Fame From Part Time Efforts Chapter 2

The next day, the sunshine gave Owen Cheng courage. He exaggerated his experience and lamented that if Lan He, who was both brave and courageous, had not woken him up, he didn't know what would have happened.

Everyone was horrified to learn that he was possessed by a ghost in the house of a deceased old man. Soon, word spread among the crew that a ghost had appeared on camera last night.

The director's action of canceling the filming plan did not cause any waves last night, but today, it seemed that the director had already noticed something strange. The ancient charm of Yantang Village also became spooky overnight.

The director was very unhappy, thinking that the villagers were not kind enough to rent the house to them, and he still wanted to respect the deceased. Thinking that there were not many days left, he called Owen Cheng to comfort him and arranged for them to move to the house next to his own.

The crew invited people from the village to cook and even act as extras. The news quickly spread from the entire crew to the entire village, and the villagers inevitably started gossiping.

Owen Cheng had seen a ghost, and his face was pale, but he still insisted on gossiping, "Everyone in the village is saying that the big thing you mentioned, the gold and silver banner, is said to be poorly made, so it can't stand up. The old man didn't leave because of this. You said he was angry with his children and grandchildren, why don't you go find the real culprit? Why do you find me? He treats me as his grandson..."

Lan He was not surprised to hear this, but understood. He had burned incense for the old man yesterday, and the incense smelled musty.

In addition, the paper money was all made of yellow paper. Nowadays, many paper money is printed on recycled paper, but there are also many old-fashioned paper money, which is not uncommon. But he noticed that the imprint on the paper was blurred and the production was quite rough.

What is the mark? This traditional paper money is made with a special seal and hammered down to leave a coin mark on the yellow paper.

In ancient times, people would hire craftsmen to make paper money at home, and there was a special profession called "money chiseler". Now you can buy it or make it yourself. Only when it is stamped with a mark can it be considered paper "money". Otherwise, it is just like a document without an official seal, a piece of waste paper.

Therefore, a considerable portion of the paper money that is burned is still ordinary yellow paper, which cannot be circulated in the underworld.

Lan He once wondered why they were willing to spend money on gold and silver banners, but were stingy with incense and paper. Now she knew that the gold and silver banners were also made randomly, which actually unified the style.

......

Because of Owen Cheng's incident, the crew was talking about it. They finished work at around 8 o'clock that evening and were still discussing some small ways to ward off evil spirits, such as putting knives or money under pillows.

Although it was the end of the work at night, it was definitely not just a rest. Everyone still had to communicate and prepare for the next day's work. Owen Cheng also went to their boss's room, while Lan He was in her room preparing for tomorrow's scene.

It was around twelve o'clock in the evening when Lan He heard Owen Cheng returning to the yard. He was chatting with someone in a low voice in the yard.

This house has basically no sound insulation. After Lan He heard the talking stopped, there was no sound of the door opening in the next room. At first she thought Owen Cheng went to the bathroom, but then she felt something was wrong and went out to check.

I saw Owen Cheng sitting on the steps in the yard, with his back to the door, his head down, and no one knew what he was doing.

"Dongzi?" Lan He called out, but Owen Cheng did not respond. When he got closer, he smelled the familiar smell of paper ash. He quickly moved Owen Cheng away, only to see that his eyes were dull and he was as inert as a piece of wood.

Lan He cursed, looked around and saw no one, so she helped Owen Cheng to her room. He could walk, but he had no consciousness, and he had lost his soul.

Lan He smelled a hint of inferior moldy fragrance in the paper ash, which seemed familiar, and knew that Old Man Song might have taken him away. Owen Cheng was just sleep paralyzed by a ghost yesterday, and he was already in a low mood, but he was taken away today.

Lan He's grandfather was a clothier who ran a paper shop. The "clothes" here refers to a general term for all paper funeral objects used to burn for the deceased, from large items like gold and silver banners, paper utensils, paper figures to small items like paper money.

Being in this line of work, it is inevitable to deal with ghosts and gods on a daily basis, and some are regarded as people who make a living from the underworld because their business is all related to the underworld.

Lan He had been influenced by this since she was a child, and she knew that if she didn't find Owen Cheng, she would become a fool.

Although he has always upheld the idea that humans and ghosts have different paths and that he should not care about the affairs of the underworld unless necessary, Lan He could not watch his buddy lose his soul, so he quickly searched the room.

As Qingming Festival was approaching, many villagers prepared incense, candles, paper money and other items at home. Lan He found a piece of yellow paper in the utility room, but it had not been stamped with money. He folded the yellow paper several times with his fingers, and when he stretched it out, it became a plump ingot.

