Mystic in Hempen Robes

Be shaked down

I asked Ning Haoyu to help me carry the KTV woman. He was reluctant, probably worried about trouble.

He finally helped, but kept asking, “Tell me the truth—did you knock her out?”

I shot him a look. “Are you blind? I pressed her philtrum, and I didn’t use much force. I just used *qi* to clear her facial gate. Her consciousness collided with whatever ghost is possessing her, so she passed out temporarily.”

Ning Haoyu probably didn’t understand a word. Together, we carried the woman inside and laid her on the bed. Ning Haoyu then stepped back and said, “Chu-yi, think this through. Don’t do anything illegal.”

I said I knew what I was doing, then gathered my focus, preparing to press the spot between her eyebrows. But before my finger could reach her, the woman on the bed suddenly opened her eyes and *swiped* a slap across my wrist.

*Slap!*

Damn, she was strong. My wrist stung sharply.

“What are you two doing? I’ll call the police!” the KTV woman suddenly spoke up.

Stunned, I checked her expression. She seemed conscious now, but the spot between her eyebrows was still terribly dark. I figured the entity was still inside her, just not actively controlling her body at the moment.

Before I could speak, she continued, “Huh? I remember I was doing my makeup… How did I end up on the bed? And how did you two get in? What are you trying to do?”

Telling her straight out she was possessed probably wasn’t a good idea. If word got out my place had ghosts, how would I ever rent it out again? Even if I could, the rent would likely drop even lower.

Before I could speak, Ning Haoyu opened his mouth. I quickly pulled him back. “Um, miss…”

The woman cut me off. “My name is Xiang Li. You can call me Lily. Little Landlord, explain yourself. Did you drug me? If you don’t give me a reasonable explanation, I’m calling the police for attempted assault.”

Hearing this, Ning Haoyu’s quick temper flared. “What? You’re accusing us? You little…”

I yanked Ning Haoyu behind me. “Stop arguing! It’ll only make things worse!”

Then I turned back to Xiang Li. “You’ve been renting here for almost a year, right? You know what kind of person I am?”

Being a tenant, she didn’t go completely overboard. She nodded. “I suppose. But you need to explain what happened today. Why are you two in my room? And why am I on the bed?”

Making up another excuse wouldn’t work now. So I told her the truth, including everything we experienced last night. When I finished, Xiang Li stared blankly for a moment, then burst out laughing. “What? I was possessed by a ghost? That’s ridiculous! Who do you think you’re fooling?”

I retorted, “Then you explain why you suddenly have no memory while doing your makeup?”

“You drugged me,” she insisted.

My temper rose. “Fine. If that’s what you think, let’s call the police. See what they say. If tests show no drugs in your system, you move out immediately.”

Hearing I was serious about involving the police, Ning Haoyu got nervous. After all, ghost stories are hard to prove, and explaining things to the police would be even harder. So he grabbed my arm. “Look, miss, what do you want to settle this?”

Xiang Li looked between us. “Five months’ rent waived. Or I call the police.”

Five months’ rent?!

I was about to object when Ning Haoyu pulled me back. “Shut up. Fine. Five months it is.”

Without letting me speak, he dragged me downstairs.

Downstairs, he pushed me into my room. “Are you crazy? Calling the police? Telling them there’s a ghost? Who’s gonna believe that? Listen to me, let it go. I know you’re stingy. Fine, I’ll pay her rent. Consider me unlucky, since I’m the one who gave you that desk.”

Though I love money, I have principles. Ning Haoyu had already helped me; I couldn’t let him pay.

I took a deep breath. “Forget it. My bad luck. Let’s just figure out how to deal with this ghost. Can’t let it live in my house forever.”

Ning Haoyu nodded. “How about this: we throw the desk away. Far away. Maybe whoever picks it up next gets the bad luck.”

If we threw it away and someone took it, we’d be harming others. Harming others affects one’s own fortune flow. I didn’t want to be unlucky for life. So I shook my head and explained the reason to Ning Haoyu.

Hearing this, he asked, “Can’t burn it, can’t throw it away… then what? How about you come stay at my place for a while? Let the ghost haunt this place. Maybe after making a fuss for a bit, it’ll calm down. Like when it was at my shop—just making noises, not hurting anyone.”

His words sparked a thought. When the desk was at his shop, the ghost didn’t harm anyone. It only started here. Could it be that Ning Haoyu and I disturbed it last night, and it lashed out in panic?

