Chapter 15: Do Things
Translator: 9inetales
Sponsor(s): n/a
The group of three entered the security booth to watch the surveillance footage. Cheng Yulan tottered at the very back, torn between ignorant bliss or sleepless nights. Eventually, she braved her fears and chose to follow the rest inside.
The idea of viewing proof that validated the existence of ghosts was just too scary...
On the other hand, Xu Qing’s heart thrummed with a bit of trepidation. He was 100% sure that this ‘ghost’ was most probably Jiang He.
Please don’t capture the face, he inwardly hoped.
“This is it,” Uncle Zhao fiddled with the surveillance interface for a while and warned, “Try not to get spooked.”
Cheng Yulan exchanged a brief glance with Xu Qing.
“Little Xu, you young people are more accustomed to these things. Stand in front a little for Aunty.”
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“...”
“Shhhh~” Uncle Zhao hushed the two behind him before playing the grainy footage. The screen displayed a tranquil night scene— nothing was out of the ordinary for the time being. Everyone held their breaths while staring fixedly at the screen, awaiting the unexpected.
After a few seconds, there was a sudden change.
“Look! Something’s moving.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s actually real.”
Among the disbelieving cries, Xu Qing quietly exhaled a sigh of relief. All that could be seen was a flash of shadow, leaving the identity of the ‘ghost’ in the dark.
“There’s more.” Uncle Zhao changed the perspective on the screen and resumed the video.
Oh, so this is the site you’re cheating on me with, uh? What can it do that 9inehub can’t?!
Under the silvery moonlight, the black shadow drifted up and along the tall wall before blending with the darkness on the other side. Because of the monitor’s choppy frames, it seemed as if multiple human-like faints trailed the original shadow’s wake, which added to the enigma.
Without waiting for a comment, Uncle Zhao operated the interface and fast-forwarded the video. After fast-play was deactivated, the setting transitioned to the eve of dawn where the first glows of sunlight peppered the surroundings in an orange hue. Although this scaled the video's visibility by a margin, the dark shadow’s figure was still cloaked in mystery. It hopped the wall and retreated into the blindspot of the surveillance camera.
The video ended but no one spoke immediately.
“T-this…” Cheng Yulan stammered while rubbing her arm, trying to diffuse some of the chilliness she felt, “Should we call the police?”
“Does the police have a Ghost Busters Department?
“What do we do then? I heard that the badges on their caps can ward off evil spirits. They should be able to do something, right?”
“Wait…” Uncle Zhao shut off the surveillance monitor and contemplated with a guilty look, “It’s better if other people don’t know about this.”
“What?!” Cheng Yulan raised her voice by a few decibels.
“Think about it for a moment. If word gets out that our community is haunted, who will want to rent a house here? Old Cheng, would you still be able to sell your house then?”
“...”
“...”
“Ah, yes! This matter needs to be addressed carefully.” Cheng Yulan who had already dialed a few numbers on her phone, swung her attitude by a full 180 degrees.
Her house was about to be sold so this matter shouldn’t concern her too much. On the other hand, if the buyer caught wind of the situation, he would abuse the opportunity to drastically lower the price.
“Yeah. If we scare away potential tenants, our community will become more deserted than it is now. Wouldn’t it be better to keep things a secret?” Xu Qing concurred.
Honestly, I wouldn’t mind the lower rent if the area’s value dropped some more, but I don’t want any clues leading back to Jiang He.
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Damn, this las actually sneaked out in the middle of the night!
The situation might spiral out of control if this footage is linked to any outside surveillance cameras.
Thinking to this point, Xu Qing quickly proposed, “Let’s sit back and watch how things play out first. Maybe this is just a one-time incident and the ghost will be on its merry way soon enough. This is the first time you’ve encountered something like this, right Uncle Zhao?”
The old security guard scrambled for a cigarette and pressed it between his lips, but didn’t light it. After a moment of thinking, he replied, “No, nothing like this.”
“Yes, passing by. It’s very likely just passing by. Let’s watch how things proceed over the next few days before making any decisions.” Cheng Yulan clapped her hands to settle the matter.
The three people left the booth more rattled than when they went in. Basking in the warm sunlight, their worries soon faded and they gradually calmed down.
