“Will you always stay by my side?”

He Feng didn’t answer.

“Please?”

“You are human. I cannot stay with you for long periods – all the various problems with your body during this time have been caused by me.”

Ji Tong picked at her fingers.

“Don’t pinch yourself.”

“You speak so formally now.”

“Do I?”

“Yes.”

“Perhaps it’s from spending long periods in the underworld with ancient ghosts – my speech has been influenced.” He Feng’s eyelids drooped slightly, making his gaze appear much gentler, “Don’t you like it?”

Ji Tong shook her head, “No, it’s quite nice.”

He Feng smiled slightly. Ji Tong vaguely saw a trace of green light from beneath his eyepatch, but didn’t think much of it, assuming she was seeing things.

He Feng suddenly lowered his head.

“What’s wrong?”

He was silent for a few seconds, then raised his face again, “Nothing.”

“Then can you tell me—”

He Feng suddenly interrupted her, “Your grandmother is back.”

Just as his words fell, the sound of the door opening came from outside.

He Feng stood up, “I should go.”

Ji Tong quickly stood up too, lowering her voice, “Will you come back later?”

He Feng’s heart softened. He could refuse the previous Ji Tong, but couldn’t resist the current A’Zhi, “Alright.”

Grandmother pushed the door open, and He Feng instantly vanished.

“Tongtong, are you hungry?”

Ji Tong stared at her in a daze, inexplicably feeling that everything around her had become unreal.

“Tongtong?”

“Yes.” Ji Tong went up to her, “A little hungry.”

“Your mother said she won’t come home for dinner. I’ll cook first. What would you like to eat? Grandmother bought spare ribs, winter melon, broccoli, green peppers, tomatoes, and a fish.”

Fish.

Memories from that time flooded in overwhelmingly, as if she had just been sitting around with old friends.

She put her arm around grandmother’s shoulder and walked into the kitchen, “I’d like fish soup.”

…

The next day, Ji Tong had to go to school. Zhou Xin heard the commotion and came out to suggest she rest another day, but Ji Tong refused, so Zhou Xin had to drive her to school.

Ji Tong arrived a bit early – there were only four or five students in the classroom. She took out the test papers that had accumulated for days from her desk drawer. Looking at them, she felt as if she was in another lifetime.

She put away the papers and took out her English textbook. While memorizing, she unconsciously became distracted, her mind repeatedly replaying scenes from her past life.

“You’re finally here!” Gan Ting suddenly threw herself onto Ji Tong’s shoulder, shouting, “I missed you to death! I was planning to visit you after school tonight!”

Ji Tong was startled and sniffed, “Are you wearing perfume?”

“Does it smell good?” Gan Ting returned to her seat, raising her arm and waving it in front of Ji Tong’s face, “Zhao Shen gave it to me.”

“It smells good.”

“What happened to you? Why didn’t you come to school for so many days? Were you sick?”

“Just felt a bit unwell, nothing serious.”

“Alright.” Gan Ting took out a small mirror to admire her face, elegantly arranging her hair, “I collected all your test papers. Just do them casually – we’ve gone over most of them.”

“Mm, thank you.”

“Don’t be so polite. Oh, let’s go out together during National Day holiday.”

Ji Tong had forgotten about dates after all this – she’d just returned to school and there was already another holiday. This would be perfect for catching up on coursework, “I won’t go. You all have fun. I need to finish these papers.”

“Alright then.”

…

Zhou Xin had something to do and didn’t come to pick up Ji Tong. After evening study hall ended, Ji Tong had just walked out of the school gate when she saw He Feng standing on the opposite rooftop with Meng Yuan beside him, touching him inappropriately. With her past life memories, seeing this female ghost constantly following He Feng around made her feel inevitably uncomfortable.

Only when Ji Tong entered the residential area with fewer passersby did He Feng come to her side, “You look pale. What happened?”

Ji Tong shook her head and continued walking forward with her face down.

He Feng followed behind her without speaking.

They remained silent all the way until they reached the building entrance.

Ji Tong finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. Seeing no one around, she turned and questioned, “Who is she?”

He Feng looked at her expression and was slightly stunned, “Meng Yuan?”

“Yes.”

“Meng Yuan used to be an opera singer.”

“What’s your relationship with her? How did you meet? How long have you known each other?” Ji Tong slowly lowered her eyes, picking at her thumb, her voice weakening, “Do you like her?”

“I treat her like a younger sister, with no romantic feelings.” He Feng explained seriously, “Meng Yuan was originally your friend. I met her when we were boating together, and later had some interactions, but we weren’t close when alive. After she died, she didn’t report to the underworld authorities and wandered the human world, suffering much bullying. When I became a patrol officer and encountered her, she’s been following me ever since.”

Ji Tong breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly felt sorry for the female ghost, “Looking at her appearance, she’s not even twenty, right?”

“Nineteen.”

“She died so young.” Ji Tong sighed softly, “So pitiful.”

He Feng suddenly smiled.

“What are you smiling about?”

“You were jealous.”

“I was not! I have nothing to be jealous about.” Ji Tong hurriedly explained, making it more obvious, “I wasn’t.”

