Please support the translation by reading the translation and commenting on otakutl official site.
Thank you.
Everyone from Otaku Translation
Previous | TOC | Next |
Chapter 12: It's Just A Ghost
The calico cat firmly pressed her four claws into the ground, each paw pad blooming like a flower, while she clamped down on a weed with her mouth, pulling in one direction.
"Puff..."
The weed growing between the stone slabs was uprooted by her.
Swiftly stabilizing herself, the calico cat avoided tumbling on the ground, then dragged the weed to the doorstep.
A small pile of weeds had accumulated there, around a dozen in total. Nearby, there was a larger pile, reaching half a person's height.
The calico cat paused, turned to look at Song You, who was bending over not far away, and then glanced at the substantial difference between the two weed piles. Her small face showed no expression, but secretly envied the agility of humans. Without delay, she ran back to continue her weed-pulling mission.
After half an hour, the courtyard became tidier.
"Lady Calico."
"Hmm?"
"Could you go up to the roof and pull the weeds from the tiles?" Song You stood at the doorway, stretching his neck to gaze at the roof. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to spare the tiles, even though there was a folk saying about "long tiles indicating a family's decline," considering it as inauspicious.
But they did look beautiful.
"Lady Calico, remember not to pull the plants that look like flowers."
"Understood." The calico cat quickly climbed to the roof.
immediately, there was a tinkling sound coming from the roof.
Watching the courtyard gradually transform into a more inhabited space with their efforts, even in a rented house, Song You felt satisfied. Then he spent some time cutting bamboo and trimming plum branches.
The afternoon was dedicated to preparing various things.
Song You wasn't in a hurry to buy everything at once, immediately turning the whole courtyard into a perfect fit for his lifestyle. Instead, he strolled around the streets with Lady Calico. If they saw something they needed, they would buy it without overthinking.
Surprisingly, it took the entire afternoon.
In and out, the neighbors still looked at him with strange eyes. Song You had thought about inquiring about the history of this courtyard, gaining more insight into his living environment and neighbor under the same roof. However, with a busy schedule, he felt it was unnecessary.
For others, a haunted courtyard might be scary, but for him, it was more lively.
It was not important.
Without realizing it, dusk arrived.
Song You brought out an old chair, sat in the courtyard, listened to the rustling of bamboo leaves in the wind, and observed the sky with its tinted clouds.
The calico cat roamed the yard, occasionally exchanging a few words with him, like complaining about the absence of mice in the courtyard or mentioning that the neighbor's house had a cat. He patiently responded and chatted with her.
The days in this era could be long or short, lacking entertainment activities. Song You woke up early every day and slept early every day. Compared to his previous life, it now had the freshness of early mornings, allowing him to savor the completeness of a day unfolding with the sunrise. On the flip side, he missed out on many nights that only commenced after darkness fell.
After getting used to it, he found that it was actually not bad.
Gradually, the clouds overhead transformed into a golden hue under the evening's influence. Soon, they were tinted with a delicate pink, though this hue lingered for only a brief moment. The clouds then turned into a deep gray, resembling ashes after a burn. This pristine sky seemed to remind Song You of the era he was in.
"It's getting dark..."
The light in the courtyard gradually dimmed.
Song You felt a cold breeze with a chill coming from the direction of the bamboo forest. Turning his head, he saw a vague shadow, difficult to discern.
Simultaneously, the calico cat ran over and stopped in front of Song You, vigilantly looking left and right.
"Is Lady Calico trying to protect me?" Song You asked.
The calico cat remained silent, still looking around.
A shadow flickered among the bamboo leaves.
Song You carefully observed, noticing that there seemed to be someone dancing.
As daylight waned, discerning between the ornamental bamboo thriving against the white wall and its shadows became increasingly difficult. Additionally, a human silhouette would intermittently emerge among the bamboo shadows. It was as though the white wall had metamorphosed into a stage for her performance. With each appearance, her silhouette depicted varying movements, highlighting her graceful and effortless demeanor, evoking the image of a crane in its natural and carefree state.
Thinking that not only was the rent cheap, but it also came with singing and dancing performances, Song You couldn't help feeling that it was a great deal.
Until the dance concluded, Song You stood up and bowed to the figure: "Lady, since you have become a Yin Spirit(阴魂), why do you linger in this house of the living? Is there some injustice or something you can't let go of?”
No one replied, just like yesterday.
Song You pondered for a moment before understanding what was going on.
Perhaps, driven by a strong attachment, she lingered as a spirit without retaining any memories or wisdom. This kind of spirit had low intelligence. If she were a malevolent spirit, she would only harm people. If not harmful, communication would be difficult, and she would only perform actions based on her habits and preferences when she was alive.
Since this was the case, Song You decided to leave her alone, as long as she didn’t cause any disturbance.
Song You stretched lazily. As the spirit dissipated, he looked at the calico cat by his feet and asked suddenly, "Lady Calico."
