Chapter 27: Feigning an Attack While Striking Elsewhere…

Xiao Fengxian’s words suddenly felt distant, and the background music, which had gone unnoticed until now, became unusually clear, with every lyric distinctly audible.

It wasn’t just the lyrics.

There was also the sound of his own breathing.

Jiang Si stared blankly for a few seconds, then pushed himself back into his original position as if nothing had happened. Staring at the empty beer can on the table, he thought distractedly that he must have drunk too much.

The alcohol content on this label must be inaccurate.

To get drunk after just a few cans.

Xiao Fengxian and Bai Qi-niang were chatting about Yun City, while Xu Lanyue was downing beer gulp after gulp as if it were a soft drink. No one noticed their moment of silence.

Lost in a daze, Jiang Si suddenly felt his arm being gripped tightly and lifted. He looked reflexively; Hai Di had already rolled up his shirt sleeve to check the condition underneath.

Blood was already seeping from the abrasion on his elbow, staining the sleeve. As Hai Di separated the fabric, the adhered flesh was pulled sharply, causing Jiang Si to suck in a breath of cold air.

“Does it hurt?” Hai Di furrowed his brow, his movements becoming even gentler. Carefully peeling away the remaining bit of fabric, a large, alarming scrape oozing blood was revealed on the otherwise fair skin.

Seeing Hai Di’s expression darken further, Jiang Si felt inexplicably guilty for some reason. He pushed Hai Di’s hand away and covered it with his sleeve, trying to sound nonchalant. “It’s nothing, just a scratch.”

Hai Di ignored him completely, standing up to rummage for iodine and cotton swabs to disinfect the wound.

When Jiang Si refused to extend his hand, Hai Di simply grabbed it, pinning the injured arm in place.

Making a fuss over nothing.

Jiang Si let him be. Hai Di’s movements were serious to the point of being overly cautious, staring unblinkingly at the wound. Jiang Si watched him for a moment and actually found it a bit funny.

Hai Di applied iodine to the wound with a few cotton swabs. The cool sensation, combined with Hai Di’s icy hands, made Jiang Si feel the restlessness from the alcohol vanish, replaced by a quiet comfort.

Hmm, quiet.

Wait?

Jiang Si suddenly turned his head, realizing that the chatting trio had long since stopped and were staring straight at the two of them.

Xiao Fengxian tutted. “I don’t even know what to say about you two.”

“What about us? I’m injured; just getting disinfected.”

“We can see that,” Bai Qi-niang said, implying: You don’t need to explain so much.

“Feigning an attack on the plank road while crossing via Chencang (using a diversion to achieve a hidden goal),” Xu Lanyue, the most cultured of the three, sighed faintly.

“…”

Jiang Si didn’t know why he felt the need to explain that one sentence; it felt like the more he explained, the guiltier he looked, so he simply shut up.

Once the wound was treated, he pulled his hand back, sat properly, and buried his head in his food.

Fortunately, the three of them didn’t seem inclined to tease further and moved on to the next topic.

Jiang Si reached for more beer, but Hai Di snatched it away and downed it himself.

Jiang Si, watching the bottle pass by his hand, was stunned. “Isn’t there one right by your hand?”

“You’ve had enough. Don’t drink anymore.” Hai Di shook the can, saying righteously, “I’m drinking it for you.”

“…” Fine.

It was unprecedented not to hear a retort from Jiang Si, and Hai Di felt a bit unaccustomed to it.

Staring at him for a while, he realized that perhaps because Jiang Si was drunk or had just been injured, he had suddenly become soft. The area behind his ear, hidden by his hair, was flushed red. If he touched it, it would probably be shockingly hot.

How rare, Hai Di thought.

After cleaning up the messy leftovers, Jiang Si changed into his pajamas, intending to sleep. In the time it took to turn around, there was another person… another soul in the bedroom.

“Do you need something?” Jiang Si asked him.

“I came to see if you needed help,” Hai Di said, acting as if he was very eager to assist. Given that he indeed often helped Jiang Si with chores, Jiang Si didn’t find it strange. “I don’t need you. You can go out.”

“…You look very hot,” Hai Di said, stepping closer to Jiang Si and raising his hand.

Jiang Si froze, turning his face away to avoid the hand. But unexpectedly, Hai Di just brushed his hair a few times, his tone rarely carrying a hint of a smile. “Your hair is messy.”

With that, he dropped a “rest early” and left the bedroom.

