Chapter 53

Chapter 53

◎The Merciful God◎

After Ji Nanxing wrapped up all the tasks, the residual yin energy would be handled by the management bureau. Once he confirmed there was nothing left for him to do, he bid them farewell, pulled Xiao Ye, and left. The ghost barrier that had previously trapped them suddenly vanished.

After leaving the shaded path, Ji Nanxing looked at Xiao Ye: "I wanted to tell you earlier, but since you didn't believe in these things, I hadn't found the right way to tell you. Now that you've seen it for yourself, it's just as you witnessed. Ghosts exist in this world, and I am a Taoist. The times I took time off weren't because I was unwell; it was just a cover, an excuse to take time off, allowing me to handle such matters whenever needed, like today."

Xiao Ye had many questions, but he chose the most important one first: "What about the heart condition?"

Ji Nanxing: "It was just a cover, an excuse to take time off."

Xiao Ye wasn't upset about being deceived or annoyed by the previous times Ji Nanxing pretended to be sick. Instead, he felt relieved and even laughed, pulling Ji Nanxing into a hug, ruffling his hair: "You, Ji Naonao, you're quite the daredevil. Do you know how much you scared me those times?"

Ji Nanxing looked at him: "You're not angry?"

Xiao Ye smiled and shook his head: "I'm more relieved than angry."

Being healthy meant they could do so much together—play sports, exercise, go on bike trips, and enjoy the sunshine together. He felt grateful, thankful that Ji Nanxing wasn't sick, that he was healthy, and that his desk mate wasn't suffering from illness.

Since they had already ditched class and were bound to be scolded, Xiao Ye sent a message to Zhang Yuan, saying that if the teacher asked, he should say they went out to eat because Ji Nanxing was so hungry he was on the verge of passing out from low blood sugar.

After sending the message, Xiao Ye really took Ji Nanxing out to eat.

It was class time, so the shops around the school were empty. It wasn't time for a proper meal yet, so Xiao Ye took Ji Nanxing to a convenience store, ordered a bunch of oden, and they sat by the window, watching the passersby as they ate and chatted.

"So, you've been able to see those things since you were little, and your master brought you into this line of work? Is it dangerous? Do you have to keep doing it? Does your family support you?"

Ji Nanxing looked at Xiao Ye, who had a pile of questions: "I told you before that people who get close to me tend to have bad luck. Do you still think that's superstition?"

Xiao Ye just laughed and nudged Ji Nanxing with his elbow: "Look, we've been around each other a lot since we met. Have I had any bad luck?"

Ji Nanxing: "You ran into a ghost today and almost got possessed."

Xiao Ye clicked his tongue: "That's not bad luck. If I hadn't come out today, I wouldn't have run into that thing. It was my own doing, so it doesn't count as bad luck."

Ji Nanxing smiled: "True, for someone like you, the effect is much weaker than for most people."

Xiao Ye raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean? Is there something unique about me? Is it because of this bracelet you gave me? When that ghost came at me, I just blocked it, and it screamed and was repelled. Is this bracelet really that strong?"

Ji Nanxing: "Because you have strong yang energy, and I carry heavy yin energy. So, if someone with low luck comes into contact with me and gets tainted by yin energy, they'll have bad luck. But your yang energy is strong enough to balance out my yin energy."

Xiao Ye's eyes lit up: "Really? So, we're practically a perfect match."

Seeing that he completely missed the point, Ji Nanxing sighed: "Your yang energy will be drained by me."

Xiao Ye: "Will I die?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head: "No."

Xiao Ye laughed and slung an arm around his shoulder: "I thought it was something serious. It's just a bit of yang energy. I'll work out more, soak up more sun, and build up my yang energy. You can drain it all you want. If I can offset some of your yin energy, maybe you won't feel so cold?"

