Zong Qi quickly fell into a deep sleep, remaining undisturbed by the surrounding noise.
A ten-yuan hotel certainly didn’t have air conditioning, but the ceiling fan provided some cooling relief at night.
Zong Qi slept quite soundly tonight.
Around midnight, a continuous stream of cold air started seeping down from the ceiling, dispersing throughout the room by the fan, making it exceptionally comfortable.
Upstairs, however, there was commotion all night.
First, there was the sound of something heavy hitting the floor, followed by a series of rapid footsteps, and finally continuous coughing and banging.
These sounds persisted until just before dawn.
As the first light of day appeared on the horizon, the noise abruptly stopped, only to be replaced by even louder commotion.
The noise moved from the innermost part of the third floor to the outer side, creating a racket that disturbed everyone.
Just as Zong Qi was deeply asleep, a loud knock on his door startled him.
No matter how noisy it got upstairs, it never bothered him, but the incessant knocking was truly disturbing.
Still half-asleep, Zong Qi sat up straight, squinted at the time, put on his slippers, and walked to the door, peeking through the peephole.
“Open the door!”
Outside stood Qi Ningzhou.
He wasn’t carrying his peach wood sword or a compass, just wearing a Taoist robe, with half his face hidden in the dark hallway, urgently knocking on the door, showing none of his initial aloofness.
Yawning, Zong Qi reached to unlock the door.
“What are you doing in the middle of the night? It’s still dark outside, you’re so noisy.”
Hearing the door unlock, “Qi Ningzhou” felt a surge of joy. But the effort spent maintaining his form faltered, and the half-hidden face started to crack, dripping black blood.
The fight with that Taoist had depleted the grudge he’d accumulated in the hotel. Now, he urgently needed replenishment.
Nothing nourishes a ghost better than the flesh and essence of a living human. Especially this person, who smelled delicious and looked tender, seemed very appetizing. Even from upstairs, he could smell the fragrance, making his mouth water.
As Zong Qi unlatched the door chain, a shout came from the end of the corridor.
“Don’t open the door, that’s not human!”
But it was too late.
At the same moment the shout rang out, the door was fully opened.
Simultaneously, the long-dormant scream value suddenly spiked by 50 points.
Blocked by a ghost wall and arriving late, Qi Ningzhou stood at the stairway, his Taoist robe stained with sticky, corrosive black blood, his peach wood sword barely hanging onto a few torn talismans, looking utterly miserable.
Qi Ningzhou hadn’t lied to Zong Qi.
This time, he indeed brought fewer talismans, as the special paper for exorcism was expensive, and a poor Taoist like him had to be frugal.
Unexpectedly, this ghost, already filled with resentment and nurtured by the favorable terrain, was almost becoming a fierce spirit, making it difficult for Qi Ningzhou to handle.
He had just left the mountain gate and was still inexperienced in both life and exorcism, which is why he was caught off guard.
With his yin-yang eyes, Qi Ningzhou could only watch helplessly as the rotting ghost hand, glowing with a dark light, reached for the yawning black-haired youth.
The next second, a sharp scream echoed in the hallway.
“Ahhhhhh——”
The black mist blocking the doorway churned wildly, the rotten flesh seemingly stimulated by something extremely hot, began to disintegrate from within, oozing deep yellow pus, and then rapidly disintegrated. In less than a second, accompanied by ghostly wails, the once overwhelming ghostly aura shrank to a third of its original size.
What’s going on?!
Qi Ningzhou’s eyes widened in shock, his expression cracking momentarily.
He was a professional and knew all too well that this was clearly a ghost being forcibly purified.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly. Seeing the black mist dripping with pus trying to flee, he immediately raised his peach wood sword, chanting a mantra.
“Five stars in order, light shining on the mysterious. Thousands of gods and saints, protect my true spirit. Giant beasts of the heavens, subdue the five soldiers. Five heavenly demons, perish and vanish. In this place, all gods comply.”
“——As swiftly as the law commands!”
The exorcism spell coated the peach wood sword with a faint glow visible only to those with opened eyes. The sword slashed through the air, splitting the fleeing ghost in half.
The rotting ghost face twisted in agony, unable to make a sound, and disintegrated into ashes, dissipating into the air.
Instantly, the entire corridor seemed brighter, released from the oppressive and eerie atmosphere.
The scream had startled Zong Qi, dispelling any lingering sleepiness.
Lowering his yawning hand, he looked around the now-empty doorway, still somewhat bewildered.
