Chapter Ninety-Five: Dawn Reflections

“So you want to repay me with your body? Well now, that deserves some thought!”

The fat man’s eyes lit up. He put on a lecherous grin and even reached out as if to grope her. Circling the ghostly woman three times, he clicked his tongue in admiration. “A woman who’s spent years in that line of work really is different. After being cultivated by who knows how many men, your figure is positively overflowing. I’d honestly like to taste you myself—only I’m afraid your one soul and seven spirits might get lured away by me before the night is out!”

At those words, the female ghost’s face changed again and again. She stared at the fat man in disbelief, fear written all over her. “Y-you... h-how do you... how do you know?!”

The fat man laughed, looking rather pleased with himself. “With that little trick of yours, you still think you can hide it from the two natural enemies of ghosts? Either you’re too naive, or you think we’re fools!”

Since her secret had been exposed, the ghost calmed down instead. “Since you already know, why not purify me and be done with it?” In any case, death was only a matter of time, and she almost seemed unfettered by it.

“No rush, no rush. We’re not in a hurry, so why are you?” Song Nianqiang rose and walked over to her side. He closed his eyes and sensed the energy radiating from her, quickly confirming that her cultivation had at least reached the level of a second-tier spirit.

“Heh. Don’t tell me you really don’t know?” The female ghost wore a savage expression, openly mocking him. Song Nianqiang did not mind at all. Why get angry at a ghost that was already doomed? So he only smiled and said, “If I knew, why would I ask? I really don’t know.”

The ghost seemed to sigh. She forced a wry smile. “Very well. Then before I die, I’ll tell you the truth once. You came here in broad daylight, didn’t you?” It was a pointless question, but Song Nianqiang still nodded. “Then do you know that I had only just broken through my seal, and that I had already been exposed to the sun for an hour?”

“What!”

An hour. Survive an hour beneath the blazing sun and still not die? Song Nianqiang and the fat man both looked grim. If the female ghost was telling the truth, then her strength was already on par with the Skin-Flaying Ghost, perhaps even stronger.

“Heh. Why would I lie to you?” the ghost said. “If I hadn’t been so weak back then, you never would have captured me, and I would not be trapped here now, waiting for death.”

After she finished speaking, she turned into a wisp of blue smoke and returned to the teacup. The fat man and Song Nianqiang looked at each other in silence. It seemed they had truly been blessed by sheer dumb luck.

“Fatty, I’ve suddenly had an idea. Maybe we can raise our value to a much higher level!”

Song Nianqiang’s face was grave as he stared at the fat man’s fleshy cheeks. “Let’s hear it.”

The fat man, hooked by his tone, grew curious. “Buy lottery tickets! We’re so lucky we might just win five million!”

“Hah! I really am a genius of genius level!”

A dark line appeared across the fat man’s forehead. “I strongly despise you, you uncultured fool.”

With that, the fat man walked over to the altar table, picked up a talisman from it, lit it, and dropped it into the teacup. Blue smoke rose slowly upward, and the female ghost was completely purified.

“All right. Sleep first. Tomorrow, fifty thousand will be in the bank! Hah, I never thought this line of work could make money this fast!”

After finishing all this, the fat man headed outside. Song Nianqiang also stood and followed him out. After staying busy the entire night, anyone would be tired, and Song Nianqiang was no exception.

The two lay on the bed and talked for a while before the fat man’s snoring turned steady and even. Song Nianqiang, however, tossed and turned without sleep. Eventually he got up, opened the window, and looked out. It was already past four, nearly five. A brand-new day was about to begin. The early risers were already lighting their lamps, and some street vendors had already taken to the roads.

He brewed himself a packet of instant coffee and stood by the window with the cup in hand. As he sipped, he thought back to everything that had happened lately. The October morning air was pleasantly cool. Wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, Song Nianqiang shivered once, and his mind drifted back to the time just after he had finished junior high school.

