After helping the old man up, the crowd gradually dispersed. I pushed my tricycle, 1258, and slowly walked with the old man towards the distance. After about three minutes, I said, "This is the road to the police station. You'll soon find out if you're my grandfather. There were too many people earlier, so I didn't bother to argue."
"Huh? Kid, I didn't expect you to be quite clever," the old man scratched his behind and said with a grin. "I came to Qing Tian City this time to find you, because you're born with a 'Chi Xi' fate."
"You're the one with a 'Chi Xi' fate!" I reflexively shot back. Although my teachers always told us to respect the elderly, this old guy not only pretended to be my grandfather but also insulted my fate. I couldn't tolerate it.
"No, no, no! It's not 'eat-shit fate,' it's 'Chi Xi' fate!" the old man corrected me. "People with this fate are incredibly rare, and you'd be a perfect disciple of mine."
I became a bit impatient. "If you don't want to go to the police station, I'm going home. Also, I suggest you join the 'Seven-Day Solo Tour' at the Third Hospital."
The old man casually scratched his nose. "I knew you wouldn't believe me. Kid, let me ask you, since you were born, hasn't your luck always been terrible? Never anything good?"
I was surprised upon hearing this.
The old man continued, "Since you were born, no matter how dangerous things got, you never died, right? That's 'Chi Xi' fate—bad luck following you until death. Only by practicing Taoist arts can you lessen its effects. If you believe me, be at the entrance of the Qing Tian City Children's Park tomorrow at 3 PM. If you don't come, it means we're not meant to be, and I won't look for you again." With that, he turned and walked away. After just a few steps, his figure abruptly vanished!
This scene startled me! A living person can't just disappear into thin air, right? I quickly jumped on my tricycle, 1258, and pedaled as fast as I could, racing home.
…
The next day during class, I kept thinking about what had happened last night before. The man seemed like a fraud, but everything he said turned out to be true. Over the years, I had bad luck—drank pesticide, nearly electrocuted—but never had a life-threatening accident. And what was this talk about Taoist arts? Should I go meet him?
In the afternoon, for some inexplicable reason, I skipped class.
I arrived at the Children's Park entrance at 2:57 PM. A mysterious man approached me and whispered, "Zhang Xiaolong?"
"That's me."
"An old man is looking for you, but you must know the code word before I can take you to him."
"What code word?" I asked, confused. The old man hadn't mentioned a code word yesterday.
"Listen carefully: 'Fa Hai, you don't understand love.' What's the next line?" the man asked mysteriously.
I was stunned and replied helplessly, "I don't know the code word. If you don't tell me where he is, I'm leaving."
"Don't rush, little brother, I was just joking. He's over by the haunted house. Go find him yourself." With that, the man walked away.
I'd been to the Children's Park a few times, but never dared to go near the haunted house, mostly because I'm
afraid. But since the old man was waiting there, I had no choice but to ask for directions and head in that direction.
There, sitting on a bench outside the haunted house, was a man with his arm in a cast and a bandage hanging from his arm. As I looked closer, I realized it was the old man! I walked over and asked, "Old trickster, what happened to you?"
"What old trickster? That's rude," he scolded before continuing, "After we separated yesterday, I only walked a few steps and fell into a sewer. I called for you, but you didn't come to rescue me."
"No way! Didn't you say you wanted to teach me Taoist arts yesterday? Can't someone with Taoist abilities avoid falling into a sewer?"
"Of course not! I'm also cursed with Chi Xi fate, accidents like this are normal!" The old man scratched his behind, unfazed.
So, he and I both share this cursed fate. No wonder he's been so unlucky.
The old man continued, "Practicing Taoist arts can indeed lessen this fate. The reason I fell into the sewer last night is that my energy has already been depleted. Without any power to protect me, bad luck is bound to follow. But even so, I won't die easily. People with Chi Xi fate can only die of old age—rarely from disease or accidents."
"Old trickster, is all this true? But I still feel like you just escaped from the Third Hospital. Tell me your name, I'm calling them to verify!"
"Kid, I don't have time for your questions. I have less than two hours to live before I have to report to the Underworld. During this time, I must help you understand your destiny as much as possible. How about you just listen to my story for an hour?" The old man's demeanor suddenly became serious.
"Fine." I nodded and sat down next to him. "I do enjoy listening to stories, especially fantasy ones."
"Who told you to sit down? Kneel and kowtow to me, calling me 'Master'!"
"Old trickster, I haven't agreed to become your disciple yet."
"I have no children or heirs. If you become my disciple, after I die, you'll inherit everything I have, my lifelong savings!"
