Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Seeing his second disciple injured, Wei Xi felt an ache in his heart, no longer caring to stroke Unity Yi's unscathed head.

*****

Bai Hao agreed to hold a formal ceremony for the native ghosts, which was proposed by Uncle Shen and Unity Yi. Since the mediation was arranged by them, he allocated additional funds to Liandu Temple, aside from entrusting the upcoming ritual to Taicang Sect.

Since descending the mountain, Wei Xi's tasks had been about exorcising ghosts nonstop. It was the first time he received such a solemn ritual, and he felt that their sect was finally taking the first step towards regularization. He became more confident in reviving the Taicang Sect. Although the initial phase was challenging, they had persevered, and now their scope of business was expanding.

The local ghosts had a voracious appetite, and the elderly were rather unreasonable with their demands for sacrificial offerings, presenting a lengthy list. Bai Hao and Kuang Zhiming were tasked with the shopping. Kuang Zhiming, holding the eerie list handwritten by Uncle Shen, purchased all the pig heads from a local slaughterhouse, feeling quite melancholic. Before returning to his temple, he recited spells to cleanse his hands multiple times, fearful of being detected by the ancestors enshrined there.

So many pig heads were needed that a pick-up truck was required to transport them. The sight of the pile outside the abandoned building in the city was quite a spectacle, attracting curious gazes from passersby.

Bai Hao had no complaints! Nine years! Nine years! If he had known that a truckload of pig heads could revive the financially troubled construction project, he would have used train cars, not just a pick-up!

Xiao Ke had already woken up, his head wrapped in bandages, limbs encased in casts. Pushed here by his colleagues, he still recounted his terrifying experience while unconscious:

"I was completely unaware, and suddenly, an unfamiliar old man appeared in the darkness of my mind! He floated in mid-air, staring at me ominously. After what seemed like ages, he apologized, scaring me so much that I instinctively tried to escape, only to wake up. Isn't it strange? Could I have truly encountered something evil?"

Bai Hao: "…"

It wasn't a good thing for the construction site to be haunted, and he didn't plan on letting more people know about it. Thus, after Xiao Ke woke up, he chose to hide the truth from him.

Therefore, he could only stammer out an answer, "Perhaps it was just an illusion caused by fear."

Xiao Ke was still a bit scared as he entered the construction site, looking around with his arm in a sling. "But I really did see a white figure before I fell that day. Could there really be a ghost here?"

"One of the guys said it was because the rooftop wasn't finished, and you stepped too close to the edge. Manager Bai even took us there specifically to show us the cracked concrete," another colleague reassured him naively. "Probably a plastic bag or something blew up and scared you. How could there be ghosts in this world, right, President Bai?"

Bai Hao glanced at the group of ghosts, who, for some reason, were out in broad daylight, gathered around the pile of pork and commenting on it. "…Hmm."

None of the inspection team knew why they suddenly had to perform this ritual, but Xiao Ke was deeply moved, thinking that Bai Hao was doing this to put his mind at ease.

However, amidst his gratitude, he couldn't help but hunch his shoulders in suspicion and whisper to his colleagues, "Don't you think it's a bit chilly here?"

"Indeed." His coworkers rubbed their arms. "The temperature in Beijing drops so quickly once winter sets in."

As Bai Hao was contemplating how to finish the ritual quickly and get the master to restore the opened eyes to normal, more bizarre shapes appeared in his vision. Unity Yi took the lead, approaching him with a grin. "Mr. Bai, thank you so much for your generosity."

Surprisingly, they actually agreed to convert the property into dormitories for the Taicang Sect's staff.

Bai Hao looked at the bulging plastic bag in Unity Yi's hand and asked, "…What's this?"

Unity Yi opened the paper bag, revealing various folded funeral items inside. He happily explained, "Before we got permission, it wouldn't have been appropriate to provide them with furniture. Now that the interns are moving in officially, we naturally need to burn some tables, chairs, and bunk beds. We can't have them sleeping on the floor, right?"

Bai Hao: "…"

Seeing Bai Hao's expression, Unity Yi hastily added, "Don't worry. Our company has rules and regulations. It definitely won't affect your daily construction or future operations."

Bai Hao felt no comfort at all. Nevertheless, upon learning that he was their future landlord, the ghost employees of the Taicang Sect approached him one after another to express their gratitude and greet him. A drowning ghost who had come from humble beginnings was especially grateful. "CEO Bai, thank you so much. You have no idea how cold the Huitong River is during winter. In a few months, it will freeze over. Compared to that, the living conditions here are like heaven. I'll never forget your help when I'm reincarnated one day…"

Bai Hao felt a mix of fear and confusion as the ghost's hand continuously passed through his body while shaking his. He couldn't help but think that these ghosts were quite polite and spoke in a coherent manner…

***

The ceremony wasn't complicated. After offering incense and candles, the original resident ghosts naturally received the offerings. The old men and women, holding the paper money, gold ingots, and pork, softened their attitudes. Some ghosts even returned the items they had previously stolen to the Taicang Sect interns. They would be neighbors under the same roof in the future. Although they had fought not long ago, it was better to coexist peacefully.

