She Can See Ghosts

Watching as her own soft, grass-green fleece summer blanket was stained with fishy, putrid lake water and bloodstains, He Qing sometimes really hated her own eyes—for always being able to see these traces invisible to others, causing everyone in the dormitory to know she was obsessed with washing bed sheets. Sometimes, right after changing them, she would have to wash them again... It was absolutely madness when everyone was using the washing machine at the same time!

But, she had no choice┐(─__─)┌, if anyone else could bear those bodily fluids and various traces on the bed sheets that she alone could see, she wouldn't have to do this...

Fortunately, since coming to the Imperial Capital over a year ago, her abilities had improved every day. She had even helped three ghosts with their affairs, one of whom had burned to death; as soon as it sat on the bed, He Qing could see the sheets were a mess... Compared to that, washing was nothing.

Only...

He Qing looked at Zheng Mingcui slowly restoring her original form under the swirling ghost energy, frowning as she asked, "You said Ling Ze did a good job cleaning up afterward, but how do you plan to get your revenge? Without evidence, the police won't believe it. Right now, your ghost energy is weak and you can't even touch real objects. The apartment you rented is too rundown; there aren't even any security cameras. Also, isn't the rent supposed to be paid monthly? It's probably already been rented out to someone else..."

She unconsciously started biting her nails, saying, "Speaking of which, I ran into him today, and it seems like his birthday is coming up, right? I'll send a gift anonymously and if you attach yourself to it, make direct contact, the yin energy will seep in. Then you'll have a chance to enter his dreams, and ideally, he might even talk in his sleep about it!"

Zheng Mingcui's pale face seemed to flush with excitement as she opened her mouth to speak, but in an instant, her hope waned, "It won't work, Ling Ze is very cautious and always appears very clean and self-disciplined. During the time I followed him, he never used anything of unknown origin, and he's particularly vain. Even if it's from someone he knows, if it's cheap or lacks class, he won't touch it; he'd rather tell the person to keep it as a collectible..."

This was going to be difficult.

He Qing herself was as poor as a dog; if she had to send an anonymous notebook or pen, she could deal with that, but anything expensive... sorry, but she couldn't even afford that herself.

And yet, constantly helping this ghost and that spirit, she didn't earn a single penny and ended up paying out of pocket—the laundry detergent she used more of each month than anyone else also cost money!

She started twisting her pillow, but seeing that dawn was about to break and the primordial sunshine would ascend, she quickly said to Zheng Mingcui, "Let's not worry about these other things for now. I'll draw a talisman, and you better hide quickly. Otherwise, because the literary spirit in the university is too robust and scholars typically avoid discussing paranormal phenomena to prevent harm to students, they won't tolerate a foreign resentful soul like you staying for long. Once someone starts reading at sunrise and the scholarly aura awakens, you'll be immediately expelled."

Although the literary spirit in many universities has weakened, Ming University was still one of the top universities, with many truly capable students, so naturally, it was a bit more intense. If He Qing hadn't been admitted to this university, she probably would have had unstoppable ghosts coming to chat with her every night.

As she spoke, He Qing quickly turned on the little desk lamp, pulled up the bed curtains, and pulled out the Cinnabar Yellow Paper hidden in the drawer. She ground it vigorously for a moment and immediately picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and began to write.

This Yellow Paper was something she had found in a funeral supply store; what choice did she have, when even spirits weren't allowed to exist after the founding of the nation, and no one sold such things? Even if someone were selling, He Qing, just a young girl, wouldn't know where to find it. Thus, the bundle she had cobbled together was especially rough, with the surface full of small, uneven particles. If it weren't for the life in her handwriting, ordinary Cinnabar would simply blur upon contact, which was a waste and ineffective...

Thinking about this, she couldn't help but lament deeply: Even beggars have tools to eat with! Her talisman pen was begged from a highly respected old professor after she shamelessly attended his public lecture; its bristles almost bald, she still didn't mind, which led to the old professor still favoring her when teaching Classical Chinese, always calling on her name, thinking she was studious and ambitious...

And the Cinnabar, there's no point in thinking about high-quality Cinnabar; hers was semi-industrial paint-like material, which after a long time of refining, was barely usable. Otherwise, she wouldn't have finished it so quickly. In the uncertain weather of the Imperial Capital's summer, she secretly smelted it under the noon sun, spending so much effort it was exhausting!

For a while, her dorm mates saw her and thought she wanted to learn oil painting, so the next day everyone offered to give her their used or unwanted painting tools from relatives...

With various excuses, they were worried about hurting feelings...

Thinking of this, He Qing decided that she would have to go out and hunt for materials soon—at the very least, a good yellow paper and cinnabar used for peace charms would maintain their effect for longer. Unlike now, where the spiritual energy would run out after just three days, making it impossible to give them to her roommates...

Since she was drawing a Yin Ghost Possession Talisman, the cinnabar used was mixed with black dog blood that had been dried under the moonlight; internal yin and external yang were necessary to nourish the ghost and block the Heavenly Secret.

However, as He Qing looked at the shallow cinnabar dish, she sighed, "Getting black dog blood is such a hassle, and after drawing for three ghosts in a row, I'm running out. I need to stock up, or else I'll be out of materials when something comes up again!"

Once the Yellow Talisman was drawn, it briefly sparkled with a brilliant light under the lamp, shining brightly. But because it contained spiritual energy, the light flashed only for a moment and then it became completely ordinary again.

He Qing skillfully called out, "Zheng Mingcui!"

"Yes!" Zheng Mingcui, not understanding, foolishly responded.

As soon as she responded, she felt her soul uncontrollably drift, floating gently into the talisman paper. Once inside, she grew drowsy and lost all ability to move, only hearing He Qing's voice above her head, "You are a new ghost, your yin energy is insufficient, and recalling last night's events before your death drained your Primordial Energy, so just stay here and slowly nourish. I will carry you with me and find an opportunity to help you accomplish possession..."

By the time she finished these tasks, dawn was breaking.

It was already July, and the sky was bright by five in the morning. Looking at her haggard face from staying up all night, He Qing instinctively pinched herself and performed a Yin Gathering and Beauty Nourishing spell.

After completing the gesture, looking at her rosy and delicate face in the mirror, a question flashed through her mind, "Huh? How do I still know this spell?"

But such occurrences had been frequent since she moved to the Imperial Capital, so the thought passed and she did not dwell on it.

After all, when it comes to these spells and common knowledge, knowing more is always better than knowing nothing at all.

The sound barrier had failed, and she quietly stripped the bedsheet to change it. Yu Dandan, who was sleeping in the bed next to hers, groggily opened her eyes to see her fussing with the bed again and mumbled, "He Qing, you're washing the sheets again..." then turned over and fell back asleep.

He Qing swiftly washed up, then took the sheets to the laundry room, dropped in the coins, and left it alone.

After all, the morning is when yin and yang merge, and the six energies of the world burst forth—an excellent time for cultivation!