Ghosts Know What I Experienced

Chapter 20 Part 3

In Chang’an Hotel, Xi Jia had finished washing his face and brushing his teeth. Bored to death, he lay down on the bed, playing on his cell phone. He played halfway through when he suddenly received a message.

【 Chen Tao: Hehehe. 】

Xi Jia replied back with an expressionless face: 【 Hehehe. 】

【 Chen Tao: Hehehehe. 】

【 Xi Jia: Hehehehe. 】

【 Chen Tao: Brother Jia…… 】

【 Xi Jia: Taozi……】¹

The two were mutually silent. A full five minutes later, Chen Tao finally replied back: 【 Brother Jia, you’re too uninterested, you don’t even ask me what’s going on! 】

Xi Jia flipped his body over: 【 Oh, what’s up? 】

【 Chen Tao: Today, your Moments showed your location.² You went to S Province? Brother Jia, where in S province are you? 】

【 Xi Jia: Chang’an. 】

【 Chen Tao: !!! 】

【 Chen Tao: Brother Jia, this is simply the Heavens helping you. The Heavens even wants you to pick up this movie! I have a movie here, and originally I wanted to urge you to go to S Province’s Chang’an yesterday. Today, I saw that you’re already in S Province. This must be fate. Do you still remember Director Li? Last year, you had a guest appearance in his horror movie. I didn’t expect Director Li to remember you. This year, Director Li is flourishing and wants to shoot a large-scale ancient period movie. It’s precisely in Chang’an, and he wants to invite you to act as a male supporting character! 】

Seeing this paragraph of words, Xi Jia slightly frowned and didn’t reply.

Chen Tao very quickly typed again: 【 Brother Jia, I know that you never accept an official role, but you always playing a small role like this is also not a solution. You’re still young right now, one person can eat full, and the whole family’s not worried. But when you have to get married and have kids in the future, you’ll need money, right? Only playing a small role, although your outward appearance requirement is not bad, the pay will be a bit higher, but how can you survive with that amount of money？Brother Jia, this is an extremely rare chance. Director Li’s starting pay has 6 figures. The important point is that you can rely on this film to officially enter the entertainment circle. 】

Chen Tao said everything with well-meaning. Each word was honest.

Xi Jia always knew that his best friend was really good to him. If they’re not good brothers or true brothers, who would still endlessly help their old classmate find movies to shoot after graduating university a year later?

Being able to be friends with Chen Tao was Xi Jia’s fortune. Chen Tao put people’s feelings first and value loyalty. Chen Tao helped him find films to shoot time and time again even when he had so many requirements. If it’s another person, they wouldn’t help him at all.

Xi Jia stroked the relic on his neck.

Today, when those young Celestial Masters used Yin Yang Eyes to look at him, already only a bit of yin energy could be seen——the so-called leaking yin energy, and it wasn’t like Pei Yu who directly saw a black ball. Master Ye had also said that he could already live normally now. His yin energy completely won’t affect other people. When others stayed under the sun, they could dispel the small amount of yin energy that overflowed out from him.

Thinking to here, Xi Jia sent a message over: 【 What’s the movie? Is there a script? 】

【 Chen Tao: Brother Jia, really, you can’t continue on like this. 】

【 Chen Tao: Holy fuck!!! Brother Jia? You decided to pick it up?! 】

Xi Jia sent a smiling emoji, and Chen Tao hurriedly sent the script over.

After he finished reading the script, the two confirmed to accept the role. Chen Tao gave Xi Jia the contact information of one of the vice directors from the crew.

It was getting late, and after they chatted for a while, both of them said good night. After saying good night, Xi Jia thought for a bit and added another sentence:【 Thank you, Taozi. 】

【 Chen Tao: Sigh, we’re brothers, what’re you saying. During college, didn’t I rely on Brother Jia’s charm to attract those junior sisters to join the socials? Even though those junior sisters only had you in their eyes……hahaha, not talking anymore, I’m going to sleep first. I have to get up early tomorrow to go to the crew. 】

Between brothers, some things didn’t need to be said. They understood in their hearts.

Xi Jia added that vice director’s WeChat, and confirmed to enter the crew the day after tomorrow. The number of scenes for his role couldn’t be regarded as a lot, but it’s still a rather important character. Just like Chen Tao had said, this Director Li really struck it big. Last year, he was still shooting a domestic horror movie. This year, he’s actually shooting such a big movie.

