"Master Tingyi, please."
"Take care, Mr. Bai."
"Farewell, King Yama."
...
The masters of the mystical arts finally straightened up after bidding their goodbyes one by one.
There was a vague feeling that they had finally sent off some formidable figures they dared not offend.
The bodies of Jing Tinghua and Daoist Master Qu Yi were taken away by professionals for cremation. As for how to explain this to the public, it was all left to Bai Yuhuai to handle.
Jing Jiujiu was still leaning in Bai Yuhuai's arms. When it was time to get in the car, Bai Yuhuai had to carry him in.
The young boy seemed to want to say something but ultimately remained silent as he followed them to the car.
Bai Yuhuai, however, reached out and coldly closed the door.
The young boy: "..."
Master Zhou hurriedly said from behind, "Come with us, we're also going to Mr. Bai's place."
The young boy then followed them and got into another car.
But as soon as he sat down, he noticed someone knocking on the car window.
"What is it?" The young boy frowned.
Master Zhou reached out to open the window, and a little ghost crawled in.
The young boy's face darkened.
Master Zhou quickly said, "Hey, hey, don't move! This is Young Master Jing's ghost, you know, the one raised by your Mr. Bai! You heard earlier, we can't act rashly..."
The young boy had to forcibly restrain himself.
After entering, the little ghost swaggered around before finally sitting down at the young boy's feet. Following this lead, one by one, more little ghosts squeezed through the window.
The young boy was so angry his eyebrows nearly flew off.
These little ghosts! They don't know their place!
Master Zhou, who had just witnessed such a terrifying scene earlier, prided himself on having seen a thing or two in life. Now, despite his body trembling, he managed to smile and say, "Well, these little ghosts are quite sensible. They know the young master is in a bad mood and didn't crowd over there to disturb him..."
The young boy inwardly snorted.
A bunch of ghosts, how could they understand human emotions?
At this moment, another little ghost climbed onto his lap and settled down.
The young boy tugged at the tag on its neck and exclaimed, "The Cloud Return Sect's tag, actually hanging around its neck!"
Master Zhou hurriedly leaned in for a closer look: "...Oh, it even has a name, called Yuanyuan."
The young boy's brow grew cold as he lifted the little ghost by the scruff of its neck.
Master Zhou: "Hey, hey, hey, don't! How ungentlemanly of you. Can't you see this little ghost is a girl?"
Young boy: ?
The young boy froze, then slowly loosened his grip, putting the little ghost back down.
While the little ghosts were being quite brazen on this side, Jing Jiujiu still had his eyes closed, motionless.
Bai Yuhuai lowered his gaze, one hand gently pressing on the back of Jing Jiujiu's neck, pulling him closer into his embrace, then remained still as well.
By the time their photos were secretly taken and spread all over the internet, Xu Sanyu nearly performed an act of sudden death on the spot.
"What should we do, Brother Xu?"
"We still can't get through to Brother Bai's phone..."
Actually, on the day of Taohe Road's performance, the two of them had been photographed, but it was only circulated on a small scale before Bai Yuhuai's PR team immediately suppressed it.
But today was different. Today, Bai Yuhuai didn't even bring Xu Sanyu along, and the photos suddenly broke out...
Xu Sanyu gave up struggling: "Forget it."
It was bound to happen sooner or later anyway...
Maybe one day, they'll suddenly have a child—no, that's not right. Xu Sanyu patted his confused face and said seriously, "Brother Bai isn't answering his phone, and in the photos, he's carrying that young master into the car. I guess something must have happened... Let's not disturb him."
Xu Sanyu took a deep breath and continued in a deep voice, "Let's prepare for the possibility that Brother Bai might publicly announce his retirement from the entertainment industry..."
Meanwhile, the car arrived at Bai Yuhuai's villa.
Bai Yuhuai carried Jing Jiujiu out of the car and into the house.
Just as the others were about to follow, there was another "bang" as the door shut, blocking them all outside.
Master Tingyi: "Amitabha. Let's wait a while."
The two of them, one bald head, and a group of little ghosts, were left waiting outside the door.
Bai Yuhuai knew Jing Jiujiu needed to "sleep," so he put the young man into bed. But the next second, Jing Jiujiu opened his eyes on his own.
"Is what Jing Tinghua said all true?"
Bai Yuhuai opened his mouth.
