Chapter 87: The Ghostly Son

I held the talisman paper before me, watching the specter closely. If it broke free from its invisible restraints and came at me again, I was ready to strike it once more!

A chilling cold surged suddenly; the ghost had escaped its bonds! My nerves tensed, and I gripped the spirit-suppressing talisman, ready to attack at any moment.

But the ghost did not come for me again. Instead, it drifted toward the balcony. I rushed forward with the talisman, but by the time I reached the balcony, it had already vanished into the night, leaving no trace.

The eerie blue glow around us faded, the electric lights flickered a few times, and then came back on.

Zhuo Tianjiang, trembling, asked, "So... that ghost is gone?"

"I think so," I replied. Thankfully, it had left—if it had kept attacking, I wouldn't have had any way to stop it.

Zheng Lanxuan was furious, turning on Zhuo Tianjiang with a wrathful voice: "Mr. Zhuo, isn't your company supposed to be properly registered? Why do your so-called self-developed talismans not work at all?"

Zhuo Tianjiang's face turned pale, then green. He stammered, "Thi-this... I..."

A faint presence drifted in, and a translucent child crawled in from the balcony.

Zheng Lanxuan gasped, "There's another one!"

Zhuo Tianjiang immediately ran over to the child in panic. "Big Cake! What's wrong? How did you end up like this?"

"Dad, I'm sorry... I couldn't stop him..." The translucent child spoke weakly. Unlike a living person, his energy seemed completely drained.

This little ghost was Zhuo Tianjiang's son? The child had died, yet he had kept him by his side to help him in his swindling schemes. What kind of father does that?

"It'll be fine, you’re going to be fine!" Zhuo Tianjiang turned to me, pleading, "Master! Please, save my son! I'm begging you! If you could drive that ghost away, you must have a way to save my boy! Please, I beg you!"

I choked a bit at being called "Master"—I was just a novice, not remotely worthy of such a title.

I shook my head. "I can't save him."

When I fought those little ghosts in the graveyard, they all became translucent like this before dissolving into white mist.

Zheng Lanxuan had hired Zhuo Tianjiang to save Zheng Xiao, but he had colluded with his own deceased child to swindle people. Now, his own son was in trouble. Heaven truly spares no one.

“Dad... Dad...” The child’s voice grew weaker, his body turning even more translucent.

"Big Cake! It’s alright, everything will be alright!" Zhuo Tianjiang tried to reassure him, but the child’s fading form made it clear he was only lying to himself.

His face twisted with grief and despair, on the verge of tears. "Big Cake, it’s all my fault! I was useless when I was alive, let you die of illness, and even after you became a ghost I forced you to help me swindle people! If not for me, if we hadn’t come here, you wouldn’t have met that vengeful ghost, wouldn’t be like this. It’s all my fault! I’m sorry!"

"Dad... I died because of my illness, you did nothing wrong... I wanted to stay with you, to help you make money, so we could have a better life..." the child whispered.

Tears streamed down Zhuo Tianjiang’s face as he shook his head. "I failed you! I was too greedy! I’m not fit to be a father—nor a man!"

"Dad, you’re a good father. I never had a mother, you always took care of me. All these years, alive or dead, I was happy... Thank you, Dad..." The child finally turned to mist and vanished completely.

Zhuo Tianjiang collapsed in agony. "Big Cake! Big Cake! I’m so sorry!"

I sighed. If only he had known it would come to this.

Groans came from Zheng Xiao’s room. Ever since the ghost appeared, her condition had worsened. I hurried to her bedside.

She was shivering worse than before, curled up tightly, her voice faint.

"Brother Luo... I’m so cold... so cold... I’m so scared..."

"Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. I’ll find a way to save you, trust me," I promised.

At least now, I was certain her symptoms were tied to that ghost—but her case was odd, not like a typical haunting. Remembering what happened with Xing Xinman, I couldn’t help but worry. Her symptoms likely stemmed from something even stranger.

Zheng Lanxuan stood nearby, watching me silently.

I turned the air conditioner back on and set it to the highest temperature, tucking Zheng Xiao in with warm blankets. We left her room and went to the living room.

Having lost his son, Zhuo Tianjiang confessed everything. He was no master, and his supposed company was a sham. His grandfather had practiced southern folk magic, and Zhuo had picked up a few tricks as a child, thanks to some natural talent. With no capital or prospects, he left his village for the city but failed to make a living. His wife left him, leaving only their son behind. Later, his son fell gravely ill and died because they couldn’t afford treatment.

Even after death, his son didn’t leave, always staying with him. Eventually, Zhuo fell in with a gang of swindlers and started using his son to help con people. At first, they targeted villagers with exorcisms and rituals, discovering it was easy money. Their ambitions grew—they packaged themselves as a “company,” targeting wealthier victims. With his son’s help, every scheme was a success.

All those so-called self-developed talismans were custom-ordered online, made to look high-end and portable for easy escape if something went wrong.

They were a complete fraud. Zheng Lanxuan had simply been their latest mark—only this time, things had gone terribly wrong.

Zheng Lanxuan slumped on the sofa, torn between anger and ridicule. He had always suspected Zhuo Tianjiang was a fraud, but for Zheng Xiao’s sake, he’d been willing to try anything.

He looked at me. "You’re not really a teacher, are you? You came here specifically to help Xiao Xiao?"

I smiled bitterly. Everyone seemed to think so highly of me. "I’m not a teacher, but my coming here was just a coincidence. How long has Xiao Xiao been like this?"

"Today is the tenth day. Can you really save her?" Zheng Lanxuan asked.

I shook my head. "I can’t say for sure. My skills are limited, but I’ll do my best. Her symptoms are very unusual. I don’t think this is an ordinary haunting. Before she fell ill, did she go anywhere strange, or do anything unusual?"

Zheng Lanxuan shook his head. "She usually stays at school. I’m not sure."

"What about when she took leave—what did she do then?" I asked.

"She didn’t come home," Zheng Lanxuan replied.