Joohyun hung up the phone, turned and walked back to the alley and said under Xiang Nan and female ghost's expectant eyes, "I asked someone to borrow a magical weapon, wait until I get it then I'll try to split the Soul Chain."
A Soul Chain was formed by Celestial Master using magic techniques and their own spiritual power to lock an evil spirit's soul, to say it simply, it was actually a contest between spiritual power and evil energy. The soul chain naturally can trap an evil spirit with strong spiritual power, but what if the evil energy was stronger?
Joohyun thought about the unmatched evil spirit in Third Brother's body that was akin to a nuclear power plant, and she can't help but wanted to laugh a few times. How come I'm so smart, ah? I'm so talented, ahh~. That bronze sword absorbed so much evil spirit from Third Brother, there must be no problem using it to slash the chains, he, he, he...
"That... when can you bring it over?" the female ghost anxiously asked.
"The sword is a cultural relic, so I estimate we have to wait a few days." Third Brother just agreed to help her borrow the bronze sword, but because it's a cultural relic, and it was borrowed by a supernatural circle for research, so it would still take a while to bring it over.
"We still have to wait a few more days, what if that Celestial Master comes again?" the female ghost asked in fear.
"It's okay, just take Xiaokang to hide for a few days, he can't deal with me alone here." Xiang Nan said.
"How could it be okay? There's a Ghost King beside him." The female ghost also saw what happened last time, Xiang Nan can deal with Changming easily, but it was obviously not the case with Ghost King. If Qi Changming and Ghost King make a move together, then perhaps Xiang Nan would be fraught with grim possibilities.
Xiang Nan naturally understood this, but he was helpless as there's no other way.
"Don't worry, ah." Joohyun suddenly interjected, "Qi Changming has been detained, I estimate he will have to stay in the detention center for five or six days. This period of time is enough for me to bring the magical instrument."
"Detained??" the female ghost asked as if she can't believe what Joohyun had said, "Could it be... he was detained because of indecent assault?"
"..." hearing about it, it felt like she was really molested or something, Joohyun felt an indescribable pain in the @ss.
The exam subject tomorrow was English, although Joohyun's oral English wasn't very good, her English entrance exam score was 138 out of a full score of 150. It can't be said to be super awesome, but for the first year's exam, it was more than sufficient.
As such, after returning to the dormitory, Joohyun didn't stay up late to review as she did for the past few days but checked her phone for the latest tasks on the Supernatural website.
Winter vacation was in two weeks, and she will have some time every day, she was determined to upgrade her account to A-level before the end of winter vacation, that way, she can receive high level tasks, ah.
Didi!
Didi!
...
Joohyun was looking at the available missions, but her phone's notifications kept ringing. Don't know what was wrong with the group God and Ghosts Don't Ask that it was extremely lively today.
Joohyun clicked open the group news in passing.
Cassia Seed: Have you heard? Have you? A zombie appeared in Imperial Capital, and it's a thousand-year-old zombie, too!
Gold Thread Child: Impossible, Imperial Capital is where the dragon veins gather, how could there be a zombie there?
Wine and Meat Monk: Right, right, furthermore, the Supernatural HQ is located in Imperial Capital, the three major families are also there, which zombie would think of going to Imperial Capital?
Cassia Seed: I heard it just ran out of its grave.
Gold Thread Child: Where did you hear that?
Cassia Seed: My uncle is in Imperial Capital, he just called my master and said he heard the heavenly thunder warning in the afternoon. Heaven sent thunder, ah, a monster must have been born. Are there any friends in Imperial Capital in this group? Come out and confirm this, ah, have you heard about this?
Taoist Priest Feng Huo: I heard it, too.
March Floating Rain: Me too.
Gold Thread Child: Really? A zombie that can alarm the Heaven really emerged in Imperial Capital?
Wine and Meat Monk: Amituofu, this poor monk will buy a high-speed rail ticket and come to look.
Taoist Priest Feng Huo: When the thunder sounded, my master's compass detected a very powerful Yin aura, but it quickly disappeared.
March Floating Rain: That's right, my grandfather wanted to calculate the position, but the thunder stopped before he could figure it out and the Yin aura was no longer found.
Gold Thread Child: Could this zombie already have intelligence and suppress its own evil spirit and Yin aura and pretend to be an ordinary person living among us?
