Chapter 107: What the heck? Is this the power a ghost can have?
Right now, the Store Manager’s position was unclear. For the time being, he appeared to be a good person, at least treating Zhao Mingyue well. He accepted her as a young employee with an unstable work schedule and was even willing to pay her a normal salary plus some small benefits.
If it wasn’t necessary, Bai Yu didn’t recommend Zhao Mingyue bother him. Snooping into others’ secrets could turn a non-enemy into an enemy real quick.
The assumption here was that the Store Manager was genuinely neutral and had no relationship with Zhao Mingyue.
Listening to Bai Yu’s advice, Zhao Mingyue didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she directed her gaze to the man kneeling on the ground. A faint odor wafted from him; it wasn’t the smell of decay but more like a combo of body odor from not showering and clothes that had seen better days.
His hair was disheveled, his beard unkempt, his face waxy and pallid with deep-set eyes and heavy dark circles. He looked like a typical background character you’d forget in a crowd.
However, Zhao Mingyue couldn’t shake off the feeling that she saw strands of black mist rolling off the man.
She blinked to ensure she wasn’t seeing things; yes, there were indeed wisps of black mist emanating from him.
“There’s something on him,” Zhao Mingyue suddenly thought.
“What?”
“Black fog, like the ghostly grudges you mentioned earlier.”
“Yup, that’s ghostly grudge.”
“Then why can I see it? Did I enhance my vision? It feels like a weaker version of yin-yang eyes or something.”
“You nailed it.”
As Zhao Mingyue communicated with Bai Yu, the Store Manager moved. He didn’t help the man up; instead, he squatted in front of him, looking straight into his eyes with a calm expression.
“I’ve told you clearly before, don’t come looking for me about your issues. I’m unable to help.”
“Let me put it this way, your daughter’s current situation is of your own making. If you had listened to half a sentence I said back then, we wouldn’t be here now. Go back; I can’t help you, and I don’t have that kind of power.”
The Store Manager stood up and straightened his collar, glancing toward Zhao Mingyue, who stood at the door.
“Mingyue, if there’s nothing else, why don’t you head back? I’ll take care of things here.”
“Uh, Store Manager, is he really okay?” Zhao Mingyue pointed at the man on the ground.
“He’s fine; he’s just an old friend of mine. Probably just drunk and trying to ask for my help with some matters.” The Store Manager stood tall and confident, wearing a faint smile that projected reliability.
“Then I…” Zhao Mingyue didn’t have any good excuse to stay, and just as she turned to leave, the man on the ground suddenly sprang to his feet and charged at her with bloodshot eyes, clearly intending to tackle her and force the Store Manager to intervene.
The Store Manager reacted quickly; in an instant, he grabbed the man’s arm. However, the man was remarkably strong, shaking off the Manager’s grip and continuing his assault towards Zhao Mingyue.
The Store Manager’s expression darkened as he shoved his hand into his pocket and swiftly pulled out an elegant flintlock, aiming it at the man’s back.
Unfortunately, the convenience store wasn’t very large, and within a few steps, the man was upon Zhao Mingyue.
But Zhao Mingyue wasn’t scared or shrieking; instead, she narrowed her eyes and swiftly kicked, accurately striking the man in the chest. With tremendous force, he flew backward, crashing into the snack shelf, which then rained snacks all over the floor.
In a panic, she reached for her magic wand but came up empty.
The man on the ground stood up again, veins bulging on his forehead, eyes bloodshot, gritting his teeth and wearing a twisted, terrifying expression.
Peeking out from his back was the head of a Female Ghost, her face pale and eyes pure white.
The black mist surrounding the man surged as the ghost’s head appeared; cold winds whipped through, causing the wind chime on the roof to clang like it was having a party.
The Female Ghost’s white eyes locked onto Zhao Mingyue, and her long, black hair lashed out like arrows, aiming directly at her, as if the strands were black snakes ready to attack.
Zhao Mingyue took a half-step back, her eyes rapidly turning pitch black.
Large threads of bl**d surged forward, ensnaring the ghost’s attacking hair. Bai Yu didn’t dispel the bl**d threads, instead yanking at the ghost’s head with all his might.
The ghost’s head jerked forward, and Zhao Mingyue took a step forward, her bl**d threads twisting and forming a several-centimeter-long dart which she hurled, embedding it in the ghost’s forehead with a satisfying thunk.
The Female Ghost tilted her head back, and the bl**d thread embedded in her forehead detonated, unleashing a mass of bl**d threads that engulfed her, voraciously consuming her.
The convenience store was filled with howling winds, the cry of the Female Ghost ringing in the air, while the man’s black mist swirled ominously.
Before long, the ghost’s head was nearly devoured, and in a weakened state, it slithered back into the man’s shadow, causing him to roll his eyes and collapse.
