I Went Crazy Killing in the World of Gods and Demons - Chapter 84

Chapter 84

After Ling Fang returned, Yang Liuqing’s substitute duty came to an end.

Regarding this, Xie Qingling could only say…

First day without Yang Liuqing, missed her.

Second day without Yang Liuqing, missed her.

Third day without Yang Liuqing

Shen Huaizhou handed Xie Qingling a steaming bag of buns: “Eat these on the way. Let’s go, time for patrol.”

Xie Qingling: “…”

Third day without Yang Liuqing, still missed her!

At first, Xie Qingling really loved the buns from the shop next to their office.

Now, she was almost sick of them.

No matter how much she liked buns, being fed them every single day was too much. Even the most exquisite delicacies would make one dizzy if eaten at every meal.

Xie Qingling couldn’t understand why Shen Huaizhou never got tired of them.

Not only did he never get tired, he liked dragging others to eat them with him.

Seeing Xie Qingling’s conflicted expression, Shen Huaizhou thoughtfully said: “They’re not meat buns today, they’re vegetable-filled.”

How wonderful, Shen Huaizhou actually remembered this.

But what she meant and what he understood were completely different matters!

Xie Qingling asked: “Can we not eat buns? Just give me ten minutes to make some instant noodles?”

Shen Huaizhou showed a conflicted expression: “But buns are convenient.”

“You can eat while walking, saves time.”

Xie Qingling: “…” What a tough guy.

She sighed and said: “I demand ten extra minutes each day for meals, otherwise I won’t team up with you anymore. I’ll team up with Sister Anran instead.”

“Then go make your noodles.” Shen Huaizhou reached out and took the buns back.

Xie Qingling went into the kitchen to prepare something for herself to eat.

Since Future City’s danger level had increased from Level 2 to Level 3, Ling Fang required daily missions to be conducted in pairs, with two people acting together to watch each other’s backs.

If any Singularity Events occurred, they could support each other.

Although no Singularity Events had happened recently and no one from The Eleventh Citadel had been encountered, Ling Fang remained vigilant and still required them to operate in pairs.

Ling Fang said that when suitable personnel became available, headquarters would assign people to Future City, which would slightly alleviate their manpower shortage.

Xie Qingling eagerly looked forward to that day.

After appeasing her stomach, Xie Qingling went out with Shen Huaizhou.

Today, their main patrol area was Chenghuang Street, which had previously been approved for demolition and reconstruction.

The other buildings on the street weren’t completed yet, but the City God Temple was nearly finished after the construction team worked day and night.

Now that the temple structure was rebuilt, only the deities inside remained to be settled.

They just needed to choose an auspicious date, build a deity platform, invite the deity statues, welcome the City God to reside, and invite the City God Six Ministries into the templethen the temple would be truly complete.

Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou came to confirm that nothing had gone wrong.

The City God Temple was rebuilt on its original site, once again enclosing the old locust tree within its grounds.

The site was temporarily cordoned off by the construction team’s barriers. When Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou arrived, they had to spend considerable effort explaining themselves before gaining trust and being allowed inside.

Upon entering, they saw Old Grandma from the noodle shop holding a large bucket, ladling out bowl after bowl of locust blossom syrup. The construction workers were queuing up to receive their portions.

Spotting Xie Qingling, Old Grandma immediately smiled and waved her over. “It’s you! Come here, have a bowl of syrup.”

Old Grandma had already returned the cheongsam.

When Xie Qingling had time, she would detour to have a bowl of noodles before leaving.

“Grandma, I’m here to check things out. I’ll have some later,” Xie Qingling replied without standing on ceremony, though she intended to complete her work first.

Hearing this, Old Grandma didn’t press her, focusing instead on serving the construction workers.

Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou patrolled around the newly built City God Temple and found no issues.

[After lying dormant for countless years, the City God Temple finally received meager Incense Offerings. The laborers working here prayed with devout hearts, beseeching unknown deities to ensure their safety during construction.]

