The Taste of Ghosts in the World

Old man Zhang thought hard, then suddenly pointed at Feng Baisui and said, "It's you! The kid who counted ten years ago! Since I entered the industry at the age of 15, it's you who encountered the eight-character vision for the first time."

Feng Baisui said: "With your kind words, I am already dead."

"After so many years, it's fate to meet again. Do you want to count it again?"

Feng Baisui said coldly: "Don't talk about it."

Qi Mu asked old man Zhang: "Do you know how ghosts are reincarnated? We went to temples before and listened to chanting, but it didn't help."

"You want him to be reincarnated?"

Qi Mu nodded.

Old man Zhang turned to Feng Baisui, "Do you want to be reincarnated?"

"Do not want to."

Old man Zhang spread his hands and said, "Look, if he doesn't want to, you can't let him reincarnate."

Qi Mu said anxiously: "That can only make him a lonely ghost?!"

Old man Zhang stroked his beard and said, "Do you still remember the last thing I told you a month ago?"

"I will encounter a change this month..." Qi Mu suddenly realized, pointing at Feng Baisui, "You mean him?"

"It's hard to say, it depends on the future changes." Old man Zhang said to Qi Mu: "Everything can't be forced, and letting nature take its course is the best way to deal with it. You are also a person who can see foreign objects. You should have seen different things in the past ten years. If there are few things, you must understand this truth."

Qi Mu was silent for a while, and said: "Well, let it be." He stood up, and suddenly thought of Dahei, "Do you still have that soul-fixing medicine?"

Old man Zhang raised a finger and said, "It's only one grain. Calculate the time, it should be within a few days."

Although Qi Mu was disappointed, he had no choice but to bid farewell to old man Zhang.

Old man Zhang waved his hand and said to Qi Mu: "Go out first, I still have something to tell this man." He said and looked at Feng Baisui.

Feng Baisui didn't want to talk to him at first, but he dropped another sentence: "It's a way to keep you from becoming a lonely ghost."

So Feng Baisui stayed.

Qi Mu stood outside the store and waited. After a while, Feng Baisui came out.

"What did he teach you?"

Feng Baisui said: "The heavenly secret must not be leaked."

……

Dahei lay listlessly on the floor, wagging his tail from time to time. Its current appearance was like two overlapping images, with blurred edges.

The one-month period ended yesterday, and Dahei might leave at any time, Qi Mu sighed and leaned over to fasten it on the chain.

"Come on, Dahei, let's say goodbye to our acquaintances."

Feng Baisui asked him: "Where are you taking it?"

"Walk." Qi Mu pulled Dahei out the door, Feng Baisui floated beside them, Dahei rolled his eyes to look at him, but he didn't call out.

Even Feng Baisui found it inconceivable, "Is this dog dying soon?"

Qi Mu said angrily, "Can't you say something nice?"

"...This dog will be fine for a few days, right?"

"..."

When the hanged ghost saw Dahei, he was surprised: "What's wrong with it?"

Qi Mu patted Dahei's head, smiled wryly, "Dahei is about to leave his soul, bring him to see you,"

The hanged ghost floated to Dahei's side, "It's a pity, I won't see you in the future."

Dahei wagged his tail at him.

Qi Mu said to the hanged ghost: "I forgot to ask you about something last time. Since you died of homicide, why can't you leave here..." Halfway through speaking, Qi Mu noticed that the hanged ghost's eyes were not on him, but It is looking forward over the shoulder.

"What are you looking at?" Qi Mu turned around following his gaze, and saw an old man with gray beard getting out of a car on the side of the road, followed by a middle-aged man supporting him.

The hanged ghost murmured, "It's him..."

"Him?" According to Qi Mu's understanding, there is only one living person related to the hanged ghost, "Could it be your friend?!"

The hanged ghost nodded and looked at the old man longingly. With the support of the middle-aged man, he walked to the edge of the guardrail. He didn't know what he was looking at.

"I really want to talk to him." The hanged ghost raised his hand to touch the hanging branches, but his fingers passed through the middle.