“How does hiring someone to perform a ritual sound?”
“Do you know someone who does that?”
“One of our neighbors owns a Buddha statue that he prays to every day. I can ask him about it later.”
Xu Qing was disinterested in the rest of their ramblings so he quickly excused himself. However, his mind still dawdled over the whole situation so he returned home instead of going to buy breakfast.
Jiang He who still sat in the living room was puzzled by his early return.
Xu Qing let loose his untamed curiosity, “Hey, did you sneak out in the middle of the night?”
“Un.” Jiang He hesitated but soon lowered her head like a child admitting her wrongs.
During a few nights, she indeed sneaked out in order to survey and better understand the surrounding area.
“...”
“How do you know?”
“How did I know? You were monitored— bah, you know...clairvoyance?”
If a clear video was captured by any external surveillance, showing her scaling and jumping across walls like Spiderman, it would definitely attract a huge sensation if circulated online.
Xu Qing sat on the sofa and massaged his temples. He mulled over the issue some more before questioning, “What clothes were you wearing?”
“The black one,” Jiang He pointed to her room then asked after a while, “Am I...in trouble? I made sure to mask my face.”
“Mask?” Xu Qing widened his eyes.
“Yes.” She nodded.
“...”
Xu Qing exhaled his second sigh of relief today, and the day barely even started. As long as her face was hidden, the chances of anything leading back to her was minimal.
The excitement that comes with keeping an ancient person is more than I bargained...
“If you want to go out in the future just tell me, and I’ll take you. You can’t run around by yourself until you learn more about this world,” Xu Qing reminded in a serious tone, “Remember that your identity in this world is special. Don’t wander off blindly, okay?”
Jiang He blinked, “Did I get in trouble?”
“It’s not that bad, but people are saying that the place is haunted.”
“...haunted?”
“Yes, haunted.”
Xu Qing took out his phone and typed in the search bar, “Movies where people from the ancient era travel to modern times and got shot to death, etc.”
Oddly specific but…
“Let’s watch this video next,” He put away his phone and relaxed into the sofa, “When you get more acquainted with this society, you’ll understand how dangerous of a situation you’re in. Fortunately, you met me when you did. If you drew your sword against Aunt Cheng that day, who knows what might’ve happened to you.”
In the worst-case scenario, the frightened Cheng Yulan would’ve called the police, where if Jiang He resisted violently, she wound wind up getting shot dead.
Xu Qing’s mind flitted through numerous alternative scenarios. An armed, rash person like Jiang He would’ve been grievously hurt if not killed in a confrontation. Given her level of Kung Fu and the threat of her sword, the latter outcome seemed more likely.
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Jiang He was silent.
“If it’s too much trouble, I can…”
“Want to go?” Xu Qing raised an eyebrow.
“...”
“As I said before, the only thing I need is for you to learn and be obedient. Anyway, what would you want to eat? Burgers? Chicken rolls? Pancakes?”
Jiang He’s mouth blossomed into a soft smile, “I’d like something healthy. Thank you, junior.”
This person is very kind, she thought.
“Healthy?” Xu Qing scratched his chin, “Then you can have some cat food.”
“...”
Jiang He recovered her expressionless face. All sunny thoughts she had fancied suddenly vanished.
Xu Qing was unaware of his folly. He teased Winter Melon for a while before tending to its excrements in the litter box. Afterward, he carried a pile of clothes from his bedroom and threw them in the washing machine, “Hey, if you have any dirty clothes to wash, throw them in here. This thing is called a washing machine. As the name suggests, it washes your laundry— very convenient.”
“Okay.”
Jiang He thought back to the clothes she wore last night. She visited her room and returned with the black clothes. Following Xu Qing’s actions, she put them in tentatively.
“Can it really be cleaned?” She asked.
“Yep, cleaner than your handwashing!” Xu Qing poured in some washing powder, “What else do you have? Take it— eh, what is this?”
His attention was drawn to a white edge that poked from the bundled piles in the washing machine. He stretched and pulled out a long strip of white cloth.
“...”
“...”
Xu Qing’s expression changed, but before he could react, Jiang He snatched the cloth and swished into her room with a lowered head.
His shocked gaze barely caught tail of her escaping figure.
“No way...do you still bind your feet[1]?!”
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