Forbidden to Capture Rare Cute Ghosts - Chapter 5

The chill of the night completely dissipated, and the resentful aura was hard to detect during the day.

While it is not possible to let down one’s guard completely during the day, ghosts prefer the night, nor do they dare to act rashly in the daytime. The daytime is generally safe.

The talisman shop opened for business as usual, with a long line of people at the door first thing in the morning, there to receive free tools to ward off ghosts.

On the second floor, Lin Jiu was reporting the situation to the communication screen in front of him.

He was a high-ranking celestial master, second only to the chief celestial master. At present, he was responsible for all operations in this region.

“Up until today, a total of two hundred and sixty-one resentful spirits of second-level or higher have been captured and sent to the nearest Ye Zhang Tower,” Lin Jiu paused before continuing, “Of these, seventy-eight were confirmed to have escaped from the Ye Zhang Tower in Qi Bei. The ghost king has not been found yet.”

That Ye Zhang Tower had mysteriously collapsed from the inside, with a large portion of unfully purified resentful spirits fleeing. Celestial masters from various places are making their utmost effort to track them down.

“Perhaps due to the death of the local spirit, appearances of the underworld have noticeably increased in the region.”

However, an increase in appearances does not mean it has gotten stronger. Each time the underworld appears, it sends a warning to the Inner Court and still needs the celestial masters’ assistance to feed successfully.

They do not have the manpower to spare; looking at it this way, it would be better for them to capture the spirits directly.

In conclusion, the frequent appearances of the underworld did not bring any help.

Lin Jiu who was more tactful, asked indirectly if they still needed to send people the next time the underworld appeared.

“Assisting the Three Gods is the primary responsibility of the Inner Court,” Wong Ping declared sternly, “Are you new or what?”

Lin Jiu lowered his head, “I’ve learned my lesson.”

Since the establishment of the Inner Court, this responsibility has always been there and must be followed unconditionally.

However, today is not what it used to be. In the past, the Three Gods often responded to the summon, spirits were copious, and the underworld was not as weak as it is now.

Over ten years ago, the Mountain God, and the Chaos God mysteriously disappeared. Losing the protection of the Mountain God, spirits gradually weakened, and resentful aura flourished, the strength and number of resentful spirits increased exponentially.

There are more and more escaping resentful spirits, and the underworld starts to have less food.

Even the gods need to fill their bellies, all the more when the food is the only source of power for the underworld.

Up to now, there has still not been any improvement.

At present, the only deity who is still willing to appear is one to be valued and cherished.

Wong Ping sighed silently, his complexion easing, “Lian Yi is still over on your side, you can ask him for help if there’s any situation, everything else should carry on as normal, and do not overwork yourself.”

Lin Jiu hesitated before finding his voice, “Two days ago, I sent a message to Chairman Lian, but he has not responded.”

Lian Yi has always been a very special existence. He had only stepped in once during his stay these past few days. Lin Jiu is of a lower rank compared to him, not replying was normal.

“You don’t need to worry about it,” Wong Ping shook his head, “Older Gu Xu has already contacted him.”

A senior stepping in, Lian Yi would likely not refuse.

The concern was evident in Lin Jiu’s eyes, “Alright.”

…………………………………………….

Inside the council chamber.

The holographic communication screen in front of Gu Xu was lit, the display however was pitch black.

“You received all of my messages, didn’t you?”

Within the screen, electric currents occasionally flickered, transmitting an indifferent voice, “My communicator was broken, it was only fixed this morning.”

That would mean the messages were only received this morning and he had not had time to reply yet.

Whether it was true or not, Gu Xu was too lazy to investigate. Lian Yi had always been like this, barely speaking.

“Do you have any news about Elder Zhuo Qing?” Gu Xu cut straight to the chase, “The students at Xiang Nan reported that they saw the two of you together.”

“No.”

“You didn’t come back together?”

“No.”

Gu Xu’s expression darkened, his tone not exactly friendly, “What kind of attitude is this? Elder Zhuo Qing is your mentor, he has gone missing, don’t you care at all?”

The screen went silent for a moment before Lian Yi’s still indifferent voice could be heard, “My mentor’s spiritual skills are advanced, good people are naturally protected by Heaven.”

Gu Xu’s face became even uglier, and he glared at the pitch-black screen with a degree of severity.

He recovered quickly, “There is another issue. The area you are in is severely affected by ghostly disasters. Before Elder Zhuo Qing returns, stay there and assist with the purification of resentful spirits.”

Simultaneously, a task was assigned and transmitted to Lian Yi’s communication system.

