At least right now, he showed absolutely no sign of being afraid of the few harmless wandering spirits in this room. Sitting on the table, his right hand gently tapped his waist token. In front of him, two paper figurine yin creatures huddled together, shivering with fear, while the remaining old ghosts obediently, though reluctantly, took out their own yin objects at Evan Wade's request.

These items were, in all likelihood, the things that killed them, or, to them, the objects of their deepest obsession.

Or perhaps, they were the ghosts themselves.

The two paper figurines trembled as they prepared to jump into the water.

Evan Wade, both amused and exasperated, gently pushed them aside with his finger and said:

"Don't. I wouldn't go so far as to make you soak in there."

The two little paper figurines scrambled away from the water bowl, clinging to each other and shivering.

Evan Wade looked at the yin objects the other ghosts had reluctantly produced. One was a foul-smelling, black, rotten fishing net—who knows where it came from. Another was a big green bottle, as thick as an arm. Evan Wade glanced at it and saw the three characters for "Didiwei" (a pesticide) on it, his eye twitching.

Died from eating this stuff?

He looked up in the direction of the second ghost and could just make out its outline lowering its head, reaching up to fiddle with its hair.

From the ghost's movements, he could actually sense a hint of embarrassment and shyness.

The corner of his mouth twitched as he pushed aside the yin-soaked Didiwei.

That thing soaking in water was just too unsightly.

Finally, he looked over everything. There was a broken eight-sided sword, only the hilt and a short section of the blade remaining, about the length of a dagger, which barely satisfied Evan Wade.

He soaked the sword in the water, plucked a few willow leaves and put them in as well, then, guided by the paper figurines, placed it in the spot with the heaviest yin energy. That was it—now it was just a matter of waiting. Once midnight arrived, it would be done.

Thinking there was still plenty of time, he went back to the old house to fetch a few things. On his way back, he passed by Fuchun Community and saw several cars parked outside, with a crowd gathered at the entrance. Faintly, he could hear the sound of a woman wailing.

"Yuanyuan, how is mom supposed to live now that you're gone, Yuanyuan..."

He caught a glimpse of a woman with strands of silver in her hair, crying her heart out as if her soul had left her body.

The grief and despair were so intense, it made one's heart sink.

Evan Wade thought of that photo, and the strange red embroidered shoes, and paused.

"That's the family whose daughter died..."

He could hear people in the crowd whispering.

"That lady got involved with a thug when she was young, ended up pregnant, refused to get rid of the baby, and fell out with her family. The thug landed in jail, but she was stubborn and managed to raise her daughter all by herself. Just when she was about to enjoy life, her daughter was killed."

"Yeah, that's right."

"No one knows who did it."

"Anyway, be careful, you hear me? I'm talking to you—don't go out alone at night."

The crowd buzzed with gossip.

Evan Wade pressed his lips together and left with his things.

After a flurry of activity, he returned home.

Then, with great anticipation, he waited until midnight. Holding the Crouching Tiger waist token in one hand to keep the ghosts in line, he picked up a willow leaf with his left hand and ceremoniously brushed it across his eye socket.

A cool sensation seeped into his eyes.

Evan Wade couldn't help but close his eyes for a moment, only slowly opening them after a while.

He saw things that ordinary human eyes could not.

Even though Evan Wade was prepared, he was still almost startled by the appearance of the three ghosts in front of him.

The one on the left was swollen from soaking—clearly a water ghost.

The woman on the right had a bluish face, probably died from accidentally ingesting pesticide.

The last one wore ancient clothing, with a gaping wound in the chest—a weapon ghost.

Evan Wade slowly exhaled, still feeling a lingering sense of absurdity and nervousness, but also a faint thrill.

He was really seeing ghosts!

As he saw these ghosts, the yin energy from the willow leaf water took effect, and he began to hear sounds he couldn't before: the dripping of water, the voices of the ghosts in front of him talking. At first, the sounds were blurry, but gradually they became clear.

The water ghost glanced at Evan Wade and said:

"I say, this gentleman doesn't seem to be able to hear us talking."

"Yeah, I don't think he can hear us. He's pretty good-looking, though..."

"But he can hit me, and he doesn't hold back."

"Or maybe this gentleman just doesn't want to talk to us."

The water ghost said gloomily, "Look, even the girl he brought back from his trip isn't saying anything."

Evan Wade had been keeping a straight face, eavesdropping, but when he heard the last sentence, he suddenly felt something was wrong, and chills ran down his spine.

Drip, drip...

The water ghost was sitting in front of him.

But the sound of water was coming from behind.

Night had fallen, yin energy was rising, and mortals retreated.

?!

Evan Wade's scalp tingled. He took a step forward and, at the same time, turned to look behind him.

There was a ghost behind him.

Long black hair, wearing a long dress, with a pair of red-soled, gold-embroidered three-inch lotus shoes on her feet.

Head lowered, silent.

Black hair dripping with water.

Drip, drip.

At midnight, as yin energy rises, mortals retreat.

Some guests invisible to the naked eye will come knocking at this hour.

Shh...

Keep your voice down, and don't look back.

There is a ghost behind you.

Chapter 0006: A Visitor at the Door