Just because they weren’t wearing uniforms, they were still getting waylaid and robbed. This left Lan He with a feeling of helplessness. There were too many ghosts lingering in Eastern Hell, and the spirits of those who had sacrificed themselves naturally banded together over time, forming a large group.
However, according to what Lan He knew, the oldest and largest group of ghosts in China lay beneath their feet…
The sacrificial ghost noticed that Lan He and his companion showed no fear at all, thinking they must be foolhardy. He turned around and called out, “Brothers?”
Not every ghost responded, but indeed, a dozen or so stood up, while the rest had nothing to say.
The sacrificial ghost said, “The money they have on them will be split among all of us. If you won’t even give me two coins, then hand it all over.”
No one knew what he did when he was alive, but he seemed quite practiced at making threats.
Lan He pulled out a piece of paper, and with a wave of his hand, it floated away like a butterfly. Every ghost knew this was a letter, but he hadn’t written anything on it yet.
The sacrificial ghost mocked, “What, sending a letter to Hunan to find help? Will they make it in time?”
Lan He then pulled a golden ingot from his coat. Since they were heading to Eastern Hell’s underworld, these were certainly necessary.
The gleaming ingot blinded the ghosts. Even those who had been sitting far away stood up, exclaiming, “Wow… Who knew ghosts from out of town were so rich?”
But Lan He held onto the money without giving it to them. The sacrificial ghost’s eyes were glued to the ingot. He usually only got his hands on paper money; how long had it been since he’d seen real gold? “Go, get them!”
The sacrificial ghosts surged forward, but just then, a red light appeared in the distance.
It started as a single point, then many more followed.
Lan He noticed it and thought, “They’re fast, as expected from their close proximity. They arrived even quicker than in the capital. After all, in the capital, they might be busy with other tasks, but here in the underworld, they’re just escorting ghosts back.”
Song Futan raised an eyebrow, “So many?”
Lan He smirked, “This is the territory of Mount Tai—”
He was repeating the exact words the sacrificial ghost had just said to him.
The sacrificial ghost felt a hint of confusion, but thought nothing of it. He grinned smugly and said, “Oh, now you’re scared? You call this ‘many’? You out-of-towners don’t even know how many brothers I’ve got in Dai’an…”
Before he could finish, he was knocked flat by a group of officials from Eastern Hell’s underworld in full uniform, who plowed right through him. Struggling to lift his head, he saw a sea of red lanterns.
Living in Dai’an, how could he not know that this meant the passage of underworld soldiers? But why were they trampling over him? Before he could figure it out, his head was stomped on again, making it even flatter.
Old Bai was the first to reach Lan He, grabbing the ingot from his hand with a grin. “So that’s why you sent me a letter. Ran into some thugs, huh?”
Lan He replied, “They tried to bully us with numbers, so I taught them a lesson.”
Although it was Lan He’s first time here, this was Mount Tai’s territory, and beneath it was Eastern Hell’s underworld. A single shout brought down a horde of colleagues to stomp the sacrificial ghosts.
As Lan He spoke, he put on his own hat. Among the ghosts, some he recognized from his shifts, while others he didn’t, probably from other districts, all brought by Old Bai. He cupped his hands and said, “Thank you, colleagues.”
The ghost officials replied one after another, “No need to thank us.”
“We’re all family. Unity is strength…”
“So, this is Xiao Lai? As wealthy as the rumors say!”
The sacrificial ghost was left stunned, listening to their conversation: “…………”
No wonder he had repeated that phrase back to him…
This was Mount Tai’s territory, Mount Tai’s territory, and he had threatened one of Eastern Hell’s underworld enforcers here?!
Tears of frustration welled up as he cried out from the dirt, “You… If only you had said earlier that you were an official! How could I dare bully you!”
If he had known they were officials, would he have even tried to outnumber them? He must have been out of his mind. One piece of paper had summoned hundreds of ghost officials to beat him up…
“You deserved it. You lot always need a good lesson, and you tried to bully him?” Old Bai said coldly. “Consider yourself lucky you only got ganged up on. Do you even know how powerful our Xiao Lai really is?”
