I gasped heavily, glaring at her.
She merely chuckled lightly. "Oh, little brother, so much anger? Care to make a bet? If you win, I’ll do whatever you want..." She shifted slightly, revealing a bare shoulder. Honestly, if this ghost became a risqué streamer, she’d make a fortune.
Seeing her fearless demeanor, I started wondering what Master would do in this situation—only to realize I wasn’t as tough as him. He could dismantle ghosts barehanded, but as I watched Wu Tian about to throw himself onto the mahjong table again, a sudden suspicion crossed my mind.
I raised my fist, yanked Wu Tian aside, and slammed my punch onto the mahjong table.
The woman’s body twisted unnaturally, as if her bones had snapped, her face twisting into something horrifying.
"You’ve got a death wish, kid?" Her voice was no longer sweet.
Master once said that when dealing with spirits, once you strike, you must beat them into submission. Save the taunting for after you’ve won.
I raised my fist and struck again—this time, the mahjong table split clean in half!
The woman shrieked, clutching her face. As her screams echoed, shadowy figures began emerging from the thick fog around us, closing in.
"You must die!"
Our teacher said humans unleash incredible power in desperate situations, but my mind was completely blank—even amused, though I didn’t know why.
I wondered if Master would avenge me, summon my spirit back, and let me drift around aimlessly like that one guy in the shop.
A piercing noise snapped me back to reality. The surroundings gradually sharpened into focus.
"If you want to help others, you need the strength first. Otherwise, you’re just delivering yourself to death." A familiar voice. I turned and saw Master standing there, with the panicked Wu family behind him—and that fool Wu Tian.
The female ghost had completely abandoned her beautiful facade now. Her flesh rotted away, pus dripping from her face. The sight was downright nauseating.
The fat ghost and the faceless one, both previously beaten, were now cowering beside Master, trembling. I didn’t know what they’d been through, but one thing was clear: I was alive again.
The female ghost still hadn’t grasped the power gap. She lunged with a screech—but Master was faster. A talisman flew past me and stuck to my chest. Then, a blur dashed past, muttering something about bad aim.
Next thing I knew, Master had kicked the ghost to the ground and proceeded to pummel her mercilessly.
Master must’ve been a gangster in his past life—a big one. The way he beat that ghost reminded me of a movie thug shaking down a street vendor for protection money.
Soon, the ghost was crouching with her hands over her head. Master yanked Wu Tian’s spirit and roughly stuffed it back into his body. Wu Tian collapsed unconscious, and Master led me away without even mentioning payment. The Wu family showered us with gratitude, but Master just quietly reminded me to hold onto the chicken—lest they remember they were supposed to give us one.
Back at the incense shop, Jing Tian was waiting eagerly. Honestly, if she weren’t a ghost, she’d make a great girlfriend—way better than my ex.
Over the next few days, Master taught me a lot. I studied hard, and after this ordeal, I felt an odd certainty—this was the path I was meant to follow. It was strange, like... fate.
A few days later, Master had to leave town. He tossed me the shop keys, told me to clean up occasionally, and walked off without looking back. The way he rubbed his hands made me suspect someone—or something—was about to have a very bad day.
I returned to school and rested for a few days. Master’s training had left me jumpy. Then, my roommate and best friend, Zhou Wen, suddenly told me he was dropping out.
"Ever since that day, I keep seeing... things." Zhou Wen forced a bitter smile—the first time he’d spoken about it since our ghost encounter. He tapped his head. "My family thinks I’m losing it. And maybe I am. Yesterday after class, I saw a girl about to jump from the West Building. I couldn’t stop her—but when she landed, there was nothing."
Before I could respond, Zhou Wen gave me an apologetic look. "I didn’t dare tell you earlier. I kept seeing black smoke around you, and I just... wanted to stay away. But I’ve accepted it—I must have schizophrenia. So I’m taking a break."
He went back to packing.
I glanced down at myself. No wonder. Spending so much time around ghosts would coat anyone in eerie energy. After hesitating, I decided to tell him the truth—how I met Master after the hospital incident, how I learned to see spirits, how I became his apprentice, and how I helped Wu Lei’s brother recover (though I might’ve exaggerated a little).
Zhou Wen’s eyes widened. Feeling smug, I was unprepared when he reached out and touched my forehead. "Chen Yang, maybe you should come with me. There’s a great psychiatrist back in my hometown."
I’d forgotten—Zhou Wen was a staunch atheist. That’s why he’d dared to explore haunted mountains and even slept in temples.
Even after seeing ghosts, he still believed it was all in his head.
It made me feel guilty.
So I stopped him and asked him to take me to the West Building that night—the abandoned one.
This time, I wasn’t reckless. I skipped afternoon classes and went back to the shop. Lifting the shutter, I saw several ghosts gathered under red lights, playing mahjong.
The pretty ghost grinned when I walked in. "No class today, little brother? Wanna play a round?"
Nearby, the fat ghost grumbled about Jing Tian being hopeless at mahjong despite days of teaching.
The one with the wrapped head stayed silent.
I cautiously made my request. Jing Tian hesitated. The wrapped-head ghost just stared. The fat ghost kept gnawing on a candle while fondling the mahjong tiles. Finally, the pretty ghost stood. "Fine, I’ll help you this once."
"Sister Hong, if Master Fang finds out..." Jing Tian whispered nervously, glancing between me and Sister Hong.
Sister Hong paled, remembering my disaster-magnet Master. She forced a laugh, thought for a moment, then nodded.
"A ghost’s gotta have some honor. Can’t take back my word now." She sighed. "Besides, I’m helping his apprentice. He can’t blame me for that, right?"
Yeah. She was definitely trying to convince herself.