Lan He spent a lot of time with Grandpa and helped him with the work. She was very skilled at handicrafts and could fold thousands of paper ingots a day. Although she hadn't done it for a long time, she folded a small pile in a short while.

After folding the paper ingots, he found white paper and folded it into paper clothes. There were also colored papers, but the paper clothes for the newly deceased had to be made of white paper, as the new ghosts did not dare to wear colored ones. He was folding it for the newly deceased Mr. Gabriel, so he naturally used white paper.

He folded another small paper figure and wrote his name and date of birth on it according to Owen Cheng's ID number.

There was another envelope with the old man's full name and year of birth and death written on it. This was what he saw on the notice posted on the coffin when he was burning incense. Writing the name on it would ensure that the deceased received it.

Lan He carried all the things out, piled up the gold ingots, and stacked the paper clothes and paper figures on top, holding Owen Cheng's lighter in her hand.

The paper figurine was burned to serve as a substitute for Owen Cheng, so that he could come back when the opportunity arose. The gold ingots and clothes were burned by Lan He because the old man's children and grandchildren had not burned any real things for him.

With these, the old man will feel better.

Lan He pressed the lighter, and the small flame flickered, reflected in his pupils.

Pile up hundreds of mountains of gold and silver, turn them into thousands of pieces of netherworld silk, and provide a path for the dead to the nine springs---

Lan He suddenly felt a pain in her arm and her hand stretched forward uncontrollably. The flame of the lighter touched the ingots and ignited quickly. The ingot mountain suddenly burst into flames!

The ingots burned very quickly, and a wind came from nowhere, blowing up the paper ashes, making them fly upward like butterflies, very high, even higher than the roof.

Lan He's pupils contracted. The gold ingots burned too quickly, all burning up in an instant. He had no time to put the envelope away, so there was no way to guarantee that the gold ingots would be taken by the deceased.

Moreover, if the ashes fly horizontally, it is a sign that the deceased has received it. It is said that if the wind blows upwards...

call---

A cool breeze seemed to blow on the base of my neck.

There was a sore and swollen feeling in my bones again, as if a cold wind was blowing into the gaps between my bones.

In the courtyard of the old Qing-style house at midnight, only the cool moonlight was shining down, with almost no sound or color, except for the fluttering of paper butterflies and the gentle breathing, which seemed to be close at hand, as if just... just...

Lan He exhaled slowly, turned around reluctantly, and was faced with a gray face with dark pupils that were dark and lifeless. The cold breath exhaled hit Lan He's face.

Lan He's heart suddenly sank, and she scratched her palm with her fingers to keep calm!

The straight-line distance between them was probably no more than one meter. When Lan He met his eyes, she felt a gloomy aura enveloping her whole body.

After staring at each other for two seconds, the other party actually moved his face a little closer and looked at Lan He, who seemed to have no reaction, with his dark eyes full of scrutiny.

"......Yeah." Lan He slowly picked up the envelope, fanned it, and looked straight ahead, "I'm so hungry."

The other party looked at Lan He suspiciously, kept a close distance, and stared at Lan He.

An ordinary person would have collapsed long ago under such a stare.

Lan He could see more clearly. He was wearing a white suit and a tall hat with four characters on it: A Talented Person. He was holding a red lantern with four characters on it: Dongyue Yinsi.

This is... Bai Wuchang?

He is definitely one of the most famous civil servants in the underworld. He is the legendary soul-catcher, the ghost of impermanence, and his image is well-known to everyone in China.

It is said that evil ghosts are the scariest, but it is clear that the ghost messengers who are responsible for catching evil ghosts are no less terrible. Wuchang ghost is also a ghost, even if he is kind by nature, after so many times on duty, he should have developed a murderous aura.

Evil ghosts are afraid of it, let alone living people in the world of the living. It is said that if you accidentally bump into one, you will get a serious illness.

Lan He is mostly theoretical knowledge. The flying paper ashes are indeed a sign of being occupied by ghosts and gods in the underworld. It's just a little strange. According to legend, Bai Wuchang is also considered a big boss in the underworld, the head of the underworld, specializing in catching evil ghosts. The chance of ordinary people seeing him is actually quite low.

How could he be so "lucky" that his gold ingots were stolen by Bai Wuchang? By the way, it is said that "peace in the world" is written on the black Wuchang's hat, and "earnings at first sight" is written on the white Wuchang's hat. Why is "talent" written on this Wuchang's hat?

Lan He was a little confused, but he still looked straight ahead with a relaxed look on his face.

