noveltune Chapter 3: A Bizarre Video, Xi Niang's Ghostly Tales
Chapter 3: A Bizarre Video, Xi Niang's Ghostly Tales
Outside the window, the somewhat eerie female ghost seemed to be circling back and forth as if she were being haunted by a wall.
It turns left one minute, right the next, and then jumps up and down. It even lurches and slurrs.
Accompanied by repeated cries of "My lord," "My lord," "My concubine," "My concubine," "I've found you," "I've found you," "I've found you"...
Cai Liang suddenly felt that the scene was not scary at all, but rather somewhat bizarre.
When he was possessed by a ghost and had nowhere to turn for help, he was terrified and desperate.
But now, seeing that he was protected by "Ghostly Prohibition" and that the female ghost couldn't find him, Cai Liang suddenly became bolder again.
He pulled out his DV camera, pointed it at the bizarre scene outside the window, and pressed the record button.
The camera captured this moment perfectly.
It wasn't until daylight broke that the female ghost, unable to find Cai Liang, reluctantly left.
"My lord, how cruel you are..."
The eerie wailing faded into the distance.
Cai Liang placed the camera on the table, slumped into his chair, and gasped for breath: "Huff... huff..."
After a while, he caught a glimpse of the "Ghostly Prohibition" sign on the window, and suddenly had a jolt. He opened the forum and found the post that Jiang Jun had made.
I moved the mouse pointer to the reply box, and this time there was no bloodstain to interfere.
He slammed his keyboard as he typed his reply:
[Tested and working! OP, you're a good person, may you have a peaceful life!]
The video was also attached as a parody titled "[Female Ghost Encounters Ghost Hitting the Wall.AVI]".
*
In his study, Jiang Jun patiently answered inquiries from some netizens.
But a day and a night passed, and no one came online to provide feedback on the finished product photos.
"Feeling like I'm being led around?" Jiang Jun tapped the table, pondering his next move.
"Or, how about we hack into the website of the Department of Supernatural Affairs and stuff 'Ghostly Prohibition' into it?"
His computer skills were self-taught and not top-notch, but even if the technology level were twenty years behind, he could barely defeat his opponent with a lower level of technology.
"That's not appropriate! The Department of Mystic Arts definitely has national-level protection. Its technological concepts may be outdated, but its hard power should not be underestimated."
Just then, the "Unforgiving Ghost" talisman hanging on the window suddenly flashed with a clear light, and the power contained within it increased by a negligible amount.
The folk custom notebook opened automatically.
On the page that records "Willow Twig Weaving: A Mysterious Prohibition", a progress bar suddenly appeared.
A faint golden light flashed, and the progress jumped from blank to one percent.
In other words, once about one hundred "Ghostly Prohibition" talisman clones have appeared, he can begin compiling the next talisman.
Jiang Jun's face lit up with joy: "Finally, someone has woven the 'Forbidden Mystery'. It seems it even saved his life?"
This talisman has many limitations; it must be woven from willow branches before dawn.
This world is full of strange and unpredictable things, and going out to pick willow branches always involves some risk.
"Let me see which post caught the fish..."
Jiang Jun opened his own post from his bookmarks and quickly found Cai Liang's reply.
When he saw the message "May the poster be a good person and live a peaceful life," he almost thought he had entered the wrong forum.
The next bizarre video made him lose his temper: "This guy's got talent!"
This post has gone viral, and every time he refreshes it, dozens of new replies are added.
"I wonder what the Department of the Supernatural will do?" He shook his head and shut down his computer.
"However, given this precedent, if the other party has sufficient execution capabilities, they should be able to start pilot programs and even roll them out nationwide very quickly, right?"
*
The Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, Qingjiang City, Interrogation Room.
"Name?" a square-faced police officer asked.
"Cai Liang, male, 29 years old, professional journalist..."
Cai Liang recited his basic information as if listing dishes, then said helplessly, "Brother Zhao, we're old acquaintances, let's skip these formalities."
Square-faced police officer Zhao Chen quickly finished taking notes: "Tell me, what happened?"
Cai Liang then recounted his experiences over the past two days.
Zhao Chen was shocked: "You mean, you made a circle out of willow branches and used it to shield yourself from the female ghost?"
