Translator: Udeze

Editor: Cherry Blossom

Translation Checker Uncle Xu

TLDP: Ch.16 Niu Jintao

My left hand caught Xu Xiaoling while the other hand quickly pulled out a Heart Mind Purifying Charm. I then licked it with my tongue and made the charm wet with my Yang essence and blood to enhance the charm’s might and pressed the charm on Xu Xiaoling’s glabella.

A cold-gloomy gas shot out and escaped from Xu Xiaoling’s body, I then immediately spat my saliva toward its direction by relying on my senses as I listened to the shrill sounds exuded from the gloomy gas which then quickly vanished without a trace.

I was really caught off guard a moment ago, I couldn’t even sense a trace of Yin qi from Xu Xiaoling which was obvious that the ghost must be a high-leveled ghost since it could conceal its aura.

I had encountered 4 ghosts now, and had to pull its hair twice. I even used my True Yang Saliva to exorcise these ghosts. It could be said that there were no Daoist priest like me in this realm that used all these methods.

“Ah!!! Let me go!!!” Xu Xiaoling suddenly shouted.

I hurriedly loosened her body and said: “You had just been possessed.”

“What?! Ghost? Here?” Xu Xiaoling was very nervous and immediately grabbed my clothes.

I replied truthfully: “Not sure, it’s too dark, I can’t see anything.”

“Then why can the ghost can see us?”

Hearing Xu Xiaoling’s question reminded me of something, I poked my head and said: “I almost forget, there is also a ghost inside my makeup case.”

“Your… Your makeup case?!” Xu Xiaoling asked in stuttered voice.

“It was previously yours.” While speaking I tried to find my backpack, and pulled out the makeup case, I then removed the Sun Charm and opened its lid to let Da Niu out. As soon as he came out, Da Niu started to talk incessantly: “I was really suffocated to death here, brother, where is my mother?”

“Aunt Niu has fainted probably, she was just possessed by a ghost. You take a look around since I can’t see anything right now, and find out if there are any ghosts in this room?”

The ghost that possessed Aunt Niu ran away, but since Aunt Niu was overcasted by Yin qi, she was bedridden in the hospital since her body was very weak.

I coated Aunt Niu’s eyes with cattle tears and let her and Da Niu meet. I then left her the money while I and Xu Xiaoling walked away.

I told Da Niu before I left: “I will give you 3 days to accompany your mother in the hospital, but you should not be too near her, because right now her body is too weak and cannot be exposed to Yin qi any further. I’ve kept my promise to you, you cannot haunt boss Qian anymore, otherwise I will have to resort to the hard way. 3 days later you need to look for me immediately since you know where I live. If you don’t come back on time, I will make you suffer as a sealed lonely ghost.”

I went out of the hospital with Xu Xiaoling when she suddenly asked: “Have you ever read ‘Detective Conan’?”

“I have, what about it?”, I was puzzled as to why Xu Xiaoling suddenly asked about this thing.

“This Conan, there will always be a case occurrence wherever he goes, even when going to the movies he b.u.mps into a murder case… I thought that you and he have something in common!”, Xu Xiaoling jokingly smiled.

I just smiled bitterly: “That Conan just follows a story plot… while I… its destiny. I had been destined to be followed by misfortune since I was small, encountering these kinds of things is considered normal. And by the way, I’m sorry for today, I made your clothes dirty.”

“It’s nothing; I can just wash it…”

That night, Cheng Dong came and asked me to go to a meal. After picking up the three women, Cheng Dong said: “Xiaoling’s elder brother, I was born I Qiling City, and my network is pretty good, since I know you, later on I will bring other customers. As long as there is some soup for me to drink!”1

I nodded in consent and complied: “Ok, we’ll also divide the payment 2:8 like last time.”

Cheng Dong really didn’t lie, in the following half month, there were 4 clients who came to me! However the payment didn’t as extravagant as boss Qian’s. The highest paid was only 30,000 RMB, and the least was 5,000. Even so, for only half a month I made 40,000 RMB for my exorcising services. Although it could be said that I made a fortune, but I didn’t quit my job as waiter.

I told to Cheng Dong: “Just because the client can only pay a little amount money, we can’t ignore them. Even more so, if the clients are very poor, we should take the initiative to help them although they have no money. This is my oath and commitment.” This was Miss Daiyu’s words and she taught me that I must not be blinded by money and never to regard money as the most important thing.

I had also sent Da Niu to the Netherworld during this time period.

Of all things, what made me the happiest was that I finally succeeded in drawing 2 Communication Charms! I immediately burned one charm 3 days ago to talk to the old swindler. I knew of this method from Miss Daiyu, however I didn’t know if the old swindler could receive it or not.

As for tonight, I had been preparing to get in touch with the old swindler…

I rode a rusty bicycle after getting of work this evening, carried with me my black backpack, and brought a string and a bucket as I headed straight to the countryside near Qiling City! This rusty bicycle was used by Cheng Dong before, and he gave it to me as my transportation vehicle. The distance to the place I was about to visit was probably 30 km, but since it was dark and the bike was rusty, it took almost an hour to finally arrived at my destination.

This small village looked very deprived as I could only see shabby houses built in the area.

There was a dilapidated house that was abandoned here. And it was said that the house was frequently haunted by ghosts and had long been deserted by its inhabitants. n.o.body even dared to approach this house. However according to my observations, there were no ghosts in this house and the house was exactly my destination.

