Chu Yi hung up the phone and felt the internal force gathering anew in his Dantian. He finally had some sense of security.
The Spirit Pearl’s effect was quite good, but it was a pity there was only one… He wondered if he went to find that Big Gray Rat again, would it continue to offer tribute?
But that thought was a bit too shameless. All things had spirit; he couldn’t keep shearing from just one sheep. Chu Yi thought better of it.
Big Gray Rat: QAQ Thanks a lot!
Chu Yi wasn’t in a hurry. After descending the mountain, he first returned to his rental to take a shower and shave his stubble. Once he had cleaned up and come out, Master Cheng’s eldest disciple Xu Xing had already arrived by car with two junior brothers to pick him up.
Unlike last time when they had waved their fists threateningly, this time Xu Xing and his two junior brothers were full of embarrassment and didn’t dare meet Chu Yi’s eyes.
“Master, it was rash of us brothers last time. We’re sorry.”
“We were blind to Mount Tai and failed to understand the Master’s good intentions. Please, Master, you must help our Master…”
For Director Mo’s sake, Chu Yi didn’t make things difficult for them. He nodded coolly. “Wait here. I’ll go in and pack.”
“What does the Master need to pack? Can the three of us help?” Xu Xing looked at Chu Yi eagerly, trying to mend relations.
“No need. I don’t have much. Go downstairs and wait.”
Chu Yi wasn’t being polite. The original owner’s clothes weren’t many, and the bedding and mattress were second-hand—he had no intention of taking them. Besides, the red ropes and talisman paper he’d bought weren’t suitable for Xu Xing and the others to handle casually. Better to do it himself.
Even so, Xu Xing and the others insisted on not going downstairs. They waited in the corridor. When Chu Yi finished packing and came out, one of the junior brothers even grabbed the only luggage bag.
They had originally found it a bit dubious—after all, only their Master had seen that ghostly thing. But when they saw Chu Yi packing Cinnabar, Talisman Paper, Golden Bell, and such into the bag, a sense of awe rose in their hearts unbidden.
Hong Kongers were superstitious by nature, especially the older generation. The younger ones might say they didn’t believe, but having grown up steeped in it, they still harbored taboos.
Last time, the timing and place hadn’t been right for Chu Yi’s warning to Master Cheng. In different circumstances, his attitude might have been different.
“How’s Master Cheng’s leg injury?” Chu Yi asked as they went downstairs and got into the car.
Xu Xing answered honestly. “Just a sprain of muscle and bone. The doctor said a week of rest would fix it.”
The problem was that their Master insisted he’d seen a ghost and even heard the voice of a little ghost. These past few days, they brothers had taken turns sleeping on the floor in his room.
It turned out the incident happened the day after Chu Yi left. That night, Master Cheng had been busy with the film crew until the wee hours. Finally with a moment free, he decided to use the toilet.
No sooner had he gone in—zipper not even down—than he felt a gust of yin wind from behind. The overhead lights flickered, and before his eyes, a pale-faced Ghost Child lunged at his head and face, its thin fingers seemingly aiming to throttle his neck—
Master Cheng was scared out of his wits. In dodging that Ghost Shadows, he’d accidentally twisted his ankle.
But when they checked later, the toilet was back to normal—nothing there, not even a burnt-out bulb.
They brothers had thought their Master was seeing things from exhaustion and comforted him. Who knew that last night he’d bumped into another ghost, this time in the hotel bathroom. The junior brother outside heard the noise and kicked the door in right away. Fortunately, nothing happened this time.
They hadn’t entirely ruled out suspecting Chu Yi, but a sorcerer like him was someone they couldn’t afford to offend. If the Ghost Shadow was just teaching a lesson, rushing to offend him would be suicidal.
Thus, when Xu Xing and the others came this time, Master Cheng had exhorted them a thousand times over to be polite. Even if Chu Yi humiliated them to their faces, they had to endure it.
Fortunately, Chu Yi wasn’t one to hold grudges. His tone was cool, but his attitude cooperative.
Looking at Chu Yi, Xu Xing felt that in just a few days, his presence seemed even stronger. He was clearly a fair-skinned, clean-cut handsome young man, yet those black eyes seemed to peer into one’s heart when they looked at you.
Could this be the legendary Spirit-Seeing Eyes?
Xu Xing shivered and looked away.
When the car arrived, Master Cheng was already waiting at the hotel entrance. With his foot injured, it was inconvenient, so his disciples had gotten him a wheelchair and took turns pushing it—no worry about delaying work.
Seeing Chu Yi, Master Cheng launched into another round of apologies and overtures. Chu Yi, impatient with it, raised a hand to stop him. He circled Master Cheng once and asked, “Master Cheng, have you offended anyone lately?”
At those words, Master Cheng’s expression turned awkward immediately, his eyes flicking obliquely toward Chu Yi, unsure how to respond.
Chu Yi caught on. “I mean besides me!”
He knew coincidences happened; it would be odd if they didn’t suspect him. But he had no intention of explaining. Once things were clear, the truth would out. Denying it now without proof—Master Cheng wouldn’t dare offend him openly, but who knew what he’d think deep down? No point.