It had not been long ago, but now Song Nianqiang felt that the boy he had been then was ignorant and childish. Thinking of the foolish things he had done before often made him smile despite himself. His mother, the most important person in his life, held many secrets. Song Nianqiang always felt that she had hidden a great deal from him, including all the matters concerning his biological father.

He still remembered his primary school days. His classmates all said he had no father, but his mother told him that his father was a great man who was away on duty and could not come see him. He had been so foolish then that he actually believed it, and even beat up the child who said he had no father.

It was from that day on that something wild seemed to awaken inside Song Nianqiang. Whenever anyone in class annoyed him, he would go up and beat them without fail. He was still young then and thought there was nothing wrong with it, but every time, his mother had to clean up the mess for him.

Thinking of his childhood, a faint smile curved Song Nianqiang’s lips. He still remembered the first time he saw Jiang Ningzhi. It was fourth grade. The very first time he laid eyes on her, he was certain she would be the one woman for his whole life. At that age, what did he know? He simply thought the little girl was pretty.

Now Jiang Ningzhi had grown into a graceful young woman. There were countless people pursuing her, many of them far more outstanding than he was. He was only one of the least remarkable among them. And yet, at some point, Jiang Ningzhi had somehow fallen for him. If it had been in the past, he would have been overjoyed. But now... heh...

Since learning to catch ghosts, his life had been forced onto a different track altogether, a road he could not see the end of and could not glimpse the future of, a rugged path bristling with thorns. To be honest, he could not even be certain that he would come through every mission safely. Perhaps one day he would suffer an accident and leave this world behind.

So he could not ruin Jiang Ningzhi’s life. Even if his heart had already been completely occupied by her, he still could not accept her. There was a saying on the internet that was quite true: if you love her, you should make her happy for life. Since he could not give her a lifetime of happiness, he should let go.

And so Song Nianqiang let go. Though he did so with tremendous reluctance and unwillingness, he had no choice. Still, things were fine this way too. Talking and laughing with Jiang Ningzhi every day, occasionally sharing a meal and taking a little advantage here and there—that was not bad either.

The newborn sun cast a soft orange glow across Song Nianqiang’s face. The fat man was still sound asleep, and the instant coffee in the cup was already gone, leaving behind only a faint ring as proof that it had once been full. By now, the crowd on the street had gradually thickened. People heading to work in the early morning bought breakfast from the stalls, while some students came out of the internet cafes and sat down at the vendors’ tables as well.

Song Nianqiang set down the cup, stretched, then casually placed it on the table and pulled on a long-sleeved shirt before heading out. After working through the whole night, he should have been hungry long ago. Now he was planning to go out and get something to eat.

At a roadside stall, he ordered a bowl of soy milk and ten fried dough sticks, then ate leisurely. Watching the passersby hurrying past in front of him, Song Nianqiang suddenly felt that his life was actually quite good.

He still remembered that a few years ago, his uncle had come to teach him fighting techniques and practical combinations. After returning from morning training, he had loved buying fried dough sticks from this place. In the blink of an eye, several years had passed, his uncle had long since returned to the Capital, and the burden on his shoulders was no light one.

As he ate, many thoughts passed through his mind, most of them childhood memories. He smiled self-deprecatingly, bought some food to take back for the fat man, paid the bill, and returned home. But at the entrance to the house, he unexpectedly ran into someone he knew.

“Jiang Ningzhi, what are you doing here?!”

Staring in surprise at Jiang Ningzhi, her face streaked with tears, Song Nianqiang asked in concern. Seeing him standing there in one piece before her, Jiang Ningzhi also stared in shock, her mouth falling open. “Y-you... weren’t you... weren’t you already de—”

Realizing she had misspoken, Jiang Ningzhi stopped herself.

“Heh. Where did you hear that?” Song Nianqiang smiled at her and quickly opened the door. At that moment the fat man was still sprawled on the bed, snoring away in a most undignified posture, which made Song Nianqiang blush faintly.