The power of the Chief Celestial Master was formidable, he could perform tasks alone without needing anyone else’s assistance. However, when a distress signal was received nearby, Lian Yi had to attend to it.

Even if he was unwilling to lend a hand, he could not leave during this period.

As soon as Gu Xu finished speaking, there was a longer silence on the communication end.

He gradually lost patience, mulling over his next move. Finally, Lian Yi responded, “Alright.”

The communication was cut off, and Gu Xu carelessly tossed the communicator on the table.

Someone from the side chimed in, “I suspect Elder Zhuo Qing’s disappearance has a connection to him.”

“If he harbors any ulterior motives, we should prepare in advance.”

The rest of the people gradually chimed in. Gu Xu pondered, “We have been dragging this on for too long, I will figure out a solution as soon as possible.”

Lian Yi was too powerful and extremely dangerous. Under controllable circumstances, he needed to be imprisoned and killed.

Otherwise, if he turned into a resentful spirit, a celestial master once capable of controlling spirits, the consequences would be unimaginable once he discovered a way to lift the boundaries of his spectral form.

When Zhuo Qing was around, he could barely control him, but now Zhuo Qing had disappeared.

Even if they didn’t deal with Lian Yi now, they had to force out the whereabouts of Zhuo Qing. If Zhuo Qing was really dead, his spirit should be immediately refined.

Being a Celestial Master required more caution compared to ordinary people.

…………………………………………..

Quickly, night fell again.

The capture mission continued for several days. Many low-level resentful spirits had been dealt with, but a significant number remained.

The squads continued their usual patrols, not missing any abnormalities.

At three in the morning, a distress signal was issued from the northwest direction.

Behind an apartment building, three Celestial Masters and one resentful spirit were in a stalemate in a corner.

The strength of the resentful spirit was somewhere between levels three and four. When first discovered, it feigned weakness. Waiting for the chasing Celestial Masters to misjudge, when the time was right, it would fight back at full strength, a cunning strategy indeed.

The squad realized too late that they had fallen into a trap and were cornered by the resentful spirit. All three of them were injured.

Moreover, the resentful spirit had a clear goal, which was to go after the Celestial Masters. There was no hurry to escape.

The three of them attempted to retreat, but one of their companions was cornered by the resentful spirit.

“Hang in there!” said the squad leader, “Reinforcements are on their way!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the resentful spirit suddenly threw aside the Celestial Master in the corner and turned its head towards the other side.

Immediately following, a silver light streaked in.

“Bang!”

The resentful spirit reacted swiftly, dodging to the side. A small, delicate Bagua ring struck where it had stood, causing cracks and depressions on the ground.

Seeing the Bagua ring, the other three let out sighs of relief, appearing more relaxed.

Separated by two streets, Lin Jiu, who was on his way, stopped in his tracks.

He checked the latest signals and waved a halt to the others behind him, “Even the Chief is there.”

He had thought that… But it was better this way. With Lian Yi around, their mission would undoubtedly be much easier.

Lin Jiu continued to message the squad, asking about the situation over there.

About ten minutes later, the squad leader replied, “The resentful spirit has been dealt with, indeed by Chief Lian.”

“However, he did not show himself… and quickly left.”

They only saw his signature silver Bagua ring, but he did not appear.

There were too few Chief Celestial Masters, and most people had no clear concept of their strength.

With only the power of manipulating the Bagua ring, Lian Yi severely injured that level three resentful spirit, which allowed them to capture it effortlessly.

The squad leader spoke with a mix of reverence and a complicated sense of longing.

Even if the rumored Lian Yi was an irresponsible, cold-hearted monster, his power was indeed worthy of the title Chief Celestial Master.

……………………………………

At the same time, Nan Deng paced back and forth in front of a familiar house.

Had the rabbit doll been picked up or thrown away? He had even checked the nearby trash cans but could not find the doll.

Logically speaking, when the ghostly aura is attached to a living person, one would feel it.

Nan Deng didn’t feel anything. A single rabbit doll wasn’t enough.

Additionally, he discovered that the amulet placed outside the door had disappeared.

“Huh?”

Nan Deng found this strange, and cautiously circled around the house twice.

Was it really gone? It was unlikely that the homeowner had torn it off by themselves. It must have been the wind that blew it away since it wasn’t properly affixed.

There were no lights on in the house tonight, so Nan Deng wasn’t sure if the owner was out or had gone to bed early.

Nan Deng thought this was an excellent opportunity. Once the homeowner found out the amulet was gone, they would surely replace it with a new one.

So, he went to a window on the side of the house, pried it open, and pushed it with all his might.

The window was still too heavy for him. The rabbit head jumped up to help him push. By the time Nan Deng finally climbed through the window and into the house, he was utterly exhausted.

