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墨書 Inktalez
"Oh, right." Miss Liu took out her phone and hesitated before saying, "I can't do it. You should call him, Brother Liu." She had changed how she addressed me from Daoist Priest to Brother Liu, clearly treating me as a friend.
I took the phone and hesitated for a moment, calculating how to call Sun Ming back. After thinking it over, I felt it was inappropriate for me to make the call since we had just fought. He might hang up as soon as he heard my voice, and that would be pointless.
I voiced my concerns, and Sister Su suggested, "Then just send him a text. He'll have to read it."
That made sense to me. I found Sun Ming's number and opened the message editor. After some thought, I typed out the following:
"I'm not sure whether to address you as Mr. Sun or Miss Xiao. I already know about your memories from your past life. I completely understand your hatred for Mr. Chen, but your revenge from beyond the grave seems a bit too cruel. I don't know why you have memories of your past life, but regardless, I believe you should have some understanding of Karma by now. You also know a bit about Daoist Arts, so you should be clearer about matters of cause and effect and Reincarnation. If you want to resolve this grudge, come back now; we're still here."
After sending the message, I quickly received a brief reply: "It has come to this; no need for further words."
Staring at the few words on the screen, I was momentarily stunned. I looked up at Miss Liu and asked, "Do you know Sun Ming's ID number?" Miss Liu nodded and said, "I remember having it in my notes; I often help him buy tickets."
"Is this house under your name?" I asked again.
Miss Liu nodded and replied softly, "Yes, that was one of the conditions he promised me." Her voice grew quieter as she finished speaking, glancing at Sister Su without saying anything more.
Sister Su looked at her with an expressionless face and asked, "Little Master Liu, what are you trying to say?"
"That's good," I said to Sister Su. "If soft tactics don't work, we can go hard." After that, I began typing another message: "Since it has come to this, we can only choose to call the police. You and Miss Liu have no legal standing; she can accuse you of trespassing and malicious injury. As for those Ghost Grasp Seals on her back, let's see how you explain that to the police."
This kind of threat could indeed intimidate someone knowledgeable about ghostly arts. The Ghost Grasp Seals on Miss Liu were very real; as long as she submitted Sun Ming's ID and pretended to be in pain, it would be impossible for medical examinations to detect the seals. Thus, Sun Ming would be wanted by the police. The most crucial point was that if the Ghost Grasp Seals became a big issue, it would turn into a medical mystery. Even if the police were unmotivated, they would still make an effort to apprehend him.
As it turned out, this tactic worked well. Sun Ming replied with a message: "You shameless..." followed by another text: "I'm coming back now."
I chuckled softly and handed the phone back to Miss Liu, saying, "Let's wait for him." After that, I got up and walked toward the Kaiyang entrance. I saw that three burly men were already asleep in their chairs. I woke them one by one and said, "He's on his way; brothers, bring out your aura to pressure him."
They each nodded and got up to enter the living room. Just as they stepped inside, Sun Ming came in. Upon seeing the few people in the room, he muttered a few words and walked over to the dining table, pulling out a chair to sit down.
Sister Su wanted to say something but seemed unsure of how to start. Miss Liu was even more hesitant to speak, glancing at Sun Ming and then at me. The three burly men were completely oblivious and said nothing. The atmosphere instantly became awkward.
I stood up and said, "Sun Ming, about Mr. Chen's Yin Curse..."
"I can lift the Yin Curse, but you have to agree to two conditions. First, you must not cause me any trouble from now on. Second, all grievances between me and the Su family will be considered settled," Sun Ming stated firmly.
"You wish!" Sister Su slammed her hand on the tea table and stood up to face Sun Ming. "You caused my family to fall apart, killed my husband, and deceived the Su family out of a huge fortune. You think lifting a Yin Curse will make everything go away? What a delusion!"
"Hmph! If it weren't for your Su family, would I have suffered so much in my past life?" Sun Ming retorted loudly, slamming his hand on the table.
His outburst made Sister Su lose control. With a cold snort, she commanded, "Get him!" Without hesitation, one of the burly men walked over to close the door while the other two grabbed Sun Ming and started hitting him, landing punch after punch on his chest. Sun Ming cried out in pain.
The situation escalated too quickly for me to prepare myself; I couldn't believe they were actually fighting. Fortunately, the burly men held back their strength and didn't hit him too hard. However, seeing Sun Ming's miserable state made it hard for me to watch. I rushed in front of them to stop the men from continuing their assault. Sister Su saw me intervene and said, "Alright, stop for now."
I felt a chill of sweat run down my back; Sister Su's willingness to resort to violence was quite dangerous. I had thought that after our earlier conversation, she would understand what Sun Ming had done, but things were not as I expected. Some hatred truly runs deep. Upon reflection, it made sense; such a significant grudge wouldn't simply fade away because of memories from a past life that held no meaning for her. Thankfully, Sister Su seemed to realize that Sun Ming was indeed the mastermind behind this matter.
