Chapter 1

My name is Wang Jianfei, and I was born on the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Ever since I can remember, I have often encountered some unclean things.

Many of the adults in the village didn't like me, saying I was a harbinger of disaster.

This was because on the night of my fifth birthday, my parents, grandparents, and older sister were all brutally murdered in our home.

Only I survived.

To me, what happened that night is something I don't know at all.

I only remember eating longevity noodles and then going to bed early.

The next morning, I woke up to the pungent smell of blood permeating the house.

I went to the main room and was horrified to find the bodies of my grandparents, parents, and my older sister, who was two years older than me, piled together.

The main room was covered in blood, and there were scattered pieces of human tissue.

Especially my older sister, her head had been split in two.

Blood, everywhere was blood...

...

Later, Master Zhao Laosan adopted me.

Master was our village's feng shui master and also a ghost hunter.

He often went to the county town or the city to help people with feng shui, and sometimes it wasn't about feng shui, but something mysterious, which I didn't quite understand.

Before I knew it, I was nine years old.

One day, an old Taoist named Li Ergou came to our house to drink with my master.

He and my master were very close friends.

They sat at a stone table in the courtyard, drinking cup after cup.

I squatted to one side, playing with a toy car my master had bought for me in the county town.

Li Ergou took a sip of wine and smiled at my master, saying, "Have you found out who killed this boy's family?"

My master's face turned red when he drank, and he shook his head, saying, "No, the police haven't found any leads yet."

Li Ergou laughed strangely, "I'm not talking about the police, I'm talking about you..."

My master shook his head again, "No, don't try to get me to talk."

Li Ergou raised his wine glass, "Drink."

My master also raised his glass and clinked it with his.

Li Ergou's eyes darted around, and he asked again, "Old Zhao, what have you taught this boy since you took him as your disciple?"

My master smiled and called me, "Jianfei, tell him what I've taught you over the years."

I stood up and looked at Li Ergou, saying, "My master taught me to recognize some very complex characters, which the school teachers never taught. Then my master made me memorize the 'Secret Techniques of Feng Shui' and the 'Secret Methods of Ghost Hunting.'"

Li Ergou was surprised, "Old Zhao, are you planning to pass your legacy to this child?"

My master smiled but didn't say anything, just picked up a braised duck claw and started chewing.

Li Ergou looked at me again, "Aren't you afraid?"

I shook my head, "No."

My master had told me that I had a yin destiny, making it easy for me to see unclean things.

Over time, I became immune to the "ghosts" I saw.

For example, sometimes when I passed the old locust tree at the village entrance at night, I could see many "people" hanging from the tree.

And the dry well behind the village, one noon, I and a few other kids were playing near the well, and I saw a woman with disheveled hair and black clothes sitting by the well.

I said I saw her, but the other kids said they didn't.

So over the years, I had gotten used to what my eyes saw.

In recent years, I had memorized the 'Secret Techniques of Feng Shui' and the 'Secret Methods of Ghost Hunting' by heart, but I didn't know how to use the techniques inside.

According to my master, I should memorize them first, and when I was older, he would teach me how to use them.

My master, while chewing on the braised duck claw, said, "This boy often goes to his own house and insists that his family is still alive."

Li Ergou whispered, "They've all turned into ghosts?"

My master shook his head, "I went to his house and regularly clean it. There's no trace of malevolent energy, so there can't be any ghosts. This kid is probably just seeing things."

I pursed my lips and didn't say anything because only I knew I wasn't seeing things.

Ever since my family was murdered, every time I went home, I could see my grandparents, parents, and older sister.

They were all alive and would suddenly appear in front of me.

They could communicate with me and talk to me.

Even, they had shadows!

My master had told me that ghosts don't have shadows.

So I firmly believed that although my family had died, they hadn't turned into ghosts.

I couldn't explain why only I could see them and only I could talk to them.

Every time I asked them if they were human or ghosts, they would avoid the topic and not answer me.

And every time I asked who had killed them, they would say they couldn't remember.

I had brought my master to my house many times, but he couldn't see their existence.

Over time, my master thought I had mental problems.

Last summer, my master even took me to the city hospital, but the doctor didn't find anything.

After that, I no longer told my master about my family's existence or told anyone else.

Li Ergou handed me a braised duck neck, "Jianfei, eat! Don't think too much, grow up happily. Study hard, get into a good university, and take good care of your master in the future."

As he spoke, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.

Summer is like that; the rain comes suddenly.

My master and Li Ergou hurriedly carried the dishes and wine into the main room.

I stood quietly in the courtyard, looking up at the sky.

I like the rain.

Since I was five, I have liked the rain.

The day after my family was murdered, it rained all day.

I stood in the rain for a long time.

The sound of the rain drowned out the villagers' insults.

Yes, they cursed me as a harbinger of disaster, cursed me as having a yin destiny, and cursed me for killing my whole family.

Li Ergou stretched his neck and called me to come inside.

My master said, "Forget it, leave him alone. This boy likes rainy days."

My master really understood me.

I took the toy car and walked out of the courtyard.

My master's house was in the middle of the village, and my own house was at the end of the village.

Over the years, I had lived with my master, and my house had been empty, with my master occasionally cleaning it.

After the murder in my house, several neighbors moved away.

I walked out of the courtyard and slowly made my way to the back of the village.

Thunder rumbled, and raindrops fell on me.

The rain started pouring down.

The cicadas' chirping suddenly stopped.

The village wasn't very big or very small, with about eighty households.

Soon, I was drenched and standing at the door of my own house.

My house was a bungalow with a front yard.

I pushed open the big iron gate of the front yard, walked into the courtyard, and stomped my feet to shake off the mud and leaves on my shoes.

Suddenly, a chilling voice came from outside the gate, mixed with the sound of the wind and rain.

"Brother, can I play with your toy car?"

I was taken aback and quickly turned around.

My house faced a small alley.

At the mouth of the alley, a little girl in a red dress, holding a red umbrella, stood quietly.

The rain was heavy, but I could clearly see her face.

She was pale, her eyes slightly squinted, with no eyebrows, and her mouth curled up in a very eerie smile.

At that moment, a hand rested on my shoulder, "Jianfei, don't look at her!"

Hearing a familiar voice, I instinctively turned my head, and it was my older sister...