With the arrival of the new year, life will turn over a new leaf from now on.

Firecrackers were constantly going off, making it the liveliest day of the year in Hongqi Village.

After accompanying me to set off a string of firecrackers, Liu Qingqing returned to the bedroom. It was time for her to transform back into her snake form as she had exhausted a lot of spiritual energy during her few hours in human form and felt a bit tired.

After setting off the firecrackers, we went back inside the house and continued drinking and eating with Ku Qie until the next morning.

On the first day of the lunar new year, we ate tangyuan (glutinous rice balls), symbolizing a harmonious reunion.

After finishing the warm tangyuan, Ku Qie took out a small gourd from his pocket and gave it to me. The gourd was adorable, dark red all over, with some inscriptions that I couldn't understand.

Ku Qie told me that this red little gourd was not an ordinary gourd but a soul-summoning gourd. He instructed me to take this gourd to Ghost Cry Gully and summon five ghost spirits.

Then Ku Qie explained in detail how to summon spirits. He said that midnight, the hour of Zi (rat), was when the day transitioned into the yin phase. During this time, many ghost spirits would come out to wander, so summoning spirits usually took place at Zi, as the chances of success were greater.

Of course, not all ghosts could be summoned. Ghosts who had done evil deeds in their lifetime, even if summoned, should be released as much as possible. It was better not to have them, so as to avoid their malevolent aura, which might later turn against their master.

Before summoning spirits, prepare a live chicken head, preferably from a big red rooster. Insert an incense stick into the chicken head. Hold the chicken head with both hands and rotate it clockwise three times and counterclockwise seven times at a place where the ghost spirits gather. Sprinkle some paper money and finally bury the chicken head in a bowl of half-cooked rice.

If a ghost comes to eat the bowl of half-cooked rice, it means that the ghost is willing to negotiate with you. If you think it is suitable, open the "soul-summoning gourd" and shout loudly, "Urgent as military orders!" The soul-summoning gourd will suck in the ghost spirit.

"Do you remember everything I said?" Ku Qie asked.

I nodded repeatedly, remembering all of Ku Qie's instructions.

Ku Qie then took out a "Samadhi True Fire Talisman" from his pocket and handed it to me. He said, "Last time, I gave you a Samadhi True Fire Talisman, and you used it to save someone. This time, I'll give you another one. If you encounter danger during the process of summoning spirits, you can use the talisman to protect yourself. Evil spirits and monsters are most afraid of the Samadhi True Fire. If those lonely souls and wild ghosts dare to harm you, the Samadhi True Fire can burn them to ashes."

I thanked Ku Qie and carefully put the Samadhi True Fire Talisman into my pocket.

I had seen the power of the Samadhi True Fire Talisman before. Even Huang Pizi, who had high cultivation, was injured by the talisman. Not to mention dealing with those lonely souls and wild ghosts. With this talisman in hand, I felt much more at ease.

Stolen novel; please report.

Ku Qie got up to bid us farewell, and Grandfather tried to persuade him to stay for a few more days, but Ku Qie waved his hand and refused with a smile. "It's the New Year, and I don't want to bother you. Besides, there are quite a few people who need my help with celebratory matters during the Spring Festival. I'll probably be quite busy!"

After seeing off Ku Qie, I also felt tired. I slipped into bed and slept until it was dark outside.

After getting up and having dinner, I prepared a stack of paper money and a bloody head of a big red rooster. I carefully wrapped it in red cloth and had my mother cook a bowl of half-cooked rice for me. Ghosts liked to eat this kind of undercooked rice. If the rice was completely cooked, it would fail to attract those ghosts.

When the time was right, I took the prepared items, including the most important soul-summoning gourd, and left the house, heading towards Hook Mountain.

Since winter began, Liu Qingqing hadn't had a proper rest. When I left, I saw her still curled up on the beam, sleeping. So I didn't wake her up.

Although Liu Qingqing was a spiritual snake and different from ordinary snakes, she was still a snake after all. If she didn't hibernate, she would feel very tired.

Of course, as her spiritual power grew stronger in the future, she would be able to overcome hibernation. But for now, she was still a young snake with limited spiritual power.

The Hook Mountain was pitch black, and I was the only one treading on the thick fallen leaves, making a rustling sound.

The night sky was chilly, with a faint cold moon.

I couldn't help but mutter to myself, "On the first day of the lunar new year, while others are drinking and feasting at home, here I am in Ghost Cry Gully trying to catch ghosts. What bad luck!"

Standing on the mountainside, overlooking Ghost Cry Gully, it was always a bleak and windy sight throughout the year.

Moonlight spilled into Ghost Cry Gully, giving everything a pale and desolate look. The tattered coffin boards, broken tombstones, and swaying wild grass made the place feel even more deserted.

This was my third time coming to Ghost Cry Gully, but this time, I had the Samadhi True Fire Talisman on me, so I wasn't as scared as before.

As I descended into Ghost Cry Gully, I felt that the temperature inside the gully was several degrees colder than outside, like stepping into an ice cellar.

I couldn't help but shiver, and then I let out a loud sneeze.

It wasn't just an ordinary cold; it was an eerie coldness.

The colder the place, the more ghost spirits there would be.

I walked forward for a while, looking around, and found many white bones exposed in this area. Many of the corpses were wrapped in tattered straw mats and casually buried in the ground. Some weren't even buried, left to rot among the wild grass.

Looking at the scattered bones around me, I thought that there should be many lonely souls and wild ghosts in this area. So why not summon spirits here?

I rubbed my hands together and blew into my palms, preparing for a big undertaking.

Following Ku Qie's instructions, I spread out the red cloth on the ground and took out the live chicken head.

As it was winter, the temperature was low, and the chicken blood at the neck had already congealed. The rooster's eyes stared lifelessly, looking a bit terrifying. But its comb was big and red, so it seemed like my father had specially chosen this rooster for me.

I took out an incense stick and lit it, inserting it into the chicken head. Then, holding the chicken head with both hands, I rotated it clockwise three times and counterclockwise seven times, silently chanting, "Come out, my precious! Come out, my precious!"

At that moment, I felt like a sorcerer conducting a mysterious ritual.

I stopped in my tracks, took out the paper money, and scattered it in the air.

As the wind blew, the paper money fluttered like snowflakes, falling one by one.

I squatted down and took out the bowl of half-cooked rice from my pocket, placing it on the ground. Then, I buried the chicken head with the inserted incense in the half-cooked rice.

Alright, I finally completed the grand task.

I sighed and retreated several meters, watching the bowl of half-cooked rice, quietly waiting for the lonely souls and wild ghosts to come and eat.

This was my first time summoning spirits alone, so I couldn't help feeling nervous. I fidgeted and rubbed my hands together, my palms constantly sweating.

To be honest, I didn't have complete confidence in whether I would successfully summon any ghost spirits tonight.