Taoist Priest Feng Huo: You've watched too many movies.
This afternoon? Thunder from Heaven? Could it be pointing to Xiang Nan and the Ghost King? Joohyun thought for a while and asked in the group: Are you talking about the thunder at about 2:30 in the afternoon?
The reason why Joohyun remembered the time so clearly was because the math exam started at 1 pm. Joohyun worked on those questions for a little more than an hour, plus by the time she arrived on scene, after estimating the time, the clap of thunder was probably around 2.30.
March Floating Rain: Great god, you heard it too?
I Want to Fix Road: If it's truly that time, then not only did I hear it, but I also saw it too.
Cassia Seed: Oh f*ck!
Gold Thread Child: Awesome!
Wine and Meat Monk: You're actually still alive?
Taoist Priest Feng Huo: ...
March Floating Rain: Great god, were you on the scene? Did you see the zombie?
Joohyun came forward to refute the rumor: It wasn't a zombie; it was a fight between two evil spirits. The Yin energy was just a bit heavier, so it attracted Heaven, that's all.
March Floating Rain: What kind of evil spirits are that awesome?
I Want to Fix Road: An evil spirit that had been cultivating for 600 hundred years and a Ghost King.
Cassia Seed: F*CK!
Gold Thread Child: AWESOME!
Wine and Meat Monk: What does the Ghost King look like?
I Want to Fix Road: Just like that, it has two more horns than ordinary ghosts.
March Floating Rain: Then why did the Yin aura suddenly disappear?
Joohyun pondered for a moment before she typed a line of puzzling words: Because of me.
Wasn't it because of her? If she hadn't stepped on the ghost plaque with her wittiness, then how could the Ghost King disappear?
A row of dots appeared in the group chat instantly, it was obvious that everyone didn't believe what Joohyun said.
Their thinking was really simple, it was because the Celestial Masters who joined this group were all Celestial Masters who can't access advanced tasks on the Supernatural website, would a Celestial Master who can clean up a Ghost King still use this group? So the only explanation was that Joohyun was bragging.
Only March Floating Rain talked privately with Joohyun: Great god, I believe you.
Joohyun smiled, she didn't care whether the others believed her or not because having money on hand was what matters, ah. Seeing it was late, Joohyun closed her phone and went to sleep.
Three days later, Master Mao took the bronze sword to Lou family's small courtyard.
Master Mao was led by He Qi inside, Lisa was already waiting in the living room. The moment Master Mao entered the door, Lisa saw the dark wooden box in his hands.
"Why? Do you still feel anything?" Master Mao remembered Lisa said he had an inexplicable intimacy with the bronze sword.
"En." Lisa nodded with a complicated expression.
Master Mao held the wooden box and walked until he was three steps in front of Lisa and said, "How do you feel now compared with that day?"
"Even closer." Lisa smiled bitterly. This feeling of intimacy was too real, as if the sword was once a part of his body, and he couldn't help but want to touch it. However, if he truly touched it now, the evil spirit in his body...
This was the first time he ever felt such desire to get something in his hands.
"What about the evil spirit in your body?" Master Mao asked.
"No reaction." Lisa shook his head, "It was the same as last time, although I felt cordiality, the evil spirit inside me doesn't react before I touch the bronze sword.
"In the supernatural world, if a Celestial Master feels intimacy with a magical tool and the magical tool also gives back the same reaction, it means that the magical tool is alive and has recognized its master." Master Mao suddenly said.
"You mean..." Lisa raised his eyes in surprise.
"80 to 90% possibility, this sword belongs to you." What Master Mao said wasn't quite right, at least it's definitely not the current Lisa's.
Lisa was stunned before he asked, "Has the archeology study in Nanling yielded results?"
"Not yet." Master Mao shook his head.
Lisa was in a slight daze; he remembered the two possibilities Master Mao proposed to him that day. If this bronze sword really belonged to him, then...
"Then, do you think I was a Celestial Master or a zombie?" Was he a zombie covered with slaughter or a Celestial Master that rid the people of evil?
"Zombies can't reincarnate." Master Mao replied.
"Then... was I a Celestial Master?" Lisa was feeling incredulous.
