Chapter 30: The Ghost Master (Part 3)
Jiang Si turned his head around. “What did you say he was?”
He had lived for twenty-five years, received banners for courageous acts, helped police track down murderers, and while he didn’t exactly help old ladies cross the street every day, he was at least a model youth.
Today, he was actually being slandered like this!
Luo Yan: “…”
She hurriedly stepped forward to help the man up from the ground and explained, “Oh my, it’s all a misunderstanding! Boss Jiang saved you. Do you remember fainting as soon as you walked in? That was your soul detaching, and it was thanks to Boss Jiang calling your soul back.”
Old Zhao had a vague impression of the first half of her sentence, but hearing the second half, he felt it was even more nonsensical, pure gibberish!
“Luo Yan, I see you usually have a very positive attitude toward work, so how can you be so superstitious! What do you mean by soul detachment? Ah! I’m asking you, what is soul detachment? How can such unscientific words come from the mouth of one of our own comrades! You have truly disappointed me!” Old Zhao lamented, heartbroken.
His voice was really too loud. Jiang Si didn’t like this old man much to begin with, and now he was too lazy to even explain. He shot a glance at the Teng worm squatting in the corner and snapped his fingers.
Old Zhao’s voice, as he held his waist and lectured, suddenly halted. He felt his whole body become light and airy, as if ascending to heaven. Before he could react to what was happening, he heard Luo Yan’s cry of surprise. Hurriedly turning back to look, he discovered himself lying unconscious on the ground.
“?!!”
Jiang Si looked straight at him with a polite smile. “Do you believe it now?”
Old Zhao was instantly terrified, flailing his limbs trying to float his body back, but in the end, he collapsed mentally upon realizing he was being held in mid-air by a black ghost whose face he couldn’t even see clearly. He was like a fish on a chopping board, or a pig caught for the New Year feast—completely unable to struggle.
Seeing the effect was sufficient, Jiang Si lit another soul-guiding incense stick to send him back.
Opening his eyes for the second time, Old Zhao no longer had his previous majestic bearing. After a long silence, he respectfully uttered a sentence: “Master, will I have any sequelae?”
Luo Yan, who was clueless about what just happened, was dumbfounded. She only heard Jiang Si answer with a question: “Between a 300,000 yuan surgery fee and a 5,000 yuan consultation fee, which do you choose?”
Old Zhao didn’t even think: “Of course, the 5,000.”
“Mhm.” Jiang Si nodded. “Thanks for your patronage. You spent 5,000 yuan in our shop. How would you like to pay?” In case Old Zhao didn’t understand, he specifically held up the incense burner used just now. “Two incense sticks, 5,000 yuan, no bargaining.”
Simply a rip-off shop! But Old Zhao didn’t dare say it out loud, terrified that Jiang Si would snap his fingers again and pull his soul out for a third time.
At his age, he really couldn’t take it!
After swallowing his anger and paying the money, it was only under Luo Yan’s hint that he finally remembered the purpose of finding Jiang Si today.
“Cough!” Old Zhao wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead, covered his still bleeding wound, and said in a muffled voice, “It’s like this. Xiao Luo and I came today mainly to discuss the promotional video and future cooperation with you.”
“Please go ahead.” Facing a paying customer, Jiang Si’s attitude had always been good. His tone became gentle and amiable, striving to create a home-away-from-home feeling to satisfy the customer.
“…Regarding the bonus, I’ll have them transfer it to you as soon as I get back.”
How could Old Zhao remember saying “He can do it if he wants, if not, plenty of others will!” just yesterday? Affectionate as if going down to the grassroots to personally console the people, he grasped Jiang Si’s hand, his expression sincere and earnest: “I have especially high hopes for you! Having you join Rong City’s cultural tourism promotion simply brings light to our humble dwelling, like adding wings to a tiger, like finding a precious treasure!”
With three idioms thrown at him in a row, Jiang Si couldn’t help but reflect on whether the shock he gave the man just now was too great, scaring him into mental instability.
“You flatter me… We can discuss cooperation slowly later; I haven’t thought of a plan yet,” Jiang Si said. Old Zhao thought he was unsatisfied with his words and wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Jiang Si: “Let’s leave it at this for now. My filming method might not be acceptable to you guys anyway. We can cooperate again if there’s a chance in the future.”
“What do you use to film?” Old Zhao asked suspiciously. At most, it was some high-end equipment; what was so unacceptable about that? Could it be the cost was too high?
“My filming subjects are not things of the living world,” Jiang Si said.
As long as it’s not money… Old Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately froze again. What does ‘not things of the living world’ mean? If not of the living world, what else could they be?