"Hasn't he been here once since you died?"

"I haven't been here, it's been more than 30 years, and it's the first time I've seen him."

Qi Mu thought for a while, and said to the hanged ghost: "Can you attach to me?"

Feng Baisui was startled, and hurried to Qi Mu's side.

The hanged ghost also opened his eyes wide, and asked uncertainly: "Are you really willing to let me possess you?"

Qi Mu nodded, "I was possessed when I was a child, so my life shouldn't be in danger, right?"

"No."

"Then hurry up." Qi Mu urged, "He's leaving later."

The hanged ghost rose to the top of Qi Mu's head, then slowly descended and sank into Qi Mu's body.

Feng Baisui held Qi Mu's arm, but was taken aback by his cold body temperature. Qi Mu blinked and smiled at him, "It's okay, it's just a normal upper body phenomenon, and it won't affect his health."

The smile unfolded on a familiar face, but it seemed especially strange.

Feng Baisui let go of his hand subconsciously, "You..."

"Qi Mu" nodded to him, then walked slowly towards the old man.

"Old Li."

An unfamiliar voice came from behind, but the tone and address were extremely familiar.The old man trembled and looked back.

There was a young man standing there. I couldn't remember who he was, but the expression on his face had been seen for more than ten years.

With a trembling voice, he gently called out the name that had been dusty for many years, "Old Meng..."

The young man smiled lightly, "It's me."

In an instant, the old man's figure shook violently.

Swinging away the accompanying son, he walked step by step towards the very familiar young man, "You...how do you..."

The young man said: "Don't worry, I'm indeed dead, and now I'm just a lonely ghost. It's the child's kindness that let me attach to him."

The old man's lips trembled violently, "It's really you! It's really you..."

"Qi Mu" laughed and said, "Do you also believe in feudal superstition?"

The old man shook his head and sighed heavily, "I'm old, I can't help but believe it." After a pause, he said, "You've been here all this time?"

"Qi Mu" nodded, "I've been waiting for you for more than thirty years!"

The old man's eyes turned red immediately, "I...I...I'm sorry for you! At that time, I was blinded by lard... My conscience was eaten by dogs! I did such a thing... After I went back, I couldn't sleep all day long As soon as I fell asleep, I dreamed of you...I dreamed that you asked me, my good friend of more than ten years, how can I get rid of it...how can I get rid of it..." As he spoke, he couldn't help crying, and buried his face in the palm of his hand. , The whole body was shaking from crying.

"Qi Mu" patted his arm, and said: "It's all over, I always knew that you have a high character, you want to survive, you want to be famous, it's no fault of you."

The old man shook his head and said: "The next day I went to look at your desk and saw that big-character poster... It's my fault! It's my fault! I regret it... All these years, I haven't had a day easy... This lake, often in I saw it in my dream, but I dare not come... I have no face to see you..."

"Qi Mu" suddenly said: "Do you remember what kind of tree was planted by the lake?"

The old man was taken aback for a moment, and said blankly: "...Oak tree?"

"Yes, it's an oak tree, it grows very tall and big, and its branches are also very strong, especially the one I hanged myself..." "Qi Mu" blinked, "After you left that night, I found a branch just under my feet , very thick, as long as I stand on tiptoe, it is enough for me to stand firmly, so I can survive."

"Then why..."

"Qi Mu" interrupted him, "I can't remember what I was thinking at that time, maybe I was too desperate, and after drinking alcohol, I felt that it would be meaningless to survive. I know that with your personality, you will definitely feel guilty. So I have been waiting here for more than [-] years, hoping that I can personally say 'it's okay' to you."

"Qi Mu" smiled, "Look, now the hope has come true."

The old man held his hand, trembling and speechless.

Feng Baisui turned his head aside, not wanting to see the scene where Qi Mu's body was held by the strange old man.

"Lao Li...I don't blame you. You will live a good life from now on. You are old and should take care of yourself." After the Hanged Ghost finished speaking, he left Qi Mu's body.

Qi Mu's consciousness suddenly became clear, he could see what happened just now, but he couldn't control his body, so he could only be a bystander.

