Chapter 4: Summoning Spirits (3)

The room was silent, save for the sound of Lin Shuyue softly reciting the ritual procedure.

A faint, musty scent emanated from the furniture. It wasn't exactly foul, but in this atmosphere, it felt particularly pronounced. Lin Shuyue had already recited the lines four or five times, yet the cup beneath her fingers remained motionless. No one grew impatient; they simply waited in silence for the moment the "anomaly" would manifest. They were all convinced that this was no mere parlor game, but a genuine ritual capable of summoning the dead.

"Cup Spirit, Cup Spirit, please reveal yourself..."

Even without a response, Lin Shuyue continued her call, though her voice gradually lost its intensity, sinking into a low murmur. Perhaps it was an illusion, but Lu Jinchao felt the air in the room thinning as Lin Shuyue spoke. Or perhaps the room was poorly ventilated and crowded with too many people? The musty scent of the old furniture seemed to grow stronger.

Accompanied by another call from Lin Shuyue, the dim yellow light overhead flickered. It felt like a harbinger of the anomaly to come. Lu Jinchao heard the person beside her take a sharp breath, and Lin Shuyue’s steady voice faltered for a moment before returning to its rhythm, as if nothing had happened. Lu Jinchao couldn't help but marvel at her composure; just standing there, she already felt suffocated by the tension.

Wait—it wasn't just her. The breathing beside her grew heavier, and it was the same on both sides. Everyone seemed to be struggling, gasping for the thinning air.

*Hoo.*
*Hoo.*

The sound of breathing came from the left, the right, and... behind her?

No, that couldn't be right. There was no one standing behind her, only a wall. How could there be breathing from behind? A chill raced down her spine. Lu Jinchao wanted to turn around immediately, but she restrained herself. Goosebumps erupted across her arms; despite her mental preparation, now that the moment had arrived, fear began to sprout uncontrollably.

*Calm down. Stay calm.*

*Check the others first. What if I’m just too tense and hallucinating?*

Lu Jinchao glanced over and her breath caught. The person beside her had their eyes shut tight, lips bitten until they trembled—a picture of absolute terror.

*Useless thing!*

But from his reaction, it was clear he felt it too. The breathing appearing behind them wasn't an illusion. If it wasn't, it meant that something else had entered the room.

***

As if to confirm Lu Jinchao’s suspicion, Lin Shuyue, who had been continuing the call, stopped.

"Cup Spirit, Cup Spirit..."
"Are you male or female?"

Under the dim light, the woman summoning the unclean entity asked a remarkably "safe" question. Nearby, the others stood in a tight group, staring unblinkingly at her and the cup under her hand. No one spoke; there was only the sound of wide eyes and rapid, shallow breathing.

Under the collective gaze, the cup beneath Lin Shuyue’s fingers began to move slowly, the friction against the paper producing a dry, rustling sound. It guided her fingers to a stop on the character for "Female."

*...No problem.*

Lin Shuyue felt a quiet wave of relief. The ghost had followed the rules of the game and answered her. As long as she followed the proper protocols, finished her questions, and sent it away properly, there shouldn't be any danger. After all, this was only the first ritual.

With that thought, she asked the next question: "Will it rain today?"

Still a very conservative, safe question. She felt a faint pull from the base of the cup. Lin Shuyue dared not resist, allowing it to slowly guide the cup to stop on the character for "No."

"Whew..."

She took another deep breath. She had asked two questions and followed the process; now, it was time to send the "Cup Spirit" away.

Lin Shuyue spoke: "Cup Spirit, Cup Spirit, all questions have been answered. Please return."

She held her breath, watching the cup under her fingers with bated breath.

*...Nothing.*

Lin Shuyue felt a pang of anxiety. She spoke again: "Cup Spirit, Cup Spirit, all questions have been answered. Please return!"

...There was no response, as if the source of the pulling had dissipated. Had it already left?

*No.*

It hadn't left. Lin Shuyue’s breathing quickened. She knew it remained on the "No" character, unwilling to go.

*Don't be afraid, don't panic. Isn't this a situation you anticipated?* Lin Shuyue kept telling herself. She hadn't broken the rules; she hadn't messed up the ritual. Even if it was unwilling to leave, perhaps repeating the command would work!

"Cup Spirit, Cup Spirit, please return."
"Cup Spirit, Cup Spirit, please return!"

She began to repeat the phrase, her tone growing faster. The oppressive room made sweat bead on her forehead, but fortunately, the ghost had not truly manifested, so she could hold on.

But... she received no response.

Or perhaps, "No" was the response itself.

"Damn it, what do we do now?" Lu Jinchao heard someone whisper beside her.
"I don't know..."
"What's happening?"
"Maybe it already left?"

Whispers rustled through the room, but Lin Shuyue couldn't respond; she could only repeat the phrase over and over. Because she had held the same posture for so long, her fingers were trembling, yet she dared not exert even the slightest pressure on the base of the cup, forced to maintain that raised-hand stance.

Agitation, urgency, and the fear of the current situation—different emotions swirled within her. Sweat from Lin Shuyue's forehead slid down her cheek, but the cup on the table remained unchanged!

"Should we try letting go?" someone whispered.
"Shut the hell up. Why don't you do it? Do you have the guts to let go?"

The person fell silent. He didn't. It was only because he wasn't the one trapped there that he could suggest such a thing.

*It’s over.*

The worst-case scenario had arrived. Lu Jinchao pondered the situation. Lin Shuyue shouldn't have asked about the weather; she shouldn't have asked anything that could be answered with a "Yes" or "No."

This left her unable to determine whether the spirit had left or not. Even if she had asked something else, at least a refusal would have been a definitive answer, rather than being tortured by this "unknown."

She would spend the next eleven hours constantly doubting whether the spirit had left the cup. As long as the cup remained on "No," Lin Shuyue’s hand could not move from it.

She was trapped here.

She would have to wrestle with the question of whether the ghost had departed until the very moment the train arrived, at which point she would have to let go and bolt for the train. Even if the ghost hadn't left and tried to kill her for breaking the ritual, she would have to fight for her life.

That would be her only chance of survival.