“Perfect! Two people. Let’s play jump rope!” The child’s voice echoed in the cave, repeating her words.
The cave was chilly, and Ban Xia couldn’t help but shiver.
Standing before her was a little girl, about seven or eight years old, with a pointed chin and a small blue teardrop-shaped birthmark under her right eye.
She was an exceptionally delicate and pretty child.
But Ban Xia knew this was no ordinary child. She was looking at a spirit—a soul that normal people couldn’t see.
(In supernatural lore, ghosts like the previous “half-person” are typically zombies—still tethered to their physical body—making them visible to everyone. However, pure souls like this girl can only be seen by those with “yin-yang eyes,” the ability to perceive spirits.)
Now imagine, in the dead of night, someone is lying in bed. They see no one, yet suddenly hear a child’s voice chillingly whisper: “Let’s play together.” It’s the kind of thing nightmares are made of.
“Let’s play together!”
As though responding to Ban Xia’s thoughts, the girl repeated herself. She floated closer, her wide eyes brimming with longing.
Ban Xia pressed her lips together, looked up, and inhaled deeply. “You’re at least seven years old, aren’t you? A girl your age should learn to play by herself.”
“You can see me, can’t you, big sister?” The girl’s face lit up with excitement, and she eagerly approached. “That’s wonderful! Big sister, carry me on your back! That brother over there can swing the rope, and we’ll jump together!”
“You can jump by yourself,” Ban Xia said firmly, taking another deep breath. “I heard you playing shuttlecock earlier. You’re strong enough to use objects from the living world.”
“It’s so tiring, so tiring, so exhausting,” the girl pouted, pleading pitifully. “It’s really hard and draining for us ghosts to use things from the living world. Please, big sister, carry me, and we can jump together. Please? I’m begging you!”
“Please, please, I’m begging you…” The plea echoed through the cave, repeating like an entrancing spell.
Ban Xia, who prided herself on her iron will, felt her resolve waver as if under a trance. Against her better judgment, she nodded.
“You’re so kind, big sister!” The girl clapped her hands, her joy radiating. “Remember, you promised me! You have to play with me until the very end.”
With that, she bounced on her feet, preparing to leap onto Ban Xia’s shoulders.
“I’ll carry you.”
A calm, gentle male voice cut through the air.
It was Xuan Ye. Ban Xia saw him slowly push himself up from the ground, steadying himself with his hands. She assumed he had recovered and felt a surge of relief.
“I said, I’ll carry you,” Xuan Ye repeated as he stepped forward, extending his hand.
The girl stared at him for a long time before taking a step back. “I see. You’re a Taoist priest! You want to capture me!”
“I do want to capture you. But I’m not a Taoist priest, and I currently have no power,” Xuan Ye replied gently. “With your cultivation, you should be able to tell that I’m no threat to you right now.”
The girl blinked, scrutinizing him again. This time, she didn’t retreat. Instead, she stepped forward.
Her lack of retreat confirmed her confidence that Xuan Ye was powerless—he posed no threat.
Ban Xia seethed inwardly, cursing eighteen times in her head.
“I’ll carry you,” Xuan Ye said again, his gaze soft and focused. “I’ll carry you until you’ve had your fun, until you’re tired. I won’t abandon you.”
“I won’t abandon you.”
The girl froze, the words striking a chord. Her large eyes welled with mist, shimmering with emotion.
“Fine, you’ll carry me,” she said softly before floating deeper into the cave. “Wait here. I’m going to find my pretty jump rope.”
“Where would she find a rope in here?” Ban Xia asked, peering after her. “This cave looks really deep. Should we use this chance to escape?”
“She’ll find the rope in this cave—it’s her home. We should stay here and wait for her.”
“Wait for her? To carry her?”
“Yes.”
“Do you even know how heavy a ghost is?” Ban Xia finally snapped. “Carrying her while jumping rope? Have you lost your mind?”
“I haven’t lost my mind. She only wants someone to carry her and play with her until she’s satisfied. That’s all,” Xuan Ye said, his voice still soft.
Ban Xia clutched her head in frustration. “Why don’t we just ignore her? Let her play by herself. Why do you have to carry her? What could she possibly do if you refuse?”
“The barrier on this mountain is unbroken. Neither of us can leave,” Xuan Ye replied, slowly lifting his head. “Also, do you want to know what happened to the people who promised to play with her but didn’t see it through?”
Ban Xia froze, sensing the gravity of the situation. “What happened to them?” she asked, shivering.
“It’s simple. Those who played jump rope with her kept jumping. Those who played shuttlecock kept kicking it. Until they died,” Xuan Ye said flatly.
Ban Xia shivered for a third time.
“Play with me.”
Starting three years ago, this voice began to appear in Qilin Town at the foot of the mountain.
In the dead of night, under the eerie glow of moonlight, people would hear a sorrowful, pitiful child’s voice:
“Play with me.”
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