Chapter 2 of 10

Chapter 2

14 min read3,395 words

"Old Man Jin!"

Jiang Le let out a cry of alarm and hurriedly ran in to check.

When he turned over Old Man Jin's body, Jiang Le's face turned pale with fright, and he collapsed to the ground.

At this moment, Old Man Jin's face was as white as snow, and he had no breath. His eyes, which seemed to still carry excitement and reluctance, were wide open.

"Dead? How could he be dead?"

Jiang Le was terrified.

After all, he was just an eighteen-year-old boy who had never encountered such a situation before. Naturally, he was at a loss.

"Old as he is, and with his organs severely eroded by yin energy, it's not surprising he died. What's the big deal?" a voice replied calmly.

Jiang Le couldn't help but nod.

Indeed, Old Man Jin was over seventy years old, and he had been coughing for years, looking sickly. It was only a matter of time before this happened.

Wait, that's not right, there's someone here?

Jiang Le was thoroughly frightened.

He hadn't seen anyone else in the room just now.

He quickly turned his head to look around but still saw no one.

If there's no one here, who spoke?

Jiang Le felt a chill run down his spine, and cold sweat trickled down his back.

Could it be a ghost?

"Who's there? Come out!" Jiang Le shouted, trembling, and he was already prepared to run away at any moment.

If it was a person, that would be fine, but if it was that kind of thing, he would be in big trouble.

"Hehe, you've got some guts, kid, to dare ask me to come out?" the voice said with a hint of amusement.

Jiang Le's mouth was dry, and his heart was pounding like thunder.

Now he was sure, this was definitely not a person.

"Um, you don't have to come out. I was just passing by and will leave now." Jiang Le, trying to suppress his fear, got up and was about to run out.

Slap!

At that moment, a cold wind suddenly blew in, and the door slammed shut.

Jiang Le was terrified and tried to pull the door open.

But the door seemed to have a magnetic force, and he couldn't open it no matter what.

Jiang Le was in a panic. He quickly pleaded, "Big Brother Ghost, please let me go. I have a sick mother to take care of. If I die, she will be left all alone."

"Tsk tsk, a filial son, huh? Not bad, not bad. But I don't like being called Big Brother Ghost. I have a name. You can call me Daoist Mao."

As the word "Daoist" fell, a golden light flashed in Old Man Jin's arms, and a shadow appeared, floating in the air.

It was a middle-aged man wearing a yellow Daoist robe, a Daoist cap on his head, with a thin face and sword-like eyebrows.

This miraculous scene left Jiang Le utterly despairing.

There really are ghosts! I've run into something evil.

"Daoist Mao, I'm just an ordinary employee at this antique shop. I have nothing to do with your death. Please don't harm me. If I die, my mother will be devastated. I can't die," Jiang Le looked at Daoist Mao nervously, explaining sincerely.

"Hahaha, what nonsense are you talking about, kid? I've been dead for almost a hundred years. You weren't even born then. How could you be related to my death?" Daoist Mao laughed heartily, seemingly amused.

Jiang Le felt like crying but couldn't. This was a hundred-year-old ghost.

In the ghost movies on TV, the older the ghost, the more ferocious it is!

"Don't be afraid. In life, I was a Daoist who specialized in upholding justice and subduing demons. I wouldn't harm people after death," Daoist Mao explained calmly.

Jiang Le weakly asked, "Really? You won't harm me? Like possessing me or borrowing my body to come back to life?"

Daoist Mao rolled his eyes and said irritably, "You know a lot, but I wouldn't do such things. Enough talk, this old man seems to have something to say to you. Wait a moment."

"Okay." Hearing Daoist Mao say he wouldn't harm him, Jiang Le felt a bit relieved. He had encountered a good ghost. Thank you, Buddha, for protecting me.

But then Jiang Le was startled again.

The old man wants to say something to me?

Which old man? Old Man Jin?

But wait, isn't he dead?

Jiang Le looked over in shock and was stunned.

Suddenly, the floating Daoist Mao reached out with a large hand, and a red light enveloped him as he pulled a shadow from Old Man Jin's body.

The shadow stabilized, revealing a slightly blurry face—none other than Old Man Jin.

But looking at the ground, Old Man Jin's body was still there.

Damn, Old Man Jin has also become a ghost.

Jiang Le really wanted to cry. He wished he could faint immediately and wake up to find it was all a dream.

But biting his tongue, it hurt!

"Old Man Jin... Boss, your death has nothing to do with me," Jiang Le couldn't help but explain, his face full of sorrow.

"Hmph, you're a spineless kid," Old Man Jin said calmly, scolding Jiang Le.

Jiang Le smiled bitterly.

If any young man suddenly encountered two ghosts and still acted bravely, I would bow to him and sing 'Conquer' for him.

"But you're a good kid, with the wisdom to cultivate and the willingness to endure hardship. I've been observing you for two months and think you're suitable to inherit my legacy. Unfortunately, I met this sudden disaster," Old Man Jin sighed.

At this point, Daoist Mao snorted and said, "Even if you hadn't met this disaster, you only had half a year left to live. Moreover, your internal magic power was impure, your Daoist soul was scattered, and the yin energy was hard to dispel. You couldn't even cultivate properly, let alone teach a good disciple."