Old Zhao dared not think too deeply. Vaguely agreeing to Jiang Si’s words, he made to leave with Luo Yan. Jiang Si called him back, “Have you been to a place like a cemetery recently?”
“Two days ago was the anniversary of a family member’s death, so I went to sweep the tomb. Why?” Old Zhao felt a chill in his heart at the question. Surely there couldn’t be more trouble?
“Then you’d better get more sun recently and visit places with heavy yin energy less often.” Jiang Si’s tone gradually lowered. “It’s best to also avoid meeting unfamiliar friends or relatives. You were lucky this time; next time is not guaranteed.”
Old Zhao was completely confused and wanted to ask for specifics, but Jiang Si waved his hand to dismiss him.
Even after returning home, Old Zhao still didn’t understand what Jiang Si meant. Today’s events were too thrilling, and as soon as he got home, he couldn’t wait to find someone to share them with.
Finding his wife not at home, Old Zhao smacked his lips twice, feeling somewhat lackluster. Turning to get water from the fridge, he suddenly froze while passing the utility room. Through the crack of the door that wasn’t closed tightly, he saw an old vase he had taken from a friend sitting on the table.
It looked ordinary on the outside, but the moment it came into view, Old Zhao suddenly felt a familiar, gloomy chill rise within him.
Jiang Si’s words echoed in his ears: “Avoid meeting unfamiliar friends or relatives recently.”
…
Having resolved a major worry and gained extra income, Jiang Si was in an excellent mood. Even looking at the Teng worm, he felt a kind of benevolent satisfaction.
It squatted in the corner, daring not make a move, afraid Jiang Si would get angry and tell the Taoist priest on it.
The Teng worm knew its place, and Jiang Si was happy to be at ease. He tidied up the things in the shop, sat on a chair, and started playing with his phone.
This good mood lasted until he saw Hai Di.
Ever since the inexplicable confrontation the day before yesterday, Jiang Si felt uncomfortable all over whenever he saw him now—it wasn’t an annoying awkwardness, nor the alienation of a falling out.
It was like a mass of white fog appearing in front of him, capable of drowning the world. He couldn’t see the road ahead, didn’t know the direction, and was terrified that one step inside would lead to an abyss.
Jiang Si hated this feeling of losing control, and consequently, didn’t like the culprit who caused this feeling either.
Hai Di walked straight up to him without looking sideways. Jiang Si pretended not to see him, trying hard to devote himself entirely to his phone, wanting to stare a hole through the screen.
The crisp sunlight leaped through the living soul and sprinkled onto Jiang Si, plating his blue hair tips with a layer of gold.
Hai Di watched for a good while before reaching out and pulling the phone from Jiang Si’s hand.
“Stop looking.”
Jiang Si felt a surge of rebellious psychology for no reason. “Who are you to me? What right do you have to control me!”
But as soon as he said it, he regretted it. As a corporate slave who had been working for several years, how could he still throw tantrums at will like a child?
Hai Di had an extremely good temper. He gave an “Mhm” and answered, “You are my savior.”
“So you know that,” Jiang Si said sarcastically. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were my dad, micromanaging so much.”
“Jiang Si.” Hai Di was quite helpless. “I’m just expressing concern.”
“If you really care about me, hurry up and recover your memory, go home, and repay me with money. That would be best,” Jiang Si said. “For adults, concern shown in real gold and silver is more practical.”
“Is there really nothing else between adults besides money?” Hai Di asked.
“What do you mean?”
Hai Di said half-jokingly, “How about I give myself to you to pay off the debt?”
“Long-term labor?” Jiang Si refused without hesitation. “No.”
Hai Di suddenly moved half a step closer, closing the distance even more, his tone gentle: “Then I’ll warm your bed as payment.”
Jiang Si was stunned, his expression indescribable. “Do you want to listen to what you are saying?”
A ghost warming the blankets?
Do you even have body temperature?
The look of disgust on his face was too obvious. Hai Di choked on his words, then, having no other choice, explained dryly, “Just kidding.”
“Mhm.” Jiang Si responded, the corners of his lips quietly curling up.
After this round of banter, that subtle distance was pulled open again, and everything seemed to return to normal.
That night, Jiang Si waited until late into the night for Shen Hu to return. But as soon as he entered, Jiang Si noticed his face looked extremely ugly, and there were dark brown bloodstains on the hem of his clothes.
“Someone got hurt?” Jiang Si asked with concern.
Shen Hu shook his head, pursing his lips in silence at first. His gaze became dark and unreadable when he saw the Teng worm, explaining, “It’s the Ghost Master’s blood. He suffered a backlash from the ghost slaves he raised. When I arrived with my men, he was already dead.”
