Chapter Fifteen: Aristocratic Haunted Tales (Part One)

I stood where I was, smiling as I waved. The boy leading the group charged straight at me, kicking toward my abdomen. I dodged aside, then landed a punch on his face. A scream rang out as he collapsed to the ground. I'd drawn a thread of power from the black carp on my jade pendant for that punch. After he fell, another boy swung his fist at me. I crouched low and struck his stomach with the same technique. He staggered back several meters, collapsed, and clutched his belly, his face contorted in pain, water dribbling from his mouth. I dusted off my hands, watching the two of them.

Suddenly! I heard a shout from behind. I spun around, startled to find another boy had circled behind me, wielding a wooden club and swinging it at my head. As I turned, the club was already nearly upon me, but I reacted quickly, tilting my head aside and kicking up, catching him squarely on the nose. Blood gushed as he screamed, sitting on the ground clutching his nose. I looked at the three sprawled out, then glanced at Yu Wenzhou, who was being chased and beaten by two others, not daring to fight back.

I sighed, shook my head, and ran over. Stepping onto a cafeteria table, I pushed off, leaping and landing a kick on one boy's back. He wasn't paying attention, and my kick sent him sprawling forward to the ground. The other boy was stunned, cursed, and charged at me, swinging a punch. I caught his fist and squeezed, channeling the jade pendant's power to grip him firmly, but he seemed to know some fighting techniques himself; his other fist struck me in the stomach. I released my hold, and he kicked me to the ground. I flipped upright, and he swung again. This time, remembering my lesson, I blocked with my left hand and punched with my right, knocking him to the ground, unable to move. My master had taught me this move, calling it "Counter and Strike," able to both neutralize attacks and retaliate effectively.

Breathing heavily, I glanced around. The cafeteria was now surrounded by spectators, some taking photos with their phones. Yu Wenzhou walked over and said, "Wow, Lin Xuan, those moves were amazing! You have to teach me sometime," and mimed a few martial arts gestures.

I shot him a look and replied, "Why didn't you fight back just now? What were you afraid of?"

Yu Wenzhou rubbed his arm, complaining, "I've never been in a fight before. This was my first, and only because you dragged me into it."

"Forget it, let's go. We'll take you and that other guy to the infirmary. Not fighting back when you're attacked—you're quite a pair."

"Aren't we going to do something about these five?" Yu Wenzhou looked down at the five sprawled on the floor.

I glanced at them too, then turned to Yu Wenzhou. "Let's go. They bullied people, so now they've got their lesson. Someone else will deal with them. I don't want to be famous at this school." I gestured to the crowd, went over, and hoisted the battered boy onto my back, keeping my head down as Yu Wenzhou and I squeezed through the crowd to the infirmary.

Once there, I laid the boy on a hospital bed. Yu Wenzhou quickly bandaged him, and as we were about to leave, the boy on the bed weakly called out. I turned, puzzled, and he stammered, "Thank you for saving me." The doctor walked over, carrying a tray, and disinfected his wounds with alcohol and cotton swabs.

I smiled and called out, "Get better first, then thank me." With that, Yu Wenzhou and I left for the classroom to nap. The afternoon dragged on, the most sluggish, sleep-inducing time of day. When dismissal finally came, the sky was already dim, threatening rain. Hands in my pockets, head down, I walked home slowly. As I passed a convenience store, I heard the crash of shelves inside. I paused, peered in. The rain had begun to fall, so I went inside. At the counter, I felt a faint heat on my right arm.

Touching my arm, I looked further inside. Suddenly! A shadow darted out, standing before me. I jumped back, startled. Looking closely—wasn't that my master? What was he doing here? I called out to him. He turned, cigarette in mouth, and looked surprised to see me. After a moment, he stubbed out his cigarette and said, "Damn, what are you doing here?"

I was just as confused, wondering why he was here. My thoughts raced.

Master stepped back and said, "Never mind, kid. Stay back. There's a fierce ghost in this store—I need to deal with it first." He made a sign with his fingers, chanted an incantation, then stomped his foot. The black door I'd seen at Fat Dun's house appeared again. A grey spirit was sucked inside by the door's force, then the black door vanished. Master lowered his hand, dusted off his clothes, and walked toward me, muttering, "Damn, every time I use the Nether Gate it's such a hassle. I need to improve this thing, save some time."

He grabbed a black umbrella from the stand and shouted upstairs, "Boss, it's done! Just transfer the payment." Then he led me out.

Once home, I asked, "Master, with all your wealth, why are you still catching ghosts for money? Why not do bigger business?"

He shook the rain from his hair, brushed water from his clothes, and replied, "I want to. You know nothing, kid. It's about passion, get it? If I told you never to eat again, could you do it?"

I shook my head. Master clapped his hands and said, "See? I started out catching ghosts and reading feng shui. Even now, with some skills, I won't forget my roots. It's all the same, no difference."

I nodded, sat beside him, and said, "Master, I want to take a day off tomorrow."

"Reason?" He stared at the TV, remote in hand.

"Uh, Chu Mengxi needs my help. We're both taking the day off. Please help me ask—just this once, please, Master. I can't break my promise!"

Hearing Chu Mengxi's name, he froze, turned to me, and said, "That little girl needs your help? What's she need you for? Are you two going on a date? I've been there, I know. No need for excuses. I'll tell Principal Qin for you."

Since he'd agreed, I didn't argue, heading upstairs. The rain outside grew heavier. I pulled the curtains, closed the balcony door, and burrowed into bed. For some reason, this felt incredibly comfortable—like on rainy days, curling up in bed brings a sense of security. I wonder if others feel the same!

