"This..."
Sui Wan'er's condition was tempting, but deep down, I didn't want to help her. She wasn't human, but an evil spirit, an old ghost resurrected through a borrowed body. If such an old ghost were caught by the underworld, she would be sent to the eighteen levels of hell. Only a lunatic would help her.
She was already not tolerated by the mortal world. If I helped her, it would be aiding and abetting evil, making it difficult to avoid hell. Moreover, I didn't know who she was looking for, but it was definitely not an ordinary ghost, otherwise, she wouldn't have traveled all the way from Molu Village in the south to the northeast to find me.
Seeing me standing still, Sui Wan'er didn't rush. She simply played with the strands of hair at her temples with one hand and spun the red paper umbrella with the other. The umbrella made a 'whoosh' sound as it rotated, its threat obvious, as if saying, "If you don't agree, today is your death day."
"A wise man knows when to yield. I can agree to help you find someone, but our past grievances must be wiped clean. Otherwise, you can kill me now." My words were bold, but my heart trembled slightly, because I was gambling. I was gambling that the ghost she was looking for was very important to her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have wanted to kill me upon meeting, only to stop at the critical moment. Clearly, she wanted to use threats to control me.
Sui Wan'er's smile disappeared, and a cold glint appeared in her narrow eyes. "It seems you disagree with my terms. Then I will kill you, turn you into a wandering soul, and then I will..."
"Alright, whatever you say. I can help you find the person first, can't I? Then you can decide whether to settle our matters based on your mood." I quickly interrupted her, feeling a bit annoyed that my gamble had failed. She was truly an old ghost who had lived for over a hundred years, with more schemes than Huang San.
I just wondered if Huang San could bring reinforcements.
"Hmph... That's more like it. You go back to that inn and stay there. I'll come find you tonight." Without waiting for my agreement, she turned and walked into the rain, holding her umbrella.
Watching her figure disappear into the mist of the rain, I breathed a sigh of relief. Did she think I was a fool? Wait until night? I'd be the real idiot if I didn't run now.
Just as I was about to head towards the station, Sui Wan'er's voice reached my ears again, "Oh, and there's one more thing I forgot to say. I've placed a ghost curse on you. If you try to escape, or even think of contacting outsiders for help, I will kill you right now."
Wha... What, a ghost... curse?
My heart sank. This was a method ghosts used against the living. The stronger the ghost, the more effective it was. My master told me that if a ghost reached the Ghost Emperor level, they could know everything in your mind and even control the living to commit suicide. It was extremely sinister. Thinking about the various effects of the ghost curse, I gave up the idea of escaping.
But when did she place the ghost curse on me? I didn't feel anything. Could she be lying to me?
I quickly lifted my T-shirt and looked at my chest. Indeed, there was a black mark, about the size of an egg, like a birthmark, near my heart.
"This ghost woman, she really put a ghost curse on me." I didn't dare to curse out loud, only cursing in my heart. Who knew if she was eavesdropping nearby? If she heard me, it would be more trouble.
Fortunately, she didn't speak again. It seemed she hadn't reached the highest level of the ghost curse, otherwise, she would surely sense me cursing her in my mind.
After cursing my bad luck, I turned and walked towards Boss Chen's Rising Sun Inn. By the time I arrived, it was already noon after all the commotion. As I entered, I saw Boss Chen sitting at a small tea table by the counter, leisurely drinking a small beer with peanuts.
The sound of the door opening made him look up at me, and he said in surprise, "Mr. Song, why are you back? And you're all wet! Couldn't you get a taxi?"
"Don't mention it. The bus station collapsed for some reason, and I almost got crushed. There wasn't a single taxi either. Maybe I offended the Grand Duke today." I told him a half-truth. Boss Chen was already troubled enough. If I told him about Sui Wan'er, he might faint from fear. It was better not to say anything.
"Oh, I see! I didn't know you were coming back. I only bought some peanuts and beer. You go take a hot shower first, and then I'll buy a couple of dishes, and we can have a good chat."
I nodded, took out my wallet from my backpack, and threw him five hundred yuan, telling him to buy more and we wouldn't stop drinking until we were drunk. He initially wanted to refuse, but seeing my firm attitude, he didn't say anything more.
When I came out after showering, Boss Chen had already prepared the food and drinks. Perhaps because of the rain, most of the dishes were braised. Fortunately, the weather was hot, and eating braised food with beer was a good choice.
Before showering, I had considered calling Zhang Dabiao, but as soon as the thought appeared in my mind, I felt like I was being watched. It was undoubtedly Sui Wan'er monitoring me.
After putting down my phone, the feeling of being watched disappeared. This forced me to think of another way to escape Sui Wan'er's clutches as soon as possible.
"It's raining heavily today, and there's nothing good to eat nearby. Only two braised food places are open. We brothers will have to make do."
"Heh heh... Braised food and wine on a rainy day, there's nothing better than this..."
Boss Chen had a good tolerance for alcohol. After drinking seven or eight bottles of beer, he only had a slight hint of drunkenness. As for me, after just two bottles, my head felt a bit dizzy, and my heart was pounding like a drum. This made me feel like I was being watched again.
This time, the feeling of being watched lasted for a long time, about ten minutes. Finally, after hearing Sui Wan'er's voice say "little drunkard," the feeling of being watched disappeared.
I put down the beer bottle in my hand and said to Boss Chen, "Boss Chen, after dinner, you should go home. I plan to use your inn for tonight."
"No... no problem, it's a small matter..." Boss Chen agreed with a slurred tongue. Perhaps thinking of something, he widened his eyes and asked me, "Are you in trouble again?"
I nodded slightly and said, "It's not trouble, just meeting someone. If anything is damaged this time, I'll compensate you for yesterday's damage as well."
Boss Chen waved his hand and said it wasn't necessary, telling me to use it boldly. He also mentioned that he was planning to renovate anyway, so if it got broken, it would save him the trouble of demolition.
Knowing the purpose of my needing the inn, Boss Chen lost his appetite for drinking. After drinking two more bottles of beer, he called a friend, and within half an hour, his friend picked him up. The entire inn was left with just me.
After pulling down the roller shutter, I didn't rest. Instead, I took out all the Yang talismans from my backpack and counted them. There were still over fifty.
"Enough!"
I agreed to help Sui Wan'er find someone, but that was just a delaying tactic. She was an old ghost who had died hundreds of years ago and resurrected through a borrowed body. If I didn't send her to the underworld, it would be good enough. How could I help her?
Without her monitoring me, I didn't get too excited. Instead, I set up the Liu Yao Yang Xuan Formation while sipping beer in small sips, all to maintain my heart rate.
Due to the unevenness of the room's location, setting up the Liu Yao Xuan Yang Formation was a bit troublesome. I had to dismantle a few walls. Two hours later, the formation was finally set up, just as Sui Wan'er arrived.
Everything was done, and it was almost dark. I didn't go out to eat. I had the remaining two bottles of beer from noon and some leftover braised food for dinner. As I was eating, the roller shutter slowly opened automatically.
Sui Wan'er, dressed in red and holding a paper umbrella, appeared before me.
"Are you ready?"