The female ghost explained, "Master Niu is one of the many disciples of Master Zhang. He is highly skilled, but since he's not from the direct bloodline, he eventually branched out to establish his path. You could think of yourself as the 55th generation disciple under Master Zhang. From now on, it will be your responsibility to maintain the peace between the realms of yin and yang, exorcise evil spirits, capture demons, and benefit the common folk."
"You mean to say, the task of maintaining world peace is now on my shoulders? Don't joke with me, lady. I can barely look at a ghost without trembling, and now you want me to exorcise evil spirits and catch demons? Aren't you a ghost yourself? Should I capture you too? By the way, where's the old trickster?"
"It's different," the ghost said. "I'm not an ordinary spirit. Besides, you can't capture me. As for the Master, he has passed on. His soul has gone to the Underworld to report. However, he said that if there's a chance, he will contact you."
"Wait a minute, lady, I haven't even agreed to become his disciple yet."
The ghost spoke softly, "It doesn't matter whether you admit it now or not, because you've already inherited his will. You've received his legacy, which includes fifty thousand yuan in cash, one hundred fifty thousand yuan in IOUs, the divine weapon Shadow Sword, a bottle of Bull's Tears, a set of 'Records of Demon Subjugation by the Bull Sect,' a complete 'Book of Charms,' and... a hardcover edition of The Golden Lotus." The ghost's tone faltered slightly as she spoke.
I was stunned for a moment. "Lady, is The Golden Lotus also a Taoist text?"
"No," she replied, "That book was part of the Master's collection. He asked you to burn it for him in a few days. Only someone close to him can send it to him in the afterlife."
I frowned and said, "Lady, you seem knowledgeable and reasonable. You also know that I never agreed to become that old trickster's disciple. Just let me go, please. I'm too timid. I'm not suited for this line of work."
To my surprise, the ghost nodded. Just as I began to feel a glimmer of hope, she added coldly, "Alright, but from now on, I'll visit you every day. When you're eating, I'll sit across from you. When you're sleeping, I'll hide by your bed. When you're in class, I'll float around in front of you. Of course, I won't kill you. But you'll have to choose what kind of life you want to live."
At this point, how could I refuse? If I didn't agree, I'd likely go mad from the ghost's torment! Imagine eating with her sitting across from me in some terrifying form. I wouldn't be able to eat at all, and I'd probably throw up the last meal...
Under the ghost's relentless pressure, I reluctantly compromised. Trying to win her over, I said, "Lady, was the old trickster a burden to you? Don't worry, now that he's gone, you're free! The things have already been delivered. Now, I'm going to sleep. Can you leave?"
To my surprise, the ghost responded coldly, "He's your master. You must show respect in how you refer to him! Master was a good person. If he hadn't been in such a hurry, he wouldn't have rashly chosen you as his disciple, nor would he have left you with debts. But don't worry, I will help you. I've followed him for years and can offer you guidance on Taoist arts."
"Ghosts can teach Taoism?" I was taken aback.
"Just as humans have their path, so too do ghosts. I've been with the Master for many years, and I understand Taoist spells well enough to help you, a beginner," the ghost said, making it clear we would be seeing a lot of each other from now on. And she would even take on the role of my master. This felt like a real-life version of Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu!
I took a deep breath. "Lady, too much has happened today. I need to sort out my thoughts. Can you leave for now? Come back tomorrow during the day."
People tend to fear the dark, but the fear is greatly reduced in daylight.
The ghost didn't say anything more. With a flash, she vanished.
I buried my head under the blankets, shivering until finally, morning arrived. When I went downstairs, I moved cautiously, afraid the ghost might appear at any moment. Thankfully, she didn't. I breathed a long sigh of relief as I pushed open the building door, feeling as if a heavy weight had been lifted.
When I woke up, I hid the black backpack in the back of the wardrobe to avoid my mom finding it. Inside, there was indeed fifty thousand yuan in cash, a waterproof file filled with IOUs, a sword hilt without a blade, a few books, and a glass bottle containing liquid.
As I rode my bike across campus, I was still the center of attention. I tossed my hair slightly, causing a flurry of screams and murmurs from the nearby girls. Two older women nearby whispered, "Look at that idiot..."
But no matter what, I was now the sect leader, and I wasn't going to argue with these ordinary people. After locking up my bike, I made my way to class.
Once in class, I suddenly remembered that I hadn't done my homework from yesterday. I quickly pulled out my workbook and a coin, using the coin to decide the multiple-choice answers. Heads for A, tails for B, and now and then I'd pick C or D randomly. Fifty-seven seconds later, I was done with twenty questions and lay my head on the desk to sleep. I hadn't slept all night, and I desperately needed to catch up on my rest.
A while later, the bell rang, and the teacher called for class to begin. The students weakly greeted her with a tired "Good morning."
Since I was sitting at the back and had the reputation of being the class clown, no one expected me to stand, and the teacher didn't dare say anything. "Good morning, class," the teacher said. "Today, we have a new student. Let's have her introduce herself."
