Chapter 151: Li Muyang's Trick

I wiped away my tears, forced a smile, and said, "Master, it really feels good to let it all out."

Master smiled as well, patted my shoulder, and replied, "That's right. Whenever you have something on your mind or face an obstacle you feel you can't overcome, talk to Master. Master will walk through it with you."

I nodded heavily. What I didn't know was that Li Muyang had been leaning against Master's door since my emotions first flared up. Hearing me say those words made his nose sting, and he had retreated straight back to his own room.

Master stood up, poured a glass of water for me, and continued, "Kid, you've had a tiring day. Get some rest early. Once you've spoken it out, let it go. Don't overthink things, and no more crying from now on, understand?"

I nodded, took a sip of water, and stood up to walk toward the door. As I reached the threshold, I paused, without looking back, and said, "Master, thank you."

Master smiled faintly, waved his hand, and said, "Cut the sentimentality, kid. Go get some sleep."

I chuckled, pulled open the door, and went back to my own room. Lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, scene after scene flashed before my eyes, and before I knew it, I fell asleep. When I woke up the next day, my mood felt much lighter. After a good stretch, I walked down to the living room.

There was nobody in the living room. I poured myself a glass of milk and sat on the sofa to drink it. Just as I finished my first sip, my phone rang. Puzzled, I pulled out my phone and muttered to myself, "Who on earth is texting me this early?"

With that, I unlocked the screen and opened the message, only to see that the sender's name was saved as Master. I tapped into it, and the message read: "Kid, I have to go on a distant trip for something important and might not be back for about half a month. The three of you take care of yourselves at home. I left a bank card with a balance of five hundred thousand in your jacket pocket, and the password is your birthday. Use it if you run out of money, but don't go squandering it recklessly. By now, you're capable of going out and making your own living; banishing ghosts and summoning souls are all second nature to you. However, you must remember one thing: never act on impulse when you encounter trouble. Alright, that's all, my flight is about to board."

The message abruptly ended there. I stared blankly at the screen, reached out to pat my jacket pocket, and sure enough, there was a bank card inside. Subconsciously, I dialed Master's phone number, but only heard a female voice in a foreign language coming from the other end. Looking at the phone in confusion, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around to see Li Muyang walking down the stairs, yawning. Spotting me, he said, "Lin Xuan, you're up so early."

I nodded. Li Muyang looked around and asked, "Where's the senior? Isn't he usually the first one up? How come he's nowhere to be seen?"

Staring at my phone with a slight frown, I replied, "Master said he had to go on a long trip and won't be back for about half a month."

Hearing this, Li Muyang snapped completely awake, looking utterly shocked as he exclaimed, "What did you say? The senior went on a long trip?"

I nodded. Li Muyang assumed an anxious expression and muttered to himself, "We're doomed, we're doomed. If the senior is gone, what are we going to eat? I don't have any money on me either."

I gave a bitter smile, keeping the bank card a secret from him. Li Muyang paced back and forth nervously, talking to himself continuously. Midway through his rambling, he suddenly lifted his head, darted toward me, and sparked my curiosity with his actions. As he closed in, he flashed a cheeky grin. I slapped him lightly across the face and said, "Spit it out if you have something to say, stop grinning like an idiot."

Li Muyang rubbed his cheek, braced his hands against the back of the sofa, and said, "Hey, Lin Xuan, how about this? Let's start an organization together."

I blinked, looking at him in bewilderment. "An organization? What kind of organization?"

Li Muyang grinned again and explained, "You know, the kind that specializes in handling supernatural events and taking on commissions. Whenever someone has a haunting, we go to their place, sort it out, and collect a fee. Won't that practically mean we have a job? Plus, it solves our food and shelter problems, right?"

