Chapter 44: Don’t Mistake My Kindness for Weakness

Just as he nocked another arrow and prepared to shoot me again, I had already darted forward and seized the arrow in his hand, aiming it at his throat. "Meng Fan, don't push your luck and think that I'm easy to bully," I warned.

"You've trained? No wonder you're so quick!" He looked at me, completely unafraid that I might kill him, and even smiled. "Do you dare to kill me?"

I tightened my grip on the arrow, wishing I could end him right then. But I couldn’t. Instead, I flung the arrow aside and turned to leave.

But just as I was about to go, the long-legged beauty of a dealer attacked me as well.

"Zhang Xiaobei, be careful!" Su Yao shouted.

I dodged with a swift bend at the waist, though I nearly pulled a muscle in my back in the process.

"Is this never going to end?" I muttered, eyeing Meng Fan and the female dealer after dodging her attack.

But before I could recover, the dealer kicked at me again. This time, I was caught off guard while speaking and couldn't dodge in time; I took the blow to the stomach, but I could endure it.

"I don't hit women. You'd better not try me again," I said to her.

"Whether you hit or not is your business. Whether I do is mine!" she retorted, coming at me once more.

This time, as she swung her leg at me, I caught her ankle in one swift motion and yanked her backward. She crashed to the floor in a split.

She was quick, though, springing up at once and balling her fists, ready to attack with her hands now.

"Switching to hands instead of legs? But let me tell you, you'll fare even worse. So, you’d better—"

Before I could finish, her fist flew at me. Fortunately, I reacted fast and dodged again.

Honestly, I didn’t want to fight her. So I kept my guard up, evading her attacks. Compared to the Ghost King, she was only human, and not that formidable. She wasn’t difficult to handle.

Meng Fan, seeing that she couldn’t get the better of me, finally grew impatient and prepared to take matters into his own hands.

Seeing him step forward, I stretched my arms, ready for him.

He might look impressive, but his skills weren’t for show. After our first round, I hadn’t gained the upper hand. I landed a few blows, but he got me once, too.

By the second exchange, I was growing tired—my previous struggle with the dealer had already drained much of my energy, and I feared I’d lose if this dragged on. I called Xiaoyuan over to help.

“Master, what do you need me to do?” Xiaoyuan asked.

“When he gets close, grab his legs,” I whispered, so only the two of us could hear.

“All right!” Xiaoyuan replied, positioning himself beside Meng Fan.

As Meng Fan came at me again, Xiaoyuan hooked his leg, making Meng Fan stumble and almost fall.

Meng Fan, of course, couldn’t see Xiaoyuan. He glanced down, saw nothing, and attacked again.

This time, Xiaoyuan waited until Meng Fan was fully engaged with me, then grabbed both his legs. Meng Fan toppled forward, unable to move his feet.

Watching him fall repeatedly thanks to Xiaoyuan’s interference, I stood aside and laughed, “Boss Meng, I won’t play with you any longer. You can hardly stand, so take a good rest!”

With that, I took Su Yao’s hand and prepared to leave. The dealer wanted to stop us, but seeing Meng Fan unable to get up, she hurried to help him instead.

After we left, I hurried downstairs to find Lin Chuan and left without collecting my winnings. Though I would have liked the money, I hadn’t won it on my own—it was thanks to someone else’s help.

“Lord of the Living!” Just as we stepped out the door, a woman’s voice called out to me.

I stopped and looked around, but saw no one.

“What’s wrong? Let’s go!” Su Yao urged, anxious as she saw me stop.

I didn’t answer but continued searching. The voice called out again.

Hearing it came from inside the door, I turned and pushed open the entrance we’d just exited.

“What’s wrong with him?” Su Yao asked Lin Chuan, confused by my behavior.

“He must sense something. That’s just how he is—sometimes he does things ordinary people can’t understand, but it’s never anything bad,” Lin Chuan explained.

Inside, I searched for the source of the voice. Then, behind a large vase by the door, I saw a female ghost.

“Was it you calling me?” I asked.

She nodded, stepped out, and bowed to me. “Lord of the Living, please help me!”

“How can I help you?” I asked.

“There’s a monster inside Meng Fan’s body. Please help me drive it out!” she pleaded.

