I have a ghost diary

The First Madam took the initiative to strike up a conversation: "I see that Mr. Chu is young and handsome. Do you currently have someone you are interested in?"

Chu Jiang took a sip of his wine and almost spat it out when he heard this. Was he talking about blind dates right off the bat?

He waved his hands repeatedly and said, "I'm not considering marriage for now."

The First Madam was not discouraged, but continued, "I think my painting is a perfect match for you. You young people can get to know each other better."

"Moreover, although our Lin family's reputation cannot compare to your lineage which has been passed down since ancient times, it should not disgrace the Chu family."

Lin Mohua didn't react to these words, seemingly thinking it was quite nice.

This displeased the fourth young master, Lin Xingshun, who said, "Mom, this is their first time here."

As soon as he spoke, his birth mother, the third concubine, gestured to her son with her eyes, telling him not to talk back to the first wife.

The First Madam wasn't angry; she simply said, "Since you'll be staying here permanently from now on, let's just say there's nothing wrong with that."

Just then, the second young master, Lin Xingfeng, personally got up to pour wine for Chu Jiang, saying, "Brother Chu, you're too kind. The old master's birthday is in three days, and you've arrived early."

"In the next few days, let your brother show you around Luohe County. Our place is indeed a land of outstanding people and beautiful scenery, with many wonderful places to visit."

As he spoke, he gave Chu Jiang a knowing look in his eyes.

Third Young Master Lin Xingyu coughed and said, "I'll join you too. Also, recently, Fushoutang has acquired some high-quality Fushou Ointment. I wonder if Brother Chu has ever tried this foreign stuff? If not, you can give it a try."

Upon hearing this, the young master frowned. "You can smoke those things yourself, don't ruin other people's lives."

The third young master smiled and said, "People like us have nothing to lose, we're not afraid of death, so why would we be afraid of the harmful effects of 'longevity ointment' on the body?"

“Brother, I advise you to enjoy yourself when you should. Didn’t Father say that it’s always good to have something to rely on, so you don’t go out and cause trouble and ruin the Lin family’s reputation?”

As the biological mother of the second and third young masters, the second madam merely frowned slightly upon hearing this and did not offer any advice.

Hearing this, Chu Jiang didn't find it laughable; instead, he felt a sense of heaviness. The existence of a Ghost Master is sometimes a tragedy in itself.

......

The banquet proceeded as normal. The second young lady, Lin Qingdai, looked at Chu Jiang with an innocent and carefree expression.

"Brother Chu, what's it like outside? I've lived in Luohe County all my life and have always wanted to go see the big provincial capital, but my mother and aunt won't allow it."

The "mother" here refers to the first wife, while the second young lady's birth mother is the concubine. This reflects the hierarchical status within a large family during the feudal era.

Chapter 171 Resurrection of the Corpse?

"Outside..." Chu Jiang was at a loss for words. He couldn't very well say that it had become a city of steel and concrete, could he?

However, he had never been to the provincial capital during the Republic of China era, and could only rely on his memories from textbooks to say: "It was very prosperous and bustling outside, with tall buildings and large stone churches built by foreigners."

"Oh, by the way, have you ever seen an electric light bulb?"

Lin Qingdai was very excited when she heard this. "I've never seen one before, but I've heard our teacher talk about it. He described the light as a strange 'self-illuminating moon,' very bright."

Chu Jiang smiled and said, "You can go and see it when you grow up."

Lin Qingdai nodded repeatedly.

Seeing this, Chu Jiang couldn't help but wonder, can she really grow up? Or is she even still alive...?

Seeing that his sister had started, Fifth Young Master Lin Xinghe also mustered up his courage and spoke up, "Brother Chu, you must be very famous outside, right? Do many people ask you to catch ghosts? What's the scariest ghost you've ever seen?"

Chu Jiang only answered the last question, "The most terrifying thing I've ever seen was a sun, a black sun..."

As he spoke, Chu Jiang told the boy about the Black Sun, including its appearance, its abilities, and its killing patterns.

The fifth young master was speechless. "What a terrifying ghost! Given time, it could cause massive damage."

The fourth young master scoffed, "The old master can suppress it with a flick of his wrist. He has seen all kinds of fierce and evil ghosts, so he's no different from this type of foreign ghost."

This is not an exaggeration. Chu Jiang witnessed it with his own eyes: even when the Black Sun used the ability to reverse time, it still couldn't escape the old man's grasp.

Even so, Lin Mohua still told his fourth brother to be polite and not to "exaggerate" in front of the guests.

The fourth young master had no choice but to nod in agreement. It seemed that Lin Mohua still held a lot of influence in this family.

Seeing that everyone was having a great time chatting, the fifth concubine also joined in the conversation. Her voice was soft and gentle, and it sounded very pleasant.

"Mr. Chu, are your parents well? Your family is very mysterious, and we outsiders really don't know much about the Chu family."

The implication is that they were unaware of Chu Jiang's family situation and could only ask this question.

Chu Jiang shook his head. "I was adopted and raised. My adoptive parents are both well and in good health."

Upon hearing this, most of the Lin family members were surprised, except for Lin Mohua's brother and mother.

"Could you tell me what the Chujiang lineage is like as you know it? I'd like to have a reference."

Upon hearing Chu Jiang's question, Lin Mohua said, "We shouldn't presume to answer this. Mr. Chu, you should go back and ask your family, or ask the old master in a few days."

After she said that, the others echoed her sentiments.

This left Chu Jiang speechless.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the fifth concubine wanted to change the subject and ask about other matters, but just then, a dull sound rang out in the hall.

The sound seemed to be coming from inside the black coffin...