Many of the elderly female ghosts displayed maternal instincts, holding the young ghosts' hands and asking about their deaths. As they reached emotional parts of the stories, they wiped away tears together.

Seeing that the employees and landlords were getting along harmoniously, Wei Xi felt reassured. He stealthily grabbed a few apples from the altar and didn't forget to stuff one into his disciple's mouth behind him.

The second disciple calmly looked at him while holding the apple.

Feeling guilty, Wei Xi patted his arm and said, "Your leg is injured, you should eat more. Just don't let your senior brother see."

It wasn't that he was playing favorites; if he took any more, their clients might notice.

Upon hearing this, the second disciple silently put away the apple, creating a bulging pocket in his coat.

Wei Xi glanced apologetically at Unity Yi, who was surrounded by ghosts, burning furniture. The company interns were orderly moving the chairs he had burned into their rooms. The original ghost inhabitants watched enviously: having a coffin buried in a mass grave was definitely middle-class; most of them were wrapped in a simple mat and had been sleeping on the ground for decades or even centuries. They had never received such treatment before. A few shameless ones even asked timidly if they could have some furniture delivered to them in a few days.

Unity Yi was busy dealing with them while glancing at his master with confusion. What were his master and junior brother secretly doing behind his back? Were they giving them special food?

As he pondered, he suddenly heard someone pounding on the construction site's outer metal gate.

Opening it, he found several police officers standing outside, equipped with their badges.

Bai Hao was taken aback and asked, "Comrades, is there something I can assist you with?"

The lead officer peered in doubtfully, his gaze sweeping past his shoulder to survey the scene inside the construction site. His brows knitted together upon seeing what was happening. "A local reported to us that there's a superstition-related activity going on here."

Everyone: "..."

Spotting the couple, Kuang Zhiming and his wife, dressed in Taoist robes, the officer's expression turned even more solemn. "What are you doing burning paper money, worshipping Buddha, and offering a pig's head?!"

Bai Hao grew instantly nervous at the question. Damn, what was this new development? The locals in the capital were quite zealous, weren't they? They actually called the police on them?

"I-We..." Bai Hao was momentarily at a loss for words. Just then, a shrill scream from the distant shopping street pierced through the tense atmosphere.

*****

The police officers' attention shifted immediately. Aside from Kuang Zhiming and his wife, who stayed behind to tend to Xiao Ke, the other ghosts rushed out to see what was happening. "What's going on? What's going on?"

They saw the crowd on the pedestrian street converging in one direction. A well-dressed woman with disheveled hair was wailing, "My child! My child was taken away by someone in a car!"

"What?!" Upon hearing this, a few officers immediately abandoned the construction site, calling into their walkie-talkies as they sprinted towards the woman. Seeing the police, the woman cried out desperately, "There was an electric scooter! The person on the scooter just snatched my child away!"

"Damn it!!" Unity Yi was stunned. "How brazen can they be?!"

Wei Xi, unnoticed by others, hastily took a bite of his apple. Shuo Zong's brows knitted together as he turned to the woman, his expression grave. The electric tricycle they had mentioned was long gone. Just as he was about to use his powers to track it down, someone proved faster than him. The crowd of elderly ghosts who had come out of curiosity were in an uproar, all chattering at once.

"What?!"

"How dare they do such a thing in broad daylight?!"

"Kidnapping a child?! This is intolerable!"

"Let's go! Chase after them! We can't let them get away!"

The ghosts were furious and rose up into the air. The interns from Taicang Sect followed suit. Shuo Zong fell silent for a moment, watching the mass of ghosts ahead. He calmly dropped his hand that was about to form a spell.

Over there, the police were already reporting the situation with growing anxiety, while two officers sped off in their patrol cars to pursue the suspects. To their dismay, the walkie-talkie delivered terrible news: "An abandoned electric tricycle was found at Wushan Intersection! The people are nowhere to be seen! We're checking nearby surveillance footage!"

The kidnappers had taken the child on an electric tricycle before swiftly switching vehicles. It was clear that this was a premeditated and organized act. The faces of the police officers turned grim, and the child's mother let out a despairing wail.

As Wei Xi chewed his apple amidst the fearful whispers of the crowd, he lifted his head. Looking over everyone's heads, he saw a ghost with deathly pale skin and a bluish tinge—obviously a drowning victim—returning with excitement.

