Forbidden to Capture Rare Cute Ghosts - Chapter 4

Nan Deng fled and hid in the iron bucket he used for sleep, seeking safety and holding his breath.

Rabbit Head was fidgety in his hand, wanting to go back to the kitchen to snatch another bite. It had seen that there were still a number of little paper figures in there.

Nan Deng pressed down on Rabbit Head, “Wait a moment!”

He carefully poked his head out of the iron bucket, making sure that no one followed them from behind.

He had never seen little paper figures that could move or make noise before.

His time in the tower hadn’t been long, and his experiences and understanding were quite limited.

But his cautiousness remained, fearing that the little paper figures were the possessions of the Celestial Master.

Nan Deng closely examined Rabbit Head, “Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”

Rabbit Head blinked its round eyes, appearing perfectly fine.

This left Nan Deng even more bewildered, as Rabbit Head and he were both soul-bodies. If they had consumed the Celestial Master’s things, there should have been a reaction.

Still hesitating, Nan Deng couldn’t muster up the courage to return and decided to explore elsewhere for the night.

Under the pitch-black night, the doll-like Rabbit Head emerged from the edge of the iron bucket, followed by a handsome face.

Nan Deng incrementally crawled out of the iron bucket, readjusted the Rabbit Head in his pocket, and walked off.

Meanwhile, Lian Yi stood in the kitchen.

A group of little paper figures surrounded the stove, chirping complaints to him while pointing in the direction of the windowsill.

A watery mirror then lit up above their heads, reflecting everything they had seen just moments earlier.

In the watery mirror, Lian Yi glimpsed the rabbit head from that very night and Nan Deng.

The soul body depicted appeared quite young, no older than eighteen or nineteen. His soft, black hair draped just over his shoulders, with slightly curled tips and delicate androgynous features.

From the little paper figures’ perspective, the author couldn’t see any wounds or signs of death on him – only his clothes were extremely shabby.

As he peered into the room through the window, he saw the little paper figures dragging an eggplant used for cooking, sporting a confused and curious expression, which made him seem incredibly naive.

This also indicated that he was weak. The more powerful the ghost, the heavier the resentful and murderous aura would be, making them more vicious and cruel. At that level, their minds would be consumed by the singular desire to consume humans.

The scene concluded with Rabbit Head consuming one of the little paper figures, leaving behind Nan Deng’s flustered escape.

The little paper figures were still mourning the loss of a companion. Lian Yi waved dismissively, and they resumed their usual business, returning to the stove to continue cooking.

These paper figures were controlled by his spirit art, possessed no true consciousness, and were themselves disposable. Losing one was of no real consequence.

Now, about that ghost…

Following the residue of its aura, it should be easy to capture. However, a ghost of this caliber didn’t warrant the attention of a Chief Celestial Master.

Being this weak and still having the nerve to come near in search of food…

There were Celestial Masters patrolling around; he probably wouldn’t survive more than three days.

Lian Yi looked out at the night sky from the window, and after a moment turned and left the kitchen.

……………………………………..

Leaving the outskirts, Nan Deng realized he had underestimated the situation.

Places with more residents still had Celestial Masters on patrol. If he couldn’t even handle the house on the outskirts, how could he find prey elsewhere?

To avoid the Celestial Masters, Nan Deng walked along the densely vegetated side of the street, casually picking leaves for Rabbit Head to eat.

Just last night, Rabbit Head was happily munching on leaves. However, after eating a little paper figure, it seemed less interested in plants, barely managing to eat one leaf.

Left with no choice, Nan Deng ended up in a garden outside a square, hoping to find some wild fruits.

There were scattered lights illuminating the pathway, and the greenbelt was covered in shadows.

Nan Deng squatted beside some shrubs, considering whether to spend the night in the garden.

He heard some rustling noises from other ghosts in the garden. The area beside the shrubs, however, was still unclaimed territory – a good spot for a temporary shelter.

Just as he was thinking, a familiar ghost appeared, revealing a face marked by burn scars.

It was the little girl from a couple of days ago.

Upon seeing Nan Deng, she expressed great surprise and came closer to inspect him, “It’s you…you’re still around?”

Although it was odd to use ‘still around’ for a ghost, Nan Deng understood what she was implying.