No wonder he was confused.
Qi Ningzhou saw clearly that the ghost hadn’t even managed to get close to the black-haired youth before it seemed to melt away, its strength significantly diminished, allowing Qi Ningzhou’s simple exorcism spell and thrust to completely vanquish it.
Terrifying indeed!
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Qtja pera tjqqfcfv?”
Ibcu Hl ygbxf atf rlifcmf lc atf tjiikjs, tlr abcf vbeyaoei, “Lbk vlv sbe ub ogbw gluta lc ogbca bo wf ab atf fcv bo atf tjiikjs lc atf yilcx bo jc fsf? Pr atlr rbwf Kjblra rfmgfa afmtcldef?”
Hl Rlcuhtbe: “”
Llr rtbmx, vlryfilfo, jcv ecmfgajlcas ifoa tlw rqffmtifrr.
“The thing at your door just now wasn’t me.”
The Taoist said dryly, “That was the grudge spirit from the third floor.”
“A grudge spirit?”
Zong Qi stared at him, “But I saw you through the peephole.”
“That was an illusion.”
The Taoist calmly explained, “Usually, only those with opened eyes can see ghosts. However, some deeply resentful ghosts can briefly borrow the appearance of others, though it doesn’t last long.”
Saying this, Qi Ningzhou checked again to ensure there were no residual grievances in the air before lowering his sword and dragging his tired body forward.
He had indeed been overconfident. Without the help of the black-haired youth in front of him, he would have been in serious trouble tonight.
Zong Qi responded with an “Oh,” half-believing the Taoist’s words, “So that was a ghost? It didn’t look very scary. It ran away before even getting close to me. Could it be that the ghost was shy?”
The exhausted Qi Ningzhou: “”
His feelings were complex, to say the least.
After a while, the Taoist hesitantly spoke.
“How did you do that?”
Even Qi Ningzhou’s master needed incantations to exorcise ghosts.
But this black-haired youth did nothing, and the ghost was weakened by half, a feat unheard of, even more potent than the relics left by enlightened monks in the Protectorate Temple.
Such power, Qi Ningzhou had only read about in ancient texts.
Beings with innate violet qi, reincarnations of various gods and celestial beings, or those protected by national fortune in times of peace and prosperity, all had such passive abilities.
His view of Zong Qi changed.
Could it be?
The black-haired youth scratched his head, “Maybe my yang energy is particularly strong? I was born on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, when yang energy is at its peak. Fortune-tellers used to tell me to take more cold baths.”
Ah, that makes sense!
Qi Ningzhou’s expression cleared, masking his remaining doubts.
He had been thinking about the youth practicing some internal martial arts but overlooked the simplest explanation.
Indeed, he still needed more experience.
After internally chastising himself, Qi Ningzhou moved closer, silently calculating with his right hand, his expression growing more astonished.
“Indeed, an extremely yang fate.”
Qi Ningzhou’s sect often held ceremonies on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month because it was the day of the year with the most yang energy. Zong Qi’s explanation made sense.
Moreover, he was born at midnight, the most yin time, which would attract ghosts.
But this attraction was too odd. Could it be related to the imbalance between yin and yang in recent years?
“Wait, I understand now!”
As Zong Qi’s sleepiness returned and he was about to bid farewell and go back to sleep, the Taoist suddenly had a revelation, “Your primordial yang must be intact, right?”
Zong Qi: “?”
He wondered if his thoughts were too dirty or if the other meant something else.
Considering the Taoist might have just saved his life, Qi Ningzhou also lost his initial reserve, becoming more talkative.
“Have you read Journey to the West?”
Zong Qi nodded.
Of course, it’s one of the Four Great Classical Novels, required reading in elementary school.
“Tang Sanzang, the second disciple of the Buddha, reincarnated as the monk Xuanzang in his tenth life, carried great merit and fortune, accumulating ten lifetimes of unspent primordial yang. That’s why all the demons wanted to eat him.”
Qi Ningzhou continued, “You also have unspent primordial yang, attracting ghosts.”
“I see.”
Zong Qi, now thoughtful, rested his chin on his hand, “But Master Qi, what exactly is primordial yang?”
The Taoist replied earnestly, “Primordial yang is a man’s essence.”
Zong Qi: “”
Unaware of his embarrassment, Qi Ningzhou continued seriously, “I noticed your yang energy is unusually strong, which led to my guess. Usually, unspent primordial yang doesn’t just refer to lack of sexual intercourse, even self-”
“Stop!”
