Ghost Festival, Observing Humanity Through the Eyes of the Divine

Du Ruo had no idea what was happening on the other side of the ocean. After checking in Long Zhirou and her companion that afternoon, he helped out at the front desk for a while. Once Yang Ling told him there was nothing left for him to do, Du Ruo decided not to stay any longer, took Mao Mao, and started walking back to the rented house.

"Mao Mao, what should we have for dinner?"

Walking along, Du Ruo couldn't help frowning, feeling rather annoyed that he had to figure out what to eat for the next meal every single day.

Especially now that there was an extra dog to look after.

"Woof~"

Mao Mao let out a bark, glanced at Du Ruo, and continued walking forward.

"I wonder if Chenguang is back yet. Maybe I should take a bottle of good wine and freeload a meal over there tonight."

Seeing that it was still early and not yet time for dinner, Du Ruo stopped pondering. Regardless of anything else, he simply did not feel like cooking for himself tonight. As for Mao Mao, its dinner would depend entirely on whatever leftovers were available; he certainly wasn't going to be like his mother, who would go out of her way to cook a special meal just for a dog.

"As if there'd ever be any leftovers from your meals! You lick your plates cleaner than I do."

It was a good thing Mao Mao couldn't hear Du Ruo's thoughts, otherwise, it would have surely complained. Du Ruo always finished every single morsel on his plate these days; even if it were West Lake fish in vinegar gravy, he would clean it down to the last bone.

"Boss Du, care to come over and sit for a while? Have a cup of tea?"

As Du Ruo walked along, Long Zhirou called out to him from quite a distance away near the detached guesthouse, her demeanor quite warm and enthusiastic.

"Are you guys filming?"

Du Ruo walked over and saw Long Zhirou and her assistant filming in the courtyard. The camera was set up right at the gate, with the majestic Mount Huang acting as Long Zhirou's backdrop.

Seeing this setup, Du Ruo didn't step into the courtyard, simply exchanging pleasantries from outside. Courtesy demanded at least a brief greeting since they were guests, after all.

"Yeah, just shooting some footage. It might come in handy later."

Long Zhirou smiled. She was wearing a white linen tunic with her hair tied up in a bun. Judging by the slight sheen of sweat, she had probably just practiced a set of martial arts routines. She looked full of vitality yet possessed an inherent gentleness.

"Carry on with your work then. I still have a pot on the fire at home, so I won't disturb your filming."

Just as Du Ruo was chatting with Long Zhirou, he felt as though someone was watching him, though the gaze carried no malice. A second thought revealed the likely source, prompting him to casually make up an excuse and walk away immediately.

The moment Du Ruo finished speaking, he sensed the observing gaze vanish from his back. He smiled, bypassed the tavern, and headed toward his rented courtyard.

To be honest, he was starting to feel a bit confused about his relationship with Xiang Yuanyuan.

"Du Ruo, let's go! Come eat at my place. We're having duck today, and I also made oily rice cakes."

Before he even reached the outside of the courtyard, Du Ruo heard Yang Chenguang calling out to him.

Looking up, he saw Yang Chenguang carrying a large, bulging plastic bag filled with unknown contents, walking toward his own house. Upon spotting Du Ruo, he extended a warm invitation.

"Sure thing, I'll bring the booze tonight."

Naturally, Du Ruo didn't refuse. He had already been planning to head over for dinner anyway; with the host extending a personal invitation, there was no reason to turn it down.

"Oh, right, make sure to call the lady boss as well."

With that, Yang Chenguang turned and walked away, carrying his bag of goods.

"Did you hear that? We're going over for dinner later. Are you bringing the wine, or should I?"

Seeing that Yang Chenguang had walked away, Du Ruo turned toward the tavern behind him. He knew Xiang Yuanyuan was definitely listening because the person who had been spying on him earlier was none other than her.

"I'll bring it. No medicinal wine today; I've got some pure grain liquor, which fits the occasion much better."

Xiang Yuanyuan pushed open her window, spoke to Du Ruo, and then turned to head downstairs. Moments later, she emerged carrying a bamboo fishing rod and a bucket, looking as though she was heading down to the river to catch fish once more.

