The night grew deeper, time slipping away quickly, with the moon hanging high, casting an unsettling stillness.

　　Miao Cuifen stayed close to Wang Fusheng, never leaving his side, not even for a moment.

　　I stood quietly beside Master, watching him sit there, straight-backed, eyes closed in deep thought. I knew he had something in mind, so I didn’t dare disturb him.

　　Wang Chunsheng had been gone a long time. It was nearly ten o’clock, just an hour before midnight—the time when spirits are most likely to appear.

　　I wondered whether I should call out to Master, worried he might have dozed off. But suddenly, he got up and walked to the door, gazing up at the night sky, just as anxious as I was.

　　“Master, should I go find the village chief?” I asked as I stepped closer.

　　“No, let’s wait a bit longer,” he replied, turning back towards the house. But before he could take two steps, Wang Chunsheng’s voice came from outside.

　　“Mr. Liu, I’ve got it!”

　　Wang Chunsheng arrived, wiping sweat from his brow, holding a paper figure.

　　The figure was made with bamboo ribs and colorful paper, crafted to look almost lifelike.

　　“Mr. Liu, this figure was just made, exactly as you asked—same height and build as my son, but we haven’t drawn the eyes yet.”

　　“Perfect!”My master took the paper figure, gave it a quick once-over, and then carried it into the house, calling over his shoulder, “Gouwa, follow me!”

　　“Yes, Master!”

　　I didn’t dare waste a second and hurried in after him.

　　When Miao Cuifen caught sight of the paper figure, she quickly rushed over.

　　“You’re finally back, child’s father! What took you so long?”

　　“Don’t even ask! Old Man Li had to make the paper figure from scratch—it took a bit longer than expected!”

　　While they were chatting, my master had already washed his hands and positioned the paper figure.

　　“Gouwa, listen carefully. You can’t just draw the eyes on a paper figure without a second thought. Once you do, the figure gains spiritual awareness. Only a figure with eyes can open the way to the underworld.”

　　“Understood!” I listened intently, not daring to let my attention slip.

　　He moved over to the paper figure, picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and continued, “Washing your hands before drawing the eyes is crucial—it’s non-negotiable. Ideally, you should bathe and change into clean clothes the night before, but we don’t have time for that now.”

　　He looked at me and added, “Also, before drawing the eyes, you need to recite the Rebirth Mantra. As you draw the eyes, silently say: ‘The paths of the living and the dead are clear, the way to the underworld is open, and the journey is smooth.’”

　　“Yes, Master!” I nodded earnestly, making sure to take in every word.He then picked up the brush, let out a long breath, and carefully dotted the paper figure’s eyes. It was just two quick strokes—seemed simple enough—but I could feel that this was definitely a delicate task, something that took real skill.

　　Those two dots felt like they took forever. Wang Chunsheng, his wife, and I stood there quietly, not daring to make a sound.

　　When Master finally lifted the brush, he pulled out a yellow talisman he had prepared earlier. With a quick flick of his hand, the talisman straightened as if by itself.

　　“Smack!”

　　Master slapped the talisman onto the back of the paper figure and finally eased up, his expression softening.

　　Seeing this, Wang Chunsheng quickly stepped forward. “Mr. Liu, is it done?”

　　“Not yet. That filthy thing is almost here—hurry up and hide the child!”

　　“Right away!” Miao Cuifen grabbed Wang Fusheng and rushed out in a flash, who knows where.

　　“Sir, is this dirty thing going to be hard to handle?” Wang Chunsheng asked, his voice tense.

　　“It’s hard to say. But so far, it doesn’t seem to mean any harm.”

　　“Then why has Fusheng been sick for so long?”My master chugged a bowl of water in one go, wiped his mouth, and said, “It’s not just an illness. A ghost has been clinging to him, causing yin energy to seep into his body and drain the yang energy from Fusheng. That’s why his health is worsening.”

　　Wang Chunsheng looked bewildered for a moment, then seemed to remember something, as if he was connecting past tales to his present situation.

　　“I’ve heard the elders talk about things like this before, but I never imagined I’d be facing it myself today!”

　　“Don’t worry. Now that I’m involved, I’ll make sure it gets sorted.”

　　He then turned to me and instructed, “Gouwa, place the paper figure on the bed, and make sure it lies flat!”

　　“Yes, Master!” I promptly followed his orders, positioning the paper figure carefully and tucking it under a blanket. After all, this was meant to be a stand-in for Wang Fusheng, so it had to be done right.

　　Just then, Miao Cuifen returned.

　　“Where did you take Fusheng?” Wang Chunsheng asked.

　　“To the room next door, with my parents. Don’t worry!”

