I let out a long sigh, trying hard not to think about these things anymore, and then, in a daze, I fell asleep. That night, I slept soundly, and I didn’t have any of those strange dreams from the previous two nights. This made me very happy, and I felt even more that John Thompson’s method was working—maybe I really had dodged a disaster.

Chapter Seven: Spirit Money That Can Walk

I slept straight through until broad daylight; the sun outside was already high in the sky, and sunlight streamed in through the window, filling the room with brightness.

I looked at the clock—it was already past eight in the morning. In another hour, I’d have to go to work at the restaurant.

The whole night had been very peaceful, not even a single strange dream, which put me in a great mood. I thought I’d get up quickly and go check that intersection to see if the spirit money I threw by the roadside last night had been picked up.

I hurriedly got out of bed and put on my clothes. Just as I was about to leave, out of the corner of my eye, I suddenly spotted a wallet sitting right next to my bed.

It was a black wallet, bulging as if it were stuffed with money, just sitting there quietly by my bedside. To be honest, this wallet looked very familiar—I recognized it at a glance. Wasn’t this the very wallet I used last night to hold the spirit money and threw at the intersection?

Seeing this wallet all of a sudden, I was completely stunned, a chill running through my whole body. My first reaction was that I must be seeing things, but after a closer look, there was no mistake—this was the wallet I used last night for the spirit money. I’d used this wallet for two or three years; there was no way I could be wrong.

I was so scared I almost peed myself, utterly shocked. Once I came to my senses, the first thing I did was rush to the bedside and open the wallet. Immediately, I gasped, letting go at once and stumbling back several steps. Because… inside the wallet was, sure enough, the very spirit money I threw away last night! The damn spirit money had inexplicably come back on its own!

At this point, I felt a chill down my spine, and terror gripped me. I had clearly thrown this wallet at the intersection last night, and my door had been locked all night—how could the wallet possibly have come back on its own?

I was completely baffled. I didn’t believe someone had deliberately returned the wallet, because the door was locked from the inside—no one could have gotten in. And a wallet is an inanimate object; it couldn’t possibly grow legs and walk back by itself. So how did it come back? Could it really be something supernatural?

The more I thought about it, the more creeped out I felt, goosebumps all over. I thought to myself, I’m done for—this time I’m really doomed!

The fear that had faded in the morning now returned, enveloping my heart and leaving me anxious and uneasy. This was just too bizarre!

I stood there, frozen, my mind blank except for fear. I had no idea what to do, feeling utterly lost and hopeless.

Yesterday, I’d thought that heaven was watching over me—not only did I find John Thompson, but I also learned a way to resolve the disaster. But now, damn it, it seems I’ve been played by fate—the spirit money simply can’t be sent away.

This made me recall the strange dreams from the previous two nights. In the dreams, I tried desperately to throw away the spirit money in my hand, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get rid of it. It seems the things in my dreams have come true.

I didn’t know why this was happening—why John Thompson could send the spirit money away, but I couldn’t. Was fate toying with me, or did I make some mistake? Or… could it be that John Thompson lied to me?

That day, I muddled through work, and after my shift, I didn’t go back to my rental place. Instead, I went straight to John Thompson’s house.

I had to go to John Thompson’s place again. I needed to ask him what on earth was going on—why I couldn’t get rid of the spirit money, and why it had come back on its own.

Before long, I arrived at John Thompson’s house again. But no matter how long I knocked, no one answered, and there were no lights on inside—it was clear no one was home.

Just then, a woman in her sixties from the neighboring house, probably having heard the knocking, came out. Seeing me standing at John Thompson’s door, she asked, “Young man, who are you looking for so late at night?”

I said, “Granny, I’m looking for John Thompson, but it seems like no one’s home.”

The old lady replied, “Don’t bother looking. Johnny is dead. His wife and child are at the funeral home right now! If you’re a friend of Johnny, you should go find his family at the funeral home!”

“What? John Thompson is dead!”

I was utterly shocked, gasping in disbelief at what the old lady had just said.

Wasn’t John Thompson fine? Didn’t he get rid of the spirit money? I saw him alive and well just yesterday—how could he suddenly be dead?

Frightened and alarmed, I quickly asked the old lady, “Granny, I just saw John Thompson yesterday—he was perfectly fine. How could he be dead today? What… what happened?”

The old lady sighed, seeming genuinely sorry for John Thompson. She said, “Johnny was in a car accident last night.”

“A car accident?” The moment I heard those words, my heart gave a jolt. Didn’t that mean Johnny died an unnatural death?