Chapter 5: Ghost-Hitting-the-Wall Part 1

Besides Wang Ya’s grandma, only the companies that had received her resume knew her phone number. She thought it was her grandma calling, so she pulled out her mobile phone and saw it was an unfamiliar number. Then she figured it might be one of those companies finally coming to their senses to hire her. She picked up and said, “Hello.” A woman’s voice came through: “Miss Wang, hello.”

That familiar voice immediately brought a pair of lifeless eyes to mind in Wang Ya’s head. She shouted, “Zheng Yanxia?”

The other side fell silent for two seconds before saying, “It’s me.”

Wang Ya felt like the other woman’s voice sounded a bit down. She didn’t have time to ponder if Open-eyed Blind was depressed or not. Instead, she exploded: “How did you get my phone number?”

Open-eyed Blind didn’t answer her question. Instead, she asked where Wang Ya was, which pissed Wang Ya off so much that she snapped, “None of your business!”

Open-eyed Blind’s voice carried a pleading tone: “I’m at the Dihao Hotel. Could you come over?”

Wang Ya rejected her outright: “No time!” She spotted the urban management officers, who had been about to get into a big argument with her, starting up their vehicle and driving off with her little table and signboard! Wang Ya recalled what the netizens had said: “Give me three thousand urban management officers, and they’ll unify the sea straits on both sides.” Considering the urban management’s combat prowess, she gave up on chasing them. At the same time, she angrily hung up on Open-eyed Blind!

Full of rage, Wang Ya knew full well that Open-eyed Blind must have run into major trouble. She wouldn’t have called again if they had dealt with the Old Ghost. To be honest, that Old Ghost was tricky, and Open-eyed Blind’s group had no sense of loyalty. Wang Ya really didn’t want to get involved. But seeing how she’d hit walls everywhere these past few days, she also felt a desire to regain some face from Open-eyed Blind. So, she called back: “Open-eyed Blind, spill it. Did that Ancient Old Ghost beat you up again?” Her mood instantly improved. Clearly, she wasn’t the only one having a rough time! Her, Wang Ya’s, skills were meant for big things—catching Old Ghosts and Great Demons. How could some ordinary little job match her?

Open-eyed Blind said, “Where are you? I’ll come pick you up.” She used polite language, extremely courteous, with a hint of urgency.

Wang Ya gave her location.

Open-eyed Blind told her to wait fifteen minutes.

Wang Ya leaned against a tree by the roadside and waited. She knew full well that the Old Ghost was no pushover, but she didn’t know what people Open-eyed Blind had hired to deal with it or what had gone wrong. It had been a week since that night, and she hadn’t checked on the Construction Site. She had no idea what to expect. If she took this job from Open-eyed Blind, it wouldn’t be like last time where she just sought to protect herself and escape. More than likely, she’d have to fight for her life.

It was evening rush hour, and traffic was jammed. Open-eyed Blind called every few minutes to ask her to wait a bit longer due to the congestion. Wang Ya waited over half an hour before a dark blue off-road vehicle pulled up to the roadside. The rear door opened, and Open-eyed Blind leaned out from the back seat, calling, “Miss Wang.”

Wang Ya straightened up and walked over. She looked at Open-eyed Blind in the car. This time, Open-eyed Blind wore loose knitwear and long pants, with light makeup and perfume, but it couldn’t hide the pallor on her face or the Black Qi on her forehead. Tsk tsk, Black Qi over the head—a sign of Blood Light Disaster! Wang Ya got in the car. The bodyguard in the passenger seat got out to close the door for her. Wang Ya’s sharp eyes spotted that this bodyguard wasn’t one of the ones who’d been with Open-eyed Blind before; he was a new face. She didn’t pay it much mind and turned to Open-eyed Blind, letting out a “hmph hmph” chuckle. She said, “This Expert pinched her fingers and calculated that you’d face a Blood Light Disaster within three days.” Her gaze swept over Open-eyed Blind, noting her ladylike posture that seemed composed. Of course, the hands resting on her knees that trembled slightly ruined that composure.

Open-eyed Blind didn’t speak. She shifted position, crossing her right leg over her bent left leg, her left hand bent and resting on the door armrest, fist lightly clenched against her lips.

Wang Ya saw Open-eyed Blind’s lips trembling and concluded she’d run into something seriously bad. Wang Ya didn’t say more. She turned to look out the window for a bit, then examined the car. It was her first time in such a nice vehicle—high-end, classy, and upscale. Suddenly, she heard Open-eyed Blind softly say, “My Master (Shifu) is dead!” It shocked her!

She exclaimed, “Is that Old Ghost that ferocious?” Or was Open-eyed Blind’s Master (Shifu) just not up to par?

Open-eyed Blind pleaded, “Can you go check out the Construction Site again?”

Wang Ya said, “Tell me the situation first.”

Open-eyed Blind gave a brief rundown—very brief. Last night, her Master (Shifu) had taken several fellow practitioners she’d hired to exorcise the ghost. They’d lost contact starting at eleven at night. Before midnight, their Soul Lamps went out. This morning, when they went over, all five masters who’d gone last night were dead at the Construction Site, in extremely gruesome states. Open-eyed Blind only said they were gruesome but didn’t elaborate. Her intention was to have Wang Ya ask her grandma to step in and deal with the Old Ghost.

Wang Ya rolled her eyes at Open-eyed Blind, then remembered she couldn’t see it, so she pursed her lips and said, “Are you looking down on me?”

Open-eyed Blind quickly denied it: “No, no! You misunderstood. That ghost is too powerful. I thought having your grandma step in would ensure success.”

Wang Ya said, “My grandma’s never traveled far in her life. You want her to come thousands of miles to catch a ghost for you? She doesn’t even know you!” She was telling a bald-faced lie. In fact, her grandma wasn’t even from their area originally. She’d fled there from far away during the sixties turmoil and never left.

Open-eyed Blind took a deep breath and asked, “What do you need? I’ll have someone prepare it right away.”

Wang Ya said, “I haven’t even said I’d go catch the ghost for you.”

Open-eyed Blind grew anxious: “Wang Ya, I beg you.”

Wang Ya said, “You won’t even tell me the truth. Why should I risk my life to help you?”

Open-eyed Blind asked, “What truth do you want to hear?”

Wang Ya said bluntly, “You beat around the bush, and your people have no loyalty. Why should I risk my life for you?”

Open-eyed Blind shouted, “One million!”

Wang Ya gulped! She clenched her left fist and pounded her chest hard! One million! She instantly felt like she was worth a fortune! The next second, she gently placed her hand back on her knee, a shallow smile on her lips, and said in an infinitely charming tone, “Pay thirty percent upfront. Another fifty when the Old Ghost is caught, and the final twenty as completion bonus after it’s thoroughly eliminated!” In her heart, she screamed, “Grandma, grandma, look—I haven’t even been out half a month and I’m bringing home a million!” Their six small flat-roofed houses could be swapped for a little villa!