　　Wang Chunsheng’s parents’ old house was just separated by a wall, with a small door between them, making it easy to move between the two.

　　“Alright!”

　　My master looked outside. The night was eerily quiet, with moonlight pouring through the gaps in the leaves, casting a dappled pattern on the ground.

　　“You two should hide. The better you hide, the safer it will be!”

　　“Understood!” Wang Chunsheng said as he hurriedly took Miao Cuifen and dashed out. I had no idea where they went.

　　Watching them scurry off, I turned to Master. The room was now just the two of us. Despite the dim lighting, our shadows on the floor were clearly visible.

　　“Master, what about us?”

　　“We should hide too, but not too far!”

　　“Okay…”

　　Seeing the fear in my eyes, Master gave a reassuring smile and asked, “Gouwa, are you scared?”When I heard that, I was determined to show my bravery. I thought to myself, “It’s not like I haven’t seen ghosts before. Didn’t I just see Grandpa today?” So, mustering my courage, I said, “I’m not afraid, Master!”

　　Master just smiled and said nothing more.

　　As time passed, it was soon well past midnight—the peak time for spirits.

　　“Master, why hasn’t it shown up yet?” I asked, starting to get restless.

　　We were hiding behind a haystack near the door, able to see both the yard and the paper figure inside the house.

　　“Be patient. This kind of thing can’t be rushed!” Master kept his gaze fixed on Wang Chunsheng’s yard.

　　I was so exhausted that I couldn’t help but yawn.

　　“Hang in there. Don’t fall asleep!” Master warned urgently, as if sleep could spell disaster.

　　“Why can’t I sleep, Master? Is there a special reason?” I asked, curious.

　　“When people sleep, their yin energy overpowers their yang energy. And right now, it’s the time when yang energy is at its lowest. If you fall asleep now, when that ghost arrives, it will come straight for you, and Wang Fusheng will be in even more trouble!”

　　I was startled and broke into a cold sweat at his words.

　　“Don’t scare me like that, Master. I…”

　　“Shh!”

　　Master immediately silenced me and pointed quietly toward the haystack.

　　I turned to look, and what I saw made me freeze in place.

　　Sure enough, a ghost had appeared, floating in!

　　From a distance, the ghost looked like a child, around the same age as Wang Fusheng. Dressed in mourning clothes with a pale complexion that almost matched the color of its outfit, it wasn’t as frightening as I’d expected.Because of our position, it seemed like the ghost was heading straight for us!

　　It drew closer and closer!

　　“Is that her?” I finally recognized the ghost's appearance, and my heart sank.

　　“Do you know her?” Master asked.

　　“Yes.”

　　The ghost was none other than Li Xiaoniu, the granddaughter of Old Man Li from the village.

　　Old Man Li had a string of misfortunes. His daughter-in-law died during childbirth when Xiaoniu was born, and two years later, his son died in a fall while foraging for herbs on the mountain, with the body never recovered.

　　Xiaoniu was Old Man Li’s only granddaughter, and he had always been very fond of her. Unfortunately, Xiaoniu had also died from an illness not long ago.

　　Why would she be haunting Wang Fusheng?

　　As I pondered this, I watched her ghost float to Wang Fusheng’s bedside, staring intently at the paper figure.

　　“Master, do you think she might realize that the paper figure is a substitute for Wang Fusheng?” I asked.

　　“Not likely. She’s just a little ghost, not skilled enough to discern that!”

　　Even ghosts have levels of skill, classified into six grades from lowest to highest: vengeful spirits, ghost generals, ghost gods, ghost kings, ghost emperors, and ghost emperors.

　　But Li Xiaoniu is merely an ordinary little ghost, with no significant skill or level.

　　Master and I continued to watch, and sure enough, Li Xiaoniu didn’t seem to notice anything unusual. She leaned down, getting closer to the paper figure.

　　“Brother Fusheng, I’m here. Can we play together today? You promised you’d play with me every day. Come play with me now?”After a moment, Li Xiaoniu said, “If you’re not going to say anything, I’ll just assume you’re okay with it!”

　　“This little ghost really is trying to take Wang Fusheng away!” I thought, alarmed.

　　“What should we do now?” I asked, concerned.

　　It sounded like Master was ready to take action. But seeing her earlier and recalling her tragic story, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy.

　　She and Wang Fusheng had spent so much time together. He always shared his favorite treats and toys with her. She might have come to see him as her older brother.

　　Just as I was contemplating this, I noticed Li Xiaoniu’s ghostly form floating away with Wang Fusheng’s paper substitute. If she could just take the paper figure with her, the issue would be resolved, and Master wouldn’t need to intervene. That would be the ideal solution.

　　But as fate would have it, at that very moment, Wang Chunsheng’s mother unexpectedly came running over!