But before he could answer, Jing Jiujiu spoke again. His face showed no emotion, and even his tone was slow and deliberate: "Part of what he said is true. When I was little, he was very good to me."
That's why he had never thought that his own death would be a long-planned scheme.
"Maybe he really did love my father, maybe he once genuinely loved me..." Jing Jiujiu paused, then said softly, "But when a person tells too many lies, when they open their mouth again, you can never believe them anymore."
The corners of his eyes turned crimson, and a line of bloody tears flowed down.
What should have been a horrifying scene, in Bai Yuhuai's eyes, was both heartbreaking and made his heart feel as if it had suddenly plunged into a bottomless abyss.
He quickly knelt by the bedside, one hand propped near Jing Jiujiu's head. He bowed his head and said in a low voice, "I haven't lied to you, I just didn't mention it before... I'll tell you everything now. I'm a member of the Cloud Return Sect. Do you remember that trending topic before? Those wearing the same style of bracelet are all members of the Cloud Return Sect."
Jing Jiujiu was stunned for a second: "...Ah?"
The two lines of bloody tears on his face formed a comical expression.
Pitiful yet amusing.
But how could Bai Yuhuai find it funny at this moment?
He raised his hand to caress Jing Jiujiu's eye corner and said softly, "In the sect, although I'm young in age, my seniority is high. It's because I was born with a golden light, and they recognized me as the reincarnation of the first sect leader."
Jing Jiujiu responded blankly, "Mm... I heard him call you 'Ancestral Master.'"
Bai Yuhuai nodded and emphasized once more, "I'm not that old in actual years."
Jing Jiujiu: ?
Jing Jiujiu: "Oh."
In fact, even if Bai Yuhuai were five or six hundred years old, he wouldn't think Bai Yuhuai was old.
As long as he looked handsome and young, that was enough.
Seeing that Jing Jiujiu didn't show any signs of disgust, Bai Yuhuai finally felt relieved and continued calmly, "The Cloud Return Sect can't control me raising ghosts."
Jing Jiujiu: "Mm."
Bai Yuhuai pursed his lips before actively asking, "You don't think Mr. Yuran's disappearance was an accident?"
Jing Jiujiu: "Actually, up until I died, my family never gave up searching for Dad. Because his disappearance was too strange. It was as if on a sudden day, this person was completely erased from your life. All traces of his life were gone. Only the memories in each of our minds could prove that he once existed.
"We reported to the police, investigated surveillance footage, but it was all useless. At that time, Jing Tinghua said he wanted to invite Taoist priests to our house to take a look... So when I came out of the castle, he was the first one I suspected. I thought he had done something to make Dad disappear."
As he said this, a hint of bewilderment appeared on Jing Jiujiu's face.
"Then from now on, let the Cloud Return Sect search for him," Bai Yuhuai said.
Jing Jiujiu shook his head and said, "I've already thought of a way."
Perhaps because he was talking about what he was going to do next, Jing Jiujiu gradually regained some spirit. He pushed Bai Yuhuai slightly, slipped out of his embrace, and sat up properly.
He leaned over the edge of the bed, bent down, and took out the little robot from his backpack.
The little robot finally saw him and hurriedly comforted him in a cold, mechanical voice, "Master, don't be sad."
Bai Yuhuai frowned: "What exactly is this thing?"
Jing Jiujiu held up the little robot: "An alien life form, it said so itself."
The little robot answered matter-of-factly, "That's correct."
Jing Jiujiu immediately asked it, "Why did you bind to me in the first place?"
The lights on the little robot's head flashed on and off as it asked in return, "Is the human beside you trustworthy?"
If it remembered correctly, wasn't this the first human the host wanted to intimidate?
Jing Jiujiu tilted his head and asked, "Do you think he's formidable?"
The little robot hesitated for a moment.
The host had successfully intimidated countless beings, but this man alone had never been successfully intimidated.
The little robot said, "Very formidable."
These words came from the little robot's mouth, but to Bai Yuhuai's ears, it was as if Jing Jiujiu was praising him.
Bai Yuhuai pursed his lips, looking at the little robot with a much more favorable eye.
"Mm." Jing Jiujiu nodded and replied, "So I've turned to him for help now. Do you think he's trustworthy?"
The little robot's light flickered, and it finally squeezed out two words: "Trust him."