Thinking this, I glanced up toward Xiang Li’s room. Ning Haoyu nudged me. “Don’t even think about handling it yourself again. Listen, my uncle’s been in the antique furniture business a long time. He must have dealt with stuff like this. I’ll ask him, see if he knows any good solutions.”

Hearing this, I nodded.

I only knew some simple face-reading methods to deal with ghosts, and I wasn’t even sure if they worked. If Ning Haoyu could find someone who actually knew the trade, that would be much better.

After a moment, I asked Ning Haoyu who would pay for the master’s fee. He gave me a sidelong glance. “You stingy bastard. Fine. Since I gave you the furniture and caused this mess, I’ll pay.”

I grinned and patted his shoulder. “Good friend!”

Then Ning Haoyu called his uncle who did business in the city, explaining the situation briefly.

After he finished, I could hear his uncle yelling through the phone—probably scolding Ning Haoyu for being stupid and buying something without checking it properly.

Ning Haoyu was submissive for a while before finally saying, “Uncle, if you’re done scolding me, can you point me in the right direction?”

His uncle talked for a bit more, then told Ning Haoyu to hang up. Soon after, a text came with a phone number.

I leaned over to look. The message contained a phone number and identified the owner as “Master Wang.”

Seeing the number, Ning Haoyu said, “My uncle says this guy is an expert. If we ask him, he can definitely solve it.”

I urged Ning Haoyu to call immediately, ask if he could help and what the price was.

I was calculating in my head: if it was too expensive, I wouldn’t let Ning Haoyu waste his money. I’d just try the facial gate methods Grandpa taught me. If Grandpa said they worked on ghosts, they probably did. It was just riskier.

Ning Haoyu dialed and put it on speaker.

After a few *brr-brr*s, a deep, resonant male voice answered, “Hello, who is this?”

From the voice, the man sounded under thirty. Both Ning Haoyu and I were too stunned to speak.

“Hello?!”

The voice prompted again. Ning Haoyu snapped to. “Hello, is this Master Wang? I’m Xiong Jiu’s nephew. I have a bit of a situation… my uncle gave me your number…”

Then, without confirming if this was the right person, Ning Haoyu spilled everything about my situation.

When Ning Haoyu finished, Master Wang said, “I understand the general situation. Your issue isn’t hard to handle. Send me your address via text. I’ll head over now. By the way, your number doesn’t seem to be from the city. If it’s far, there’s an additional charge.”

Sensitive to money, I asked how much extra. He replied, “If it’s nearby, just cover my gas. If it’s far, cover my round-trip transportation cost.”

The Taoist sounded reasonable. I said, “Alright.”

Then Ning Haoyu asked what we should do in the meantime. Master Wang said, “Do nothing. I don’t think it’s a malevolent ghost. Probably won’t harm anyone seriously. Don’t provoke it. Wait until I get there.”

Once settled, Ning Haoyu hung up and texted him my address.

After sending it, Ning Haoyu let out a long sigh. “Alright. This should be solvable now.”

I was still a bit uneasy. What if this guy was a fraud?

So I studied Ning Haoyu’s face. Though encountering a ghost triggered bad luck, his complexion looked good, and the spot between his eyebrows was bright. This meant he was about to meet a helpful person—a “noble person.” Could that noble person be the Taoist?

Thinking this, I felt slightly more at ease.

Then Ning Haoyu and I hid in the room, not daring to go out. A short while later, Xiang Li came downstairs, dressed to the nines. I knew she was heading to work.

Before leaving, she knocked on my window. “Remember, Little Landlord—five months’ rent waived.”

I grumbled, “I know!”

At the same time, I glanced at Xiang Li again. The darkness between her eyebrows had faded somewhat, but the Palace of Longevity still showed signs of thinning, and the Palace of Illness and Calamity remained dark. This meant the ghost had left her body, but she would still suffer a serious illness.

So I couldn’t help but warn her, “Xiang Li, I suggest you go to the hospital for a check-up. From your face, I see signs of… a major illness.”

Xiang Li smiled at me. “First you say I’m possessed, now you say I’m sick. Little Landlord, stop joking. I’m perfectly healthy.”

With that, she waved and walked out, completely dismissing my words.

Ning Haoyu, listening nearby, muttered, “Why bother with that woman? No good deed goes unpunished.”