Lan He added, “It’s about giving them a taste of their own medicine.” He was fed up with their habit of bullying with numbers and running illegal ghost tours.
These sacrificial ghosts lived in Dai’an and were well-informed. The sacrificial ghost pulled his head out of the ground, glanced up, and saw the hat on Lan He’s head with the four characters, *”Since I’m here.”*
Sacrificial ghost: “…………You’re *Since I’m here*?!”
No wonder so many ghost officials were helping him. It wasn’t just because they were fellow officials. Back when Lan He caused a ruckus in the underworld, he embarrassed the officials there and even made them rename the Yellow Springs Road. This story had spread widely among the underworld. Due to this bit of history, many felt it was awesome to see someone stir things up at the headquarters.
So even if Lan He didn’t have any money, they would have gladly come to cheer him on.
The sacrificial ghost now understood why the official had said he was getting off easy. If Lord Lai himself had taken action…
The sacrificial ghost crawled forward a few steps, “Wuwu, I blame myself for not recognizing the authority of Mount Tai’s underworld, my lord…” He even tried to grab hold of Lan He’s leg.
Lan He frowned.
Song Futan planted his sword in front of the ghost’s eyes, forcing him to roll backward from the sword’s aura. Trembling, he looked up at Song Futan, “Are you also an enforcer?”
Song Futan: “No, I just find you very annoying.”
Sacrificial ghost: “……”
The sacrificial ghost stuck his head back into the ground, “I really know I was wrong!”
He had finally tasted what it felt like to be ganged up on. In the past, it was always them bullying other ghosts by banding together.
…
The ghosts who hadn’t joined in the fight were fine, while those who had participated in the failed gang-up were sent to the local City God Temple for labor reform after getting trampled on.
Afterward, Lan He and Song Futan, along with Old Bai and their newly acquainted colleagues, continued their tour of the underworld, visiting landmarks like the Bridge of Helplessness.
Many of the colleagues who had helped earlier couldn’t join the tour due to other responsibilities. Before parting ways, Lan He gifted each of them a golden ingot.
Lan He stood at the bridge’s entrance, watching the river of ghosts flowing beneath it, bustling with activity. “So, this is the Bridge of Helplessness.”
Old Bai, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, said, “What you’re seeing now is only a fraction of the ghosts compared to before. Let’s not even talk about the peak of the underworld, but just a hundred years ago, both the underworld and its officials were so much more prosperous! This bridge even had three levels back then!”
Now, the size of the bridge had shrunk, and the relationship between the underworld and the gods had grown more harmonious—mostly because everyone was struggling.
“Fate is unpredictable, but when I die, I’ll probably end up in the underworld. I hope you’ll be the one to come and fetch me.” Lan He remarked.
“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely come to get you. And Xiao Song too! If I have to fight the underworld, I’ll still bring you along,” Old Bai enthusiastically waved his hands. “When the time comes, I’ll send you both to reincarnate together, as brothers in the next life!”
Lan He: “……”
Song Futan: “……”
Lan He: “…You’re too cruel!”
Just as they were talking, the crowd of ghosts suddenly parted, and a carriage slowly approached. The carriage looked plain and unremarkable, but for some reason, every ghost who saw it shrank back in fear.
“It’s Lord Fan Wujiu,” Old Bai said, quickly pulling Lan He and the others aside to make way. It turned out that the Black Impermanence, Fan Wujiu, had arrived.
The carriage moved at an unhurried pace, but when it reached them, it stopped without any further action.
Old Bai looked around nervously, unsure of what this meant.
After a while, a cold voice came from the carriage: “Why is there a soul belonging to the underworld here?”
It turned out he had noticed Song Futan.
Old Bai quickly responded, “Reporting to my lord, this soul is connected to our underworld’s life impermanence chain, and that’s why he followed us. He will leave shortly.”
Fan Wujiu was silent for a moment, then lifted the curtain to take a closer look. “You chained him?”
Lan He met his gaze and immediately felt a chill throughout his body. As expected of the Black Impermanence. He replied, “Yes, I chained him.”
Fan Wujiu: “……”
Fan Wujiu looked a little speechless, likely because, despite not being a monk, Song Futan’s demeanor clearly showed he belonged to the Buddhist side. Yet here he was, chained to Lan He.
