Chapter 111: Amusement Park (2)

As they stepped off the drop tower, the world around them carried on as if nothing had happened.  

The amusement park thrummed with life—queues of tourists snaked through the barriers, their laughter and chatter filling the air, while staff guided the crowds with practiced ease. 

No trace lingered of the grim spectacle that had just unfolded.  

The clown was gone, vanished without a whisper.  

Yan Jing’s brow furrowed slightly, a shadow of unease crossing his face. 

“What was that thing trying to do?”  

The clown, of course, wasn’t human—not a living soul, but a restless spirit. 

Its actions, though, were baffling. 

It had loomed before them, all snarling menace and eerie threats, leading Yan Jing to brace for some sinister, bone-chilling scheme. 

Yet, all it had done was fling itself into a dramatic leap of faith?  

What was that supposed to mean?  

A tantrum for the sake of a tantrum?  

Shi Pengpeng, equally puzzled, slipped away from the bustling crowd and lit a tracking incense. 

The smoke curled upward, faint and ethereal, tracing a delicate path through the air. 

It twisted and looped, like a thread teased by a playful cat, weaving a chaotic tangle of lines. 

At last, the smoke bloomed outward, scattering in all directions like a flower bursting into full splendor.  

Yan Jing blinked, his eyes straining to make sense of the display. 

“What’s going on here?”  

The path was a labyrinth, more convoluted than the maps of Xiluo itself, pointing in multiple directions at once. 

Could a spell’s navigation falter like this?  

“This ghost is restless,” Shi Pengpeng said, her voice tinged with exasperation. 

The incense’s trail suggested the clown’s presence was everywhere—darting, leaping, never still, its footprints crisscrossing the entire park.  

With the weekend crowd swelling, the park buzzed with vibrant human energy, overpowering the ghostly traces and muddling the incense’s ability to pinpoint the spirit’s exact location.  

“Let’s take a look around,” Shi Pengpeng suggested. 

With so many people around, casting spells or wielding talismans too openly wasn’t wise. 

For now, they’d have to rely on luck.  

“Fine,” Yan Jing replied, his tone flat, a touch heavier than usual.  

What was supposed to be a perfect date had been derailed by this bizarre clown, turning their outing into yet another job.  

That clown had better stay hidden, or Yan Jing would make the clown regret crossing paths with his newly enhanced strength. 

Grumbling inwardly, he still took Shi Pengpeng’s hand with care and said, “Let’s go.”  

They followed the incense’s faint trails, wandering through nearly half the park, yet the clown remained elusive.  

It wasn’t the incense’s fault—the spirit was simply too erratic. 

Several times, the smoke would drift halfway toward a lead, only to veer abruptly or dissolve entirely, scattered by the overwhelming vitality of the crowd.  

“This isn’t working,” Shi Pengpeng said, pausing beneath a tree adorned with colorful balloons. 

“This ghost is too slippery. Chasing it blindly like this, we’re just letting it lead us by the nose.”  

Yan Jing nodded and suggested, “Let’s take a break and try again later.”  

The incense suggested the clown had no intention of leaving the park yet.

If need be, they could wait until closing time, when the crowds thinned, and set up a proper ritual to deal with it.  

“That’s our only option,” Shi Pengpeng agreed, a hint of frustration in her voice.

She wasn’t in a rush, but the clown’s hyperactivity and unknown motives worried her.

What if it stirred up more trouble?  

Yan Jing, less concerned with the ghost, kept his focus on her.

Noticing the faint flush on her cheeks from their trek, he said, “Sit for a bit. I’ll grab you something to drink.”  

Shi Pengpeng, feeling parched, spotted a drink stall just a short walk away.

She nodded and said, “I’ll wait here.”  

She settled onto a bench beneath the balloon tree, reaching for her phone to pass the time.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted nearby.  

A young woman’s voice rang out, sharp with anger.

“I’m filing a complaint! Your staff is psychotic, jumping out to scare people for no reason!”  

A man chimed in, equally indignant.

“Does that idiot think we can’t find him just because he’s in costume? Get him out here to apologize!”  

A park employee, clearly flustered, tried to calm them.

“Please, don’t get upset. Can you tell me what happened? Did one of our staff scare you by mistake?”  

The woman snapped, “Mistake? He did it on purpose! Just now, my boyfriend and I…”  

She trailed off, a touch of embarrassment creeping in.  

Her boyfriend, unfazed, continued, “That jerk’s got issues. What’s it to him if I kiss my girlfriend? He jumps out, scares the hell out of us, and tells us we can’t keep kissing? What, does your park ban couples from showing affection?”  

“No, no, of course not!” The employee waved his hands, piecing together the story.  

Apparently, the couple had slipped into a quiet corner for a private moment, only to be interrupted by some mischief-maker who leaped out, startling them and snarling that they weren’t allowed to be affectionate.  

The boyfriend had lunged to confront the culprit, but the figure vanished in a flash, leaving the couple fuming and demanding answers from the staff.  

