NHWSG chapter 83

In the past minute, countless thoughts flashed through Sheng Zhao’s mind.

Those chaotic thoughts flickered through his mind, leaving only one that he captured—Xing Yingzhu didn’t seem to be joking with him.

Then, he quickly replayed the whole process from leaving the supermarket to the disappearance of the old lady. In the end, he had to admit sadly that Xing Yingzhu didn’t seem to be deliberately scaring him.

Seeing Sheng Zhao’s ever-changing expression, Xing Yingzhu couldn’t help but laugh heartily. He leaned back on the sofa, laughing so hard he was about to run out of breath.

“You’re still gloating!” Sheng Zhao looked like he was about to cry as he accused, “What’s going on! What should I do?”

“You’ve become more spiritually sensitive lately, so it’s normal to see these things,” Xing Yingzhu said, laughing intermittently. “It’s nothing.”

“What do you mean, it’s nothing!” Sheng Zhao stood at the door, unable to enter or retreat, looking so miserable as if he had swallowed a bitter pill. “If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have agreed for you to cultivate my ‘talent’!”

“How can you blame me? That obviously benefits you too,” Xing Yingzhu said, feeling wronged.

If Sheng Zhao could enter the room now, he would definitely pounce on Xing Yingzhu and make him understand firsthand the feeling of wanting to bite him out of frustration.

“Fine… fine…” Sheng Zhao gritted his teeth and swallowed the last word, holding up the bag of fruits in his hand with a tearful expression.

“You… stop laughing!” Sheng Zhao pointed to the two pendants, one long and one short, around his neck, and said, “Didn’t you say these things ward off evil spirits?”

“They do ward off evil spirits,” Xing Yingzhu said nonchalantly. “Those things can’t get close to you. So if you see them, just pretend you didn’t.”

Sheng Zhao: “…”

How big-hearted he must be, Sheng Zhao thought bitterly, and if he could calmly identify whether each person he encountered was human or ghost, then he wouldn’t have to fear this anymore.

“So what should I do now?” Sheng Zhao asked.

“It’s simple,” Xing Yingzhu retracted the chain around his wrist and raised his chin. “Go perform a road ceremony. If you promised someone, you have to follow through, or you’ll bear the consequences.”

“But… how do I do it?” Sheng Zhao hesitated.

“Go where you met the other party and perform it there. There happens to be incense in the pantry, although I’m not sure how many years it’s been there, but it should still be usable,” Xing Yingzhu said. “For the specific process, ask Zhang Jian. It’s a small matter, he’ll tell you.”

Glancing at the pitch-black sky outside, Sheng Zhao hesitated for a moment, then said helplessly, “Can you come with me?”

“Me?” Xing Yingzhu raised an eyebrow. “If I go, will the other party dare to come out?”

Sheng Zhao was stumped by his question. Upon further consideration, it was indeed the case. Xing Yingzhuo exuded such a strong aura; not to mention ghosts, even demons would avoid him.

But regardless of whether the other party had ill intentions, Sheng Zhao’s courage was already at its limit. He wouldn’t dare to do such a “road ceremony” alone.

Fortunately, Xing Yingzhuo didn’t insist on sending him out alone. After scanning Sheng Zhao up and down, he found a way out for him.

“Talk to Diao Leyu,” Xing Yingzhu said lazily. “Ask her to accompany you. Tell her that accompanying you on a trip doesn’t count as breaking the rules.”

Although Diao Leyu wasn’t a capable bodyguard like Xing Yingzhu, she had at least cultivated for hundreds or even thousands of years as a monster. Sheng Zhao wasn’t completely reassured, but it was better than nothing.

Compared to Xing Yingzhuo, who only enjoyed gloating, Zhang Jian and Diao Leyu were evidently the last trace of warmth in this desolate world.

After hearing his explanation, Diao Leyu got up, put on her coat without hesitation, and followed him out.

On the phone, Zhang Jian didn’t hold back either. Although he didn’t reveal any secret techniques, he explained the road ceremony process clearly.

“But remember, Sheng Zhao,” Zhang Jian said. “After the ceremony, go straight home and don’t look back on the way. Be careful when you do it, and don’t step into the circle by accident.”

“Okay.” Sheng Zhao promised, saying, “I got it.”

“Since you don’t know who the other party is, their date of birth, name, and surname, just write down the time you encountered them,” Zhang Jian said, still feeling uneasy. “Make sure not to include your own birthday.”

“I won’t, I won’t.” Sheng Zhao quickly assured him. “Don’t worry.”

Although Zhang Jian seemed to want to say more, he remembered that the person on the other end of the phone had also been a disciple of Longhu Mountain in his previous life, so he felt more at ease and casually reminded him of a few common sense points before hanging up the phone.

Although Sheng Zhao responded well and remembered the theoretical knowledge firmly, his mindset was still unstable. Almost every three seconds, a pop-up window appeared in his mind, saying, “Just go back.”

“Xiao Zhao, you don’t need to be afraid,” Diao Leyu tightened her coat and said softly. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m here, they can’t hurt you.”

“I know, I’m not afraid of that.” Sheng Zhao said.

