Chapter 35: Following Them

I looked Tang Qu up and down. "I'm sorry, I'm not a doctor. If you need medical treatment, you should go to a hospital."

Tang Qu’s expression darkened immediately. I added, "And another thing! Since you two are so compassionate, you should have just stepped in and taken my place earlier. It would have only taken a word—I assume you wouldn't care about losing ten or twenty years of your lifespan."

A soul-begging ghost steals life without the victim's control. No one ever knows how long they have left after uttering the words "you will live." Saying ten or twenty years is merely a guess.

Tang Qu replied coldly, "My sister doesn't understand these things."

Tang Yu shouted, "Brother, didn't you see how vicious they were? That female ghost was only trying to save her child. Even if she was wrong, she deserves understanding!"

"Even though it's a ghost, it still has the right to live. All living things are equal; no one has the authority to strip away a life at will."

"They killed it as soon as they arrived—that means its soul will be scattered, never to be reincarnated!"

I was about to retort, but Tang Yu covered her ears. "I'm not listening! Everything bad you say will just bounce right back at you."

I couldn't be bothered to argue with her. I silently took the soul-suppression bag from Ye Huan and untied the ropes for the two of them.

Once the restraints were removed, the cat-ghost surged out of the bag. The first thing it saw was the Tang siblings, and without hesitation, it swiped its claws at them through the air.

I took half a step back and slapped a spirit talisman onto both myself and Ye Huan.

I watched as the cat-ghost’s sharp claws were about to strike the siblings' faces. However, the yin energy radiating from the creature triggered the soul-suppression bell on Tang Yu’s waist. As the bell rang, the cat-ghost pulled back its claws, turned around, and scrambled up a tree to flee. Before it disappeared, it glared fiercely at the siblings one last time.

Once the cat-ghost had vanished, Tang Qu, who seemed stunned, finally reacted. He pointed at me and snapped, "What are you doing?"

I feigned deep remorse. "After listening to the young lady’s words, I’ve had a sudden epiphany! Every ghost and spirit has the right to survive! I cannot deprive them of that right. I am overcome with regret!"

"To turn over a new leaf, I’ve decided to follow her virtuous advice! That’s why I let the cat-ghost go!"

"You..." Tang Qu’s face turned pale with fury, and Tang Yu was left speechless.

I said sincerely, "Young lady, you were right. Ghosts should be reincarnated. Don't look at it as just a cat; in its next life, it might be a general, a doctor, or a high-ranking monk."

"I couldn't possibly stand in the way of its future success, its path to healing the world, or its mission to save all living beings!"

"I’ve let the cat go, and now I’ll be leaving to go home and repent!"

I was setting a trap for the Tang siblings by releasing that cat. Unless they were willing to take a claw to the face, they would be forced to fight back. I had already noticed that the bell on Tang Yu’s waist was no ordinary item. As long as I didn't stop the cat-ghost, it would surely escape after sustaining heavy injuries.

Cat-ghosts are incredibly vengeful; it wouldn't let the siblings off the hook. As long as it lived, it would pester them relentlessly. Although the cat-ghost had a grudge against me too, animals—even as ghosts—have a tendency to pick on the weak first. Unless it finished off the Tang siblings, it wouldn't come looking for me.

Tang Yu shrieked, "Is that the same thing?"

"How is it different? All living things are equal, right? Isn't that what you just said?" I asked, feigning surprise. "Don't tell me you want to go back on your word?"

"As the saying goes: one doesn't eat what one has already excreted!"

Tang Yu was moved to tears of rage on the spot. Tang Qu’s face turned livid. "You have guts—give me your name!"

"Oh my, that’s strange!" I acted innocent, widening my eyes. "I didn't provoke you, did I? You told me to do it, so I did. Now you want my name?"

"Isn't that a bit much?"

"You..." Tang Qu, lacking experience, was left speechless by my quick retorts and had no choice but to storm off with Tang Yu.

Once they were far enough away, I whispered, "Little Bean Sprout, find some people to keep an eye on them. I want to see if they end up dead."

Little Bean Sprout’s eyes widened. "Master San, that’s... that’s too cruel! Isn't it enough that you messed with them? You want to watch how they die?"

"You don't understand," I said heavily. "Go do it, don't let them out of your sight. Also, find me some old ghosts who hang around the hospital; I have things to ask them. Hurry."

Little Bean Sprout didn't know what I was planning, but he dutifully went to arrange the wandering spirits.

Once he was out of earshot, Ye Huan said, "Actually, I could have controlled the cat-ghost, it just would have taken some time."

I waved him off. "If you controlled it, we would have been exposed." I lit a cigarette. "The appearance of the Tang siblings was too coincidental, but they don't look like the ones who set this up."

"No one knew we were coming to this hospital except for the two old men. So, what is this ambush about?"

I walked toward the edge of the graveyard. "There are only two possibilities for this ambush: either Little Bean Sprout intentionally led us here, or this ambush wasn't meant for us at all, and we just happened to stumble into it."

Ye Huan said, "You mean the person who set the trap was lying in wait for the Tang siblings?"

I mused, "Or perhaps they were waiting for Zong Zheng, that mountain dog. He and his grandfather have been missing for over ten days. They wouldn't just sit idle. I suspect Zong Zheng will return to this hospital."

As I spoke, I pulled a folding shovel from my leg and dug up one of the mounds. The iron cage and the corpse inside were still there, but someone had added two more talismans to the cage.

"Just as I thought!" I pointed to the other mounds. "Someone is setting a trap for Zong Zheng."

Just then, Little Bean Sprout returned with over a dozen ghosts. I looked at the crowd of spirits bowing and scraping before me, feeling a bit dazed. "Why did you bring so many?"

Little Bean Sprout lowered his head. "I didn't want to! But word has spread around here that you're generous with your payments. They all wanted to come, and I couldn't stop them." He muttered, "I reckon in a few days, the whole city will know how much you pay."

I chuckled. "It’s fine, let them come. It’s no big deal."

I didn't care about a little paper money. Old Thief Yuan was stingy and greedy, but he had one redeeming quality: he was never stingy with those who did his bidding. He had taught me that if you aren't willing to part with money, no one will truly work for you; you should never skimp on what needs to be spent.

I found a place to sit. "I was in a rush today and didn't bring any paper money..."

I intentionally left the sentence hanging. The wandering spirits immediately looked disappointed, and Little Bean Sprout looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole. He was the one who had brought them here; if they didn't get paid, he wouldn't be able to show his face in this area again.

Little Bean Sprout had lost all his dignity today.