IMMFBCG Chapter 24

Chapter 24: The 100,000 Yuan Prize

Wei Xingteng had just returned the blue-dressed female ghost to the Taoist sect when the Taoist Association transferred the prize money directly into Ye Xue’s account.

Ye Xue checked her bank balance and found the prize was a full 100,000 yuan.

Apart from the money sent from Tianyi Temple that one time, Ye Xue had never seen so much money in one go.

“If a single vengeful ghost can earn 100,000, then catching ten would mean a million, wouldn’t it?!” she thought excitedly.

Not only could she repair the roads in her village, but she could also renovate the Taoist temple and even upgrade the statue of the Patriarch with a more premium golden one.

She almost couldn’t resist calling the Taoist Association to ask how many more vengeful ghosts had escaped from the Ronggui Well. She was ready to take them all on!

Ye Xue and Bai Liu had recently visited Tianyi Temple to maintain relations with their fellow Taoist peers. Seeing that their temple had gold-plated statues of deities left both of them green with envy.

Ye Xue had long wanted to replace the statue of their own Patriarch with a golden one, but the funds just hadn’t been there.

But now, she’d discovered a new path to riches.

However, Ye Xue still remembered that she was a respectable Taoist priest. Even though she hadn’t obtained her official certification yet, she had to maintain her image. She couldn’t call the Taoist Association in such an uncouth manner, sounding like she’d never seen money before.

So, after wishing them success in capturing the remaining vengeful ghosts, she reluctantly hung up the phone without saying anything more.

After receiving the prize money, Ye Xue found Bai Liu and offered to split it with him. But Bai Liu only took a few hundred-yuan bills as a token gesture, refusing to take more.

Bai Liu knew his limits. Without his aunt Ye Xue, no matter how many spirit-binding ropes he had, they would have been useless since he wouldn’t have even been able to get close to the blue-dressed ghost.

He recalled how Ye Xue had bled a lot while drawing talismans and couldn’t help but suggest she use the money to nourish her body and not skimp on herself.

Ye Xue was touched by his words, but in the end, she sent most of the money back to her village and donated the rest to the temple for repairs.

Upon learning this, Bai Liu was speechless.

“Damn it,” he thought. “How could I have forgotten? My aunt only earns money to fix the roads in the village! I should’ve taken more and used it to buy her some chickens to help her recover!”

That day, after offering incense to the ancestors, Ye Xue strolled around the area to see if she could find any new ghostly leads. By chance, she overheard two male high school students talking.

One of them, still a bit shaken, said, “I got so freaked out the other day! I was home alone watching TV when I suddenly heard loud noises coming from the building across the street. I thought they’d settle down soon, but the racket went on for over half an hour, with all sorts of wailing and screaming. I was about to call their property manager to complain, but then I remembered… isn’t that building about to be demolished? No one should be living there!”

Ye Xue immediately knew they were talking about the night they “caught” the blue-dressed ghost. She thought to herself, “Well, not exactly no one—Bao Wenxuan, that stubborn holdout, is still living there.”

This guy was unlucky. Generally, ordinary people wouldn’t see or hear ghosts’ screams, let alone notice the ruckus they made when fighting the blue-dressed ghost.

Sure enough, his friend chimed in skeptically, “Are you sure you weren’t hallucinating from staying up too late watching anime? I was home that night too, and I didn’t hear anything.”

“No way, my hearing’s fine,” the high schooler insisted. “Plus, I went over there afterward, and the walls of the building were covered in blood and talismans! Tell me that’s not a ghost situation!”

“Really?” His friend sounded doubtful, so he went to check it out himself and came back looking unimpressed. “There weren’t any talismans, and I barely saw a drop of blood. That wall was cleaner than my face.”

Ye Xue couldn’t help but chuckle to herself. Of course, the wall was clean—they, along with Xu Zhou, had snuck over there late at night, scrubbing and removing talismans to avoid causing unnecessary panic among the residents.

Still, this proved that the formation Ye Xue had set up was working. Most of the residents couldn’t hear or see anything unusual in that area, except for those who were particularly unlucky. For them, the disturbances were undeniable.

Realizing this, Ye Xue approached the students and greeted them, “Hello.”

Interrupted mid-conversation, the two boys were initially confused by the stranger’s approach, but when they looked up and saw Ye Xue, they blushed and awkwardly replied, “H-hello.”

