When Zhang Xiaoman woke up, she first looked at me in confusion. Then, upon noticing her father lying unconscious on the floor and her own bare body, she immediately slapped me and shouted angrily, "Lin Yuan, why... why are you here? What did you do to me?" She quickly covered herself tightly with the quilt, afraid of being seen naked.
I held my stinging cheek, at a loss for how to explain. Should I say she was possessed and I came to exorcise the ghost? Who the hell would believe that? Wouldn't that just invite another beating?
After an awkward silence, I suddenly remembered Zhang Hu on the floor and shook him awake to explain the situation.
Zhang Hu was dazed when he woke up, but after my explanation, he realized he had been possessed by He Wei's ghost.
"Uncle Zhang, I'll leave it to you to explain everything that happened today. I'm heading out now, bye!" With that, I dashed out of the room, reminding Zhang Hu to mix paper money ashes with water for Zhang Xiaoman to drink—this would fully break her fever.
Stepping outside, I called to the other three, "It's done! Let's go back to school!"
Lin Xue looked at me in surprise. "Lin Yuan, you cured Zhang Xiaoman?"
I nodded. "Obviously. She's awake. Go see for yourself if you don't believe me."
Lin Xue really didn't believe it and insisted on going into the room to check for herself. Li Wen and Zhao Yi were also skeptical, stubbornly refusing to go back to school with me and determined to follow Lin Xue into the room to snoop on the situation.
There was no other way. I shrugged my hands and could only head back to school alone.
After exiting the courtyard of Zhang Xiaoman's house, suddenly someone came chasing after me, panting heavily. When I focused my eyes, it turned out to be that fat charlatan from earlier.
The fat man shook off the salty sweat all over his body. With this 200-pound bulk, just a few steps made his sweat pour down like rain.
"What's the matter, Great Charlatan? Are you unconvinced or what? Do you still want to chase after me to beg for a reward?" I taunted the fat man.
The fat man quickly shook his head like a rattle: "How could that be? At first glance, little brother, you are clearly someone in the Taoist circle. May I ask who your master is?"
"Taoist circle? I'm a scholar, not from that circle." I said with a smile.
The fat man also chuckled along: "Not that kind of 'Tao,' but the 'Tao' of Taoism. Seeing that little brother has some Taoist cultivation, you should have some skills. Didn't I come up to recognize a fellow Taoist?"
Upon hearing this, I immediately laughed even louder: "Then may I ask, Fat Brother, which Taoist path are you from?"
The fat man's face instantly turned serious. He cupped his hands and said, "I am Wang Han, the 88th-generation heir of Tuotou. I was rude today."
Wow, I thought this chubby fellow was just a money-grubbing charlatan, but he actually has a pedigree. However, I'm not familiar with this field at all—I've never even heard of "Tuotou." What kind of profession is that exactly?
"Brother Fat, what does this 'Tuotou' do? Don't tell me it's just another term for charlatan?" I asked.
The fat man retorted, "Bah, bah, bah! How could that be? Tuotou belongs to the Yin trades. It's similar to a real-life negotiator, but instead of negotiating with the living, we bargain with the dead—we negotiate with ghosts."
Damn, you really learn something new every day. The Yin trades are full of wonders; who would've thought such a profession exists?
After finishing, the fat man chuckled and rubbed his head. "I'm not a real charlatan, just half of one at most."
I curled my lips and grinned wickedly. "Which half?"
The fat man wiped the sweat from his forehead again and said, "To be honest, when I went into the room today, I did try negotiating with that ghost. But he flat-out refused to leave. I only learned how to communicate with ghosts, but I have no clue about exorcism. So I was completely helpless, so I just... well, heh heh."
"Just what?"
"Just did the bare minimum. After all, I need to make a living too. Besides, I did put in some effort—can't take money for nothing, right? You get the idea, little brother." The fat man chuckled foolishly, his eyes narrowing to slits when he smiled.
I didn't bother arguing with him. I just grunted "mm-hmm" to brush him off, then headed back to school on my own. The fat man seemed to want to say more, but I was already impatient. Luckily, he didn't chase after me.
The next day, Li Wen and Zhao Yi cornered me, bombarding me with questions about what happened in that room. They marveled at how I cured Zhang Xiaoman's high fever when even doctors failed, their eyes full of admiration. They even asked if I was a descendant of Hua Tuo, wielding some legendary secret remedy.
I rolled my eyes at them and went to class. These two hadn't thought much of me before. Although we shared a dorm, I'm from the countryside and now an orphan—poor and unpolished. Now that I've "curried favor" with the goddess, they just want to learn some tricks to show off.