Ji Nanxing's body temperature was always low. Whenever Xiao Ye touched his hand or face, it was always cold. Before, Xiao Ye thought it was due to poor health and lack of vitality. Now that he knew it was because of heavy yin energy, something even traditional medicine couldn't fix, he felt that his yang energy could be useful if it could help Ji Nanxing feel less cold.

Facing Xiao Ye's question, Ji Nanxing hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "After being around you, I do feel less cold."

Xiao Ye quickly switched the oden to his other hand, freeing his right hand to hold Ji Nanxing's: "If you're cold, just snuggle up to me anytime. I've got plenty of yang energy to spare!"

Ji Nanxing was slightly surprised to see him so calm, still able to eat and drink peacefully: "Aren't you scared at all? You just ran into a ghost today, and someone died."

Not to mention teenagers, even most adults would probably be terrified. Didn't Yang Xuan's boyfriend lose his mind after seeing a ghost? Not to mention you faced both a vengeful spirit and a corpse today.

He himself was already used to it, but Xiao Ye seemed even calmer than him.

Xiao Ye picked up a piece of well-cooked daikon from the bowl and took a bite: "The ghost's been taken care of, and dead bodies don't scare me—I've seen them before."

Not only was he naturally brave, but even if he wasn't, he had a clear conscience. He didn't kill anyone, nor had he done anything wrong to others.

But he was still a bit curious: "So what happened today? Did you know that guy? Did you sense the ghost nearby and skip class to deal with it?"

Ji Nanxing: "That guy was the murderer in the alley homicide case. A vengeful spirit was possessing him, using his living aura to hide, then killing and devouring souls. So keep what happened today to yourself—don't talk about it."

Even if he did talk, it's unlikely anyone would believe him, but he knew Xiao Ye wasn't a gossip, so he probably wouldn't spread it.

Xiao Ye looked at Ji Nanxing in surprise: "The alley murder was caused by a ghost?"

Ji Nanxing nodded: "That's why I gave you those talismans for your sister-in-law. She's a doctor who works late, and Wang Ma often goes grocery shopping. Carrying a talisman adds safety, but your family's aura is strong enough to repel most spirits. The ghost that targeted you today was overconfident, thinking he could take on anyone after devouring a few people."

Xiao Ye put the food he was holding back into the bowl: "Wait, I'm confused. You said the ghost targeted me because he was overconfident—does that mean I'm scarier than a ghost?"

Ji Nanxing smiled: "I told you your yang energy is strong. Ghosts fear yang energy, so even if you stood still and he attacked, he'd still get hurt by your energy and couldn't possess you."

Afraid that this might make Xiao Ye too reckless in the future, Ji Nanxing added: "But to powerful ghosts, you're like a feast, so avoid places that feel off to you. Ordinary ghosts will fear you, but that doesn't mean you're invincible."

Xiao Ye's eyes lit up: "So, am I cut out to be a Taoist?"

Ji Nanxing: "What are you talking about? Being impervious to spirits doesn't make you a Taoist. If we're talking about repelling spirits, your brother's stronger than you. His yang energy isn't as strong, but his aura scares spirits more than yours. He's the one naturally suited to be a Taoist."

Xiao Ye clicked his tongue and shook his head: "You're wrong—my yang energy is natural, his aura is learned. Believe it or not, a few years in the military, and my aura could outshine his!"

Men are so childish—always competing.

Aura is mostly learned, but without the right character, it can't be developed. What Ji Nanxing saw was a character far surpassing others.

They got back to school just in time for the homeroom teacher's class. Knowing they'd skipped class, the homeroom teacher wasn't going to let it go. Skipping class is bad enough, but leaving school during class is worse. The school's responsible for any accidents during class time.

But for Ji Nanxing, the homeroom teacher couldn't be too harsh. Sick children are naturally more sensitive, not to mention Ji Nanxing, who looks so delicate and weak, standing next to Xiao Ye, looking like he did something wrong, making it even harder to say anything harsh.

