Shen Zicheng

Uncle knows a lot, which may have something to do with his 20-year..."lifespan".

At first, I would feel nervous because I was chatting with someone blatantly in a sacred place like a classroom, but then I thought that my uncle and I were not considered human beings, so I began to listen to my uncle bragging with peace of mind.

To remember the passing time by engraving words on my body, this method was taught to me by my uncle.

Interestingly, the harm we do to ourselves is always the most effective way to leave long-lasting marks on us.

"Look," when the uncle opened his clothes, I saw the dense traces hidden under his clothes. He told me with sorrowful eyes, "Remember, don't carve one piece every day, or you won't be able to carve it later. Old ghosts It took ten days and half a month to engrave one—it’s really fucking clever.”

However, I did not accept this suggestion. After all, I was not prepared to spend 20 years as a ghost like the uncle, and I was not prepared to wait until I took off the hat of the new ghost before being removed by the ghost master.

Long hours terrify me.

Uncle forgot his name, and I didn't realize until he asked me that I forgot my name too.

"Ah, hey, how old are you? At least wait until you're one year old and forget about it?" The uncle's words were somewhat resentful.

Still, I'm amazed at how quickly I can forget so much—perhaps because I didn't have a good memory when I was alive.

I can't remember what happened before I was alive. I feel that my memory is very chaotic, like a deep water with countless whirlpools, wantonly tearing at my thoughts of trying to pry into the memories of the past.

Fortunately, I don't really want to know what I experienced before I was alive.

It doesn't make sense to me right now.

I really like being with my uncle.

Humans have human social circles, and ghosts have ghosts.

It's just that the only way we communicate with each other is face-to-face conversation, and there are more methods missing.

Except that the old ghosts have to carefully avoid the pursuit of the spirit masters, and the new ghosts have to hurry up and spend 20 years of carefree life, maybe there is not much difference between ghosts and humans.

It's as if we've just changed places, changed identities, and continued to live.

It's a comforting thought.

Uncle is a funny ghost, at least he seems to be a very reliable man.

He would take me around every day, from the busy streets with high traffic flow to the narrow alleys where even cats can’t get in. It unexpectedly made me realize that the city I lived in from birth to death was actually pretty good. interesting.

The uncle said that his son was about my age when he died, but now he is older than the uncle himself.

The uncle said that his wife remarried and lived a normal and happy life after entering old age. Maybe she will come to this world in the next few years.

The uncle said that the first few years were very difficult, watching the people he loved forget about himself little by little, and lived a happy life without himself.

But then he was relieved, and seeing that everyone was having a good time, he simply took this opportunity to run around.

Just occasionally, I feel a little lonely.

lonely.

It sounds painful, but it is a unique situation after you get used to it.

"While being overwhelmed by loneliness, while waiting for another death." I remembered Shen Qiao's words again.

Uncle spent 20 years traveling the world, and then spent [-] days trying to remember the past by chatting with me.

Then on No.20 days, the uncle did not appear in front of me.

I finally felt the nasty breath that Shen Qiao mentioned: the dark, viscous breath of death extending like tentacles.

I found Shen Qiao at the place where the breath originated, and I also found Uncle.

In that remote place where there could be no more corners, he made the uncle disappear and greeted me when he saw me, but he did not stop his work.

I didn't have time to see the beginning.

But I see the end.

That's a beautiful way to disappear.

The uncle melted into starlight in front of Shen Qiao, starlight like a butterfly, starlight like a firefly, and at a certain moment revealed the uncle's original body, a solid, real body.

Then the body that had been cold for 20 years was gradually filled with sunlight, bursting out like the rays of the sun.

... a bit like becoming a fairy and becoming a fairy?

The uncle's expression was very strange, he was too calm and serene.

He cried, then laughed again.

In the end, he stretched out his hands in an unknown direction, as if embracing something.At that time, only a pair of arms and a head remained of his body.

From the shoulder end to the fingertips, he becomes real and unreal.

Uncle disappeared.From solidification to transparency, until finally, there is only a piece of air left in that place.

It's as if he never existed.

"I know what you want to ask. Because he is too in the way, there are already enough old ghosts in this area." Shen Qiao said, and then sat down on the spot.