It said, "Because I trust you, so I trust him."
The little robot paused briefly, then continued, "The reason I initially bonded with you was because, with my remaining energy, I detected that within this range, you had the strongest desire to accomplish something."
"Only in this way would you actively cooperate with me to complete the tasks," the little robot said.
Jing Jiujiu changed his sitting position, "Hmm, so you first detect my desire, then the task system issues tasks based on my desire... and after completing the tasks, I will achieve my desire, and you gain energy from it."
"That's correct."
"I've already left the castle, so I think I should have a new desire now."
"Oh?" The little robot was taken aback.
Jing Jiujiu closed his eyes, "Now, can you detect it?"
The little robot fell silent. The electric current on its face flickered and became chaotic. Finally, the little robot emitted a mechanical voice: "Do you want to find Mr. Yuran?"
A hint of a smile appeared on Jing Jiujiu's face.
The system could indeed detect it!
Jing Jiujiu: "Yes."
The system quickly formulated a task process.
The little robot's voice sounded again: "Next, you need to complete six intimidation tasks and find the lost sacred site to find Mr. Yuran."
Jing Jiujiu smiled, his eyes shining brightly: "Mm, how many have been completed now?"
The little robot paused: "Your efficiency is very high. You've already completed up to progress four. I've also gained enough strong energy from it. In half a month, you'll see an upgraded version of me."
Jing Jiujiu nodded: "Mm!"
It's indeed useful!
If no one in this world knows Dad's whereabouts anymore, then the system must know! As long as you provide it with your desire, it can formulate tasks for you to achieve your goal, and also fulfill itself.
It's something from outer space, it doesn't belong here, its power far surpasses this world!
What's a puzzle for others is just a cold programming process for it!
Jing Jiujiu turned his head to look at Bai Yuhuai: "...Alright, I'm going to take a nap, then go find that lost sacred site!"
Bai Yuhuai moved his lips, also marveling at the young man's thoughts: "Jiujiu... is very clever."
Jing Jiujiu: "Mm, I think so too!"
After saying that, he burrowed back into the blanket, continuing to slowly digest those negative emotions.
Bai Yuhuai didn't move, just sat there quietly, watching him close his eyes.
Even though they both knew very well that ghosts don't sleep.
Yet this moment of tranquility was still touching.
Downstairs, Master Zhou carefully pushed the door, only to find that the door had somehow opened at some point.
They were finally able to enter.
Soon after, Xu Sanyu arrived as well.
Everyone looked at each other, sat down on the sofa, quietly waiting for Bai Yuhuai to come downstairs.
Meanwhile, at Jing Corporation Building.
A person dressed as a secretary dialed the phone again, only to hear a busy tone on the other end.
"Secretary Liu, haven't left yet?" Someone outside greeted him.
Secretary Liu forced a smile: "Mm, just a small matter."
Secretary Liu quickly took out two document folders from the cabinet, called the lawyer, and rushed to the bank before the sun had completely set.
"Yes, freeze these few cards."
"For subsequent handover, our lawyer will liaise with you."
"Alright."
Secretary Liu walked out, standing in the last rays of the setting sun, feeling a moment of bewilderment.
It's over, everything is over...
...
It wasn't until the next day that they finally saw Bai Yuhuai come downstairs.
Master Zhou eagerly asked, "Where's the young master?"
Bai Yuhuai pulled at his pocket, revealing a limp little paper figure, its head drooping, its thin claws swaying in the wind.
Master Zhou: ?
Master Zhou carefully shook hands with Jing Jiujiu's claw: "How did the young master become like this..."
Master Tingyi said, "That's his temporary body. When inhabiting it, he can save on energy and soul consumption."
Master Zhou: "Oh, oh, oh."
He didn't understand a word, but just said "oh" to get it over with.
The young boy looked at it with a complex expression but didn't say much.
The bun on top of his head was gone.
Probably because he wasn't very good at tying it, after getting up, he just left it loose.
Xu Sanyu listened with a head full of question marks.
What, what, what? You're telling me this is Jing Jiujiu?
Xu Sanyu stood up, rubbing his hands, and said, "Brother Bai, have you seen the hot search?"
Bai Yuhuai: "My phone is broken."
Xu Sanyu: ?
Xu Sanyu slapped his thigh: "If I had known earlier, I would have called the young master's phone!"