When he woke up, he found that the old man was still holding his hand, weeping in public, and felt embarrassed, so he gently withdrew his hand.

"Old Meng..."

Qi Mu said: "He has already left."

The old man straightened up as if waking up from a dream, glanced at the lush branches beside him, and thanked Qi Mu.

Qi Mu repeatedly waved his hands and said, "You don't need to thank me, it would be nice if you could visit him more in the future."

The old man nodded solemnly, and said to the tree, "I will come again next time."

The Hanged Ghost stood beside him, smiling and waving his hands.

The old man left quickly.

Qi Mu's hands and feet were still cold, and the ghost said: "You go back quickly, soak in hot water, it should be much better."

Qi Mu nodded, pulled Dahei around and left, took two steps, and suddenly turned back to ask him: "Have you ever regretted being friends with him?"

"Yes. But the more time passes, the more I feel that being friends with him is a precious memory."

"why?"

The hanged ghost floated up to the treetops and said softly, "Because I'm lonely..."

After returning home, Qi Mu's body temperature still didn't come down, Feng Baisui put on the hot water and pulled him into the bathroom.

"Undress."

Qi Mu stripped off slowly.

Feng Baisui sized him up and suddenly asked, "What is this?"

Qi Mu replied inexplicably: "My naked body."

"...I mean this." Feng Baisui pointed to his right rib, where there was a long dark scar.

"Ah, this one, I got injured in a car accident when I was a child."

Qi Mu lay down in the bathtub, exhaled comfortably, and found Feng Baisui was still standing beside him.

"Why are you still here?"

"Otherwise?" Feng Baisui raised his eyebrows.

"Shouldn't normal people go out at this time?"

Feng Baisui said quietly: "I am a ghost."

"..."

After soaking for a while, his whole body warmed up, Qi Mu asked Feng Baisui: "Why don't you want to reincarnate?"

Feng Baisui thought for a while and replied, "I don't know either."

"Old man Zhang said that you have been looking for things all your life, have you found them?"

"I don't even know what I'm looking for, how do I know?"

Qi Mu complained: "Oh...you don't know anything."

"I'm a ghost."

"..."

While talking, the decapitated female ghost suddenly rushed in, saw Qi Mu in the bathtub, screamed, and rushed out again.

Qi Mu and Feng Baisui looked at each other.

"what happened?"

After a while, it was replaced by Uncle Bumpster who came in and said in a panic, "There is something! There is something! Your dog has become two!"

"Dahei!" Qi Mu was startled, jumped up, wrapped himself in a towel and ran outside.

Dahei sat docilely in the living room, next to the golden retriever who was not very bright, drooling on his stomach.

"Dahei... are you leaving?" Qi Mu bent down and patted its head.

Dahei puffed out his chest and wagged his tail, Qi Mu couldn't help rubbing his face.

"Thank you for staying with me for so long."

The big dog snorted and looked at Feng Baisui, who nodded to him.

Qi Mu felt that his arms were getting empty, and he put down his hands, only to find that Dahei had disappeared.

He sat on the floor of the living room for a long time before he stood up slowly, turned off all the lights, and walked back to the room.

The dead ghost asked his daughter at a loss: "What should we do? Shall we comfort him?"

The female ghost weighed her head in her hand, "It's useless to comfort him for this kind of thing, just let him sleep." After speaking, she turned to Feng Baisui viciously, "Boy, don't disturb others!"

Feng Baisui snorted disdainfully.

When Qi Mu woke up the next day, he saw the golden retriever walking leisurely, without drooling or bumping into the wall, and sat down in front of him in a sane manner.

"Big black?"

The golden retriever suddenly spoke: "That dog asked me to take care of you."

A familiar tone, a familiar flat tone.

"You are... Feng Baisui?" Qi Mu rubbed Jin Mao's ears in disbelief.

The golden retriever snorted and turned his head away.

With an indescribable feeling choked in his heart, Qi Mu knelt down, took his head into his arms, and said softly, "Thank you."