Jiang Si stood there in silence for a moment, unable to resist raising his hand to touch his own face. His fingers were cold, and the skin he touched was burning hot.

It was all because of the alcohol.

Jiang Si blamed the alcohol once again.

After waking up in the morning, Jiang Si still didn’t feel much better. His temples throbbed painfully, his mind was groggy, and even after opening his eyes for a long time, he couldn’t remember what he was supposed to do today.

After the Ghost Festival, his shop rarely saw business even once in ten days. Just as Jiang Si turned over with a clear conscience intending to continue sleeping, his phone, which had automatically exited sleep mode, suddenly rang.

He opened it to look.

Jiang Si immediately sprang up. His head no longer spun, his body was no longer sleepy, and he felt energetic enough to run a few kilometers downstairs.

Luo Yan had secretly sent insider news: The bonus Jiang Si was supposed to receive in two batches had arrived.

With trembling hands, he checked his bank account balance, counting the digits over and over. Only after confirming it was correct did he contact Luo Yan.

Jiang Si was curious why it was given in two installments.

Luo Yan seemed busy, replying slowly after a long while: The higher-ups want to sign you for a follow-up series of works. This subsequent bonus can only be issued after you sign.

Jiang Si was stunned, feeling like he had been tricked: Why didn’t you say so at the time? Isn’t it a bit late to say this now that it’s already done and released?

Luo Yan felt guilty and didn’t reply again.

The smile on Jiang Si’s face sank. Looking at the text on the screen, he couldn’t help but sigh, “This is so corporate.”

Yeah, fooled again.

People really do laugh when they are utterly speechless. Jiang Si practically laughed out of anger, tossed his phone aside, and got up to find food.

At least he had some income. He ate a hearty breakfast before opening the shop. As expected, no one came all morning.

But in the afternoon, an unexpected person arrived.

Shen Hu pushed the door open. Seeing Jiang Si propping his head up reading a book, he walked over and knocked on the desk.

“Little Friend Jiang.”

Jiang Si was surprised, hurriedly taking off his headphones and standing up to greet him. “Why are you here? To buy something?”

Shen Hu looked around at the funeral supplies and mused, “I don’t have use for these temporarily.”

“…” That seemed true.

Jiang Si smiled. “Then did you come for something specific?”

“Something happened in Rong City recently. I came specifically to warn you. After the Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan), many wandering ghosts reported that the number of stray souls around them has decreased significantly. I suspect someone is hooking souls to refine ghosts. You should be careful.”

“Hooking souls to refine ghosts?” Jiang Si was astonished. “I’ve only heard of big ghosts catching little ghosts; I haven’t heard of humans being able to do such things. What kind of unorthodox path is this? I’ve never heard of it.”

“This isn’t a sect we commonly see; it’s people from Nanling. It is said that there are people among the populace who can command ghosts, called Ghost Masters. A Ghost Master finds suitable ghosts, uses secret techniques to connect their souls to his own, preventing them from devouring their master and compelling them to obey orders.”

“However, ordinary Ghost Masters usually command ghosts to do good deeds, solving difficult problems for ordinary people. This is the first time I’ve heard of such large-scale soul hooking and ghost refining.”

Seeing Jiang Si’s grave expression, Shen Hu comforted him, “Don’t be too nervous. I’ve already sent people to search everywhere; there will definitely be news in a few days.”

“Thanks for your hard work,” Jiang Si nodded.

“It’s my duty.” Shen Hu looked at the doll on the counter and added, “I wrote a letter to my senior brother inquiring about soul summoning. He should be able to come and take a look in a few days.”

Jiang Si was overjoyed, his smile becoming more sincere. “That’s great, thank you.”

However, Jiang Si was curious: “It’s the modern age; you guys still communicate by letter?”

“WeChat is also a letter (in Chinese, Wei-Xin contains the character for letter/message),” Shen Hu said solemnly.

“Alright then.”

Shen Hu waved his hand, turned, and left.

“Master Shen came personally to warn us; it seems this Ghost Master is quite tricky,” Jiang Si said, picking up the doll to look him in the eye. “Hear that? Be careful recently. Don’t get abducted.”

Hai Di: “…”

Facts proved that some things shouldn’t be said lightly, or they become a prophecy.

In the evening, a customer called to order goods. Jiang Si was busy preparing and didn’t stop until past ten o’clock.

After packing everything, he held the doll in one hand and went to turn off the lights with the other. As soon as the lights went out, two shadowy figures, one black and one white, floated in swaggeringly from outside.

