New Times, New Hell

Chapter 15 - Capturing a Ghost With Bare Hands

As soon as Shang Que spoke, everyone present became completely confused. A moment later, Chen Sijie snorted, “Where did this maniac come from?”

The little Daoist’s face was red with anger. He also used an irate tone to ask Father Chen, “Householder Chen, what does your family mean by this?”

Daoist priest Mu bowed towards Father Chen too. “Householder Chen, from its founding until now, Qinglian Temple has had a legacy of over one thousand years; our skills are passed down from generation to generation. Regardless if the skill in question is spell casting or ritual performing, we have always lived up to our reputation. This time we specially came from Diyang because we saw young Householder Chen’s sincerity. If you don’t believe in my abilities, then I will leave immediately.”

Chen Sijie heard this and became anxious. He told his father, “Dad, Daoist priest Mu is a famous enlightened man in the Diyang area. So many people wait in line to try and invite him but fail, you can’t let jiejie fool around like this.”

Father Chen was innocent, he didn’t even understand what Shang Que just said. He urgently apologized, “Priest, you’re mistaken. I don’t mean that I don’t trust you.”

Chen Sijie turned his head to shoo Shang Que and Yu Zhengdu. “Where are you scammers from, hurry and go back to where you came from.”

Chen Siyu refused to let her brother have his way. If the people she brought today left just like this, then her reliable image in her father’s heart would forever be tarnished. She urgently peeked at Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que, hoping they would express their skills.

Only to see Shang Que glance at her and say coldly, “With this kind of attitude, if you want our company to help you, we’re going to have to raise the price.”

Chen Siyu: “……”

Everyone present: “……”

Chen Siyu had never regretted anything so much in her life. She only placed her trust in them because this company seemed to have some actual abilities. But who knew that this little boss completely sucked at reading the atmosphere? Now she had lost her face completely in front of her little brother.

Yu Zhengdu couldn’t help but look at his boss with admiration. As expected from the Ghost King, still daring to raise the price on the spot even in this situation. But he was scared that if he continued to give Boss free reign, they would get kicked out of the house, so quickly mediated, “There’s no need to get so excited. We’re not saying the priest is a scammer, just that everyone’s technology is different.”

The little Daoist was so angry he laughed. He disregarded his master, who was trying to stop him, and stepped forward to say, “Do you even understand the situation? We work in removing evil and keeping away misfortune. We deal with creatures of the Underworld. This isn’t something your tomfoolery can handle. If you don’t leave soon, don’t blame me when you accidentally get trapped in all this……”

As he spoke, Yu Zhengdu pulled out his phone and opened the app to scan Father Chen. “Priest you’ve misunderstood us. We work in removing evil and catching ghosts too……”

The little Daoist saw that he took his phone out and became even angrier. “What? Are you going to use your phone to take pictures for the ghosts and spirits?”

As soon as he finished, Yu Zhengdu lightly sucked in a breath. He looked at Father Chen in surprise, “Mr. Chen, is your left arm okay?”

Upon hearing this, Father Chen’s expression subtly changed. His tone of voice became strange. “Why do you ask that?”

Yu Zhengdu looked at the app and said, “According to the results from our detector, your entire body is covered in Underworld energy. Recently you should’ve felt cold shivers in your whole body, more seriously on the left side. Especially your left hand……”

His eyebrows slightly furrowed. “It must be hard to even hold things.”

Father Chen had been a little suspicious, but after hearing him speak he immediately became alert. He responded quickly, “That’s exactly right. It’s exactly like that.”

He quickly crossed over to Yu Zhengdu’s side and peeked at the phone. “What technology is this? How come you know my situation from just scanning?”

He saw on the phone’s screen an image of his own body. The entire thing seemed to be covered in black, some areas darker and some lighter. Different areas also had corresponding stats.

Yu Zhengdu pointed to those stats and explained to him, “Your body has been consumed by Underworld energy, which is why you feel cold. These areas with darker colors and higher numbers are where the presence of Underworld energy is strongest; they’re also where you feel the most uncomfortable.”

The more Father Chen looked at it the wider his eyes got. On his face was an expression of disbelief. “That’s amazing. These places, exactly these, that’s where I’m most uncomfortable. The hospital couldn’t even figure it out, how did you guys do it?”

“This is patented technology. It’s a secret.” Yu Zhengdu smiled. “The chills caused by Underworld energy are not actually considered a disease, so before they cause any physical harm, hospitals can’t detect them.”