He wasn’t just putting on a brave face in front of Diao Leyu; he knew in his heart that he was wearing the pendants Xing Yingzhu had given him, and he also had Xing Yingzhu’s “long-term contract.” With a thousand buffs stacked together, he wouldn’t be dragged away and eaten by any lonely souls or wild ghosts.

But… no matter what, he had been a materialist for over twenty years, and he couldn’t fully accept this kind of operation.

“I can’t get over this mental hurdle.” Sheng Zhao smiled bitterly. “I always feel like the scene is a bit out of control, and it might turn into a horror movie scene in the next second.”

“Oh, don’t worry.” Diao Leyu shook her head and said in a swaying voice, “Although there are some gruesome scenes, like decapitation and dismemberment, you might not even see them.”

Sheng Zhao: “…”

Thanks, I wasn’t comforted at all.

“And, Xiao Zhao, you don’t have to be so afraid,” Diao Leyu turned her head and said seriously, “Although I’m a monster, and monsters and ghosts are different, I’ve heard the elders in my clan say that doing good deeds actually earns a lot of merit.”

“Hmm?” Sheng Zhao asked in confusion, “But isn’t it said that getting involved in good deeds brings bad luck?”

“It depends on the situation,” Diao Leyu said, “For example, in this kind of road ceremony, if you help a lonely old lady who has no one to provide for her, that counts as your merit. And ghosts were human beings before they died. As long as they don’t have bad intentions, there’s no need to fear them. It’s best for everyone to peacefully coexist. Even if you develop clairvoyance in the future, you’ll gradually realize that horror movies are fake. Most ghosts and monsters won’t bother people for no reason. In fact, doing so would harm their cultivation.”

Sheng Zhao was reluctantly persuaded, knowing that the words had already left his mouth, and it was too late to regret.

Moreover, he himself thought about it. If he were put in that situation again, watching a trembling old lady picking through rotten fruits, he might not be able to completely ignore it either.

Forget it, Sheng Zhao thought, since it’s come to this, I’ll just accept it. Most likely, these things will be unavoidable in the future.

Between Sheng Zhao’s arrival and return, the fresh supermarket had already closed its doors. The road was pitch black, with only the faint light from a street lamp, which seemed quite useless.

Diao Leyu tightened her coat and took out her phone from her pocket to use as a flashlight for him. Sheng Zhao knelt down halfway and, following Zhang Jian’s instructions, picked up a twig and drew a circle, then emptied the bag of fruits inside the circle.

It was his first time doing something like this, and he was obviously unfamiliar with it. He only realized he missed a step after lighting the incense, so he hurriedly handed the incense to Diao Leyu and started peeling the fruits.

“Oh, don’t rush,” Diao Leyu said, “Xiao Zhao, don’t panic. It’s okay to change the procedure a little.”

Sheng Zhao’s face showed nothing, but his mind was in chaos. By the end, he was almost acting instinctively, afraid that the old lady would suddenly appear from somewhere and startle him.

Fortunately, the horror story he had anticipated didn’t happen. He lit the incense step by step, wrote down the time, then peeled each fruit slightly, and finally scattered the incense ashes. The alley remained quiet and peaceful.

Sheng Zhao was a bit unsure and turned to ask Diao Leyu, “Is that it?”

“That’s it,” Diao Leyu said. “Let’s go, just don’t look back after you turn around.”

“Oh…” Sheng Zhao hesitated, then placed the stick outside the circle drawn on the ground and stood up, bowing as a gesture of respect.

Just as he was about to turn around, he caught sight of a figure passing by in the alley behind him. The old lady seemed to appear again in the same spot, trembling as she nodded to him.

Instinctively, Sheng Zhao wanted to turn around and get a clear look, but he remembered the instruction “don’t look back” and resisted the urge.

“Oops—”

Diao Leyu suddenly exclaimed, and Sheng Zhao was about to ask her what was wrong when he turned around and was also stunned.

Under the trees several steps behind him, Xing Yingzhu, dressed in black, was standing with his arms crossed, looking at him with a half-smile. It was unclear how long he had been standing there.

The evening breeze lifted his clothes slightly, and Xing Yingzhu’s hair was still slightly damp, with droplets of water darkening a small patch of fabric on his shoulder.

Sheng Zhao hesitated for a moment, subconsciously took a few steps forward, and asked, “You… I thought you weren’t coming?”

Xing Yingzhu first nodded towards Diao Leyu, gesturing for her to leave, then reached out to touch Sheng Zhao’s hair, smiling as he said, “Hiss—I didn’t come because I was afraid you’d be scared and cry. If you were frightened and ran wild with my scent on you, wouldn’t that be embarrassing for me?”

This remark—Sheng Zhao tried to put on an angry expression, but try as he might, he couldn’t suppress the upward curve of his lips.

Xing Yingzhuo said it coldly, but in the end, he still eagerly followed along, just like a parent taking their child to kindergarten.

“So, did you see?” Sheng Zhao asked with his hands on his hips, “Did I embarrass you?”

“No,” Xing Yingzhu said with satisfaction, “You did well. You deserve a reward.”