"Mao Mao, let's go. We're going fishing. Are you coming or not? We'll go eat right after we catch something."

Xiang Yuanyuan was truly addicted; she could make several trips down to the river in a single afternoon. Fortunately, after going every half-hour initially and finding practically nothing, she had finally spaced out her visits.

"I'll pass. Make Mao Mao walk in front; you still have to watch out for snakes by the river at this time of year."

Du Ruo shook his head and turned back into his courtyard.

When Xiang Yuanyuan returned with Mao Mao, went upstairs to change her clothes, and finally came back down carrying some items to summon Du Ruo, the two of them set off toward Yang Chenguang's house.

"Hey, were you jealous at noon today?"

As they walked in silence, Du Ruo suddenly broke the quiet.

"Huh? You... what are you talking nonsense for? What would I have to be jealous about? Are we even that close? I am certainly not jealous."

Hearing Du Ruo's question, Xiang Yuanyuan reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She muttered a few defensive words and then quickened her pace, striding far ahead and leaving Du Ruo behind.

"What's going on today?"

Du Ruo had originally intended to catch up with her, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed various villagers busy tidying up things outside their front doors.

Curious, he lingered for a few extra glances before continuing toward Yang Chenguang's place.

Arriving at Yang Chenguang's house, he found the scene was much the same. Yang Chenguang, his two sons, and his father were gathered in front of the house sorting through bundles of joss paper, while Xiang Yuanyuan and Yang Chenguang's wife, Shasha, chatted nearby.

"Uncle Yang, Chenguang, what are you guys up to?"

Du Ruo walked over, squatted down on the ground alongside them, and asked with genuine curiosity.

"It's the Ghost Festival today. We're burning joss paper, paying respects to our ancestors, and eating duck, dumplings, and oily rice cakes. It's an old tradition. Didn't you celebrate this when you were away?"

Yang Chenguang skillfully unfolded and folded the joss paper in his hands to make it easier for burning later.

"Oh, is it the Ghost Festival already? It's been quite a while since I last observed it."

Only then did Du Ruo recall the occasion. It wasn't really his fault; back when he was working away from home, who had time to care about the Ghost Festival? Living as an expatriate with parents still alive back home, he didn't need to worry about ancestral rites. As for not going out at night, nobody paid attention to that either—everyone was just struggling to make ends meet. People still had to work overtime or hustle for a living. What ghost could possibly be more terrifying than poverty?

In contrast, the Qixi Festival tended to receive more attention out in the cities due to various commercial promotions by businesses.

In the countryside, however, the exact opposite was true. Qixi passed by with virtually no observance, mentioned only by a handful of young people. Besides, Du Ruo had never heard Yang Ling mention any preparations for it.

Having spent a decade working away from home, he only ever remembered to make a phone call home during the Mid-Autumn Festival, having let most other traditional dates slip his mind.

Combined with the fact that his parents had gone traveling this year and nobody had reminded him, it was completely normal for Du Ruo to be out of the loop.

Du Ruo looked over at Xiang Yuanyuan and arched an eyebrow, his expression clearly saying, "You definitely knew. Why didn't you tell me?"

He suddenly remembered her mentioning that pure grain liquor would be more suitable for today, which meant she had known all along that Yang Chenguang's family would be holding ancestral rites and was well aware of the holiday.

"Humph!"

Xiang Yuanyuan glared at Du Ruo and wrinkled her nose, as if to reply, "I just wasn't going to tell you."

Realizing this belatedly, Du Ruo took out his phone and messaged his parents, asking if they needed to perform any ancestral rituals themselves.

"No need! We went to the temple to burn incense today. Besides, as long as you hold remembrance and reverence in your heart, the formalities aren't that important. Oh, right, make sure to like my Moments post later."

His mother's reply came swiftly, accompanied by photos of them burning incense at the temple, alongside a firm reminder not to forget to like her social media post.

"Where's your uncle? Is he out of the hospital yet? Is he not coming over for dinner today?"

Du Ruo put away his phone, moved closer to Yang Chenguang, and joined in on folding the joss paper while posing the question.

The rural community still placed considerable importance on the Ghost Festival, with families holding ancestral rites according to how strictly they observed tradition. In extended families, people often used the opportunity to gather. Since both Yang Chenguang's family and his uncle's family lived in the village, they logically should have shared the meal and ritual together.

