Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts - Chapter 15

At that moment, I couldn’t dodge at all,  the Shuimang ghost was way too fast, and I wasn’t really counting on the Old fortune-teller or Brother Xiang to show up and save me either. Just as that ghostly hand got closer and closer to my chest, I suddenly shivered all over, like my body had turned to ice.

When I blinked and looked back, I saw a small figure in a red dress holding onto the Shuimang ghost’s hand. Wasn’t that the little girl in red I’d met when renting the house? She looked about eleven or twelve, but she firmly held onto the ghost’s left hand with just one hand. Then, with a fierce kick, she sent the ghost flying backward.

Huh? This ghost was obviously helping me out! And, wow, she looked strong. The little girl walked slowly up to the Shuimang ghost, grabbed it by the neck, lifted it, and then took a big bite out of its left arm, tearing off a chunk of flesh. She was actually eating the Shuimang ghost, and she was doing it so quickly that, in no time, the entire ghost was devoured.

“Xiao Hui, are you okay? Where did that Shuimang ghost go?” the Old fortune-teller, who hadn’t seen the girl ghost devouring the other, looked at me with surprise. I turned and gave a wry smile, “The ghost possessing me ate it.”

“What?” the Old fortune-teller stared at me in shock. At that moment, the little ghost was about to re-enter my body when the Old fortune-teller suddenly raised his hand to block her. He then took a small bottle from his bag, like an eyedropper.

After rubbing the liquid from the bottle on his eyes, he seemed able to see the ghost, but his expression soured immediately. With a serious look, he asked, “Young lady, how did you end up like this?”

“What’s wrong, Old Li?” I whispered. the Old fortune-teller shot me a look, telling me to keep quiet, and said, “This is a Tuoluo Sha! A very dangerous type of ghost. She may not be too threatening now because she’s young, but if we don’t resolve her resentment, she won’t be able to control her murderous intent in the future, and she might even turn into a ghost demon.”

Hearing this, I realized the situation seemed serious; the Old fortune-teller wouldn’t scare me just for fun. I instinctively hid behind him.

“Young lady, how did you end up like this? How do you want to get your revenge? Tell me, or else I’ll have to destroy your soul completely.” the Old fortune-teller’s thinking was likely that if a ghost couldn’t avenge itself, its hatred would keep festering, and if it exploded, it would result in indiscriminate killing. The consequences would be unimaginable.

Thinking of how this little girl had just devoured that other ghost, I couldn’t help feeling a chill.

“My name is Menma.” The girl’s face showed a bit of fear, but she finally spoke, looking at the Old fortune-teller. “I actually don’t know how I became like this. One day after school, my homeroom teacher gave me a doll as a gift. I took it home, and then I dreamed that the doll was strangling me. After that, I think I really did die because no one could see me anymore.”

“I figured my homeroom teacher had done something to harm me, so I wanted to find someone to help me get revenge. That’s all.” As she recalled, Menma’s face tightened with a frown. Then, pointing at me, she added, “Just now, I sensed he was in danger, so I came out to help him. But after coming out, I couldn’t control myself, so I ended up eating that lady ghost.”

After listening to her story, the Old fortune-teller nodded. “So, according to you, you didn’t die with much resentment. That means someone deliberately turned you into a Tuoluo Sha, right? It was likely your homeroom teacher who did it, but why would they do that?”

“If finding the teacher and getting revenge would resolve this, Xiao Hui should have no problem helping you out.” the Old fortune-teller looked at me, saying, “Xiao Hui, don’t even think about dodging this. This little one just saved you, so the least you can do is return the favor and help her get revenge.”

To be honest, I wanted to refuse at first. I mean, whoever could make her into something like this had to be no easy opponent. But thinking about it, this little girl was pretty pitiful too, and I didn’t have the heart to refuse. Plus, let’s not forget, I’m a pretty righteous guy, alright? Ahem. Although, mainly, I was worried that if I refused and she turned hostile, and if the Old fortune-teller got hurt, we’d be in serious trouble.

“Of course! Menma, right? Don’t worry, I’ve got a strong sense of justice. Just a homeroom teacher? Once we get back, I’ll track them down for you so you can have your revenge.” I said it boldly, and Menma’s big eyes sparkled as she nodded happily.

“Thank you, Bro Hui!” Menma had probably been a smart little ghost in life, as she immediately started calling me “Bro.” With her terrifying combat skills, could I show even a hint of displeasure?

“Alright, since you’ve agreed, let’s make a three-part agreement with Menma here!” the Old fortune-teller looked at her and said, “First, you can’t kill randomly, no matter the circumstances. Second, you can’t possess Chen Hui’s body anymore. Although he’s a Si Chen person, which means he has heavy yin energy and ordinary ghosts can’t harm him but it’s different for you. If you possess him, he’d end up with a terminal illness within six months. During that time, he’d be cursed with bad luck, encountering minor ghosts every three days and bigger ones every five. Here, I have a jade pendant you can go into; there’s a ghost-locking formation inside. If Chen Hui doesn’t let you out, you won’t be able to escape. Do you agree?”

With that, the Old fortune-teller somehow pulled out a small jade pendant about the size of a fingertip, intricately carved with a lifelike dragon. It was also wrapped with a red string.

“As long as this red string stays wrapped around the jade, you can’t get out. If it’s undone, you’ll be able to come out!” He handed me the jade pendant and added, “Of course, while I can’t guarantee he’ll avenge you, he’ll do his best.”

“Thank you both, you’re truly good people.” Menma seemed pretty naïve, didn’t doubt it for a second, and looked genuinely happy. After thanking us, she even bowed before diving into the jade pendant.

I couldn’t help thinking that this pure-hearted girl must’ve had it rough.

I quickly wrapped the red string around the jade pendant.

Once Menma was inside, the Old fortune-teller looked at me gravely. “This is a dangerous spirit. Although we’ve made an agreement, she can’t control herself, so don’t let her out often. But this does have an upside—think of it as a blessing in disguise. If you’re ever in real danger, she can help, just as long as things don’t backfire.”

“Oh, and remember to burn incense for her on the first and fifteenth of every month. After all, she’s still a kid. Give her some sweet treatment, and she won’t cause trouble.” After giving his instructions, the Old fortune-teller slapped his forehead and cursed, “Crap! There’s still Zhao Chen Yang!” He bolted out the door.

I looked down at the jade pendant in my hand, chuckled, and thought, well, at least this gives me some protection. According to the Old fortune-teller, this Tuoluo Sha was no weakling. I stuffed the jade into my bag and hurried out to help deal with Zhao Chen Yang!