After a while, drifting off, I heard my phone ring on the nightstand. Groggy, I answered—it was an unfamiliar number. A pleasant female voice said, "Hello, is this Lin Xuan?"

Surprised, I checked the number and yawned, asking, "Yes, who is this?"

"I'm Chu Mengxi. I got your number from Uncle Tan. Did you get your day off? Meet me at Central Garden at eight tomorrow morning—don't be late!"

I woke up instantly. "Oh... I've got the day off. Central Garden, right? Don't worry, I won't be late. See you tomorrow, bye!"

Chu Mengxi said "bye" as well and hung up. I checked the time—damn, ten o'clock! How had I slept so long? Turning on the light, I got out of bed and found a lunch box on the desk, with a note underneath. Picking it up, I saw it was from Master: "Silly boy, you were sleeping so soundly I didn't wake you. Here's your meal. Eat something when you wake up, and remember to heat it in the microwave first—cold food's bad for your stomach."

I smiled, touched my stomach, and carried the lunch box to the kitchen. After a hearty meal, I returned to my room. The rain still fell outside. Sitting for a bit, I found nothing interesting on my phone. Bored, I lay back down and drifted off again...

The next morning, I woke up and froze—my alarm showed 7:40. Only twenty minutes to eight! I hurriedly dressed, washed, and ran downstairs. Master was eating breakfast, and seeing my anxious face, mumbled with bread in his mouth, "What's got you in such a hurry, kid? Come eat first."

I wolfed down a slice of bread and some milk, then rushed to the shoe cabinet. Master followed, bread in hand, and said, "Hey, kid, it's just a date with a girl. No need to be so worked up."

While changing shoes, I said, "Master, I'm going to be late—of course I'm anxious." Once ready, I stood up. "No time to chat, Master, I'm off. Bye!"

As I reached for the doorknob, Master called out. I stopped and turned. He, bread in mouth, said, "Hurry if you like, but your clothes should be tidy. Look at you, all disheveled." He came over and straightened my clothes.

After he finished, he nodded, patted my shoulder. I smiled at him and dashed out. By the time I reached the bus stop, it was nearly 7:50. Looking into the distance, I thought impatiently, "What a lousy bus—why isn't it here yet?"

After a few minutes, a bus to Central Garden finally arrived. I boarded and urged the driver to hurry. He glanced at me and, in heavy Chongqing dialect, said, "What are you rushing for? I work from dawn till dusk driving this bus—you think it's easy? Don't you know safety comes first?"

Chastened, I sat down. The bus pulled away. Watching the time slip away on my phone, and the dim scenery outside, I felt like I was racing against the clock. After a while, the driver called out, "Young man, Central Garden!"

I checked the time: 8:10. Still late. I hurried off, entered the garden. Few people were there; the lawns were still wet from the rain. I wandered for a while before spotting Chu Mengxi sitting on a bench.

I walked over. She noticed me, stood up. I gave a sheepish grin. She glanced at her phone and said, "Lin Xuan, you're thirteen minutes late. Didn't you say you'd never be late?"

Scratching my head, I replied, "Sorry, the bus was delayed. I'm usually very punctual, really." I tried to explain more, but she waved her hand and laughed, "Enough, I'm not blaming you. Let's talk business."

She sat down, and I joined her. "So, what's so important that you need my help?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's like this. A friend of mine, Zhong Yan, comes from a wealthy family, but lately things at home have been chaotic. She says at night she often sees grey figures drifting through her room and yard. At first, she thought she was imagining it, but one night, while going to the bathroom, she saw a woman in red, hair covering her face, standing behind the mirror—she couldn't see the face clearly. The room lights kept flickering; the ghost reached out, trying to crawl out of the mirror. She was terrified, screaming as she fled. Her father found her collapsed on the floor, sweating, staring at the room. After that, Zhong Yan told her father. He's in real estate—superstitious about these things. He hired many Taoist priests and exorcists, but nothing worked. Zhong Yan still sees grey figures under her window every night, sometimes hearing faint crying and whispers. She's nearly driven mad, and her father is at his wits' end. Now the whole family is staying at a hotel, too afraid to return home."

She paused, watching me. I frowned, gestured for her to continue.

"Since you're Uncle Tan's apprentice, you must have inherited some of his skills. That's why I want you to help."

I leaned back, frowned in thought, and finally said, "I've only just become Master's disciple—not much skill yet." She looked disappointed, but I smiled and added, "But I can still take a look for your friend. Even if I haven't learned Master's abilities, I've picked up some other skills from him. If it doesn't work, I can always call Master for help, right?" I waved my phone.

She smiled, but I suddenly paused and asked, "Wait, why not just call my master or your family to help?"

She smacked her forehead, shaking her head. "Brother, didn't I tell you? I don't want to burden my dad. I'm grown now; I want to handle things myself. Besides, Uncle Tan—those experts—would he really want to just catch a ghost for someone? Wouldn't I just end up embarrassed?"

Seeing her exasperated expression, I awkwardly agreed, though inwardly I thought her reasoning was flawed; just yesterday, Master was talking about his passion for helping people.

I kept quiet. Chu Mengxi checked the time on her phone, stood up, and pulled me along. "Come on, let's go to the Intercontinental Hotel."

I let her pull me up, confused. "Why are we going to a hotel?"

She rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Didn't I just say Zhong Yan's family is staying there? We're going to talk to them, obviously. Did someone hit your head last night? Your memory's not working."