Its not that I see this kind of thing every day, its not like when night falls, my eyes are filled with unclean things everywhere. Its just on some special days: for example, the first and fifteenth of each lunar month, if Im walking alone at night or in a special place, such as a hospital or an old building, the possibility is higher.

  Ive never been harmed by them, and Ive never thought of going to disturb them. Seeing them is the same as not seeing them; whether you can see them or not, theyre always there and have never left. After a long time, they become like the occasional flashes of phosphorescence on the roadside - at first glance, its scary, but after seeing it many times, its just that way.

  I was thinking, when suddenly the fatty grabbed my clothes, I looked at his face twisting and turning, his mouth opening and closing non-stop, and he kept gesturing.

  "Oh no!" I thought to myself: "I told you not to look, but you had to, and now this guy is scared stiff."

  He probably saw that I didnt react and continued leaning on the haystack. He suddenly slid to my side and whispered, "Hes gone!"

  "Whos gone?" I asked.

  Pangzis fingers were pointing at me from behind, I turned around to take a look, damn it, I dont know when Zhang Wenbin disappeared!

  "What about the person?" At this moment, who still cares about so much, the fatty pulled my collar and dragged me to the grass mound. Good guy, I saw someone running towards that team from afar.

  I asked Pangzi in a low voice: "What does he want to do?"

  "I didnt know, I was just watching the excitement, and then I saw Cha Ye passing by. Wait a minute, Xiao Yi, look, I said why did that woman in the sedan chair look so familiar? Thats not Yuan Xiaobai, is it?! It seems this guy isnt thinking of going to jail, but..."

  "Whats up? Xiao Bai?" I took a closer look, and it was indeed Yuan Xiao Bai. At least I hadnt mistaken her for someone else, because she was still wearing the dark red plaid jacket that we had made from new fabric especially for her during the winter before we went to the countryside as educated youth. It was very familiar and unmistakable.

  Fatso also wanted to go over, I pulled him back and said: "Dont move around, thats not where were going."

  As I spoke, I had just arrived at Cha Wenbins place and walked to the front of their teams first horse-drawn carriage. He didnt stop either, but his hand was holding an additional bell. Seeing him shake it once, he scattered a handful of paper money into the air. The carriages and horses behind them also showed no signs of stopping, continuing on their journey.

  Its strange to say, I noticed a change, that is, the people and horses behind began to follow Zhang Wenbin, he went in which direction, the horse-drawn carriage followed in which direction.

  I saw Cha Wenbin walking at the front of the team, passing by us. I thought he had seen me, as he winked at me, and then he continued to shake the bell and led the team around us. The sedan chair with Yuan Xiaobai on it was empty-eyed, as if she hadnt seen anything at all.

  He thinks of himself as a psychopomp, there is a saying that some people can walk between the world of the living and the dead. These people are neither sorcerers nor practitioners, they are chosen by the underworld to be representatives on earth, doing things that the yin officials cannot do. Thats why many people use this idea to claim that they are possessed by certain bodhisattvas or gods, specializing in swindling and deceiving others. But what comes out of their mouths is all fake, a true psychopomp can never reveal his identity.

  I didnt understand at the time, but I also didnt dare to move randomly. The scene, the momentum, was a truly terrifying and eerie atmosphere, not like those in Hong Kong movies. Even though they were more than ten meters away from us, you could feel that the air around us had solidified, the temperature dropped suddenly, and everything from skin to pores to bones felt cold. It was an indescribable chill, colder than the river water in January, so cold it made people suffocate.

  I watched Zhang Wenbin lead the long procession to the edge of the pool, and when he reached the pool that didnt reflect the moonlight, he stopped, and the people behind him also stopped.

  He turned back and looked at her, but she was expressionless.

  "Im taking this person away." This is a very special language, we cant speak or understand it, called "ghost" language, which every real Taoist will learn from their master since they were young.

  The leading yin general replied: "Do not interfere with official business, violators will be beheaded."

  "Shes still alive, not a ghost, you cant find her a host. Ill take this person away, she hasnt died yet and is still in the mortal world, hand her over to me, this doesnt count as breaking your rules."

