tuck firmly between the bones and wouldn't come off.I've worn this ring since birth. Even knowing it belonged to him, I can't bring myself to hate it.The ring used to be entirely crimson, but now it's...The old woman fainted completely, and the wisp of ghostly energy on her body dissipated.

My brother frowned and said, "It seems she's really been possessed."

I nodded. "It was probably the old woman burning paper money who got possessed first. She wanted to take human form to punish her son and grandchildren, so she went to the crossroads to borrow some energy, but she met me... then for some reason, she suddenly disappeared. Only the scattered paper money and a finger were left behind, as if something had eaten them..."

My brother frowned and said, “She said a monster ate her… What could it be”

"Was this 'monster' just here by chance, or has it been following us all along" I asked nervously.

"Hee hee." My brother chuckled dryly. "Let's just keep driving forward, won't we know then"

Mountains stand like curtains, as I journey forth before the night deepens.

My brother drove the car out of the village as fast as he could, deliberately taking the back roads.

I understand his feelings—if there's truly danger following us, he wouldn't want to bring it home.

"We didn't feel anything strange along the way... What could be hiding so well" I kept turning my head, looking out at the black night.

My brother frowned, struggling to keep the car steady in the darkness. He said, "This old hag actually helped us. If she hadn't been eaten, we would have been completely clueless—"

I nodded, about to speak, when suddenly my brother slammed on the brakes!

When we are out and about, in some remote places, we often intentionally unbuckle our seat belts. This is a last resort because we might need to jump out of the car at any time.

At that moment, my brother suddenly slammed on the brakes. I almost hit the windshield and was stopped by my brother's outstretched arm.

I held onto his arm, looking ahead. Where the headlights reached, there was a small "marker" .

When walking in the countryside, you often see small stones like this. Some have numbers written on them, while others are bare. These are markers used by most villages to demarcate boundaries or record locations.

This little stone is inscribed with three numbers, numbers we know very well — the address of our home village road.

But my brother clearly walked the small path, how could he have driven onto the village road straight

"Hitting the wall" my brother asked in sign language.

I muttered a silent spell, thinking to myself what kind of ghost would dare hit us right in front of us

Two wisps of tiny blue smoke drifted past.

Yin energy permeated the air, and upon our pillow rests, two withered, cyan-black palms clambered.

Like claws, black as ink, two square, grayish-white hats appeared in the rearview mirror.

"Hehehe... little empress, elder brother..."

My brother rolled his eyes: “Do you ghosts all like to scare people like this”

Holding the chain, the little ghost messenger adjusted his hat and whispered, "Brother, even though we are ghost messengers, we also avoid worldly yang energy. So, if we can be low-key, we will be low-key. Over time, we've developed the habit of appearing from the shadows."

This chain ghost is the one I summoned during my first recitation of the sacred incantation. Though he looks rather frightening, his personality is surprisingly naive and adorable. His partner is a clueless little ghost carrying a summoning paper fan.

Jiang Qiyun saw that I liked these two little spirits, Ah Da and Ah Meng, so he ordered the City God to let them obey my summons.

As long as there's no barrier, they are always available.

On the contrary, as long as I can summon them both, I'll feel much more at ease—because I won't be locked up in a barrier.

My brother spread his hands and said, “Look, we've run into a ghost trap. Ghosts see things differently from us. Take a closer look at where we are.”

Ame immediately raised a hand to shield herself from the sun and looked out the windshield. Ady, holding his talisman for summoning spirits, also squinted forward.

"Brother... This place doesn't seem like we're going in circles, does it" Ameng said, a hint of confusion in her voice.

My brother raised his hand and tapped his hat, saying unhappily: "The way back home, this young master doesn't need to open his eyes, I know the way by heart. I clearly took the small road, how could I have ended up on the main road!"

Ah Meng adjusted his hat and said, "Let's go on a patrol to see if there are any stray souls or ghosts causing trouble around here. If we find any, we'll detain them, and the ghost hitting the wall will naturally disappear."

"Why are you taking them away July's the Hungry Ghost Festival, isn't it It's for these spirits to enjoy the offerings... Be careful, there was a ghost that seemed to be eaten by some kind of monster just now, we don't know what happened." I warned.

"It's nothing, who asked these unlucky devils to set up such a scheme They could have blocked anyone's path, but they had to block Little Miss and her elder brother's way. They deserve to be taken back… We'll go and come back." Ameng dragged A-da away.

We open a sliver of the window, the night wind carries a sinister aura. This is normal for the Hungry Ghost Festival.

This kind of dullness makes me a little uneasy. I said to my brother, “Should I go take a look I'm not very reassured about Adah and Ameng.”

My brother glared at me: "If you're going to look, I should be the one looking."

"Don't argue with me about this, you understand what I mean—" I frowned.

Master Mu is shrewd and thoughtful. If I were in danger, I could still rely on his quick wit to come and save me.

"No contention, no strife, we go together." My older brother lifted his backpack from the back seat and signaled for us to get out together.

The current situation really leaves me puzzled.

If the place is filled with malevolent energy and vicious spirits, we still have a target to fight.

But now I have no idea what's following us, and even if I called Jiang Qiyun over, we would just be standing here dumbfounded

My brother and I walked a few steps to the intersection, right at that landmark, ready to try dispelling evil spirits.

Something rustled in the grass and a dark shape suddenly jumped out, looking like a wild dog. It lunged at my brother and snatched his flashlight right out of his hand.

My brother was taken aback, reflexively reaching for the object and stepping out of the boundary line where the monument stood.

He stood on one side of the marker, and I was still on this side.

"Whoa, brother—" I hurriedly stopped him.

"It's fine, I'll go see what the heck is going on!" My brother chased after him without looking back.

I stopped at the edge of the monument.

My brother's figure chased after me for a few steps under the car lights, drew out his baton and hit that thing once, then bent down to pick up his flashlight.

He turned and tossed the flashlight, making it spin in the air before catching it again.

Playful and carefree.

"Mu Xiaoqiao, look..." My brother smiled and gestured with the flashlight he had retrieved: "How about we walk forward This seems to really be the way home. I can even see our old courtyard."

I took a step back and drew out the Purple Cloud Ruyi.

"Huh What's up" My brother stopped walking and looked at me.

“You probably don't know Master Mu’s temperament, do you You don't seem like it.” I paused and said, “My brother usually only calls me ‘Xiao Qiao,’ and although he seems lazy, he never intentionally tries to be cool...This stele separates two spaces…Did you do this Who are you”

My brother's figure hesitated for a moment before stepping in from outside the marker.

Before my eyes, there seemed to be a vertical waterfall hanging in the air. His nose, forehead, and chin, appeared one by one from the dark water curtain—

"Whoa… got you… Mu, Xiao, Qiao…" the water, a shriveled and bald head with a long tongue sticking out, wrapping around my calf. The expression on his face was exactly like the one on the paper figurine's face.The triangular eyes dro...