Li Mazi noticed Zhuang Ning was walking with me, and his face turned ugly.

“Well, well, well, who is this little sister? Little Brother Zhang, well done... You sent me out to do the grunt work while you were dating this girl. Sister-in-law is on a business trip, so you’ve decided to make the most out of it!”

I rolled my eyes at him, but before I could even scold him, Zhuang Ning frowned and asked, “Who is this person? I can’t tell if he’s a ghost or a human!” 

I didn’t pay Li Mazi any mind and burst into laughter.

Li Mazi rolled his eyes, flaring. “Hey, little girl. Who are you referring to?”

Zhuang Ning shot him a disdainful look. “Do you know that I only need to scream for you to be treated as a suspect, especially with the things you’re holding? The guards will take you directly to the police station!”

Li Mazi was stunned. He said while pointing at me, “He asked me to get all this.”

This was Li Mazi’s specialty. No one was faster than him when it came to selling out his comrades!

I said through gritted teeth, “Give me the stuff and scram.”

Then, I passed through the security check with Zhuang Ning, not bothering to give Li Mazi a second look.

The security guard at the checkpoint held us back. “Stop. What is all that?”

His eyes were full of doubt, and his hand was already grabbing the walkie-talkie. He would call for backup if I didn’t give him a satisfying answer.

“Actually…” I flashed an innocent smile. “This is my friend, and we’re from the same town. She lived in the same dorm as the girl that killed herself, and she was greatly shocked by the news and got sick. She hasn’t recovered yet, even after all this time. As such, I asked a friend to buy this rooster from the countryside and this bottle has duck blood. I’m going to ask the chef at the cafeteria to cook her some chicken soup.”

The security guard shot a skeptical look at Zhuang Ning. She acted the part really well, coughing for added effect.

The security guard sighed then waved his hand, dismissing us. “Go, I will turn a blind eye today! This girl looks really sick.”

After we had gone through the security check and were walking inside the campus, Zhuang Ning finally eyed me and said, “Looks like you don’t need a script to tell lies. They come out naturally as you speak!”

I was embarrassed. “I learned this from Li Mazi, the one you said you couldn’t tell whether he was a human or a ghost.”

Zhuang Ning snorted, clearly loathing the man.

We went to the female dormitory. I sat on the bench outside, then I gave Zhuang Ning the stuff and advised, “Tonight, after you go back to that dorm room…”

Before I finished, Zhuang Ning was already pale due to fear. “Tonight? You’re asking me to go to a place where someone died at night time? I thought this could be done during the day.”

“You can’t go there during the daytime,” I said as I tried to calm her. “This stuff only works at night. Moreover, it would have the best effect if you go there around the time Li Xiaoling killed herself.”

Zhuang Ning gulped saliva, clearly anxious. “Can I get someone to go with me?” 

I was embarrassed to tell her ‘no’ since she was definitely out of sorts.

Zhuang Ning sighed and said, “All right, just tell me what I have to do.”

I seized the time and explained, “There are two pieces of red fabric. You should tear one of them in the shape of a cross and attach it to your body, then hang the other piece right where Li Xiaoling hung herself. These are one hundred Five Emperor Coins. Place them by the door. The Five Emperor Coins are full of Yang energy, and they will be able to scare off that otherworldly item.”

“Otherworldly item?” Zhuang Ning gazed at me with curiosity.

What a tongue slip!

 I wished I could slap myself.

“You asked me what I did for a living, right? I’m an otherworldly merchant whose specialty is to deal with paranormal activities. This goldfish bracelet is an otherworldly item. Li Xiaoling’s suicide and the lip-sewing cases in this university are related to this bracelet,” I explained to her.

Zhuang Ning was anxious as she looked at the goldfish bracelet.

I continued with the instructions, “This is black dog’s blood. Spray it on the room’s window. It can prevent the evil spirit from escaping. If it does escape, the consequences will be unimaginable. It will definitely kill more people.

“As for the last step... You have to kill the rooster and chop its head off. Then, throw the rooster’s head where Li Xiaoling hung herself…”

“What?” Zhuang Ning screamed, “You’re asking me to kill this chicken?”

