Chapter 51: Husband, Let's Go Grocery Shopping

“Remember my feelings, remember my love, remember I’m waiting for you every day. I’m waiting for you to return, please don’t forget me, please don’t forget me~~”

The phonograph sang a cheerful song.

Amidst the joyful melody, Li Banfeng quietly moved towards the door.

I should leave now.

Li Banfeng had sensed the old grandfather clock’s ferocity and knew he had almost died.

But this phonograph seemed far more dangerous than that clock.

Just as Li Banfeng reached the door, he suddenly heard the phonograph change its tune.

The devoted girl seeing off her lover instantly transformed into a wandering singer.

“My darling, my darling, where are you going?Before you leave, take all the trash with you.The little house isn't big, there’s no place for trash,My darling, there’s really no place for our trash~~”

It can even change the lyrics.

Am I really in the mood to care about lyrics right now?

Li Banfeng pushed the door open to leave, but a stream of steam blocked his way.

“My darling, there really is no place for our trash!”

“I, uh, I’ll be back in a bit to throw out the trash.”

Li Banfeng still tried to leave, but the steam’s temperature increased.

“My darling, there truly is no place for our trash!”

The singing grew colder, and the steam grew hotter.

Li Banfeng’s chest was drenched in sweat, and his back felt a chill.

If he didn’t clean up the trash, Li Banfeng suspected the phonograph would immediately scald him to death with steam.

Under duress, Li Banfeng turned around, using the phonograph’s light to search for trash in the room.

He found scraps of cloth in the corner of the room—scraps left by Chu Yunlong.

The rags were sticky and had Li Banfeng’s vomit on them. Li Banfeng put all the rags into a cloth bag.

Did the phonograph use rags to clean up the vomit?

She loves cleanliness!

Could this phonograph be a house spirit?

The Portable Abode is my house, and I have formed a connection with it.

If I call out the phonograph’s name, won’t she become my house spirit?

Thinking this, Li Banfeng gazed at the phonograph, feeling his connection with the Portable Abode. Once his breathing and rhythm aligned, Li Banfeng called out, “Phono…”

Wait!

What’s her name?

She shouldn't be called a phonograph.

This is the same logic as Luo Yuni not being called a grandfather clock.

The phonograph heard that “phono” just now and immediately responded:

“My darling, my darling, you want your servant to sing. Clean up all the trash, and your servant will sing for you~”

Steam curled and drifted towards the remains of the grandfather clock.

In the phonograph’s eyes, this was also trash.

Li Banfeng didn’t dare to delay. He quickly gathered the clock’s shattered dial, scattered gears, broken pendulum, and loose wood shavings and mainsprings into the cloth bag before daring to leave the Portable Abode.

Outside the door, he picked up the key and let out a long breath.

No wonder the owner of Fengji General Store was willing to sell me the phonograph at such a low price.

No wonder he gave me so many other things.

It turns out this phonograph is an unowned house spirit.

An unowned house spirit is equivalent to an evil spirit, and this evil spirit’s power is far beyond Luo Yuni’s, existing outside the dimension Li Banfeng understood.

And I can’t even call out her name. What should I do?

No, I need to ask Manager Feng for an explanation!

Li Banfeng was about to find a place to dump the trash when he suddenly felt someone watching him.

Danger!

Li Banfeng could clearly sense the danger.

Hurry! This is not a place to linger!

Li Banfeng bit the bullet and took two steps forward when a man suddenly appeared at the main house’s doorway, blocking Li Banfeng’s path.

He wore a white shirt and a gray vest, chin tucked in, eyes rolled upward, smiling at Li Banfeng with a half-open mouth.

This was Luo Yuni’s lover, and also her killer.

Wasn’t he hanging from the willow tree?

How did he get down?

He wasn’t the only one. Another man and woman appeared beside him, and behind them, many other figures swayed back and forth.

A chill ran down Li Banfeng’s spine. He looked back at the window, where several men and women were peeking inside.

Many other lingering spirits were circling the house in the yard, some even half-protruding from the walls.

All the lingering spirits had come down from the tree. What was happening?

Li Banfeng thought for a moment and immediately understood the reason.

These lingering spirits were usually controlled by the house spirit, Luo Yuni, and worked for her.

Now that Luo Yuni was gone, they were out of control.

Clearly, they were very interested in Li Banfeng. Before, they helped Luo Yuni eat meat; now they wanted to feast too.

A woman was the first to rush towards Li Banfeng, extending her tongue towards his ear.

She liked Li Banfeng’s smell.

Li Banfeng leaned back to dodge, and another man lunged at Li Banfeng with a knife.

Where did the knife come from?

Oh no!

That short knife!

Li Banfeng had left the blood-drinking short knife outside the Portable Abode.

Can ghosts pick up this knife too?

Of course!

Luo Yuni had relied on this knife to get her revenge.

The man, holding the short knife, slashed at Li Banfeng repeatedly.

Li Banfeng swung his scythe in retaliation, but the scythe cut through an illusion.

He couldn’t hit ghosts.

But ghosts could hit him!

Ghosts without knives could also strike. One ghost pulled Li Banfeng, tearing a strip of cloth from his clothes.

What should I do?

Li Banfeng retreated and dodged, quickly finding himself cornered. Large numbers of lingering spirits surged from the walls, quickly surrounding Li Banfeng.

Retreat to the Portable Abode?

But there are ghosts everywhere, where would I throw the key?

If these evil spirits picked up the key, it would be troublesome!

No choice, I have to charge out!

Li Banfeng gritted his teeth and bravely rushed forward.