On my way to class, I suddenly looked up and met Zhang Xiaoman. Her complexion has almost fully recovered today. When our eyes met, both our faces flushed as red as apples. Remembering yesterday's events, my heart pounded like a rabbit. Her fair skin, stunning figure, and delicate features—this image will probably stay with me for life.
As I thought about it, I couldn't contain my overwhelming emotions.
Zhang Xiaoman seemed to notice, her face turning even redder. She gave me a fierce glare and scolded, "Pervert! Humph, you're sleazier than He Wei. I'll settle the score with you for what happened yesterday." Without another glance, she ran off.
"Hey, listen to my explanation! It's not what you think..." Before I could finish, Zhang Xiaoman had already vanished. I felt confused—presumably Zhang Hu hadn't explained yesterday's events clearly, deepening the misunderstanding. Now that I've offended the powerful class beauty, my tough days are ahead.
Zhang Xiaoman is not only beautiful and popular with many admirers, but also the class monitor. As an insignificant person, I used to behave by observing her expressions in the past. Now that I've offended her, how can I expect to have a good life?
I had thought this day would come later, but troubles have already arrived one after another.
After school, Zhang Xiaoman suddenly ran over and hugged my arm, asking sweetly in a coquettish voice, "Brother Lin, let's go to the canteen for dinner!"
The moment she spoke, I knew something was wrong. Not to mention that she has never eaten in the canteen before, given her personality, it's impossible for her to make such a coquettish gesture or speak in such a coquettish tone. My heart immediately skipped a beat—oh no, trouble is here!
Sure enough, I saw three more pairs of wolf-like eyes outside the window, staring fixedly at me.
At this moment, Zhang Xiaoman whispered in my ear, "They practice karate. If you're lucky, maybe you'll only break a limb or two." She then skipped away merrily, taking her seat to await the show.
Damn it! Is Zhang Xiaoman really this scheming? I almost lost my life saving her yesterday, and today she's setting me up like this? Returning good with evil! No wonder beautiful things always have thorns—she's as vicious as a snake.
I recognize all three guys outside the window. The one in the middle is Wu Ou, a senior standing 1.88 meters tall with a burly build. He's practiced karate since childhood and now holds a black belt.
Ever since Zhang Xiaoman enrolled, Wu Ou has been pursuing her, though repeatedly rejected. He refuses to give up and often duels with other suitors. Anyone who fights him privately ends up hospitalized for at least a month. That's why He Wei chased Zhang Xiaoman in secret—afraid Wu Ou would find out and cost him a fortune in medical bills.
As for the two beside him, one is Zhang Wen and the other Chen Wu—his lackeys.
Seeing Zhang Xiaoman and me so close, Wu Ou's face bulges with blue veins, his eyes half-red with fury. He storms over, grabs my collar, and lifts me up: "Man up and duel me. Lose, and get away from Xiaoman—she's mine!"
Although I'm also 1.78 meters tall, I'm at least half a head shorter than the burly Wu Ou. Besides, he's a trained fighter—he lifted me up with one hand. Luckily, the classroom was almost empty after school, or I'd have been utterly humiliated.
At Wu Ou's words, my mind suddenly blanked, and I weakly retorted, "What if you lose?"
Wu Ou froze, perhaps never having considered this question—he was convinced he couldn't lose.
After a pause, he sneered at me scornfully. "If I lose, I'll never pester Xiaoman again. Deal?"
"Not really," I replied flatly.
I had no intention of fighting him, and whether he pestered Zhang Xiaoman was none of my business.
"Fuck, are you messing with me?" Wu Ou clamped his hand around my neck, squeezing until I could barely breathe.
If I didn't agree now, I'd probably get beaten to a pulp. Better to agree as a stalling tactic.
I quickly nodded and replied with difficulty, "Okay, I... I agree. Let's meet at the school's back mountain in three days."
Upon hearing my agreement, Wu Ou released his hand and said to me, "Good, kid. You've got guts. I'll be waiting for you at the back mountain in three days. If you don't show up, see how I deal with you! Let's go!" With that, he left the classroom with his two lackeys.
After Wu Ou left, I turned around and shot Zhang Xiaoman a fierce glare. It was all thanks to this scheming woman—I'd now gotten myself into huge trouble.
Zhang Xiaoman stuck out her tongue at me and grinned wickedly. "You deserve it. Pah!"
Just then, Zhang Xiaoman's butler walked in. I thought he'd come to pick her up, but he directly approached me instead.
"Little brother, the master wants to see you," the butler said with a polite smile.
"Uncle Zhang? What does he want with me?" I felt puzzled. What else could he need from me? I'd already resolved Zhang Xiaoman's issue.
"The haunted house," the butler said softly.