"Master, what should I do now? That female ghost said she would keep haunting me and find an opportunity to kill me."
I wore a miserable expression. Lately, it felt like every bad thing was happening to me. The funeral home has become a place where I wake up in the hallways, and I'm constantly surrounded by bizarre events. Now even ghosts want my life.
Since childhood, the only "immoral" thing I did was secretly admire the goddess at university and act a little creepy. But why is this happening to me now?
"Hmm. You've got this jade pendant now, so a peaceful life is impossible. Even if you avoid the evil spirits that are after you, if you can't control the power inside the pendant, you will still die. If you like, you can join my sect and become my disciple. I'll teach you ways to survive. At least you'll have a skill, so you won't starve later."
After hearing what the master said, I was completely bewildered. What was going on?
Because he helped me a few times, I didn't pay him, and now he wants me to become his disciple and deal with ghosts every day? And becoming a fortune teller isn't exactly a life skill. If anything, I'd starve faster with this knowledge.
Seeing my disbelief, the master added, "You might think I'm just a fortune teller, but that's only because you haven't stepped into this world. Once you do, all your old beliefs, values, and knowledge will be useless here."
His words only made me more hesitant. In the beginning, I just wanted to raise money for my grandfather's medical fees, and I impulsively got involved with this jade pendant. But I never expected things to spiral out of control like this.
When I first got the pendant, I knew something would happen. Maybe I would still have taken it. Without my grandfather, I wouldn't even be alive now. Even if I had to commit crimes to save him, I would have done it.
"Do I still have a choice?"
I was wearing a jade pendant that could take my life at any moment, with a ghost haunting me, and my job was to deal with corpses.
As the master said, if I entered this world, I would be like a newborn, with the opportunity to learn. But if I died, it would be over, and my grandfather would have no one to care for him.
"You can choose not to be my disciple. I will still help you as much as I can," the master said.
After hearing this, I fell silent.
The master's meaning was clear: Whether I became his disciple or not, he would try to help me, but my survival was up to luck.
At this point, I really had no other choice.
I nodded slowly. "Master, I've made up my mind. I'll become your disciple."
The master nodded and motioned for me to follow him inside. We entered the villa, and he led me to the basement. Inside, there was a large altar with a portrait of a person wearing ancient robes and holding a seven-foot sword. His fierce gaze seemed to carry a sense of authority.
Once inside, the master told me to kneel on the cushion in front of the altar. Then, he turned to the counter, lit three incense sticks, and handed them to me.
"After offering incense to the ancestor, you'll officially be my disciple."
I took the incense and bowed three times in front of the altar.
While I was bowing, the master explained, "I'm not like ordinary Taoists. I'm a Yin-Yang successor. This is why, despite having real abilities, I don't live a luxurious life. I cannot go against my ancestors' teachings. After I teach you these skills, you can't use them to make money. Even if you earn money, it must be used for charity, or you'll die faster than you think..."
After the ceremony, the master handed me a book titled "Yin-Yang Transmission" written in traditional Chinese characters.
"Master, I don't know anything about your world. Even if you give me this book, I won't understand it."
Although the master accepted me as his disciple, he didn't want me to call him "Master," so I just followed his instructions.
"Read it on your own. If you don't understand anything, come ask me. But I suggest you memorize it as quickly as possible."
While speaking, the master turned to grab something from another room. He returned with three talismans, painted with red cinnabar. They looked like the scribbles of a child with a pen.
"Master, what are these for?"
"The ghost said it would keep haunting you, so it's not a joke. We need to investigate. If the situation could be solved easily, we wouldn't need to do this. Once we uncover the truth, she might leave."
I was still confused. "So, after I help her get justice, she'll leave me alone?"
"Didn't you hear of the saying 'ghosts speak lies'? If you believe what the ghost says, you're closer to death than you think." The master glared at me.
I felt a little embarrassed, realizing I was still new to society and had no idea how treacherous the world could be. I decided not to ask any more questions to avoid embarrassing myself further.
The ghost I had seen in the restroom, I had only glanced at him. I didn't even remember his face clearly, so finding him was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Before I could voice this doubt, the master made a phone call. After a brief conversation, he handed the phone to me, saying, "Tell him about the man you saw."
I hesitated but took the phone. The voice on the other end sounded somewhat servile, making me wonder just who this mysterious master was. What kind of person had this much power?
I described the man's features as best as I could remember. The person on the other end sounded confused but promised to take care of it and hung up.
That night, I returned to the funeral home. I planned to ask for leave, but by the time I went to find the director, it was already time for work.
Pushing the body around, I couldn't shake the female ghost's words from my mind. Each step I took, I felt like she might suddenly appear to take my life.