The Eerie West City Cemetery and a Vicious Talisman

[West City Cemetery? That’s hardly a good place.

Does big sister have someone buried there? I heard the West City Cemetery is quite eerie; the authorities sealed it off months ago.

Is this really a supernatural exploration livestream? When are we going to start dotting the paper figures’ eyes with blood?

Can you guys stop scaring people? There are lots of cute little girls like me watching this livestream!

Trolls, get out!]

“What’s wrong with West City Cemetery?”

Bai Wanwan didn’t quite understand. She wasn’t familiar with what the chat was saying about West City Cemetery. After all, she had only just transmigrated, and the original Bai Wanwan didn’t seem like the type to be interested in supernatural occurrences.

[Doesn’t the streamer know? Before, at West City Cemetery, someone witnessed a woman in a red dress lingering and pacing by the cemetery gates, walking back and forth, yet seemingly unable to step beyond the entrance, as if something were holding her back.]

[Yeah, it even made the news. The incident happened around this time of year, I think.]

The chat comments began to grow more serious, and Bai Wanwan’s interest was piqued. Even if it was just a story to listen to, it was better than passively sitting there, being teased by the chat.

Despite having worked in the funeral industry with her grandfather in her previous life, Bai Wanwan didn’t put much stock in these so-called supernatural phenomena. Much of what her grandfather taught her was more for show than practical use, essentially having zero real-world application.

Take those blessing talismans, for instance. There were even talismans for summoning lightning, fire, or even heavenly tribulations, calling upon the Black and White Impermanence for aid, invoking Zhong Kui, or clearing a path with Guan Yu. Bai Wanwan could draw them all with her eyes closed, but in reality, none of them had any effect whatsoever.

Her grandfather always made her practice them repeatedly, insisting that every stroke of the talisman be meticulously precise, allowing for not a single error. Because of this, Bai Wanwan had received her fair share of beatings as a child. All that daily practice ultimately served only to fool people and perform tricks, nothing more. Consequently, Bai Wanwan grew increasingly skeptical of such things. Had her grandfather not constantly insisted that these were skills she would ‘definitely use someday,’ Bai Wanwan wouldn’t have bothered practicing them at all.

“And then?”

[Then the first person who witnessed it was scared out of their mind and is now locked up in a mental hospital.]

[It’s true! My aunt is a cleaner at that mental hospital, and she saw the person who was scared insane with her own eyes. They were completely deranged, truly terrifying.]

[Later, some people who didn’t believe in evil went there again. This time, five of them went and set up a live broadcast, claiming the previous witness was just creating hype, and that they didn’t believe in ghosts. But when the time came, through their livestream camera, everyone in the chat saw the woman in red lingering by the entrance! Then the livestream feed was cut!]

[Those five people never streamed again, nor has there been any news of them since.]

Suddenly, the entire livestream chat became lively, as if everyone was utterly fascinated by the story.

“Really? That sounds too far-fetched!”

[Streamer, you make a living off the internet, and you don’t even know about such a big incident?]

[Go search within the site; there are recorded clips from others. It’s absolutely real.]

Driven by a flicker of curiosity, Bai Wanwan opened the website’s search bar. Before she even began typing, several trending local topics caught her eye:

Baicheng’s Bai family bankrupt, its spokesperson absconded without a trace.

Baicheng’s West City Cemetery: Eerie Incident of the Woman in Red.

Official Announcement: Effective immediately, West City Cemetery and its surrounding five-kilometer radius are under full martial law. Citizens are advised not to approach the restricted area.

The connection between Baicheng’s haunting incident and the Bai family’s bankruptcy…

Bai Wanwan casually clicked on a recorded video uploaded by a netizen. The entire video was indeed bizarre; from a distance, a red-clad figure could clearly be seen lingering at the entrance of West City Cemetery. However, in the video’s comment section, netizens were more engrossed by the final frame, which showed several pieces of yellow paper, haphazardly plastered onto the West City Cemetery’s fence wall, adorned with strange symbols.

Bai Wanwan recognized it at a glance: this was the yellow paper used for talismans. And judging by its quality… the person who made this talisman was undoubtedly highly skilled; this was no ordinary yellow paper.

[Streamer, do you recognize this talisman?]

[The experts said those were just crappy advertisements.]

[You believe the experts? My fortune-teller uncle told me these are suppression talismans. That ghost woman can’t leave West City Cemetery because of them. If those talismans weren’t there and she got out, the entire city would be doomed!]

The chat erupted in fervent discussion. In an instant, Bai Wanwan’s livestream viewership climbed to over thirty people. Virtually everyone was captivated by the topic, and Bai Wanwan’s rather ‘eerie’ livestream style also drew in many like-minded individuals to join the discussion.

“This isn’t a suppression talisman. This is a spirit-binding talisman…”

Bai Wanwan murmured softly.

“Who could be so vicious?”

[Streamer, what are you talking about?]

[The streamer knows about this too? I knew you weren’t just anyone, daring to sell these kinds of things late at night.]

[Elaborate!]

“This talisman is used to bind a person, preventing them from ever reincarnating. It’s incredibly malicious. A soul bound by this cannot enter the cycle of reincarnation and is forced to endlessly wander the place of their death. If they died with a grudge, their hatred will accumulate over time, eventually leading to a major catastrophe.”

This isn’t suppressing an evil spirit; it’s *creating* one! Bai Wanwan’s brows furrowed in concern.

“Little sister, you know about these things too? Actually, West City Cemetery was originally just an ordinary graveyard. My friend is buried there, but due to the lockdown, I can’t get close.”

“Tomorrow is her death anniversary, and I was hoping you could help me burn some things for her. Just because she’s buried at West City Cemetery doesn’t mean you need to go there; you just need to find a way to get the items to her.”

“I’ll pay five hundred yuan, is that acceptable?”

The red-haired ‘big sister,’ who had been silent until now, spoke softly.

As expected of a beautiful lady, the moment her voice—tinged with sadness and gentleness—emerged, the chat’s tendency to let their morals follow their aesthetics was laid bare.

[This sister is too pitiful! She’s so dedicated to commemorating her friend, but she’s stuck because of the lockdown…]

[Streamer, please help her! She’s so pathetic.]

[Streamer, don’t turn down money! Just take the stuff to a crossroads and burn it; my uncle is a professional, he told me it’s absolutely fine, as long as the sentiment is there.]

After all, whatever Bai Wanwan said about malicious talismans was largely just entertainment for the viewers in the chat. Just something to listen to as a story. Ultimately, a beautiful woman’s request was far more compelling at the moment.

“I can certainly help you, but what exactly do you wish to burn for her?”

Bai Wanwan swallowed, her small hands clenching slightly. The five hundred yuan offered by the red-haired ‘big sister’ was truly tempting. Besides, acting as a proxy to burn offerings was something she often did in her previous life; she was quite skilled at the task.

“A paper figure.”

The red-haired ‘big sister’ looked into Bai Wanwan’s beautiful eyes, her voice cool and clear as she replied.