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墨書 Inktalez
The younger sister stood in front of Bai Qiling, her head tilted to the left, a pink hairpin caught in her hair. The corners of her mouth curled slightly; although she was smiling, it felt very strange.
Noticing me looking at her, she opened her mouth and said, "Sister, you didn't listen to Ranran. Ranran told you not to go to the mall."
Hearing her words, I felt that "Ranran" must be how she referred to herself.
Then the younger sister took a step back. "Sister, those who don't listen will be punished."
With that, she turned and ran off with a series of light footsteps.
What did she come here for?
None of us three knew.
Mu Xuanche pulled me along. "Let's go; you must have broken something. We're going to eat."
"We haven't been to Jueyun Pavilion in a long time. I wonder if the owner has redecorated? Their food is quite good, but the layout is a bit off; it clashes with the God of Wealth." Finally arriving at the restaurant I had been longing for, I felt excited.
"Nostalgic style? It seems like they've done a major renovation." The antique bronze door creaked as we pushed it open.
"Welcome," said the woman at the cash register, who looked to be around forty, wearing a red qipao embroidered with gold. She was tall and slender, her hair neatly pinned up, and her elongated eyes sparkled with a pleasant smile.
"Three medium rare steaks, table six," Mu Xuanche said while paying.
"This place has changed a lot," Bai Qiling remarked. "Mu Xuanche, I feel like something's off."
"There's some Yin Qi here." The curtains were drawn tight, blocking out both light and air.
"Can we even enjoy a proper meal here?" I lamented.
"Waiter, I would like a bottle of red wine from 1986."
The waiter at the door remained unmoved.
"Hey, did you hear me?" I stepped in front of her. "Please bring me a bottle of red wine from 1986."
"Sorry, Sister Gu, that's just our wax figure. The staff is over here." The Qipao Woman approached with a smile. Behind her was a robot about half a person’s height. The machine held three plates of steak. "Enjoy your meal," it said in a cold voice.
"A wax figure, interesting, it's really lifelike." I looked at the wax figure; even the hair was sculpted perfectly, quite impressive. "So why do you use robots as waiters?"
"Robots have no emotions, making them the most suitable for serving. To the three customers, enjoy your meal; your red wine will be here shortly." Her expression remained unchanged, still smiling without a hint of variation.
Just as I settled down, I heard a middle-aged man's pleading voice from the next table.
I turned to look and saw a Daoist dressed in a solemn robe and a middle-aged man in a suit.
The table was filled with an array of fine food and wine, but only the two of them were eating.
I found it uninteresting, but just as I turned back, the man's words caught my attention again.
"Master, you have to help me this time! I've been having such bad luck lately; things at home are going terribly. Not only do strange noises come from the bedroom often, but there are also clattering sounds from the kitchen at midnight. But whenever someone goes to check, there's nothing there. As if that wasn't enough, I've inexplicably lost several big contracts at work recently. Yesterday afternoon, someone knocked on my door, and when I opened it, there was a basin of blood on my doorstep! Master, how do I resolve this?" The voice from next door was filled with fear and anxiety.
"Haunted?" My spirits lifted immediately as I turned to Bai Qiling and Mu Xuanche. "This involves our old profession. The person seeking help might be one of our peers."
"Yan Xi, your hearing is too good," Bai Qiling teased. Mu Xuanche looked at me with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"Hey now, I just happened to overhear something related to our industry! Don't make fun of me." I felt a bit guilty; after all, eavesdropping isn't exactly an honorable act.
"With your situation, it seems you've been haunted by a ghost. It could be a Vengeful Spirit, which is difficult to deal with. But today, you have encountered no one else but me—Xu Laonian. Just give me this amount... and I guarantee your business will flourish from now on, and that ghost will no longer bother you." A sharp voice replied. When it came to discussing the price, the tone suddenly dropped, indicating it was quite high.
"Hah, what is this? Shouldn't he ask if this man has done anything harmful? He skips all that and jumps straight to the price; he seems far more skilled than us." I found it amusing; this person clearly wasn't a legitimate Exorcist.
