"Chunsheng, go check it out..."

　　Liu Guifen had barely started speaking when she froze mid-sentence, taking an involuntary step back.

　　Not far in front of her, a paper figure was slowly drifting toward her. The sight was enough to chill anyone to the bone—something so eerie, even in all her years, she had never seen anything like it.

　　"Master?"

　　"Don’t move. This little ghost doesn’t mean any harm. She just wants to take that paper figure with her. She won’t hurt the old woman."

　　I did as my master said and took another look. Sure enough, Li Xiaoniu wasn’t reacting at all. She was quietly moving forward with the paper figure in tow. I figured if Liu Guifen just stayed calm and didn’t mess things up, and if Li Xiaoniu left peacefully, this would all be over soon.

　　But before Liu Guifen could even react, her daughter-in-law, Miao Cuifen, couldn’t hold back any longer!

　　"Mom, go back inside! What are you doing here instead of keeping an eye on Fusheng?"

　　Miao Cuifen suddenly appeared, yelling loudly. But the moment the words left her mouth, she realized she had slipped up. She quickly slapped a hand over her mouth and glanced nervously toward the paper figure.

　　That glance only made things worse—Li Xiaoniu and the paper figure both came to a halt!

　　"Wife!" Wang Chunsheng came rushing out, grabbing both his wife and mother, trying to pull them back inside.

　　My master and I kept our eyes on Li Xiaoniu. Ever since Miao Cuifen had blurted out those words, Li Xiaoniu had been staring back at the paper figure, clearly sensing something wasn’t right. Her eyes suddenly turned completely black—no whites at all.

　　"This isn’t Brother Fusheng!" Li Xiaoniu’s voice was tinged with sorrow as she spoke. Dark, ghostly energy began to seep from her body, swirling around her.

　　By now, Wang Chunsheng’s family had finally noticed Li Xiaoniu, and they recoiled in terror, stumbling backward.

　　"I just wanted to play with Brother Fusheng! Why did you lie to me?"

　　“We’re in big trouble!” My master shouted, launching himself forward without a second thought.

　　I was taken aback, thinking, "Could Master actually be some kind of martial arts expert?" In just a few strides, he covered an impressive distance, positioning himself right in front of Wang Chunsheng and his family.

　　“Mr. Liu, is she going to kill us?” Wang Chunsheng asked, his voice quivering with fear.

　　My master shot him a sharp look before turning his attention back to Li Xiaoniu.

　　“She didn’t intend to, but now... it’s hard to say!”

　　Miao Cuifen was trembling as she stared at Li Xiaoniu, her whole body shaking like a leaf.

　　“Sir, what do we do now?”

　　“We’ve got no choice but to deal with her!”

　　“Who are you? Why are you helping them?”

　　Even though Li Xiaoniu was furious, with a terrifying appearance and eyes that no one dared to meet, her voice still had a touch of childish innocence, echoing through the tense air.

　　“If I don’t help people, should I be helping a ghost?” My master’s eyes locked onto hers as he spoke.

　　“I just want to play with Brother Fusheng! Why are you all stopping me?”

　　My master’s expression softened slightly as he responded, “You’re already dead. The living and the dead aren’t meant to cross paths. You and your Brother Fusheng are in two different worlds now. You can’t play together anymore.”

　　“I don’t care! Ever since we were kids, Brother Fusheng has always played with me. He still has to!”

　　"I don’t care, I don’t care..."

　　Li Xiaoniu’s sobs echoed through the air, and despite her ghostly presence, her crying tugged at my heartstrings.

　　“Niuniu?” Wang Chunsheng suddenly recognized her and called out.

　　Li Xiaoniu’s anger seemed to ease a little. Her frightening appearance softened as she wiped her tears, looking at Wang Chunsheng with a glimmer of hope.

　　“Uncle Chunsheng, I promise I won’t hurt Brother Fusheng. Just let him play with me, please.”

　　Now that Wang Chunsheng recognized her, his fear lessened. As the village chief, he knew every family in Wangjia Village, especially Li Xiaoniu’s tragic situation.

　　After her parents passed away, she was left with only her grandfather. But misfortune didn’t stop there—she died young, too.

　　Wang Chunsheng clasped his hands together, pleading, “Niuniu, please let Fusheng go, I beg you!”

　　“No, I won’t!” Li Xiaoniu shook her head vehemently, tears still running down her small face.

　　“There’s no other way; we’ll have to deal with her!” My master said, taking a couple of steps forward. “Niuniu, if you don’t leave now, I’ll have to act!”

　　“I’m not afraid of you!” Li Xiaoniu shouted, her voice defiant.

　　“Don’t blame me for what happens next!” My master responded, pulling a yellow talisman from his robes. I didn’t know what kind of talisman it was, but a red symbol was drawn on it.

　　The moment Li Xiaoniu saw the talisman, fear washed over her. She quickly raised her hands to shield her face, backing away.

　　“Master!” I yelled, rushing forward. It was clear from his stance that he intended to use that talisman against Niuniu.

　　Some talismans only harm ghosts, but the more powerful ones could obliterate them, scattering their souls and condemning them to never reincarnate.

　　That talisman, whether strong or not, was enough to threaten Niuniu, a little ghost like her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been scared into retreating!

　　I dashed in front of my master and, gathering my courage, said, “Grandpa always said that humans and ghosts walk different paths, but just like people, ghosts can be good or bad.” I then turned to Li Xiaoniu and continued, “Let me talk to Niuniu.”

　　“Gouwa, stop messing around. That’s a ghost! What can you do?” Wang Chunsheng protested, glancing anxiously at my master.

　　My master stared at me for a moment, then said, “Alright, Gouwa. But let me be clear: if it tries to hurt you, I’ll take care of it immediately!”

　　“Okay!” I nodded, then ran toward Li Xiaoniu.

　　“Mr. Liu, are you really letting Gouwa go? It’s too dangerous!” Wang Chunsheng exclaimed, moving to follow me, but my master stopped him.

　　“Let him go. It’s just a little ghost. If he’s going to face ghosts in the future, he’ll have to deal with ones much more dangerous than Li Xiaoniu!”

　　“Gouwa, why are you here?” Li Xiaoniu asked curiously when she saw me. We’d played together a few times before, so she recognized me.

　　“Niuniu, calm down, okay? Don’t cry.”

　　She choked back a few sobs, wiped her tears, and finally began to settle down. She looked much more like a normal little girl now, though her face was still deathly pale.

　　“I’m here to take care of some business with the village chief.”

　　She didn’t think much of it and continued wiping her small face.

　　“Niuniu, do you remember the glass thread you wanted last time?”

　　“I remember, Gouwa.”

　　I reached into my pocket and pulled out a few strands of glass thread. It was a trendy new thing, also known as plastic braiding cord. It was pretty durable—girls used it to tie their hair, and some people used it for decorations.