"Nope, still hospitalized. I went to the town to visit him this afternoon. It's nothing too serious; my aunt is taking care of him."

Yang Chenguang smoked a cigarette, speaking with casual indifference.

By this time, some households in the village had already begun setting off firecrackers. The loud popping sounds added a lively atmosphere to the village.

"Aren't firecrackers banned? Plus, when I walked over, I saw every household preparing joss paper and money. As the village party secretary, shouldn't you be patrolling the village to prevent safety hazards?"

"Nah, it's fine. Day before yesterday, I had the village buy a bunch of iron drums. The firecrackers and paper are all burned inside those drums, so nothing's going to catch fire."

With that, Yang Chenguang stubbed out his cigarette, walked into the living room, and brought out a large iron drum and a small table.

Incense and candles were arranged on the table alongside offerings of food. Once everything was prepared, Yang Chenguang's father poured some wine before beginning the prayers and offering incense.

Yang Chenguang lit the joss paper and placed it into the iron drum, chanting softly as he fed the fire.

With his exceptional hearing, Du Ruo could clearly catch the murmurs of both Yang Chenguang and his father.

The prayers were nothing out of the ordinary—mostly asking ancestors for blessings of peace, family stability, good health for the children, and success in their studies.

The solemn atmosphere kept Yang Chenguang's two sons quiet as they watched respectfully.

A thought crossed Du Ruo's mind. He channeled his "Spirit" into his eyes, using the "gaze of the spirit" to observe the people around him.

Actually, Du Ruo had tried observing people's "Qi" before, but it hadn't been very useful—it merely enhanced his vision slightly without revealing anything else. It wasn't that he didn't want to use his "Spirit" to observe people back then, but his ability to manipulate his "Spirit" had been too weak, allowing only passive attachment rather than active control to reinforce specific parts of the body.

It wasn't until his "Essence, Qi, and Spirit" stats broke through the threshold of 10 points that Du Ruo gained the ability to consciously manipulate his "Spirit."

Observing the people around him now, Du Ruo noticed faint wisps of reddish mist enveloping each person, making them look somewhat like flickering campfires. Looking at Yang Chenguang, he saw that the reddish mist flared up a bit more intensely while chanting prayers, returning to its normal state once the prayer concluded.

"So this reddish mist is the burning of human 'Essence'? Does it represent a person's energy and vitality? And when someone concentrates or focuses, their Essence burns brighter? Wow, is Yuanyuan's vitality really this strong? Could it be related to drinking medicinal wine year-round?"

From the colors of his own Essence, Qi, and Spirit, Du Ruo could deduce the vigor and vitality levels of others. It wasn't strange that the colors of Qi and Spirit were invisible; ordinary people's Qi and Spirit didn't manifest externally, and being masked by the fire of "Essence," they were difficult for Du Ruo to observe for now. Perhaps once his "Spirit" grew even stronger in the future, he would be able to perceive much more.

Initially, Du Ruo had expected Yang Chenguang's "Essence" fire to be the brightest among them, but after scanning the group, he discovered that Xiang Yuanyuan possessed the most blazing "Essence" fire of all. A moment of reflection made the reason clear.

Xiang Yuanyuan drank medicinal wine year-round and consumed plenty of highly nourishing ingredients; otherwise, her body wouldn't have been able to handle her heavy drinking habits.

Beyond her, to his surprise, Yang Chenguang's "Essence" wasn't even the second strongest—Shasha's was the brightest, followed by Yang Chenguang and his father, with the two young sons ranking last.

Seeing this, Du Ruo scanned his surroundings again, finding no bizarre or unusual phenomena. He then retracted his "Spirit." Merely scanning the area had consumed a fair bit of his "Spirit." After finishing his observations, he couldn't help casting a slightly peculiar look at Yang Chenguang, who had just finished burning the paper.

"If I can see others, then..."

Just looking at Yang Chenguang sparked a new question in his mind: Since he could observe others, could he observe himself?

With that thought, Du Ruo couldn't help closing his eyes, beginning to turn his "Spirit" inward to examine his own body. He wanted to see what he looked like from within.