Chu Jiang stopped what he was doing and looked up at the coffin behind everyone.

The others seemed unfazed by the situation, but the Fifth Young Master shuddered involuntarily, as if he were somewhat afraid of his deceased father.

The First Madam smiled upon seeing this, "Don't worry about it."

Although that's what she said, her two eyes, one black and one white, without pupils, somehow slid from the front of her face to the back of her head.

As a result, the area where her eyes were originally located became a blank space.

Chu Jiang had just sensed that this family had some "human touch," but she completely destroyed that atmosphere with a single move...

The second young master also said, "It's alright. The coffin we use is a fine one. The sides and bottom are eight inches thick, the grain is like betel nut, and the smell is like sandalwood and musk. When you tap it, it rings like gold and jade."

He also made a little joke here, using adjectives all from "Dream of the Red Chamber".

But Chu Jiang couldn't laugh at all. What did that mean? He didn't deny the possibility of the corpse coming back to life, only saying that the coffin was of good quality and his father couldn't get out?

Looking out over the river, Chu Jiang saw that the three incense sticks had burned down to half-burnt pieces, and he wondered if the incense would still be burning after the meal was over.

Chu Jiang had just looked at it; the bowl of white rice was just ordinary cooked white rice. However, the aroma seemed somewhat similar to the soul-summoning incense in his hand, both being incense offered to the dead.

For her own safety, while Chu Jiang was considering whether to "contribute" a few sticks of incense, the First Madam said, "Nannan, go and light a few more sticks of incense for your father."

"Okay." Lin Qingdai replied crisply, and then... Chu Jiang watched her get up and swim away.

Yes, You, this girl's lower body is actually a blue snake, which looks somewhat surreal.

It was only because they were shrouded in the shadow of the table, and Chu Jiang hadn't activated his super-sensory perception to look around in order to avoid seeing anything he shouldn't, that they didn't notice.

Upon closer inspection, Chu Jiang could see that there were strange symbols on Lin Qingdai's snake scales, which looked like curses or something else entirely.

Staring at those symbols for too long can even give you a dizzying feeling.

Looking away, Chu Jiang began to eat seriously, and Lin Qingdai returned quickly after offering incense.

The ensuing banquet was a very pleasant one, with both hosts and guests enjoying themselves immensely.

Aside from the fourth young master, who for some reason seemed to harbor a subtle hostility towards Chu Jiang.

Oh, by the way, the ladies and concubines of the Lin family hardly spoke to Chu Jiang. Only the fifth concubine kept asking Chu Jiang questions, which made the first lady frown slightly.

As the banquet came to an end, Chu Jiang rose to take his leave, saying that he needed to go back to rest.

To be honest, he still doesn't understand what the Lin family's purpose is in his life. They all seem very interested in him, but they don't explicitly say what they want him to do.

Only Lin Mohua explicitly expressed her hope that Chu Jiang could "stay".

The First Madam seemed to be siding with her daughter, while the attitudes of the others were ambiguous, including Lin Mohua's brother, Lin Xingtian.

Chu Jiang did not agree, but he did not insist on leaving either, saying that he would talk about it after seeing the old master.

On the way back, Lin Mohua led the way as usual. Once they were far from the main hall, she said to Chu Jiang, "Whether it's my fourth brother or my fifth aunt, you should stay away from them."

“I think these two guys are out of their minds. Fourth Brother is inexplicably wary of you, as if you have some kind of conspiracy.”

"As for my fifth aunt, hmph, she's probably in heat. She doesn't care about seniority or hierarchy at all. At a banquet, she keeps asking after a complete stranger, and it's an eyesore to me."

Lin Mohua's tone was very impolite, as if she had already regarded her aunt as an enemy.

Chapter 172 Night Raid on the Beauty

Chu Jiang thought for a moment and simply said, "There's no need. Your fourth brother might have some misunderstandings about me. If we talk it out, everything should be fine."

"As for your fifth aunt, she's probably just a nice person. I think she's quite young, but she might not be very good at navigating social situations."

Lin Mohua retorted, "She's not young anymore, she's several years older than me. Besides, she's always been a cunning woman, so don't be fooled by her. Don't believe a word she says."

"Yes, yes, he's several years older than you," Chu Jiang thought to himself, but outwardly he just nodded and said, "I know."

The return journey was relatively smooth, except for the fact that someone patted Chu Jiang on the shoulder, but when he turned around, he couldn't see anything.

Oh right, he could faintly hear someone calling his name, the voice was very friendly, but Chu Jiang ignored it all.

......

Lin Mohua personally escorted Chu Jiang back to his room before closing the door for him with peace of mind.

Upon returning, Chu Jiang paced back and forth in his room. After attending the welcoming banquet, some things became even more perplexing.

He also discovered that in this ghostly realm, it seemed that only the Lin family members possessed any semblance of "humanity."

The other living people were too stiff, as if they were only acting according to their personalities and memories from their previous lives, rather than acting out of their own will.

Moreover, Chu Jiang recalled the names of these young masters and ladies, and realized that he had seen the memorial tablets in the Lin Clan Ancestral Hall.

It seems that everyone in the Lin family has their own ancestral tablet in the shrine, regardless of gender.

This led Chu Jiang to a guess: Could it be that these people are using the incense offerings of their descendants to maintain their humanity? Perhaps this is the very reason why the Lin Clan Ancestral Hall exists.

This is not impossible. Although we do not know what a person goes through after death to become a ghost, based on the known cases, ghosts have no humanity, no memories of their previous life, and only the instincts of a ghost.

Among these instincts, a crucial one is killing, in various forms, with various patterns, and even indiscriminate killing.