Chapter 104 – The Jiujū Sect, Is Their Goal to Devour Fortune?
"You're saying there are actually a lot of ghosts in this world?!"
After hearing what Renji described, Zhong Fabai felt a kind of shock he couldn't put into words.
He wasn't actually alone in Hong Kong—his old fellow disciples had always been around. Over the years, they'd keep in touch now and then, and everyone generally felt that their respective regions were peaceful, with no sign of ghosts.
If there were any, they had already been dealt with. But now Renji was saying that there were actually so many ghosts across all of Hong Kong, and that even ordinary people might be possessed by ghosts.
"That's right. Even the office building where my company was is covered by formations, and there are ghosts even Taoists can't detect, like the Ghost King from before.
Haven't you noticed there are more and more ghosts lately? And the most crucial thing is, their appearances all seem to be concentrated around the time when the baleful aura started to rise?"
Recently, the baleful aura had been increasing nonstop. Zhong Fabai had noticed it too. He knew deep down that Hong Kong would soon be overrun by monsters. No matter how peaceful the city was, if the baleful aura kept rising, more and more evil cultivators and malicious spirits would flock here.
After all, this environment was perfect for them.
"Starting a ghost-hunting company really is a good idea."
Zhong Fabai lowered his head, deep in thought. He was nearly starving, and there wasn't a single ghost within ten miles. With hardly anyone living nearby, it was hard to make a living by catching ghosts alone.
But if he teamed up with Renji, he could catch ghosts and make some money, too.
Even though he always talked about Renji buying him a villa one day, Zhong Fabai still had his pride. As a master, he could accept gifts from his disciple, but if it was something too extravagant, or if he did nothing to earn it, he couldn't bring himself to accept.
"So, old man, what I want is for you to join me and then gather our senior and junior brothers, too. That's better than everyone being scattered. In the past, communication was difficult, so we had to spread out to protect our territories. Now information is so accessible, if anything happens, our people can get word to us quickly. That makes it much more convenient. There's no need to be apart anymore. If we're together, we'll be more effective at catching ghosts."
Renji's idea was to gather all the Taoists from classic Hong Kong films into one place.
That way, everyone could pool their wisdom and ideas in dealing with ghosts. Renji, though he'd been in the trade for a while, still knew less than these veterans.
And if everyone was scattered, they could be picked off one by one. But together, the situation would be very different.
"Alright, I'll move over to your place then. I'll also check in with those old guys and see how they're doing!"
Zhong Fabai nodded in agreement.
He went back right away, packed his things, and moved to Renji's company. It was his first time coming to the most prosperous part of Hong Kong, and Renji's office was at the very top floor.
It was truly a life of luxury.
Zhong Fabai stroked the leather sofa, suddenly feeling like he'd been living like a dog all these years.
His disciple had just started out, yet he was already making this much money.
Not only was the top floor rent-free, but the building's owner would give Renji a yearly bonus just to keep him there. In other words, even if Renji did nothing, he'd still make money. Wasn't this life a thousand times better than what Zhong Fabai had before?
"Tea for Master."
Today, when Liu Qing heard that Renji had brought his teacher over, his boot-licking nature kicked in and he rushed right over. In his mind, if Renji was this strong, then his master Zhong Fabai must be even more powerful.
"Mm."
Zhong Fabai was a little stiff, but he couldn't deny he was enjoying it.
After all, he used to be a penniless Taoist, and most people treated him like a charlatan.
Now, being treated with such respect—he couldn't help feeling a bit proud. It also firmed his resolve to bring his fellow disciples here.
What kind of life had he been living all these years?
"Renji, I've already contacted my fellow disciples, but it'll still take a while for them to reply. Some might get back to me soon."
Zhong Fabai hadn't forgotten to share the good times with his friends. He also wanted them to see just how accomplished his disciple had become.
Having such a successful disciple, if he didn't show off a bit, he'd feel he was doing something wrong—especially when he saw the envy on their faces.
"That's actually not urgent, old man. For now, take a look at this information. The influence of the baleful aura is really growing. I feel like the burden on our shoulders is getting heavier."
Even Renji was shocked by this new batch of intel.
Today, there had been an update, which made Renji even more convinced of his suspicions. Most of the people up top were probably possessed, and those people also knew he had intel from the Miscellaneous Department.
But they were still willing to share information with him—only because they wanted to use him to deal with ghosts. These ghosts had special abilities, while the people possessed just controlled bodies with no real powers. Maybe out of fear, they wanted to use someone else to do the dirty work.
Renji didn't mind. He needed this kind of intel. Since he already knew those higher-ups were ghosts, he'd just get rid of them all once they'd outlived their usefulness. For now, the most important thing was information!
"So many places are haunted, and even outsiders are eyeing this place—they're here to steal fortune!"
Zhong Fabai was furious. In the past, no matter how much they fought internally, it was understandable.
But the moment outsiders started meddling, it was a different matter entirely.
Trying to take advantage of this period of unstable fortune, with the baleful aura rising, so many were already itching to make their move?
"So that's why I said things are serious now. If things go wrong, every day in Hong Kong could mean people dying at the hands of ghosts, evil cultivators, or even those street gangs. Every day there's fighting and killing, making the baleful aura heavier and heavier. People are affected by this aura, which only leads to more violence—a vicious cycle. If this isn't stopped, who knows what kind of monsters might show up in Hong Kong later on?"
Honestly, the foreigners only cared about making money—they didn't bother with anything else.