The room was pitch-black and quiet, seemingly uninhabited.

Nan Deng mustered up his energy, and with the rabbit head, they quietly opened the door and went in.

They examined each nook and cranny of the house, only to find that it was entirely empty.

In other words, it was another failure for the night.

However, it was significant progress just to enter the house smoothly.

Determined not to give up, Nan Deng continued to search the house, hoping to find something to eat.

The rabbit head’s nose twitched, as if it had caught a scent. It hopped off Nan Deng’s head and made its way towards the smell.

“Don’t run off!” Nan Deng chased after it, and finding it had stopped in front of an unidentified object covered by a cloth in the corner.

The rabbit head bit the cloth and slid it away. Under the moonlight streaming in from the window, Nan Deng saw that it was a paper basket containing two little paper figures, snuggling together and sleeping.

The little paper figures were startled awake by the movement and were about to scream at the sight of a massive rabbit head looming above them.

The rabbit head acted quickly and efficiently, swallowing both paper figures in one bite.

Nan Deng stared blankly for a few seconds before silently picking up the cloth from the ground and covering the paper basket again.

The rabbit head licked its lips and hopped back into Nan Deng’s embrace.

“What now…” Nan Deng fretted, “You didn’t just eat someone’s pet, did you?”

The little girl had previously said that she didn’t know what the little paper figures were. The rabbit head showed no signs of abnormalities after swallowing them, so they might not have been the Celestial Masters’ belongings.

The more Nan Deng thought about it, the more he felt his speculation could be right. The homeowner had prepared sleeping quarters for the little paper figures, albeit simple ones.

He had been considering just getting a few bites of the homeowner’s soul, which wouldn’t kill the person but could provide food for the fog ghost.

Although Nan Deng is a ghost, he never held any brutal or extreme thoughts.

But, the little paper figures were different – once eaten, they were gone.

There was nothing he could do now. He could only hope the homeowner wouldn’t be too heartbroken upon discovering their loss.

Nan Deng quietly apologized, “Sorry,” before getting up and leaving with the rabbit head filled with food.

He had initially planned to stay in the house, but feared that the homeowner would arrive and notice the missing amulet. Not managing to escape before a new one was placed would be disastrous.

As he left, Nan Deng placed a leaf at the doorway, weighing it down with a stone.

The area was sparsely populated, and even after rummaging through numerous trash cans, he couldn’t find any suitable objects. He chose the best-looking leaf he could find with great care.

After arranging everything, Nan Deng returned to his iron bucket, curling up inside it.

He hadn’t slept well in several days, and he didn’t wish to go elsewhere tonight.

Yawning twice in succession, Nan Deng slowly drifted off to sleep, leaning against the wall of the bucket.

In the middle of the night, Lian Yi returned from outside.

He noticed the leaf weighed down by the stone as soon as he got to his door.

A bit simplistic, he thought.

Lian Yi picked up the leaf and walked into the house.

He placed the leaf in a drawer in the low cabinet by the door, along with a small clay bottle.

Inside it contained more than a dozen level-three resentful spirits, enough to last for a while.

Without turning on the lights, he silently entered the living room, looking around.

Indeed, there were traces of a strange presence that had been here. So faint, almost undetectable.

The two little paper figures that had been placed in the corner of the living room were also gone, but Lian Yi wasn’t surprised.

Standing in front of the empty paper pile, he summoned the water mirror.

The little paper figures had been eaten, but the magic that had been injected into them lingered for a while. The water mirror, faintly glowing, revealed all that had happened.

“Did you just eat someone else’s pet?” A voice questioned.

Nan Deng didn’t hide, and his ghostly voice was recorded by the spirit technique.

He was somewhat disconcerted, holding the rabbit head in his hands, his beautiful brows furrowed as if contemplating what to do next.

In the end, he stooped to tidy up the paper pile again, his drooping lashes quivering slightly.

“I am sorry…”

The water mirror vanished abruptly. Lian Yi stood still, staring at the paper pile for a little while before turning back to his room.

………………………………………

Around four or five in the morning, Nan Deng was still sleeping soundly in the iron bucket while the rabbit head in his arm woke up.

It perked up its ears and jumped out of the bucket by itself, quietly bouncing towards a direction.

At this time, the streets had no residents, ghosts were looking for places to hide from the morning light.

Most of the patrolling Celestial Masters had also gone back to rest, which meant the rabbit head could go wherever it wished without any obstruction, arriving at a rather secluded location.

It stopped before a pitch-dark corner, gently twitching its nose.

“Who’s that?”

A voice echoed, and half a face peered out from the shadows.