One of them thought Ye Xue might be trying to strike up a conversation with them and was debating whether to offer his WeChat or phone number. But before he could say anything, Ye Xue turned to his friend and seriously asked, “Would you like to come to the Taoist temple to offer some incense?”

Tan Zhenghao was taken aback. “Huh?”

Ye Xue patiently explained, “Xuanzhen Temple is just around the corner, at the end of the alley. If you come by, I can give you a 10% discount.”

Tan Zhenghao’s friend was dumbfounded. “???”
Was this how Taoist temples advertised these days?

If anyone else had said this, Tan Zhenghao would’ve cursed them out for being a scammer. But since it was a pretty girl speaking, and he’d been feeling particularly unlucky lately, he hesitated. He’d already been thinking of visiting a temple, so he awkwardly replied, “Oh, uh, sure. Thank you. Xuanzhen Temple, right?”

Ye Xue nodded. “Yes, Xuanzhen Temple.”

Hearing the name, Tan Zhenghao thought it sounded familiar. Recently, a lot of people have been going there to pray.

Then, Ye Xue turned to his friend, “Would you like to come to offer some incense too?”

Even though his yang energy was strong, it never hurt to pray for good luck.

His friend, still puzzled, said, “Uh, sure, why not?”

Going to the temple wouldn’t cost him anything, after all.

Both Tan Zhenghao and his friend agreed to visit the temple that afternoon.

They had been hoping to ask for Ye Xue’s contact info, but after seeing her pure and beautiful face, they felt like any such request would be disrespectful. So, they simply stammered out a goodbye and headed home.

Ye Xue, feeling good about sealing a deal, turned around and saw Bai Liu standing there with a half-eaten apple in his hand, staring at her in disbelief. His face was plastered with a look of sheer astonishment as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just witnessed.

Bai Liu dropped his apple and rushed over, grabbing Ye Xue’s hand. In an awestruck tone, he said, “Aunt, you are the best ambassador for Xuanzhen Temple! You managed to pull off an advertisement like that! How did you do it?”

The fact that she had turned a casual chat into a business deal blew his mind.

“…,” Ye Xue responded calmly. “You just have to be shameless, and you can do it too.”

While Bai Liu was later pulled away by Wei Wuchang for some chores, Xuanzhen Temple received a new visitor.

The young man appeared haggard, with a tired expression. He squinted slightly as he looked at the plaque of the Daoist temple, confirming it was indeed Xuan Zhen Temple before stepping inside.

Ye Xue was working on her thesis when she heard footsteps. She glanced up and turned to Xu Zhou, saying, “Nephew, looks like we’ve got business.”

Xu Zhou set down the incense sticks and approached.

The young man seemed a little unsettled when he arrived. After drinking a sip of hot water, he finally calmed down and said, “Daoist, could you come to my house and take a look? I think my place is haunted…”

Ye Xue paused, surprised. “Haunted?”

Xu Zhou examined the man’s face and asked uncertainly, “Sir, you mentioned your house is haunted. What exactly has been happening?”

Ye Xue hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. The young man’s eyes were bright and clear, and his demeanor exuded righteousness. Though he looked weary, there was no sign of any negative energy surrounding him.

He seemed like the kind of person who, by all logic, shouldn’t encounter ghosts.

“My name is Tan Jiade.” The young man was shaken but tried to steady himself before continuing, “Two days ago, I saw a corpse. Since then, I’ve had this feeling like there’s something else in my house. The lights keep turning on by themselves. I go to bed with the lights off, but when I wake up, they’re on again!”

“There were also a few times when I went to get water from the kitchen at night, and I saw a black shadow flash past on the balcony. But…” Tan Jiade’s voice grew more fearful, “I live on the 25th floor! Even if it were a thief, they couldn’t climb up from the first floor. And at night, the doorbell keeps ringing for no reason. Every time I rush to open the door, no one’s there. I even checked the security footage, and there wasn’t a single person outside when the bell rang!”

As Tan Jiade continued, he grew more and more frightened, asking desperately, “Daoist, is this happening because I didn’t burn any paper money for the dead body I saw or visit a temple to pay respects? Is it following me now?”

Hearing this, both Ye Xue and Xu Zhou furrowed their brows.

It did seem like something strange was happening to Tan Jiade, but there was no sign of any negative energy on him. Why?

Xu Zhou tried to reassure him, “Mr. Tan, don’t worry. If it’s convenient for you, we can go to your home and check the situation before deciding what to do.”