The black-haired youth, unable to bear more, interrupted the Taoist, earning a puzzled look in return.
“Since you’re deeply versed in metaphysics, you probably haven’t come across Western mysticism, have you?”
Qining Zhou nodded honestly, “Indeed, I haven’t.”
“Then I’ll tell you a secret.”
Zong Qi kept a straight face, “As long as you maintain your virginity for thirty years, you can become a magician.”
After saying that, he slammed the door shut with a “bang,” leaving Qining Zhou standing outside, staring at the door in confusion. He couldn’t understand why the black-haired young man, who had been chatting amiably with him just a moment ago, suddenly turned hostile.
However,
Qining Zhou quietly looked down at the peachwood sword in his hand, feeling a bit troubled.
If what young friend Zong said is true, wouldn’t he become a magician in five years?
But he’s a celestial master, and switching professions midway would result in a beating from his master.
Thinking about it, he felt a bit distressed. insert distressed emoji
With no more disturbances from unknown entities, Zong Qi had a smooth and restful sleep, waking up leisurely around ten.
He usually wouldn’t sleep this late, but the events of the previous day were too overwhelming. The emotional rollercoaster and the tense atmosphere had exhausted him, and once things were resolved, the fatigue hit him hard.
After getting up and washing up, Zong Qi put on his backpack again, picked up his fully charged phone, and went downstairs.
“Thank you, master! Thank you, master!”
The innkeeper, dressed in a festive red outfit, greeted him with a big smile, “How did the guest rest last night?”
“Very well. The room was cool and comfortable without air conditioning,” Zong Qi answered honestly.
Qining Zhou, sitting nearby drinking soybean milk, almost choked.
After paying for the room, the innkeeper immediately handed the ten-yuan bill to the celestial master.
Zong Qi noticed something odd.
“Why is the innkeeper giving you money?”
“This is my additional charge.”
Qining Zhou took out a cloth bag from under his robe and carefully folded the money into it, “That thing last night was quite troublesome, so I had to charge extra.”
Charging extra was understandable, especially considering the danger last night.
But only ten yuan?
Zong Qi recalled the prices in Jiangzhou, “How much do you charge for a ritual?”
“It depends on the situation.”
Qining Zhou thought about his pricing list, “Usually, it’s twenty yuan, and the client covers travel expenses.”
“But recently, city management has been strict. Many of my ads get torn down, and the number of clients is decreasing.” The celestial master looked a bit frustrated.
He usually got orders by posting ads around the city. Lately, though, fewer people were coming to him, mostly through referrals from old clients.
Zong Qi fell silent.
He remembered his days as an intern in the film industry.
Though he didn’t know if the “masters” in the entertainment industry were real, he knew they charged at least five figures for a single service.
Even Zong Qi himself could earn fifty yuan daily if he reached his live streaming viewership goal. Compared to him, Qining Zhou, who had real skills, was struggling even more, resorting to posting ads everywhere like a handyman.
Zong Qi diplomatically said, “Perhaps it’s not about how you get clients. You might consider raising your prices.”
Although price doesn’t always equal value, higher prices often create a sense of reliability. Especially in the celestial master business, who would hire someone off a twenty-yuan ad to exorcise a ghost?
“It’s not about that. It’s our sect’s rule. To cultivate, one must experience the world and use hardships to discipline oneself.”
Qining Zhou said seriously, “Besides, my master said he used to charge twenty yuan per ritual. Each time he exorcised a ghost, he could rest for a long time. It was more than enough.”
“When did your master leave the mountain?” Zong Qi had a bad feeling.
“Thirty years ago.”
Zong Qi: “…”
Can you compare prices from thirty years ago to now?
However, Zong Qi quickly shifted his thoughts. Regardless of whether Qining Zhou was a fraud, it didn’t affect the questions he wanted to ask.
“Master Qi, where are you heading next?”
“I’ll rest for a bit and go to a client’s place in the evening.”
Qining Zhou found Zong Qi’s unique constitution quite fascinating.
This extraordinary trait of being impervious to ghosts was something he had only read about in ancient texts, and now he had encountered a real person with it.
“I see,” said Zong Qi. “How about we exchange contact details?”
“Contact details?”
The celestial master suddenly became flustered, his face turning red.
However, Zong Qi didn’t notice. Thinking Qining Zhou was hesitant, he politely changed the subject, “It’s not a big deal. I just wanted to ask if you’ve recently taken on any haunted house cases. If you don’t want to, that’s fine.”