Fan Wujiu stared at Lan He: “Then how… do you have Xie Bi’an’s chain?”
Even Old Bai didn’t know this, and he looked at Lan He in shock. He only knew that Lan He said Grandma Wang from Miaogan Mountain gave him a chain, but he didn’t know it belonged to his idol, White Impermanence, Xie Bi’an.
Lan He continued, “It was given to me by Grandma Wang from Miaogan Mountain. She said it was a relic of Lord Xie Bi’an, originally given to her to tether a donkey.”
Fan Wujiu actually chuckled twice, “…Alright then, just make sure Xie Bi’an doesn’t see it. You should return to the living realm soon.”
He dropped the curtain, and the carriage moved on.
Lan He pondered the words: *Make sure Xie Bi’an doesn’t see it.* Did that mean Xie Bi’an would be unhappy if he knew that Grandma Wang had given away the chain he had gifted her?
Before he could finish thinking it through, Old Bai, seeing that Fan Wujiu had left, shouted, “That’s Lord Xie Bi’an’s chain?!!”
He excitedly grabbed Lan He’s chain, “Let me lick it!! Hurry up!!”
The other ghost officials around them also looked envious and said, “So it’s Lord Xie Bi’an’s chain. Can we touch it, maybe absorb some of its power?”
Lan He: “…”
Disgusted, Lan He snatched the chain back from under Old Bai’s tongue. “Are you trying to make me so grossed out that I toss the chain so you can pick it up?”
Old Bai glared at him, his intentions clear without words.
Lan He had originally planned to continue exploring, but Fan Wujiu’s reminder made them realize it was time to leave, so they left reluctantly. Even as they were departing, more ghost officials who had heard the news were running over, hoping to “absorb some of the chain’s aura.”
Lan He felt as though he had come to visit the underworld, but ended up becoming the attraction instead.
.
After filming started in the Dai’an region, the team was split into two groups, with Lan He following Song Qiyun, while the assistant director led the other group.
“Look at this,” the lead actress, Yu Mengmeng, took out a box containing several stones, each about the size of two palms. “I had my assistant buy these Mount Tai stones. Take a look and see if they’re authentic. My house has a missing corner, and before I left, my mom specifically told me to buy a Mount Tai stone to bring back.”
Stones for use as “shigandang” were best sourced from Mount Tai. Mount Tai stones not only protect homes but also can be used to fill in missing corners. According to feng shui, rooms should ideally be square-shaped. When a room has a missing corner, it creates a corner defect.
A missing corner represents emptiness, which is seen as weak or unstable. The solution is to fill that emptiness with a solid object like a stone. A Mount Tai stone, with its inscribed side facing the missing corner, can neutralize the defect.
However, due to current regulations in Dai’an prohibiting the mining and trade of Mount Tai stones, the supply had dwindled, and counterfeits had begun to circulate.
But how could they tell if these were real Mount Tai stones?
Xiao Yuqian, a self-proclaimed fanboy, picked up a stone, examined it, and declared, “I think this is the real deal!”
“Right? I specifically had someone source them,” Yu Mengmeng divided the stones among Xiao Yuqian, Lan He, and the others, keeping only two for herself. The rest were gifts for the team. “Here, one for each of you.”
“Thank you,” Lan He casually accepted one of the stones.
…
Meanwhile, at the other filming location, several workers had been hired locally to assist with the production. During filming, they encountered some local loggers cutting down trees. A worker from the crew greeted them, “Heading off to film?”
“Wang Jin, what kind of tree is that?” the assistant director casually asked.
“I don’t know…” Wang Jin responded with a chuckle, but then his face suddenly darkened, and he glared at the assistant director.
The assistant director, confused, didn’t think much of it.
But once filming began, strange things started happening. The camera captured Wang Jin suddenly rushing in front of the equipment, grabbing a prop knife, and attempting to stab his own waist.
Fortunately, it was just a prop. When he swung it at himself, it only left a large bruise. Still, it scared everyone around him, and they rushed to pull him back. Wang Jin, eyes rolled back, was muttering, “Why are you cutting me? Why are you cutting me…”
Upon closer inspection, his waist and limbs were unnaturally dry, cracked, and peeling.