"Boss!!!” The drowned ghost landed excitedly on the shoulders of the crowd, landing beside his boss. "We caught up with them! They put the child in a white van and drove off towards Dongping Road. There wasn't a license plate, but Aunt Wu and Uncle Liu are already following them!"

Wei Xi hummed in response but didn't speak. The drowning ghost was taken aback by his silence. Then, the boss's second disciple also turned his head. He had clearly heard it too but fell silent for a moment before placing his hand on the boss's head. "Tell them."

Though unsure why his darling disciple made such a request, Wei Xi never refused his beloved. After swallowing the apple, he calmly spoke to the police, "Dongping Road."

The police were urgently coordinating their efforts. Hearing this supposed fraud they had just been called to deal with suddenly speak up, they were bewildered. "What did you say?"

Wei Xi put down the apple. "They fled towards Dongping Road in a white van without license plates."

The police officer asked, "How do you know?!"

Wei Xi held the apple calmly and looked away, as if he wasn't involved. It wasn't his client, so he had no interest in explaining.

The police officer found him even more nonsensical.

After turning his head, Wei Xi met the profound gaze of his second disciple. Confused by the complex emotions in those eyes, he thought for a moment before reaching out to touch the other's arm. "Don't be afraid, Master will protect you."

The second disciple gazed deeply into his eyes for a moment before seemingly helplessly pressing his hand back and patting it. Then, he turned to the police. "We calculated it."

Feeling mocked, the police officer glared at the handsome young man who had spoken. "What nonsense are you spouting?!"

The young man's expression shifted slightly, and his gaze instantly turned cold. He didn't seem the slightest bit warm-hearted either. "Believe it or not, that's up to you."

Checking surveillance cameras clearly required time. If the criminals switched to another mode of transportation during this process, the consequences would undoubtedly become even more troublesome. The situation was so dire that the young police officer couldn't help but waver at the confident tone. Could these supposed mystics really possess such abilities?

Beside him, the woman was weeping bitterly, and he couldn't bear to ignore her plight. However, he also didn't dare to blindly trust Wei Xi. After some contemplation, he finally gritted his teeth and grabbed his walkie-talkie. "Is anyone patrolling near Dongping Road?! Check if there's an unmarked white van on the road!"

To his astonishment, a response came back after a moment that left him dumbfounded. "Found a white van! No license plates attached!"

The police officer froze for two seconds before jumping to his feet, shouting, "Stop it!"

Immediately following that, a deafening collision echoed from the other end.

There was a moment of silence from his colleague on the walkie-talkie, who then replied with a complicated tone, "…It crashed into a power pole by itself."

******

Two minutes earlier.

The leader of the kidnappers asked, "Liu, we're approaching a blind spot for surveillance cameras. Is the motorcycle ready?"

Little Liu: "Ready! They're all stolen, parked by the roadside. Once we dump the car, we can make our escape!"

The leader glanced at the unconscious and plump hostage in his arms, as if he could already see a shower of banknotes descending upon them. He couldn't help but feel pleased with himself: "Excellent, you've really gotten better at stealing cars."

Little Liu flattered him: "You're the real master, Brother. You drive so fast and skillfully!"

Unseen by the two men, a furious group of elderly men and women filled the van, with those who couldn't fit squeezing on the roof and hanging their heads out the windows to curse at the driver: "Shameless! Absolutely shameless!"

A few ghosts tugged at the windshield wipers, echoing their anger: "Not only shameless, but also ugly! I'd look better even if I jumped off a building!"

The leader inexplicably shrugged his shoulders: "Little Liu, why do I feel like it's getting colder in here?"

Little Liu also furrowed his brow: "Not just cold, it's like there are flies buzzing around our ears."

"Who do you think you're calling flies? How rude!" The entire van of elders erupted in anger. Despite being unable to physically touch the men, they swarmed forward, throwing punches and kicks. Those who couldn't squeeze through simply took off their old cloth shoes and long bound feet wrappings, shoving them into the duo's mouths.

The leader was driving along when he was suddenly assaulted by an unbearable stench, seemingly coming from nowhere.

It was an incredibly putrid smell, one he had never encountered before. It was like the scent of a ruptured corpse or a rotten egg that had been left in the sun for five thousand years, then mixed with human feces, fermented, and finally smashed onto a pillow while someone slept. It was a biological weapon in its nastiness. Instantly, he felt dizzy, his stomach churned, and his mind went blank, unsure of how to react.

The putrid odor intensified to the point that it made his vision blur, and he couldn't help but let out a prolonged groan, "Ugh——"

In the next second, earth-shattering collisions and blaring sirens echoed relentlessly.

However, he had already been overwhelmed by the stench, passing out in the driver's seat, oblivious to everything.