This suspenseful movie was set in ancient times. The setting was in the early Tang Dynasty, under the rule of Emperor Taizong, Li Shimin. The Tang Dynasty had long-term peace and stability and was quite revered by all nations. However, underneath the surface of prosperity, Chang’an had a sensationalized murder case, and the first imperial guard to die was a guard of Xuanwu Gate.

Not long after, there’s a rumor that it was the ghost of Li Jiancheng that was causing trouble, causing everyone in the city of Chang’an to be jittery and feeling unsafe.

Needless to say, Director Li definitely cared about this ghastly and eerie face of Xi Jia’s.

Who knew what had happened at The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor’s side these past few days. Ye Jingzhi was busy to the point his shadow couldn’t be seen all day, only appearing when it’s time to recite for the relic. Xi Jia talked to him about needing to go shoot a movie. Ye Jingzhi thought for a moment, “The relic can already help you stop the yin energy. It won’t affect ordinary people. Only the people of the Xuanxue world can tell that you’re different from others. Don’t worry.”

Xi Jia nodded his head, smiling. It turned out that Master Ye knew what he was worrying about.

In this way, with Ye Jingzhi’s guarantee, Xi Jia could be at ease and enter the crew to shoot.

This movie was called Xuanwu. The male and female leads were both first tier actors within the country. The celebrities that could get to their status were all experienced. Because Xi Jia and them had scenes together, they got acquainted earlier. The two of them were both amicable, not acting self-important at all, and forming sharp contrast to the celebrities Xi Jia had met before.

After all, he only played a small role in all the movies he shot before. When it came to acting, Xi Jia was still lacking and Director Li had to guide him several times. He learned things quickly and became familiar after two days of filming.

Director Li looked at the young and elegant face on the screen and proudly said, “How is it? I said that although Xi Jia doesn’t have any fame, but this face gives off a special feeling, right? With his scenes, don’t you feel somewhat cold?”

An assistant director to the side nodded again and again, “So cold that I’m getting goosebumps, very thrilling! Director Li, this actor also looks pretty good, how come I’ve never heard of his name before?”

Xi Jia was like a fish in the water within the crew.

After filming for two days indoors, the crew turned to film outdoor scenes and the suburbs of the movie city.

In these two days, Xi Jia’s scenes were very little. There were only two or three scenes in a day, but he was only a small supporting role. He couldn’t rest casually like the male and female leads. He had to wear the costume and wig all day. When he had nothing to do, Xi Jia would even help the staff members of the stage and props crew move things.

A staff member of the stage props crew was grateful, “Really, thank you very much, Little Jia. We just moved to this movie and film city, and there’s still a lot of things that haven’t been prepared yet.”

Xi Jia very rarely had the opportunity to get along with other people. The staff members thought that he’s very amiable, approachable, and kind. But they didn’t know that he’s enjoying this kind of feeling of interacting with others. After 23 years, he had lived very reclusively and solitarily. Now, being able to live like a normal person was already the happiest thing in the world.

After moving the last box of props, Xi Jia stood on a street of the movie city, watching the sun slowly set .

There wasn’t only Xuanwu’s crew at the movie city. There’s a lot of various bit-part actors squatting at a street corner, waiting for their crew to call them to shoot.

This street imitated ancient Chang’an’s Zhu Que Street. On both sides of the street were wooden buildings built in modern times. The beams were carved like cut jade, exquisite and magnificent. The prosperous scenery of the Tang Dynasty was vividly displayed.

It looked like there’s a crew currently setting up on Zhu Que Street. Xi Jia wore his costume and walked along this street. People like him dressed in ancient costumes could be found everywhere on the main street, and no one thought it was strange. Walking halfway, Xi Jia stopped to look at a vendor’s stall selling kites.

This stall was filled with all sorts of kites, but no one was looking. It was very clear that it’s only a stage prop.

Right at this time, an impatient voice sounded not far away, “What are you doing blocking here? Move, move.”

Xi Jia raised his head to look over. He saw an ancient costumed man wearing black robes get out of the way on the street, making way for two staff members of the props crew. That person opened his mouth to apologize, his voice was gentle and low, “We……this one is lacking in manners.”

