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

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Seeing Hu Hai and Shi Jun, Lu Shuizhu, their fellow "misfortunate companion," showed not the slightest familiarity; instead, as both eyes turned toward him, panic spread across his face, beads of sweat glistening on his oily nose and forehead. In a flustered trot, he hurried past them as if fleeing from disaster.

Shi Jun watched Lu Shuizhu's sturdy back with a heaviness in his heart, unable to utter a word.

With a faint "pop!" something wallet-like dropped from Lu Shuizhu’s person, as he rushed forward, yet he paid it no heed, still darting ahead as if nothing had happened.

Shi Jun saw this clearly, and kindly called out, “Old Lu, you dropped something!”

At these words, Lu Shuizhu stopped and turned, staring blankly at Shi Jun.

“Here, your thing fell,” Shi Jun said, pointing at the wallet on the ground.

Strangely, as Shi Jun’s finger pointed, the wallet suddenly soared into the air with a swift “whoosh,” stopping right in front of Lu Shuizhu’s eyes.

All three, including Hu Hai, were stunned. It lasted only a few seconds—then the wallet hovered in midair for a brief moment before falling back to the ground with a loud “thud,” this time loud enough for all to hear.

“My heavens,” Hu Hai muttered, “You’re quite something!”

Shi Jun’s hand was still extended, foolishly, and he quickly withdrew it, glancing around. Seeing nothing unusual, he blurted out, “Is there a ghost nearby again?”

The word “ghost” seemed to ignite Lu Shuizhu. The poor fellow first stared at Shi Jun with a soul-shaken, forlorn gaze, then his thick lips quivered spasmodically. With a wail, “Ghost! There’s a ghost! Save me!” he bolted away, clutching his head, like a terrified rodent.

* * * * * * * *

Listening to his nearly mad cries fade into the distance, Shi Jun couldn’t help but worry: Would Old Lu be so traumatized as to suffer something serious? That would be disastrous.

Hu Hai, however, seemed unconcerned. Ever since he had fully accepted the existence of the Netherworld, he had become excited, eager for strange happenings to occur to himself as well. Now he was thrilled, grabbing Shi Jun and interrogating him nonstop: “Come on, when did you learn that trick?”

Shi Jun himself was bewildered—how could he explain? In his view, it must have been caused by some ghost nearby, for this was eerily similar to what Su Su had done before; only, Su Su manipulated objects invisible to ordinary people, while this time the controlled item was a tangible wallet.

“Could it be that there’s an old ghost of great power nearby?” Shi Jun muttered.

“Old ghost?” Hu Hai was dubious. “But I think the old ghost must be you—I clearly saw the wallet fly up when you pointed at it.”

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“Get lost.” Shi Jun shoved Hu Hai.

“Really, try it again if you don’t believe me!”

“Oh? If it’s me, I’ll use that wallet to smack your head.” Shi Jun joked, pointing at the wallet on the ground.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the wallet rose straight up and flew toward Hu Hai’s forehead.

Both jumped simultaneously—Hu Hai from excitement, Shi Jun from surprise. Fortunately, no one else witnessed this; otherwise, Shi Jun would never be able to clear his name.

Hu Hai was delighted, shouting at Shi Jun, “See? I was right, old ghost!”

Shi Jun was completely at a loss, so he helplessly picked up the wallet and handed it to Hu Hai. “Please, you give it back to Old Lu, or he’ll really go insane!”

“Don’t change the subject, you still haven’t told me what’s going on!” Hu Hai took the wallet but had no intention of dropping the matter.

“I don’t know! Really! I don’t know!” Shi Jun enunciated each word, desperate to prove his innocence.

“Then let’s run an experiment—come with me!” Without waiting for consent, Hu Hai dragged Shi Jun to a secluded corner, gathered a pile of pebbles, twigs, and other small items, laid them out before him, and said, “Try it!”

Shi Jun understood Hu Hai’s intention. He himself wished to get to the bottom of it, so he followed Hu Hai’s instructions and began experimenting.

Oddly enough, those lifeless objects seemed to come alive, responding to Shi Jun’s will—flying, falling, bouncing, rolling, tracing beautiful arcs through the air. Though his success rate was only forty or fifty percent, it was enough to leave Hu Hai clicking his tongue in wonder.

Knowing the effect but not the cause, Shi Jun decided to ask Chiyang for answers.

* * * * * * * *

That night, Chiyang and the little troublemaker appeared together in Shi Jun’s bedroom.

Shi Jun eagerly recounted the events of the day.