"That's a very big possibility." Master Mao looked at Lisa's suddenly bright eyes, however, he felt sad.
Although Lisa always said he didn't care so much anymore about why he was born with this evil spirit, Master Mao knew deep down in his heart Lisa had always blamed himself as someone with a heinous past life that stopped at nothing to do evil.
Now that there's a new speculation, although his evil spirit's status can't be changed, at least it can make Lisa relax.
"I was a Celestial Master?" Just like Master Mao and Joohyun, a Celestial Master? Thinking of this, Lisa couldn't help but feel happy.
Master Mao smiled, put the wooden box on the coffee table in the living room, sat down and asked, "The one who asked you for this sword was little friend Chen, right?"
"Yes." Joohyun called and asked him to borrow the bronze sword that day. Lisa contacted Master Mao the same night, but he only said he wanted to use it himself, not that he wanted to lend it to others.
After all, this bronze sword wasn't just a cultural relic, but also an ancient spiritual artifact, ordinary people can't even see it, how could just anybody ask to borrow?
"You, ah..." Master Mao looked at Lisa and stopped his words halfway.
"What's the matter?" Lisa asked suspiciously.
"Nothing." Master Mao retracted his gaze, only showing a meaningful smile, "I just think you really like little friend Chen."
"Of course, ah." Thinking of Joohyun, Lisa's expression softened a lot.
Master Mao was shocked when he heard this as his hand that reached for the teacup froze.
"Although the little girl always makes a ruckus, is a money-grubber, and she looks like she hasn't grown up, but she's very kind and cute." Lisa said.
So, that's how it is, the old man who jumped a little from a false alarm, picked up the teacup and took a sip of hot tea to suppress his shock.
The old man almost thought Lisa had stepped into normal human society.
"How long will little friend Chen borrow it?" Master Mao asked.
"Irin said two hours would be enough." Lisa replied.
"That's good." Master Mao said after sipping tea, "I'll wait here for two hours, you can find someone to send the sword to little friend Chen."
"Two hours may not be enough."
"What? Didn't you just say that she wanted to borrow for two hours?" He wouldn't have bad hearing, right?
Lisa explained with a smile, "This is exam week for Imperial University, Irin is probably still taking exams, so..."
"Okay, okay, you can find someone to send it, I'll just wait a little longer." Thinking that it was enough consideration, Master Mao then demanded, "But you have to accompany me to play chess."
"My pleasure."
He Qi brought the chessboard, prepared tea and snacks, then picked up the bronze sword's wooden box, and walked out with it. Waiting at the door was Tian Fei, who volunteered to run errands after hearing Joohyun was going to exorcise ghosts again.
Tian Fei drove to Imperial University with the bronze sword, and waited until Joohyun came out after she finished her exam.
"Did you bring the bronze sword?" Joohyun asked Tian Fei.
"Here it is." Tian Fei turned sideways and let Joohyun see the wooden box in the passenger seat.
"Let's go!" Joohyun pulled the car door and positioned herself.
Xiang Nan's alley was near Imperial University, it only took a little more than ten minutes by foot to get there, Tian Fei arrived within three minutes by car.
Joohyun got out of the car and walked inside the alley, Tian Fei following closely behind with the wooden box in his arms. He felt inexplicably excited, is the chained ghost who cultivated for 600 years here?
"Xiang Nan?" Joohyun raised her hand gently and tapped the wall.
Three ghosts floated out of the wall at Joohyun's knock.
Tian Fei felt a little cold. Although Imperial Capital was quite cold in winter, it was different from the coldness brought about by ghosts. Tian Fei unconsciously clasped the wooden box in his arms and silently moved closer to Joohyun.
Although he's very curious he can't help feeling afraid as well.
"Celestial Master Chen? Did you borrow the magical artifact?" the female ghost asked in joyful surprise.
Although Xiang Nan didn't speak, the excitement in his eyes couldn't be hidden.
"Borrowed. Pull out the Soul Chain and I'll help you split it apart." Joohyun said to Xiang Nan.
Split it early and move those antiques early, there happened to be Assistant Chen here with her, so he can help transport things, ah.
"Yes." Xiang Nan signaled the female ghost to move Xiaokang away a bit further, then he released the hostility in his body. When the hostile aura reached a certain level, the chain that locked Xiang Nan suddenly appeared in front of Joohyun.