This is the quality of an actor: even when making eye contact with Bai Wuchang, he can pretend that he sees nothing.

He just wanted to save Owen Cheng and didn't want to deal with another world.

Bai Wuchang stared at Lan He for a long time, then took two steps to the side, holding the ingot and looking at it carefully. His voice was so cold that it seemed like ice water could be squeezed out, but his joy was real, "Good, good quality!"

The more he looked at it, the more he loved it. He suddenly asked Lan He, "Where did you buy it?"

Lan He turned a deaf ear to him. Yuanbaoshan had already burned out, so he took a broom and started sweeping up the ashes.

Wuchang didn't trick him out. He snorted, and his suspicion gradually disappeared. He easily stuffed all the Yuanbao Mountain into his arms that seemed like a bottomless pit, and even picked his nose.

Lan He: "......"

He walked towards the room as if nothing had happened, but suddenly heard the cold and eerie voice behind him:

"Order to summon Lan He's soul to serve as an official in the 72 offices of Dongyue's underworld!"

...Sh!t, how did he know my name? Lan He felt his body lighten, and he closed his eyes unconsciously.

......

When he opened his eyes again, his feet were slightly off the ground. He looked down and saw his body lying on the ground. Unlike Owen Cheng who had only lost his soul, his soul and spirit were out of his body, and he looked like dead.

Bai Wuchang looked at him in shock, holding a document in his hand, "You are Lan He? Then you couldn't have missed me just now!"

Lan He: "......"

Bai Wuchang: "......"

Lan He: "............"

This is a bit embarrassing.

Bai Wuchang was also amused, "You can even deceive ghosts? Good, good, little brother, you have potential. Let me tell you, from today on, you will be a powerful general of our Dongyue Yinsi."

Lan He said woodenly: "You mean, a temporary worker."

He has already realized what is going on. The affairs of the underworld are very busy, and if the God of Death is too busy to handle it, he will recruit living people from the world of the living to do the work, to help them to summon souls, and then release them after the job is done.

This kind of job is called "walking impermanence" or "walking the Yin", and this kind of person is called "born impermanence" because they are living people, corresponding to the ghost of impermanence.

Of course, in today's terms, they can also be called temporary workers in the underworld.

But Lan He didn't know how she ended up on the list and was forced to join the army.

"You can call me whatever you want." Bai Wuchang said with a smile, "We are short of labor recently. If you work hard with me, I will not treat you unfairly."

Lan He said tentatively: "Master Bai Wuchang, I am not interested in this..."

Maybe those witches and wizards would expect to have a relationship with the underworld. But Lan He has his own job and doesn't want to do a part-time job. Besides, the food in the underworld is not that delicious.

Bai Wuchang touched his face and showed a hint of joy, but his lifeless face looked a little weird. "Oh, I'm not Master Xie, you've made a mistake. Of course, Master Xie is our role model... You can just call me Lao Bai."

It is said that the name of "White Impermanence" is Xie Bian. Lan He suddenly realized that he was just an ordinary ghost messenger and not the real White Impermanence. He must have dressed like this because he admired White Impermanence. "Oh, no wonder, you wrote the word 'cai', which means making money, wrong."

Lao Bai: "That's a homophone."

Lan He: "......"

You... Lan He endured it and said, "I will write a letter of resignation and burn it. Please be lenient, Lord Bai."

He really didn't understand how he was chosen, but the underworld never took the wishes of the victims into consideration when it came to forcibly recruiting souls. It was completely compulsory, and it was useless to argue with them. He could only try his best to deal with them.

"It's ridiculous. How can you bargain with ghosts and gods?" As expected, Old White shouted, "Any soul that is conscripted must serve for at least twelve years before they can leave."

Lan He: "I was the one who folded the gold ingots and paper clothes."

Lao Bai's dead face immediately showed a different expression, so...

Who in the world can tell whether paper money is real or fake? You can’t even go to the bank to ask, so not every piece of paper money burned is qualified and of good quality.

In the underworld, there are mountains of broken money, because a large amount of paper money burned in the world of the living is not of good quality and is not fine enough to be circulated as currency, so it is abandoned and piled up like a mountain.

The ingot made by Lan Hedi in front is different. Lao Bai hasn’t seen ingots of such good quality for a long time. Even if the materials are the same, not everyone has such craftsmanship.

Lao Bai immediately changed the subject and said modestly: "Okay, considering your sincerity...but it has to be worth twelve months."

Money can make things happen. With a little help from Old White, twelve years became just one year.