Father Chen looked at the app in wonder. For a brief moment, he forgot about Daoist priest Mu and his apprentice’s presence.

Chen Sijie watched as his father’s attitude towards the two scammers changed right in front of his eyes, shocked. He protested, “Dad, don’t let those scammers fool you.”

Father Chen glared at him. “How is this a scam? Do you know how accurate their results are?”

Chen Siyu: ……Of course not.

Daoist priest Mu was a bit surprised too. He furrowed his brows and stated, “I started learning Daoist ways from age 8. Up till now, it’s been 50 years. I have seen innumerous Underworld creatures, but have never heard that you can detect and analyze Underworld energy.”

Shang Que’s face remained expressionless, but his words were, as usual, mocking. “Why else would I say you’ve rested on your laurels?”

Daoist priest Mu could hold himself back, but his apprentice couldn’t. The little Daoist immediately spoke up, “Don’t think you can make up a pretty excuse. I’ve seen plenty of scammers like you, randomly using any apparatus and saying it’s fancy technology. You’re just silver-tongued and have good luck, coincidentally coming up with the right lie.”

He scoffed. “In the end, you still just want to sell your healthcare products and treatment apparatus.”

“That’s not it……” Yu Zhengdu was a bit timid as he spoke. “We can also remove evil and catch ghosts……”

“You can my…… What?” The little Daoist was just in the middle of his righteous speech when he got interrupted. He suddenly widened his eyes. “You guys catch ghosts?”

Even Chen Siyu, who had invited them over, was shocked. Wait, this wasn’t how she imagined the plot was going to roll out in her head. She reflexively asked, “Xiao Yu, I thought you just sold luck-changing magnets?”

The little Daoist understood everything the moment after Chen Siyu spoke. These two scammers were just trying to sell some fake items, but coincidentally ran into him and his master, both who had real skills. Their original routine no longer worked, so they had started making up bigger bluffs on the spot.

After getting this, the little Daoist calmed down quite a bit. He assumed a serious expression and inquired, “You guys can catch ghosts too? How?”

Shang Que lazily stated, “With our hands.”

Everyone present: “……”

Yu Zhengdu: “……” When we get back I need to discuss with Boss the proper way to communicate when trying to do business!

Daoist priest Mu sighed, “What a farce.”

The little Daoist glared at Father Chen angrily, “Householder Chen, if you believe these scammers then we’ll leave right now. You can have them help you remove evil and catch ghosts.”

“Ey, there’s no need for that. Little priest please don’t say that.” Father Chen was a little panicked. Even though these two young men had very fancy technology, they really didn’t seem trustworthy. In matters regarding evil spirits, he felt more at peace trusting an actual Daoist monk. He hurriedly stepped up to Daoist priest Mu and bowed, saying, “I’d like to please ask the priest to open the altar and cast some spells to help me remove the evil spirit.”

After seeing that his father ultimately chose the religious master he had brought back, Chen Sijie sighed in relief, then turned around, satisfied, to shoot a taunting look at Chen Siyu.

At this point in time, Chen Siyu was more exasperated than mad. Even she herself felt that the two people she had invited over were too imaginative and reckless with their ideas.

Father Chen looked at Yu Zhengdu again. “Little brother, your technology is truly impressive, but for things involving magic, it’s best for a priest to do it. How about this, I’ll have Siyu send you back first, but we’ll still pay the full price……”

Father Chen’s attitude rubbed Shang Que the right way. He spared a look at him, and said, “We’re more professional than these old Daoists when it comes to catching ghosts.”

Daoist priest Mu: “……”

Father Chen started sweating. He was about to start persuading again, when the fiery young Daoist finally had enough. He rushed forward to say, “Fine, then you guys stay to watch us open the altar and cast spells. When we’ve guided the evil spirit to the altar, you can show us what you’ve got.”

Daoist priest Mu’s expression hardened. “Yuanqing, no monkey business.”

At the same time, Shang Que casually agreed, “Alright.”

The situation had already escalated to a point where Father Chen couldn’t say anything either. These two groups of people were determined to decide who was better.

……

Under Father Chen’s direction, the serving staff soon prepared all the appropriate items, setting up the incense table and sacrificial altar.

After eating dinner, Daoist priest Mu went to sit in front of the altar and meditate by himself. The little Daoist became busy, taking out a trunk from their car and retrieving the magical instruments, yellow talismans, and other items they had brought from the temple. He even took out a tiny, antique incense burner that was filled halfway with ash.

