Chapter 51

"Remember my feelings, remember my love, remember that I am waiting every day. I am waiting for you to return, you must not forget me, you must not forget me~~"

The phonograph sang a cheerful song.

Amidst the cheerful singing, Li Banfeng quietly walked toward the doorway.

I'd better leave.

Li Banfeng had felt the ferocity of the old grandfather clock; he knew he had almost lost his life.

But this phonograph seemed much more dangerous than that grandfather clock.

Li Banfeng had just reached the doorway when he suddenly heard the phonograph change its voice.

The infatuated girl sending off her lover had turned into a wandering songstress in the blink of an eye.

"Lover, oh lover, where are you going?

Before you go out, take all the trash with you,

The little house is not big, there's nowhere to put the trash,

Lover, oh lover, there's really nowhere to put the trash in our home~~"

She could even change the lyrics.

Do I even have the mood to care about the lyrics right now?

Li Banfeng pushed the door to leave, but a stream of steam blocked his path.

"Lover, oh lover, there's really nowhere to put the trash in our home!"

"I, well, I'll be back in a while to take out the trash."

Li Banfeng still wanted to leave, but the temperature of the steam rose.

"Lover, oh lover, there's really nowhere to put the trash in our home!"

The singing grew increasingly cold and sinister, and the steam grew increasingly scorching.

Li Banfeng's chest was covered in sweat, and his back felt waves of cold.

If he didn't clean up the trash, Li Banfeng suspected the phonograph would immediately scald him to death with steam.

Under duress, Li Banfeng turned back and, borrowing the firelight from the phonograph, searched for the trash in the room.

He found rags in the corner of the room, rags left behind by Chu Yunlong.

The rags were sticky, with vomit left behind by Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng stuffed all the rags into a cloth bag.

Did the phonograph use rags to clean up the vomit?

She loves cleanliness!

Could this phonograph be a house spirit?

The Suishenju is my house, and I have already formed a compatibility with it.

If I call out the phonograph's name, wouldn't she become my house spirit?

Thinking of this, Li Banfeng stared at the phonograph, feeling his compatibility with the Suishenju. As his breathing and rhythm reached a state of unity, Li Banfeng called out: "Phono..."

Wait!

What is her name?

She shouldn't be called "Phonograph."

This is the same logic as Luo Yuni not being called "Grandfather Clock."

The phonograph had heard that "Phono" from just now and immediately responded:

"Lover, oh lover, you want me to sing, once the trash is cleared, I'll sing for you~"

Steam curled and drifted toward the wreckage of the grandfather clock.

In the phonograph's view, this was also trash.

Li Banfeng dared not be negligent and hurriedly stuffed the grandfather clock's shattered dial, scattered gears, snapped pendulum, and the scattered wood shavings and springs into the cloth bag before he dared to leave the Suishenju.

Once outside, he picked up the key, and Li Banfeng let out a long sigh of relief.

No wonder the shopkeeper of the Feng Ji General Store was willing to sell the phonograph to me at a low price.

No wonder he also gave me so many things.

So this phonograph was an ownerless house spirit.

An ownerless house spirit is equivalent to an evil spirit; the strength of this evil spirit was far above Luo Yuni's and was not within the dimension Li Banfeng could comprehend.

And I can't call out her name; what should I do?

No, I must find Shopkeeper Feng and ask him clearly!

Li Banfeng was just thinking of finding a place to throw away the trash when he suddenly felt someone watching him.

Danger!

Li Banfeng could clearly sense the danger.

Run! This is no place to stay for long!

Li Banfeng braced himself and walked forward two steps when a man suddenly appeared at the doorway of the main room, blocking Li Banfeng's path.

He was wearing a white shirt and a gray vest, chin tucked in, eyes rolled upward, smiling half-heartedly at Li Banfeng.

This was Luo Yuni's lover, and also the murderer who killed Luo Yuni.