"Just tell me directly, what's the matter?"
Xu Sanyu immediately offered up his own phone.
Bai Yuhuai glanced at it and paused.
Jing Jiujiu finally perked up a bit, climbing up along Bai Yuhuai's clothes, up to his shoulder, and finally settling on his wrist.
Xu Sanyu: Damn!
Damn, damn, damn!
Xu Sanyu: "Bro-Brother Bai, the paper figure can move..."
Bai Yuhuai: "Mm."
Bai Yuhuai stared at the phone screen, which showed a photo of him covering Jing Jiujiu's eyes, and another of him hugging Jing Jiujiu...
The photos were quite good, even the lighting was just right.
It made the vast world seem as if only he and Jing Jiujiu remained.
Bai Yuhuai's finger moved, instinctively saving the photos, before remembering this was Xu Sanyu's phone.
"Send me a new phone," Bai Yuhuai handed the phone back.
Xu Sanyu: ?
Is that it?
"So what do we do next...? Go public or...?" Xu Sanyu's heart was in suspense, thinking that whether his career would be short-lived or long-lasting would be decided right here.
Bai Yuhuai let out a soft sigh.
He would like to go public, but the fact was that Jing Jiujiu's feelings for him weren't deep enough yet, far from the stage where they could date.
Bai Yuhuai said calmly, "Just say... he's a little friend from home."
Xu Sanyu: "Just... just like that?"
Bai Yuhuai: "Mm."
The real young boy from the Cloud Return Sect pouted, turned around, and even let the little ghost take a bite.
Bai Yuhuai finally spared some attention, asking, "Bai Fu, what are you doing here?"
The young boy Bai Fu first bowed, then said, "I received a letter from Daoist Master Qu Yi. Uncle instructed me to come down the mountain for training."
Xu Sanyu saw this scene and was bewildered again.
What, what, do children need training too?
Bai Fu paused, then added, "Uncle also told me to find Grandfather and deliver a letter to him."
After saying this, Bai Fu took out a letter from his chest and handed it over.
Bai Yuhuai reached out to take it.
Seeing that he couldn't join in the conversation, Xu Sanyu dazedly went to the side to contact the PR team.
Bai Yuhuai's brows gradually furrowed, but soon smoothed out again.
"So many people have gone missing... How come no one in the circle has ever mentioned it?"
Bai Fu said, "They're all metaphysical practitioners without sect affiliations or fixed organizations. Most of them don't even have many relatives or friends. When they disappear, they just disappear."
Although young, he spoke like an adult.
After listening, Jing Jiujiu suddenly jumped up, kicked Bai Yuhuai's face with one foot, and pounced onto Bai Fu's soft, loose hair.
Bai Yuhuai: "..."
Bai Fu: Oh!
It dares to kick Grandfather's face!
Jing Jiujiu asked loudly, "Did they disappear without a trace?"
Bai Fu said softly, "Yes."
Jing Jiujiu suddenly emerged from the paper figure.
Xu Sanyu: "..."
Thanks, I'm about to faint.
Jing Jiujiu: "Is it similar to how my dad disappeared?"
Bai Yuhuai: "Mm."
Bai Fu said, "Grandfather suspects that chaos ate them."
Jing Jiujiu: ?
Jing Jiujiu suddenly remembered something: "Ah... Did we forget Lin Zhi at the hotel in the mining town?"
The little robot in the backpack: ?
Realizing that it wasn't the only one left behind by the host, why did it feel a bit of consolation and emotion?
"To swallow so many people, how big must that chaos be?" Bai Yuhuai said calmly, folding up the letter in his hand.
Xu Sanyu was fiddling with his phone when he suddenly paused and looked up, saying, "Brother Bai, your scandal is no longer the big news... There's a new trending topic saying that the CEO of Jing Corporation has suddenly died."
"Mm," Bai Yuhuai responded.
Xu Sanyu: "? Why aren't you surprised at all?"
Xu Sanyu: "Wait, isn't that still Jiujiu's father...?" As he spoke, he quickly looked towards Jing Jiujiu.
Bai Yuhuai calmly said, "We dealt with his remains yesterday."
Xu Sanyu: !
Xu Sanyu: "No wonder you weren't around yesterday..."
Jing Jiujiu interjected, "If the news of his death spread so quickly, won't the stock price drop?"
