After Xiang Li left, a heavy gloom settled over me. Ning Haoyu and I had tried to help her, only to end up losing five months' rent.
Now, it was just Ning Haoyu and me left in the house. When Xiang Li walked out, the ghost had already left her body.
Meaning that ghost was still lurking somewhere in my home. The thought made me glance at Ning Haoyu. He met my gaze, understanding instantly.
Before I could speak, he said, "Chu Yi, let's not wait inside. Too creepy. Let's wait outside. Master Wang will call when he arrives."
I nodded. "Yeah." We headed out.
We grabbed a bite to eat first, then walked along the Minxin River for a while. Most of the afternoon slipped away.
We passed a few fortune tellers who offered their services. I countered by giving each one a free reading, leaving them speechless and shuffling away.
After that, I felt significantly better. Ning Haoyu kept pestering me. "Chu Yi, you were spouting all that stuff like you knew it cold. Seriously, what's your skill level? You made those pros look like amateurs."
I honestly didn't know my own level.
According to Grandpa, fortune tellers in our tradition were ranked in four tiers: Cardinal, Mysterious, Earthly, and Yellow. Each wore specific robes. Yellow-tier wore pale yellow robes, similar to Taoist garb. Earthly-tier wore golden yellow robes, also resembling Taoist attire. The robes for Cardinal and Mysterious tiers differed significantly from Taoist robes and used different colors than Earthly and Yellow, though Grandpa hadn't elaborated on the specifics.
Lost in thought, I forgot to answer Ning Haoyu. He nudged me. "What are you thinking about?" I mumbled, "Thinking about Grandpa..."
Before I could finish, Ning Haoyu's phone rang. He instantly shushed me, excited. "It's Master Wang!"
"Mm," I grunted, signaling him to answer.
Ning Haoyu put it on speaker. "Master Wang? Are you here?"
The same resonant voice came through. "Yes. But the door's locked. You're not home?"
I snatched the phone. "We're on our way back! Almost at the door. Master Wang, please wait a moment."
Master Wang grunted an acknowledgment, told us to hurry, and hung up.
Ning Haoyu and I sprinted back.
We quickly reached the shuttered funeral clothing shop. Standing outside, facing away from us, was a man in black casual wear. He carried an old-fashioned brown leather briefcase that looked oddly out of place with his outfit.
Even from behind, I could feel an extraordinary aura radiating from him. This had to be Master Wang.
"Master Wang?" I ventured.
The man turned. He looked at me, then at Ning Haoyu, and nodded. "That's me. Which of you is the client?"
I stepped forward. "I am. This is my home."
Master Wang gave another "Mm." He extended a hand. "Well met. I am Master Wang, Wang Junhui. Master Wang is fine. I've walked the perimeter. The spirit entity is inside this room. Quiet. Seems benign, not a vengeful ghost."
I shook his hand firmly and introduced myself and Ning Haoyu.
As he spoke, I subtly studied his face. His features were well-proportioned. Apart from the Palace of Siblings indicating he was an only child, everything else was auspicious. The "Forests and Mountains" points at his temples shone brilliantly, like light radiating outwards.
His age, judging by his face, hovered around twenty-nine or thirty. And the "Forests and Mountains" points precisely corresponded to the flow of fortune for those years. Meaning Wang Junhui was experiencing great luck throughout his twenty-ninth and thirtieth years.
I was so absorbed in reading him that I missed his question. Ning Haoyu nudged me again and answered for me. "Master Wang, so what should we do? How soon can you... deal with it?"
Wang Junhui didn't answer Ning Haoyu. Instead, he looked directly at me. "The way you observe people... it's like someone trained in physiognomy. Do you practice face reading?"
When he spoke to me, I felt a subtle pressure, an air of authority. I nodded cautiously. "A little. Learned from my grandfather."
Wang Junhui studied me but didn't press further. He suddenly turned back to Ning Haoyu. "You asked what to do? Go find his family. On the phone, you said you acquired that desk and gave it to your friend. You must know where it came from, right? Go bring the family here."
Ning Haoyu looked utterly bewildered. He glanced at Wang Junhui, then back at me.
I shrugged. "Do as he says."
Ning Haoyu mumbled, "Oh... okay. But it's almost dark. Will they even come with me?"