So, that was it. No wonder I couldn’t read Meng Fan’s heart—there was something else inside him. But what? If it was a ghost, he shouldn’t have been unable to see Xiaoyuan.

“Who are you to him? Why do you want me to save him?” I asked, noting the absence of resentment on her.

“I… I’d rather not say. I only beg you to help him!” She dropped to her knees before me.

I hurried to help her up, but she insisted, “If you won’t agree, I won’t get up.”

“This… But I don’t even know his situation. How can I help?” I replied.

“I know what’s going on—and I was the one who switched your cards just now,” she said.

So, she had helped me win both rounds? But why hadn’t I noticed her?

“Where were you hiding?” I asked.

“Under the table,” she replied.

… I was speechless, but it made sense; without resentment, she’d be hard to detect, especially if hidden.

“Please, I beg you!” She knelt, unmoving.

I sighed and nodded. “All right, get up. I promise you.”

“Thank you, sir!” She stood at last.

I shook my head. But why didn’t she have resentment, and why hadn’t she moved on to the afterlife? “Can you tell me your name?”

“Mo Li.”

“Why haven’t you crossed over?”

“My wish isn’t fulfilled,” she replied.

I understood—her wish must be tied to Meng Fan.

“Will you stay here or follow him from now on?”

“I’ll follow him.”

“He won’t notice you? You said there’s something in him?” I asked, puzzled.

“I don’t know, but I can sense that thing isn’t a ghost. By the way, after tonight, he’ll return to Nanjiang. I’ll have to trouble you to go there as well.”

I nodded. “Very well, I’ll be going now.”

“Thank you, sir!”

Outside, Su Yao asked, “Zhang Xiaobei, why did you go back in?”

“It’s nothing,” I replied. But did she know that female ghost? I asked, “By the way, Su Yao, do you know a woman named Mo Li?”

“Mo Li?” She looked startled, apparently recognizing the name.

“So, you do?”

She sighed. “Yes, but she’s already dead.”

“How did she die? When did it happen?”

“It’s been over two years, I think. She died because of Meng Fan,” Su Yao answered.

Over two years? And she’s still following him, without resentment? That must be true love.

From Su Yao, I learned that Mo Li had died protecting Meng Fan, taking two knife wounds for him. Back then, Meng Fan wasn’t like he is now—he changed completely after that incident.

Hearing this, I realized the matter wouldn’t be easy to resolve. I’d have to wait until I got to Nanjiang.

We dropped the subject, and Su Yao led us to the auction.

When we arrived at the Republican Mansion, the place was already packed, with some standing. The antiques must be in high demand.

“Miss Su, you’re finally here. We kept your seat open, and people have asked about it a dozen times,” said a uniformed attendant.

“Well, I’m here now. Did you add the extra chairs I requested?” Su Yao asked.

“They’re ready. Please, follow me.” He led us to the very front row.

“Please, have a seat. They’re about to bring out the best item of the day,” he said before leaving.

I knew nothing of antiques, so I just watched as the auctioneer praised the vases and jars. Su Yao didn’t seem interested either, so I just started nodding off. Ever since He Yanran treated me last night, my insomnia had vanished—sitting still for a while and I’d feel sleepy.

I was jolted awake by the buzz of the crowd when a jade bracelet came up, said to be from the Tang dynasty.

I couldn’t tell if it was real or not, but something about it didn’t look right. I examined it closely and saw black energy emanating from it, though everyone else called it beautiful.

“The starting price for this red jade bracelet is ten million. Bidding starts now!” announced the auctioneer.

Bidding erupted. Even Su Yao raised her paddle.

“You want to buy that?” I asked.

“Yes, that’s what I came for. Look how beautiful it is! Gold threads in the jade—such a rare treasure!” she replied.

I was speechless. However beautiful, it was an evil object. I could feel its oppressive energy from where I sat. If it really was from the Tang dynasty, whatever was inside had grown terrifyingly strong over the centuries.

But she’d already bid fifty million. I honestly didn’t know how to explain this to her.

Seeing my concern, Lin Chuan asked, “Is there something wrong with it?”

“Yes, it’s a malevolent object. I can feel its pressure from here,” I replied.

“Sixty million!” someone behind us called out.

I glanced back, wondering if these people were insane—spending so much on such a thing. Truly, some people just have too much money.