Normally, shouldn't they try to cover it up for a while?
Xu Sanyu replied blankly, "Well... I don't know about that."
He wasn't well-versed in these matters.
Meanwhile, Elder Jing slipped in the bathroom, his obese body crashing through the glass shower door, scattering shards everywhere and embedding them in his skin.
He struggled and stumbled out of the bathroom.
His wife heard the commotion and rushed to support him, using her other hand to dial for emergency services.
Elder Jing trembled violently: "Jing Tinghua must be dead, that's why the curse has started to fall on me... I never thought we couldn't escape it even hiding here... Aah!"
An ambulance quickly arrived and took Elder Jing away. When they asked his wife if she wanted to come along, the woman frantically shook her head: "No, I won't go..."
She didn't dare to leave the house either!
The paramedics mumbled about how strange it was, but they took him away anyway.
On the way, there was a minor accident. A small van crashed into them, causing Elder Jing to slip off the stretcher and hit his head on the ambulance wall, immediately covering his face in blood.
The look of terror on Elder Jing's face intensified; he even forgot to cry out in pain.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Elder Jing hurriedly handed a card to the nurse: "Quick, transfer me to the best ICU, find the best doctors for me..."
The nurse nodded and took the card, but soon returned: "Mr. Jing, this card doesn't have any funds available."
"Impossible, impossible, try the others..."
The nurse tried them all and asked again: "Do you have a health insurance card? Or should I transfer you to a public hospital?"
Elder Jing was in so much pain all over his body that he could only mumble: "Impossible... No! It's possible! Jing Tinghua, that selfish man! He died and won't even leave us the money... He wants to destroy everything! He wants us all dead! He won't even give us a chance to turn things around..."
"He's gone mad!"
"Aah..." Elder Jing wailed, falling off the bed and rolling on the floor a few times before gradually falling silent.
The nurse screamed in fright and ran out calling, "Someone help..."
Elder Jing's death was grotesque, his eyeballs bulging, his limbs twisted as if by an invisible force, covered in blood, resembling a live pig bound and placed on an ancient sacrificial altar...
This was exactly the kind of end Jing Tinghua wanted to avoid, which is why he preferred to be killed or to commit suicide.
He was proud, arrogant, and stubborn, and having lived through the first half of his life, how could he allow himself to die in such an undignified manner?
Even if Elder Jing had known he would die so miserably, he couldn't bring himself to commit suicide.
...
There was a knock at the door of Bai Yuhuai's villa.
"Who is it?" Bai Yuhuai asked coldly.
A slightly trembling voice came from outside: "I'm... Mr. Jing's secretary."
Bai Yuhuai's eyes flickered: "Open the door."
Master Zhou went to open it.
Secretary Liu walked in holding a folder. He timidly raised his head to look at the fierce ghost who had been dead for seven years, the young master of the Jing family.
At this moment, Jing Jiujiu was still bringing out divine statues.
First was the Yama Statue, still placed in front of the incense.
Then the Ancient Castle Evil God.
Secretary Liu shuddered at the sight.
Finally, the Four-Faced Buddha Evil God.
Secretary Liu's chest tightened, instinctively feeling that the young man's beauty was oppressively wicked.
His body was covered in sweat, but he still said in a low voice: "...You will become the sole heir to Mr. Jing's estate."
Jing Tinghua was a selfish man with a very small heart.
The current Mrs. Jing and Jing Long had only lived with him for a few years.
So he didn't leave them anything, inscribing his cold-heartedness into his very bones.
Secretary Liu said in a trembling voice: "Here are some handover documents. It seems your household registration has been restored, changing your status from deceased. To outsiders, you appear to be a living person. Mr. Jing said that if he died, it must be when you became particularly powerful. You are a fierce ghost, already dead, no longer affected by the evil god's curse. All of Jing Corporation's assets in your hands won't face any problems or troubles..."
If Secretary Liu had the ability to see spirits, he would have noticed that within the Four-Faced Buddha Evil God statue held by Jing Jiujiu, there was also a divine consciousness trembling slightly.
The young man was too terrifying!
Yesterday, he had gathered a large number of divine statues and people with strong powers, surrounding him completely, even killing a chicken to frighten the monkey!
He would never dare to provoke the young man again!
The dignity of a god wasn't that big of a deal after all!
He would go east when told to go east! West when told to go west!