Everyone’s scalp tingled with fear. “Is he having a mental breakdown?”
“Take him to the hospital, quick!”
Two local workers who knew Wang Jin murmured, “He’s done for, he’s being hunted!” They helped hold Wang Jin, and because of the filming, there was cinnabar on set. They applied the cinnabar to his hands and feet, and only then did Wang Jin’s eyes stop rolling back, and he fell into a deep sleep.
The assistant director, perplexed, asked, “Why did applying cinnabar help?”
One of the workers looked at him and said, “Boss, it’s because of what you said earlier. You really messed him up!”
The assistant director, still confused but now with chills running down his spine, asked, “What do you mean?”
The worker explained, “This morning, they were cutting down an old tree over there. According to tradition, when chopping down trees, you’re not supposed to call out someone’s name or respond to anyone calling yours. Old trees can become spirits, and some might even harbor ghosts. If they take offense, they’ll remember the name, and the person will be cursed.”
At that moment, everyone turned to look at Wang Jin’s skin again. Aside from the color, it indeed resembled the bark of an old tree.
Cinnabar wards off evil spirits, which was probably why they were able to wake Wang Jin.
The assistant director shuddered, “So… is everything fine now?”
“Who knows? His hands and feet are still like that. There’s a chance it might come back to claim him. An old tree spirit can live for seven days after being felled!” The worker added, “Boss, this happened because of you. You can’t just walk away from it.”
The set erupted in whispers, and everyone couldn’t help but start discussing the incident.
In a crew like this, these kinds of things were taboo. And everyone started thinking the same thing: filming had been smooth up until they split into two groups, and now this happened.
That *Lingpan* was with Director Song’s group!
Suddenly, Dou Chunting’s painting seemed even more powerful. The assistant director also realized this and, with a serious expression, said, “Alright, we’re not going to leave him hanging. And everyone here, no more talking about this. You know how these things go—the more you talk, the worse it gets. I’ll go talk to the director.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The assistant director hurried to find Song Qiyun. Song’s first reaction was also to make sure word didn’t get out. If everyone found out and rumors spread, it would be a disaster. “Bring that worker here. Also, go talk to the loggers and see if there’s anything we can do to fix this.”
The assistant director complied, quickly driving Wang Jin to the other group and sending two local workers to find the loggers.
Song Qiyun only mentioned the situation to Dou Chunting, who beamed, cradling his Lingpan. “Leave it to me!” This was the perfect time for his treasured Lingpan to shine. “With this Lingpan, there’s no way that tree spirit can come after him.”
Song Qiyun warned him, “No big displays.”
Dou Chunting grinned, “Got it, Uncle. Heaven knows, earth knows, you and I know.”
Wang Jin was brought to the hotel where Dou Chunting placed the Lingpan on him. Sure enough, Wang Jin, who had been twitching intermittently even in his coma, gradually calmed down. He occasionally woke up but was weak, and his dry, cracked skin hadn’t healed yet.
Dou Chunting stayed by his side, feeding him a little food in between.
Later that evening, when Song Qiyun finished filming and came to check on him, he asked, “How is he?”
“He ate a little earlier. I think he should be alright in a few days,” Dou Chunting replied.
Just then, they heard a wild knocking on the door, accompanied by a strange crackling sound. The two exchanged glances, and Song Qiyun called out, “Who’s there?”
There was no response.
The knocking continued, along with the eerie crackling sound.
The more Dou Chunting listened, the more it sounded like the rustling of tree bark. After all, he’d seen ghosts before and had even dated one, and now, with the Lingpan in hand, he called out boldly, “Brother Tree, is that you? If it is, let me apologize on behalf of Wang Jin. But this has nothing to do with him—he was just passing by. We’ve already sent someone to try and save you. Could you give us a break?”
The crackling sound outside continued, but it seemed the tree spirit didn’t buy his apology. However, it didn’t dare enter. After some time, the noise finally faded away.
“Uncle, have you ever seen a tree spirit before?” Dou Chunting asked quietly.