Qining Zhou: “?”
Facing the young man’s calm gaze, Qining Zhou opened his mouth slowly, “Actually, I’m planning to rent a place, but my budget is limited. Just now, when you mentioned my unique constitution, I thought of something.”
Typically, haunted houses that require a master’s intervention are well-furnished properties. Otherwise, the original owner would have sold them or abandoned them instead of going through the trouble of hiring an exorcist.
However, even after an exorcism, the price of such properties would significantly drop, and finding a tenant might still be difficult.
While others might be afraid, Zong Qi wasn’t! Now that he had enough funds, he could find a high-value property to rent, and a haunted house post-exorcism would be the perfect choice.
Coincidentally, Qining Zhou indeed had a case like that.
The client had requested help with a high-end apartment where the tenant had died unexpectedly, and since then, the place had been haunted.
Jiangzhou was divided into new and old districts, with the new district in the north and the old district in the south. Besides these, there were also the western suburbs and the eastern district.
The western suburbs were under development, with many ongoing construction projects, while the eastern district was the city’s affluent area, comparable to New York’s Upper East Side or London’s Kensington. Families there were rich or influential.
The client’s address was in a high-end international apartment in the eastern district.
With Qinglian Mountain at its back and Moon Bay in front, the location offered scenic views. The front faced the city, while the back was a tourist area. At night, you could see small white sails on the sea from the windows. The location was incredibly desirable, but a gruesome murder had taken place there.
Qining Zhou had previously inspected the apartment and found that the heavy resentment had likely turned the ghost into a vengeful spirit. The original owner had committed suicide in a red dress, intensifying the spirit’s ferocity.
It was a complete horror show. Qining Zhou knew that unless his master intervened, he couldn’t handle it alone.
But the client was offering a significant amount, starting at five figures.
So, he had taken the case but put it on hold, planning to seek help from his master.
With Zong Qi’s unique constitution, the situation seemed more manageable.
After hearing Zong Qi’s plan, Qining Zhou initially wanted to refuse but then reconsidered.
Zong Qi didn’t know, but Qining Zhou understood very well.
The young man’s passive abilities were like a ghost deterrent. If the ghost hadn’t harmed anyone, it might be fine, but a murderous ghost would be directly repelled by him.
They reached an agreement and headed to the eastern district.
This high-end apartment complex was highly secure, favored by industry leaders and celebrities. Most importantly, it wasn’t for sale; only long-term rentals were allowed.
【Script “Haunted Apartment” unlocked. Activation conditions unknown.】
【You have entered the filming range. Exploration progress has switched to “Haunted Apartment,” currently at 0%.】
After a brief tour, Zong Qi was very satisfied with the apartment’s location and asked seriously, “Master, could you ask the apartment management how much it costs per month?”
He thought that even in a haunted house, the rent wouldn’t be cheap in such a prime location. It was better to get an estimate and give up early.
“It’s not for rent anymore. After the successive deaths of three tenants following the suicide, the haunted apartment has become notorious. They can’t even sell it, let alone rent it out, and the management is afraid of more trouble.”
“Also, there’s no need to be so formal.”
Qining Zhou seemed awkward, “My surname is Qi. Just call me Qining Zhou.”
“Oh, Qining Zhou.”
Zong Qi quickly corrected himself, not noticing the other’s hesitation.
The celestial master took a key from his sleeve and handed it to him, “The client gave me the key directly. We agreed to resolve the spirit within six months. With you here, I don’t need to go back to the mountain to get my master.”
He paused and asked cautiously, “We should be friends now, right?”
Before leaving the mountain, Qining Zhou’s master had assigned him tasks, including making a friend his age.
As the senior disciple with exceptional talent, Qining Zhou had many junior disciples but no friends his age.
But Zong Qi had saved him this morning, and he remembered that kindness.
Most importantly, he had asked if they could exchange contact details.
Qining Zhou had been pondering this all the way. Did exchanging contact details mean the other person wanted to be his friend?
“Huh?”
Surprised by the sudden question, Zong Qi almost didn’t respond.
But he soon smiled broadly, “I thought we were already friends. Here’s my phone number.”
Exchanging phone numbers in this day and age was normal. Zong Qi had many contacts for networking, and this new friend had extraordinary abilities.
Qining Zhou carefully noted the number and stored it with reverence.
So, this is what friendship feels like.
Awwwww Qining Zhou is so adorable and poor thing. At least now he has mc as a friend(?).
Thanks for the chapter~~~