The moment Nan Deng saw that the girl was injured—not minor burns but likely wounds inflicted by a Celestial Master—he quickly turned away, forced a smile, and tried to convey friendliness, “What a coincidence.”

Throughout these days since leaving the tower, the little girl was the only ghost who had spoken to him seriously.

They were of the same kind, yet most ghosts preferred a solitary existence. Nan Deng knew he couldn’t befriend the little girl, but as she had been a ghost for quite some time, she must know many things.

The little girl’s face remained expressionless as she casually flicked off the remaining bloodstains from her hand.

Blue blood splattered onto the shrubs, and the touched leaves emitted a sizzling sound.

Silently, Nan Deng stepped back while the little girl turned her head to stare at him, “Did you find any prey?”

“N-not yet,” He shook his head and mustered the courage, “By the way, do you know… about those small paper figures that can move? They’re about this big… What are they?”

The girl’s wounds continued to seep blood, and she seemed quite annoyed, “I don’t know… You’re so useless. Do you want to die along with your pet?”

Nan Deng remained silent, and he took a step back.

He faintly sensed the true intentions behind what the little girl had said: had he told her he’d found prey, she would’ve interrogated him about its whereabouts.

Under the present circumstances, all ghosts were hungry, and any ghost bearing the same mark as them was considered a direct competitor.

From beginning to end, the little girl never had any genuine goodwill towards Nan Deng.

But, as a ghost, that’s considered normal.

Holding Rabbit Head, Nan Deng whispered, “I’ll take my leave then.”

As he quickly turned away, the little girl called out, “Stop!”

Her words had barely left her mouth when commotion came from nearby.

Her expression changed as she swiftly moved forward, grabbing Nan Deng’s sleeve and smearing her blood onto his clothes.

Then, she forcefully shoved Nan Deng into the area illuminated by the streetlight while escaping into the shadows in the opposite direction.

Having significant strength, the little girl managed to push Nan Deng to the ground.

As he cradled Rabbit Head protectively, he scrambled up to look back.

The newcomers were a few celestial masters. Ghosts hidden in the garden ran in panic, but their targets weren’t the garden, but rather Nan Deng himself.

Nan Deng glanced down at the bloodstain on his cuff and seemed to understand: they were after the little girl.

As the celestial masters approached, Nan Deng hurriedly escaped.

Rabbit Head poked its reddish pupils out from his pocket, watching the direction where the little girl left intently.

The bloodstains might lead the celestial master to him, so Nan Deng ripped his sleeve along the way. In the end, it was Rabbit Head who helped; biting it off, successfully detaching the blue blood-soaked piece.

He threw the tattered piece of clothing to the ground, and it transformed into a blurry water stain after separating from his spirit body.

Nan Deng continued to escape. After an unknown duration, he finally managed to shake off the celestial master tailing him.

As he calmed down and breathed a sigh of relief, he realized he had returned to the outskirts.

Perhaps subconsciously, he considered this the safest place, and in fact, it proved to be so.

After squatting and resting for a while, he slowly started heading toward the distant lights.

Close to the familiar house, Nan Deng spotted a tiny shadow crouching by the roadside.

It was a little black cat. It also recognized Nan Deng and hurried over, circling around him swiftly.

Nan Deng bent down to pet it, “So it’s you.”

The little black cat had something in its mouth and dropped it at Nan Deng’s feet.

Upon closer inspection, Nan Deng saw it was a particularly small rabbit toy, probably the kind hung on keys.

The toy was slightly dirty, presumably picked up somewhere, and was faintly recognizable as white.

The little black cat looked up at Nan Deng eagerly, “Meow.”

“For me?” Nan Deng was both surprised and delighted, “Thank you.”

Furthermore, he couldn’t be sure if he was imagining things, but the little black cat seemed to have grown a size since last night.

Could it grow so rapidly in just a day?

Nan Deng was puzzled as he picked up the rabbit toy from the ground.

Rabbit Head eyed the toy intently and gave its drooping ears a gentle shake.

Observing that Nan Deng accepted its gift, the little black cat nuzzled his trouser leg as a farewell before quickly disappearing back into the night.

The discarded toy could be easily picked up by Nan Deng.