With a shared goal, they pounced toward the bundled incense candles. The small black one casually picked up a gold ingot, took a deep breath, and enjoyed it: “Holy crap, smells so good.”

“So good, so good!” The other one held the incense candles, mesmerized.

The two ghosts didn’t consider themselves outsiders at all. Just like shopping in a supermarket, they grabbed things as they walked, each holding a pile of stuff.

Little White felt something watching him. looking outside, he met the knowing gaze of the paper effigy shop owner.

“!”

“Little Black… I think we’ve been spotted.”

“Impossible. We’ve been casing the joint; there aren’t any other ghosts nearby—”

Halfway through Little Black’s sentence, the wind chimes rang, and the shop owner, who was about to lock up, entered again.

That look clearly said he could see them.

“…?” Little Black was confused, exchanging a glance with his companion. “Isn’t he human?”

“What bold nerves. Doing a ‘zero-dollar purchase’ on my turf?” Jiang Si sneered.

In all his time running the shop, this was the first time he’d seen such unruly ghosts. How was this different from robbing a bank?

As his words fell, Hai Di materialized, standing beside him holding a gold stick. He looked every bit like Jiang Si’s heavy hitter.

Suddenly seeing a ghostly figure float out, Little Black and Little White, already suspicious and fearful, were now terrified. Thinking of recent rumors, they immediately put the offerings on the ground and dropped to their knees with a thud.

Shouting: “Lord, spare our lives!”

Little White was more articulate and begged, “We are newcomers and didn’t know this was your territory. Please spare us, my Lord. Let us go.”

“…”

This kneeling slide was too smooth.

Jiang Si wondered, Do I look that imposing?

Clearing his throat, he asked, “Stand up and speak. Are you from out of town?”

These wild ghosts who hadn’t been taken by the netherworld enforcers usually only lingered where they died; they couldn’t run around easily.

After all, while the human world was modern society, the underworld still had a structure similar to feudal society. Every place was under the jurisdiction of a City God Temple. Without a pass, it was considered illegal immigration.

Little Black and Little White looked mournful. “Didn’t we run away because of you?”

They didn’t expect to run so far only to encounter him anyway.

“?”

What a huge undeserved blame.

Jiang Si felt extremely wronged. “Because of me? What did I do?”

Little Black and Little White looked at each other and said fawningly, “Some things don’t need to be said so clearly, right? We all understand.”

Jiang Si: “Speak!”

The two ghosts were startled and panicked, spilling everything. “My Lord, we came from the south. We heard someone was catching ghosts everywhere, so we ran here. We didn’t expect… didn’t expect… to fall into your hands anyway.”

Now, Jiang Si understood.

“You think I’m the Ghost Master from Nanling?” Jiang Si wondered.

“Well… you… have a living soul beside you…” Little Black said.

“I ask you, is that Nanling Ghost Master’s method so terrifying? To force you to leave your homes,” Jiang Si asked.

“It’s too scary for ghosts.” Mentioning this, Little White was full of bitterness. “Ordinary Ghost Masters at most keep a few ghosts as attendants. He’s different. He uses ghosts to refine Gu (venomous insects/sorcery), making kin slaughter kin, selecting the winner to be enslaved. In just this short time, he has caught hundreds of ghosts, heading north the whole way, catching as he goes.”

Jiang Si asked curiously, “Has no master noticed for such a long time?”

“You don’t know? Many masters have gone abroad; they aren’t in the country at all.”

Hearing this, Jiang Si remembered that Second Great-Uncle Bai did mention an international metaphysics competition or something. It seemed the scale was indeed not small.

“Alright, I’ll let you go this time. Next time I won’t be so polite.” Jiang Si drove the two ghosts away and specifically found the Door God hanging scroll he made earlier, hanging it in the center of the counter. This way, if any little ghosts planned to rob the place, they wouldn’t dare enter.

After locking the door again, Hai Di said, “We need to tell the others about the situation when we get back.”

“Yeah, need to tell them to be careful.” Jiang Si sighed, “Why is nothing going smoothly recently? If I had known, I would have prayed when we went to the Taoist temple last time.”

Hai Di had a sudden thought. “Should I go talk to Luo Yan’s leader?”

“Don’t. I’ve seen that leader; he’s an old man in his fifties… what if you scare him into a heart attack?” Jiang Si didn’t think it was necessary. “I’ll talk to him face-to-face in a couple of days.”

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