I asked Ning Haoyu to help me carry the KTV woman. He was reluctant, probably worried about trouble.
He finally moved, but kept muttering, "Tell me the truth. Did you knock her out?"
I shot him a look. "Are you blind? I pressed her Renzhong point. Barely used any force. I just channeled energy through her gateway points. Her consciousness collided with the ghost possessing her, that's why she passed out temporarily."
Ning Haoyu clearly didn't understand. We managed to carry the woman, Xiang Li, inside and dump her on the bed. He stood back. "Chu Yi, think this through. Don't do anything illegal."
"I know," I said, gathering my breath. I raised a finger, aiming for the Yintang point between her brows. But before I could touch her, her eyes snapped open on the bed. Swoosh! Her hand lashed out, slapping my wrist hard.
Smack!
Damn, that woman was strong. My wrist throbbed with sharp pain.
"What are you two doing? I'll call the police!" Xiang Li suddenly spoke.
I stared, stunned. She seemed lucid now. But her Yintang was still pitch black. I guessed the ghost was still inside her, just not actively controlling her body at that moment.
Before I could speak, she continued, "Huh? I remember putting on makeup... How did I get on the bed? And how did you two get in? What were you planning?"
Telling her she was possessed probably wasn't wise. If word got out my place was haunted, forget renting it out again. Even if I could, the price would plummet.
Ning Haoyu started to speak. I quickly yanked him back. "Miss..." I began.
She cut me off. "Xiang Li. Call me Lili. Landlord, explain yourself. Did you drug me? If you don't give me a good reason, I'll call the police. Sexual assault."
Hearing this, Ning Haoyu's temper flared. "What? You're threatening us? You bitch—"
I pulled him behind me. "Shut up! You're making it worse!"
I turned back to Xiang Li. "You've rented here almost a year. You know what kind of person I am, right?"
Being a tenant, she wasn't completely unreasonable. She nodded. "Fairly. But today... you need to explain. How did you two get in my room? How did I get on the bed?"
Making up an excuse now was pointless. I told her the truth. Everything we'd experienced the night before. When I finished, Xiang Li stared blankly for a moment, then burst out laughing. "What? Possessed? Are you kidding me? That's ridiculous!"
I countered, "Then you tell me. Why don't you remember anything after starting your makeup?"
"You drugged me," she insisted.
My own temper flared. "Fine. If that's what you think, let's call the police. See what they say. If the tests show no drugs in your system, you move out. Immediately."
Hearing I was serious about the police, Ning Haoyu panicked. Ghost stories were impossible to prove. The police would be worse. He grabbed my arm. "Alright, miss. What do you want to settle this?"
Xiang Li looked between us. "Five months rent free. Or I call the cops."
Five months rent?
I started to protest, but Ning Haoyu cut me off. "Don't say anything! Fine. Five months rent free."
He dragged me downstairs before I could argue.
Back downstairs, he shoved me into my room. "Are you insane? You tell the police about a ghost? You think they'll believe it? Listen to me. Settle it. I know you're stingy. Fine. I'll pay her rent. My bad luck. That damn desk came from me."
I valued money, but I had principles. Ning Haoyu had already helped. I wouldn't take his money.
I took a deep breath. "Forget it. My bad luck. Let's just figure out how to deal with that ghost. Can't let it live here forever."
Ning Haoyu nodded. "Alright. Let's take that desk and dump it. Far away. Whoever picks it up gets haunted."
Dumping it meant cursing someone else. Cursing someone could wreck my own luck for years. I wasn't risking a lifetime of misfortune. I shook my head, explaining why.
Ning Haoyu threw up his hands. "Can't burn it. Can't dump it. What then? Come stay at my place for a while. Let the ghost have its fun here. Maybe it'll calm down eventually. Like when it was at my shop. Just made noises. Didn't hurt anyone."
His words struck me. When the desk was at his shop, the ghost hadn't hurt anyone. Only here. Only now. Was it because Ning Haoyu and I disturbed it last night? Did we provoke it into harming Xiang Li?
I looked up towards Xiang Li's room. Ning Haoyu nudged me. "Don't even think about handling this alone. Look, my uncle's been in the antique furniture business forever. He must have dealt with stuff like this. I'll ask him. See if he knows a solution."
That sounded promising. I nodded. My own methods – simple face-reading techniques to repel ghosts – were untested. If Ning Haoyu could find a real expert, that would be best.
After a moment, I asked the practical question. "Who pays the expert?"
Ning Haoyu rolled his eyes. "You stingy bastard. Fine. The desk was my gift. The trouble started with me. I'll pay."
I grinned, clapping his shoulder. "Good man!"
Ning Haoyu immediately called his uncle in the city, explaining the situation briefly.
I could hear his uncle yelling through the phone – calling Ning Haoyu an idiot for buying things without checking them properly.
Ning Haoyu mumbled apologies for a while before finally asking, "Uncle... done yelling? Got any ideas?"
His uncle spoke for a minute, told Ning Haoyu to hang up, then sent a text with a phone number.
I leaned over. The text had a number and identified the owner as "Master Wang."
Ning Haoyu said, "My uncle says this guy's the real deal. He can fix this."
I urged him to call immediately. Find out if he could come, and the price. I calculated silently. If it was too expensive, I'd risk using Grandpa's methods. Grandpa said they worked on ghosts, so they probably did. It was just... risky.
Ning Haoyu dialed, putting it on speakerphone.
Beep... beep... A voice like a tolling bell answered. "Hello? Who is this?"
The voice sounded surprisingly young, maybe not even thirty. Ning Haoyu and I exchanged confused glances.
"Hello?!" the voice repeated, sharper.
Ning Haoyu snapped back. "Uh, hello? Master Wang? I'm Xiong Jiu's nephew. We have a problem... my uncle gave me your number..."
He launched into the whole story, regardless of whether this was actually the right person.
When he finished, Master Wang spoke. "Got the gist. Your problem isn't too difficult. Send me your address via text. I'll head over. By the way, judging by your number, you're not in the city? If it's far, I'll need extra."
Sensitive to money, I asked, "How much extra?"
"Nearby, just cover gas. Far away, cover round-trip travel costs."
Reasonable enough for a Taoist priest. "Alright," I agreed.
Ning Haoyu asked what we should do in the meantime. Master Wang replied, "Nothing. I doubt it's a malicious ghost. Won't harm anyone much. Don't provoke it. Wait for me."
Agreed. Ning Haoyu hung up and texted my address.
After hitting send, Ning Haoyu let out a long sigh. "Okay. Should be sorted."
I still felt uneasy. What if this Master Wang was a fraud?
I studied Ning Haoyu's face. Despite the ghostly encounter bringing bad luck, his complexion looked surprisingly good. His Yintang was bright. Sign of meeting a benefactor. The benefactor... Master Wang?
That thought eased my worry a little.
We stayed holed up in my room. Not long after, Xiang Li came downstairs, dressed to the nines for work. She knocked on my window on her way out.
"Landlord, remember! Five months rent free!"
I grumbled, "I know!"
I glanced at her face again. The blackness on her Yintang had faded somewhat. But her eyebrows (Palace of Longevity) still looked thin. The Palace of Sickness and Calamity was still dark. The ghost was gone from her body, but a serious illness was coming.
I couldn't help but warn her. "Xiang Li... seriously, go get a check-up at the hospital. Your face shows signs of... a serious illness."
Xiang Li laughed. "First a ghost, now an illness? Landlord, stop joking. I'm perfectly healthy."
She waved and walked out, completely dismissing me.
Ning Haoyu snorted beside me. "Why bother with that bitch? No good deed goes unpunished."