The employee, sweating, asked, “Can you describe this staff member? I’ll report it to management immediately and get this sorted out.”  

The woman replied, “He was a short, chubby clown.”  

The employee blinked, confused.

“A clown? But… we don’t have any clowns in the park.”  

As the trio’s argument fizzled out, they resolved to check the park’s security footage to track down the clown-costumed troublemaker.

Shi Pengpeng watched them walk away, a realization dawning.  

This clown seemed to have a particular vendetta against couples.  

First, it targeted her and Yan Jing.

Now, this couple.

She recalled another pair they’d seen before boarding the drop tower—a girl who’d screamed about someone jumping, dismissed by her boyfriend as nerves.

Now, Shi Pengpeng suspected it was no hallucination but another of the clown’s pranks.  

When Yan Jing returned with a drink, he found Shi Pengpeng deep in thought.

He ruffled her hair gently and asked, “What’s on your mind?”  

She looked up, her heart stirring.

Standing, she reached up, looping her arms around his neck.

“Hey, let’s kiss.”  

Yan Jing froze.  

Then, his eyes widened.  

His voice remained calm, almost too casual.

“Sure.”  

His quick agreement caught her off guard, her next words lodging in her throat.

She stammered, “I mean, I can explain—”  

“No need,” Yan Jing cut in, ever considerate.

“I’m your boyfriend. If you want to kiss, just do it. No explanations required.”  

Shi Pengpeng stared, momentarily speechless.  

Yan Jing glanced around and asked, “Should we find somewhere else?”  

The spot was a busy intersection, teeming with passersby—hardly romantic.  

“No,” Shi Pengpeng said, shaking her head.

“Right here. The view’s better.”  

Yan Jing raised an eyebrow.  

The view?

For a kiss?  

No matter.

She was taking the lead for once, and he wasn’t about to overthink it.  

He slid an arm around her waist, pulling her closer.  

Shi Pengpeng blinked, her pulse quickening.  

“Here goes,” she murmured.  

Yan Jing dipped his head, leaning in.  

In a flash, she grabbed his arm, yanking him behind her.

“Watch out!”  

A white, ghastly face with a red nose materialized before them, its mouth splitting into a manic grin as it shrieked, “No kissing, you filthy couple!”  

Before it could finish, a yellow talisman shot forward, slapping onto the ghost’s forehead with unerring precision.  

The ghost froze, its expression comically stunned.  

It hadn’t even processed what hit it before a piercing wail erupted.

“Aaaah!”  

Shi Pengpeng smirked, her fingers forming a swift seal.

“By my command!”  

A spark of cinnabar flared, and with a thunderous “boom”, the ghostly face shattered, its illusion crumbling to reveal the short, chubby clown from the drop tower.  

With a flick of her fingers, Shi Pengpeng sent the clown tumbling like a ball into a deserted corner nearby.  

The clown, now a disheveled heap, whimpered pitifully.

“Master, I was wrong! Please, spare me!”  

Shi Pengpeng regarded it coolly.

“Who are you? Why are you causing trouble here?”  

The clown sniffled, not daring to lie.

“I’m… I’m just a prankster ghost. Nothing special.”  

A prankster ghost—true to its name, a spirit that thrived on mischief.

This one, it turned out, had once been an ordinary recluse from a neighboring city, a heavyset man who’d died suddenly from heart issues after a late-night binge.  

In life, his appearance and odd personality had left him lonely, never finding love.

That resentment festered after death, turning him into a ghost fixated on tormenting couples.  

He’d been stirring up trouble in his hometown until whispers of Xiluo’s chaotic supernatural scene reached him.

Sensing an opportunity to blend into the madness, he’d rushed over, only to find himself nearly caught in a crackdown by the mystic authorities.  

Fleeing in a panic, he’d passed through this amusement park, where the sight of so many couples rekindled his mischievous urges.

Unable to resist, he’d lingered, hiding among the crowds.  

“Sob, sob, Master, I swear I’m sorry!” the clown blubbered.

“I was just jealous, scaring couples so they wouldn’t get too cozy. I never hurt anyone! You saw me—I only dared to pull that stunt on the drop tower!”  

Shi Pengpeng raised an eyebrow and asked, “That was you trying to scare us?”  

The clown faltered and replied, “…Y-Yeah.”  

She sighed, incredulous.

“That’s a pretty unique way to scare someone.”  

The clown’s mouth twisted, as if wounded by her disdain.

“Most couples would freak out seeing someone jump! I scared a pair before you—made the girl cry!”  

Shi Pengpeng tilted her head.

“Oh, I saw them. After you scared her, her boyfriend held her close, comforted her, and bought her ice cream.”  

She paused, her voice dropping to a teasing lilt.

“They got even closer, you know.”  

The clown’s face fell, utterly defeated.  

“Thanks,” it muttered.

“Now I really feel like a clown.”