Chapter One: The Art of Commanding Objects (Part One)

Volume II Summary:

Sometimes, warning someone not to do something is the surest way to drive them to do it at all costs...

While Shi Jun was scrambling to complete his very first ghost-catching assignment, he unexpectedly encountered a mischievous spirit named Susu. However, Susu was clearly unwilling to accept Shi Jun’s “help” in returning to the Underworld, instead subjecting him to all kinds of antics, and even injuring his good friend Hu Hai in the end. At the critical moment, Shi Jun’s innate powers suddenly erupted, resolving the minor crisis and earning him two secret treasures from the Underworld as a reward.

Upon learning the whole story, Hu Hai became endlessly curious about Shi Jun’s strange experiences and asked to visit the Underworld, but Shi Jun refused. Unwilling to give up, Hu Hai simply moved into Shi Jun’s house and, whether helping or causing trouble, ended up—by chance—unlocking part of the incantation on one of the Underworld treasures while admiring it, thereby inadvertently opening a passage to the Underworld.

A brand-new, mysterious world slowly opened its doors to Shi Jun and his friends...

“How interesting! How come such adventures never happen to me?” Hu Hai exclaimed, his large bull-like eyes shining as he clicked his tongue in envy, looking every bit the part of someone “born at the wrong time.”

“Interesting? Didn’t you just want to send me to the hospital? And now it’s become a good thing? Are you just making a scene?” Shi Jun rolled his eyes and grumbled in dissatisfaction.

Ever since witnessing the mischievous spirit Susu with his own eyes, Hu Hai had finally come to believe all the “mad talk” Shi Jun had told him before. Eyes shining, he then forced Shi Jun to recount his “cannot-be-told story with the Underworld.” Shi Jun had hoped for a little sympathy and support from his friend, but instead, Hu Hai’s response was to get all excited, only to regret bitterly that he hadn’t been there for the adventure.

“Think about it, this is just too much fun—too thrilling!” Hu Hai was still relishing the tale, his face full of longing. “Tell me more, tell me more! Are there sword-riding immortals or mystical martial arts like the Great Transposition of the Universe? Have you gotten any magic treasures or weapons? How about spells to ride the clouds and travel a thousand miles in a day?”

Shi Jun’s jaw nearly dropped, but Hu Hai was still spouting nonsense with great enthusiasm: “And, and, did you get them to take you to the Underworld for a tour? Maybe you could find a treasure chest or something good! Next time, remember to peel off a dragon scale for me, so I can be just like you. Ha! The perfect demon-hunting duo!”

As he spoke, Hu Hai lifted his bandaged head high, striking a heroic pose as if he were a legendary hero above all others.

“Hunt your own demons!” Shi Jun snapped, utterly exasperated. “I was forced into this, but you’re just making a fuss, totally heartless!”

“You really don’t know how lucky you are...” Hu Hai swallowed the rest of his words, thinking that seeing ghosts all the time probably wasn’t much of a blessing, though he couldn’t help but add, “How come such fun things are a chore for you? If it were me, I’d be over the moon—truly incredible...”

While Hu Hai was brimming with excitement, Shi Jun could only force a bitter smile. This guy was truly fearless, always craving chaos, with nerves of steel and an insatiable curiosity—he really did seem better suited to be a spirit-catcher than Shi Jun himself.

“And what about that evil woman you mentioned... Scarlet Lotus Fairy, was it?” Hu Hai sidled closer, grinning slyly. “What does she look like? Usually, thousand-year-old female ghosts are even prettier than Nie Xiaoqian as played by Joey Wong, right?”

“Get lost!” At the mention of Chiyang, Shi Jun remembered that he still needed to find her, or how else would he return Susu to the Underworld? With that thought, he decided he didn’t have time to keep bantering with Hu Hai, so he stood up and said, “You just focus on your dream of being a ghost-catching master. I have things to do, I’m off.”

“No way!” Hu Hai grabbed him. “If there’s anything happening, you have to count me in!”

“What could be happening? I need to get home! By the way, what’s going on with Chen Ya? You’d better buy her nine hundred and ninety-nine roses and apologize!”

Mentioning Chen Ya deflated Hu Hai instantly. “Don’t bring it up. Not even nine hundred and ninety-nine daisies would help—I actually knelt before another woman in front of her. This time, I’m probably finished for good.”

“That’s because you’re not sincere enough! Not thick-skinned enough! Maybe Miss Chen is just waiting for you to grovel a bit more. Haven’t you heard, women love bad boys? If you can’t even swallow your pride, how can you hope to woo a girl? Go home and sleep by yourself!”

Shi Jun, eager to escape, said whatever came to mind, but to his surprise, Hu Hai nodded vigorously. “Hmm, that makes sense! Why didn’t I think of that...”

* * *

On his way home, Shi Jun immediately spotted Chiyang and the little troublemaker sitting at an outdoor café across the street. Chiyang had changed into a light blue professional suit with long hair draped over her shoulders, while the little troublemaker had conjured up a child’s body and wore children’s clothes. They looked just like two ordinary people, one sipping a drink, the other eating ice cream, both very relaxed.

Spotting Shi Jun, the little troublemaker called out, “Master Spirit-Catcher, we’ve been waiting for you forever!”

Shi Jun was surprised, but he didn’t stand on ceremony. He walked over, sat down casually, and asked, “The money you used for those drinks wasn’t conjured out of leaves or stones, was it? That wouldn’t be good, you know!”