And Xiao Ye was still saying it was all his fault, that he was hungry so he dragged Ji Nanxing out to buy food, looking cheeky and trying to please, even pulling out a lollipop from his pocket in an attempt to 'bribe' her.

The homeroom teacher was both angry and amused, directly saying: "Three thousand words of self-criticism, you'll stand on the podium and read it out loud at the class meeting on Friday!"

Then she looked at Ji Nanxing: "Since you're an accomplice, you write one too."

Xiao Ye quickly said: "He doesn't have to read it out loud, right? Teacher, teacher, the kid is shy, he knows he's wrong, really knows he's wrong."

The homeroom teacher looked at the person trying to bargain with her: "So you have no shame?"

Xiao Ye laughed: "Haven't I been trained since childhood? Three thousand words of self-criticism, right? I'll write it! It's time for class, we'll go back to our seats now! Thank you, teacher, goodbye teacher."

After saying that, he pulled Ji Nanxing back to the classroom, then held him in his arm and pinched his face: "Brother sacrificed a lot for you, it seems my image in the homeroom teacher's mind is completely ruined."

He had wanted to start anew in high school, but in middle school, he was a regular in the office.

Ji Nanxing: "Why did you take the blame for me? Just say I was hungry, so hungry I was dizzy and had to eat, the teacher wouldn't have done anything to me."

Xiao Ye: "What kind of leader would push his subordinate to take the fall? We can't do something so backstabbing!"

Ji Nanxing ignored the guy who always called himself his boss. If it came to a fight, who would be the boss was still up in the air.

The two returned to the classroom, and Guo Can exclaimed, "Oh ho! Did you two get caught sneaking out?"

Xiao Ye opened his coat and took out a meat pie wrapped in oil paper and a plastic bag from his inner pocket: "Looks like some people aren't hungry enough to want to eat."

At an age where hunger strikes easily, and with the cold weather, the hot, fragrant meat pie was irresistible. Guo Can immediately pleaded, "Brother Ye, please, I wish you a lifetime of happiness and lots of kids!"

Xiao Ye tossed the meat pie he bought to Guo Can: "Buzz off."

Then he handed another one to Zhang Yuan.

Guo Can took a bite: "It's from the shop at the corner, ah, so good!"

There was a shop at the corner near their school that made meat pies. Fried in a lot of oil, they had meat filling along with vermicelli or shredded potatoes, making them less greasy than plain meat pies. The shop was very popular, with long queues every day. If they hadn't gone during class time, they would have had to wait in line for a long time.

As class was about to start, Zhang Yuan wolfed down his pie and asked, "Did you really skip class just to grab a bite?"

Xiao Ye sighed, looking at his deskmate with a pitiful expression: "What else? Xingxing didn't want to run off with me."

Ji Nanxing rolled his eyes at him.

Gao Yanyan got home from school close to ten o'clock. Not seeing her brother at home, she didn't give it much thought. Her brother had recently switched jobs and sometimes worked late, but the pay was better, and he had been giving her more spending money lately.

After putting the corn in the steamer and setting the timer, Gao Yanyan headed to the shower. After showering, she cooked herself a bowl of noodles. The corn in the steamer was meant for her brother. She didn't know when he'd be back, but keeping it warm meant he could have a hot meal when he got home.

After finishing her noodles, she got started on her homework. When her brother first switched jobs, she would stay up, worried about him coming home so late. Now she had adjusted to his work schedule. After eating and finishing her homework, she would head to bed on her own.

But when she woke up in the morning and saw the corn still in the steamer, with no sign of her brother having returned, Gao Yanyan grew worried. Though her brother sometimes came home late, even near dawn, he hardly ever stayed out all night. If he wasn't coming home, he would usually text her.

Gao Yanyan didn't even stop to wash up. Realizing her brother hadn't come back, she quickly called him, but there was no answer. She had a sinking feeling; her brother wouldn't miss her call.

Gao Yanyan was in a panic. She quickly changed out of her pajamas and grabbed her ID. She wanted to go to the police station to report him missing. Besides the police, she didn't know who else to turn to.

