Midnight Bookstore

The hand that just peed.

It trembled slightly.

The old Daoist priest was now very regretful that he had skipped work to come out for a drink. Wasn’t it a very noble career to stay in the bookstore and serve the ghosts wholeheartedly?

Drink what wine!

The old Daoist priest was not an ordinary person. Although he could not compare to Xu Qinglang and did not have any Daoist spells at all and was just a charlatan who only ate and drank, he had served two generations of “ghosts” after all. He still had a good eye for things and had seen many strange things.

The layer of fluorescent light on the intern’s teeth was like the smile of a devil in the night. It made one panic. The faucet that had just been filled with water seemed to have been turned on again. If one was not careful, it might drip.

The old Daoist priest had asked him to sprinkle the fluorescent powder on the body earlier, and the intern doctor had answered that he had done it.

Then the fluorescent powder appeared on his teeth. This connection made him shiver.

The old Daoist priest was not stupid enough to ask, “Oh, you still have feelings. You need toothpaste with fluorescent powder to brush your teeth.”

“What’s wrong?”

The intern doctor asked curiously when he saw the old Daoist staring at him.

The old Daoist priest suddenly covered his stomach and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, my stomach suddenly hurts. I think I ate something bad recently.”

“I’ll take you to the hospital. After all, I’m not far from here.” The intern doctor held the old Daoist and asked curiously, “Why are you shaking?”

“Damn, my liver hurts. It’s hardening. I need to go back and take some medicine. Otherwise, I’ll have a stroke and heart attack.”

The old Daoist priest was full of nonsense. In short, he said, “I want to retreat!”

Even if he had other incurable diseases, he had to leave. This world was too dangerous. It was safer to stay in a bookstore. Now, the old daoist suddenly felt that Zhou Ze’s lazy appearance under the sun gave him a sense of security. Also, how did Miss Tang comfort him every time she spoke coldly?

“I’ll send you back,” the intern doctor said.

“No, you’re tired. It’s time for you to rest. You should go back and rest. You still have work tomorrow, right? You can’t be careless. You have to treat patients.”

Without waiting for the intern’s reply, the old Daoist priest struggled free from the intern’s support and ran toward the bookstore.

Under the street lamp, the old Daoist priest looked back as he ran, afraid that the intern doctor would suddenly chase after him. However, the intern had been standing in the black alley where the two of them had been booing. He did not move.

The ball of light continued to flicker like it was standing there, smiling at the running Chen Ge.

In one breath, he ran to the bookstore. The old Daoist priest pushed open the door and knelt on the ground, panting heavily. He had used all his strength to run back, and his body was drenched in sweat. Half of it was hot, and the other half was from fear.

Zhou Ze was sitting behind the bar counter, tidying the cabinet. When he saw the old Daoist coming back, he smiled and said,

“What’s wrong?”

“Boss, do you know what I just saw? That guy, that guy’s teeth are reflecting light!”

The old Daoist priest recounted what had happened, and his hands and feet danced as he talked about how he had struggled free from the clutches of the Evil Demon with great difficulty. He even went through an intense battle, causing mountains to collapse and rivers to flow backward, and the sun and moon to change color!

Truly terrifying!

However, Zhou Ze’s face was still calm. He continued doing his work as if nothing had happened.

After saying that, the old Daoist priest picked up the water on the table and drank it in one gulp. He calmed the panic in his heart and asked, “Boss, why don’t you feel anything?”

“Perhaps he’s just playing a prank on you.”

“Mischief?” The old Daoist priest cried. “What if it’s not?”

“That means they have a slight case of cannibalism. That’s not a big deal. You can go to the police. I think there’s a crime called ‘destroying a body’ that can be sued.”

“And then?” the old Daoist continued to ask.

“Then what?”

“Boss, aren’t you going to do something?” the old Daoist priest asked in surprise.

“Do you need me to do anything?” Zhou Ze asked.

“…”

“Didn’t you come back safely without any accidents? Furthermore, if he was the one who ate the body, why would he purposely scatter fluorescent powder before eating the body?

Is he stupid? ”

“Boss, whether you believe it or not, I don’t think it’s a joke,” the old Daoist said seriously. “I think for the sake of society’s peace, we should not sit back and do nothing. If he really is a zombie-eater, it would be fine if he is secretly eating the body in the hospital. But what if he wants to eat the body when he can’t? Who can guarantee that he won’t do something worse in the future?”

When Zhou Ze heard this, he nodded and seemed to think that what the old Daoist said made sense. Then, he reached out and patted the little monkey’s head.

“Then bring Brother Monkey to subdue demons and devils, and return to the human world a sunny and dry land.”

Little Monkey did not know what was going on, but it seemed to be encouraged as it swung the plastic mallet in its hands.

Squeak squeak squeak!

The old Daoist priest’s face fell. He sat on the chair beside him, clearly still in shock.