Suddenly, something Grandpa once said flashed into my mind. I adapted it, speaking urgently to Ning Haoyu. "Tell them what happened here. Their ancestor is restless. An unquiet ancestor means an unquiet ancestral grave. Their family's luck must be in shambles right now. Tell them if they want to turn their fortune around, they must come to appease the ancestor's spirit. Otherwise, the bad luck will continue."
Wang Junhui looked at me, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "You know this too?"
"Mm," I nodded. "A bit. Learned from Grandpa."
After Ning Haoyu left, Wang Junhui didn't immediately ask me to open the door. We stood chatting outside the shop.
His initial questions circled around my grandfather. My answers were simple: Grandpa was gone. He seemed to interpret this as Grandpa being dead and dropped the subject.
He then asked about my own skills and what I'd seen in his face earlier.
I thought for a moment and decided to tell him honestly what I'd observed. When I finished, he said, "Hmm. Accurate on the face reading. My luck has been good this past year. Plenty of cases, all went smoothly. Made decent money too."
Seeing the conversation drift, I steered it back. "Master Wang, how exactly do we handle the ghost inside?"
He glanced at the shop door. "This ghost is a classic case of unresolved wishes. It lingers because its family hasn't fulfilled its desires. Once the family comes, clarifies things, the ghost's wishes are met, and it will naturally dissipate."
Curious, I asked how he knew. He smiled slightly. "I spoke with it before you returned. It wouldn't say much, but based on experience, I'm fairly certain."
As we talked, dusk deepened. I asked if he wanted to eat first. He shook his head. "Let's handle the main matter first."
Ning Haoyu still hadn't returned. I called to hurry him. Ning Haoyu sounded frustrated. "Rushing me won't help! The whole family's out! Neighbors don't know where they went. I've been waiting at their door forever. Should I just come back?"
Before I could answer, he added, "Hey, Chu Yi, you can divine stuff, right? Help me figure out where they are!"
Irritated, I snapped, "Do you think I'm a god? No clues! What am I supposed to use—"
I stopped mid-sentence. An idea sparked. "Stay put. Wait there. I'll try a divination. I'll call you back."
I hung up and turned urgently to Wang Junhui. "Master Wang, can you let me see the ghost inside? I need to borrow its aura to divine where its family is right now."
Wang Junhui looked startled. "It's a ghost. You can divine about the living using ghostly energy?"
Grandpa had mentioned these methods. He said when a person dies, their fate doesn't end. It continues through their corpse, their lingering spirit, even the ghost itself. This fate energy, whether yin or yang, remains intricately connected to the people, events, and things from their life. If you could read this energy, you could divine their fate.
I didn't explain all this to Wang Junhui. I simply said, "I have my ways."
Wang Junhui made a noncommittal "Oh" sound. Again, he didn't press.
I got the feeling he wasn't deeply interested in the answers. He'd ask a question right up to the intriguing point, then abruptly stop, as if the underlying explanation didn't matter. Or... did he also understand some aspects of our physiognomy tradition?
I was pondering Wang Junhui when he spoke again. "You want to see the ghost inside? That can be arranged. But you must follow my instructions. Don't startle it. This ghost is low-grade. Startled, it will flee, causing unnecessary trouble."
I nodded vigorously. Ning Haoyu and I had already scared it upstairs once, costing me five months' rent. I wouldn't make that mistake again.
Wang Junhui acknowledged my nod. He formed a strange hand gesture with his fingers and muttered a series of syllables I couldn't comprehend. Then, he swept his finger swiftly before my eyes. "By the swift decree of the Jade Emperor – Open!"
"What was that?" I asked.
"I opened your spiritual vision," he explained. "Seeing it yesterday was happenstance. Without opening your eyes today, you likely wouldn't see it."
Ah, the Taoist practice of opening the "third eye." Grandpa had mentioned it. He said most Taoists needed tools like talismans, blessed water, or willow leaves to do it. Those who could open spiritual sight unaided were usually Taoist masters of great power.
Recalling Grandpa's words, a wave of respect washed over me. According to him, Wang Junhui before me must be an exceptional Taoist practitioner.
Seeing me frozen, Wang Junhui urged, "Best be quick. The vision I opened for you lasts only fifteen minutes. If you stand there dazed without opening the door, the effect will fade. I won't open it again immediately. Too many spiritual visions without cultivation drains your yang energy. Makes you prone to yin-cold illnesses."
I nodded sharply and fumbled for the keys. Time was ticking. A golden light seemed to flood my vision as the door swung open.