The kitchen incident ended. The Little Loli and other ghosts were on edge waiting for the two. When the ominous energy dissipated, they calmed down and looked at each other. All their looks contained the same message, 'What happened inside?'
A clicking sound echoed as the door of the kitchen opened and the ghosts sneakily peeked, Minglan's figure appeared and in her hands was a plate steaming sauteed vegetables exuding an appetizing aroma.
The ghosts followed the stimulating scent to the dining table.
Xiao Hei, soon after, brought the rest of the meals. The rich fragrance permeating the air made the ghosts, Little Loli and Minglan excited. They couldn't wait to rush and sit down but Xiao Hei, the pressure inducer put a lid on their thoughts.
Minglan left and went to her room to retrieve some candles.
The moment Minglan entered her bedroom, a sudden drop of temperature cause the ghosts to tremble. The Grim Reaper narrowed his eyes and a pair of empty sockets replaced it, along with the terrifying fire burning and flickering wildly. "Don't eavesdrop again." His lips moved and a huge wave of cold washed over them. The floating ghosts shook, their bodies which was resistant to heat and cold was unable to disperse the Grim Reaper's indirect attack. A huge shadow emerged from the Grim Reaper's back enlarging until it formed a giant mouth. The ghosts nodded and prostrated themselves on the floor. They all begged in unison, "We won't eavesdrop again. Please spare us!"
"I found the candles." Minglan announced and sat down beside Xiao Hei.
The ghosts were startled when the huge mouth turned into a three headed dog wagging its tail. They tilted their heads and were bewildered. Sensing the cold atmosphere vanished, the ghosts lifted their heads only to see Minglan assembling the candles on table. They realized that the Grim Repear shed its frightening appearance, and a docile and gentle countenance bloomed on its face while observing Minglan's movements.
The ghosts let out waves of relief knowing they were pardoned but the celebration ended early when Minglan stood up again and searched for the match sticks. The moment she entered another room, The three headed dog on the wall opened their mouths wide wanting to swallow them whole. The ghosts wanted to flee only to find black formless tentacles coiled around their limbs trapping them in place. Little Loli had experience with the tentacles and flinched. She tried to cut them but her hands were burned in the process. Wisps of smoke rose from the scorched parts. The futile attempt were also seen by the other ghosts and they shook their bodies in helplessness. "Don't try to escape. The energy in the tentacles burned our unearthly bodies if you cut them."
"Su Baiye, I still didn't settle the matter of Little Lan getting hurt." After the words were dropped, the three headed dog pounced on Little Loli.
The ghosts swayed and fell like thin papers on the ground witnessing the newcomer disappeared from the spot. The three headed dog circled around Xiao Hei as if asking his praise.
Xiao Hei ignored it and quietly waited for Minglan. After a minute, the sound of footsteps tapping the floor travelled to his ears, the three headed dog, opened it mouth again and retched. A flickering figure was thrown to the floor weakly sprawled over. The Little Loli's eyes were blank and it took a few seconds for her to react. She sat up and ran out of the dining room in fear.
The ghosts guessed what happened to her and remained silent.
"I'm sorry, it took me a while to find the match sticks." Minglan apologized and returned to Xiao Hei's side. She noticed the ghosts kneeling on the floor and the missing Little Loli. "Aren't you gonna sit? By the way, where's Su Baiye?" Her eyes scanned the room but still unable to spot the little ghost.
The ghosts didn't reply, Xiao Hei answered her instead, "She was very tired from using her energy and rested." His ability to spout nonsense without choking overwhelmed the ghosts but they still supported his claim after getting an eyeful.
"That's a shame. Anyway, It's not good to eat if the food is cold. Let's start." Minglan waited for the ghosts to settle on the seats before praying.
She lit the candle and mumbled something and some dishes were gone and reappeared near the ghosts' chopsticks.
"Dig in." Minglan said and quickly picked a piece of braised pork. Her eyes squinted in delight as the juicy meat entered her mouth and melted in her throat. She clicked her tongue and took another piece but this time she placed them on Xiao Hei's rice bowl.
Xiao Hei picked the vegetables on the side and placed it on Minglan's bowl. "Eat some vegetables too."
Minglan said her thanks and ate in satisfaction. Xiao Hei's cooking was really good, on par with those professional chefs. She was really afraid she'd be fat someday because of this.
The two was attentively serving each other. Meanwhile the ghosts watching their display of affection in sourness. They gobbled their food in bitter expression.
After the meal, Minglan volunteered to wash the dishes. Xiao Hei was persuaded to take a shower. It was already 9 pm when their dinner ended.
Minglan had set aside a share for the Little Loli. She reheat it and lit up a candle. The food disappeared and emerged on the floor of utility room next to a little ghost crouching in a corner.
Her frail shoulders trembled when she recalled the scene she saw after being swallowed by the shadow. There was endless pitch black and the sound of wails of millions of ghosts created ripples on the surface of deep river. Thick miasma surrounded each corner not leaving even a gap. Her body were soaked in uncomfortable energy even just for a few minutes, she fell weakly on the river submerged in negative emotions. The ghosts reached out and tried to pull her but a thin membrane capsulated her and prevented the malicious ghosts from devouring her.
The experience lasted for a minute before she returned to the living world, but that minute was enough to frightened her. She finally knew how important for souls to have a guide.