Returning to town, I had zero plans left. With the limited information I have, I need to do something. But what? Exorcising the shui gui by throwing rocks at them one by one is now out of the window. My encounter with Zhong Kui decided that for me. I can't risk inviting a bigger disaster by eradicating the shui gui.

So, I thought about seeking temporary refuge with my allies. My main threats shui gui and Zhong Kui were all still wandering out there somewhere after all.

However Jun Ling's currently home with her family and Amelia is somewhere in the world exorcising demons. I can't intrude on Jun Ling's life with her family now that she was finally alive again. And I had no means contact Amelia. Besides I couldn't make them risk their lives for me repeatedly by staying with them.

...

Despite being out of that god forsaken river now and being free to go wherever I wished, I don't know where to go.

Without noticing it, I walked on the path leading home. No alleys, no sneaking through the bushes, no going by the river. I naturally gravitated towards the path as if it were pulling me home.

By the time I caught myself, I was at the front door and ringing the doorbell.

Initially I wanted to run, but... I can't keep running away from confronting things I don't like. I've learned that lesson already from Amelia.

There are tons of reason I didn't want to come home. But I'm taking a chance. Whether my parents can see me. Whether they're aware of shui gui's existing. I'll take that information and run with it.

However the one to answer the front door wasn't my parents. This was the situation I was most afraid of. It was the shui gui possessing my body.

He looked absolutely flabbergasted, seeing me standing there. How could he be here, he must have thought.

I was beyond livid. I was ready to choke him out right there and then. But the shock of something else prevented me from doing so.

My parents were in the living room with a decent view of the front door, "Zhang Shun? Who's at the door?"

They couldn't see me. That brought both sadness and relief to me. Sadness at the fact that my parents couldn't see their own youngest child. And relief that they aren't involved with the shui gui madness in this town.

My parents can't perceive my spirit. That means they've never had a supernatural encounter, meaning they are completely unaware of the trouble in this town.

"It must've been a prankster! Hahahha...", the shui gui responded.

Yeah, and I'm that prankster...

"Meet me outside in a bit... I'll help you", the shui gui whispered to me.

Frankly I was a bit wary of his intentions. But my other options were either run or try to repossess him right now. Repossesion seemed very unlikely to happen while we were still in the residential area. There was too much of a chance I'd fail the repossession if he screamed for help. And running when I've already foolishly exposed myself, without getting some sort of information in exchange is pathetic.

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...

He actually came.

"Give me my body back. I won't ask twice."

"I'm sorry for stealing your body. But I had no other choice... I was trapped in that river for so long. And it eroded my mind and morality, causing me to do such a dreadful thing to you. I don't want to go through that hell of being a shui gui again. Please, will you listen to me? I know that you have no reason to listen to me but please..."

I nod. I can sympathise with not wanting to become a shui gui again. It's a horrible thing to happen to anybody. And I also know what it does to someone's mind. It makes them think wicked things. Makes them willing to do the same horrible things to others in order to regain a human body. But that is precisely why I don't trust this shui gui.

"Tell me what you've been doing for the past year."

I guess I'll hear him out though. It might help in convincing him to depart to the afterlife. Maybe just like Jun, he just wants a wish granted.

"After possessing your body, the council helped explain the situation of this town to me. This town has people who've been possessed by shui gui and they have an agreement with the temple, so they're pretending to be regular people living here. They pushed you into the river because they suspected you knew about the shui gui's existence and they had to safeguard their secret. My safety as a shui gui was guaranteed here so I've been pretending to be you for the past year. And Zhang Shun, the shui gui have realised that you have escaped the river."

"What?"

"They had warned me to alert them if you tried to retake your body. But after thinking about it for a while, I decided not to help them. Because it would be too cruel to trap you in the river again after your escape."

"No. What did you just say? They know I escaped? Is Jun safe?"

"I'm sorry, they didn't tell me the details... But isn't Jun supposed to be in the afterlife? Your memories told me that much."

"It's a long story but Jun came back to life and she helped me escape the river. If they know she helped me, they might toss her into the river too! I have to make sure she's safe!"

"Let us go togther then! I can help."

"And what reason would you have to help me?"

No matter how you slice it, this is someone who has stolen my body and doesn't wish to become a shui gui again. They have no reason to help me.

"Not only do I have your memories, I have your feelings too! I know they don't belong to me but I can't help but want to listen to these feelings!"

... I can't articulate a response. Sincere answers from someone you dislike are hard to react to.

Allowing him to help, we both run towards Jun Ling's home.

Once there, I notice nothing strange about the house. The lights are on. You can hear cheerful conversations inside.

I peek in through the window.

Jun Ling is seated between her parents, smiling. Jun Ling is safe at least for now.

"It seems that she is still safe, Zhang Shun! You were worried about nothing!"

Just as the worrisome feeling was about to leave my body, I felt a pressure which instantly sent my mind into a state of alertness.

Zhong Kui, the King of Ghosts was on the opposite side of the river glaring at me.

"Umm who's that? He doesn't look friendly..."

"He's Zhong Kui, the King of Ghosts. He's here to bring me to the afterlife because I am a spirit without a body."

"Let us share this body then, Zhang Shun! Neither of us would be without a body then right? Two spirits in one body. We'll be stronger and able to share our information freely between each other too. And I promise I'll surrender main control of it to you. You don't want to die here right? You still want to protect Jun Ling right?"

Tsk... Such a gross suggestion.

Who'd want to share their body with someone else? Not to mention to share it with the person who stole it away in the first place.

Person... I referred to him as a person... Even though he's a monster in my body, why can't I see him as anything else other than a person? Goddamn it. Although this won't even benefit him, he's offering to help me...

Only a trusting fool... like me could accept this suggestion.

"I accept your plan."

The risks here are huge. This could all be an attempt to deceive me. Any amount of things could go wrong. But as things stand, I'm going to die. Outrunning Zhong Kui a second time doesn't seem likely.

"Place your hand on my shoulder, Zhang Shun!"

It was swift. A moment of oblivion and suddenly all sorts of information came rushing into my mind.

The clothes on my back, the slight breeze, the smell in the air, my muscles tensing, the blood flowing in my body.

These senses prove to me that I wasn't deceived.

I am human again.