Old Man Jin looked at Daoist Mao and narrowed his eyes, "I was wondering why there was yin energy in a pure yang Bagua. It turns out a ghost was hiding inside."

"Ghost? Have you ever seen a ghost that can hide in a pure yang Bagua? Why don't you try going in now?" Daoist Mao seemed to have no good feelings towards Old Man Jin and retorted with a cold laugh.

Old Man Jin was taken aback and his face changed slightly.

Daoist Mao noticed his change in expression and said coldly, "Now you realize something's wrong. Let me tell you, I was very angry. When I had little time left, I knew I couldn't achieve my Daoist path. I made a final effort to merge my Daoist soul with the pure yang Bagua and sealed the Blood Demon in the Nine Yang Land, where it would be refined by the sun's true fire every day. It would take 81 years to completely refine the Blood Demon and eliminate a great calamity from the world. But you and your successors dug up the Nine Yang Land, took the pure yang Bagua, and released the Blood Demon. Now the Blood Demon is hiding, and once it recovers, it will bring a great disaster to the world. Who will make up for this mistake?"

Old Man Jin's face changed completely and he exclaimed, "You are the great Daoist Mao Xiaofang!"

Daoist Mao mocked, "Who did you think I was? From the magic power you displayed, you must be from the Jin family of South Ridge. When I made the decision to make this sacrifice, I informed the Jin family. How could your descendant commit such a mistake? Do you have ulterior motives?!"

Old Man Jin was speechless, his face changing several times before he sighed, "It's my fault, but I only have a vague understanding of the matter. I don't know the exact location or details. Decades ago, due to a great change in China, my family in South Ridge was affected, and the family split apart. The lineage almost broke, let alone this secret history. As for the Nine Yang Land, I passed by it once and sensed a mix of yin and yang energy, which was very mysterious. I thought it might contain a great treasure, but because my cultivation was insufficient and I was severely affected by yin energy, I couldn't act. So I had someone dig it up, and I didn't expect to release a world-class demon."

"Great change in China? What kind of change could affect the Daoist community?" Daoist Mao asked, puzzled.

Old Man Jin said bitterly, "This change specifically targeted the Daoist community. Techniques are flourishing, but Daoist methods are declining. In today's society, there are very few pure Daoists left."

Daoist Mao was shocked, "How could this happen? Without Daoists to maintain order, wouldn't evil spirits run rampant?"

Old Man Jin shook his head, "Not necessarily. With the decline of Daoist methods, it seems that demons and ghosts have also become fewer. In my decades of travel, I haven't encountered powerful demons or evil spirits. I don't know why."

Daoist Mao's face became serious, and after a moment of contemplation, he sighed, "The world has changed so much in less than a hundred years. Truly, the heavens are not benevolent."

At this moment, Old Man Jin's figure suddenly became blurry and seemed to be dispersing.

Daoist Mao's eyes flashed, and he looked at him in surprise, "Your soul can't gather? For a newly deceased person, the three souls and seven spirits are very stable. Only after the seventh day, if they don't reincarnate and remain in the human world, their souls will disperse without a yin treasure to stabilize them. How can this be happening to you?"

Old Man Jin said helplessly, "I don't understand either. Since the great change in the Daoist community, I've encountered many such cases. For newly deceased people, if they don't have resentment or attachment, their souls become unstable. If they stay in the human world for more than three days, they will disintegrate, without exception."

Daoist Mao looked amazed and said after a long pause, "What has happened in just a hundred years?"

Seeing Old Man Jin's soul becoming increasingly blurry, with several shadows about to separate, Daoist Mao sighed, pinched his sword finger, and shot a red light at Old Man Jin, stabilizing his soul instantly.

"I have merged with the pure yang Bagua and suppressed the Blood Demon for many years. My Daoist soul is weak, and my magic power is limited. This soul-stabilizing technique can only hold your soul for a moment. If you have any last words, say them quickly. Otherwise, you will have to enter the underworld and reincarnate."

Old Man Jin thanked Daoist Mao, "Thank you, Daoist friend." Then he looked at the bewildered Jiang Le.

Jiang Le was startled and forced a smile, which looked more like a cry.

He didn't understand the conversation between Old Man Jin and Daoist Mao. It felt like a series of ghost stories. All he wanted was to leave quickly and report to the police to collect Old Man Jin's body, as a way to repay his kindness for taking him in.

But the current situation left him with no choice.

"Jiang Le, I don't have much time left. I wanted to take you as my disciple, but fate didn't allow it. However, you have the wisdom to cultivate, and it would be a waste if you didn't follow the Daoist path. So I plan to pass the shop to you."

"Ah! Pass the shop to me? I can't accept such a gift without earning it. That's not right," Jiang Le was startled. Although it was a surprise, he wasn't very happy. A gift from a ghost felt strange.

Old Man Jin glared at him, "Do you want me to die with regrets? Afraid I'll come visit you every night?"

Jiang Le's mouth twitched, and he was terrified. One visit almost scared him to death; how could he handle nightly visits? His heart couldn't take it. He quickly said, "Boss, don't worry. I'll take the shop. I'll manage it well, aim to make a profit in the first year, open a branch in the second year, raise funds in the third year, and go public in the fourth year."

---