Chapter 4: Gui Gu Yu Ben

  "Xiang Tu's master, Old Zhou, was the 38th generation of direct disciples of Gui Guzi. At that time, I was just a senior brother, but Master knew that I had more ideas than Old Zhou and couldn't stay on the mountain, so he didn't pass on the position to me. However, he gave me the Ten Yin Jade Plate of Gui Guzi. Because although we are direct disciples, we are not descendants of Gui Guzi's bloodline, and if we can't suppress the evil energy, it will trigger chaos. Master meant for me to find Gui Guzi's descendant to calm down the evil spirits suppressed in the Ten Yin Jade Plate."

  Wang Qiniann was already drowsy, but he didn't dare to go back to his room. He stubbornly followed Li Huan and Wei Xiang to stay in the study, listening to Old Master Wang talk about old things from years ago.

  "Actually, I found you six years ago, but at that time, you were about to go abroad for further studies. I also have a problem, I'm too proud of myself and thought I could handle it, so I didn't look for you. But I didn't expect that after defeating tigers and dragons, I would be bitten by a small mouse. A few days ago, thieves came to my house, they didn't take anything else, but specifically dismantled the Ten Yin Jade Plate, intending to take it away. As a result, you also know that once the jade plate is dismantled, it will scatter in all directions. One of the jade plates was obtained by an evil spirit lurking nearby. That little thief was even eaten alive by the ghost here, not even leaving any bones behind."

  Upon hearing this, Wang Qinyan was so frightened that he immediately stood up, his whole body trembling and his face deathly pale, as if he himself were sitting on a bloody guillotine, with every inch of his body feeling like it was being pricked by needles.

  "That ten pieces of yin jade have also gone missing, I don't know where they've been scattered. All I know is that one piece of 'punishment' has remained in this vicinity and has started to wreak havoc." Old Master Wang wiped his face with his hand, looking embarrassed, "I originally thought I could retrieve the jade pieces myself, but this ghost is too formidable... I can barely even leave my door. And for the sake of my useless son and daughter, I feel like I'm at my wit's end... That's why I contacted Brother Shi to ask for his help. If it weren't for Brother Shi helping me, I wouldn't have known you'd returned to the country."

  What comes next is something Li Huan doesn't need to guess at all, it's nothing more than "the great task of saving the world is entrusted to you young man" and such.

  Yes, "I'm counting on you" - he said to Wei Xiangtu.

  But what about tonight's matter... What should I do?

  In fact, he secretly hoped to stay overnight here tonight. After all, suddenly getting involved in such a big paranormal event made him, who had a "special mission" but no special skills, feel infinitely terrified. If he returned to the clinic, he would be found by some evil spirit holding another jade tablet and strangled in his cradle...

  Just thinking about it makes me break out in a cold sweat.

  But... he can stay here for one night, what about afterwards?

  Wei Xiangtu was also listening, but his expression was icy cold.

  "What you said, I do believe. However, why didn't you properly preserve the jade tablet? At least, couldn't you have added a seal or a forbidden symbol on it?! The excuse of being destroyed by thieves is too ridiculous. Moreover, with disaster looming, couldn't you have foreseen it?"

  Old Wang was questioned like this, and his face suddenly turned blue and red: "I... it's all my fault for only learning how to catch ghosts, Feng Shui, and divination back in the day..."

  One word was left unspoken, yet his face turned ashen.

  Because he was limited in his ability to suppress evil spirits with the jade version, but couldn't not guard against being affected by external forces, he came up with a clever plan and embedded the jade version inside a safe. As a result, it was precisely because the thief saw how secretive the safe was that he set his sights on it, and then seeing that the connected jade versions were hard to take away, he dismantled them...

  Not mentioning Wei Xiangtu and Li Huan, even Wang Qiniann couldn't help but start criticizing in his heart that Old Man Wang was really too careless.

  But then Old Man Wang said something else, making them shiver with fear.

  "Actually... on that safe, there is a forbidden symbol, and it was given by Shangdao's master... Now I have to tell you, that little thief must have been instructed by someone. In other words, someone is secretly planning to make a move on the Jade Edition. Don't know if it's a sworn enemy of Guigu zi or an internal conflict between disciples..."

  Li Huan suddenly wanted to die.

  If it's just a ghost, then barely sticking a talisman on the door and not going out at night can still barely make a living, but if there's some kind of conspiracy involved...

  Wouldn't someone come to his door in broad daylight, pull out a handgun, and Li Huan's life would be over.

  What kind of people are the disciples of Guiguzi? Like Wei Xiangtu's master and Wang Lao, such gods and Taoists must have fallen. In front of their ancestors, they might be scolded - in the past, Guiguzi's apprentices, Su Qin Zhang Yi were all nb, now they catch ghosts and do business?

  Alright, although Old Master Wang is quite capable in the business world, if there really are descendants of Guiguzi's sworn enemies or collateral relatives who harbor hostility towards them, they might be just as formidable as Su Qin and Zhang Yi. What to do then?