The little Daoist arrogantly glanced at Shang Que. “This is incense ash from our temple. It is enshrined year-round before Enlightened Man Zhang’s seat and can be used for removing evil and protecting homes.”

Not only did the incense ash have a backstory, each item he took out seemed old and important. It was obvious they were all famous pieces with long histories. Qinglian Temple certainly lived up to its reputation.

Shang Que sat on the couch and played his mobile game, completely ignoring the little Daoist’s taunts.

Chen Sijie took the opportunity to mock and sneer at his sister. “Jiejie, you never believed in these feudal superstitions before. How come now that you’ve started being superstitious, you’re worse than me? What kind of people have you invited?”

Chen Siyu had nothing to say, keeping her head low and prepping a cup of coffee.

Chen Sijie rarely beat his sister in anything. His smile was about to reach the back of his head, but he still felt it wasn’t enough, so went over to taunt Yu Zhengdu.“What equipment does your company have? You’re not really planning on catching a ghost with your bare hands, are you?”

Yu Zhengdu pondered momentarily and answered, “We have equipment too……”

Chen Sijie was just about to ask more questions, when the little Daoist finished his preparations and said, “We’re starting. All unrelated persons, please don’t be disruptive.”

Father Chen was the most nervous person present. He immediately told Chen Sijie, “Quiet, everyone be quiet.”

Daoist priest Mu stood up and retrieved a peach wood sword from the incense table. He began to make finger gestures as he chanted and cast spells.

His voice was low, causing the listeners’ moods to fluctuate. But if you listened closely, you could hear a disharmonious sound——coming from Shang Que’s mobile game.

Chen Sijie couldn’t help rolling his eyes. Even Chen Siyu had mixed feelings.

Yu Zhengdu leaned closer to Boss and whispered, “Boss, give the mortals some respect.”

Shang Que glanced at him briefly, then reluctantly put his phone away. “Only on your behalf.”

At this time, a gust of cold wind suddenly blew in; it didn’t blow in from the door or windows, but instead from the direction of the ceiling. Several candles flickered on the incense table.

Everybody instinctively looked up, only to see the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling was shaking too, causing the lighting to sometimes be bright and sometimes be dark. This raised uncertainty in their hearts.

The cold wind did so even more. The lights flickered and the cold seemed to be capable of seeping into one’s bones. Yu Zhengdu urgently pulled his clothes tighter around himself.

The yellow talismans on the table fluttered in the wind, and the Chens were practically huddled together in a group hug. Daoist priest Mu was unbothered. He solemnly picked up a handful of rice and threw it on the ground, chanting, “Whether you are in the poor heavens, or travel through the Underworld, I am searching for a deceased spirit, come forth to my altar……”

Everyone looked at the ground, only to see the grains of rice didn’t stop moving after landing. Instead, they started rolling around slightly.

Father Chen’s voice was shaking, “Why is the rice moving?”

The little Daoist clutched a yellow talisman in his hand. His expression was severe as he waited to the side. Upon hearing this question, he answered, “The mortal eye cannot see spirits. We must utilize other objects and observe their movements……”

Father Chen almost passed out. “This, this…… Is it because the ghost has appeared?”

The little Daoist had no time to respond to him. Daoist priest Mu was already holding his sword and walking in a circle around the moving grains of rice. His chanting didn’t stop, and beads of sweat emerged on his forehead. It was obvious that this was the climax of the spell-casting.

Chen Sijie was scared but also a bit excited. The scene before their eyes was proving that Daoist priest Mu, who he had invited, was truly a religious master. He finally couldn’t help himself, taking this opportunity to mock Yu Zhengdu, “Didn’t you say you wanted to capture the ghost? How about trying now?”

He finished speaking but found that Yu Zhengdu didn’t respond. He thought it was because the other was frightened, but upon turning his head to look, he saw that Yu Zhengdu was intently staring in Daoist priest Mu’s direction. But unlike them, there was no hint of fear on Yu Zhengdu’s face, but instead a look of great curiosity.

The reason Yu Zhengdu’s face looked like that was mainly because what he was seeing differed from what the others were seeing.

Since the cold wind had blown in, the terrifying and mysterious situation was portrayed clearly in front of his eyes.

As Daoist priest Mu’s spell-casting began, a man’s spirit slowly fell through the ceiling and landed in front of the altar.