Cai Liang nodded: "I couldn't contact you guys no matter what I tried, so I had to ask for help online. Luckily, there was a master who taught me real skills and saved my life!"
Zhao Chen inquired about the details, and after a long while, he looked at him with a complicated expression: "You kid, you're pretty lucky. You managed to escape even after encountering the 'Xi Niang Ghost'."
Cai Liang perked up: "What is 'Xi Niang Gui'?"
Zhao Chen gave a brief explanation.
It turns out that the female ghost was not a girl who committed suicide by cutting her wrists and then turned into a vengeful ghost to claim her life, but a kind of monster called "Xi Niang".
When a girl dies, and a man expresses regret and says things like "If she were my girlfriend," "I would marry her," or "We would get married," he will attract this kind of strange attention.
The words spoken by the man will be forcibly transformed into a "ghost marriage contract," locking the man and the ghost together.
This kind of "ghost marriage contract" relies on the power of "cause and effect," making it difficult for outsiders to detect and thus impossible to interfere with.
Therefore, few of the victims ultimately survive.
"We've seen the post you mentioned, but there are some errors in the account. For example, regarding the 'Xi Niang Gui' harming people, it doesn't take three days; it depends on the weight of your promises."
"If it's just about dating and marriage, I might survive three or four days. But someone like you, who wants the other person to be your girlfriend, I'd be lucky to survive two days."
Zhao Chen said quietly, "It's a good thing you didn't want to be her husband, otherwise you would have been dead that very day..."
Cai Liang couldn't help but shudder.
Zhao Chen inquired about the "Ghostly Prohibition" in detail, then opened the door and arranged for Cai Liang to stay in the dormitory of the Department of Supernatural Beings.
"Stay here for a few nights, and we'll send you away after we've eliminated that 'Xi Niang Gui'."
Cai Liang's spirits lifted: "Brother Zhao, does our Supernatural Affairs Division really have a way to deal with monsters?"
Zhao Chen: "You know too much."
*
After leaving the interrogation room, Zhao Chen went to the small conference room.
The leaders are having a heated discussion about the post Jiang Jun made.
Zhao Chen reported the interrogation records.
Director Li Ming tapped the table, signaling everyone to quiet down.
"Based on the existing evidence, this so-called 'unpredictable mystery' should be defined by someone using the concept of 'words becoming law' or similar supernatural phenomena."
"Although there are folk customs such as planting willows during Qingming Festival and using willow branches to ward off evil spirits, we all know that these are just wishful thinking and superstitions."
"Only divine and supernatural objects, and bizarre creatures, can defeat monsters! This is an ironclad rule!"
Su Tie, the captain of the Municipal Supernatural Affairs Division's Action Team, raised his hand: "I request the cooperation of the Information Team to track down the owner of this supernatural object to prevent it from getting out of control and causing a natural disaster!"
Li Ming was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "That's not appropriate! 'Words become law' is a supernatural phenomenon, unlike other supernatural phenomena."
"They cannot be divined, spied upon, or tracked. Any rash action will provoke a spontaneous counterattack."
"With Qingming Festival approaching, there's still a tough battle ahead. Since the other side is on humanity's side, let's not create unnecessary trouble, lest it backfire."
The news center director, Nie Xiaoyu, asked, "Should the online posts about 'Ghostly Prohibition' be deleted or regulated?"
Li Ming frowned and pondered for a moment: "Don't actively promote it, and don't deliberately deny it. If the public makes it spontaneously, don't interfere."
Logistics Center Director Liu Yan suggested, "Why don't we make a batch of 'Ghostly Prohibitions' before the Qingming Festival, and test them out ourselves?"
"If there are any shady tricks involved, we can discover them in time. If they are confirmed to be harmless, large-scale promotion can also alleviate our pressure."
The group discussed the matter for about ten minutes, each contributing their own thoughts.
Li Ming finally made the decision: "Let's do a hundred first, and test the waters with this 'unpredictable' scheme!"
"In addition, given that the post was published online and can be seen by netizens across the country, the office should quickly prepare a report and submit it to the city leaders, the provincial department, and the headquarters, explaining the pros and cons to avoid misjudgment."
"If there are any new instructions from our superiors, we will follow them accordingly."