Chapter 5: Getting Good at Settling Private Grudges, Aren’t We?
The night in Yangcheng was a brilliant display of lights. The streets were an endless stream of traffic, and the bustling crowds moved like a surging tide.
Neon signs dazzled the eyes, their light flickering in a blur that felt both illusory and real.
Xie Jiuchen stood by the roadside for a long time.
The man’s deep black suit accentuated his tall, slender frame. A white shirt was paired with a Chanel silk tie, and his motionless stance exuded a cold, refined elegance that seemed carved into his very bones.
He gently pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of his high nose. Aside from the night wind, which felt as piercing as ice water, there was only the clamor and brilliance of the city. A strange feeling of being in a different world washed over him, leaving him momentarily unsure of where to go.
It was no wonder; he had resided in the Underworld for thousands of years, and the human realm had long since undergone earth-shattering changes.
Xie Jiuchen tucked the teaching qualification certificate for Yangcheng No. 2 Middle School into his pocket.
He didn’t know where Cui Panguan had managed to procure this thing, but the Judge had emphasized that “one must have a respectable identity to have a foothold in the mortal realm.”
As the Lord of the Underworld, he was being managed quite thoroughly by his subordinate, with his food, drink, housing, and transportation all arranged. The Judge was terrified that his Mingzhu, who was severely out of touch with the 21st century, would suffer any grievances.
Moreover, since the Rakshasa ghost’s prison break, its whereabouts remained unknown, posing a constant threat.
However, a connection existed between the Soul-Hooking Pen and the Ledger of Life and Death; a specific magnetic field effect would occur if they were within a hundred-mile radius.
The Underworld was ultimately unsafe, so Xie Jiuchen kept the Soul-Hooking Pen on his person. If that Ghost King wanted the pen, he wouldn’t stay too far away.
He rubbed his aching temples, his eyes stung by the flashing lights of a nearby shop.
Now there was another problem: where exactly were the faculty dormitories Cui Panguan had mentioned?
Just as Xie Jiuchen was struggling with how to find his way, the Soul-Hooking Pen on his person suddenly issued a faint warning, though the frequency of the vibration was small.
The Rakshasa was nearby? Or rather, in this city!
The fountain pen clipped to his left breast pocket shimmered with a deep blue luster. He gently pressed the end of the pen with his thumb, and his eyes flashed. In an instant, he transformed into a phantom, weaving silently through the crowd.
The black and red motorcycle sped along like a bolt of lightning. Before long, Jiang Louqi reached the Second Ring Road and slowly turned into an alleyway.
This large area was an “urban village,” where a considerable number of people lived in dilapidated, old residential complexes.
Trash was scattered everywhere, with fruit peels and scrap paper distributed randomly. Not far away, several beer bottles and soda cans lay tilted on the ground.
On both sides, rows of ancient rental houses were huddled close together, their forms hidden in the darkness.
This was indeed an excellent haunt for a Zhu Bujing Xiangmo Gui.
“Tsk. I’ll have to wash the bike when I get back.”
Jiang Louqi furrowed his brows and slowly came to a stop in front of Building 27, Xinghua Street.
He removed his helmet, killed the lights, and tossed his keys in the air as he walked toward the stairwell.
Chu Zhixing, who had leaped down behind him, landed steadily. He tightened his open coat and followed with brisk steps.
“Unit 3, 5th floor, Room 401? Ah, found it.”
Jiang Louqi muttered the address under his breath as he stepped over a pile of trash bags and knocked on the door. “Hello, SNE Special Agency. Could you please open the door?”
A fat woman peered through the peephole. Once she saw the two men standing outside, she cautiously turned the handle and poked out half of her messy head, urging them in a raspy voice: “Quickly, come in… I need to close the door…”
A gust of ghostly wind suddenly swept through the corridor, and a foul stench immediately drifted out from the room.
It was a sickening smell that made one want to vomit.
Jiang Louqi froze, letting out a short, bitter breath as he stood there as if rooted to the spot.
He suddenly didn’t want to go in. Perhaps he should leave this opportunity to show off to Chu Zhixing; as an employee, he should gain more experience!
“Chu—”
Before he could finish, he was caught off guard by a powerful shove from behind. His hands flailed in the air as he stumbled and fell to his knees right in front of the woman, essentially giving her an early New Year’s greeting. It was utterly humiliating!
The fat woman was startled by this dramatic entrance and took several steps back. “Um… does your agency provide a kneeling-salute service?”
Jiang Louqi flipped himself up and glared at the now-innocent-looking Chu Zhixing with resentful eyes, fuming. “Fine. Getting good at settling private grudges, aren’t we? That’s a demerit for you!”