“You’ve mastered the art of manipulating objects?” Chiyang seemed surprised at first, but after a moment’s thought, her expression relaxed. “Why, this is a good thing—why are you so troubled?”

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Shi Jun had been watching Chiyang’s expression, and upon hearing her words, he knew she had an answer. He smiled wryly, “Hey, you wouldn’t want your apprentice Nether Hunter to be taken to a research lab as a specimen before even being officially appointed, would you? Learning such an art could be a blessing or a curse. As the saying goes, ‘A man without guilt, yet guilty for possessing a treasure.’ For someone as ordinary as me, acquiring this ability might not be a good thing; already, some classmates think I’m a monster…”

“How can it not be a good thing?” The little troublemaker was puzzled. “The art of manipulating objects isn’t exactly profound, but it’s not something you can learn casually. If it weren’t because you, sir, possess…”

“Little troublemaker!” Chiyang hurriedly cut her off. She glanced up, meeting Shi Jun’s probing gaze, and suddenly blushed, forcing a smile. “You see, this is one of the reasons we had to recruit you as a Nether Hunter—your learning ability is exceptional!”

Seeing Shi Jun still staring at her in silence, Chiyang steadied herself and adopted a serious tone, “That day, the one you subdued, Su Su, was most skilled in the art of manipulating objects. As I said, your learning ability is extraordinary. He tossed you around, and as he did, you gradually picked it up yourself!” Finishing, she seemed reluctant to meet Shi Jun’s gaze, turning her face slightly aside.

Picked up the art of manipulating objects just by being tossed around? What a marvel! Shi Jun, living eighteen years, had never known he was such a prodigy with untapped potential.

Who’s she fooling? Shi Jun shook his head inwardly. Chiyang’s awkward demeanor told him her words were insincere. After spending time with her, he knew this “wicked woman,” though harsh and blunt at times, had a genuinely good heart and often showed care—her temper was foul, and even a kind word from her could leave one fuming, but she was never one to scheme, deceive, or lie habitually. Yet, here she was, forcing herself to lie rather than reveal the truth—clearly, something unspeakable was involved, perhaps connected to that mysterious Nether Emperor behind the scenes.

With this in mind, and seeing both Chiyang and the little troublemaker so uncomfortable, Shi Jun decided not to press them further. After all, they were only following orders.

He laughed, pretending to be pleased, “Is that so? Unexpectedly, I’m such a genius? That calls for a celebration.”

Chiyang’s bright eyes studied Shi Jun. After a moment, she sighed almost imperceptibly and spoke gently, “Let’s do this—though I don’t fully understand how you mastered this power so quickly, I think it’s necessary to explain the art of manipulating objects to you. After all, it's the first natural force you’ve acquired…”

Shi Jun knew the next words would be crucial, so he focused intently, listening to Chiyang’s explanation.

“…The art of manipulating objects is a method of controlling matter purely through mental power. Since ghosts usually exist as spiritual entities, this is their most basic and easily mastered ability. In fact, this power is the foundation and cornerstone of all advanced arts, as all magical source power derives from mental strength—immortals have immortal force, demons have demonic force, monsters have monster force, ghosts and spirits in the Netherworld possess spiritual force; essentially, all are refined and transformed mental energy. Practitioners generally refer to this as ‘source power’—the origin of force—which exists universally within immortals, monsters, ghosts, demons, and humans. Ordinary humans, due to limited talent and lack of systematic training, possess such power so weak as to be negligible, but some exceptionally gifted individuals, without special training, can use their strong innate mental power to accomplish extraordinary feats—what you humans call psychic abilities.”

Chiyang spoke at length, paused, then continued, “What you’ve learned—the art of manipulating objects—is the basic method of using source power: simply relying on the mental energy field to move external objects and make them perform simple actions or attacks. In terms of sheer power, it’s far from true magical arts, but it is the foundation. If you practice diligently and use it to strengthen your mental power, it will greatly enhance your efficiency in learning and using other arts in the future.”

After all this, seeing Shi Jun’s half-comprehending look, Chiyang smiled and said, “Enough chitchat; you’ll understand in time. Now for the real matter—you’ve successfully completed your apprenticeship. The Nether Emperor is most pleased with your performance, personally promoting you to Third Grade Nether Hunter and granting, as you wished, the power to freely enter and exit the Netherworld, along with two secret treasures from the Netherworld.”

With that, she extended her palm and handed Shi Jun two items.

Shi Jun took them and, upon inspection, was utterly baffled.

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