Inside Wanfu Hall, Master explained the details of what I needed to do tonight, one by one.
He repeatedly cautioned me that my visit was to accumulate good karma and gather "lamp oil."
Unless absolutely necessary, I should not resort to violence.
I understood my own situation.
I was like a person whose "lamp oil" had been consumed, on the verge of death.
I had to continuously seize the lifespan of ghosts to accumulate good karma and survive.
Even though I had a fox's paw and the Bagua mirror given by Master,
I was still just an ordinary person without any cultivation.
The only difference from ordinary people
was my low fortune and weak yang energy, allowing me to see spirits on the road!
After making all preparations, around 8:30 PM,
I left Wanfu Hall with a small bag containing incense, candles, and paper money.
As I was leaving, Master was filling his pipe with tobacco.
He just told me to keep the round-trip tickets and that he would reimburse me.
The middle-aged lady’s surname was Zhang. Her home was not far from Wanfu Hall, only about a thirty-minute car ride.
However, transportation was not convenient from our area.
By the time I arrived at Ms. Zhang's residential complex, it was already past 9:40 PM.
It was an old neighborhood, with no security guard at the entrance.
The community seemed poorly managed, with private cars parked all over the walkways.
I compared the address several times before finally finding Ms. Zhang's building.
She lived on the fifth floor, and there was no elevator.
The lights in the stairwell were dim and yellowish, with small advertisements for locksmiths and drain cleaning plastered everywhere.
When I reached the fifth floor and found Ms. Zhang's apartment,
I tidied my collar and knocked on the door.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
"Who is it!"
Ms. Zhang's voice came from inside.
"Qin from Wanfu Hall!"
I replied from outside.
Upon hearing my voice, Ms. Zhang quickly opened the door.
"Master Qin, please come in!"
Ms. Zhang warmly invited me inside.
I nodded and walked into the apartment.
The apartment was not large, a two-bedroom, one-living-room layout, with modest decoration.
But the house was very clean and tidy, spotless.
The little boy I had seen during the day was now sitting on the sofa in his pajamas, watching television.
"Hello, little one!"
I greeted him.
The child was shy and seemed a bit nervous at my arrival.
However, his complexion was clearly better than it had been during the day.
"Er Bao, say hello to Uncle.
Master Qin, please sit down. I'll pour you some water."
Ms. Zhang greeted me warmly.
"Thank you, Sister Zhang. Did Master say the prepared food and drinks are ready?"
I looked around the room and asked.
"They are ready. I'll bring them out now."
Ms. Zhang poured me a cup of water in a paper cup and handed it to me.
Then she went to the kitchen and brought out the prepared dishes one by one.
Four dishes and one soup: braised pork, boiled chicken, stir-fried greens, cured ribs, and glass noodle soup.
These were very ordinary home-cooked dishes, but they were her husband's favorites.
Seeing that everything was ready and it was almost ten o'clock, I said to Ms. Zhang:
"Sister Zhang, after ten o'clock, please take the child to the bedroom to sleep.
Whatever you hear, do not come out.
Also, do you have a portrait of your husband? I'll need it tonight."
"Oh, yes, yes. It's in the inner room. I'll get it for you!"
With that, Sister Zhang hurried into the room and brought out her husband's portrait.
"Master Qin, this is my husband's portrait!"
As she spoke, Ms. Zhang's face showed some melancholy, and she kept wiping the portrait with her hand.
It was clear that she had a very good relationship with her husband.
She missed her deceased husband dearly.
I extended my hands to receive it, showing the utmost respect to the deceased.
However, the moment I took my husband's portrait from Ms. Zhang,
my expression suddenly changed dramatically, revealing utter astonishment, and I was frozen.
Looking at the face in the portrait, I couldn't believe my eyes.
Because the person in the portrait looked exactly like the driver of the "Underworld Van" who had picked me up outside Nanshan Cemetery the night before last.
"This, this is your husband?"
I widened my eyes, a hint of shock in my voice.
Ms. Zhang, seeing my surprise, asked confusedly:
"Yes! What's wrong?"
I swallowed and composed myself, saying:
"Sister Zhang, did your husband drive a minivan for passengers?"
"Yes. How, how did you know?"
Ms. Zhang was very surprised.
Because she had only mentioned her husband's accidental car crash and had not stated his profession.
I gave a wry smile and said:
"Sister Zhang, to be honest.
I saw your husband the day before yesterday, and I even took a ride in his car."
"Ah? You, you, you rode in his car?
But my husband has been dead for half a month."
Ms. Zhang said with great astonishment.
I nodded and told her about my experience of getting into her husband's car outside Nanshan Cemetery the day before yesterday.
Upon hearing this, Ms. Zhang broke down on the spot.
Hugging her husband's portrait, she began to weep uncontrollably.
She never imagined that the money her husband had sent back
was earned by his ghost driving and working.
Even in death, he found no peace.
Now, he was still out there driving, earning money, picking up passengers.
And I felt how small the world truly was.
At that time, it was a coincidence that I encountered the "Underworld Van," which allowed me to reach Longgang Mountain before ten o'clock, thus avoiding being claimed by the female ghost.
The driver of the "Underworld Van" had, in a way, helped me.
Now, after going in circles, I had ended up at his home...