Chapter Thirteen: The Gentle Policewoman

When I lay on the bed lost in thought, Wei Qi and the others walked in. Seeing that they had been released, I knew for certain the policewoman had gone back. Wei Qi came over to inspect my neck and asked if it hurt badly. I replied it was manageable, but I couldn’t understand why the woman would bite me—had she been possessed by a ghost? Wei Qi confirmed it; indeed, that female ghost was possessed. The ghost completely controlled her actions.

I then asked why the ghost fled after biting me. Wei Qi looked at me intently and said, “You are a rare person through the ages; your blood is different from others. Your blood can nourish ghosts, but some ghosts are also afraid of it, especially fierce and evil ones.”

His words left me confused. If my blood can sustain ghosts, why should some ghosts fear it? Isn’t that contradictory? Wei Qi smiled and promised to explain it clearly in the future.

Since my injuries weren’t particularly serious, there was no need for hospitalization. We all left together, and by the time we stepped out of the hospital, daylight had already broken.

Though exhausted, we hurried to the foot of Fulai Mountain to check on the coffin of Shang Xiaoyun’s husband. On the way, I asked Wei Qi, who confirmed it was indeed the woman who let them out and even apologized to everyone. As he said this, I recalled the policewoman—she was quite attractive, albeit with a fiery temper. Thinking of how her underwear had been torn last night, I felt a surge of inexplicable regret.

At the base of Fulai Mountain, Shang Xiaoyun’s burial site was still there, but the water inside had disappeared. Wei Qi jumped down and fully opened the coffin lid, revealing a nearly decayed skeleton, with little left save for clothes and stark white bones. He reached into the head and foot of the coffin and pulled out two little figures made of yellow paper. Strangely, although the corpse was decayed, these two paper figures remained intact, only slightly damp.

Everyone was astonished and asked what they were. Wei Qi explained that these were paper figures possessed by little ghosts—they could be understood as paper-crafted spirits. It was these two little ghosts that propped up the coffin, preventing Shang Xiaoyun’s husband’s soul from crossing the Bridge of No Return.

Upon hearing this, Shang Xiaoyun’s face changed. She said she had witnessed her husband being placed in the coffin herself, and hadn’t seen anyone tampering with it. How could it be that two ghosts had propped up the corpse?

Wei Qi said there must have been someone acting behind the scenes, but that wasn’t the urgent matter at hand. The priority was figuring out how to deal with the three ghosts: the two that escaped from the yellow paper figures, and the one into which Shang Xiaoyun’s husband had transformed. Originally, her husband’s ghost wasn’t a malevolent spirit, but after a year of being imprisoned by those two little ghosts, his resentment had grown, and it was almost certain he had become a fierce ghost as well.

Shang Xiaoyun was terrified and asked what could be done. Wei Qi said we had to proceed step by step; there was nothing to fear during the day, as ghosts dared not appear, but we should be wary at night.

With things developing this way, arranging a ghost marriage for her husband had to be postponed. We needed to retrieve his soul and calm him before proceeding.

Shang Xiaoyun pleaded with us to quickly subdue her husband’s ghost, which was exactly Wei Qi’s intention, so the four of us went to her home.

Since none of us had rested well the previous night, we ate a bit at Shang Xiaoyun’s house and then went to the hotel. Shang Xiaoyun was afraid and didn’t dare stay home alone. Wei Qi repeatedly assured her that nothing would happen during the day, and we’d return at night, which finally settled her down.

Back at the hotel, I collapsed into bed, but hadn’t even fallen asleep before Wang Ying dragged me up.

“Wife, I didn’t sleep well last night. Be compassionate, let me rest a bit.” Having been bitten by the policewoman possessed by the ghost last night, I found myself emboldened and shook off Wang Ying’s hand as I spoke.

“What happened to your neck?” Wang Ying pressed down to examine the injury on my neck.

“Ah, last night I was taken to the police station. That policewoman was possessed by a ghost, and as a result, she bit me.” I had no choice but to tell the truth. Unexpectedly, this female ghost immediately jumped up after hearing me. “Damn it! You’re mine—who dares bite you? If I see her, I’ll kill her.”

I was speechless. Wang Ying was so beautiful, yet so aggressive! She always wanted to kill this or that, but I was still moved; after all, it was because of me. It showed she cared.

“Husband, tell me, who bit you? Tonight I’ll go to her house.”

Only then did I realize I still didn’t know the policewoman’s name, so there was no chance for revenge. When I said I didn’t know her name, Wang Ying poked my forehead, “You’re so stupid, why didn’t you ask? Every grievance has its source.”

Seeing her both angry and sulky, warmth filled my heart. “Wife, you care about me!”

“Who cares about you? I just don’t want anyone tainting your blood. You’re mine—your blood, your flesh, your heart, lungs, and liver are all mine, no one else can…” Wang Ying smiled coldly and suddenly stood up.

I was both depressed and conflicted. I thought this female ghost cared for me, but it turned out she just wanted to possess me like private property. My whole body felt cold, and I worried that one day this ghost would pounce on me like the policewoman did.

Wang Ying vanished from sight—likely entered my soul jar. I slept fitfully until a knocking at the door startled me awake. Crawling out of bed, I realized I had only been dreaming. But I knew, whenever Wang Ying appeared in my dreams, it wasn’t just a dream—it was reality. Since it was daytime and she couldn’t meet me face to face, she could only show up in my dreams.

Opening the door, I was astonished to see the policewoman standing there. Though she wasn’t in uniform, I recognized her at once. She wore a pale yellow gauze dress, beautiful and delicate, completely at odds with her personality. No matter what, she was stunning.

When she saw me, her face flushed bright red. Just as she was about to speak, I grabbed her hand and pulled her into the corridor. “Why are you here?” I held her hand, purely out of concern that my ghostly wife might see her. Wang Ying was sharp-nosed—if she found out the policewoman had bitten me, who knew what might happen.

The policewoman blushed even more and pulled her hand away from mine. “Master Wang, I’d like to invite you to dinner. Are you free?”

Good heavens, women are truly mercurial—how true that saying is. Wasn’t she the overbearing, unreasonable police officer before? Now she was a beautiful, lovable, and gentle little darling, her voice as soft as silk.

“Dinner? Why?” Though I liked the feeling she gave, I kept my wits. She must have come for a reason.

“No reason, I just wanted to apologize for what happened last night,” she said, glancing at my neck.

I hadn’t intended to have dinner with her, but seeing her sincerity, I went along. Besides, I was hungry. In her car, I finally learned her name: Yu Fang.

After eating at a nice restaurant, Yu Fang suddenly invited me to her home. She said that since last night, she’d felt as though someone was always following her, and wanted me to check if a ghost had come to her house.

So that’s the real reason for the lunch invitation—she needed my help! Previously, I wouldn’t have dared go to her house, but now I wasn’t afraid. Wei Qi had said ghosts fear my blood, and I also had a talisman from him—a double safeguard.

Yu Fang’s home wasn’t large, but it was exquisitely furnished. About seventy or eighty square meters, and she lived alone. She explained she wasn’t local; her hometown was in Yunnan. She’d tested into the police academy in Shandong and was assigned here.

I walked around her apartment but didn’t find anything unusual. Truthfully, I still didn’t have the skills to detect or capture ghosts—only relying on intuition to sense the presence of evil things nearby.

Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, I prepared to leave, but Yu Fang blushed and asked if I could stay and keep her company for the night. She said that after returning last night, as soon as she lay in bed, she felt someone pressing down on her, terrifying her so much she hadn’t slept a wink.