If passersby were to see this, they would notice a rabbit toy inexplicably suspended in thin air and even moving about.

As Nan Deng prepared to return to the iron barrel, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He recalled another method that could allow a ghost to successfully interact with a living soul.

That is, by placing an object that’s been smeared with their own spiritual aura somewhere, if a human picks it up, they’d essentially be marked.

The more times one is marked, the ghost will be able to consume one’s vital energy, not even needing to approach.

Although its practicality is debatable, Nan Deng knew himself well, that this method was the safest for him.

However, he was still slightly reluctant to let go of the toy, considering that the little black cat had just given it to him.

Nan Deng lingered outside the illuminated house for a long time, until the lights inside were extinguished, only then did he approach the main entrance.

He placed the toy on the front steps and reluctantly walked away.

Back at the iron barrel, Nan Deng settled into his familiar curled-up position.

After much hassle, it was almost dawn.

Nan Deng quietly managed his torn sleeve, tilted his head, and closed his eyes.

Rabbit Head was also observing his sleeve, its reddish eyes flickering now and then. After a long while, it reclined.

………………………………..

“Squeak—”

The main door was opened. Lian Yi stood inside the threshold, looking downwards at the doorstep.

Dawn was just starting, the cool night wind strong, causing the leaves to rustle noisily.

The rabbit toy on the ground was dirty, shrouded in a light aura as if ready to be scattered by the wind.

Amateurish.

Ever since the Inner Court started widely advocating about ghosts to the public, there were fewer instances of people picking up things that didn’t belong to them on the roadside.

It seemed that the little ghost was still clinging on to hope.

The wind grew stronger, and the rabbit toy was too small and was slightly shifted in position by it.

A moment later, a skeletal hand stretched out and picked up the toy.

The talisman attached to the middle of the main door was also ripped off, crumpled up and casually thrown into the trash bin.

Translator Footnotes:

水鏡 (Shuǐ Jìng): ‘Watery Mirror’ is a magical mirror that appears in the story that can reveal images or scenes from the past. The use of water elements in Chinese folklore and literature is prevalent and often associated with wisdom, clarity, and reflection.

小紙人 (Xiǎo Zhǐrén): ‘Little Paper Figures’ are a form of Chinese folk art commonly used in rituals and ceremonies. In the story, they come to life and are able to move and make sounds, adding a fantastical element to the tale.

靈術 (Líng Shù): ‘Spirit Art’ refers to the mystical manipulation of energy or spiritual essence, used by individuals like Lian Yi in the story. This term introduces the system of magic and spiritual manipulation that’s prevalent in Chinese fantasy literature.

首席天師 (Shǒuxí Tiānshī): ‘Chief Celestial Master’ refers to the highest-ranking officials within the fictional organization of celestial masters in the novel. This term entwines the parallel between the novel’s world and the actual Chinese celestial hierarchy.

獵物 (Lièwù): Directly translated as ‘prey,’ and it refers to the living creatures that Nan Deng as a ghost must consume to maintain his existence.

野果子 (Yě Guǒzi): ‘Wild Fruits,’ symbolize a natural and accessible source of food for the spirits or ghosts in an urban setting, pointing out the survival challenges they face.

藍血 (Lán Xuè): ‘Blue Blood’ is a phrase used in the story to explain the unusual color of the blood of the ghosts, making them more mysterious than ordinary creatures.

魂體 (Hún Tǐ): Describes a ‘Soul Body’, the term refers to the spiritual form of a ghost that is intangible and invisible to ordinary humans.

小黑貓 (Xiǎo Hēi Māo): Translates to ‘Little Black Cat’. This cat seems to play a significant role in the protagonist’s life, symbolizing a source of comfort and companionship, and also… Is it just me or this cat doesn’t seem to be a normal cat? (○’ ― ‘)ゞ

內庭 (Nèi Tíng): Translates to “Inner Court”. In the novel, it refers to a faction or organization that spreads knowledge about ghosts and spiritual entities to the public.

兔子玩偶 (Tù Zǐ Wán Ǒu): Translates to “Rabbit Toy”. Here, it implies a symbolic object in the plot associated with the protagonist and his interactions. And yes, before the author called it a cat toy, now it’s a rabbit toy… anyways… Is a toy!