Chapter 96
Chapter 96
For the next two or three years, Wang Hu became an insane panhandler.
He wandered aimlessly throughout Fubei County.
Having lost his mind, Wang Hu could no longer ride his pedal-powered tricycle in search of his daughter.
He no longer even possessed anything that could be called thought, surviving on biological instinct by begging for food…
At last, on another cold and rainy night over a year ago, Wang Hu stumbled along the path leading to the river north of Lianghe Town. He had not managed to beg a meal in days.
Finally, he collapsed in a roadside drainage ditch.
He starved to death.
The road was remote, but it was still the only route between town and the river. A few people traveled it every day.
Early the next morning, a passerby discovered Wang Hu’s corpse, screamed in terror, and ran to report it to the police station.
Naturally, an unclaimed body like his was collected, cremated, and placed in the public welfare section of the funeral home…
But perhaps death was a release for Wang Hu.
For the final two or three years of his life, he had been an insane beggar who wandered without thought or awareness.
Yet after dying and becoming a ghost, he returned to normal!
That was right. As a ghost, Wang Hu regained his ordinary consciousness. He knew who he was and what he wanted to do. He even remembered those two or three years of insanity.
The sensation was strange, like watching a movie in which he himself was the protagonist.
Such was the wonder of the soul.
If a person became mentally disabled because extreme terror or an evil being had taken part of their soul, that was one thing.
But if insanity or intellectual disability resulted only from physical or biological damage to the brain, the person would become normal again after death.
Their souls were intact!
Only a problem with the physical body had deprived them of consciousness and awareness.
After becoming a ghost, Wang Hu was thrilled to regain his memories and thoughts, but he soon discovered a new problem.
As a ghost, he was far too weak.
Forget comparing himself to powerful old ghosts. Wang Hu discovered that even most ordinary wandering ghosts at night were stronger than he was.
More troublesome still, after repeated attempts, he discovered he could move only within Lianghe Town and its nearby outskirts!
Whenever he tried to travel farther at night to search elsewhere for his daughter, he failed.
Once he moved too far from town, he encountered what seemed like a transparent barrier invisible to ghosts. No matter what he did, he could not pass through it.
Helpless, Wang Hu could only linger within Lianghe Town as a pitiful panhandler ghost.
After spending a long time as a ghost, he discovered several tricks.
Near the place where he had died, for example, his power grew slightly stronger. He could even manifest beneath a streetlight–provided the light was dim enough.
…
After recounting his experiences, Wang Hu looked dejectedly at Old Cao and me.
“So, great masters, I’m not deliberately clinging to the mortal world or refusing to enter the Netherworld and reincarnate. I simply can’t stop worrying about my daughter. I’ve searched for her for over ten years. I want to see her once more. Boo-hoo…”
By the end, the panhandler ghost had begun to cry.
Of course, ghosts had no tears. It could only make sobbing sounds.
After hearing Wang Hu’s story, Old Cao and I felt both sympathy and admiration for him.
People often spoke of the boundless love of parents, and it was true.
Wang Hu had possessed a stable job in the neighboring province’s capital. Yet to find his missing daughter, he abandoned that secure livelihood and exhausted all his savings.
He crossed provinces and cities and traveled thousands of li, all to find her!
Such parental love for a child was truly moving.
A father’s love was as steadfast as a mountain!
I could not help thinking of my own parents…
If I suffered an accident or encountered danger, they would surely protect me at any cost, even their lives.
My nose suddenly stung.
Old Cao stood with his hands behind his back. The stern scrutiny in his gaze had changed to sympathy and respect.
“I never expected you to have such a past. You truly were a good father.”
I nodded too. “That’s right, Brother Wang. If I’d known what kind of person you were, you only had to explain. I certainly wouldn’t have frightened you deliberately.”
Perhaps because I had felt my family’s warmth since childhood, I placed exceptional importance on the bond between parents and children.
Once I learned that Wang Hu had been a loving father, my attitude improved immediately. I went from contemptuously calling him a panhandler ghost to respectfully addressing him as Brother Wang.
Wang Hu seemed overwhelmed by the favor and murmured in disbelief.
He asked carefully, “Great masters… are you willing to let me remain temporarily in the mortal world instead of forcing me onward to the Netherworld?”
I nearly said yes. We were not disciples of some prestigious orthodox sect, only a folk arcane lineage. We had no endless rules and restrictions.
Master had especially told me to consult my own heart whenever I could not decide. I should do what felt right!
Such a devoted father truly deserved a chance.
But then I wondered whether making that decision on my own was inappropriate.
I remained silent and looked at Old Cao, asking him with my eyes to decide.
After all, he was older, more powerful, and more experienced.
Old Cao also fell silent.
Wang Hu grew anxious, rubbing his hands as if waiting for our judgment.
He understood that our kindness was one matter–we admired his suffering and his love for his daughter.
What we ultimately chose to do was another.
After a long while, Old Cao spoke carefully and offered the pitiful wandering ghost Wang Hu a suggestion…