[Beneath the old locust tree, at the temple’s foundation, buried chicken blood used for Sacrifice remained.]

[The restored Jin Jia Yin Suo, having regained their divine power, appeared more majestic than ever. With Shackles Lord and Locks Lord, the Ghost Messengers, guarding this place, Demons and Monsters dared not approach.]

So that was how it was.

Xie Qingling said to Shen Huaizhou, “Let’s go. Mission accomplished. Nothing more for us here.”

Shen Huaizhou nodded and followed her.

The two returned to the front of the temple and asked Old Grandma for a bowl of locust blossom syrup.

The syrup was chilled. In the sweltering heat, a bowl of it felt like salvation, refreshing and soothing from head to toe.

When Xie Qingling tried to pay, Old Grandma refused.

“I’m giving out this locust blossom syrup for free. I’m just worried that with the Ghost Festival approaching, these temple builders are rushing to meet deadlines, working so hard they don’t even have time to drink. I’m doing a good deedhow can I take your money? Put it away.”

Xie Qingling didn’t insist and pocketed the money.

“Grandma, did you ever offer incense at the City God Temple before?” Xie Qingling asked.

“No, by my time the temple had already collapsed. Where would I go to offer incense?”

“But my grandmother, she knew all about these things. Every year when the Ghost Festival came around, she would take me out to burn incense and paper, saying we needed to honor our ancestors.”

As she spoke, Old Grandma’s tone grew nostalgic. The smile on her wrinkled face made her look almost like an eight- or nine-year-old child, full of wonder and longing.

“Back then, not many people observed the Ghost Festival anymore, but my grandmother never missed a year. She’d set up the incense altar, burn paper money, and put out offerings of food… though in the end, it all ended up in my stomach.”

“My grandmother had a kind heart. She didn’t just make offerings to our own ancestors; she made them for others too.”

“She said that those wandering souls, the ones who couldn’t find their way home, had no one to make offerings to them during the Ghost Festival. They’d go hungry for a whole year, and that was too pitiful. She couldn’t bear to see anyone go hungrynot people, not even ghosts. So on the day of the Ghost Festival, she would ‘Offer to wandering souls’ at our doorstep.”

“Offer to wandering souls?” Xie Qingling asked.

Among the younger generation, these ancient traditions have nearly died out, but among the elderly, some little-known stories still seem to be passed down orally.

Though fewer and fewer people know of them, and written records are increasingly hard to find, there are still some who are aware.

The stories they heard from their elders have been passed down to descendants connected by blood or close relationships.

“‘Offering to wandering souls’ means setting up an incense altar at the doorstep to make offerings to lonely spirits and lost souls passing by, burning some paper money for them, and presenting incense offerings so their time in the underworld isn’t too difficult,” Old Grandma explained.

She ladled another bowl of sweet syrup water for Xie Qingling and said, “My grandmother used to say that if the City God Temple were still here, there wouldn’t be any wandering souls. Everyone would have a place to return to, a destination to go tono one would be left lonely and adrift, pitiful and without support.”

“Could Grandma’s grandmother actually see ghosts? How did she know all this?” Xie Qingling took a sip of the sweet water and asked casually.

“Silly child, how could there be ghouls in this world?” Old Grandma laughed heartily. “It’s been a long time since I’ve met such a simple-minded kid like you.”

“These are just figments of people’s imagination, a way for the living to remember the dead. Grandma herself never believed in these things before, and I still don’t now. But I do hope the City God Temple gets rebuilt soon. For one, the street will become livelier with more people around, so I won’t feel so lonely. And secondly, it gives me some comfort to think that if the temple is completed, it might truly shelter those wandering souls with no home to return to.”

Xie Qingling smiled and nodded, showing her agreement.

“The deity statues should be installed before the Ghost Festival,” Xie Qingling mentioned.