“Your face is red.”

“It’s hot.” Ji Tong raised her hand to fan herself, “It’s almost October, why is it still so hot?”

He Feng watched these small gestures, deep green light emanating from the gap in his eyepatch.

This time, positioned in the darkness, Ji Tong saw it clearly, “Why are your eyes glowing green?”

Hearing this, He Feng turned away, trying to escape her gaze, “It’s nothing. You should go upstairs.”

Seeing him avoid her, Ji Tong didn’t pursue the matter, “What about you?”

“I have some matters recently, so I won’t come over. I’ll have Meng Yuan keep you company. If anything happens, just find her.”

“Alright.”

“Go up.”

Ji Tong ran up the stairs with quick steps, then turned back to look down at him, “Goodbye.”

“Mm, goodbye.”

…

Meng Yuan had gone to watch ghosts gamble again.

He Feng went to find her, scaring the gambling ghosts so much they abandoned their belongings and fled in all directions.

Meng Yuan complained to him, “You really are feared by humans and dreaded by ghosts.”

He Feng ignored her words, “Go watch over A’Zhi.”

“Where are you going again?”

“I’m returning to Shiyi Dian and won’t come for several days.”

“What for?”

He Feng pushed her along, “Don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask.”

…

He Feng went to the artifact room to find Master Jiang. He wanted to place another soul-suppressing nail in his body.

Master Jiang was a ghost of over a thousand years, originally working at Mount Tai before being transferred when Shiyi Dian was established. He wore gray-blue robes, had graying hair and a beard that reached his chest – he didn’t look like a ghost but rather like a transcendent immortal.

Master Jiang was carving a purple gourd. After hearing him out, he glanced up casually and asked with detached calm, “What do you need that for?”

“My malevolent energy was heavy before, and I relied on the soul-suppressing nail to control it. I thought if I placed another one, the malevolent energy might decrease further.”

Master Jiang chuckled mockingly, “That’s indeed the logic, but why do you want to reduce your malevolent energy again?”

He Feng told him honestly about Ji Tong’s situation.

Master Jiang had heard rumors before – everyone said Patrol Officer He was a devoted lover. Hearing this explanation wasn’t beyond expectations, “The girl was already weak to begin with, seems like there’s a problem with her fate. With a malevolent ghost like you constantly around her, even if she doesn’t die, she’ll be severely injured.”

“So I want to use another one to reduce my impact on her.”

“This isn’t something you can use just because you want to.” Master Jiang blew on the gourd and said with narrowed eyes, “You’re a patrol officer who must wield the soul whip. If your power is suppressed, forget about wielding the soul whip – when you encounter powerful wandering ghosts, will they still fear you?”

“I’m aware of this.”

“What are you aware of? Acting willfully and recklessly – I shouldn’t have indulged you from the beginning.”

“Master Jiang, please help me.” He Feng lowered his head, his words showing some humility, “Please.”

Master Jiang glanced at him sideways.

He knew this ghost well – when he was refined in the soul cauldron for decades, he never begged for mercy once, yet now he bowed for a single nail. He sighed with emotion, “Stay away from her. It’s only a matter of decades – wait it out.”

“I can’t wait.”

“Afraid she’ll marry someone else?” Master Jiang snorted with laughter, “If she marries and has children, just snatch her after she dies. Why suffer the torment of the soul-suppressing nail?”

“Will Master Jiang not allow it?”

“You may go.”

“I’ve searched for so many years, I can’t wait any longer!” Having no choice, He Feng deliberately let his malevolent energy flare, “Even if you don’t give it to me, I’ll still be with her day and night! I’ll reduce her lifespan, take her life, drag her down to this underworld! Whether living or dead, she can only be mine!”

He Feng was surrounded by black energy that engulfed his form, “Marry someone? I finally found her after such difficulty – how could I watch her grow old with another? If she truly found a companion, I fear I’d torment that man ceaselessly, extract his soul, destroy his spirit, beat him so he could never be reborn!”

Master Jiang threw the purple gourd into the air, absorbing his black energy, “Well made, not bad for a test.” Master Jiang caught the gourd and shook his head, “It seems you really do need another one.”

He Feng knelt on one knee, green light churning beneath his eyepatch, causing stabbing pain.

Master Jiang took out the soul-suppressing nail, suspending it above his palm, “You know the taste of this thing. With another one, I fear you won’t be able to bear it.”

He Feng raised his head and removed his cloak, looking at him with determination, “I endured decades in the soul cauldron – a single nail is nothing.”

“Still so arrogant. Another one to suppress your spirit wouldn’t be bad either.” Master Jiang directly thrust the soul-suppressing nail into his body. He Feng immediately couldn’t support himself, falling to his knees, clutching his shoulder with his head pressed to the ground, desperately enduring without making a sound.

“What’s the point of all this suffering? If you’d just drunk Meng Po’s soup early on, you wouldn’t be trapped by these emotions.” Master Jiang watched He Feng writhe in agony with pity, shaking his head and sighing before taking out a Clear Sound Cover to place over him, “This can ease your pain somewhat. Rest inside for a while.”