  The person on the carriage didnt even bother to look at Cha Wenbin and said, "Third Palace Yanluo, Sixth Layer Judges own handwriting. I am here to carry out orders from the Yin Department, you mortal dont know how to behave, using the Soul Summoning Bell to impersonate a guide, be careful not to commit heavenly crimes or you will be punished for your entire life."

  Cha Wenbin was not afraid of these yin soldiers at all, and with a straight face, he said: "Heaven has its heavenly laws, the country has its national laws, and when doing things, one cannot depart from the three cardinal guides and five constant virtues. This person is clearly not dead, yet you want to take him away to be reincarnated. As a disciple of Mao Mountain, my duty is to save peoples lives, and I can mobilize the Three Realms laws to serve me. The power of all gods is for the benefit of humanity. You, on the other hand, are yin officials responsible for escorting spirits, yet you dont go after these malevolent ghosts that harm people everywhere. Instead, you insist on taking this lone soul and putting him to death. What does this mean? Can the judge arbitrarily decide peoples life and death? Then what is the point of having that book of life and death?"

  That yin soldier leader was indeed enraged by Zha Wenbin, stretched out his hand and suddenly had a mournful rod in his hand. This thing is quite formidable, if a living person is drawn once, their soul will immediately leave their body, and if a ghost is hit once, they will directly scatter their souls.

  "You dare to be so presumptuous with your young age! This girls fate is already sealed, if you dare to make another mistake, dont blame me for being ruthless towards you!"

  "I am a disciple of Mao Mountain, with the Three Pure Ones protecting my head and the great seal of the Masters Gate below. I can communicate with you as is, this is an unspoken agreement that has lasted for thousands of years; if you insist on being barbaric, I will mobilize the heavenly soldiers, heavenly generals, wind, fire, thunder gods to have a clear talk with you about how things are?"

  Zha Wenbin held five small flags in his hand, which were red, black, white, green and yellow. These were the Five Elements Heavenly Thunder Flags created by Ling Zhengyang, the ancestor of his sect. It took ten years to make one flag, which meant that he had to recite the corresponding mantra at 6 am and pm every day for ten years. This was the treasure that his master Ma Suifeng had given him, but each flag could only be used once, after which it would be discarded.

  The leader of the vanguard gently pulled on the reins, and the cavalry began to turn around and head towards the village. Cha Wenbin took a swift step forward and blocked their way, saying: "Release him!"

  A "whoosh" sound, the mournful stick mixed with the wind whizzed past Zhang Wenbins head, messing up his hair, this was a serious warning!

  Cha Wenbin didnt even blink his eyes and faced the dark soldier who was about to jump off the horse carriage, still saying: "Let me take him away."

  "With a hout, this time the mourning stick was swung towards his shoulder, and that evil spirit was about to take Zhang Wenbins life!"

  A cold light flashed out at the moment the mourning stick was swung, "ding" sounded, this time, Zha Wenbin only felt a numbness in his tigers mouth, followed by blood. He used mortal strength to forcibly accept the yin messenger of the underworld. The mourning stick that symbolized death harvested life like grass, this was the first time it had an opponent in the world.

  He was taken aback for a moment, he never thought that this twenty-year-old-looking thin man could withstand his blow.

  "Let him go!" He said so again, repeating what he had just said, only the small flag in his hand slowly rose...

  The mourning stick didnt hesitate, this was its third swing today, and it was a solid, heavy blow aimed straight at Cha Wenbins forehead. The yin general didnt hold back, using all his strength because the time for reincarnation was about to close and he couldnt afford to waste any more energy.

  I and Fatso were watching from afar on the grass mound, when suddenly a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, a "Z"-shaped bolt of blue electricity burst forth from the western horizon and plunged towards the ground with incredible speed. In an instant, half the sky was illuminated, and countless tiny flashes of lightning swirled around it, gathering and shining.

  For ten years, this flag has represented the essence of Master Mas blood and sweat, day and night reciting scriptures. At that moment, he who was still in a mountainous area in northwest Zhejiang, fighting against a one-eyed dragon, suddenly stopped and said: "It will stop here for today, Ye Huan, I will come to find you again!"

  A man opposite, whose clothes were all tattered and worn out, was still wearing a pair of black sunglasses at night. He let out a gloomy and eerie laugh: "Haha, one of the Five Life Seals is broken, little brother, you wont be able to leave tonight!"