Chapter Eleven: The Three Rules (Part One)

After leaving the gatehouse, Shi Jun walked home alone, unwittingly clenching his fists tighter, his footsteps quickening. An overwhelming rage surged within him, eclipsing both his fear and reason.

The gentle night wind swept across the earth, and the light of stars and moon shone upon all beings. In the twilight, passersby moved back and forth along the road, yet none noticed the young man's turmoil or the predicament he now faced.

After striding briskly for a while, Shi Jun finally relaxed, slowly unclenching his fists, and took a moment to sort through his chaotic thoughts.

This can't go on. Their farce is escalating—if they targeted me alone, I could endure it, but now they're involving those around me... Shi Jun couldn't imagine—today, they'd blown up Old Li's television; what if tomorrow, just because he disliked someone and made a careless remark, it led to someone's death? Such a possibility wasn't out of the question. The thought made his head throb painfully.

* * *

"Little Rascal, Wicked Woman, get out here!" Shi Jun returned home to find his mother was not yet back, and so he shouted angrily into the empty air.

"Master Soul Hunter, do you wish to see us?" As expected, Little Rascal's voice sounded immediately in his ear.

Shi Jun didn't want to lose his temper with a child, so he forced himself to nod.

"I've wanted to tell you for a while, Master," Little Rascal said excitedly, oblivious to Shi Jun's expression. "I've left a scale in your house—you took it and kept it, I saw! Just embed the scale in your palm, and you'll be able to see us!"

So, Little Rascal hadn't left his scale without reason. Shi Jun was suddenly enlightened—they had anticipated this day. Yet, when he held the scale, he was stumped. How could he possibly embed it in his palm? And who knew what consequences it might bring...

"Don't worry, it won't kill you," came Chi Yang's cold voice. "Just place it in your palm—it will embed itself."

At this moment, Shi Jun felt utterly disgusted with this "Wicked Woman"—his private nickname for Chi Yang. Though she possessed an angelic appearance, her heart was venomous; her words were void of humanity, and her methods fiendishly cruel and unpredictable.

"Isn't she just a somewhat accomplished thousand-year-old female ghost? What's so impressive?" Shi Jun cursed viciously, but, lacking alternatives, he placed the scale in his right palm and watched silently.

Soon, the tiny scale glowed with a soft silver light tinged with faint yellow, and Shi Jun felt a pleasant cool sensation in his hand. In an instant, the glow vanished into his palm.

Shi Jun stared at his hand, but felt nothing unusual. He then looked up and around.

* * *

Chi Yang, still clad in her blue robe, sat as she had at their first meeting on the window sill of Shi Jun's bedroom, her slender legs dangling and expressionless. Little Rascal had reverted to her true form—a small silver dragon perched on Chi Yang's shoulder. Both stared directly at him.

"Miss Chi Yang, do you not bathe or change clothes in the Underworld? Every time I see you, you're wearing the same outfit. How unhygienic!" Shi Jun, his dislike for the Wicked Woman peaking, couldn't resist a sarcastic jab.

* * *

Chi Yang wasn't offended. She merely gazed at him for a moment, then a faint smile appeared on her lips, though her voice remained cold. "Why do you want to see us?"

Shi Jun recalled his purpose, snorted, and said, "Isn't it enough to target me? Must you torment those around me as well?"

"Is there a difference? I don't think so," Chi Yang replied indifferently.

"No difference?" Shi Jun, his anger rising, snapped, "Did Old Li offend you? Why did you blow up his television so casually? Did you know he relies on it to pass the time? You're going too far!"

"Master Soul Hunter..." Little Rascal tried to explain, but she was intimidated by Shi Jun's righteous indignation and stammered, unable to speak.

"You be quiet!" Shi Jun, wholly immersed in his heroic role, abandoned any intention of negotiating, pointed at Chi Yang, and continued, "And you, just because you know some magic, you act so high and mighty. Do you think I'm really afraid of you?"

"You're not afraid?" Chi Yang, now provoked, her crystalline eyes flashing coldly, asked, "Then why did you seek us out?"

Shi Jun's pent-up fury exploded. "I don't want you hurting innocent people. If you have the guts, come at me alone!"

There had been a hint of disdain on Chi Yang's face, but upon hearing Shi Jun's words, her gaze softened. After a moment's contemplation, she spoke in a more conciliatory tone, "We don't wish to make things difficult for you, but it's the Underworld Lord's will that you become a Soul Hunter. If you refuse, we can't answer to him."

Shi Jun, naturally resistant to threats, saw that Chi Yang did not retort to his sarcasm, and his anger subsided. Now, seeing this usually domineering woman speak so gently, he softened as well. "It's not that I don't want to agree, but this is too momentous..."

"We don't expect you to decide immediately," Chi Yang's voice became even gentler. "But you should at least let me explain everything clearly, right?"