The calico cat heard the call and turned abruptly: "Hmm? What's wrong?"
"Were you originally a domestic cat or a stray cat?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Just curious."
"Not a domestic cat."
"So, a stray cat?"
"I had a mom."
"And then?"
"Starved to death."
"I see."
Here, referring to a stray cat didn’t mean a specific breed; it indicated a cat without an owner.
Lady Calico obviously wasn't a stray cat breed; she had a lineage of long-haired cats, appearing exquisite and beautiful. According to her story, her mother was likely a house cat that had left her owner. A kitten's attitude towards humans was often influenced by the mother cat's behavior, and since her mother was accustomed to human interaction, Lady Calico was also friendly with people.
"I've always wanted to know how you became a Yaoguai."
"I just became one."
"Okay..." Song You shook his head, not dwelling on it further. After a moment of silence, he asked the calico cat again, "So, Lady Calico is a female cat, right?"
The calico cat immediately stared at him as if he were a fool.
"..." Song You had to shake his head again, pretending he hadn't asked.
After sitting in the yard for a while, listening to two songs, and having nothing else to do, Song You went back to rest.
He had a feeling that many nights in the future would be spent like this. Thinking about it, he had to thank the lingering spirit in this courtyard, adding some entertainment to the otherwise boring nights.
...
Several days later.
Song You went out and bought an oil lamp, some oil, and also spent a considerable amount on a book called "Records of Land and Geography(舆地纪胜)."
"Records of Land and Geography" was a popular travel guide in this world. It documented various scenic spots along with transportation routes, accommodations, local specialties, and cuisine. It also included information about immortal mountains, sacred waters, palaces, temples, and monasteries.
It provided Song You some more information about the world he was in.
Returning home, he saw a group of people sitting under the neighboring big tree—some were enjoying the cool evening, others playing chess. Song You couldn't help but walk over to take a look.
Around the chess board, two elderly people were engaged in the game, while three to five others observed. Not far away, another group of people sat, chatting about trivial matters like whose daughter was getting married and whose son couldn't find a wife.
Summer brought many mosquitoes, so everyone held bamboo fans. At night, the sound of bamboo fans hitting the body echoed at different pitches.
In the past few days, the attitude of the nearby neighbors towards him had visibly changed.
Initially, they viewed him with curiosity, not expecting him to stay here for long. They often discussed how long he could endure. However, after these few days of seeing him come and go without any panic or fear, displaying a settled demeanor, combined with his initial arrival in Daoist robes, the gazes of the neighbors held more respect.
After Song You observed for a while, someone approached him for a chat.
"Young Master, did you have dinner already?"
Song You turned to look, noticing that it was the lady from the opposite house. He vaguely remembered her man seemed to be working for the government.
"I already had dinner, thank you for asking."
"This courtyard couldn’t be rented out for several years. Even when someone did rent it, they would leave on the same day." The curious woman asked, "Aren't you afraid of the ghost singing in this courtyard every night?"
With these words, many eyes turned towards Song You in the dimming evening light. It seemed that everyone was interested in this topic.
Maybe, over the past few years, this haunted courtyard had provided them with some entertainment during their leisure time. It had been a long-discussed topic, but this was the first time someone had actually lived there for so many days, adding a new element to the conversation.
Song You stared at the elderly people playing chess and smiled, "Don't you all hear it too?"
Sure enough, he wasn't afraid!
Some people felt a chill inside.
They initially thought the young Daoist just slept early, so he couldn’t hear it. But it turned out that wasn't the case.
People looked at each other.
"We know the ghost can't leave this courtyard. Moreover, when no one lives here, she will only appear every three to five days." The woman said, "And we have never done anything dishonest, so we're not afraid of her knocking on our doors at night."
"That’s right."
Song You continued to watch the elderly people playing chess.
The wooden chess pieces collided, producing crisp sounds.
After death, becoming a ghost inherently made one weaker than a living person. Apart from the more powerful ghosts that had some cultivation attainment, most ghosts were weaker than humans, and many malevolent ghosts could only harm people through deception and intimidation. For a normal person who was fearless and not greedy, there was not much reason to fear ghosts.
Song You even heard a story about a strong man encountering a ghost at night and ending up bullying the ghost.
At this moment, the woman asked again, "Young Master, you seem to be very skilled. Why didn't you get rid of that ghost?"
"That's just a wisp of a remnant soul. I owe her a lot for being able to rent this cheap courtyard. How can I repay her with ingratitude?" Song You turned to the woman and smiled, bowing slightly, "Besides, the long nights are boring. With her around, it adds some interest."
With this statement, many listeners suddenly understood that not only was this Young Master not afraid, but he also possessed real abilities. A ghost that ordinary people avoided, he regarded as inconsequential.
Please vote for this novel at
If you would like to support this translation, you may choose any one of the options below.
How to find a list of chapters
Please find the chapter label next to your favorite translator's name, and click the label.
No comments:
Post a Comment