"Exorcism follows a process. Those who are haunted often have their own issues contributing to it. If one can resolve the ghost's grievances, it's best not to seal it away but to give it a chance to move on. But this person speaks of exorcising right away; he must be a Con Artist." Mu Xuanche seemed to see through my inner thoughts and slowly stepped forward.
"You two were just complaining about being hungry before coming to the restaurant. Look at you now, eavesdropping so happily; are you not hungry anymore?" Bai Qiling delicately cut her steak into pieces.
"You don't understand; this is professional spirit!" I said indignantly.
"This ghost is likely a Vengeful Spirit. Anyone who can attract such a spirit is certainly not a good character. Don't get involved in this; it's not worth the effort, and bad people get their just deserts—we can't interfere." In an unusual turn of events, Bai Qiling made such a statement. Normally, she was the least afraid of "trouble."
"As long as you buy some copper mirrors and sprinkle them with Black Dog Blood, I can set up a trap at your house and deal with it for you." The sharp male voice lowered again. "At that time, Boss Wang, I will ensure you have nothing to worry about."
"Then, Xu Laonian, do I still need to be present?" the man asked cautiously.
"Boss Wang, this matter cannot proceed without you. You will need to contribute some blood while I set up the formation," Xu Laonian insisted.
"Blood?! Xu Laonian, are you joking? You're already calling me a Vengeful Spirit, and now I have to... donate blood?!" The man's voice was filled with panic. "You should think of another way!"
"No can do, Boss Wang; your blood is essential as bait. Without you, we can't lure out this ghost. If you're unwilling... then I'm afraid Xu Laonian can't help you either. You might want to find someone else!"
"That's nonsense!" I couldn't hold back any longer. "Does this person have no sense of public morality? Spouting nonsense while trying to scam his client? Donate blood? Isn't that asking for death? A Vengeful Spirit that has fed on blood would surely take the employer's life! Even if there were ten Xu Laonians, they wouldn't be able to withstand such malevolence!" I was furious after hearing Xu Laonian's words.
"Yan Xi, calm down." Mu Xuanche grabbed my arm, trying to soothe my emotions.
"Mu Xuanche, if they really go through with this, the consequences will be severe! If this Vengeful Spirit succeeds, it won't just ruin one or two people! Once it loses its last remnants of rationality, it will harm innocent people!" I said anxiously. "That would cause chaos! I at least need to warn them! This cannot be taken lightly! You heard him; his methods for exorcising ghosts are outdated and simplistic. Such methods might work on simple spirits but would be tantamount to suicide against a Vengeful Spirit!"
"Can't get past you, let's go together. This is indeed a bit much." Bai Qiling finished the last bite of her steak. "Mu Xuanche, I'm helping your wife here."
"Liars!" I stormed into the next room, gritting my teeth as I cursed. Mu Xuanche and Bai Qiling followed behind me.
The lean man in the robe turned to glance at me with a calm expression, though both of their faces were filled with surprise. However, it didn't take long for them to regain their composure, and the elite man wore a face full of anger.
Xu Laonian leisurely took a sip of tea, a smug smile on his face. "I wonder why a friend like you would come to disrupt our gathering?"
Why? This performance shouldn't be underdeveloped; look at me coming over to disrupt things, yet he pretends to be an aloof master, calm and collected.
"This fellow Daoist," I said provocatively, "I happened to overhear your conversation just now. May I ask, with such poor skills, how do you expect to survive in this world without tarnishing your master's reputation?" My tone was unfriendly; this con artist's arrogance couldn't be allowed to swell unchecked. If I didn't deflate his ego now, who knows how many more people he would deceive?
"Nonsense! Who are you to dare confront Xu Master? Don't you know he is one of the most renowned Exorcists?" Boss Wang exclaimed angrily. Across from us, Xu Laonian narrowed his eyes and scrutinized us closely.
(End of Chapter)
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