Indeed, he had always rejected their advances out of instinctive aversion to monsters and ghosts, never listening to their reasons. He didn't even know what a Soul Hunter did, or why they sought him... Realizing he'd been too hasty, Shi Jun quietly replied, "Then... go ahead and explain. No harm in listening, at least."

Little Rascal was thrilled. She soared into the air, transformed back into her original childlike form, performed a dozen somersaults, and landed affectionately before Shi Jun, cheering, "Wonderful, wonderful! Master Soul Hunter finally agreed to join!"

"Who said that!" Shi Jun hurriedly replied, "I want to understand everything before deciding. If it's against my principles, I won't agree." He blushed slightly—his resolve had always been firm, yet Chi Yang's gentle words had swayed him so easily. How odd! He couldn't help but glance at Chi Yang, only to meet her clear gaze and quickly look away, pretending nothing had happened.

* * *

After a moment of silence, Chi Yang spoke, "We want you to join the Underworld not to harm anyone, but to help the human world—and ourselves." There was genuine sincerity in her voice.

Shi Jun raised his eyebrows in surprise—help the human world? He looked suspiciously at the two before him, but saw Little Rascal nodding earnestly and Chi Yang's expression solemn.

His intuition told him that what Chi Yang was about to say would not be simple, so he nodded, "All right, I'll listen first, but I reserve judgment until you're done."

* * *

"There are many lost souls scattered throughout your world," Chi Yang began calmly. "Because they missed their chance or were too bound by obsession, they failed to enter the Underworld in time and now drift everywhere, inevitably disturbing the living. These are what you call wandering ghosts, but people know nothing about it."

Wandering ghosts, disturbing the living? Shi Jun wasn't particularly surprised. He'd done some 'research'—since being entangled by these two, he'd gone out of his way to buy or rent books, movies, and all sorts of material about monsters and ghosts, preparing himself psychologically—just in case these two suddenly morphed into something terrifying to coerce him. Strengthening his nerves beforehand couldn't hurt.

He'd hurriedly read everything: ancient mythologies, demon chronicles, Buddhist and Taoist texts, even fairy tales. He watched Hong Kong horror films, period and modern, and even Western vampire movies, enduring them for the sake of preparation.

Just a few days ago, he'd downloaded the entire series of "My Date with a Vampire," though he hadn't yet watched it.

He always took these stories with a grain of salt, but marveled at human imagination—the crafted ghost tales were convincing, humanizing yet frightening. Yet, truth be told, the real ghosts he'd met—Qingliu, Chi Yang, and Little Rascal—were not as terrifying as the stories described.

After this "construction," Shi Jun considered himself to have built a solid psychological fortress. He no longer dismissed tales of ghosts and gods as mere nonsense. Thus, upon hearing Chi Yang's account of ghosts harming people, Shi Jun's first reaction was to ask, "What about your ghost soldiers—Ox-Head and Horse-Face? Can't they capture these strays?"

Chi Yang laughed, a flush appearing on her pale cheeks, and shook her head. "Ox-Head and Horse-Face are just legends invented by humans. When someone dies, there are emissaries from the Underworld who come to guide them, but their duty is only to escort souls at specific times and places. They're not called Ox-Head and Horse-Face, but 'Guides.'"

Chi Yang's attitude toward Shi Jun was much improved; she joked with him and no longer displayed her cold, aloof demeanor.

Guides? It sounded like handing over criminals. Shi Jun, seeing Chi Yang's relaxed expression, grinned, "But you can't just leave them be."

"Indeed, it's our duty to return these wandering souls to the Underworld, but relying solely on Underworld beings makes it nearly impossible," Chi Yang replied with a bitter smile.

"Why?" Shi Jun was puzzled. "Aren't you able to fly, summon wind and rain, do anything? Can't you handle a few wandering ghosts?"

"Master Soul Hunter, you've really been diligent lately!" Little Rascal piped in.

Shi Jun felt a pang of embarrassment—if these two had watched everything he'd done, they'd surely seen through his binge of ghost films. Suddenly, a thought struck him—could they have been present even when he bathed, changed, or used the restroom? That would be a disaster!

* * *

Chi Yang, unaware of Shi Jun's current train of thought, continued, "The Underworld has its own powers; to catch one or two wandering ghosts is no trouble. But there's an unspoken agreement among the four realms—none may interfere with the human world at will. If any realm does, the other three will join forces against it, regardless of cause. Though the Underworld is tacitly allowed to capture ghosts disturbing the living, recently the four realms experienced a major upheaval, leaving the Underworld too preoccupied to intervene. Only recently has order been restored, but decades of neglect have left countless wandering souls in your world. To forcibly retrieve them would require thousands of ghost soldiers, but in the current delicate situation, sending so many to the human world could spark new conflicts and violate the four realms' pact. Thus, only through certain humans can this be accomplished."