Just as she opened the door, she saw several uniformed police officers approaching. One of them asked, "Gao Yanyan, Gao Yiyang's sister?"

Gao Yanyan's heart raced uncontrollably, and her blood seemed to turn cold in an instant. She realized something had happened to her brother. In that moment, she thought that no matter how bad it was, as long as her brother was alive, even if he had an accident, a car crash, or was in the hospital with astronomical medical bills, it didn't matter. As long as he was alive, as long as he was still here.

Gao Yanyan nodded blankly.

Seeing the pale-faced girl looking at them with fear and anxiety, the officers, though reluctant, said, "We might need you to come with us. There are some things we need you to help us investigate."

Gao Yanyan, clutching her small bag containing her ID and some change, followed them. Once in the car, she trembled and asked, "What happened to my brother? Is he in trouble?"

The officer sitting next to her said, "Someone will explain the details to you later. Be prepared."

When she saw her brother's body, Gao Yanyan's legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground. In that moment, her mind went completely blank. There was no panic, no fear, not even tears—just a vast emptiness. She couldn't even comprehend the situation. Where was she? Who were these people? Was that really her brother?

But just yesterday, everything was fine. Her brother had brought her phone to school, given her pocket money, and told her to come home early after school.

The corn she had steamed for him was still in the pot, waiting for him to come home and eat.

A female officer approached her: "There's a case we need your help with. This is a search warrant. We need to search your home."

Gao Yanyan looked at the officer in confusion: "Why?"

Her brother was dead, and now they wanted to search her home? She couldn't understand why.

The female officer said, "We suspect your brother is connected to a major homicide case."

When an incident occurs that causes public panic, an explanation is necessary to calm the public.

The police notification was quickly issued as the case was finalized. The serial killer was caught but was shot dead during the arrest for resisting. Some of the victims' stolen goods were recovered from the killer's home, and the money obtained from selling the stolen items was temporarily frozen.

Some people knew that this case involved a vengeful spirit. The vengeful spirit was responsible for the killings, and Gao Yiyang was possessed and driven by it. However, the money from selling the victims' belongings was deemed illegal and had to be confiscated.

However, the authorities blurred the information about the killer, using a pseudonym and pixelated photos. They informed the victims' families that the killer was a loner without any relatives, effectively protecting Gao Yanyan's information and ensuring her future life would not be affected.

Meanwhile, with the assistance of the special department of the Management Bureau, the police also found the empty house where the vengeful spirit resided, along with two other bodies inside.

This case was considered closed both publicly and privately, providing an explanation to the public and allowing the Management Bureau to close the case, marking a successful collaboration.

The vengeful spirit was subdued by Ji Nanxing, so the reward money was quickly transferred to his account through the Management Bureau. Ji Nanxing donated the money as soon as it arrived.

But soon, his older brother, senior brother, and sister all sent him red envelopes, saying that capturing the vengeful spirit was hard work and deserved a reward. The total from the red envelopes even exceeded the Management Bureau's reward.

The day after subduing the vengeful spirit, Ji Nanxing planned to visit the high school girl, but she had taken sick leave and hadn't returned yet. Initially, he didn't know that Gao Yanyan was related to the vengeful spirit. That day, he detected an aura of death around her, but it was something she had come into contact with, not her own.

He suspected something was amiss in her family and wanted to investigate further.

Later, when he found out she was Gao Yiyang's sister, he naturally understood how she had come into contact with the aura of death.

Now that Gao Yiyang was dead and the vengeful spirit had been captured by the Management Bureau, he didn't know what the girl would do without her family. Beyond hoping she would stay strong, Ji Nanxing could do little else.

Knowing that Gao Yanyan had returned to school, Ji Nanxing went to the second-year floor. Xiao Ye, who should have been playing basketball, came up specifically to intercept him.

