The old couple must have been frightened by the evil spirit that had taken over their old house.
They would rather leave their homeland than stay.
But why did they warn me to be careful of the fierce spirit's belly?
However, it didn't matter. If it was truly that fierce, it meant the evil spirit had a long lifespan, and there would be plenty of lamp oil to seize.
I intended to report this matter to my master immediately.
But when I reached the door, I found my master was already asleep, snoring loudly.
So I didn't disturb him. After washing up, I returned to my small room to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up early and opened the shop for business.
After I bought breakfast, my master emerged from the bedroom, yawning.
"Master, I bought breakfast. It's on the table."
I said.
My master nodded:
"Okay!"
Then he walked to the table.
He picked up a steamed bun, and as he ate, he asked:
"Xiao Qin, how many clothes did we sell last night?"
"We sold two black mourning gowns. This is the ghost money we received."
Saying that, I handed over two old coins, blackened and yellowed.
My master glanced at them:
"Keep them yourself. Carrying a few of these things with you can be useful sometimes."
"Alright!"
I replied, putting away the old coins.
Then I continued:
"Master, when I was selling clothes last night.
I heard about an evil spirit appearing near Nanshan.
The old couple who came to buy clothes were driven out by that thing.
They also said that thing eats children..."
"Oh?"
My master looked at me with a hint of suspicion.
Then I recounted the conversation with the old couple from last night to my master, along with my thoughts.
After all, twenty days of life were not much.
Now that I knew there was an evil spirit nearby, I naturally didn't want to miss this chance to contend for life.
My master's expression was calm. He took a sip of soy milk:
"You want to go and seize that foul thing's lifespan?"
I nodded seriously:
"Yes, that's right.
But the old couple said that evil spirit is very fierce.
So I wanted to ask if you could accompany me tonight to take a look."
But my master frowned...
Seeing my master frown, I asked again:
"Master, is it not possible?"
My master shook his head:
"It's not that it's not possible. It's just that the guild war is tonight, and I can't leave!"
Upon hearing this, I was stunned.
I thought my master had something important to do, but it turned out to be a guild war in the "Snake Eater" game.
For a moment, I didn't know what to say.
My master, perhaps seeing my displeased expression, suddenly chuckled:
"No rush, no rush!
Your lamp oil is still enough.
How about this, you take my peach wood sword tonight and go scout the place.
If you can handle it, then deal with it.
It will be good practice for you.
If you can't, then come back.
I'll accompany you tomorrow night..."
Since my master had said so much, I couldn't say anything more.
I just pursed my lips and nodded in agreement.
My master is actually very kind.
It's just that his addiction to smoking and gaming is quite strong...
After breakfast, the day's work began again.
The work in the shop wasn't complicated, and often, I just sat around.
In the morning, only one customer came to buy incense and candles.
The rest of the time, I practiced the sword-opening talismans.
My master was on the microphone, playing the Snake Eater game.
Occasionally, he would ask me to look at the new skins he bought.
It was hard to imagine that this was a sixty-year-old master who understood how to ward off misfortune and invite good luck.
In the afternoon, I practiced the sword-opening talismans for a while.
Although I still couldn't directly open the sword with a finger gesture, my success rate using talismans had reached about eighty percent.
At this moment, I was sitting on the sofa resting, browsing Douyin.
A WeChat message popped up on the screen.
I instinctively clicked to view it.
I saw that the sender was Mo Ting from Wanshoutang.
There were only a few words: "Brother Qin, drinks tonight."
Below that, a row of big white-toothed smiling face emojis was attached.
Seeing it was Mo Ting, I suddenly had an idea.
Mo Ting also had real skills. Why not invite Mo Ting to join me tonight?
With that thought, I quickly sent a reply.
I told him I was going to scout the place tonight to deal with an evil spirit and asked if he was interested in joining.
Mo Ting was originally a passionate otaku.
As soon as I sent the message, he got excited and sent a string of excited sticker packs.
Afterward, we chatted on WeChat for a while and agreed on a time and place.
By five o'clock in the afternoon, which was the end of work hours.
I informed my master that I was preparing to go to Nanshan to scout.
My master had become a Snake King by then and was围杀ing the last few small snakes.
He didn't have the energy to pay attention to me. He pointed to the inner room:
"Xiao Qin, take that peach wood sword from my room.
Don't be reckless. If you can't handle it, call me..."
I grunted and went into my master's room to get his peach wood sword.
My master's peach wood sword looked quite old.
It was shiny and smooth, having been used so much that it had developed a patina.
I swung it in my hand. It felt good, and then I put it into the sword bag.
After coming out, I greeted my master and then left the shop.
As I left, I happened to see Mo Ting also coming out of Wanshoutang.
We exchanged knowing smiles, but didn't dare to greet each other.
Because our respective masters disliked each other and did not allow us to interact with the shops opposite them.
So, we had to pretend not to know each other.
It was only when we got on the bus that we both breathed a sigh of relief...