After a while, the old Daoist priest raised his head and looked at Zhou Ze. He realized that Zhou Ze was preparing some snacks and wine. He asked curiously, “Boss, are you preparing supper?”

“Tribute.”

“Tribute? The Qingming Festival is over. Are we going to the grave?”

“Mm.”

“To whom?”

“Give it to me.”

“This…”

“Today is my birthday,” Zhou Ze explained.

The old Daoist priest was slightly stunned. He had a feeling that it was very strange for a ‘living person’ to say that he wanted to offer an offering to him in front of him. Furthermore, it was to offer him a netherworld life.

Zhou Ze packed his things and walked out of the bar with a shoulder bag.

“Boss, do you want me to go with you?” the old Daoist priest asked politely. “You don’t have a driver’s license.”

Zhou Ze hesitated for a moment before nodding.

If he ran into the traffic police while driving, it would be troublesome if he did not have a driver’s license.

The old Daoist priest drove Xu Qinglang’s Nissan out and brought Zhou Ze to the cemetery area.

The cemetery area was closed, but the railings were not very high, so they could enter easily.

The old Daoist priest understood why Zhou Ze wanted to come at night. Only at night, when there was no one around, could he experience that feeling.

In the cemetery, tombstones lined up neatly. Many people’s lives ended here.

In the middle of the night, there were whispers coming from the cemetery like someone was talking.

The old Daoist priest initially thought that he was hallucinating, but after listening carefully for a while, he realized that there was indeed a sound. He immediately reached out and touched his crotch.

“Boss, there’s demonic energy!”

Zhou Ze ignored him and pointed at a small shelf in front of him. There was a box on it, and there was a loudspeaker inside. The surface was solar cells.

The sound came from inside.

The old Daoist priest was stunned. He curiously leaned over to take a look. There was an instruction manual on it. There were morning news, emotional news, international news, local news, etc.

“F*ck, so humane?”

The old Daoist priest had only heard of people leaving a QR code on their tombstones before, and he had already thought that it was very advanced. He did not expect that there would be someone who would place this beside his tombstone to relieve his boredom.

Zhou Ze found his own tombstone. There was a picture of himself on it, and he even summarized his life.

The Tomb-Sweeping Day had just passed, and there were wreaths, toys, and letters on the tombstone. Some were from his colleagues, and some were from the children in the orphanage.

Zhou Ze sat down in front of his tombstone and opened the letters one by one. Inside were the words of the children to express their longing for him.

The first two letters were “Brother Zhou” and “Dear Brother Zhou”. Some of the children’s letters were not fully recognized, and they were replaced with many pinyin letters.

Zhou Ze leaned against his tombstone and watched quietly. He did not cry, and his eyes were not red.

After looking at it for a while, Zhou Ze took out the drinks and food that he had brought. Then, he reached out to take the food and slowly ate and drank.

Normally, he had a hard time eating, and this time was no exception. However, as he read the letters from the children, he continued to eat, and it seemed to have the effect of sour plum juice.

Even though it was still hard to swallow, and even though it was still disgusting, he managed to hold back the urge to vomit.

The old Daoist squatted at the side and looked at the boss who was eating the tribute. He did not say anything. He understood.

He was dead, but he was still alive.

The tribute was meant for him to enjoy.

The night breeze was cool and blew around.

At this moment, time seemed to be truly peaceful.

After reading the letter, Zhou Ze stretched and looked at his tombstone.

He still remembered that day when he was pushed into the crematorium and swallowed by the fire.

It was erased.

The marks of her past life.

Under the tombstone were his ashes.

“Boss, do you want me to secretly dig it out and bring it back as a memento?” the old Daoist suggested.

Zhou Ze shook his head. Let bygones be bygones. He did not have such a deep obsession anymore. Perhaps he did in the past, but he was slowly starting to see things through now.

However, inadvertently, Zhou Ze noticed a very small trace at the spot where the tombstone was built. He immediately used his phone’s flashlight to shine down.

Upon seeing this, the old Daoist priest also bent down to take a look. Then, he said, “This tombstone has been opened recently!”

Instinctively, Zhou Ze had a bad feeling. He did not intend to take his ashes with him, but that did not mean that he was willing to see anything happen to them.

In the end, it was his.

The nails on his ten fingers grew out immediately. Zhou Ze directly used his own nails to dig through the crack, saving the shovel.

Soon, the building below was dug open, and a black urn was inside.

Removing the urn meant that there was something inside.

Zhou Ze used his fingernails to pry open the key and opened the urn.

In the box.

Something.

But not ashes.

Instead, they were crystal clear small pieces.

“Yay! Boss, you’ve burned a relic!”

Zhou Ze reached out and took out a small piece. He pinched it lightly and it shattered. At the same time, he said in a low voice, suppressing his terrifying anger,

“You’ve seen a relic made of plastic?”