Tan Jiade nodded quickly. “Yes, yes, of course. I live alone, and I haven’t told my parents about this because I don’t want them to worry.”

Xu Zhou turned to Ye Xue and asked, “Uncle, do you want to come with me?”

The school had given a lot of homework lately, and Xu Zhou had often seen Ye Xue working on her assignments in the temple, so he wasn’t sure if she had time.

Curious about why Tan Jiade didn’t have any signs of negative energy, Ye Xue put her book away and said, “Let’s go take a look.”

When Tan Jiade heard Xu Zhou refer to Ye Xue as “uncle,” he couldn’t help but think that this young, pretty Daoist must have quite a high rank.

…

Tan Jiade’s home wasn’t far from the temple, and after a few minutes, they arrived at his apartment building.

Ye Xue glanced around and realized that it was close to where Bao Wenxuan lived—the same place where Bai Liu had hidden the bodies last time.

Recalling the two high school students she’d encountered earlier, Ye Xue asked, “Mr. Tan, did you hear any strange noises around noon the day before yesterday?”

Tan Jiade thought for a moment and shook his head. “No, I was at work then, hadn’t gotten off yet.”

Ye Xue nodded slightly. “I see.”

So it wasn’t fear caused by the blue-clad ghost incident. What, then, was the cause?

While she pondered, the three of them took the elevator to Tan Jiade’s apartment.

Ye Xue noticed a cute doll hanging on his door. After staring at it for a few seconds, she asked, “Mr. Tan, what’s this doll?”

Tan Jiade took out his key to unlock the door and glanced at the hanging doll. “Oh, my nephew won it in a raffle. He forgot to take it with him, and I don’t like keeping it in the house, so I just hung it here.”

Ye Xue pondered this for a moment and then shifted her gaze. “I see.”

Xu Zhou looked around the apartment but didn’t notice anything unusual. He glanced at Ye Xue, who also shook her head, signaling that she hadn’t found anything either.

The place was spotless.

And by spotless, she didn’t mean free of dust; the energy in the apartment was clean—there was no trace of anything sinister.

In other words, there was no ghost in Tan Jiade’s home.

Ye Xue took another look at the door before explaining their findings to Tan Jiade.

But Tan Jiade seemed incredulous. “That’s impossible. If there’s no ghost, then what’s been happening these past few days?”

He started to suspect that Ye Xue and Xu Zhou might be scammers, but then he remembered they were from Xuan Zhen Temple. Scammers wouldn’t tell him his house was ghost-free—they’d exaggerate the danger to trick him into paying for more rituals.

Xu Zhou also found it strange. Even though he wasn’t particularly skilled, with Ye Xue here, they would have noticed if there were something supernatural going on.

Hesitantly, Tan Jiade asked, “Could it be because it’s daytime? Maybe the ghost doesn’t show up during the day?” He gritted his teeth and made a firm request, “Daoists, if it’s not too much trouble, could you stay the night at my place and see if anything happens after dark? I’ll compensate you at double the standard rate for your time.”

Xu Zhou replied, “It’s not about the money, but—”

Tan Jiade’s eyes filled with desperation. “Please, even if there’s no ghost, just stay with me for one night. I haven’t dared to close my eyes lately. Look, I’ve got dark circles under my eyes.”

He pointed to the bags under his eyes, looking utterly exhausted. “If I leave the lights on, they turn off on their own. If I turn them off, they come back on by themselves. I’m constantly on edge. It’s unbearable!”

Seeing how worn out he was, Ye Xue relented. “Alright, we’ll stay and check things out tonight.”

Tan Jiade breathed a sigh of relief, smiling gratefully. “Thank you so much. I’ll arrange for you to stay in my room. That’s where the lights have been acting up.”

Ye Xue and Xu Zhou both nodded.

When night fell, Tan Jiade turned off the lights and sat in the room with Ye Xue and Xu Zhou.

Ye Xue had been reading a book, but once the lights went out, she put it away.

Tan Jiade, feeling anxious, tried to distract himself by chatting with them.

Noticing the book in Ye Xue’s hand, he asked, “Daoist Ye, what were you reading earlier? Are you studying new Daoist techniques?”

Xu Zhou remained silent for a moment.

Ye Xue smiled and turned the cover of the book toward him.

Curious about what kind of books Daoists studied, Tan Jiade looked over expectantly. When he saw the cover, he blinked in surprise and read aloud, “The Principles of Marxism?”

