The Store Manager’s current stance was unclear. For the time being, he appeared to be a good man. At least, he treated Zhao Mingyue very well. He was willing to take on a young employee like Zhao Mingyue with an unstable work schedule, paid her a normal wage, and even threw in some small perks.
If it wasn’t necessary, Bai Yu would not suggest Zhao Mingyue seek trouble with him. Prying into others’ secrets turned even neutral parties into enemies.
And the prerequisite for this was that the Store Manager was truly just neutral and had no connection to Zhao Mingyue whatsoever.
Heeding Bai Yu’s words, Zhao Mingyue didn’t leave immediately. Her gaze shifted to the man kneeling on the ground. A faint, unpleasant odor emanated from him—not quite like rot, but simply the smell of someone who hadn’t bathed or changed clothes in a long time.
His hair was messy, his beard unshaved and untrimmed. His complexion was sallow, his eyes sunken, and the dark circles under them were heavy. He clearly hadn’t had a proper rest in a very long time.
His features were rather plain, the type that would blend into a crowd unnoticed.
However, Zhao Mingyue could see wisps of Black Qi emanating from this man.
She blinked, confirming she wasn’t seeing things. In her vision, strands of Black Qi were indeed seeping from the man’s body.
“There’s something on him,” Zhao Mingyue suddenly said in her mind.
“What?”
“Black mist, like the Ghostly Monster’s Resentment you mentioned before.”
“It is Resentment from a Ghostly Monster.”
“Then why can I see it? Is it because I strengthened my vision? It feels like a weakened version of Yin Yang Eyes.”
“Your understanding is correct.”
While she was communicating with Bai Yu, Zhao Mingyue saw the Store Manager move. He didn’t help the man up. Instead, he half-squatted in front of him, looking him straight in the eye. His face showed no ripples of emotion, and his tone was very calm.
“I told you clearly before, do not come to me again about your matter. I can’t help you, even if I wanted to.”
“Let me put it this way: your daughter ending up like this is your own fault. If you had heeded even half a word of what I said back then, things wouldn’t have developed to this state. Go back. I won’t help you, and I can’t help you. I don’t have the ability.”
The Store Manager stood up, adjusted his collar, and looked over at Zhao Mingyue standing by the door.
“Mingyue, if there’s nothing else, you should head home first. I’ll take care of the shop.”
“Um, Store Manager, is he… really alright?” Zhao Mingyue pointed at the man on the floor.
“It’s fine. He’s an old acquaintance of mine, probably had too much to drink. He has some matters he wants my help with.” The Store Manager stood ramrod straight, full of presence. A faint, reassuring smile graced his lips.
“Then I’ll…” Lacking a good excuse to stay, Zhao Mingyue turned to leave. Just as she took a step and before she finished her sentence, the kneeling man suddenly shot to his feet and charged in her direction. His eyes were reddening. His movement and posture clearly intended to tackle Zhao Mingyue, using her as leverage to threaten the Store Manager into helping him.
The Store Manager’s reaction was extremely fast. The moment the man rose, he reached out and grabbed the man’s arm. The man’s strength was astonishingly great. Even with his arm seized, a forceful swing threw the Store Manager’s hand off, and he continued lunging toward Zhao Mingyue.
The Store Manager’s face darkened. He reached into his pocket and swiftly drew the exquisite Flintlock Pistol, aiming it at the man’s back.
Unfortunately, the Convenience Store wasn’t large. The man reached Zhao Mingyue in just a few steps.
Confronted with this, Zhao Mingyue neither screamed in fright nor froze in fear. Her eyes narrowed, and she kicked out with her leg—fast, accurate, and ruthless—landing squarely on the man’s chest. Under the immense force, the man flew backward even faster than he had rushed forward, crashing into a shelf and sending snacks scattering everywhere.
Instinctively reaching for her Magic Staff, Zhao Mingyue grasped empty air.
The man, now on the floor, got up again. Veins bulged on his face, his eyes were bloodshot and blood-red, his teeth bared in a grimace, his expression utterly twisted and ferocious.
On his back, a female ghost’s head emerged, its complexion an iron blue, its eyes pure white.
The Black Qi on him surged the moment the female ghost’s head appeared. A sinister wind blew, causing the Wind Chime on the ceiling to sway and emit a series of chimes.
The white eyes of the female ghost locked onto Zhao Mingyue. Its black hair spread outward, shooting toward Zhao Mingyue’s body like sharp arrows or black serpents launching an attack.
Zhao Mingyue retreated half a step, her eyes rapidly turning pitch-black.
A large mass of Blood Threads spread out, entangling the black hair the female ghost thrust forward. Bai Yu didn’t release the threads but instead pulled on the female ghost’s head with full force.
The female ghost’s head lurched forward. Zhao Mingyue took a step forward. Blood Threads surged in her hand, forming a shuttle-shaped weapon a few centimeters long. With a flick of her wrist, she threw it. With a pfft, the Blood Thread shuttle nailed itself onto the female ghost’s head.
The female ghost reared its head back. Immediately, the Blood Threads embedded in its forehead burst and spread. A massive network of threads enveloped the female ghost’s head, frantically Devouring it.