“Is that you?” The little girl raised an eyebrow, looking around, “Where’s your good-for-nothing master?”

The rabbit head silently stared at her, hopping forward to get closer.

Daylight was about to break, and the little girl, uninterested in this odd rabbit head without Nan Deng’s presence, waved her hand to shoo it, “Don’t bother me, get lost.”

The rabbit head was struck by her words and toppled over “gulu gulu”, rolling to the wall’s edge.

“Crack-“

The rabbit head’s eyes turned red and a crack appeared down the middle of the skull, emitting a wisp of black smoke.

The little girl quickly sensed that something was amiss, her eyebrows furrowed, and she stared at it, “You…”

Her eyes grew increasingly horrified, starting to quake with fear.

Under the moonlight, the small shadow began to expand and enlarge, filling up the narrow passageway, beyond recognition.

The soft rabbit ears on its head also disappeared, replaced by three giant crimson eyes.

The little girl didn’t even have a chance to let out a scream before she was swallowed whole.

Meanwhile, on the nearest street, a squad led by Lin Jiu was preparing to regroup and turn back.

Suddenly, the compass in Lin Jiu’s hand began to rotate at high speed, detecting an extremely strong negative energy. The data that represented the level of resentful spirits continued to rise.

Lin Jiu held the compass tightly, his voice grave, “It’s a Ghost King!”

This intensity of negative energy could only be from a Ghost King, perhaps the one that escaped from the Ye Zhang tower.

After hiding for such a long time, it finally couldn’t resist making a move.

Lin Jiu immediately sent out a message and led his team toward the direction indicated by the compass.

Not only them, the neighboring ghosts also sensed this overpowering energy.

“It’s the Ghost King…”

“Hehe, those Celestial Masters are done for…”

When Lin Jiu and his team arrived at the location, they didn’t see any resentful spirits.

There were traces of remaining negative energy in the alleyway. The ghost had stopped there, then fled again.

Several Celestial Masters carefully searched, tracking based on the trail of negative energy, but to no avail by dawn.

The clues were scarce, the Ghost King had seemingly appeared and disappeared out of thin air.

………………………………………

In the suburbs, the rabbit head quietly jumped into the iron bucket.

It seemed very tired, curling up in the arms of the sleeping Nan Deng, and then closing its eyes.

Translator Footnotes:

業障塔 (Yè Zhàng Tǎ): Literally translates to “Karma Obstacle Tower”. It is described as a place for trapping and purifying resentful spirits.

三神 (Sān Shén): Translates to “Three Gods”. In the novel, they are the deities that celestial masters should assist.

內庭 (Nèi Tíng): Translates to “Inner Court”. A special organization of celestial masters in the novel.

地府 (Dì Fǔ): Literally translates to “Earth Mansion”. It is symbolized as the realm of the underworld in Chinese culture and in the novel.

吉人自有天相 (Jírén zìyǒu tiānxiāng): A proverb meaning “Good people are naturally protected by Heaven”. Represents a belief in divine protection for the righteous. Sorry, I don’t know if he was serious here or just being ironic. To me sounds ironic, but I still need to understand better his personality before being sure about it. (,,-‘_●-)

鬼禍 (Guǐ Huò): Literally translates to “Ghost Disaster”. It is a term used in the novel to indicate areas severely affected by paranormal activities.

長老 (Zhǎnglǎo): Translates to “Elder”. In the novel, Elder is a respectful term equivalent to the seniority of the person in the Celestial Masters community.

八卦環 (Bāguà Huán): Translates to “Bagua Ring”. In the novel, it is a powerful tool that is like a symbol of Lian Yi and he uses it to fight against the resentful spirits

I just wanna say… Poor paper figures can’t even sleep in peace (つ≧▽≦)つ

水鏡 (Shuǐ Jìng): Translates to “Water Mirror”. In the context of the novel, it represents a kind of magical tool that Celestial Masters uses to reflect past events.

靈術 (Líng Shù): It means “Spirit Technique”. Here it also refers to an ethereal skill employed mainly in order to cast spells or hexes.

“Gulu gulu” (咕嚕咕嚕): The onomatopoeic word frequently used to depict the sound of rolling in Chinese literature, which I find quite cute honestly ♥( ˆ⌣ ˆԅ)

歸道 (Guī Dào): Literally translates to “Return Path”. It refers to Celestial Masters in the context of the novel.

Okay… I already imagined that the Rabbit Head wasn’t as simple as it looked like, however, I never imagined that he was the Ghost King! The whole time I thought it was Nan Deng, and, I don’t know… he had lost his memory, or was just a special kind of Ghost King…

(◯Δ ◯ ∥) I’m truly surprised by this!