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The problem with becoming a ghost is that no one tells you how hard it is to, for lack of a better term - ‘level up’. Ghosts live on, are made of, yin energy. It comes from all sorts of things, but the most reliable source is probably negative emotions like rage or fear. Newborn ghosts are generally attracted to places with high yin, often the place of their own death. But if you die a relatively normal death there just isn’t that much yin there! It’s rather unfair to those weaker ghosts, who don’t have traitrous relatives to torment or grave injustices to avenge, or enough malice to power themselves.
At least, that’s what Yu Qingchi thinks of the whole matter. He’d died in a bandit ambush, but unlike their companions who had peacefully passed into the afterlife, he’d remained as a ghost. A truly puzzling matter, for someone with little grudges and who wasn’t particularly surprised at dying in an ambush on a road well-known for bandits.
Ah, he truly regrets walking into those mountains. Ever since he came out, so many strange things had happened! First it was the skittering things in the rafters, then when he went to the well to draw some water he’d somehow fished out a strange fish! It was eyeless, and the color of sludge. Fish! In wells! Who had ever heard of that! Absolutely, utterly ridiculous.
Concluding his rant, Yu Qingchi looks expectantly at his companion.
“I see your point,” says the ghost in black. He takes another swig of his wine, then a bite of his jianbing. “So you really have no idea why you’re still anchored to the earth?”
“No! Absolutely none! Ugh, all because of that damn trip...” He grumbles into his food. Just thinking of that lightless white void made him angry - not to mention the eyes... “It wasn’t even my idea! My friends were the ones who insisted on seeing that damn forest, and yet out of all of them I was the one who stumbled into strange happenings. Ah, there really isn’t much justice in this world - but speaking of friends, is the one in red is over there one of yours? He’s waving in our direction righ’ now.”
“Probably.” His companion turns to look, then, standing up and brushing off his robes: “Yes.”
Yu Qingchi stands as well, gripping his companion’s arm for balance. “Thanks for letting me vent, Hei-xiong. Don’t let me keep you.”
As he’s turning away, a hand grips his arm. “Actually, I think he’d rather like to meet you.”
Yu Qingchi grins. “Well then, let’s go, shall we?”
-
The three of them end up at a restaurant. The waiters seem oddly jumpy around them - maybe they looked like rowdy drunks? With the air of one used to bewildering occurrences, Yu Qingchi brushes it aside.
“Yu Qingchi, was it?” Asks the one in red.
“Yup. And... you?” It didn’t work the last time, but maybe-
The ghost smiles like a cat who got the canary. “No.”
“I suppose I’ll just- live with the unknown, then? In ignorance?” Yu Qingchi shakes his head in slight disbelief. “The two of you are really alike, both refusing to tell me anything.”
“We rarely meet anyone who doesn’t already know.” Black states.
“Indeed, so we really can’t help it,” grins the other.
“Thanks, I hate it,” says Yu Qingchi, defeated. “Are the two of you criminals? You can tell me if you are, you know.” He pauses there, then continues “-or are you perhaps very famous? Oh, are you the City Lord’s retainers?”
They keep smiling at him, clearly finding him hilarious.
“Oh, I give up! Fine! Moving on! Do you. Like.” He desperately tries to think of a topic, and mostly fails. “Um. Your... job? Do you have a job?”
“I do, but I’m afraid our friend here is a jobless vagrant. He’s hopelessly addicted to food, see, and by now his appetite has left him bankrupt,” says Red, “He comes here to spend my money.”
“You ass, as the elder it’s only right that you do your duty and provide me with fuckin’ sustenance.” Black grumbles, a tinge of an accent slipping into his words.
“Ah, you’ve been friends for a long time, then? Did you know each other when you were alive?”
“No, I was centuries old when he was born, really, he’s practically a-”
“-shut the fuck up, I am not the baby of the family-”
“You two are brothers?”
Silence. Then -
“No, no, we were just- joking,” says Black.
“I see, I see. You really do act somewhat like siblings though.”
The two share an unreadable glance.
“Anyways,” continues Yu Qingchi, “What do you do, Hong-xiong?”
“Management.”
"I have to confess I really don’t know anything about that, Hong-xiong. I’m a scholar myself."
Unexpectedly, Black leans in. “A scholar? Did you intend to become an official?” He suddenly looks very interested in this topic.
“No, no, not that kind of scholar. I like to study how things work. Before I died, I was on my way to inspect a frequent earthquake site in the south. Unfortunately, I lost all of my equipment when I perished - but I’m sure one day I’ll get to work on it again- though earthquakes actually aren’t the main focus of my work.” His actual work involved chasing madness-inducing and reality-defying incidents across the country. He’d been headed to the earthquake site because there had been reports of creatures with too many eyes and too many teeth in the area, and now he’d probably have too wait a few decades to go take a look. He takes another swig from his flask.
“You have all the time in the world now,” Red says.
“Thanks!” he tries to reply. It’s somewhat garbled through his mouthful of wine.
-
At some point, the three of them relocate to- to a- a really big house. A mansion, even, though Yu Qingchi isn’t sure how it had gotten there. As far as he knows, the only mansion in Ghost City was the City Lord’s. Maybe this is the City Lord’s mansion? But why would they be at the City Lord’s mansion?
Yu Qingchi’s face is smushed against the floor. It was pleasantly smooth. “‘m feelin’ left ou’ now withou’ a colo’ ‘ame.” With great effort, he rolls over. “Can I be a color? I want to be White. We’ll be Black, Red, and White. Like triplets!”
“I am too old to be his triplet,” says Red, pointing at Black.
“Then we can just be brothers. Unless you don’ want t’, it’s not man. Mandate. Mandatory. The brotherhood is not mandatory.” Yu Qingchi, dubbed White by himself, says from his position on the floor.
“Why not.” Black drops onto the floor next to him. “Shit, the floor is nice.”
“Yes,” agrees the newly named White. “It really is.”
“It’s settled, then!”
White looks up and sees a maniacally grinning Red. “We can swear brotherhood right here and now,” Red continues, pulling a knife from seemingly nowhere. “I’ll go first.”
-
The next day, Yu Qingchi wakes up in a pile with Red and Black. They are, thankfully, all dressed and relatively clean. No vomiting accidents, then. Those happened sometimes.
“Mmmrghhh,” he says. “Please g’off I need to breathe.” He strains for the edge of the bed and with some effort rolls off the bed and onto the floor. “Ow.”
“I haven’t gotten drunk like that in ages,” says Black, staring blankly at the ceiling.
“Why do I know about crane migration routes now.” That was Red, with imprints on the side of his face that look an awful lot like the engravings on Black’s belt.
“S’rry.” Yu Qingchi mumbles unrepentantly. And then: “Craaanes. Mmm. There are many types of cranes. All of them interesting.” And then: “Oh shit. We’re brothers.”
And finally, after thinking for a while: “You’re the City Lord?!”