Master Kuxu
1210 Words
In an office on the second floor of the Jingyuan Sales Office, a middle-aged man with a large head, ears, and a large belly sat in a chair, gazing with admiration at the righteous, yellow-robed Taoist priest in his fifties across from him. Next to the old Taoist priest stood a young Taoist priest in his twenties, his face filled with arrogance and contempt.
The middle-aged man with the large head and ears peered out the window at the deep pit on the construction site and asked, "Master Kuxu, can you really exorcise that ghost there?"
The young Taoist priest interjected, "Boss Gu, don't worry about that. My master is a renowned exorcist. He's known for capturing countless ghosts, including this little one. He's no problem at all."
"Haha, that puts my mind at ease. If you can help me capture that ghost, I'll give you 100,000 yuan in cash, not a cent," Boss Gu said with a smile.
Upon hearing the number "100,000," the old Taoist's eyes lit up, a smile spreading across his face. He said, "It's a small problem, a small problem."
Boss Gu asked cautiously, "Then I wonder when the magician will start casting the spell to catch the ghost."
"No hurry, no hurry. The ghost is still hiding in the coffin up ahead. There's a mechanism on it, so it won't come out during the day."
"Oh."
A moment of silence fell in the office, interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Boss Gu frowned and said, "Who is it? Don't you know I'm entertaining guests?"
"Hello, Mr. Gu. I'm Xiaoli from the sales department. There's another magician downstairs, and he insists on seeing you."
"Mage?" Boss Gu glanced at the old Taoist across from him, then shouted, "Tell him we don't need a magician here anymore."
"I told him, but he won't leave. He insists on seeing you."
"Huh? Why are there still people like him?" Boss Gu slapped his hand on the table.
The old Taoist priest over there was startled when he heard someone from the other side of the tunnel was trying to steal his job. He then said, "Boss Gu, why don't we go down and take a look? I want to see who this fellow Taoist is."
"Is that a good idea?" Boss Gu asked tentatively. He knew that this Taoist priest hated it most when someone else came to steal his business.
"Let's go."
So, Boss Gu led Master Kuxu and the young Taoist priest out of the office. Boss Gu looked at Xiaoli and said, "Where's the Taoist priest? Take us there."
"Okay."
When Boss Gu and his companions arrived, Yin Dang was holding the hand of the saleswoman, bringing a beaming smile to her face.
"Damn it! Do you think I'll ever meet someone handsome and wealthy?" the saleswoman said with a smile.
Yindang smacked the short sales lady's hand again and said, "Hey, of course. This Taoist priest is incredibly accurate when it comes to palmistry. These are skills passed down from generation to generation. I won't lie to you."
"Little Taoist priest, you're quite good at palmistry, but where are your hands?" The short sales lady looked at Yindang, seeming a little...
"Ahem..."
The long sales lady couldn't stand it any longer and coughed repeatedly. In truth, Yindang had already known about it when the long sales lady and her companions arrived. However, the short sales lady's delicate hands were so pleasant that he naturally ignored them.
The long sales lady's cough actually frightened the short sales lady, who quickly withdrew her hand and glanced at the big-eared Mr. Gu, saying, "Mr. Gu."
Mr. Gu ignored the short sales lady and instead said to Yin Dang, "Are you also a mage?"
"Yes, I can help you catch the evil spirits in that thousand-year-old tomb," Yin Dang said bluntly.
The young Taoist priest next to the Kuxu Celestial Master stepped forward and walked up to Yin Dang, saying, "You look like a country bumpkin, not a ghost-catching Celestial Master. Boy, stop pretending! I've been captured by a ghost."
"Well, I'm afraid you'll be captured by a ghost," Yin Dang said, looking at the young Taoist priest. In Yin Dang's eyes, the young Celestial Master was extremely weak, so weak that he could send him flying with just a flick of his finger.
As for the old man, he did have some magical power, but it was far from enough to defeat the evil spirit in the development zone.
The young Taoist priest glared at Yin Dang fiercely and said, "My master is the Maoshan Taoist Master Kuxu, a first-level exorcist registered with the Society of Strange Spirits. I'm a true disciple of a first-level exorcist. Who do you think you are?"
Yin Dang laughed heartily and said calmly, "I don't care about Master Kuxu, first-level exorcists, or that ghost. You're no match for me. You can't handle this deal. Let me handle it."
"Country bumpkin, this is not the place for you to act pretentiously. If you don't want to die, I suggest you get out of here," the young Taoist priest said.
The Kuxu Master also stepped forward and said, "My dear brother, catching ghosts is no joke. You could get yourself killed if you're not careful. I just read your face and I think you'll be in trouble soon. Meeting today is fate. How about I tell you something? It won't cost you anything. Then you should leave this dangerous place as soon as possible!"
Yin Dang shook his pinky finger and said, "Old Taoist, I was actually going to say this to you, but you said it instead. I'm really upset."
Yin Dang was deeply distressed by the old Taoist's pretense. Seeing the old Taoist's age and low power, he still had to pretend. It must be hard work.
"This is for your own good," said the Kuxu Master.
Yin Dang said with a wry smile, "Actually, I'm doing this for your own good. Some things can't be forced."
"Young brother, I'm just trying to give you good advice." The Kuxu Master was a little annoyed by Yin Dang's trickery.
Seeing the arguing raging, Boss Gu, standing by, tried to smooth things over. "I think this is the best way. This young man insists on claiming to be a Celestial Master. Let's give him a chance to see a ghost and see his true strength."
With Boss Gu mediating, Master Kuxu pondered for a moment and said, "Since Boss Gu has spoken, that's fine. Then, when the time comes, the 100,000..."
"Haha, don't worry about that. As long as you can catch that ghost for me, it won't be yours!" Boss Gu laughed.
The young Taoist priest was particularly upset that he hadn't driven Yin Dang away. He walked over to Yin Dang and whispered, "Country boy, don't get scared to death when you catch ghosts."
Yin Dang shook his head helplessly. These master and disciple were truly obsessed with money. They were probably going to piss themselves when they saw the ghosts.
With these two involved, tonight's ghost-hunting trip wasn't going to be so simple. Most importantly, he had to extort a good sum from Boss Gu.
- Writer
