At 11:30 p.m., Lin Feng finished preparing the appearance of a body that was to be cremated the next day. He rubbed his stiff neck, lit three sticks of incense, burned a bowl of yellow paper money, and then left the morgue.
Earlier, he had arranged to meet Nie Chuxia at the Ye Mei Bar on Xixiang Street at 12:30 a.m. Lin Feng pulled his bike out of his elastic space and sped toward the city.
...
Xixiang Street, a popular bar area, was still filled with noise and excitement.
Lin Feng had heard this saying before: "Loneliness is a party of one, and a party is the loneliness of a crowd." He deeply agreed. Most people here came out of loneliness, looking for thrills and solace in the lively atmosphere.
At the reserved booth 13 in Ye Mei Bar, Lin Feng noticed someone already seated and walked over.
"Sorry, I'm late."
Tonight, Nie Chuxia was dressed alluringly, in a spaghetti-strap top, black stockings, high heels, and red lipstick, a complete departure from her sporty look yesterday. She even had on heavy makeup—she looked like a completely different person.
"Do you usually choose places like this to chat with girls?"
Nie Chuxia's tone was still cold. Only then did Lin Feng notice her voluptuous figure, her snow-white chest, and a cleavage that seemed bottomless.
"What, should I have booked a presidential suite at a nightclub? You'd still have to show up for it to work."
Lin Feng swallowed subtly, his gaze drifting over her chest. Nie Chuxia cast a disdainful glance at him.
Lin Feng summoned a waiter and ordered two glasses of Lamjina. Onstage, a Gothic-style band played incomprehensible Western songs.
They drank quietly, the atmosphere somewhat silent, until Lin Feng broke the ice. "Miss Nie, have you thought about what we discussed this afternoon?"
During their call earlier, Nie Chuxia hadn't directly agreed to help him, which was why Lin Feng asked her out to discuss it face-to-face.
Nie Chuxia replied, "I have one question. Since you're a ghost hunter, why do you need my help? We've just met, and yet you're so sure I can assist you?"
Lin Feng said, "I've encountered a tricky ghost recently. I can't locate it, but it can attack me. Since you can sense ghosts, I believe you can help me. Don't you think?"
Nie Chuxia smiled slightly, sensing Lin Feng's provocative tone, but she didn't want to admit any lack of skill. She ordered another drink, then looked up at him. "Let me see the ghost you caught first."
What?
Lin Feng hadn't expected her to ask this.
After hesitating a moment, he turned his hand, and the ghosts of Mi Shihong and Wang Qian appeared, sitting on either side of him.
Mi Shihong's chest was pale and emaciated, ribs visible, his hair damp, and his bloodshot eyes glaring. Wang Qian's body was covered in knife scars, and with no body left, her ghost looked as she did before death, a deep, diagonal gash across her face from forehead to chin, splitting her face along the nose line.
When the two terrifying ghosts appeared, the group at the nearby booth 14 shivered. A young man shouted, "Waiter, why did it suddenly get so cold? What's going on?"
The waiter, confused, thought they were just drunk and ignored them.
"There, did you see?"
Nie Chuxia's heart shook. Two ghosts? And they still seem powerful. Who exactly is he? Why does he know the Northern Sect's lost art of ghost rearing?
Nie Chuxia didn't say anything; her pupils turned a dark gold. When she looked at Mi Shihong and Wang Qian, they shuddered and began to fade, seemingly trying to escape.
Boom—
Wang Qian couldn't hold on any longer. Just as she rose to flee, she disintegrated into a puff of black smoke. Her shrill voice echoed in the smoke, which enveloped the area, causing everyone in the bar to vanish except for their booth.
Wang Qian's ghost had exploded, forced to use a "ghostly wall" maneuver in retaliation—Nie Chuxia was clearly intent on destroying her!
"What are you doing?!"
Lin Feng stood up, his voice fierce.
He had been planning to refine these two ghosts into "Yin Candles" as an offering to the City God, but Nie Chuxia had destroyed one without warning. She clearly didn't respect him at all!
"You thought you could escape with such little power?"
Nie Chuxia sneered, ignoring Lin Feng's anger. She stared at the black smoke, pulled out an oil lamp from somewhere, and began chanting.
Moments later, Nie Chuxia's eyes flashed with golden light, her gaze piercing the black smoke, which suddenly froze. She took a deep breath, inhaled the smoke into her mouth, and then exhaled it gently into the oil lamp.
The smoke stuck to the lamp oil, gradually turning it black. Wang Qian's ghostly wails could still be heard from within, accompanied by crackling sounds, like the eerie pops when a body explodes in cremation.
After a while, Wang Qian's voice grew faint until it disappeared entirely. The previously dim oil lamp burned a little brighter, and the surroundings returned to normal.
"Allow me to introduce myself: Nie Chuxia of the Seven-Star Palace, Southern Sect. Like you, I'm also a ghost hunter."
Nie Chuxia clasped her hands, forming a gesture similar to a palace maid's bow, though her fingers were uneven, with two protruding like horns. The whole gesture looked like she was gripping a ghost's head.
Also…a ghost hunter?!
Lin Feng was stunned, but his confusion quickly turned to rage. "Even if you are a ghost hunter, isn't it a bit much to kill my ghost without my consent?!"
Lin Feng wasn't easily angered, but this time, he was genuinely upset.
If he had refined Wang Qian's ghost into a Yin Candle for the City God, she could have continued her reincarnation. But Nie Chuxia's actions had erased her from existence altogether.
Such ruthless behavior!
Nie Chuxia replied indifferently, "It's just a small ghost. Consider it payment for the lamp oil."