Listening to Li Muyang's proposal, I froze completely, asking in sheer disbelief, "Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

Li Muyang stared at me with an entirely serious face. I chuckled and took a sip of milk. Impatiently, Li Muyang shoved my shoulder and urged, "Hey, Lin Xuan, say something instead of just laughing. I'm really not kidding, I'm dead serious. Besides, staying idle at home is just burning through money; we might as well go out and earn our own. That's a great deal, isn't it?"

Hearing Li Muyang's words reminded me of what Master had just mentioned in his text. I set my cup down, looked at him, and said, "Alright. But where are we supposed to get commissions? Going door-to-door asking people? We'd be hauled off to a psychiatric ward before long."

Seeing that I had agreed, Li Muyang smiled excitedly and said, "That's just a minor detail, nothing to worry about. We can just print out an advertisement and post it outside. People will definitely call us eventually, trust me."

After Li Muyang said this, I fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "That works too. You handle the ads, and I'll go clear the path with the authorities. Otherwise, the ads will just get torn down immediately, and what good would that do?"

Li Muyang nodded vigorously. "Got it, I'm on it right now."

With that, Li Muyang dashed back to his room. Sister Yu had also woken up. Looking quizzically at Li Muyang's retreating, excited back, she walked over to me and remarked, "Did that kid take drugs? He's been bouncing around like a monkey since early morning."

I smiled and replied, "Pretty much."

Sister Yu glanced upstairs again and asked, "Where's the senior? How come I don't see him?"

"Master had to go on a long trip and won't be back for about half a month, so the rest of us are going to have to fend for ourselves from now on. We can't rely on Master forever."

I turned to look at Sister Yu as I spoke, but the sight that greeted me made me freeze in my tracks—it was a flash of pure white skin. I hastily averted my gaze, blushing as I stammered, "Sorry, Sister Yu, I didn't see anything!"

Sister Yu was momentarily stunned, looked down at her attire, and said, "Uh, let me go change my clothes."

With that, Sister Yu hurried away. Feeling awkward, I turned on the television. After a short while, Li Muyang ran back down, thrust his phone in front of me, and said, "Lin Xuan, look at this. How's this design?"

I blinked, took a closer look, and then stared at Li Muyang. He looked back at me, asking in confusion, "What's wrong? Is it not suitable?"

I gave a wry smile, pointed at his phone, and said, "You even know how to browse Taobao for this? Ads can just be written casually on a piece of paper, do you really need to hire someone on Taobao to design one?"

Li Muyang shook his head. "Ah, you don't understand. If we just write it casually, people will definitely think it's a scam. If we're going to do this, we need to look professional to build credibility."

I smiled bitterly and shook my head. Li Muyang pressed on, "What's up with you? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no. I'll leave this matter entirely in your hands. Good luck."

Li Muyang nodded and asked, "Whose phone number should we put on it?"

Speechless, I looked at him and said, "What do you think? Since the two of us are running this, we obviously use both our numbers. Just put your number and mine at the bottom of the ad."

Li Muyang let out an "oh" and frantically typed away to communicate with the customer service agent, even forwarding my phone number to them. Letting out a long sigh, I pulled out my own phone. While staring at the screen, Li Muyang shot me a sidelong glance and asked, "What are you doing?"

Looking at him speechlessly, I replied, "Are you a comedian sent by the heavens? I'm calling the police precinct to pull some strings."

Li Muyang put down his phone and offered an awkward smile. Rolling my eyes at him, I called Captain Liu and exchanged a few words. Captain Liu was straightforward and agreed immediately, assuring me that our rice bowls would be safe. I loosely translated that to mean he'd probably be calling me whenever trouble arose in the future. Hanging up, I tossed my phone aside, stretched my arms, and announced, "All set. Since we're doing this, we might as well make a big splash."

"What are you guys talking about? What are you making a big splash about?"

Before I could finish, Sister Yu's puzzled voice rang out from behind us. I looked at her, and this time she had thankfully changed into proper clothing. Li Muyang grinned broadly and jumped in first, "Lin Xuan and I are planning to start a department that specializes in handling supernatural events. Sister Yu, want to join?"