Chapter Twenty-One: The African Brother (The Fifth Update Has Arrived—Click Away)

It was highly unusual for a newborn not to cry or fuss. When the burly man slapped a talisman onto the infant’s forehead, the baby suddenly floated into the air—a development none of them had foreseen. It turned out that the ghost child, who had escaped when Song Nianqiang and his companion dealt with the mother-and-child spirits earlier, had already possessed this newborn. Once the talisman was applied, the ghost found itself trapped and, in desperation, tried to perish together with the newly born child.

Witnessing this, the family’s hearts leapt into their throats. The burly man reacted swiftly, grabbing the floating infant and yanking him into his arms. Without hesitation, he struck the child’s face with a heavy slap. The force was almost enough to kill the newborn, but it successfully forced the ghost child out.

"One each!" the burly man shouted, activating his spiritual sight. At Song Nianqiang’s call, he nodded and lunged at the ghost child. The ghost had little power, only speed, but the burly man was not about to let it escape.

Meanwhile, Song Nianqiang formed hand seals and confronted the vengeful ghost. Its aura grew ever weaker, clearly suffering from the loss of the spirit-summoning stone, but its malice only intensified. With lifeless, bulging eyes, the ghost glared at the family, now fully revealed in its true form.

Upon seeing the ghost’s real body, the woman’s husband nearly collapsed in terror. Song Nianqiang had already sensed something odd about this case. But there were laws in this world—if a crime was committed, justice was for the law to administer, not for vengeful spirits to exact private revenge.

Catching the ghost’s distracted gaze toward the family, Song Nianqiang abruptly unleashed the Five Thunders Incantation. Blue lightning flashed and struck the ghost squarely in the forehead. With a blood-curdling scream, the vengeful spirit nearly vanished in a wisp of green smoke.

By this time, the burly man had already subdued the ghost child. Seeing Song Nianqiang’s incantation strike, he wasted no time in slapping another talisman onto the vengeful spirit.

A sizzling sound erupted as black smoke poured from the ghost’s body. In its final moments, the ghost shrieked a name, clarifying everything for Song Nianqiang: "Li Min, give me back my life! Give me back my life!" The agony in its voice was enough to bring tears to the eyes of those who heard it.

The ghost’s cries faded as it finally vanished from the world, leaving no trace behind. Yet Song Nianqiang now looked at the woman’s husband with suspicion. The ghost’s final words suggested there was something they had concealed. He strode over and said coldly, "That ghost wouldn’t have come for you without a reason. If you’re hiding something from us, don’t seek our help again if trouble arises."

His words were meant to frighten them. After all, as long as one behaved properly, ghosts would not seek you out. But the family, already terrified by the events, was rattled. Trembling, the woman’s husband confessed to a foolish act he had committed years ago.

Two years prior, he and his coworker—the very man who became the vengeful ghost—were returning from the New Year holiday. On the train, his money was stolen, and instead of comforting him, the coworker mocked him relentlessly, calling him useless and incapable of even protecting his own meager savings.

Resentment took root in his heart. One day, as they walked together down a deserted path, he picked up a stone and struck his coworker’s head with all his might. Then, in a fit of madness, he mutilated the man’s body with the stone. He had not foreseen that evil deeds would bring evil consequences, but two years later, his victim returned as a vengeful spirit seeking retribution.

"If you want peace for your family, you’d best report yourself to the authorities," Song Nianqiang said, turning to leave without another word. He had done nothing wrong, but perhaps he had helped the wrong person. Right and wrong were not always easy to define.

Back home, he and his companion rested for several days. With the thirty thousand yuan they’d earned, they made another trip to the antique market. This time, however, they found nothing of value. Song Nianqiang had intended to buy a few magical implements, but with his current abilities, he couldn’t use them effectively, nor could he distinguish between genuine and fake items. During this time, he heard that the woman’s husband had turned himself in to the police, though he neither heard nor inquired about the verdict.

With nothing else to do at home, the two practiced their ghost-catching skills. Song Nianqiang made great progress, and the spirit-summoning stone he carried now contained a small ghost—the first to serve under him. That night, he was so delighted he couldn’t sleep, sending the ghost to observe here and there, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Ultimately, he put the little ghost to good use, assigning it to follow Jiang Ningzhi. She was now his dearest treasure, and he would never allow any harm to come to her.

Unnoticed, the start of the school year arrived. Since Song Nianqiang and his companion had skipped military training, they didn’t know anyone in their class. It hardly mattered, since they hadn’t come to high school to study; neither had ever been the scholarly type.

From the very first class, Song Nianqiang and his burly friend joked around beside a pile of trash, utterly ignoring the teacher’s murderous glare. When it came time for introductions, the teacher simply skipped over the two of them.

The last class was mathematics, taught by a new instructor fresh out of university. She was young and undeniably beautiful—long, flowing hair, a light blue dress revealing slender, fair legs, and delicate features that caused a stir as soon as she entered the room.

"Everyone, quiet down! Quiet!" she called, anticipating the commotion. She rapped the lectern with the blackboard eraser, and the room immediately hushed—except for two discordant voices.

"Haha! You said you spotted a few pretty girls and wanted to make a move!"

"Nonsense, Qiangzi! I meant you should go after them. That’s not my type. Don’t hang yourself from a single tree!"

The math teacher cleared her throat twice, but Song Nianqiang and the burly man paid her no mind, continuing their banter. Students like them were notorious troublemakers, prime targets for the teachers and the homeroom supervisor, whose bonus was tied to the class’s advancement rate.

"You two, is there a girl you fancy? Would you like me to help arrange a meeting?" the math teacher joked, sparking laughter throughout the class. Song Nianqiang, thick-skinned as ever, shouted, "I’ve got my eye on the math teacher—can you help me out?"

To his surprise, the teacher picked up a piece of chalk and briskly wrote her contact details—phone number and QQ—on the board. Pointing at the information, she asked, "Anything else I can help you with?"

"He wants to visit your home!" the burly man called out before Song Nianqiang could answer. If this got back to Jiang Ningzhi, the good impression he’d painstakingly built would be ruined. So Song Nianqiang grabbed his friend by the neck and shoved him into the trash heap. The math teacher didn’t intervene; after five minutes, once their antics subsided, she announced, "Now, let’s begin the lesson."

Once the two troublemakers were under control, teaching was easy. To everyone’s amazement, Song Nianqiang listened intently for the entire period—the most attentive he’d ever been from grade school to high school.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. The math teacher packed up her materials and said, "See you all tomorrow." The class erupted in chatter as she left.

After a morning of lessons, Song Nianqiang’s stomach was rumbling. He had an odd quirk—he disliked crowded stairwells. When school let out, the stairs were always packed, so he decided to wait a while. The classroom wasn’t empty; many diligent students remained, studying or working on assignments.

Ten minutes later, when he figured the stairs had cleared, Song Nianqiang an