His face looked very pale, as pale as a dying person.

"...I didn't want to ask." I subconsciously denied.

Shen Qiao glanced at me, then looked down at her hands and said, "But the expression seems to be questioning."

This sentence made me touch my cheek subconsciously, then put down my hand and said, "There are also people who are older than him."

"Then why don't you take me to find them?" Shen Qiao raised her head and said with a smile, "Maybe I'll help him out when I'm happy?"

"Uncle just turned 20 today." I told Shen Qiao.

But Shen Qiao didn't care at all, her voice was like clear water: "What wrong information did that guy tell you? To kill a ghost, it has nothing to do with the time you have existed. You just need to know Well, killing the ghosts is also a great burden for us—although you are already dead, our behavior, in the final analysis, has killed you again... But the longer you exist, the longer we have to do it The less effort it took. He was in the way, so I killed him. That's all. I don't seem to need another reason? Yes, that's all."

It sounded like he was comforting himself.

"...Then you have to wait another 20 years before killing me?" I think I may not be able to wait that long.

20 years is too long, as if it is as long as my life.

It seems that I was only twenty when I died.

Shen Qiao stood up and stretched out her hand towards me.His fingers were slender and fair, and his nails were well trimmed, giving off a pink glow.

When he touched me, I seemed to see a black breath enveloping me, breathing in my ears like a god of death, as if he wanted to take away the little bit of consciousness I had left, and forcefully wanted to take it away from me. torn apart from his body.

That hurts.real.

I dodged like an electric shock.

"I can also get rid of you right now." Shen Qiao smiled brightly, and slowly retracted her hand, "If you want, I can do it too."

"But will you die then?" It seemed like he was going to die if he got rid of Uncle, didn't he.

Shen Qiao nodded, and said carelessly: "Yeah, you are still very young, but I am very weak—it is a good deal to exchange one life for another, isn't it? How about it? Do you want to die? Then hurry up, I only have one life, but there are more than one ghosts who want to find relief because they can't bear it. How about I treat you special?"

Shen Qiao didn't look like she was joking.But maybe he was joking and I didn't see it, I've never been good at reading people's facial language.

... never?What a ridiculous prefix, I have almost forgotten the past.

I honestly refused: "No." After a pause, I continued, "Is there any other way to kill me besides time?"

Shen Qiao said: "Except for me, no one can kill you...Maybe you can only wait for 30 or 40 years to come to me, isn't it good? You can not be exorcised for such a long time teacher's interference."

"Where are the other necromancers?"

"No, there is no other necromancer. If I have a child, then he will be another one. Unfortunately, it is impossible. So, don't try to find a more powerful necromancer, "Shen Qiao could easily see through my thoughts, maybe he is very good at reading other people's facial expressions, "Ah Cheng, I think you have to obediently wait for me to get rid of you."

Cheng.This may be calling me, because when I heard it, my heart trembled, as if these two words had penetrated into my body, and would be imprinted on my soul even after death.

What a title I'll never forget—in every sense of the word.

"... Ah—Cheng?" I tried to call my name.

Even though it's just a nickname, it feels as easy as calling someone else's name.

I am confused.

It sounded very familiar, but when I said the name myself, the foggy sense of familiarity did not appear.

Is this name familiar to me?

"Isn't it?" Shen Qiao's smile froze, "How long has it been since you forgot your own name?"

I answer with silence.

Shen Qiao stared at me for a while, then suddenly let out a long breath, laughed a few times, and said softly: "That's okay, anyway, it might be better for you not to remember those things."

Sounds like an acquaintance of mine.Thinking like this, I wanted to speak out to confirm, but when I was about to say a word, something stuck in my throat.

Shen Qiao said: "I still have things to do. Living people can't be as leisurely as you. Goodbye, Cheng, maybe next time I see you, I will want to get rid of you?"

He walked past me.In fact, to walk in a straight line, he should have passed through my body.But it's kind of creepy isn't it?

I deflected my body following Shen Qiao, and watched Shen Qiao walk past me with her head down, and the route she was stepping on led to nowhere.

I'm not good at reading words from other people's faces, living or dead.But even if I am like this, I can easily detect that Shen Qiao's expression is not normal.

...like you're about to cry?