But the pain of the soul-suppressing nail was unbearable – the Clear Sound Cover had little effect. In an instant, the entire Shiyi Dian was filled with earth-shaking howls of agony.

Making ghosts tremble with fear.

…

Ji Tong was doing homework when Meng Yuan’s voice came from outside the window. She quickly pushed open the window and saw Meng Yuan floating in the distance.

Ji Tong waved at her.

Meng Yuan pouted and shook her head, “Move those talismans away – I don’t dare get close.”

Ji Tong remembered the talismans Zhou Xin had placed everywhere. She found them all and stuffed them into her backpack, placing it on the balcony.

Only then did Meng Yuan approach.

Ji Tong stood watching her.

Meng Yuan swayed left and right, “Why are you standing? Sit down.”

Ji Tong sat down, “Aren’t you tired floating like that?”

“Not tired at all.” She then turned upside down.

Ji Tong wanted to laugh watching her, “You should turn right-side up.”

Meng Yuan righted herself and leaned on the window to peer into the room, “Big brother returned to the underworld and won’t come out recently. He asked me to keep you company. Though my abilities are limited, if you encounter any danger, just call me.”

This female ghost treated her so well that Ji Tong suddenly felt ashamed about being jealous earlier, “I heard from him that you’re only nineteen.”

“That’s right.” Meng Yuan threw her a flirtatious glance, “Am I beautiful?”

Ji Tong nodded, “Yes, very beautiful.”

Meng Yuan smiled, “I used to sing opera. If I hadn’t died, I might have become famous and left my name in history.”

Ji Tong struggled for a while before asking, “He Feng said we were friends before.”

“Not really.” Meng Yuan waved her hand, “I kept pestering you, but you ignored me.”

“…”

“I can’t remember many things. There’s no trace of you in my memories. When did we meet?”

“The 26th year of the Republic.”

Ji Tong calculated silently, her heart sinking. The 26th year of the Republic was 1937. That year, too many terrible things happened in China, “How did we meet?”

“You and Wangyun came to watch opera, and I fell for him at first sight.”

“Who is Wangyun?”

“Xiao Wangyun.” Meng Yuan slapped her mouth, “You’re trying to get information out of me.”

“…”

Meng Yuan stuck out her tongue, “No, no, big brother told me not to tell you.”

“Just a little bit.” Ji Tong looked at her expectantly, “Just a tiny bit.”

Meng Yuan couldn’t resist her coaxing, “Alright, alright, I’ll secretly tell you a little, but don’t tell him.”

Ji Tong nodded eagerly.

“When I met you, you owned a qipao shop, and Xiao Wangyun was your friend who sometimes came from Beiping to see you. I liked him, so I often came to ask you about him.”

Ji Tong had no interest in this Xiao Wangyun, “What about He Feng?”

“Big brother was your old lover who would occasionally come to… uh, come find you. You two had an excellent relationship. Later, I died, so I don’t know what happened after.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all I can tell you.”

“What did he do for work?”

Meng Yuan rolled her eyes, “Don’t know, don’t know.”

“Was he a soldier?”

Meng Yuan turned away, “If you keep asking, I’ll leave.”

“Okay, okay, I won’t ask anymore. Come back.”

Meng Yuan turned back around.

“Do you know what happened to his eye?”

“I can talk about this.” Meng Yuan pursed her lips, “Though I don’t know much – I heard it from others.”

“Mm, tell me.”

“Back when Shiyi Dian selected fifteen patrol officers, each had to drink Meng Po’s soup mixed with Forgetting River water to forget their past lives and serve Shiyi Dian wholeheartedly. But big brother refused to drink it no matter what, so he was punished for a long time.”

“What is Shiyi Dian?”

“A newly established hall that specifically manages wandering souls in the human world, like me – those not registered with the underworld authorities. Patrol officers roam the human world, specifically handling troublemakers and lawbreakers. Each carries powerful soul artifacts – big brother has a white soul whip, which you saw when he beat that perverted ghost.”

“Mm, but the human world is so vast – can only fifteen patrol officers manage it all?”

“They have underworld messengers under them. They don’t have to do everything personally.”

“Then what?”

“What was I talking about?”

“He Feng was punished for a long time.”

“Right. Big brother would rather have his soul scattered than forget his past life. They had no choice but to get a treasure from Meng Po and put it in his eye. As for what exactly it was, I don’t know – only that it was specifically used to fade emotions. He’s worn that eyepatch since I first met him. Once I got curious and secretly removed it when he wasn’t paying attention, only to discover his left pupil was deep green. It’s actually not strange – I don’t know why he covers it.”

Ji Tong suddenly remembered the green light emanating from his eyepatch – so that was it, “No wonder he always avoided me before and said he was ugly. I thought that eye was gone.”

“That might be because of the scar.”

“Scar?”

“There’s a scar at the corner of his eye. Left from when he was alive, but it’s not ugly either.” Meng Yuan laughed, “I never thought big brother would be afraid of being ugly.”

Ji Tong lowered her eyes in thought.

“Alright, study well. I’ll stay nearby and won’t leave. Call me if anything happens.”

When Ji Tong looked up again, she had already disappeared.

…