  "Alright then, Master," Wei Xiangtu immediately changed his address to "Master", "I'll live with Dr. Li from now on, it's more convenient that way."

  At that moment, Li Huan was overjoyed and didn't care that Old Man Wang's eyes were wide with surprise. He hastily said: "That's great! My home just so happens to have an empty room, and all the furniture is already there... uh, I'm just thinking of my own safety, you know."

  As Wang Qinyuan and Old Master Wang seemed to have a sudden realization, Li Huan's face turned red. Wei Xiangtu, on the other hand, was calm and collected, glanced at the three of them, curled her lips, and said expressionlessly: "I'll pay the rent, don't worry."

  This girl is quite dull in this aspect. However, being dull in such a situation can also be considered an advantage, isn't there a term called "dull sense"? Old Master Wang looked at Wei Xiangtu again and then at Li Huan, nodded his head and said: "This isn't bad either. Ah, I think it's like this. Anyway, Xiangtu has just arrived in Magic City and doesn't have any work, so she can be a nominal assistant at your place, and you can discuss things together when there's business. If you really encounter ghost clients, you can also cooperate to deal with them.

  For some reason, Li Huan felt that Lao Yezi's tone was really strange.

  There's also Wang Qiniann, with an air of "I've been through it all". Speaking of which, a guy like him, with regular features, average height and a wealthy family background, still not married at thirty, isn't that a bit strange?

  But when Wang Lao Ye Zi called him out to send off Li Huan and Wei Xiang Tu again, Wang Qi Nian immediately cried again. Wei Xiang Tu politely declined Wang Lao Ye Zi's offer, saying: "No need, although I've posted talismans around the house, the root of the evil spirit hasn't been caught yet, it's still not safe. Let's come back tomorrow with Dr. Li."

  "You don't have to come every day now that you've found Dr. Li and you're here, those evil spirits will probably calm down a bit. You and Dr. Li also need to take care of things. I'll investigate further with Qiyuan to see what happened, and we'll let you know if there's any news."

  Wang Qiniannian's emotions were so suddenly high and low that he was almost getting a heart attack.

  When he heard Wei Xiangtu say that it was no use, he let out a sigh of relief, but then he also heard that the most fundamental evil spirit had not been caught yet...

  But what made him "two legs trembling, almost wanting to run away" was that the old man actually said he wanted to "check specifically" with him?!

  Old man, don't joke about your only son's life...

  Driving slowly through the city streets, Li Huan couldn't help but chat with Wei Xiangtu, as if this could dispel some of the fear in his heart.

  "My home is an old house, but it's a beautiful old house that my parents left to me. It's a two-story building with a small courtyard and a balcony with flowers. The east wall has a large patch of green ivy. The first floor is a clinic, I can set aside a separate office for you, including meals and accommodation, no need for you to pay rent."

  "Oh, that's great!" Wei Xiangtu revealed a look of admiration, "Your house is so beautiful. And, as a place for a psychological clinic, the environment must be quiet and comfortable."

  "Yes, they're all old residents, no one is particularly noisy."

  "But are you really going to make me your assistant?" Wei Xiangtu seemed somewhat skeptical.

  Li Huan thought for a moment and said, "Just a nominal assistant, but don't worry, I won't really make you do chores. Just like Old Man Wang said, sometimes I also encounter some strange and inexplicable patients that I can't cure. But with you here, it's different." He smiled somewhat smugly, "From now on, whether it's a ghost in their mind or a real ghost, I can basically cure them. Of course - it still depends on whether the patient is particularly trying to die. Some people really want to die, and we can't do anything about it, right?"

  Wei Xiangtu pressed her lips together and smiled slightly, but then asked: "How about the pay?"

  "Divide it equally..." Li Huan's words had just come out, but he found that Wei Xiangtu looked a bit stunned. He only thought of it later, no, what if they ran into something related to catching ghosts? All the credit would be hers, and he was just an intermediary who made connections. He was a bit too greedy for money.

  Weixiangtu is not a fool, and can even be said to be a very clever person.

  Li Huan smiled and said, "Alright, if it's an ordinary patient, I'll give you a 10% commission as your base salary. If it's a special patient, you give me a 10% commission as the introduction fee, how about that?"

  Actually, when you think about it, Li Huan still got a great deal. In any case, ghost-catching is definitely much more expensive than regular psychological counseling.

  However, considering that Li Huan is an ordinary person who has nothing to do with anything, he was inexplicably drawn into these things. Wei Xiangtu nodded and said: "Okay, let's settle it this way. However, I'm not familiar with the prices in Magic City, and my awareness of money is also relatively dull, so the price of catching ghosts will be decided by you."

  "Good."

  Li Huan suddenly felt a little regretful in her heart. If she raised the commission to 28%, maybe she would agree too?

  Forget it, what are you thinking? You even want to cheat a girl, that's too much.

  Li Huan silently despised himself in his heart.