Plus, this world wasn't just fused with ghosts; it even included the worlds of those street gangs and everything that comes with it.
There were already ghosts, but with those gangsters fighting every day, the baleful aura just kept growing. It was a vicious cycle. If it wasn't stopped, Renji didn't even dare imagine what kind of demons might appear in Hong Kong later.
"We can deal with ghosts, but those gangsters are beyond us."
Zhong Fabai frowned. He could handle ghosts, but dealing with the gangs was a different story. After all, he was still human. One against three was fine, but if there were too many and they had weapons, he really could get hacked to death.
"Didn't we just save Jin Maiji and the others before?"
While Jin Maiji and his group weren't great against ghosts, Jin Maiji was at least okay. Meng Chao was truly useless. But when it came to catching people, those two were actually pretty capable.
"You mean, have them handle it?"
Zhong Fabai was startled by Renji's idea, but after thinking about it, he realized this might actually keep things under control.
"Exactly. Let them handle the street gangs while we take care of the ghosts. That's what they're supposed to do anyway. The only thing we need to worry about are those upper-level ghosts. They don't have special abilities, but they control important people."
Those were the most troublesome ones. They were still manageable, but these people had power, and if they wanted to throw Hong Kong into chaos, it would be a huge problem.
"What I fear most is someone using this baleful aura to create a formation."
Zhong Fabai sighed. Everything else could be handled, but if someone used Hong Kong's baleful aura for some sinister ritual, the whole city could become a living hell.
As the two of them discussed, they both realized that their fellow disciples really did need to gather. Otherwise, Hong Kong would truly be in chaos. Who would've thought it had become so terrifying without anyone noticing?
Before, they never had access to any intel. Now that everything was being put together, it seemed like all they were missing was a trigger—these ghosts really looked like they were about to become a real force.
"Boss, a paper crane just flew in from outside!"
Ah Pan ran in with the paper crane. She'd seen Renji use this method before and now understood it was a special communication tool among Maoshan Taoists.
This paper crane was sent by Zhong Fabai. He took it from Ah Pan's hand, a bit surprised that a fellow disciple would reach out so soon.
He picked up the paper crane, and after reading the message and seeing who sent it, his expression turned a bit odd. He hadn't expected it to be her.
That weirdo with the strange personality.
"Who is it, old man?"
"Your grandmaster—an odd one, honestly, and even I have a hard time getting along with her. But she's very capable. The letter says she's run into some trouble and wants to know if we have time to help. She's also interested in what I told her, so it's a good chance to go and talk."
Zhong Fabai explained, handing the paper crane to Renji. When Renji saw the signature, his eyes flashed with surprise.
Uncle Feng?
A Taoist right out of Exorcist Police.
And if he remembered correctly, this time the matter should be related to the Jiujū Sect. In the movies, the story ended when the film ended, but if this was the real world, things were far from over.
The Jiujū Sect had always wanted to cut off the fortune here, and their business wasn't just what was in the movies.
Uncle Feng should've been able to handle things on his own, but it was obvious he cared about Hong Kong's situation—and so did Renji, especially when it came to the Jiujū Sect.
If possible, wiping out this sect would be pretty satisfying.
"Old man, should we head out now?"
The more he thought about it, the more eager Renji became to get moving.
It wasn't just about the lottery draw—there was also the chance to take down the Jiujū Sect. Destroying such an evil group would probably bring some merit too.
Last time, after taking care of the Ghost King, Renji had already received some merit, and his lottery draw had even given him a three-hundred-year-old thunder-struck peach wood sword.
"Let's go."
Zhong Fabai didn't say much more. The message mentioned the Jiujū Sect, their old rival. Although the Jiujū Sect had never been a real threat to Maoshan, they'd never stopped coveting this land.
Maoshan and Jiujū had always been locked in conflict. Now, with the Jiujū Sect coming back for more, it was clear they were prepared.
"Renji, be careful dealing with the Jiujū Sect. Those crooked sects are the most dangerous. Remember that police station? I bet those ghosts were connected to the Jiujū Sect too."
Zhong Fabai warned Renji—this wasn't like competing with other Taoists. Evil sects would use whatever they could, not just to kill you, but to destroy your soul forever.
The Jiujū Sect was the best at that.
"The Ghost King?"
"Yeah, there's no way the Ghost King came back to life for no reason. I looked into it before. That thief was lured in by a ghost, and if the Jiujū Sect hadn't set up a formation under that club, all those ghosts would have been wiped out already. Those guys have big ambitions—they even built that club right under the police station."
"I understand."
Renji nodded seriously. He wasn't arrogant just because he had the powers of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
He was only immune to physical attacks; soul attacks were a whole different story. He wasn't afraid of zombies, but when it came to fighting evil cultivators, he knew he wasn't at much of an advantage.
If they fought him at a distance using techniques that targeted the soul, he'd be in real trouble.
So he wasn't careless, and he kept Zhong Fabai's warnings in mind.
Fights between Taoists were rarely about martial arts—it was all about whose skills and techniques were stronger, and which ones countered the other.
All the way there, Zhong Fabai kept teaching Renji more. He didn't want his disciple getting killed—even though Renji had performed better than him the day before, Zhong Fabai knew that if he used some strange tricks, he could kill Renji from afar.
If he could do it, those evil sects were even better at it.
He also wanted Renji to make a good impression on his senior when they met.
Let that eccentric old guy see what a talented disciple he'd taken in!
(End of chapter)
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