During the period when a group of spirit beasts was collectively enrolled in a practical combat class, learning various tactics, attack, and defense techniques, something troublesome occurred for an entire carriage of ghosts belonging to Jiang Lin's ghost soldiers – the hearse.
This carriage of ghosts, for reasons unknown, had died without retaining memories of their past lives. Most importantly, they were unable to leave the hearse. They were like rootless spirits, wandering the mortal realm. This wandering had lasted for ten years. Along the way, if they encountered lost living souls or specters hitching a ride, they would offer assistance. During their journeys, they would also experience fear and anxiety due to various events, such as attacks by malevolent spirits or sudden encounters with ghost officers around corners. It wasn't until they met Jiang Lin and received the care of a ghost officer that they truly had "legal driving permits." They no longer feared ghost officers. Even when encountering malevolent spirits, the danger was reduced due to the enhancements Jiang Lin had made to the hearse.
Logically, after their master returned from his business trip, they were supposed to resume their previous arrangements, reporting their recent whereabouts and observations at regular intervals. However, recently, they had been unable to do so. This was because a troublesome woman had accidentally boarded the carriage. And she was a living soul.
As a hearse, they generally took lost living souls back to their homes. But this particular passenger…
"Passenger, where exactly are you trying to go?" the driver uncle said, stopping the carriage by the roadside and looking back at the woman in the back seat. His tone was filled with helplessness and exasperation.
This woman, from the moment she boarded, had been jumpy. She would sometimes shout, sometimes ask questions, and sometimes make demands. When asked where she was going, she couldn't give a clear answer. She would point here one moment and there the next. The hearse had already circled this area several times.
If she had forgotten who she was or where she lived, it would have been understandable. It was unusual for a living soul to be separated from their body, so forgetting was not an issue. But she also inquired about various things, asking about the carriage's origin, where everyone was going, and who was on board…
Some ghost passengers, annoyed by her questions, simply revealed their identities to scare her. As a result, the woman was startled, but it only piqued her interest further.
"What do you ghosts eat? Where can you find food?"
"Can you receive the incense offerings burned by humans? If paper money is burned, can it be used in the underworld?"
"Oh, and right, do ghosts fart? Do they sneeze? When a ghost sneezes, is it because someone is thinking of them, or because someone is scolding them?"
A barrage of questions, like a thousand "whys." She hadn't been quiet for a single moment all day.
"Think carefully, where do you live," the driver uncle urged.
Seeing that the carriage had stopped, the woman, who had been talking to a ghost passenger, turned around. She appeared to be in her late forties or early fifties, with crow's feet at the corners of her eyes. Her graying hair had been dyed black multiple times, but soon it would start turning white again from the roots. She wore a loose floral padded jacket over black wide-leg pants, and comfortable cloth shoes. She always claimed she was out buying groceries but somehow ended up here.
Upon hearing the driver's words, the woman genuinely raised her head and thought for a moment, then hesitantly said, "Feng Hua Road in this city… Number 23. Yes, that should be it. I remember we saved up diligently for a long time when we bought the house."
Driver uncle: "Are you sure?"
"Sure," the woman nodded affirmatively.
The hearse then started again, heading towards Feng Hua Road. Seeing this, the woman turned to the young girl sitting beside her, another ghost passenger.
"Little girl, you look so young, haven't you graduated yet?"
The little girl, who had been questioned for most of the day, was on the verge of losing her patience several times. But thinking that her mother might be around the same age, she held back.
"I've graduated and I'm working. I'm an accountant." Judging by her proficiency in handling various bills, she was likely an accountant.
"An accountant, that's good, easy to find work," the woman said with a smile. "I knew you looked smart, your parents must be very proud. Have you gone back to see them?"
The little girl turned her head away. "No, I don't remember them."
"Oh, that's a shame," the woman sighed. "Then have you thought about where you'll settle down long-term? It can't be safe to keep driving around like this, can it?"
The little girl glanced at her socially anxious ghost companion, who had retreated to the front of the carriage, and also sighed. "We can't leave this carriage. Besides, coming out and traveling around is like a tour. It's quite nice."
"That's true. Back then, I wanted to travel all over the country," the woman chimed in. "Unfortunately, I didn't have the good conditions then, and now, I have to help take care of my grandson." Some things, the more you postpone them, the further they get pushed back. Then, with one postponement after another, they just disappear.
"By the way, what does your driver do? Has he always been driving? Isn't he tired?" Isn't there anyone to replace him?
The little girl shook her head. "No, only he can drive this carriage."
The woman covered her mouth and laughed. "Hahaha, this carriage is quite spiritual then, it knows who the owner is."
After that, she asked many more things. Are you married? Do you have children? What kind of guys do you like?
The little girl's throat was almost hoarse. She pleaded, "Auntie, please let me rest." It was a ghost, and it was almost unable to speak. Please spare it! Aren't you tired, Auntie!?
"Alright, alright, you rest. I just asked a few more questions," the woman said dismissively. "If I still had my grocery basket, I could give you a cucumber to eat, nice and crunchy." She then muttered, "So ghosts can get hoarse. That means they can fart too." Saying this, she glanced at the little girl's ample posterior and nodded. She looked like she would bear children easily.
The little girl: "..." Should she gouge out her eyeballs to scare her now? No wonder everyone says that mothers are the strongest fighters. But then she thought better of it. What if she scared her into a stupor, which would be more troublesome. Sigh—
Seeing that the little girl was truly unable to speak, the woman patted her comfortingly. "It's okay, you rest first. I'll chat with someone else." There were so many people (ghosts) on this carriage, she wouldn't lack someone to talk to. By the time she finished chatting with everyone, the little girl would probably have rested enough. Who should she talk to next?
The woman looked up, scanning the ghost passengers inside the carriage.
"!!!" Hearing the woman's words, the other ghost passengers in the carriage all started in shock and quickly shrank back into their seats. Don't see me, don't see me… Driver, haven't we reached Feng Hua Road yet?