Because the village was too poor, the villagers could only get water from the well. Every house here had its own well nearby.

This ‘haunted house’ was empty, all the household furniture, gla.s.s, and door had all been taken away by someone. There was nothing here except for the growl, rope and wooden barrel for the well.

I put my bike in the yard, took out a flashlight and entered this ‘haunted house’.

After the time hit 11 pm, I hurriedly tied up a rope on the bucket and downed it into the well to fetch a bucket of water. I poured some water into a bowl and burned 3 Moon Charms around the bowl and put the Communication Charm at the bottom of the bowl. I then summoned the old swindler’s name in a soft voice: “Niu Jintao… Niu Jintao…”

A gloom gas suddenly exuded from the small bowl and quickly condensed around the bowl! The bowl trembled and the water inside splashed onto the Communication Charm. After a while the bowl was no longer trembling and the water inside it was only half of what it was. Shortly, a face was portrayed on the water’s surface, it was the old swindler’s face!

What the f**k? This thing’s function was the same as QQ video streaming?2

To my surprise, the old swindler even looked more amazed to see me; I could only speak in a low voice: “Huh? The Communication Charm is really working!”

“Master, it’s good to see you again!”, I pretended to wipe my crocodile tears, I had been waiting to ask for help from this old swindler after all, so I had to put aside my forced apprentices.h.i.+p which left me a debt of 1,500,000 RMB. Ah, it felt like something foul was left in the mouth if I didn’t at least fool him once.

“Don’t cry Xiaolong, although we couldn’t be like a normal teacher and apprentice, our feelings are actually genuine. Right, Murong?”

“You mean, Murong Daiyu? She left 3 months ago, and I don’t even know where she went, but she is really good to me! Master, how are you over there ah? When will you be reincarnated? I really miss you!”, I couldn’t help but think about my plan, once the old swindler got reincarnated I would have him taste his own medicine with a 3 million RMB debt.

The old swindler looked so touched with my affection, and said: “Ah, Xiaolong, it’s truly a regret that I couldn’t teach you properly after I accept you as my disciple. Unfortunately that time was really urgent, and I apologized that I was not there when you need me the most, I couldn’t even give you a proper inheritance…”

“It’s okay master, I understand… what I’m thinking now was that you’re really great and kind. Oh, by the way, did you receive the Golden Lotus pages that I had burnt last time?” 3

“Yes”, the old swindler nodded.

“Master, why do I not need to burn paper money for you?”

“I don’t need it, even if you burn some is useless since I cannot receive it.”

“Huh? But the book pages and the paper charm that I had burned for you, why can you receive it?

The old swindler replied: “It’s different. The book and the paper charm had been made by the Daoist technique ‘Karma Blessing” therefore I can receive it. Do you think if you just casually burn paper money that was printed by machine; it could be received by me? Besides we in the Netherworld don’t use the ritual paper money burnt for the dead. Oh, by the way, Xiaolong what about your Daoist cultivation right now?”

“Ah, master I was just about to ask you about this matter. Half a month ago, I had a trace of Zhen Qi when I was practicing…”

“Hold on…” The old swindler interrupted, “You felt a trace of Zhen Qi half a month ago? Did Murong give you ginsengs to eat?”

Looking at the old swindler’s serious face, I replied: “Yes, I ate more than 100 ginsengs.”

The old swindler patted his head after and shook his head when he heard my reply, and sighed at the same time.

“Master, what’s the matter? Please tell me!”

The old swindler just sighed: “Xiaolong, your apt.i.tude is too bad, you had eaten that many best quality ginseng, but unexpectedly, it took you such a long time to enter Zhen Qi.”

Listening to his words, I immediately became silent.

After a long while, the old swindler said: “However I have taken you as my disciple, even if your apt.i.tude is bad, it have the means to rectify your condition! Xiaolong, I will tell you now, the true Netherworld and the Netherworld you’ve heard in fable are totally different. There is no King of h.e.l.l, no good and evil, no devil in animal forms, there is no such things like a bridge, there is no Meng Po 4 who gives the forgetful soup… but putting all that aside, I just want to tell you that because I practiced Daoist cultivation before I died, I was accepted by one of the ancestors as a disciple. Therefore I don’t have to reincarnate. The Daoist technique I’m practicing right now is something called ‘Hidden Energy’.

“Hidden Energy? What is that?”

“There is hidden potential energy within every living being, this energy is divided into many attributes and through practicing and cultivating, this particular energy would become formidable, and this energy is called hidden energy. However your teacher was also just getting started so my knowledge is still limited. For example, my energy’s innate attribute is fire.” After the old swindler finished explaining, his body was immediately surrounded by a  flame and was completely turned into a human torch! It was really amazing!

My two eyes instantly s.h.i.+ned in excitement and couldn’t help but asked: “Master, is this innate Yang Fire?”

“I told you before that I just started and cannot completely understand this technique!” replied the old swindler, as he continued: “I recently tried to look for opportunity to see if I can go back and test your apt.i.tude whether you have hidden…”

I had been talking with the old swindler for a quite while, when the ‘video’ suddenly ‘hung up’. The communication charm was also sc.r.a.pped at the same time. I had to draw another one if I wanted to communicate with the old swindler again.

Regarding the feat that was shown by the older swindler a moment ago, it reminded me of the Fantastic Four movie. What an amazing ability! If I also had that kind of skill, Xia Chaoran was only a cinch…

~~~~~~~~~~end of ch. 16~~~~~~~~~~