The setting sun’s afterglow completely vanished underneath the Cangshan Mountains. Xi Jia looked at the man from afar. That person sensed his line of sight and also raised his head to look at him. Their gazes met in midair.

He was a young person with a handsome appearance. His appearance in the entertainment circle definitely couldn’t be at the top, nor could it cause someone to be stunned at a glance, but was worth a second look. A sort of inexplicable calm and benevolent temperament contained from within. The pair of eyes that weren’t considered large carried a shallow smiling expression. He looked at Xi Jia watching him. He lightly nodded his head and returned a smile.

Another person smiled at you, Xi Jia also wasn’t cold-faced, and so he smiled back.

The two didn’t talk and brushed past. Walking a few steps, Xi Jia turned around to take a look for some reason, but discovered that he couldn’t find that person in the crowd anymore and didn’t know where he had went.

Xi Jia casually strolled around again and quickly forgot about the man in black robes.

In the past, he filmed horror movies and very rarely had the chance to come to this kind of real movie city. Most of the time, he immediately filmed in the forests of a mountain village. Therefore, Xi Jia strolled a little longer. When he strolled back to the crew, before he went in, he saw a figure from afar.

Xi Jia, “……”

Xi Jia turned his body to leave, and Pei Yu quickly rushed over to stop him, “Brother Jia!”

Xi Jia calmly removed Charlatan Pei’s hand, and smoothed out the creases on the sleeve, “It’s the crew’s costume, will get scolded for crumpling it.”

Pei Yu “hehe” laughed, “Brother Jia, I said the wrong thing a few days ago. Why haven’t you added me back on WeChat yet? I saw that Hell King Ye has already came to Chang’an. I just knew that you must be here too. I didn’t expect that you actually found a movie to shoot. How is it? How is it? Is it enjoyable shooting a movie? How does it feel?”

Xi Jia sternly said, “For the past few days, Master Ye has been so busy that you can’t even see his shadow, dealing with the situation at the First Emperor’s Tomb. Are you so free that you even have time to come see me?”

Pei Yu confidently said, “There’s no use if I go, why should I go?”

Not waiting for Xi Jia to ask again, Pei Yu explained, “Right now, my master, those old seniors, and add on a Hell King Ye, they’re all finding out just what had escaped from the First Emperor’s Tomb. It’s reasonable to say that since so much time has past, that thing should have had some sort of movement. If not killing a few people, it should at least cause some chaos, but it just had to do nothing. Don’t you think it’s strange?”

Xi Jia wrinkled his brows, “How could you think about it killing people?” Couldn’t you think of something better?

“What else can it do besides killing people? I don’t need to say more about who lives in the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. That person is the first emperor who had killed throughout the ages. Not speaking of the imperial concubines that had to be buried with the emperor, the rest of those officers and soldiers that were also buried, which of them didn’t have an aura of blood that reached the skies, killing thousands of men and horses? There’s something I’ll only tell you, you definitely must not tell others, Brother Jia.”

Xi Jia was expressionless, “Your expression is telling me, if I don’t pass it on, I’m not a Huaxia person.”

Pei Yu waved his hand, acted stupid, and continued to talk, “My master told me that a few days ago, the Tianji School’s sect master, Zhufeng-zhenren, did a divination. That divination showed that the thing that escaped had an aura of a dragon! Do you know what an aura of a dragon means? Only a real imperial Son of Heaven can have an aura of a dragon! Although the dragon aura was a bit weak, it’s definitely a real dragon aura. Which means, the thing that came out is an emperor!”

Xi Jia was promptly shocked in place.

The emperor in the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, who could it be?

Besides the First Emperor who had killed throughout the ages, which emperor would dare call himself the emperor of the First Emperor’s Tomb?

Xi Jia remembered asking Ye Jingzhi before coming to Chang’an, if the thing that had escaped was the First Emperor or not. Ye Jingzhi wasn’t certain, but when Xi Jia had asked, his complexion wasn’t very good. Obviously, if that kind of situation were to really happen, it would absolutely be very hard to handle.