“We took it from the Master Spirit-Catcher’s wallet!” the little troublemaker replied without even looking up from his ice cream, confessing cheerfully.

Chiyang pressed her lips together, trying hard not to laugh.

Shi Jun quickly checked his wallet—still there—but when he looked inside, his only hundred-yuan bill was indeed gone.

“Don’t be so stingy. I’ll treat you in the Underworld next time,” Chiyang said with a smile.

Shi Jun didn’t mind; money wasn’t that important to him, and besides, what could he do about these “people” even if he was angry? He laughed. “No problem, I’ll pick up the tab. Order whatever you like.”

Chiyang held out her hand, and suddenly, a slender jade bottle the size of a thumb appeared in her palm. “The Soul Capturing Bottle, for you.”

Soul Capturing Bottle? Shi Jun took the bottle and looked at Chiyang questioningly.

“With this, as long as you call Susu’s name and he willingly agrees to go with you, the bottle will draw him in. Then you just hand the bottle to us, and the task is complete.”

Such a tiny bottle? Shi Jun examined the Soul Capturing Bottle, wondering how many ghosts it could hold at once.

“It’s single-use. If you need another, I’ll give it to you,” Chiyang said, perceptive as ever.

Shi Jun nodded, then suddenly looked up and asked, “How did you know about Susu?”

“Why wouldn’t I know?” Chiyang pursed her lips mischievously. “I also know you call me ‘the evil woman’ behind my back.”

Shi Jun was speechless, turning his face away. Now he was really in trouble—last time they had a quarrel and he’d stormed off, and now she’d found out about his nickname for her. This could be...

He stole a glance at Chiyang, but her expression was normal, as if she wasn’t angry. Surprised, he asked, “You’re not mad?”

“I’m not that petty!” Chiyang rolled her eyes at him. “I have a temper, but last time I was just too anxious. Letting you yell at me evens us out.”

“I was at fault too last time. I wasn’t really scolding you,” Shi Jun blurted out, “I’m just used to calling you that...”

“I know,” Chiyang said softly.

For a moment, the two exchanged glances and both felt a little awkward, quietly looking away.

* * *

The next day, following Chiyang’s instructions, Shi Jun secured Susu in the Soul Capturing Bottle and handed it to the little troublemaker to take back to the Underworld.

Hu Hai, who’d missed out on the adventure, was not happy with Shi Jun for not inviting him.

“You’re such a gossip! Why are you so interested in this kind of spectacle? Besides, you wouldn’t have been able to see anything,” Shi Jun said.

“Hmph, how could someone with no curiosity like you understand my love for the vast universe?” Hu Hai, who must have patched things up with Chen Ya, was in a great mood. “Let me tell you, the foundation of human progress is our tireless pursuit of the truth behind all things…”

“Is that so?” Shi Jun replied with a wry smile. “But to me, that’s not curiosity—it’s nosiness! And by the way, you’re starting to sound a lot like Guang Linzi!”

“Pfft! You’re so graceless!” Hu Hai laughed it off. “I’m tall and strong—Guang Linzi can’t compare to me in that, not to mention everything else!”

Just then, someone hurried past them—it was Guang Linzi himself. The two quickly fell silent, but Guang Linzi seemed not to have heard a thing and walked on without a glance.

Ever since the infamous “tape-over-mouth” incident with Guang Linzi in the stairwell, Shi Jun’s opinion of the teacher had somewhat improved—not because Guang Linzi had changed, but because Shi Jun always felt a bit sorry for him. After all, he was just a teacher who had lost face because of Shi Jun’s ghostly troubles.

In fact, lately Guang Linzi seemed to have grown even more irritable, perhaps from some unknown stimulus. Overrunning class time was now the norm, and every lesson involved at least twenty cold calls; answers he didn’t like were greeted with scorn and biting sarcasm, making the whole class nervous whenever his lessons rolled around.

“It’s hilarious,” Hu Hai said, knowing the real reason behind Guang Linzi’s misfortune and always gloating about it.

“Let’s drop it,” Shi Jun said. It wasn’t exactly something to be proud of. “We’ve all suffered at the hands of those ghosts—we’re all in the same boat.”

At that moment, Liu Shuihuo came over.

“Look, there’s another ‘fellow sufferer,’” Hu Hai said, unable to suppress a laugh.

* * *

Since running into Susu outside the classroom building that day, Liu Shuihuo had been acting odd, telling anyone who would listen about Shi Jun’s strange behavior, much like the legendary Xianglin Sao with his endless complaints. Of course, no one believed him; who would, if they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes? Yet Liu Shuihuo wouldn’t let it go, and one day he even called Shi Jun out in front of the entire class to confront him.

“Tell them—weren’t you yelling and talking to thin air like a lunatic that day? Am I wrong?” He looked as if he’d suffered a huge grievance, childishly seeking vindication from the very “lunatic” he’d been denouncing.

“Yes, yes, I’m crazy!” Shi Jun publicly admitted, giving Liu Shuihuo all the face he could.

The class burst into laughter, but their derision was still directed at Liu Shuihuo. In their eyes, Shi Jun’s confession was just a way of saying, “Say what you want; I’m not going to stoop to your level.”

People only believe what they want to believe—but is that really the truth? Shi Jun knew that, at least in this case, Liu Shuihuo hadn’t lied. Even if he admitted everything in public, no one would believe him, and Shi Jun was well aware of this. He sighed inwardly, feeling rather sorry for Liu Shuihuo.