Song of the Setting Sun (Part Three)

The curtain trembled ever so slightly, and a grayish shadow gradually took on the shape of a person—a robust, sturdy woman. Her clothes were made of wrinkled fabric, a clear sign that she hadn’t been a ghost for long. Of the gray, white, yellow, black, red, and blue spirits, the gray-hearted ghosts ranked lowest; their resentment before death was mild, making them the best suited for reincarnation.

He Lingyu reached up to undo her ponytail, but the woman quickly waved her hands. “Master, I’ll leave right away, please don’t take action.”

“I won’t, as long as you tell me—has anything unusual happened in the inn these past two days?” He Lingyu released her hair, letting it fall loosely over her shoulders. A Soul-Piercing Needle appeared in her hand.

At the sight of it, the woman trembled uncontrollably and fell to her knees. “Master, I swear I’ve done nothing wrong! I’m just here to see what’s going on.”

“You’re here for entertainment? Tell me, what spectacle was so compelling it brought you here?” He Lingyu’s face hardened, her youthful cheeks suddenly shrouded with a chill.

The woman sniffled, sounding a little wronged. “I just heard—after reincarnation, you forget your previous life. I couldn’t bear that. I wanted to see my family one last time. But my son went abroad, and my husband joined some ‘Golden Years’ travel group, also overseas. I can’t leave, so I can only check on the old man. Honestly, I never liked him much when I was alive, but when I got sick, he treated me well enough and was willing to spend money on my treatment. After all, we were married a lifetime. I figured I should see him before I go, so I came.”

So she’d traveled far in search of her husband.

He Lingyu asked, “Red Cap or Yellow Cap?”

“Red Cap. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come.” The woman muttered.

“Why do you say that? What did you see?” He Lingyu was puzzled.

“Don’t even ask! He—he’s found someone new, and not just one!” The woman, still kneeling, slapped her thigh in frustration, clearly furious.

He Lingyu… She’d expected a tale like Romeo and Juliet, but this was more like an elderly version of a notorious playboy.

“So, you scared them all into madness?” He Lingyu asked.

“No! I didn’t!” The woman slapped her thigh again. “I went to room 213 to see my old man. He was sharing a room with another elderly man. When I arrived, only the two of them were there. I was trying to find traces of his youth in his face, when suddenly his phone lit up. I glanced over, and Master, you wouldn’t believe it—the messages just kept popping up: ‘Jade Flower Baby,’ ‘Sexy Little Wildcat,’ ‘Shuying the Beauty Queen,’ ‘Big Bo Pei’… The one messaging him was Shuying the Beauty Queen, and it was a video call! Guess who she is? Wang Shuying, that shameless old hussy, even older than me. We danced at the square together for three years!”

He Lingyu’s jaw dropped. The stream of revelations was almost too much to process.

The woman grew more agitated. “My useless old man was even blowing kisses to Wang Shuying on video! Then, someone else called. He told Shuying he had to shower and hung up, then started chatting with someone else. You know who? Liu Dani, the nursemaid I hired when I was sick. Now she calls herself ‘Baby Ni,’ ugh!”

Words tumbled out with spittle. In short, she’d traveled a great distance to see her husband one last time, only to catch him flirting with several old women. As if that wasn't enough, his roommate switched rooms with one of the women, and so she witnessed a whole drama unfold before her eyes.

She was furious, but she couldn’t let herself feel resentment—resentment would ruin her chances for a good reincarnation. If she tainted her karma, she might not return as the beloved only daughter of a rich family, but rather end up as the eldest of three siblings, which would be a terrible bargain.

So, after her husband and that woman dozed off in exhaustion, she shaved both their heads bald as an outlet for her anger.

He Lingyu couldn’t help but laugh. Was this the real-life ‘ghost barber’?

“That’s all you did? Just shaved their heads—nothing else?” she asked.

The woman shook her head. “Master, I’m about to reincarnate. I don’t want to jeopardize my fate over that deadbeat. I could have been reborn rich and pampered. If I ruin my merits because of him and end up as the oldest of three kids, that would be a real loss.”

“Then why are you still here after shaving their heads?” He Lingyu pressed.

The woman looked sheepish. “I wanted to see just how unlucky they’d get today. My powers are weak, I can’t go out during the day. I have to wait until they return at night to watch.”

People who were shaved by a ghost would be unlucky for a whole year. She couldn’t watch them for the whole year, but seeing their misfortune that day brought her joy.

So, she really was just sticking around for the fun of it.

He Lingyu asked, “What’s your husband’s name? And the woman you shaved with him?”

“My deadbeat’s called Zhang Hongfa, and the old witch is Wang Ruimei—she runs the little shop in our complex, and we used to dance together at the square.”

A thought struck He Lingyu. “Have you heard of someone named Shan Guang? Early thirties, very refined-looking.”

“Shan Guang? You mean Wang Ruimei’s eldest daughter? Goodness, the only family I’ve ever known with the surname Shan. Wang Ruimei’s husband is surnamed Shan—he used to be an electrician, everyone called him Master Shan. Their eldest daughter went to university, that’s her, definitely. Her name is Shan Guang, can’t be wrong.”

He Lingyu’s eyes lit up. So this was what it meant to search high and low, only to find what you seek by chance.

Wang Ruimei, Shan Guang’s mother, was also in the Red Cap travel group, and just last night, she’d shared a bed with Zhang Hongfa.

“By the way, is Shan Guang’s father—Wang Ruimei’s husband—still alive?” He Lingyu asked.

“Of course he is! That’s why Wang Ruimei is so shameless. Master Shan is alive and well, a real gem. If anyone’s lights broke in our complex, Master Shan was more useful than the property manager. My old man has no conscience—Master Shan’s helped us out so many times.” She slapped her thigh again.

He Lingyu gave her a stern warning, telling her not to push her luck. Since her mood was good, she should hurry and queue up for reincarnation.

“I saw on the news, a business tycoon’s young wife is about to give birth, and a ten-billion-net-worth actress is expecting too, plus…” Before He Lingyu could finish, the woman dissolved into a swirl of gray shadow and vanished.

He Lingyu could only sigh. The fates she’d just mentioned weren’t ones you could simply queue up for. Still, the woman harbored no resentment; though she might not be reborn with a silver spoon, her next life would be peaceful and smooth, just like this one. At least, in her own lifetime, she’d found happiness and contentment.