If he hadn’t seen that handsome young gentleman before, Ji Linxi might really have agreed to take only one thousand taels.

By now, the sky had already darkened. Since it was winter, the cold wind howled through the courtyard. All the trees had lost their leaves. In daylight, the place looked merely bleak, but at night it became far more eerie, as though tall, silent human shadows stood all around, coldly watching everyone.

The servants lit the candles and placed the lanterns under their covers, using their bodies to shield them from the wind so the flames wouldn’t flicker too violently. The old Taoist was directing his apprentices to lay out the array, and the tools he used were dazzling to look at.

“Qingming, splash the dog’s blood on the gold thread.”

“Qingle, set the five-colored cloth properly. Arrange it around the courtyard — east, south, west, north, and center. Put the one in the center inside Young Master Wang’s bedroom.”

“Qingtian, set the table and cloth. Bring the spirit-inviting incense.”

…

The array had already been set up. What remained was the ritual itself.

As for this so-called ghost trouble, the old Taoist and his apprentices had long since prepared for it. One apprentice was skilled in ventriloquism and could pretend to be possessed by a vengeful spirit, speaking without moving his mouth. With a little more manipulation from the old Taoist, the ghost would “disperse” from the apprentice’s body, and by then, the five hundred taels would be theirs with ease.

Everything proceeded exactly as the old Taoist had planned. His young apprentice suddenly convulsed violently within the formation, then emitted a woman’s voice, crying out, “Old Taoist! You want to drive me away? Dream on!”

Daoist Chang Weng gave a cold laugh. “You harm the living world, and yet you remain stubbornly unrepentant. Today, this old Daoist will make sure your soul is shattered to pieces here!”

Upon hearing the words “shattered to pieces,” Young Master Wang, who had been cowering behind his father and mother, poked out his head in excitement and said, “That’s right! Daoist, you must make sure this evil ghost is shattered to pieces! Let her never be reborn!”

After Daoist Chang Weng finished his performance, the “female ghost” suddenly let out a dreadful scream, and then his apprentice collapsed to the ground. It looked as if the ghost had been destroyed.

Sweat poured down Chang Weng’s face as he tossed his whisk onto his arm. “This female ghost truly has some skill. It took me quite some effort to eliminate her.”

“Was she eliminated, Daoist?” Young Master Wang hurriedly asked.

Chang Weng wiped the sweat from his brow. “Yes. Fortunately, the evil formation earlier had not yet been completed. If it had, I’m afraid even I would have been unable to deal with this fierce ghost.”

These words immediately drew Young Master Wang’s hatred toward Ji Linxi. Even Mr. Wang and Mrs. Wang’s expressions turned cold when they looked at him.

“Father!”

Mr. Wang raised a hand and said icily, “I’ll handle this.”

He walked up to Ji Linxi and gave a laugh, his earlier kindness gone without a trace, replaced by a terrifying coldness. “You dared to harm my son, so you’ll pay with your life, Daoist Chu.”

Mr. Wang ordered the servants to bind Ji Linxi with ropes. Yet Ji Linxi offered no resistance at all, not even when he was beaten. His behavior surprised Mr. Wang, who asked, “You really won’t resist?”

Ji Linxi lifted his injured face and said with a somewhat numb expression, “What’s the point of resisting? You all think that ghost has already been eliminated and don’t trust me. I should never have come to your Wang household in the first place.”

Mr. Wang frowned. “You mean that ghost hasn’t been eliminated?”

Ji Linxi smiled, but the smile was mocking. “How can a ghost be so easily eliminated?”

As soon as he said that, a sorrowful, hatred-filled voice rang out: “Wang He, give me your life!”

With a bang, the bedroom door slammed open from both sides. In the center of the room stood a female ghost in red. She had no neck, only a human head cradled in her arms. The head had long loose hair and revealed a pale, beautiful face. Upon seeing that face, Young Master Wang let out a scream and quickly hid behind his mother, terrified. “She’s here! Mother! She’s here to take my life!”

The female ghost glared at Young Master Wang with venomous, spiteful eyes and began floating toward the doorway. Her movement was nothing like a human’s.

That horrifying sight terrified not only Young Master Wang, but even Daoist Chang Weng was so frightened his legs went weak and he fell straight onto the ground. “Ghost… ghost!”

Everyone turned to run, only to discover that the door behind them had somehow been locked. They couldn’t get out.

The apprentice who had just been lying motionless on the ground, upon hearing the word “ghost,” immediately sprang up. Seeing this scene, who still wouldn’t understand? They had been thoroughly deceived by Daoist Chang Weng.

The Wang family was filled with regret and hatred.

The vengeful ghost drew closer, grinning cruelly. “Fortunately, you broke the earlier formation. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have escaped so easily. Now I’m going to drag your whole Wang family to the grave!”

“I’ll cut you into a thousand pieces and make sure you die horribly!”

Seeing that familiar face, Young Master Wang was so terrified that he clung to his mother and collapsed to the ground. A strong, foul smell spread through the air — he had been scared so badly that he wet himself.

“Help… help… save me…”

Mrs. Wang, frightened half to death, hugged him tightly. “D-don’t be afraid, He’er…” she trembled. “Daoist Chu is still here, Daoist Chu is still here… your father and I will make Daoist Chu save you!”

Mr. Wang hurriedly told someone to untie Ji Linxi. “Daoist Chu… Daoist Chu, please save us!”

Ji Linxi flicked his wrists and then picked up his bamboo basket, looking as though he was about to leave. He said coolly, “This humble Daoist is powerless. Mr. Wang, you should ask Daoist Chang Weng instead.”