As soon as he took a step, the ghosts in the room instantly vanished?

They all left?

Scared away by my aura?

Nonsense!

The danger was still nearby; Li Banfeng could sense it.

He struggled to rush towards the door, only to see a crowd of ghosts, smiling, blocking his way.

They could materialize and dematerialize at will.

These evil spirits were toying with Li Banfeng, like a predator with nowhere to escape.

The male ghost swung his knife again, and in desperation, Li Banfeng used the cloth bag to parry.

The male ghost slashed through the cloth bag, scattering a bagful of trash across the floor.

The ghosts froze for a moment, then retreated. They had seen the broken pendulum.

This pendulum was equivalent to Luo Yuni’s relic.

They retreated!

They were scared!

Li Banfeng’s eyes lit up. He seized the opportunity to pick up the pendulum, intending to break through the encirclement of lingering spirits.

But the lingering spirits quickly stopped retreating. They stood still, silently staring at Li Banfeng.

Were they stunned with fear?

Li Banfeng stepped forward and kicked the man with the knife.

There was a tangible sensation; Li Banfeng confirmed he had kicked the man.

I hit him?

But the sensation wasn't quite real; Li Banfeng felt like he had kicked into thin mud.

It really was like kicking into thin mud. Li Banfeng’s right foot was stuck!

This ghost deliberately let Li Banfeng hit him; he wanted to trap Li Banfeng.

Materializing and dematerializing at will, switching between real and illusory forms at any moment—Li Banfeng never imagined ghosts could be so vicious.

He used his body to entangle Li Banfeng’s foot, raising his knife to sever Li Banfeng’s leg.

Li Banfeng raised the pendulum, and a golden glow reflected on the man’s face.

The man’s short knife hovered in mid-air. The male ghost stared blankly at the pendulum, not bringing the knife down.

Li Banfeng struggled with all his might, but his right leg remained trapped. The surrounding ghosts slowly gathered closer.

There was no other way.

Li Banfeng quickly turned the key. He had no choice but to temporarily retreat into the Portable Abode.

Stepping over the threshold of the Portable Abode, Li Banfeng used the doorframe to difficultly shake off the male ghost wrapped around his right leg. He was about to close the door when he suddenly realized the key was still in his hand.

He absolutely could not leave the key inside the Portable Abode. Better to let evil spirits pick it up than leave it inside, otherwise, he would be trapped there forever.

Li Banfeng immediately threw the key outside the door, but by then, it was too late to close the door. All the evil spirits pushed against the door and crashed inside.

A cold wind howled, and ghosts surged in like a tide.

By the time the Portable Abode’s door fully closed, hundreds of lingering spirits were layered and crammed inside.

Hundreds of pale faces, with hollow eyes, stared blankly at the pendulum in Li Banfeng’s hand.

I shouldn't have brought this thing in.

The pendulum could indeed temporarily ward off lingering spirits, but their reaction to it wasn’t just fear; it was more like obsession.

Li Banfeng held the pendulum, squeezed among the lingering spirits, pondering a countermeasure.

Countermeasure?

Was there even one?

Hiss, hiss, hiss~

Clang, clang, clang!

The phonograph was still operating, but this time, it wasn’t singing but the sounds of gongs and drums.

It can even perform opera?

Of course it can.

Playing opera on a phonograph was a popular trend in Puluo Prefecture.

Among the records Manager Feng gave Li Banfeng, two were selections from famous opera singers.

As the gongs and drums crescendoed, a clear female opera voice rang out:

“My husband~~~ Did you go to the market to buy vegetables?”

“I bought vegetables…”

Does this sound like buying vegetables?

Li Banfeng didn't know how to sing opera. Whatever she said, so be it.

“Hoo-ya~” the phonograph sang again, “The vegetables are good, but unfortunately not very fresh~~”

The singing dragged on, and amidst the haze, steam filled the Portable Abode.

The ghosts became agitated; they felt fear.

Some ghosts rushed towards the door, but it was too late.

The steam suddenly boiled, and the gongs and drums in the phonograph rang out in unison.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Over a hundred lingering spirits, as if caught in a net, were swept into the phonograph’s horn amidst screams and roars. Only Li Banfeng remained unharmed, silently standing by the phonograph.

Eaten?

She ate all the lingering spirits!

Is this what she meant by buying vegetables?

Clang, clang, clang!

The opera voice resumed: “My husband~~~ You dote on your servant so much, your servant’s heart is filled with joy.But as the saying goes, success comes from diligence, failure from extravagance. Our marital love should be a flowing stream. In the future, we must not be so wasteful~ Oh, burp, burp, burp~”

A puff of steam shot out, and the phonograph let out a satisfied burp.

Li Banfeng moved step by step to the door, casually reciting a few lines: “Since my wife is full, you should rest!”

“Thank you, husband, for your consideration. Your servant is indeed tired!” The light extinguished, the steam dissipated, and the phonograph fell silent.

Li Banfeng quickly left the Portable Abode, picked up the key, and sat by the door, gasping for breath.

He still clutched the pendulum in his hand. He had intended to throw it away, but then felt it might have another use.

He found a clean cloth bag and put the pendulum inside. After a moment’s thought, he realized he seemed to have forgotten something else.

Inside the Portable Abode, the short knife that liked to drink blood at midnight remained on the ground.

The phonograph ate the lingering spirits but didn’t eat the knife.

Hiss, hiss, hiss~

The petals of the bronze lotus unfolded one by one. After a gust of wind, the short knife was drawn into the lotus’s heart.