you say? A hedgehog?” Shi Xuan wanted to get out of the car, but Lan He stopped her, fearing she would scream if she saw it. She looked outside with worry, “Could it be… the same hedgehog from this morning?”
Zhang Qingyou also got out and, upon seeing it, felt a chill down his spine. Despite his usually nonchalant attitude, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “What the… This is too weird!!”
It seemed as if it was sticking to them.
The driver wiped his face, trembling, “Damn, in the team I used to work with, someone ran over a drunken yellow weasel at night. He spent a lot of money to resolve it but never could, had nightmares every day, lost his job, and was sick for a long time. God, how could this happen? We avoided it this morning… and still hit it! Such bad luck!”
โIt was as if they were doomed to bad luck.
Lan He also felt a chill. He thought of Hu 79.
He hadn’t seen any human shape in this hedgehog, but given its size and the situation, it probably had some spiritual significance.
Hu 79, after being beaten, had vowed revenge. This hedgehog being hit by their car could harbor a similar grudge.
At that moment, Lan He saw the hedgehog move slightly, slowly starting to crawl. “Hey, it’s not dead.”
The driver looked closely, a hint of relief on his face, “It really isn’t dead.” He sighed with some relief, “Good thing we stopped when we did!”
It being alive was a relief, meaning there wouldn’t be a deathly grudge, right?
Shi Xuan suddenly said, “It looks so badly injured, will it survive if it goes back?”
Her words made everyone hesitate again. Indeed, with such serious injuries, even if it wasn’t dead, would it still hold a grudge against them?
“Should we treat it?”
Despite the suggestion, no one dared to move. They just watched as the hedgehog crawled towards the side of the road.
Everyone was truly frightened by now. The whole situation felt so strange, no one dared to touch it.
Lan He sighed quietly and said, “It is quite pitiful. If a wild hedgehog is injured, it might not survive in the wild. Let’s take it to get treated.”
The others were taken aback, mentally referring to this hedgehog as the white spirit. Lan He’s mention of a wild hedgehog left them a bit confused.
Lan He, also somewhat afraid of the white spirit holding a grudge, decided to act compassionately. He found a cardboard box used for bottled water and carefully placed the hedgehog inside using an empty bottle. The injured hedgehog couldn’t resist much.
The hedgehog: “…”
The others watched him box up the hedgehog but didn’t dare to intervene. Shi Xuan checked her phone, “Um… there’s a pet hospital nearby. I’ll call and ask if they treat exotic pets.”
Lan He outwardly appeared to care about wildlife, while the others were thinking about not offending the white spirit, worried about their future prospects. United in their cautiousness, they fought their sleepiness and took the hedgehog to the pet hospital, which had a veterinarian on duty 24/7.
“Oh my, is this wild? It’s seriously injured and has lost a lot of spines.” The veterinarian examined the hedgehog. Usually, hedgehogs kept as pets are African pygmy hedgehogs, which look quite different from this one.
“Yes, we accidentally hit it. Please treat it,” Lan He said.
The veterinarian, although not familiar with their show, guessed they were either actors or models and admired their compassion. “Sure, I’ll take a look. Do you want to give it a name for the medical record?”
The others exchanged glances, hesitant to name the white spirit, unsure if it would violate any taboos.
Lan He, seen as fearless by the others, stepped up, “Since it’s lost its spines, let’s call it Yi Ping.”
Everyone: “…”
The hedgehog: “………………”
The veterinarian laughed upon examining the hedgehog, “Yi Ping is actually a male.”
He treated the wounds and gave it anti-inflammatory medicine, “Hedgehogs have good recovery abilities. It’s tough, and although the injury is severe, it should survive. However, the spike loss is unusual. Normally, a large hedgehog might lose some spines during molting, but this is extensive. It’s not likely caused by mites. Further examination is needed to see if it’s a disease. Are you willing to pay for it?”
Lan He: “It’s so big. Could it be naturally balding with age?”
The hedgehog: “???”
Lan He quickly added, “Just guessing. Let’s go ahead with the examination.”
“Alright.” The veterinarian, seeing his willingness to spend money on a rescued animal, asked, “Do you need to buy an incubator or some cat litter for bedding?”
Lan He: “No, this cardboard box is fine. I’ll get some wood shavings from a nearby construction site.”
An incubator? Might as well build a shrine for it. Lan He, sensitive due to Hu 79, declined.
Gradually, the others’ emotions calmed down…
Initially terrified of the white spirit, seeing Lan He’s attitude toward the wild animal and the hedgehog obediently receiving treatment, they started doubting their earlier fear. Looking back, it might have been a coincidence, combined with the trickiness of nighttime visibility. But at that moment, with the hedgehog appearing on the road a second time, it was truly frightening.
Not all hedgehogs are white spirits. Only those with extraordinary traits from the four major sects are considered spirit animals.
