Are We Being Too Unsophisticated About Ghost Hunting?

Bai Ling, a staunch atheist, suddenly sees his desk mate brandishing a sword one day. He assumes the other guy is just getting carried away, but then the sword summons a lightning bolt five meters wide.

Bai Ling: “…”

His desk mate notices him, sweat still on his forehead.

Silence spreads between them. Bai Ling silently gives him a thumbs-up. “Niu Niang Ben.”

Desk mate: “…”

His desk mate walks over with a cold expression. “According to our agreement, I have to turn you over to the relevant department so they can erase three months of your memories…”

Bai Ling: “Come on, man! The monthly exams are tomorrow. Do you know how hard I’ve worked these past few months? Don’t do this.”

His desk mate coldly takes a clamshell phone out of his pocket.

Bai Ling: “?”

Bai Ling looks at his outfit from head to toe: a pair of beat-up knockoff shoes he’s worn for five years, and a pair of wrinkled jeans that have been washed to death. He figures the guy can’t be that high up in whatever department he works for, so he puts on a brave face and pats him on the shoulder. “You’re really fired up, I get it. I’m a poser too.”

Desk mate: “…”

Bai Ling: “You’ve been fooling around for ages. Hungry? How about we grab something from a street stall?”

After that, Bai Ling starts running into all kinds of spooky things: a seesaw swinging by itself in the park, the continuous sound of someone banging against a hospital wall and wailing, and something that follows him home. His desk mate tells him not to worry. According to his birth chart, ghosts can’t get near him at all.

But Bai Ling doesn’t tell him that his birth chart is fake.

Xia Changfeng is a jinx. The master who picked him up has said since he was little that he’s unlucky, won’t amount to anything, can’t enjoy good fortune or hold on to wealth, and can only take the crooked path: becoming a Taoist priest who catches ghosts.

One day, using his terrible skills, he secretly reads Bai Ling’s fortune and discovers that Bai Ling is the chosen one.

* Sweet story with a few mildly scary side stories

* All metaphysics and other worldbuilding are made up by the author. I don’t do this stuff for real (scratches head)

Theme: Love and poetry can last forever.