Inside the Convenience Store, a chilly wind gusted, carrying the female ghost’s shrill screams. The Black Mist on the man dissipated profusely.
Soon, the female ghost’s head was mostly consumed. Weak and on the verge of death, it shrank back into the man’s shadow. The man’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the floor.
As Bai Yu initiated Possession, the Wind Chime overhead, which had been gently swaying before, began swinging violently as if possessed.
Behind her, the Store Manager, gun raised, froze mid-action.
In his vision, a twisted female ghost was straddling the man’s neck. If one looked closely, the unnatural twist of the man’s neck was precisely because this female ghost was riding on his shoulders. The Black Qi seeping from him was the Resentment emanating from the female ghost’s body.
Opposite him, he couldn’t see Bai Yu’s position, because Bai Yu was currently possessing Zhao Mingyue’s body. Even when not possessing, Bai Yu remained within Zhao Mingyue’s shadow or the Rabbit Doll.
However, he could see the massive amount of Blood Aura radiating from Zhao Mingyue’s body.
Completely different from the black Resentment, this Blood Aura was nauseating, terrifying, making one’s very Soul tremble.
It was an incredibly pure aura—one could call it Killing Intent, or resentment, or perhaps a chaotic mixture of these and all other negative emotions, yet somehow still so pure.
The Store Manager couldn’t help but wonder: Just how many people had this Ghost on Zhao Mingyue killed to accumulate such a horrifying aura…
He involuntarily tightened his grip on the Flintlock Pistol. This old partner that had accompanied him for so many years, now faced with this Ghost, couldn’t give him even the slightest sense of security.
He had an illusion that no matter what he did, whether attacking or defending, his head would ultimately be severed.
This sharp, piercing Baleful Aura… he was seeing it for the first time.
Overhead, the Soul Wind Chime was still swinging madly, declaring everything.
The Store Manager had long known that the Ghost attached to Zhao Mingyue was powerful—an unprecedented “six chimes.” He just hadn’t expected it to be this powerful.
In his view, no matter how strong a Ghost was, it had an upper limit, even a six-chime Wraith.
How strong could a Ghost be, compared to an Evil Spirit?
After all, a Ghost was primarily sustained by Resentment. No matter how great a single person’s Resentment was, it had a ceiling. That source of power, Resentment, was inherently limited.
But an Evil Spirit was born powerful.
And now, he had changed his mind.
Who said a Ghost must have powerful Resentment to support it?
At the entrance of the Convenience Store, Bai Yu was also watching the Store Manager, ready to strike at any moment. It would all come down to whether his gun was faster, or her Blade was faster.
The standoff lasted less than three seconds. The Store Manager voluntarily put his gun away. The smile was gone from his face, replaced by calm composure. He walked over to the man, half-squatted, and first checked if the man was still breathing. Once sure the man was still alive, he delivered a slap to his face.
Based on his years of experience, this was more effective than pressing the philtrum.
The blackness in Zhao Mingyue’s eyes receded. She quickly walked over and half-squatted beside the Store Manager.
By unspoken agreement, neither brought up what had just happened. Zhao Mingyue spoke first. “Store Manager, what happened to this man?”
“Ghost Possession. This Ghost… is his wife.”
Two slaps later, the man indeed woke up.
Freed from the Ghostly Monster’s influence, his eyes were much clearer, but his first sight of the Store Manager still prompted desperate pleading, begging the Store Manager to save his daughter.
The Store Manager didn’t say much more this time. He stood up, looked at Zhao Mingyue, and placed the choice in her hands.
“Mingyue, his daughter is currently being tormented by a very powerful Evil Spirit. Originally, I could have handled it, but because of some very outrageous actions by this man, the Evil Spirit evolved.”
“I can tell you this: this man is a complete and utter scumbag.”
“But even so, his daughter is innocent.”
“If I had the power myself, I would go alone. But to resolve this now, I need an assistant. What do you say?”
“Oh, right, Mingyue. Let me re-introduce myself. Besides being the Store Manager here, I’ve always had a side job. It’s just that this side job of mine doesn’t have a unified title—Exorcist, Taoist Priest, Feng Shui Master, things like that. Basically, I handle paranormal incidents.”
Since a small accident had mutually revealed their secrets, there was no point in hiding anymore.
He was now giving Zhao Mingyue the chance to choose: cooperate with him, or continue with her previous life.
Zhao Mingyue understood this perfectly. She asked Bai Yu in her mind for her opinion.
“Go.”
“Great! I was just thinking about improving myself.”
With Bai Yu’s answer, Zhao Mingyue immediately felt emboldened. “Yeah, the little girl is pretty innocent. If I go, can I even be of any help?”
“Of course,” the Store Manager smiled slightly.
“Okay then.”
“Hahaha, don’t worry, I won’t take up too much of your time. You’ll just be my assistant. I’ll pay you for the job. We’ll split the reward 60-40. I’ll take sixty percent, you get forty.” The Store Manager, clearly knowing Zhao Mingyue’s money-loving nature and seeing that her only hesitation was this, added with a laugh.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Mingyue’s eyes lit up.
No matter what, as long as there was money to be made, it was fine.
And she could train herself. Why not?
As for the game between the Store Manager and Bai Yu, that was their business. Bai Yu would figure out a good plan for her anyway.