Wasn't he hanging on the willow tree?

How did he get down?

It wasn't just him who got down; another man and a woman appeared beside this man, and behind them, many figures were swaying back and forth.

A chill came from behind; Li Banfeng turned his head to look at the window, where several men and women were peering into the room.

There were many more wandering souls circling the house in the courtyard; some wandering souls had half their bodies poking out from the walls.

All the wandering souls had come down from the trees; what was going on?

Li Banfeng thought about it for a moment and immediately understood the reason.

These wandering souls were usually controlled by the house spirit Luo Yuni and did things for her.

Now that Luo Yuni was gone, they had lost control.

Clearly, they were very interested in Li Banfeng; before, they had all helped Luo Yuni eat meat, and now they also wanted to have a taste.

A woman was the first to rush to Li Banfeng's side, sticking her tongue out toward Li Banfeng's ear.

She liked Li Banfeng's scent.

Li Banfeng ducked to avoid her, and another man stabbed at Li Banfeng with a knife.

Where did the knife come from?

Oh no!

That short blade!

Li Banfeng had left that short blade that liked to drink blood outside the Suishenju.

Can ghosts also pick up this blade?

Of course they can!

Luo Yuni had relied on this blade to avenge herself.

This man held the short blade and slashed at Li Banfeng one knife at a time.

Li Banfeng swung his sickle to counterattack, but the sickle slashed through a phantom image.

He couldn't hit the ghosts.

But the ghosts could hit him!

Even ghosts without knives could hit people; a ghost tugged at Li Banfeng, tearing a strip of cloth from Li Banfeng's clothes.

What should he do?

Li Banfeng retreated while dodging, soon having nowhere left to retreat. A large number of wandering souls drilled in from the walls, soon surrounding Li Banfeng.

Retreat back to the Suishenju?

But there are ghosts everywhere; where should I throw the key?

If the key is picked up by this group of evil ghosts, it will be troublesome!

There's no other way; charge out!

Li Banfeng gritted his teeth and braced himself to charge out.

Just as he charged one step, the ghosts in the room instantly disappeared without a trace?

Did they all leave?

Were they scared away by my momentum?

Nonsense!

The danger was still nearby; Li Banfeng could sense it.

He charged toward the doorway with all his might, only to see a crowd of ghosts smiling and blocking his path.

They could manifest when they wanted to and turn invisible when they wanted to.

This group of evil ghosts was toying with Li Banfeng, just like toying with prey that had nowhere to escape.

The male ghost swung his knife and slashed again; in his desperation, Li Banfeng used the cloth bag to parry.

The male ghost slashed the cloth bag open, and a bag of trash scattered all over the ground.

The ghosts were stunned for a moment, then retreated; they had seen the snapped pendulum.

This pendulum was equivalent to Luo Yuni's relic.

They retreated!

They were afraid!

Li Banfeng's eyes lit up; he took the opportunity to pick up the pendulum and wanted to charge out of the wandering souls' encirclement.

But the wandering souls soon stopped retreating; they stood where they were, silently staring at Li Banfeng.

Were they scared stupid?

Li Banfeng stepped forward and kicked the man holding the knife.

There was substance; Li Banfeng was certain he had kicked the man.

Did I hit him?

But the substance didn't feel that real; Li Banfeng felt as if he had kicked into mud.

It really was like kicking into mud; Li Banfeng couldn't pull his right foot out!

This ghost had deliberately let Li Banfeng hit him; he wanted to trap Li Banfeng.

Turning invisible at will, manifesting at will, switching between reality and illusion at will—Li Banfeng really hadn't expected ghosts to be so ferocious.

He wrapped his body around Li Banfeng's foot and raised his knife, wanting to chop off Li Banfeng's leg.

Li Banfeng raised the pendulum, and a golden halo shone on the man's face.

The man's short blade hung suspended in mid-air; the male ghost stared blankly at the pendulum and didn't slash down.