Song Qiyun shook his head.
Dou Chunting pulled out a bottle of liquid, “This is water soaked with willow leaves. It’s said that if you apply it to your eyelids, you can see spirits. Want to take a look?”
Song Qiyun: “…”
Song Qiyun: “You’re really pushing your luck because you have the Lingpan.”
Dou Chunting gave a sheepish smile, “I guess I am.”
Ghosts and spirits were terrifying precisely because they were unknown. Now that Dou Chunting knew the Lingpan worked, he even ordered a new phone on the spot.
Song Qiyun, who was currently filming a horror movie, was genuinely curious. Plus, he couldn’t help but wonder… what kind of world did his son usually see? “Alright, but let’s just check outside the door.”
The two of them rubbed the liquid on their eyelids and opened the door, only to find the long corridor completely empty. There was no sign of any tree spirit. It seemed Brother Tree had left much faster than they had anticipated.
They didn’t dare wander too far and sighed in disappointment.
Song Qiyun even began to doubt, “Can we really see anything with this stuff?” Maybe it didn’t work, which would explain why they didn’t see anything.
Dou Chunting wasn’t so sure either, “Uh, that’s what it said online…”
As they were speaking, they saw Lan He and Song Futan walking side by side down the corridor. Lan He was holding a stone in his hands, but the eerie thing was that there was a white figure floating behind them, wearing a tall hat with its tongue sticking out.
Dou Chunting, who had been hoping to see a tree spirit and not *this* thing, nearly collapsed on the spot, his legs going weak.
Song Qiyun’s expression grew complicated as he watched his son remain completely unfazed by the ghost. Clearly, he had gotten used to this. At that moment, Lan He and Song Futan also noticed them. From a distance, Lan He called out, “Director Song.”
“Mm,” Song Qiyun took a deep breath, trying to stay calm so as not to alarm Lan He.
The white-clad ghost also glanced at them but didn’t seem to care much. It poked Lan He’s shoulder and grumbled, “I’m telling you, with the Lingpan and the Mount Tai stone, are you trying to scare me to death?”
Song Qiyun and Dou Chunting: “???”
They were filled with confusion but noticed that Lan He’s eyes were fixed ahead, seemingly unaware of anything unusual. Could it be… a misunderstanding?
Old Bai, the ghost, continued rambling, “Alright, alright, you two are always acting, scheming all the time. Could you do me a favor and conjure up something more sinister next time?”
Song Qiyun and Dou Chunting: “…………”
Lan He was speechless. He couldn’t respond, but by this point, they had reached the door of Song Qiyun and Dou Chunting’s room. With his experience in acting, Lan He could tell that something was off about their expressions. He exchanged a glance with Song Futan.
Old Bai floated over to Song Qiyun, eyeing him curiously, “Huh, can you see me now? Weird, you couldn’t before, and I’ve been visiting the set for a while now. So I wasn’t even on guard just now.”
Song Qiyun and Dou Chunting, lacking Lan He’s knack for deceiving ghosts, felt the cold chill in the air brush their faces. They shuddered and, almost involuntarily, directed their gazes toward Old Bai, instantly giving away the fact that they could see him.
Lan He: …Damn.
Song Futan gently pushed Old Bai away with his sword. Being that close, his dad and cousin were practically terrified.
Lan He felt a bit of a headache, but since these were Song Futan’s father and cousin, he wasn’t too bothered. However, he figured they were probably quite disturbed.
Song Qiyun’s shock was beyond words. Was this the last atheist in the entertainment industry? He had confidently claimed that he didn’t believe in superstitions!
Dou Chunting’s mind was racing even more. If Lan He could see ghosts all along… His thoughts spun rapidly, leaving him just as shocked. Could it really be?
Song Qiyun stammered, “You… you still claim you don’t believe in this stuff?!”
Dou Chunting chimed in, “Cousin, are you really in love with him?!”
…
After a brief silence.
Song Qiyun: “What do you mean, *in love*???!”
Dou Chunting: “…”
Song Futan: “…”
Lan He: “…”
Author’s note:
Song Qiyun: *I’m losing it.*
Oh my gosh