To her, it seemed as casual as squashing an ant, further fueling Lin Feng's fury. It might have been a ghost, but he had initially spoken kindly to her, only acting when she showed no remorse. Did Nie Chuxia bear a grudge against her to warrant such a merciless act?
Seeing Lin Feng still annoyed, Nie Chuxia spoke up, "This lamp of mine burns a lot of oil. If we don't get moving soon, I might have to add another dose."
She glanced subtly at Mi Shihong's ghost.
Mi Shihong, terrified after witnessing Wang Qian's soul being shattered in one move, looked pitifully at Lin Feng. Lin Feng waved his hand, collecting Mi Shihong's spirit.
Unable to do much about Nie Chuxia's behavior, Lin Feng could only swallow his frustration. "Fine, let's go."
Outside the bar, Nie Chuxia walked ahead, holding her lamp in one hand, with Lin Feng following behind. They stopped in front of a red convertible Ferrari.
"Shall we, Master Lin?" Nie Chuxia put on her sunglasses, giving a smile that could mesmerize anyone.
Lin Feng was taken aback; he hadn't expected Nie Chuxia to be wealthy.
A crowd gathered around, gawking as an attractive woman invited a man into a luxury car.
After noting Nie Chuxia's appearance and attire, the crowd gasped in admiration. Then, noticing Lin Feng's outfit, their reactions shifted to disbelief.
"Wow, she's a real catch! How did that toad get so lucky?"
"A VK silk dress, a Bolisi handbag, a Tifani necklace, and a 488 Ferrari—talk about a queen!"
"Look at him, all dressed in cheap knockoffs and not even handsome. Is that the kind of guy queens go for these days?"
"Queen? Call it what it is, a lady with a taste for boy toys. And he's not even good-looking..."
What?! People call me the "Nanyang Andy Lau." Ugly, your foot!
Lin Feng cursed inwardly. And for the record, I'm wearing Baleno, not some flea-market outfit! Whoever said that can step out right now—I promise I won't beat you up!
Seeing him gritting his teeth, Nie Chuxia laughed lightly and quickly ushered him into the car.
The spectators groaned enviously. "Why can't I get a lady to push me into a luxury car and take me away?"
Sitting inside, Lin Feng didn't feel any better despite the envious looks. He'd lost a ghost he caught, been mocked by passersby as if he were taking advantage of Nie Chuxia, and now it seemed he was the one who had gotten lucky. What kind of twisted situation was this?
I've been in the game for years, and if there's one thing I value, it's face!
"Didn't expect you to be this fragile," Nie Chuxia remarked casually, starting a conversation.
"That's because you haven't seen my stronger side," Lin Feng shot back.
Nie Chuxia scoffed, "Typical small-minded man. All talk, no class."
That "small-minded" comment stung a bit.
Lin Feng licked his lips and said, "Seems like you've encountered a lot of big talkers before, Miss Nie." He emphasized "big talkers."
Nie Chuxia chuckled, almost proud, "Of course. Are you jealous? You've got quite the calluses on your hands—must be from all that ghost hunting."
Seriously?! I hunt ghosts, not... that!
Seeing he was losing ground in this conversation, Lin Feng shifted his attention to the car's hanging ornament.
It was a realistic-looking shrunken head, about the size of a fist, with fully formed features, reminiscent of Captain Jack Sparrow's mummified mother in Pirates of the Caribbean.
The head dangled there like a ghostly charm.
Nie Chuxia handed him a bottle of water and said, "That's a Xiu Po, a corpse-eating spirit, popular with Southeast Asian witch doctors. This is the only one I found in Nanyang, so I kept it as a keepsake. If you like it, take it—it'll be my apology for earlier."
To Lin Feng's surprise, Nie Chuxia took down the Xiu Po and tossed it to him.
He never expected her to apologize.
Lin Feng held the mummified head, feeling its cold, shriveled texture. Oddly, despite being dry, it oozed a sticky yellowish fluid, making his scalp tingle.
Xiu Po?
Legend had it that Xiu Pos were the offspring of mountain demons and human men. The demon would kill and consume the man to nourish its pregnancy. Xiu Pos, born as hybrids, were typically small and often had spiritual abilities, feeding on spirits to grow stronger. Such things were notorious for attracting evil.
Why would I want this cursed object?
Just as he was about to return it, the Fierce Ghost Containment System in his mind chimed.
Detected Item: Xiu Po Mummy
Function: Can be refined into a curse-bound ghost or used as a ghostly vessel.
Hmm?!
Lin Feng wasn't interested in a curse-bound ghost, but the mention of a "vessel" caught his attention.
Not being able to take Niu Meng with him had always bothered Lin Feng, since he could only leave him at home. But if he could refine this thing, then Niu Meng could be with him all the time.
Turns out it's a good thing after all!
"Then I'll reluctantly forgive you," Lin Feng said, tucking the Xiu Po mummy into his flexible storage.
Nie Chuxia, surprised to see the Xiu Po vanish, didn't question it, but added lightly, "Since we're even now, aren't you supposed to pay me for my appearance?"
Just as Lin Feng was drinking his water, he choked, then wiped his mouth and said, "I picked up a bra from a corpse the other day. I'll give it to you."
Nie Chuxia's hand on the steering wheel jerked, causing the car to swerve sharply, prompting a nearby driver to roll down his window and shout, "Think a Ferrari gives you the right to drive recklessly? No class!"
Inside, Nie Chuxia took a deep breath. "Lin Feng, you are truly crude. I won't forget this!"
With a sense of victory, Lin Feng lit a cigarette and replied calmly, "Don't forget it."