He laughed awkwardly. “Daoists are thorough with their scientific approach, huh?”

Ye Xue stifled a laugh. “That’s my college politics textbook.”

Tan Jiade was shocked. “Wait, Daoists have to study in school too?”

Yexue: “…”

Why is every customer so surprised to find out she’s in college?

Yexue nodded helplessly, “Yes, I’m a student at Haicheng University.”

Hearing this, Tan Jiade’s eyes filled with admiration. “Wow, that’s impressive! A 211 university!”

Xu Zhou, overhearing their conversation, tried to stifle a laugh.

Shortly after, Yexue noticed the time and began packing her textbooks into her backpack.

Suddenly, the lights in the room flickered on. Tan Jiade was startled and stammered, “It’s here! It’s here! Daoist, I wasn’t wrong! There really is a ghost!”

Xu Zhou froze for a moment, but he didn’t sense any negative energy approaching.

Yexue said nothing, her eyes fixed thoughtfully on the area in front of the bedside table.

After a moment of consideration, she walked over.

The lights flickered off again.

Terrified, Tan Jiade ran to hide behind Xu Zhou, trembling uncontrollably.

The lights flickered on once more, only to turn off again.

At this point, Tan Jiade was on the verge of a breakdown. Closing his eyes in fear, he cried out for help, “Daoist, save me!”

Yexue’s calm voice rang out, “No need for that. Look.”

Tan Jiade cautiously opened one eye.

Yexue’s hand was on the bedside lamp switch, gently pressing it, and turning the light on.

Earlier, when she was packing her backpack, the bag had bumped into the switch, which was hidden behind the wooden panel near the bed. A slight touch was enough to turn it on.

Xu Zhou understood now. “Mr. Tan, did you just finish renovating your house?”

Tan Jiade was surprised. “How did you know?”

Yexue chuckled softly, “Not only did we figure that out, but I’m guessing the strange occurrences started after the renovations, right?”

Tan Jiade nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes! After I moved in post-renovation, the light started acting up like this.” Then, as if struck by a new thought, he exclaimed, “Was it the workers? I’ve heard some of them know about feng shui. Could it be something they did?”

Yexue couldn’t help but laugh. “There’s nothing wrong with the workers. The issue is with where your light switch is placed.”

She stepped aside, pointing to the switch at the bedside. “Right here. Any slight movement in this area will press the switch, causing the light to turn on.”

Tan Jiade awkwardly scratched his head. “I see. But what about the shadow on the balcony?”

Yexue walked over to the balcony, pulled open the sliding door, and explained, “You’ve got clothes hanging here. When the wind blows at night, it looks like something’s moving.”

She had noticed the clothes when she first came in but hadn’t mentioned it because they hadn’t solved the issue with the lights yet. The combination of the hanging clothes and Tan Jiade’s nearsightedness made it easy for him to mistake the clothes for a person’s shadow when he walked out at night without his glasses.

Tan Jiade was becoming more frustrated. “But what about the doorbell ringing?”

” Ding-dong—”

Before he could finish, the doorbell rang again. Tan Jiade pointed at the door in panic. “Daoist, listen!”

Without a word, Yexue calmly removed a small, ornate doll hanging above the doorbell and said evenly, “It’s fine now.”

“…”

Tan Jiade stared at the beautiful, delicate doll in her hand and hesitantly asked, “You mean, it’s this?”

Xu Zhou explained, “When the wind blows, it knocks the doll into the doorbell, causing it to ring.”

“Oh…” Tan Jiade looked embarrassed. “So, there’s no ghost, and this was all just a big misunderstanding?”

He decided right then to move the light switch, stop hanging clothes on the balcony at night, and never let his nephew hang dolls near the doorbell again!

Yexue’s calm voice interrupted his thoughts, “Not exactly. You do have a little something extra here.”

She looked at the doll in her hand. It was exquisitely made, a beautiful little girl figurine.

Tan Jiade’s face grew pale with fear as if he had suddenly realized something. “No way! Is it… Hanako?!”

Hanako is a famous doll from Japanese horror films.

Yexue glanced at him with amusement. “You sure know your horror movies.”

Tan Jiade scratched his head sheepishly, “Heh, yeah, I’m a young guy. I love watching horror films.”

Xu Zhou cleared his throat and softly explained, “Not exactly. All things have spirits. Any object can develop a soul, and this doll hanging by the door has gained one.”

Far from reassured, Tan Jiade recoiled in fear. “That sounds even scarier! A doll with a soul? Daoist, take it away! I don’t want it!”