The other man simply shrugged, showing no fear whatsoever.
“What a jerk…”
Jiang Louqi brushed the dust off his sleeves, not wanting to sink to his level. He turned to the shaken woman. “Where’s your husband? Where is he now?”
The woman seemed somewhat dazed. She looked up suddenly. “Husband… husband, oh, yes! He’s still hiding in the bathroom. I’ll take you there right now!”
Through the bathroom door, the faint sounds of intermittent dripping water and someone swallowing could be heard.
The lights in the living room were as glaring as burning sulfur, and the air was thick with the damp, foul odor of a room that had never been ventilated.
Jiang Louqi gripped the outer handle but didn’t open it immediately. Instead, he asked another question: “What’s his current status?”
Upon asking, the woman began to wail, her sobs so heavy they threatened to cut off her breath.
Chu Zhixing couldn’t stand the sound and barked at her mercilessly: “Speak!”
With that shout, the woman immediately stopped her sniveling and peered at Chu Zhixing out of the corner of her eye.
Under the light, she finally saw that this man’s complexion was even paler than a normal person’s, even tinged with a deathly greenish hue.
She fearfully retracted her gaze. “I… my husband was fine a few days ago. I don’t know where he went, but when he came back, he turned into this half-human, half-ghost state. He doesn’t leave the house during the day, and at night he hides in the toilet to eat… eat feces!”
The woman choked back a sob and continued, “I asked if he was hungry or why he was eating such disgusting things, but he ignores me. He just fishes them out of the pit to eat. He must be possessed by something dirty. I’m at my wit’s end, waaaah…”
“Alright, I get it. Back away.”
After saying that, Jiang Louqi gripped the handle with both hands, placed one work boot against the recessed groove of the door, and gave Chu Zhixing a look. “Enter as soon as I open it.”
“Mm.” Chu Zhixing cracked his knuckles.
As he gently turned the handle clockwise, the plastic door swung open. Seizing the opportunity, Chu Zhixing’s lean body immediately slipped inside.
Jiang Louqi quickly followed and shut the door behind them. There was hardly any room to stand inside.
Filth was everywhere. A pool of stagnant, greenish water emitted a rank stench, attracting swarms of buzzing flies. It was a complete, unsightly mess.
A man covered in slime with a mouth full of feces sat on the floor, gorging himself with delight.
Sensing the movement behind him, he turned his head dully. His pupils constricted suddenly, and his sticky mouth moved as he spoke, his teeth covered in yellow filth.
“Block the toilet, don’t let him escape.”
Jiang Louqi covered his nose and mouth, pulled two Exorcism Talismans from the lining of his windbreaker, chanted a mantra to ignite a burst of flame, and threw them quickly. They stuck to the back of the man’s head and his forehead.
Hit by the talismans, the man fell to the ground and began to convulse, his eyes rolling back as he vomited filth.
From the bulging veins on his neck to his face turning beet-red, it took only a few seconds before the Zhu Bujing Xiangmo Gui possessed within him drifted straight out of his mouth.
The ghost was terrified. It uncontrollably spat a large amount of rotten meat and sewage at them before diving toward the exhaust fan.
The two men quickly dodged to either side, and the pile of stinking debris sprayed across the back of the door.
Though it wasn’t physically harmful, the smell was enough to kill!
“Quick! The ventilation duct leads to the roof!” Jiang Louqi grabbed a corner of Chu Zhixing’s coat to shield himself from the filth on the door handle.
Once he managed to open the door, he bolted toward the exit in an instant, terrified of being hit.
Chu Zhixing: “…You’re insane.”
Fortunately, the apartment building wasn’t high. Jiang Louqi had just stepped onto the rooftop when the Xiangmo Gui leaped down, a game of cat and mouse unfolding in a split second.
Chu Zhixing arrived and leaped down as well, landing directly on a balcony.
The Xiangmo Gui kept scurrying across the reinforced concrete ahead, desperate to escape.
The wind on the roof was howling. Jiang Louqi crouched down and tossed the Command of Yanluo to him. “Catch!”
The other man caught the falling token, glanced at it, and immediately knew what it was. Like an arrow leaving a bow, he lunged toward his prey.
The Command of Yanluo was a dharma tool that could open the path between the worlds of the living and the dead, though it only allowed the passage of spirits and ghosts.
Any ghost with the token pressed against its forehead would be sucked inside and transported to the Underworld, saving the ghostly emissaries the trouble of making a special trip to the human realm.
It was convenient, but it had a drawback: for instance, it couldn’t take away ghosts that were particularly capable or powerful…
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