"Inheritance?" I asked, a bit intrigued. "How much?"
The old man replied leisurely, "Fifty thousand in cash, and one hundred and fifty thousand in IOUs."
"Someone owes you one hundred and fifty thousand?" I frowned.
"No," the old man shook his head, "I owe someone one hundred and fifty thousand, and you'll have to help me pay it off."
Without a second thought, I turned and walked away!
I thought I was about to hit the jackpot and inherit some money, but now, if I accepted, I'd immediately be saddled with a debt of one hundred and forty-five thousand! Damn it, I am that unlucky!
Just then, I suddenly realized I couldn't move! My legs felt like they were being held by something! But when I looked down, there was nothing there. The old man smirked and said, "Kid, I'm telling you, you're not getting away today. You'll have to be my disciple! After all, you're born with a 'Chi Xi' fate! Don't worry, even though you'll help me repay the debt, I'll compensate you. First, kneel and kowtow to me, then I'll explain everything."
"No way!" I shook my head urgently, "If my dad finds out I skipped class and now owe over a hundred thousand, he's going to kill me!"
"Bruce, don't rush. I'll teach you Taoist arts. Do you know why you can't move right now?" The old man said slowly, "Simple. A female ghost has grabbed your leg."
"I'm an atheist, I believe in science and oppose superstition! There's no such thing as ghosts or gods in this world! Old man, let go of me, or I'll start screaming for help!" I threatened.
The old man took out a glass bottle from his black bag, filled with a transparent liquid. He opened the cap and rubbed the liquid around my eyes. I struggled to scream for help, but no sound came out! I thought to myself, I'm done for. This old man must be involved in human trafficking, and he's trying to abduct me.
After finishing with the liquid, the old man sat back down on the bench and pointed into the distance. "Bruce, look over there."
I looked in the direction he pointed and saw a young man on a bike about to crash into an old man. I shouted, "Get out of the way!"
What happened next will stay with me forever! The young man and his bike passed through the old man's body! I froze, unable to process what I had just seen.
The young man, startled by my shout, muttered "What the hell is wrong with you?" and walked off. The old man turned around, his face ashen, his eyes sunken, and he gave me a twisted smile, as if thanking me.
I quickly looked away, lowering my head in fear. But when I did, I saw a terrifying woman's face! Her entire face was rotting, with maggots crawling over it. She was wearing a white dress and was clutching my legs tightly.
My eyes went wide with shock. I stiffly reattached my chin, then, in a panicked voice, screamed.
"There's a ghost!"
I'm already a scaredy-cat, but seeing this nightmare-like scene made me faint within seconds…
...
When I woke up again, I found myself lying in my bed. The moonlight allowed me to glance at my watch—it was already past midnight.
At that moment, I noticed a girl, around eighteen or nineteen years old, standing beside my bed. She wore a white dress, her shoulder-length hair cascading down, her sharp chin giving her a classic beauty. I rubbed my eyes and muttered, "It must be a dream, but you look strangely familiar."
She softly said, "Now you look even more familiar." With that, her face contorted into something horrific, her skin rotting with maggots crawling across her face…
I froze in terror and screamed, "A ghost!"
Although my mouth was wide open, no sound came out, and my chin hook fell off again. My legs were shaking, and I was about to wet myself. I'm already a scaredy-cat, and now I had a ghost at close range—I was lucky I hadn't passed out yet!
She wiped her face with her sleeve, and her appearance returned to normal. She gently asked, "Do you believe in ghosts now?"
I quickly nodded, my eyes pleading with her to spare me.
She continued calmly, "Don't worry. I won't harm you. As long as you listen to me, I won't scare you. I'll let you speak now, but you can't scream. Otherwise, I'll scare you every day. Understand?"
Seeing no way out, I nodded quickly. I reattached my chin, swallowed, and asked, "What do you want from me? I don't have the money to rob, and I'm not attractive enough for that. How about I introduce you to a handsome guy?"
She transformed back into her terrifying form and said, "I don't want a handsome guy."
I quickly covered my eyes and whimpered, "No handsome guys! No handsome guys! Change back! Here, take all my savings—two hundred and fifty bucks—just don't kill me, don't rob me, and let me do whatever you want!" I peeked through my fingers and saw she had returned to her normal self. I sighed in relief and lowered my hands.
The ghost softly spoke, "You are now the fifty-fourth disciple of the Niu Tianshi sect and its fifty-fourth headmaster."
"Wait a minute." I interrupted, "I've heard of Zhang Daoling, Zhang Tianshi, but never heard of a Niu Tianshi."