As Bai Yu possessed Zhao Mingyue, the wind chime above, previously gently swaying, began to thrash wildly as if it had lost its mind.
Behind, the Store Manager suspended his action of aiming the g*n in mid-air.
In his view, a warped Female Ghost clung to the man’s neck. A closer look revealed that the man’s neck had twisted grotesquely because the ghost was perched there, and the black fog dispersing from him was a result of the ghost’s festering resentment.
He couldn’t see Bai Yu, who was now possessing Zhao Mingyue; when he wasn’t possessing her, he was lurking in Taiwan shadows or even her rabbit plushie.
But what he could see was the massive amounts of bl**d mist erupting from Zhao Mingyue’s body.
This bl**d mist was entirely different from the black resentment; it was nauseating, chilling to the bone, making one’s very soul shudder.
It was a pure essence of murderous intent and hatred, possibly containing a cocktail of these emotions and other negative feelings, yet exuding an astonishing purity.
The Store Manager couldn’t help but ponder how many people this ghost had slain to accumulate such a terrifying aura…
He gripped his flintlock tightly, his long-time companion offering no semblance of comfort in the face of the ghost before him.
He had an uncanny feeling that no matter what action he took, whether offensive or defensive, he would end up with his head severed.
He began to see the sharp aura for the first time.
Above him, the wind chime continued its frenzied dance, narrating everything.
The Store Manager had long known that the ghost haunting Zhao Mingyue was powerful but had never anticipated it would be this strong.
To him, a ghost, no matter how potent, should have a limit—even the “Six-Sound” ghost.
How could a ghost be stronger than an Evil Spirit?
After all, a ghost primarily relies on grievances for strength; no matter how intense a person’s resentment is, it only reaches a peak. The sheer force of grievance itself has limits.
But Evil Spirits? They were born powerful.
And at this moment, he revised his understanding.
Who said a ghost had to have a powerful grudge to draw strength?
At the convenience store’s entrance, Bai Yu was also watching the Store Manager, poised to take action, weighing whether the man’s g*n was quicker than his own kn*fe.
In a standoff that lasted no more than three seconds, the Store Manager holstered his g*n, the smile gone from his face, replaced with calm determination. He approached the man, squatted to check if he still had a pulse, and upon confirming he was alive, delivered a resounding slap.
With the grip of the ghost receding, Zhao Mingyue quickly rushed forward to kneel beside the Store Manager.
Without needing to discuss this strange event further, Zhao Mingyue broke the silence, “Store Manager, what happened to this guy?”
“Possessed by a ghost. This ghost happens to be his wife.”
After two resounding slaps, the man finally woke up.
With the ghost’s influence gone, his eyes regained clarity, but the moment he saw the Store Manager, he still looked pleadingly, asking for help for his daughter.
The Store Manager decided it was best to keep things brief. He stood up, looked at Zhao Mingyue, and handed over the choice.
“Mingyue, his daughter is currently being tormented by a very powerful Evil Spirit. I could have dealt with it, but due to this man’s reckless behavior, the Evil Spirit evolved.”
“What I can tell you is that this man is a complete sc*m.”
“But still, his daughter is innocent.”
“If I had the strength myself, I would have handled this alone. Right now, I need a partner to resolve this situation. What do you say?”
“Oh, by the way, Mingyue, let me reintroduce myself. Besides being the Store Manager here, I actually have a part-time job; though it doesn’t have a unified title—Exorcist, Taoist, Feng Shui Master, basically someone who deals with supernatural events.”
Since their identities had been inadvertently revealed, he figured there was no point in hiding anymore.
He was presenting Zhao Mingyue the opportunity: to team up with him or return to her previous life.
Zhao Mingyue understood all of this. Internally, she consulted with Bai Yu for his opinion.
“Go for it.”
“Alrighty, just what I needed to boost my skills.”
With Bai Yu’s answer, Zhao Mingyue felt emboldened. “Yes, that little girl is quite innocent. Would I be of help if I joined?”
“Of course,” the Store Manager said with a slight smile.
“Then it’s settled.”
“Hahaha, don’t worry; I won’t waste your time. Once you come along, you’ll be my assistant. I’ll give you a salary, split 60-40, with me taking the 60 percent and you the 40 percent.” The Store Manager, catching onto Zhao Mingyue’s penchant for money, added this juicy detail with a grin.
With that statement, Zhao Mingyue’s eyes lit up.
As long as there was money involved, she was all in.
Plus, she’d get to sharpen her skills! What’s not to love?
As for the Store Manager and Bai Yu’s little game against each other—that was their affair. Bai Yu would definitely have a few tricks up his sleeve for her.
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There’s one more chapter coming at ten tonight!