“I hope so.”

After finishing the locust flower syrup water and bidding farewell to Old Grandma, Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou got on the motorcycle and began their journey back to the city.

On the way, Shen Huaizhou said, “On the day of the Ghost Festival, we’ll also be making offerings to wandering souls.”

“Ah?” Xie Qingling was taken aback.

“The Lantern Festival grants blessings, the Ghost Festival absolves sins, and the Water Lantern Festival dispels misfortune. The Ghost Festival, also known as the Spirit Festival, is when the Ghost Gate opens wide. It’s the one day of the year when spirits return to visit their families,” Shen Huaizhou explained. “There will be many ghouls appearing in the human world, and we’ll be very busy.”

“Do we need to capture spirits?” Xie Qingling asked.

Shen Huaizhou shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. The ghouls that appear during the Ghost Festival are all souls returning to visit their families. Once day breaks and the Ghost Gate closes, they have to leave. If they don’t, they’ll be scattered to nothing by the sunlight. They might cause us some minor troubles, but they won’t harm people. If they do harm anyone, we eliminate them on the spot. To stay alivewell, to be able to return and see their families again next yearthey won’t lay a hand on anyone. They all know the rules and behave themselves.”

In fact, some spirits even tried to bribe department members, hoping for special favors to stay in the human world a little longer. But Shen Huaizhou didn’t mention that.

Xie Qingling imagined what might happen on the day of the Ghost Festival and said, “It doesn’t sound too difficult, from what you’ve described.”

“Besides Offering to wandering souls and paying homage to the deceased, we also worship deities. From the three teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, along with other folk beliefs, we have all kinds of deitieseach with their own rules. On the day of the Ghost Festival, not only Taoist deities require worship, but Buddhist Buddhas and Bodhisattvas must also be honoredas it is also the Buddhist Yulanpen Festival.”

“Ahmy head is starting to ache,” Xie Qingling exclaimed.

Shen Huaizhou couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s actually not that difficult. You’ll understand when the time comes.”

“Alright.”

The Ghost Festival was only a few days away.

Xie Qingling already had a preliminary understanding of the Ghost Festival: overtime work.

Not long after, the logistics department delivered six items.

Two willow leaves soaked in water, two cups of unknown liquid, and two bird eyeballs.

Ling Fang said, “These tools will all be used on the day of the Ghost Festival. They’ll allow you to see spirits directly during patrols.”

“After sunset on the Ghost Festival, the Ghost Gate will open wide, and countless spirits will return from the underworld to the mortal realm. That night, we’ll be on duty all night. The logistics department will take over daytime patrols so we can rest.”

Xie Qingling asked, “Director, how do we use these willow leaves?”

“Just wipe your eyes with them.”

Without hesitation, Xie Qingling chose the willow leaves.

Ling Fang selected the unknown liquid, explaining, “This is tears from a yellow ox raised on grave grass. Applying it to your eyes will also let you see spirits.”

Shen Huaizhou quickly chose the willow leaves too, while Ye Anran snatched the remaining ox tears.

Yu Wei waited until everyone had chosen before stepping forward to take a slippery crow’s eyeball. Familiar with the procedure, he said, “I swallowed an eyeball last year too. Just don’t break it.”

It seemed Yu Wei was already accustomed to this.

Dai Xingyu chuckled darkly, sounding both arrogant and smug. “I’m not like you guys, needing external help to see ghosts. As a Herdsman, I don’t need these toolsseeing ghosts is my specialty… mmm”

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Anran swiftly stuffed an eyeball into his mouth.

Dai Xingyu tried to spit it out, but Xie Qingling, standing behind him, expertly slapped his back with precisely controlled force. Dai Xingyu involuntarily opened his mouth and lifted his head, thus swallowing the crow’s eyeball whole.

The instigators, Ye Anran and Xie Qingling, exchanged glances and burst into laughter.