[Fragmented Ghost Top X Past-and-Present Bottom]
"The Beggar"
Wu Xi was the treasured young master of the Wu family.
All he did was kindly toss a copper coin into a beggar's bowl,
but that night, when he went to the Buddhist hall to pray, he could no longer light the incense.
He also began having erotic dreams every night, entangled with the same male ghost in endless, wanton passion.
Later, war set his house ablaze, and he was reduced to begging in the streets. The cold night wind kept him from sleeping.
At last, he ran into that beggar again.
Pale, icy fingertips rested beneath his chin. The beggar trembled and asked, shyly and haltingly, "Y-young master, why haven't you come to see your big brother at night anymore?"
"The Missing God"
A statue of a god had gone missing from the Wu family. More practically speaking, a thief had stolen it; if you were being fanciful, the god had left.
Wu Xi had just returned from school and happened to hear people discussing it.
He had learned new ideas early on and loathed the old traditionalists in his family.
He couldn't help blurting out, "It's just a lump of clay that's gone missing. Why all the wailing? Have you no shame?!"
His grandparents hurriedly covered his mouth and said, "You! Hurry, hurry and apologize to the god!"
Wu Xi flung his sleeves and left. Later, he got into a university in the capital.
His dorm room was a double, and his roommate was a nice guy.
But his roommate never slept at night. He just sat on his bed, staring at Wu Xi without moving.
At first, things went fairly smoothly. But later, specks of mud kept appearing on his luggage, then on his freshly washed clothes, and eventually on his bedding.
Finally, they appeared on his body.
"Third Brother Returns"
Wu Xi was third in his family, but his little sister called him Fourth Brother, his eldest brother called him Fourth Son, and the village elders called him Little A-Si.
He didn't know why.
When he turned eighteen, the villagers urged him to marry Third Brother.
The bridal chamber was the same as before, except for an empty coffin set in the middle of the room.
He thought it was just a vile wedding custom, never wondering why the coffin lid was loose.
Later, purple bruises appeared on his neck. He thought he'd bumped into something,
but the villagers eyed him with delighted looks and said:
"You've been married this long, and you've finally consummated the marriage!"
A chill ran through him, and he decided to leave the village.
That night, the dogs in the yard barked endlessly. He hurriedly packed his things, then suddenly felt a coolness at his neck, followed by waves of sharp pain.
Long hair slid over his shoulder and brushed his neck. A pair of thin, pale hands wrapped around him.
He couldn't move, but he knew perfectly well.
Third Brother was angry with him.
"The Blind Bodhisattva"
Educated youth Wu Xi was assigned to a remote, backward mountain village.
The villagers were hostile to outsiders, and especially uncivilized.
Only the village doctor treated him well. After finishing his work at night, the doctor would bring him things and often praise his good looks.
But before long, Wu Xi learned from the villagers that the village had had only one doctor for decades.
That doctor was blind,
and had accidentally fallen off a cliff and died the year before Wu Xi was sent to the countryside.
The poor man's flesh had been eaten by jackals, and his bones were still at the bottom of the cliff.
Wu Xi was half convinced. He never expected to see the blind doctor that very night, with much of his flesh gone.
"Don't be afraid of me."
The cold voice came muffled from within the doctor's body.
"The Third Watch Opera"
Wu Xi ran into an actor in an alley. The actor was captivating, and Wu Xi couldn't stop thinking about him.
For more than a year, he went from theater to theater and watched over a hundred performances, yet never saw the actor again.
That was until the owner of a funeral goods shop accidentally let something slip.
He said
there was an actor in the north of the city who performed only at the third watch, for no human audience, only ghosts.
Wu Xi waited for the third watch every night, and soon his wish came true.
A raised sleeve lightly brushed his cheek. Two stiff, cold lips pressed against his neck, leaving a chilly trail of saliva.
"Wu Lang, I've been waiting here for you for a long time."
A few things to know:
1. Lou Ce is the top, and Wu Xi is the bottom. The two have no shared memories between the different stories.
2. The main text is in third person. There are no real-life people or stories serving as models for anything in this book.
3. This book has no harmful message and does not promote superstition. Believe in science and stay positive. All negative plot points and descriptions serve the story.
4. Weibo: @JinjiangHuabancha
5. Blurb screenshot dated 2024.05.19.
Theme: How can one have it both ways, remaining true to the Buddha and true to one's beloved?