A year is long enough, Lan He reluctantly said: "Can you arrange clerical work for me?"

Zou Wuchang does not only do the job of collecting souls; this is just the majority of cases; he may also do other jobs.

Lao Bai also said reluctantly: "I'll try my best."

"Thank you." After bargaining, Lan He agreed sadly.

It was such an unexpected disaster that I had to work as a temporary worker in the underworld for a year, and I didn't get paid at all, but instead had to pay for it.

Lao Bai took out a uniform from his arms, including a tall hat like his, as well as a chain and a fan. "Here, this is yours. It's all made from the original 1:1 copies of the Black and White Impermanence. You just have to write the words on the hat yourself."

......It seems that these ghost messengers really admire their leader. Lan He picked up his hat and thought for a moment.

Lao Bai took out a pen and gave it to him: "Do you want to write 'Make money at first sight' or 'Peace in the world'?"

Lan He asked: "Can I only choose between these two?"

Lao Bai looked at him strangely: "No... but everyone basically chooses one of the two. The Black and White Impermanence are very famous in the Yin and Yang worlds. If we dress like the two masters, it will be like borrowing their fame, and the ghosts will be a little afraid of us when they see us."

Lan He understood what he meant. "I can just do paperwork and not worry about that."

After he said that, without waiting for Lao Bai to stop him, he casually wrote four words on his hat: Since I'm here.

Walter White: "???"

"By the way, my friend's soul is lost. Can I use this to find it back?" Lan He said while holding the fan. Wuchang has two props. The Soul-Catching Rope is used to catch the soul, and the Soul-Restoring Fan can bring the soul back to the body.

"Of course, it's a piece of cake." Lao Bai glanced at Owen Cheng, "But today, you have to help me summon the soul of a man named Song Qinmin. The local city god reported that he stayed in the human world and didn't want to leave. He needs your help."

Song Qinmin, isn’t that the name of the old man Song who recently passed away?

Lan He: "Then I roughly know where he is."

......

Lan He was in a spirit state, and he brought Lao Bai to Old Man Song's house. He saw from a distance that Old Man Song and Owen Cheng were at the door. He wanted to pull Owen Cheng in, but Owen Cheng held on to the door frame and refused.

As expected, he was taken away by Old Man Song...

Lan He thought about it and raised the fan to cover her face.

"What are you doing?" asked Lao Bai.

"I want to wear a vest." Lan He said sullenly.

He was forced to do this part-time job reluctantly, but he didn't want to become famous, so as to avoid causing trouble after the one-year term was up.

Besides, even if Old Man Song had never seen his play, he might have seen him in the village. Owen Cheng knew him even better. If he saw him dressed like this, he would be scared to death. It's better to cover it up.

Lao Bai chuckled, it was strange, if those who made a living in the underworld were recruited, they would want to become famous so that they could make money in the world of the living, but Lan He was the opposite.

Looking at Song Qinmin again, he had already hidden inside the door when he saw their red lanterns.

Owen Cheng heaved a sigh of relief and sat on the ground. He saw two ghost figures floating over. They were wearing tall hats with four words written on them, "A talent at first sight" and "Since you're here", they were holding chains in their hands and one of them had his face covered.

Owen Cheng was shocked. Not only did he see a ghost today, he even saw a ghost messenger!

It's just that the words on this ghost's head are weird...

Owen Cheng was brought here by the old man in a daze. The old man said he would treat him to tea. When he reached the door, he suddenly realized that he was here.

The ghost of death was so spooky that ordinary people would get seriously ill when seeing it, and ghosts would tremble even more. Although Owen Cheng didn't know them, he knew that he was scared to the core of his soul. He sat down against the wall, tears welling up in his eyes, "I don't want to die..."

He was frightened when he saw the words "Since you are here" written on the hat. He was afraid that they would say, "Since you are here, ghosts will not leave empty-handed, so I will take you away."

Fortunately, the ghost messenger just said quietly: "Your life span is not over yet, Master Bai will take you back."

Owen Cheng was ecstatic, "Thank you, thank you, big brother... Master Bai."

He saw that person who "already came" didn't say a word. Although he couldn't see the other person's face, he was very nervous, "Thank you, thank you too..."

Lao Bai casually said: "Lan Ye!"

Lan He couldn't stop it in time, and shook her head at Lao Bai under the fan. Her real name couldn't be revealed, so what was the point of revealing half of her vest?

Fortunately, Owen Cheng did not think of his good friend. He just showed a confused look and said to himself: "White... Blue... Blue and White Impermanence? I have only heard of Black and White Impermanence. Are there navy in the underworld?"