"Can you give me the sword?"
"Ah!? Oh!" Tian Fei was taken aback. He had known that Joohyun was a Celestial Master who can see ghosts, but when he saw her speaking to an empty space by herself, how should he describe the feeling? A bit hair-rising, ah.
Tian Fei opened the wooden box to reveal the bronze sword inside, then Joohyun raised her hand to take it.
Buzz!
"Hiss!" Joohyun felt pain and quickly withdrew her hand. As soon as Joohyun's hand touched the bronze sword, the sword that was quietly lying inside suddenly trembled, and the sharp blade pricked Joohyun's finger, drawing blood. It was thanks to Joohyun's quick reaction, otherwise her finger would be lost.
Is this sword hostile to me?? Such an idea suddenly appeared in Joohyun's mind.
"Miss Joohyun, are you okay?" Tian Fei asked with a worried look seeing Joohyun was injured.
"It's okay, I accidentally scratched it." Joohyun shook her head, her eyes fell on the bronze sword, hesitating on what to do with it.
I can't touch this sword, so how do I use it to cut the Soul Chain then?
"Celestial Master Chen, are you really okay?" Tian Fei only saw that Joohyun was accidentally scratched by the sword, while Xiang Nan actually saw a fierce, red-blood evil spirit coming from it. This bronze sword clearly didn't want to be touched by Celestial Master Chen.
"It's okay!" Joohyun shook her head again.
It was exactly as Joohyun said, the red-blood evil spirit that lingered on Joohyun's scratched fingertip dissipated after a while and didn't cause her any harm.
Since the evil spirit couldn't hurt its opponent, why would it attack the opponent again? Such a contradiction. A bit of uncertainty flashed in Xiang Nan's mind.
Seeing that Joohyun suddenly stopped and didn't take the magical weapon, the female ghost stood in a daze, thinking that something was wrong. She wanted to ask but was stopped by a glance from Xiang Nan.
Joohyun stood there, thinking for a while, and finally looked away from the bronze sword. She turned and walked behind Xiang Nan, raised her hand, and grabbed the Soul Chain that locked Xiang Nan's right hand, before she said to Tian Fei, "Assistant Tian, can you do me a favor?"
"Miss Joohyun, don't hesitate to tell me what you want." Tian Fei walked over with the wooden box in his arms.
"Take out the bronze sword." Joohyun said.
Tian Fei took out the bronze sword, then stretched his hand to give it to Joohyun.
Joohyun looked at the unresponsive bronze sword in Tian Fei's hand, although she had long guessed the bronze sword might be hostile towards her when it attacked her, but when she confirmed it again with her own eyes, she still couldn't help but feel depressed. Why does this bronze sword hate me so much? Is it because I used the compass to deal with it that day?
"You hold it, don't give it to me."
"Oh." Although Tian Fei was puzzled, he still did so without any question.
Joohyun put another hand on the Soul Chain and straightened it hard before she turned her head and said, "I have a chain between my two hands, can you feel it?"
Tian Fei looked carefully but saw nothing, let alone feel anything, so he shook his head silently.
"It doesn't matter if you can't see it, you just need to know the chain's position."
There's a chain between her hands, it's not difficult to find its position, Tian Fei nodded in acknowledgement.
"I'll ask you to slash here in a bit, use that bronze sword in your hand to slash the chain." Joohyun said.
"Okay." Tian Fei raised his hand and lifted the bronze sword right above the chain.
Tian Fei was no Celestial Master, so he can't bring the bronze sword's full power, while Joohyun can't even touch it herself. It stood to reason that she should have found another Celestial Master for help, but how could Joohyun watch the priceless antiques she was about to acquire fall into the hands of others?
So, Joohyun pondered for a while and finally thought of a wonderful idea. If the bronze sword was really hostile to her, it will automatically attack when it senses her aura just like before, then...
"Slash!" Joohyun put her spiritual power inside the Soul Chain.
Tian Fei dropped the sword in his hand.
Clang! Just a light touch, and after a burst of red evil aura, the Soul Chain with the width of a kid's arm fell to the ground instantly.
"Success!" Joohyun exclaimed excitedly, "I know Third Brother's evil spirit is invincible, ha, ha, ha..."