Before Xiao Ye could start lecturing him about early love, Ji Nanxing directly said, "She's the sister of the person possessed by the vengeful spirit. She's been marked by the aura of death. I came up just to help dispel it."

Xiao Ye was surprised, not realizing the girl who dropped her phone was the deceased's sister. He asked, "Don't they have any parents?"

He didn't know about Gao Yanyan's family situation, but he had learned some things about Gao Yiyang from Ji Nanxing, knowing that Gao Yiyang had no parents and only a sister.

Ji Nanxing nodded, "Originally, she only had her brother. Now, even the brother is gone."

Xiao Ye looked at his deskmate, "Feeling compassionate and wanting to help her?"

Ji Nanxing smiled, "I'm not some benevolent deity. I can't help everyone I encounter. Besides, what can I really do for her? Everyone has their own path to walk."

Xiao Ye asked, "Does she still have the aura of death on her now? Has it been dispelled?"

Ji Nanxing: "I hadn't gotten to it yet when you arrived. Weren't you supposed to be playing basketball?"

Xiao Ye: "Little Mao had a stomachache, and we didn't have enough players, so we called it off. How do you dispel it? Do you need physical contact with her?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head, "No, actually, it's not necessary to dispel it. The source of the aura has been resolved. The aura of death on her will fade away on its own, though she might get a little sick."

Xiao Ye thought for a moment, still feeling a bit uneasy, "Then let's dispel it. I'll call her out, and you can handle it."

Ji Nanxing smiled and agreed. Then Xiao Ye waved towards someone sitting inside the classroom. Gao Yanyan's friend, Zhu Minmin, nudged her excitedly, "It's Xiao Ye, and Ji Nanxing is here too. Are they calling us? Let's go out and see."

Gao Yanyan was indifferent to everything now. She couldn't accept her brother's death, nor could she accept the truth behind it. Murder? How could it be? How could her brother have killed someone?

But the evidence was right in front of her—her brother's recent strange behavior, the money at home, some of the victims' jewelry found during the search, and even the video footage of selling gold from a shop.

As Zhu Minmin urged her to go out, Gao Yanyan felt momentarily disoriented. Not long ago, her brother had asked her if that boy was handsome and told her not to fall in love too early.

And now, just a few days later, not only had everything changed, but her life had also been turned upside down.

Zhu Minmin, noticing that Xiao Ye seemed to be looking for them, quickly pulled Gao Yanyan over and approached him: "Are you looking for us? Is there something?"

Looking at Gao Yanyan, who had lost all her spirit, Xiao Ye said: "Just checking in, is there still any issue with the phone? It's our responsibility, and we'll make sure to take care of it completely."

Ji Nanxing, with one hand behind his back, performed a hand seal, and a gentle breeze blew in from outside, swirling among them before dispersing.

Zhu Minmin briefly wondered if Xiao Ye had taken a liking to her friend—otherwise, why the follow-up? The reason seemed too made up.

But seeing Gao Yanyan shake her head, Xiao Ye smiled and said: "Alright, since there's no problem, then this matter is settled."

With that, he left with Ji Nanxing, who remained silent the entire time.

Zhu Minmin looked at their backs, full of questions: "What was that all about?"

Gao Yanyan also smiled at her in confusion, then turned and entered the classroom.

Whatever it meant, she didn't want to dwell on it now—no time for romance, she lacked both the energy and the circumstances. She just needed to live well, to put her heavenly relatives at ease.

Seeing his little deskmate walking ahead, Xiao Ye stretched out his long arm, smilingly pulling Ji Nanxing to his side: "Why are you walking so fast, you soft-hearted god?"

Ji Nanxing: "What soft-hearted god?"

Xiao Ye: "You, who went out of your way to dispel the death aura for someone—if you're not the soft-hearted god, who is?"

Ignoring him, Xiao Ye smiled, quickened his pace to catch up, and then tucked Ji Nanxing's hand into his own pocket. His little deskmate was perfect in every way, just a bit too shy to even reach out for warmth.