Li Banfeng struggled with all his might, but his right leg still wouldn't break free, while the surrounding ghosts slowly gathered around.

There was no other way.

Li Banfeng quickly turned the key; he had no other choice but to temporarily retreat back to the Suishenju.

Stepping over the threshold of the Suishenju, Li Banfeng leaned against the door frame and struggled to shake off the male ghost wrapped around his right leg. He just wanted to close the door when he suddenly realized the key was still in his hand.

I must not leave the key in the Suishenju; I'd rather have it picked up by evil ghosts than leave it in the Suishenju, otherwise I will be trapped here forever.

Li Banfeng immediately threw the key outside the door, but it was too late to close the door; all the evil ghosts braced against the door and crashed in.

A cold wind howled, and ghosts poured in like a tide.

By the time the Suishenju's door was completely closed, over a hundred wandering souls were packed layer upon layer into the Suishenju.

Over a hundred pale faces, with hollow eyes, stared blankly at the pendulum in Li Banfeng's hand.

I shouldn't have brought this thing in.

The pendulum could indeed temporarily ward off wandering souls, but the wandering souls didn't just feel fear toward the pendulum; they felt more obsession.

Li Banfeng held the pendulum high, squeezed among the wandering souls, pondering a countermeasure.

A countermeasure?

Was there still a countermeasure?

Sss, sss, sss~

Clang, clang, clang!

The phonograph was still running, but this time it wasn't singing, but playing gongs and drums.

She could even sing opera?

Of course she could.

Playing opera on a phonograph is the fashion in Puluo Continent.

Among the records Shopkeeper Feng gave Li Banfeng, two were selections from famous opera singers.

With the progression of the gongs and drums, a clear, operatic female voice rang out:

"My lover~~~ you've gone to the market to buy vegetables!"

"I'm buying vegetables..."

Does this look like buying vegetables?

Li Banfeng doesn't know how to sing opera; anyway, whatever she says goes.

"Whoosh~" the phonograph sang again, "The vegetables are good, but it's a pity they aren't very fresh~~"

The singing was drawn out long; amidst the haze, steam filled the Suishenju.

The ghosts were somewhat restless; they felt fear.

Some ghosts rushed toward the doorway, but it was too late.

The steam boiled violently, and the gongs and drums in the phonograph rang out in unison.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Over a hundred wandering souls were like being caught in a net; amidst screams and roars, they were all sucked into the horn, leaving only Li Banfeng safe and sound, standing silently beside the phonograph.

She ate them?

She ate all the wandering souls!

Is this what she meant by buying vegetables?

Clang, clang, clang!

The singing rang out again: "Husband~~~ you love me so much, my heart is full of joy,

But as the saying goes, success comes from diligence and frugality, failure comes from extravagance. You and I are a loving couple, we should make our resources last, in the future, you must not be so wasteful~ Oh my, burp~"

A burst of steam sprayed out, and the phonograph let out a satisfied burp.

Li Banfeng shuffled step by step to the doorway and casually recited two lines: "Since my lady is full, let's rest!"

"Thank you for your concern, husband, I am indeed tired!" The firelight extinguished, the steam dissipated, and the phonograph fell silent.

Li Banfeng quickly left the Suishenju, picked up the key, and sat at the doorway, gasping for breath.

He was still clutching the pendulum; he wanted to throw it away, but felt this thing might have other uses.

He found a clean cloth bag to put the pendulum away and pondered for a moment; it seemed he had forgotten something else.

Inside the Suishenju, that short blade that liked to drink blood at the hour of the Rat was left on the ground.

The phonograph had eaten the wandering souls, but hadn't eaten this blade.

Hiss, hiss, hiss~

The copper lotus petals unfolded one by one; after a whirlwind, the short blade was sucked into the lotus heart.

PS: Dear readers, Sala says with his hand on his heart, this is definitely a good book!

(End of chapter)