Before Jiang Si could be surprised, the Teng worm, hearing the news, instantly started screaming.
The voice carried endless mournful malice, the sound waves scraping against bone marrow, forcing a chill deep inside.
Jiang Si and Shen Hu looked over simultaneously.
The humanoid Teng worm clutched its head and desperately slammed it against the wall. It wasn’t human; even if it slammed its head, it wouldn’t bleed, nor would it faint. It could only let its instinctual memories scream madly, banging against the wall again and again seeking relief.
“What’s happening?” Jiang Si walked closer and reached out to grab it.
The moment he touched it, unfamiliar memories surged like a tide, overwhelming and layering over him, dragging Jiang Si forcefully into another space.
He entered a furnace sealed on all sides. The cramped and stuffy space was magnified countless times, containing countless ghosts just like the Teng worm.
Every ghost had a hugely long chain hanging from its neck. Even a slight movement produced a muffled “boom, clatter, ding” sound.
Just as he was at a loss, a god-like voice came from outside: “Within one day, only one of you can walk out of this furnace.”
Everything that happened next followed a logical sequence.
A single light sentence caused these souls to slaughter each other, desperately tearing at each other’s soul bodies, devouring, biting, or being torn apart by their own kind.
Jiang Si felt his arm being ripped off forcefully. From the darkness by his ear came the crunching sound of gnawing teeth. Something pinched his shoulder, something pulled at his leg, and a cold hand even pierced straight into his abdomen, churning inside…
The soul body wasn’t controlled by Jiang Si’s consciousness at all. He was like an outsider watching the events unfold coldly, yet he could personally feel all the pain—the agony of being torn apart from every direction, as if by five horses.
Being in the midst of it, if he didn’t want to die, he could only resist.
When a ghost dies, it becomes a pool of foul, turbid water. Once the sun shines, nothing remains.
But here, there was no daylight. After all the ghostly sounds disappeared bit by bit, they finally gathered into an ocean. A naked foot stepped into the ocean-like foul water and slowly crawled out using one hand. Through the only dim crack, he crawled out.
Returning to the human world, Jiang Si was astonished to find that outside was a very ordinary house, with a man meditating in the shadows of a lamp.
Covered in a black robe, only his pale, un-lifelike complexion was visible. A waxy sheen faintly appeared on his face, motionless like a statue.
This was the person who spoke?
As Jiang Si thought this, he watched this soul body kneel on the ground, trying hard to look devout with only one remaining arm and leg.
He was the victor.
He was the sole victor.
So he could see the light of day again and return to his original life.
Huge and fierce joy washed away the pain on his body. While enduring these intense emotions, Jiang Si heard him say: “My Lord, they are all dead, only I survived!”
The statue opened its eyes, looking down at him from above, praising him in a strange tone: “Well done.”
“Thank you, my Lord… Thank you, my Lord—” The excited words stopped abruptly before they were finished.
The statue placed a hand on his head, and like crushing a tiny ant, kneaded him alive into a ball-shaped object.
The soul body was rubbed smaller and smaller, then stuffed into the body of a hollowed-out insect…
The moment Jiang Si’s consciousness was stripped away, his whole body fell uncontrollably toward the ground, soaked in cold sweat as if fished out of water. A buzzing sound rang incessantly in his ears. It was a long time before Jiang Si heard Shen Hu’s concerned words.
“…” Jiang Si opened his lips with difficulty and said to Shen Hu, “I will never keep my hands to myself again.”
Seeing the situation was wrong just now, Shen Hu had acted quickly to pull him out. Otherwise, Jiang Si could very well have been parasitized by the Teng worm because he had sunk too deep.
Shen Hu explained to Jiang Si, “Teng sorcery is inherently an evil art that defies the natural order. Its requirements for the parasitic dead soul are extremely harsh, so their willpower is incredibly powerful. You should have felt it too.”
Jiang Si nodded, moved his limbs, and then said listlessly, “What do you plan to do next?”
“Although the Ghost Master is dead, the ghost slaves he raised are nowhere to be found. We must find them as soon as possible.” Shen Hu’s face was grave. “This matter is no longer something I can handle alone; I have to ask the Underworld Enforcers for help.”
“That’s good too.” Jiang Si nodded. Noticing that Shen Hu’s gaze hadn’t moved from him, he asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”
Shen Hu: “Underworld Enforcers have never been easy to deal with. Asking them to do things requires some ‘greasing of palms’.”
The implication was that they needed to bribe them with paper money.
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