It’s hard to stay calm when you realize an inanimate object in your home has come to life. Tan Jiade wasn’t just unwilling to keep the doll; he probably wouldn’t want to have any more dolls in his house ever again.

Yexue asked, “Are you sure you don’t want it?”

Tan Jiade shook his head firmly. “No, I don’t.”

Yexue shrugged. “Alright, I’ll take it. It’s pretty cute, after all.”

Tan Jiade quickly nodded in agreement.

Afterward, he asked, “So, does that mean everything is solved now?”

Yexue thought for a moment. “You could say that. If you’re still uneasy, you could remove the switch and see if the light or doorbell acts up tomorrow.”

“Okay, could you give me a talisman, though?” Tan Jiade, feeling embarrassed under their gazes, chuckled awkwardly. “I’m still a little scared. But if everything’s fine by tomorrow, I’ll head over to the temple to pay off the remaining balance. I promise I won’t skip out!”

Xu Zhou replied, “We didn’t do much to help, so about the money—”

Tan Jiade waved his hand, cutting him off. “No, no, you helped me a lot, spending a whole day and night here with me. And then there’s that…”

He glanced nervously at the doll in Yexue’s hand, quickly averting his eyes. “I’ll pay.”

Since the client insisted, Xu Zhou didn’t argue further.

Later, when the time grew late, Xu Zhou suggested leaving, and he and Yexue departed together.

When they returned to the temple, Bai Liu was still out, his body lying peacefully on a wooden bench in the side hall.

Yexue, seeing this, commented, “Looks like our junior disciple is also working non-stop.”

Xu Zhou, after realizing what she meant, smiled and shook his head.

The next day, Tan Jiade came to the temple with a check and a red envelope, looking a bit sheepish. “It turns out it was all just a misunderstanding. The lights don’t flicker anymore, and the doorbell hasn’t rung since. Thank you both, Daoists.”

He bowed politely, but Xu Zhou quickly stopped him. “No need to be so formal.”

Yexue added, “It’s nothing. Better to be cautious than sorry.”

Tan Jiade chuckled, then asked, “By the way, can I sign up for VIP membership here? That way, I can consult you guys anytime I need help.”

Xu Zhou and Yexue had no reason to refuse.

While Tan Jiade was filling out his information, Bai Liu rushed in from the side hall, shouting, “I’m starving! Uncle, Senior Brother, do you have any food? I’m so hungry! I’ve been working all day and night!”

When Bai Liu noticed the unfamiliar face, he stopped and asked curiously, “New VIP?”

Yexue nodded.

As Tan Jiade signed his name and heard Bai Liu’s voice, he looked up to greet the other Daoist. But the moment he saw Bai Liu’s face, his expression turned pale with fear. He jumped up in terror, shouting, “Oh my god! A zombie!”

Was there a ghost in the temple too?

He quickly hid behind Yexue, stammering, “Don’t come for me! I didn’t kill you! Daoist, save me!”

Yexue, Xu Zhou, and Bai Liu: “…”

Bai Liu scratched his head in confusion, while Yexue quickly figured it out. “So, it was you who called the police that day?”

When Yexue mentioned it, Bai Liu also understood. “Oh! It’s you!”

He sighed and explained, “Sir, I’m not a ghost. Look, I’m still warm.”

Bai Liu held out his hand for Tan Jiade to feel.

Hesitantly, Tan Jiade touched Bai Liu’s hand and quickly pulled his own back.

It was warm. There was body heat.

Tan Jiade was shocked. “You didn’t die?”

Bai Liu rolled his eyes. “Of course, I didn’t die.”

Still confused, Tan Jiade asked, “But you weren’t breathing back then…”

You could’ve said he was as good as dead.

Bai Liu wasn’t about to tell him about his connection to the spirit world, so he made something up with a straight face. “Ahem, ever heard of the ‘Turtle Breath Technique’? I was practicing it. It makes you stop breathing temporarily and breathe through your skin instead.”

Tan Jiade was speechless. “What, are you filming The Adventures of Chor Lau-heung now?”

Turtle Breath Technique?

However, he did believe that Bai Liu wasn’t dead; otherwise, he wouldn’t be standing right there.

Bai Liu, growing more animated, continued, “You can’t doubt me! Many martial arts techniques exist, like Tai Chi and others…”

Tan Jiade: “…?”

Do you think I’m an idiot?