The two burly men released Sun Ming, who collapsed onto the floor, groaning softly with dimmed eyes. I helped him up and sat him on a chair, saying, "It seems your two conditions won't work after all. Perhaps we should change them; I won't trouble you again."
Sun Ming shot a glare at Sister Su but remained silent, merely nodding in agreement. I turned to Sister Su and suggested, "How about this? I'll take Sun Ming back first to help Mr. Chen lift the Yin Curse before we discuss further. I'll contact you tomorrow."
Sister Su nodded and replied, "Alright then. What time tomorrow?"
I said, "Tomorrow evening." She nodded again and said, "Okay, then I'll head back now. Thank you for your hard work, Little Master Liu." After finishing her words, she led the way out the door with the three burly men following closely behind her.
I glanced at Miss Liu and then at Sun Ming, saying, "Can you still manage? Go to my house now and lift Mr. Chen's Yin Curse." He nodded but didn't say anything.
As I supported him and prepared to leave, Miss Liu looked around the house, probably afraid to be alone, and hurriedly asked, "Can I go with you?" I nodded and replied, "Then let's go together."
In the car, I was driving while Sun Ming and Miss Liu sat in the back seat, neither of them speaking. Although Sun Ming had been beaten up, it hadn't caused any serious injuries, so there was no rush to see a doctor.
"Let bygones be bygones. You are no longer Miss Xiao; you are Sun Ming now. Besides, Mr. Chen is already dead. What’s the point of this?" I said as I drove.
Sun Ming hummed in response but remained silent. I continued, "You might have to return all the money you swindled from Sister Su. That money is ill-gotten; it shouldn't be spent. You are a practitioner; you should understand this principle."
This time, Sun Ming spoke up, saying, "I'm not a practitioner. I just happened to find a master and spent a lot of money learning how to control ghosts from him. This ghost was also something I bought. Can you return it to me?"
"Hmph, what master? Just another evil path. Don't even think about getting it back; since you know nothing about it, how did you cast the Yin Curse?" I asked in confusion.
"I learned that separately; I don't know anything else," Sun Ming replied.
I was shocked inside. What has society come to? Are harmful spells being sold now? I continued, "Sister Su will demand that you return her money."
"Why should that money not be considered compensation for my past life? Shouldn't it be?" he argued.
"Do you think it should? You are now Sun Ming; you are no longer Miss Xiao. Her compensation has nothing to do with you anymore. Besides, aren't you afraid of getting beaten again?" I said.
Sun Ming huffed again and said, "You don’t need to worry about this."
I shook my head and remained silent, continuing to drive. I thought to myself that this was an economic dispute between them; it wasn't really my concern. I was just a little Taoist dealing with Ghostly Affairs.
Upon arriving home, I called forth the soul of Mr. Chen, and Sun Ming lifted the Yin Curse that had bound him. As previously agreed, he did not reveal his identity. Miss Liu approached and spoke a few comforting words to him regarding his guilt towards Miss Xiao. Mr. Chen seemed to appreciate this, smiling gratefully as he entered the spirit realm.
At ten o'clock that night, I took Mr. Chen's spirit to Sister Su's house. In front of her and Chen Chen, I bid farewell to the nearly dissipated Mr. Chen. It seemed Sister Su had managed to persuade Chen Chen, as the parting was not as painful as I had anticipated; after all, the child was no longer small and had developed his own judgment.
After sending off Mr. Chen, I told Sister Su, "My work here is done. As for your economic dispute with Sun Ming, you two will have to resolve it yourselves. I can only say that there is a greater plan at work; Mr. Chen's fate serves as a consequence for his past wrongdoings. In truth, Miss Xiao is quite pitiful; if you can offer some compensation, do not hesitate, as it would serve as a form of atonement for Mr. Chen." By mentioning Miss Xiao, I aimed to provide Sun Ming with a small justification; however, I remained uncertain about how things would ultimately unfold.
Sister Su nodded and said, "I thought about it all night after returning last night. If I were in Miss Xiao's position in a past life, I would likely do the same. Everyone has their struggles. Little Liu Daoist, thank you; I will handle this matter."
"Rarely does Sister Su show such understanding; then I shall take my leave." After leaving my bank account number with her, I bid farewell and returned home.
Later on, Miss Liu called me several times, mostly expressing her gratitude. She informed me that after this incident, Sun Ming left Guangzhou and did not seek her out again. She had returned the house to Sister Su and finally began living the free life she desired—though not wealthy, she felt content. As for the economic dispute between Sun Ming and Sister Su, I had no way of knowing what transpired; perhaps they reached a mutually satisfactory agreement.
Indeed, sometimes what we pursue as wealth does not bring us true fulfillment. The unhealthy desires that linger in my heart often lead to unforeseen disasters—this was true for Mr. Chen, true for Miss Liu, and certainly true for Sun Ming as well.
Goodnight everyone. A new story begins tomorrow.
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