Holding the bronze sword, Tian Fei looked at the ground in a novel way. Although there's nothing there, the resistance he received when he slashed the sword down let Tian Fei know there must be something there, it's just that he couldn't see it.
Xiang Nan didn't expect the chain that had locked him up for six hundred years could really be cut off, his expression was complicated, and his heart trembled endlessly.
"Xiang Nan!" the female ghost ran over excitedly and hugged Xiang Nan.
"Brother!" Xiaokang also ran over to join in the fun.
"I say, ah, can I get rid of the remaining three Soul Chains first, then you guys bring the antiques to me, before you host a celebration party?" Joohyun said.
The female ghost smiled awkwardly, then walked back to the side with Xiaokang so as not to hinder Joohyun.
Joohyun and Tian Fei continued to cooperate until they cut the remaining 3 Soul Chains continuously.
Finally, the chains that had locked him in place for six hundred years were all cut off. Before Xiang Nan could express the joy of regaining his freedom, he heard Joohyun suddenly say, "That... I have to go back for review because there's still an exam in the afternoon, so you guys should settle the bill first."
Words of gratitude had just reached his lips, but he had to swallow it again. Xiang Nan took a deep look at Joohyun, then turned and entered the wall.
Tian Fei put the bronze sword back into the wooden box, and when he looked up, he almost couldn't believe what he saw.
The alley was obviously empty, however, dozens of antiques, large and small, suddenly appeared out of nowhere in just five minutes.
Wh... where did they come from?
"Finished?" Tian Fei heard Joohyun ask towards the empty space.
"It's all here." Ordinary ghosts can't touch physical things, but it's different for Xiang Nan. He's a refined ghost that has been cultivating for six hundred years, if he wanted to, he can even overturn a bus with his bare hands.
Xiang Nan's tomb was right under this alley, its location was extremely deep, so deep that no one found his tomb even though the underground was hollowed out when the government was building Imperial City. If it weren't for Xiang Nan moving out the antiques one by one, no one would be able to get them.
When Joohyun saw porcelains and jades all over the floor, she instantly grinned joyfully. Turning her head towards Tian Fei she said, "Assistant Tian, these are all 600 years old antiques, see if there's anything you like, you can pick one."
"Ah? For me?" Tian Fei asked in doubt.
"Yes, ah, if it wasn't for your help, I wouldn't be able to cut those chains so smoothly. That's why, I'll give you one antique, pick whichever you want, don't be polite." Joohyun said generously.
"This... is too expensive." Tian Fei said, lacking in confidence. For antiques that were more than six hundred years old, he estimated that he would never be able to gather that much money working as a soldier for a lifetime.
"It's okay, la, there's a lot." Joohyun saw that Tian Fei wasn't picking, so she picked up a blue and white porcelain from the heap and handed it to Tian Fei, "How about this? I'll give this to you."
Because Joohyun had to go back to school to take her exam, Tian Fei loaded all the antiques into the car and brought them back to the Lou family's small courtyard.
When Tian Fei stood in front of Lisa with a bronze sword in his left hand and a blue and white porcelain in right hand, Lisa couldn't help frown looking at his stupid appearance, "What's the matter?"
"Third Young Master." Tian Fei stammered, "Miss Joohyun... said she wanted to give me antiques..."
That money-grubber little girl can actually be so generous. Lisa was a little surprised but still said, "Since it's given to you, then you can keep it."
"What antiques, let me take a look." Master Mao, an antique lover, moved closer and took a look at the blue and white porcelain Tian Fei held, "Is it this porcelain vase? Look at this aura, I estimate it has a thousand year old history, blue and white porcelain was scarce back then so it's worth thirty million at the least, ah."
Thirty million? Tian Fei's hands loosened at the sheer shock he received.
Fortunately, He Qi that was watching from the side was quick and caught the vase before it fell to the ground, he cursed with cold sweat dripping, "You dead man, thirty million, ah!"
Dude, I almost threw away thirty million, I'm so f*cking rich.
Author's NOTE:
Tian Fei returned to his dorm with a thirty million porcelain in his hands.
It created an unprecedented sensation within the group of assistants and since then, accompanying Joohyun to exorcise ghosts has become a most sought-after job.