Just then, a soft female voice said, "My name is Zhou Huiqing. Please take care of me."
Thunderous applause erupted, which irritated me so much that I covered my ears. As a bit of a misfit at school, no one wanted to sit next to me, leaving the seat beside me empty.
I felt someone sit next to me, accompanied by a chill breeze that sent a shiver down my spine. My drowsiness was reduced by a third, but I still didn't look up and continued to try to sleep.
When I finally woke up, it was already past noon, and most of the class had left. I rubbed my eyes and rode my bike back home. My mom had already prepared lunch. As I ate, she asked, "Son, did you pay attention in class this morning?"
I made up an excuse and got away with it. After lunch, I retreated to my room and began examining the old trickster's belongings.
The bottle of liquid was indeed Bull's Tears. I had once seen a movie where it was said that Bull's Tears allowed people to see ghosts. I had thought it was nonsense, but now I realized it was true. The movie's Bull's Tears were blue, but this bottle was clear.
Then there was the strange sword, a hilt without a blade. The female ghost had called it the Shadow Sword, but I had no idea how to use it.
The Book of Charms was old and tattered, with over a hundred pages, each filled with obscure and incomprehensible charms. I couldn't make sense of them at all.
The Records of Demon Subjugation by the Bull Sect were mostly written in traditional Chinese characters, which, given that I couldn't even fully read simplified characters, left me at a complete loss.
Finally, my eyes landed on the hardcover edition of The Golden Lotus. I opened the book and began to study it carefully…
At 12:50, my mom knocked on the door from outside. "Son, it's time to go to school, or you'll be late."
Reluctantly, I closed the book and carefully placed it back in the bag. After a moment's thought, I strapped the sword hilt to my waist. I'd heard it was a divine weapon, and with that thing, I'd feel braver walking home at night.
By the time I arrived at class, it was already 1:20. The seat next to mine was occupied by a rather pretty girl. A few lecherous boys were trying to chat her up.
She seemed to recognize me and, after I walked in, stood up and motioned for me to sit next to her. She was outgoing and said, "Hi, I'm Zhou Huiqing. What about you?"
"Zhang Xiaolong," I replied briefly. My mind was still preoccupied with The Golden Lotus. It truly was a masterpiece! Tang Seng traveled to the West to get it! Cao Cao died of a headache because he never got to read it! Even though it wasn't one of the Four Great Classical Novels, in my heart, it had surpassed them all! The old trickster had good taste; learning that made me feel a bit closer to him.
Suddenly, Zhou Huiqing whispered, "Zhang Xiaolong? Didn't you used to live in Li Village? Was your real name Li Xiaolong?"
"Huh? How do you know?" I asked, surprised.
She lowered her head, stammering, "I… I'm Xiao Hui."
"No way! Xiao Hui's name is Zhou Xiaohui, but you…"
"You remember so clearly! I am Xiao Hui. My family moved to the city, and then I changed my name," she said with a smile.
I had always considered Xiao Hui, my childhood deskmate in kindergarten, as a friend. I still remember when I spilled a drink on her, and she had asked the teacher to forgive me. I couldn't help but glance at her chest… It had developed quite nicely.
Xiao Hui quickly covered my eyes with her hand, her voice a bit awkward as she said, "You haven't changed at all." She was referring to my lecherous behavior.
I cleared my throat and lay my head back down on the desk, intending to continue my nap. The fact that the female ghost hadn't come looking for me during the day was an ominous sign. She would probably show up tonight, and I wouldn't be able to sleep well. I needed to make up for the sleep now in preparation for the nightmares that would come later.
But Xiao Hui shook my arm, "Zhang Xiaolong, why aren't you paying attention in class? Your parents send you to school to learn, not to sleep."
I rolled my eyes, about to complain about her nagging, when a cold wind suddenly swept through the room, making me shiver again! At the same time, I felt a warm sensation near my waist. I looked at Xiao Hui and said, "I didn't sleep well last night. I'm just too tired to focus on class. Please let me be… Also, the weather's getting colder. Wear something warmer tomorrow. My school uniform is in your desk drawer, so if you get cold, you can wear it." With that, I lay back down and tried to get some sleep.
Since Xiao Hui was sitting next to me, my desk was surrounded by a chaotic group of boys during break. They were all trying to win her favor, and after sleeping through two classes, I no longer felt sleepy. I lifted my head to look at Xiao Hui, who was attentively listening to the lesson and taking notes. But as I looked more closely, I noticed something odd—there seemed to be a dark aura faintly swirling in the center of her eyebrows.
Was I seeing things?
I rubbed my eyes, and to my shock, the dark aura was still there! A term popped into my head: the black energy at the center of the forehead.
Coupled with the cold wind I'd felt since Xiao Hui arrived, and the chills I had experienced when the female ghost was around yesterday, I began to wonder: Could there be a ghost trying to harm Xiao Hui?!