Under the bright lights, with the veterinarian treating the hedgehog and Lan He reducing its treatment level, the ominous feeling seemed to dissipate. Even if the white spirit had some spirituality, they had brought it for treatment. That should be fine.
Zhang Qingyou even began to regret wasting an hour of precious sleep time. Why did everyone need to come to the hospital? Wouldn’t just one representative suffice?
“The test results will be out tomorrow. You can leave a phone number, and I’ll notify you. For now, you can go home.”
“Thank you, doctor.” Lan He closed the box and carried it back, saying nonchalantly, “Just leave it in my room. You can come to see it whenever you want. Once it’s healed, we can release it together.”
Unconsciously, this activity had shifted from preventing the deity’s revenge to rescuing a wild animal. Shi Xuan even took out a marker pen, drew a little figure on the box, and wrote: Yi Ping, hang in there!
This time, Lan He arrived late, which turned out to be beneficial. He got a single room to himself and didn’t have to worry about a roommate being upset. He placed the hedgehog, along with the cardboard box, in a corner of the room and put some food inside, saying, “Here, eat.”
The hedgehog: “……”
Lan He was already extremely sleepy. He quickly washed up and went to bed.
In the middle of the night, Lan He vaguely heard coughing. Whose QQ was ringing…? He turned over and continued to sleep soundly.
After just a few hours, the alarm rang. It was time to get up again. Lan He got up to wash, and in the middle of it, there was a knock on the door. When he opened it, it was Zhang Qingyou, who had gotten up early and was already dressed. “Where’s Yi Ping?”
“Inside,” Lan He said while brushing his teeth, pointing to the room.
“Let me tell you, after we got back last night, my assistant told me that his mother had also caught a hedgehog before, but it escaped. When she went to catch it, she heard coughing! It was very clear and sounded old. But it was pitch black, and there was no one there. She was scared to death and quickly went back. The old folks say that’s the sound of a white deity, but the white deity has a good temperament and won’t cause harm unless provoked.”
Zhang Qingyou shared the legend he had just heard, “I’ve never heard a hedgehog make a sound. Can it really cough like a person? How similar is it? Did you hear any sounds last night?”
“What? Hedgehogs can make sounds? I don’t know. I slept very soundly last night,” Lan He replied, still sleepy. “Maybe. I’ve seen birds mimic the sound of chainsaws. Nature is amazing.”
Zhang Qingyou: “Oh…”
The superstitious atmosphere dissipated again. He didn’t think much of it and squatted by the cardboard box to check, “Yi Ping?”
The hedgehog was quietly curled up in the corner, back facing him. He couldn’t tell if it was his imagination, but he felt that Yi Ping exuded a sense of despair. Or maybe hedgehogs are just very introverted animals.
……
Today, they were filming an outdoor scene at an amusement park. The male and female leads had to show their affection here, filming from morning till night.
Lan He followed Wang Mao’s arrangement, filming the scene of the ring toss game, showcasing his professional skills as a part-time performer.
In the middle of it, he received a call from the pet hospital. They said that the test results showed that Yi Ping indeed had no parasites or other illnesses. The cause of the spike loss was unknown… In other words, it was a medical mystery.
Humans haven’t even fully understood their own bodies, let alone animals. Lan He was certain that the white deity might have some cultivation. He simply said he would continue to observe and then hung up.
In the evening, while they were filming Zhang Qingyou’s solo scenes, Lan He was resting nearby. Shi Xuan’s assistant came over and asked if he had seen her.
“Did she go to the bathroom? You don’t know where she is?” Lan He noticed the assistant seemed quite anxious.
The assistant said, “She said she was looking for a good angle to take pictures. I turned around, and she was gone.”
At night, the amusement park was empty except for the crew filming. The place was quite large. Although Shi Xuan had no more scenes to shoot later, the assistant was worried Shi Xuan might get lost. Shi Xuan’s phone was with the assistant, so she couldn’t be reached.
The assistant was also a girl. Lan He stood up and said, “It’s not convenient to broadcast right now because they’re filming… How about I help you look around, and you can check this area and ask around?”
The assistant repeatedly apologized, not expecting Lan He to be so gentlemanly.
In the large amusement park, lights were on everywhere, but there was no one around. Only the noise from the film crew could be heard from afar, but the further they walked, the less clear it became.
Woo wooโ
A gust of eerie wind blew past.
Lan He sniffled, feeling that this eerie wind was somewhat familiar: “No way?”
He turned his head, and a dead face was hanging behind him, scaring him so much that his heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, it was Old Bai.
Old Bai let out two sinister laughs: “I’m investigating a case. What a coincidence to run into you, Xiao Lai. It seems this is destined by heaven…”
“I’m out here filming. I didn’t bring any ingots.” Lan He looked at him suspiciously. “Investigating a case? Are you sure you’re not just here to ask me for money?”