In fact, it’s assumed that the Xuanxue world’s heavy losses were engraved in their memories to this day just from an army of malicious ghosts that had escaped from the First Emperor’s Tomb 300 years ago. If it’s really the master of the mausoleum, Qin Shihuang, that personally came out, don’t mention what he could do to the Xuanxue world, that old man could really be able to turn over the Earth for you to see!

But Xi Jia also thought of: If it’s really that one that came out, how could it still be so quiet and calm till now?

Facing this kind of unexplainable situation, Pei Yu’s voice became rough, and ambiguously dismissed it, “This……how would I know? Anyways, when that divination was calculated, there’s really a purple dragon aura that appeared. That cannot be faked. Hell King Ye even used Wu Xiang Qing Li to break that dragon aura. If you don’t believe, you can go ask him.”

The more Xi Jia heard, the more he felt that Charlatan Pei was only saying rumors, wanting to spread all over with just a little bit of gossip. The so-called a repeated rumor would become a fact, and that’s how rumors were spread.

Not caring about Charlatan Pei anymore, Xi Jia went to the crew to film his last scene for today. Pei Yu also wanted to go in to take a look. Xi Jia didn’t care about him, but Director Li unexpectedly didn’t prevent him from entering the crew and even had a very great attitude towards him, making Charlatan Pei even more pleased with himself by a bit.

By the time Xi Jia finished changing out of his costume and makeup and prepared to go back to the hotel, Charlatan Pei was bored to death as he followed behind him. Xi Jia dumbfoundedly said, “Don’t you have to go ghost hunting? Tomorrow’s the end of the month. You’re not worried about whether or not you can keep your 7th place in the Modou Rankings? You should hurry and catch a few more ghosts.”

Pei Yu’s mood was low, “The Modou Ranking’s top 100 of the younger generation have all come to Chang’an City. There are so many people that has gathered to ghost hunt, even if I’m even more powerful, it will still be hard to find a ghost. Although the thing in the First Emperor’s Tomb came out and it’s very harmful, just wait and see. Next year, Chang’an absolutely will neither have a disaster nor have a malicious ghost that will cause trouble.”

Xi Jia, “Since there’s no point in you guys coming, why do they still want you guys to come?”

Pei Yu, “That is because right now, they still haven’t found that thing! If it was found, we’ll form a large array in a minute and beat it until it pisses its pants. I’m Modou’s seventh place. When the time comes, there will be a senior that will lead and guide us to form the Big Dipper Array. I’m exactly the seventh crux in the array. Awesome, right?”

“Heeheehee, Chatterer Pei, you’re Modou’s seventh place?” A melodious female voice came from behind.

Xi Jia turned to look. A young girl wearing shorts and a skintight tank top sat on top of a wall on Zhu Que Street while pointing and laughing at Pei Yu.

Pei Yu’s face became dark. He hadn’t opened his mouth yet when a male voice sounded from another side, “What are you doing giving Chatterer Pei a psychological blow? He doesn’t know yet. He just fell to ninth place this afternoon. Ninth Place Pei, this name suits you a lot. This young master will bestow it to you, no need to thank me, hahaha.”

Into the night, Zhu Que Street became desolate.

Two young people who looked the same sat on top of the tall wall, laughing merrily and pointing at Pei Yu. They looked to be only 17-18 years old with the same face. The boy looked like he’s clever and handsome, whereas the girl looked like she’s smart and cute.

As the moonlight shined, the two looked exactly like two little devils, just missing the horns on their heads and devil wings on their backs.

Xi Jia vaguely guessed their identities and sympathetically turned to look at Pei Yu.

Pei Yu was angry to the point that his face turned very red. In the end, he couldn’t hold it anymore, “Jiang Tong, Jiang Qiong, if you have the skills, get down here for laozi, let’s duel!!!”

Translator’s Addition: This was all I could think of when I translated that last line.
God Stick Pei:

Translator’s Notes:
¹ 涛子 Taozi: adding a suffix -zi is like adding Little or Xiao to a name, a nickname/term of endearment. Tao means waves so I was thinking of Wavey, but then Taozi also sounds like peach in Chinese….very tempted to use Peachy. Maybe if he shows up in the small theatre. Settled with leaving it in Chinese. ↵
² Moments: for those that don’t use WeChat, it’s a feature on WeChat. Similar to updating your status on Facebook or Twitter. Can tag location, upload pictures/albums, etc. ↵