As he spoke, he began walking toward the wall, and in a few moves he had climbed onto it. For someone who frequented the lower-class underworld, his physical ability was naturally not bad. When it came to running away, Ji Linxi claimed second place, and no one dared claim first.

Just as he was about to jump down, Mr. Wang stumbled and scrambled after him, crying, “Daoist Chu! Don’t go! If you leave, what will happen to our Wang family!”

Ji Linxi turned back with a look of disappointed coldness. “I said from the very beginning that the formation could not be broken. You didn’t listen to my advice. I intended to save you once, but you refused. Now I can do nothing.”

Mr. Wang pleaded, “As long as you save us! One thousand taels!”

If he hadn’t seen that handsome young gentleman, Ji Linxi might have really agreed. But after seeing such an incomparably beautiful nobleman, how could he still want to?

A mere one thousand taels wasn’t even one percent of the bride price he needed to save.

The ghost had already floated out of the room.

“You Wang family harmed me to this extent. Even Heaven will not help you!”

Mr. Wang clenched his teeth and said in fear, “Five thousand taels! Daoist Chu! As long as you deal with this fierce ghost, my Wang family will offer you five thousand taels of silver! We were wrong before! We apologize to you!” He kicked his son beside him and barked, “Hurry up and apologize to Daoist Chu! Daoist Chu was trying to help you from the start! And you, this unfilial son, failed to appreciate it and disappointed him!”

At this point, as long as he could save himself, Young Master Wang would even be willing to kneel and kowtow. He didn’t dare look at the floating ghost even once, and quickly crawled to Ji Linxi’s feet, crying all over his face and snot. “Daoist Chu, please save me, I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die! If five thousand taels isn’t enough, I’ll give you another two thousand! Seven thousand total, how about that!”

Seven thousand taels. Ji Linxi rolled his eyes.

That was more like it.

But of course he couldn’t show the greedy face of someone who was only after money. That would be too low-class. So he said, “It’s not that I don’t want to solve this for the Wang family. It’s just that I’m afraid Young Master Wang won’t be able to bear the method.”

“I can bear it!!” Young Master Wang immediately cried out.

Ji Linxi said, “Previously, you only needed one bowl of blood a day. But now, Young Master Wang, you must let out four bowls of blood at once before I’ll have enough power to fight this fierce ghost.”

He really was bold beyond belief. Not only did he cheat people out of their money, he also wanted half their life.

Young Master Wang stared in horror. “F-four bowls of blood!”

“Four bowls,” Ji Linxi confirmed.

Young Master Wang cried out that he refused, and the ghost floated closer again.

Ji Linxi said, “Since Young Master Wang is unwilling, I can’t save the Wang family. This ghost intends to kill every last one of you before it can rest.”

While Young Master Wang was still crying out in terror, Mr. Wang suddenly grabbed a knife, held him down, and cut into his arm!

“Father… Father!” Young Master Wang was completely terrified.

“Bring a bowl quickly!” Mr. Wang shouted.

There were already bowls in the courtyard. Soon one was filled. Mr. Wang hurriedly had them replace it, then lifted the full bowl and said, “Daoist Chu! Four bowls it is! Please save our Wang family!”

Only then did Ji Linxi jump back down. He took a bowl of blood and bit his finger, letting a drop of his own blood fall into it too.

Tch, disgusting. He frowned in disgust.

Then he took the bowl and poured it toward the ghost.

The ghost retreated two steps. The head in its arms opened and closed its mouth as it said, “You disgusting Taoist! The Wang family treated you like this, and yet you still want to stop me from getting revenge!”

Ji Linxi put on a righteous, solemn expression. “Since you are a ghost, you and the living belong to different worlds. If I do not stop you now, you will only go on harming more people afterward.”

Mr. Wang quickly handed over another bowl of blood. Ji Linxi once again added a drop of his own blood and splashed it out, forcing the ghost back several steps. After four bowls, the ghost was driven back into the room. Only then did he draw out the peachwood sword he had brought with him and charge into the room.

Bang. The bedroom door shut tightly.

Outside, everyone could only see the figures inside desperately fighting one another, and then they heard a scream: “You disgusting Taoist! Just wait, I won’t let you off!”

Inside the room, the so-called desperate battle was naturally just an act performed for the people outside. The two of them fought while slowly retreating farther and farther back until their shadows no longer showed through the outside.

Only then did Ji Linxi lie down on the brocade-covered bed, leisurely tending to the wounds on his hand. Meanwhile, the “ghost” smashed the furniture in Young Master Wang’s room. The crackling noises made it sound as though the two were still fighting fiercely.

His head had already emerged from the front of his clothing. After wiping away the powder from his face, a delicate male face appeared — it was Chang Gui.

Ji Linxi blew on his hand lazily.

There was no real ghost. The ghost was just a person pretending to be one.

That day, from the very first glance at this servant’s posture, Ji Linxi had recognized his identity despite the other man’s best efforts to hide it. Actors and opera performers always had a different bearing and manner of movement from ordinary people. He had actually once wanted to learn opera to make money, but he simply didn’t have the right bones for it.

After probing him out, he had immediately stated his purpose: one man came to cheat money, the other came to avenge his beloved. The two of them just happened to hit it off. The other man asked him to apologize to the dead girl’s spirit, and agreed to cooperate with his act. What Ji Linxi needed to do was cripple half of Young Master Wang, so that this man could find a chance to send Young Master Wang on his way.