Old Bai: “Do I need an excuse to ask you for money?”
Lan He: “…Sorry.”
It’s my fault for doubting your shamelessness.
Old Bai said flippantly, “Then what should I do if I have no money?”
“What does that have to do with me? You weren’t supposed to get any money on this trip anyway, right? Don’t look at me,” Lan He searched himself in frustration, and actually found a piece of paper. He folded it into an ingot and handed it to Old Bai, who took it immediately and made a very unfilial sound, “Tsk tsk tsk…”
Lan He: “Well, why don’t you finish your case and then come to my hotel… No, you can’t come to my hotel. There’s a Bai Immortal staying in my room now.”
“Huh?” Old Bai looked him over. “You refused the fox immortal, but accepted a Bai Immortal?”
Lan He: “It was an accident. I accidentally ran into it.” He recounted his encounters over the past few days to Old Bai, how he met the Bai Immortal and pretended not to know anything while accommodating it.
Old Bai’s dead face twisted into a smile. “Let me ask you, is your car big and heavy?”
Lan He: “Uh… just an ordinary business car, and it was full.”
Old Bai: “Hmm, then you did save this hedgehogโyou know the Bai clan’s method of cultivation?”
Lan He suddenly felt something was wrong: “What do you mean?”
Old Bai said with a grin: “It’s not surprising you didn’t think of it. The Bai clan is the least spiritual and hardest to attain enlightenment among the four major clans. They usually prefer quiet, and they’re very timid, only curling up to cultivate. You know, those spikes are for defense, very passive.
“The Bai Immortal’s method of cultivation is also very special. Every now and then, they lie down in the tracks and wait for a vehicle to run over them. If they survive, they pass this stage. After passing three stages, they gain spiritual power and officially become immortals, taking on human form. The one you encountered is probably quite diligent, not waiting for tracks but actively seeking out cars.”
No wonder, Lan He suddenly realized why the hedgehog was lying under the car the first time and actively bumped into them later. They thought it was drunk, who would have thought it was seeking death: “…So pessimistic? What if something happens? Does it all go to waste?”
Old Bai gave him a strange look: “You could say that. Most of them just die outright.”
Lan He: “…”
This really isn’t much different from seeking death, the Bai clan is just too gloomy and pessimistic!
“Um, no way, is there no other trick?”
Look at Hu 79 and the others, they carefully protect their inner cores and think of all sorts of ways to avoid calamity.
Old Bai thought for a long time, then said, “No, there isn’t. Besides, aren’t cars made of iron now? They’re bigger and heavier than the wooden carts from before, so in the past century, even fewer Bai Immortals have attained enlightenment. Also, they’re not very bright and their eyesight is poor. Some Bai Immortals don’t know what they’re thinking and lie under high-speed trains. One crack, and they’re dead.”
He covered his mouth and whispered, “So, privately, we secretly call the Bai clan the doom clan.”
Lan He: “โฆโฆโฆโฆ”
…They’re too inflexible. Seeking calamity under a high-speed train, you need an extraordinary amount of luck to survive. No wonder there are far fewer modern legends about Bai Immortals compared to the other four major clans.
Old Bai: “So, the hedgehog you picked up lost its spikes because it reached a certain level of cultivation and couldn’t delay any longer. It had to seek death… no, seek calamity. It has a fate with you, choosing your car twice to be run over. If you say it’s unlucky, it indeed didn’t die, otherwise, with the size of your car, it would definitely be dead. But if you say it’s lucky, it also got hit… injured but didn’t pass the test. It must be run over to pass, getting hit doesn’t count.”
Lan He sighed: “So strict?”
He thought it counted as passing the test marginally, but getting hit doesn’t count, then the injury was in vain.
Animal cultivation isn’t easy, and the Bai Immortals are the hardest among the four major clans. Lan He said, “Okay, I’ll continue to pretend I don’t know anything, wait for it to heal, and see if I can discreetly recommend a lighter car… It’s a bit pitiful for the Bai Immortals. Do you think a toy car would count? What about bumper cars?”
Old Bai: “??”
Old Bai was stunned: “I really don’t know about that.”
Lan He: “Oh, I’ll find an opportunity to try.”
Old Bai tossed the paper ingot, suspecting that his incense offerings would be divided, and said sourly, “First the fox immortal, then the Bai Immortal, you’re quite kind-hearted…”
Lan He sighed, “I can’t help it, I’m always too soft-hearted, always willing to be a father figure, spending money and incense.”
Old Bai, holding the ingot: “???”
Author’s note:
Hedgehog: _(:ะท)โ )_
I just caught up with the chapters today, thank you for the translation ! Poor Bai Immortal though T.T
Damn that cultivation method is brutal 0_0
And our Lan He is truly becoming a babysitter for so many different beings XD