Chapter 6

"Yeah!" Zhang Dong said as well, "If we get scared and run home just because of something as small as lighting incense, how will our trio ever make a name for ourselves in the spirit-seeking community? If word gets out, we'll be laughed at by our peers!" Under the pressure of Chen Xue and Zhang Dong's words, Mei Yi had no choice but to continue with the ghost-seeking game. The game they were playing was called "Disc Immortal," which involved placing a small disc, marked with various symbols, on a piece of large paper filled with different characters. The three of them would lightly place their index fingers on the disc and call out, "Disc Immortal! Disc Immortal! Please appear!" If they succeeded, the disc would move uncontrollably across the paper, and they could then ask the Disc Immortal questions. The questions could range from when they would get married to what their future spouse’s name would be. The disc would move, pointing to the symbols on the paper to answer the questions. However, there was one rule: never ask the Disc Immortal how it died. Because the Disc Immortal was, in essence, not a divine being, but a wandering ghost—most likely one who had died unjustly. Asking about its death could easily provoke it and lead to harmful consequences. Back to the story, as Mei Yi pulled out the paper for the Disc Immortal game and laid it on the ground, she suddenly heard a "creak—!" followed by a loud "bang—!" The two sounds came one after the other, making it sound as though someone had just slammed a door shut in anger. When Mei Yi clearly heard these sounds, her first reaction was confusion, followed by fear. There were only the three of them in the factory, and they were all busy with the Disc Immortal game. There was no time, nor anyone else, who could have slammed a door so forcefully. "Chen Xue, Zhang Dong, did you hear that?" Mei Yi asked nervously. "I heard it!" Chen Xue said dismissively. "But what's the problem with that?" "Don't you think it's strange?" Mei Yi asked. "There's only the three of us here. Who could have slammed the door so hard?" "I don't think it's strange!" Zhang Dong said. "I just saw a strong gust of wind blow the bathroom door shut automatically. There's nothing weird about it!" "Really?" Mei Yi said, skeptical. She looked in the direction Zhang Dong pointed, and sure enough, she saw the bathroom door had closed on its own. When they entered earlier, the door had been open. "See? Mei Yi?" Zhang Dong said. "It's just a trick of your overactive imagination!" "Maybe you're right!" Mei Yi muttered. At this point, they were ready to begin the Disc Immortal game. The three of them gathered around the large piece of paper, each placing their index finger on the small disc. Together, they whispered, "Disc Immortal! Disc Immortal! Please appear! Please appear!" They repeated the chant several times before the small disc slowly started to move on its own. Mei Yi saw this and couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. "We've summoned the Disc Immortal!" "So what? It's no big deal," Chen Xue said dismissively. "Chen Xue, don't blame Mei Yi!" Zhang Dong spoke from Mei Yi's perspective. "We've been to so many so-called haunted places and played these ghost games so many times. It's the first time we've summoned a spirit so quickly." "Zhang Dong, you said exactly what I was thinking," Mei Yi said sincerely. "That's why I'm so excited." "You can be excited, but you can't show it!" Chen Xue said irritably. "What if you scared the Disc Immortal away? How will we continue the game then?" "Sorry!" Mei Yi said, sticking out her tongue in embarrassment. "I almost forgot about that." "Mei Yi, don't worry about it too much," Zhang Dong said. "We still don't know if the Disc Immortal we summoned is reliable. If it's not, then it won't be your fault." "Hey, Zhang Dong, since when did you start defending Mei Yi?" Chen Xue said, sounding a little upset. "Are you in love with her?" "I’m not!" Zhang Dong quickly said. "I'm just speaking the truth. How many times have we summoned a reliable Disc Immortal? If this one turns out to be unreliable, then it's not right to blame Mei Yi." "Alright then!" Chen Xue said. "Let's make a bet! If the Disc Immortal we summoned is real, you owe me one hundred dollars. What do you think?" "No problem!" Zhang Dong thought for a moment and agreed to the bet. So, they began testing whether the Disc Immortal was real or not. Anyone who's summoned a Disc Immortal knows that the best way to test its authenticity is to ask questions whose answers they already know, like what the spirit's name is, how old it is, where it works, and so on. Mei Yi, Chen Xue, and Zhang Dong each took turns asking the Disc Immortal about their own lives. The answers were all correct, which was enough to prove that the Disc Immortal they had summoned was indeed reliable. They then started asking the Disc Immortal questions they were curious about. Mei Yi asked when she would get married, and Zhang Dong asked when he would become a millionaire. "Your turn, Chen Xue," Mei Yi and Zhang Dong said after getting satisfying answers. "Okay!" Chen Xue said, pleased. She cleared her throat and then casually asked, "Disc Immortal! Disc Immortal! I want to know how you died." As soon as Chen Xue asked this question, Mei Yi was shocked. "Chen Xue, how could you ask the Disc Immortal that?!" "Yeah!" Zhang Dong said. "Don't you know that's a taboo?" "What's there to be afraid of?" Chen Xue said nonchalantly. "If the Disc Immortal gets mad, it can come after me. I'm curious to see what happens when the Disc Immortal gets angry." Chen Xue stood confidently as Zhang Dong and Mei Yi nervously stared at the small disc on the paper. This was the only way the Disc Immortal could communicate with them, so if it got angry, the disc should respond. They watched the disc intently for a long time, but there was no reaction. "See?" Chen Xue said coldly. "The disc isn't reacting. That means the Disc Immortal has no problem with my question." Just as Zhang Dong was about to agree with Chen Xue, a sudden sharp sound came from behind them. Mei Yi and Zhang Dong were startled. They quickly turned around and saw a glass bottle on the floor, shattered. Clearly, the sound had come from the bottle breaking.