What surprised Yu Zhengdu, though, was that the man’s appearance was not one an evil ghost should have at all. His posture was straight and he wore an ironed suit; his hair was very short. He was clearly an urban elite.

The man seemed to be under Daoist priest Mu’s control. His body was stiff, but he still had energy to spare as he carefully avoided the priest’s sword and faced off with him.

Yu Zhengdu softly asked Shang Que, “What’s up with this ghost?”

Shang Que glanced over. “It seems to be under someone’s control. The other party probably felt the old priest’s activities, so the two are currently duelling it out.”

Yu Zhengdu went “ah” and said, “A situation like this exists!”

At this time, the man dressed as an elite suddenly became alert. He held his hand out a tad and blocked Daoist priest Mu’s peach wood sword, then used this brief pause to fly across the room.

In certain people’s eyes, this appeared as though the heavy wooden peach sword in Daoist priest Mu’s hand had suddenly flicked to the side by itself. The priest yelled loudly, and the shifting grains of rice finally came to a standstill.

Father Chen’s heart had almost stopped beating. He asked weakly, “Did you catch, catch the ghost?”

Daoist priest Mu looked apologetic. “It escaped.”

Father Chen’s face became pale, only to see Daoist priest Mu wave his hand. “Don’t worry, let me cast some spells again……”

“Let us do it. By the time you’re finished, it’ll already be sunrise,” Shang Que said as he glanced at Yu Zhengdu.

Yu Zhengdu immediately understood his boss’s meaning. The ghost was too lowly; he wasn’t to be bothered personally catching it.

Daoist priest Mu said very seriously, “Working with magic has never been easy. One night is nothing, I have cast spells for 3 days and 3 nights before……”

He wasn’t done talking, but Yu Zhengdu had already pulled out something silver from his pockets. He stood up solemnly. “I’ll do it.”

Everyone focused on the object, only to see that the item swinging from his hands was……a pair of handcuffs.

Daoist priest Mu almost spat out a mouthful of blood. He finally exploded, “This is complete blasphemy——”

Yu Zhengdu knew that he couldn’t explain the truth to them, so decided it was best to just end this as quickly as possible. Thus, he ignored the priest and charged at the male ghost.

The male ghost knew how humans determined a ghost’s movement in the mortal realm, so after leaving the vicinity of the rice, he calmed down. He had just started resting when he saw the young man dressed in a sweatshirt, who looked like a homebody, suddenly charge at him.

At first the male ghost was a bit confused. He thought the human was just playing, only realizing what was going on when Yu Zhengdu appeared right in front of him. Then, he took off running.

Yu Zhengdu shouted, “Stop running! You’re under arrest! Squat facing the wall with your hands on your head. Male ghosts on the left, female ghosts on the right——”

Everyone present: “……”

Chen Sijie started jumping in place. “Jie, are you trying to kill Dad!”

Daoist priest Mu was so angry he couldn’t even hold his sword straight. He placed a hand over his chest as he panted, “What a mess……This is too, too much of a mess……”

He didn’t get to finish speaking, only to hear a sound of “keng——”. The tiny incense burner that the little Daoist was so proud of had been accidentally knocked over by Yu Zhengdu. The ashes that had been enshrined in front of Enlightened Man Zhang fell out and were scattered on the ground, spreading throughout the room as a cold gust of wind passed.

The little Daoist was as angry as could be. He yelled loudly, “I’ve had enough of you——”

At the same time, Shang Que faintly pointed his finger ahead. Yu Zhengdu stopped running when he reached the place Shang Que pointed to, then sighed in relief. “Fuck, he’s a runner. I’m so tired!”

He used one hand to grab something, and the other to snap on the handcuffs. Then, he pushed at the air and said, “Finally caught it.”

The little Daoist’s eyes were blood red. “You dare to lie!”

He finished speaking, only to see two footprints appear amid the incense ash in the area where Yu Zhengdu had just pushed. In between the two footprints was also the imprint of a pair of handcuffs.

Everyone immediately paused. Daoist priest Mu had even stopped breathing.

Chen Sijie’s eyeballs almost popped out of his sockets. He stammered, “What, what is this?”

“Ah, right.” Yu Zhengdu lifted his head to look at him. “You just asked me about it, this is the equipment we use to catch ghosts.”

He smiled, “Even though it’s not the same as the priest’s, but to each their own, right.”

Everyone: “……”

To each their own my ass!