She was on the verge of collapsing after hearing my words. 

“Erm, it’s a little cruel to ask a girl to kill a chicken, but…” I tried to soften my voice while keeping a serious tone. “Perhaps it’s the only method to subdue the goldfish bracelet.”

“Perhaps?” Zhuang Ning interrupted, “You don’t even know if this method will work or not?”

I realized that she was good at finding the flaws between my lines. Ever since I began working in this business, it was the first time someone had questioned my methods so boldly!

I was definitely not pleased. “There’s no perfect plan in this world. I can only guarantee a 90% success rate. ‘Smart people think about a thousand solutions, but still, there will be mistakes.’ Have you ever heard this saying?”

Zhuang Ning thought, then nodded. “My bad. Sorry.”

“All right, after you throw the chicken head, place the goldfish bracelet on the red fabric and pour chicken blood on it. That would be the last step of the process.”

Zhuang Ning recited the steps back to me to confirm. Then, she asked me, “How about you? How should I notify you once I’m done with the steps? A call?”

“No need. I will stay inside the campus tonight. I’ll hide in the bushes and wait for you.” I then said with a more serious tone, “However, we should exchange phone numbers to prevent any unwanted circumstances.”

I gave her my phone number. Zhuang Ning nodded and took the stuff to her room.

I called Li Mazi and told him I was going to stay at Wuhan University tonight to subdue Li Xiaoling’s ghost. This news worried him.

“Little Brother, listen to me... Go home, now! You got a warm, soft bed at home. Why stay out in the cold wind? What’s your plan?”

I really wanted to tell him that there were many things more important than money, but I knew he wouldn’t understand. I ended the call and went to the cafeteria to have something for dinner. I deliberately lingered there until it was time for them to close.

The sky was completely dark, and Wuhan University was now shrouded in darkness. I checked the surroundings and hid behind the trees near the female dormitory when I confirmed that I wasn’t being watched.

I had to make sure that nothing unexpected would happen. Otherwise, I would be taken into custody as the pervert that had sewed people’s lips! It was late at night, and I was secretly keeping watch near the female dormitory. If the guards captured me... Not even a hundred mouths would be enough to explain myself.

I was shivering, so I pulled my jacket close to my body. I would have worn more clothes if I had known I had to stay the night.

The darkness grew thicker. 

Cold wind was coming from every direction, blowing through the trees. I stared at the well-lit female dormitory, wishing for time to move faster. I would be able to go home and have a nice sleep if this thing ended soon.

Not long after, the lights in the building were dimmed and eventually switched off. It was a rule on campus that all the lights should be turned off after 10:00 PM. Right then, except for the dim glow coming from the street lights along the paths, the entire Wuhan University had been swallowed by darkness. The cold wind howled as if someone was crying.

My gaze was focused on Li Xiaoling’s window. Close to midnight, a red shadow glided through the window.

She was there!

After a while, Zhuang Ning’s figure appeared near the window. She followed my instructions and attached the red fabric to her body.

I was restless while I watched the window. Zhuang Ning reappeared after a while. She looked terrified as she tried to make a phone call; her hands were shaking uncontrollably.

I hurried to take my mobile phone out. Indeed, Zhuang Ning was calling me.

Her voice trembled. “I-I did as you told me. But something’s strange.”

“What happened? Calm down. Don’t be scared.”

Zhuang Ning’s breathing shortened. “I did as you asked. I poured the chicken blood on the goldfish bracelet. However, it gave off sparks, and the red fabric I placed on the floor started to burn. The bracelet is now bouncing on the ground.”

The fabric is burning, and the bracelet is bouncing around?

I had a bad premonition. 

Is there someone or something that is adding to Li Xiaoling’s resentful energy?

Goldfish usually lived together, and there were four goldfish bracelets in total. If they had some special relation, was the resentful energy of another person boosting Li Xiaoling’s power?

I didn’t have time to think further, so I shouted at the phone, “Zhuang Ning, get out of that room, right now!”