I smiled wryly at Old Yi and said, "Don't mention it, if killing people wasn't against the law, I really had the heart to kill him just now. But what's the use? Haven't you figured it out yet? No matter how crazy or awesome we are, we're just pawns of heaven. We brothers aren't ones to speak nonsense, we're all flawed and imperfect, this is probably our karma, I couldn't escape it even if I were reborn, I would still make the same choice."

  Lao Yi let out a sigh after I finished speaking, sat down on the stool beside me and said: "Actually, I still don't quite get it. Why didn't you make things clear to Dong Shanshan? You've done so much for her, can't there be a better outcome than this?"

  I asked Lao Yi for a cigarette, lit it up, took a deep drag and said to him: "Get it? Do you think this is some ancient era or something, bro? The skies are filled with airplanes and the ground is covered in trains. You think anyone would believe that what I just told her - that you're being haunted by an evil spirit and I have special powers as a yin-yang master who can subdue demons and monsters? With our current getup, do you think anyone would buy it?"

  Lao Yi fell silent after listening to me, indeed, the things on our bodies are no longer recognized in the 21st century today. We are legendary superstitions, destined to be unseen. As I mentioned earlier, people are often bewildered by the illusions they see before their eyes. The methods of the White Sect have completely lost their market. For example, if you see a person with black energy on his forehead like a pot bottom on the street, can you go up and say: "Hey, buddy, you're done, you must be haunted by a ghost! How about I take you home and save your life?"

  Being treated as a swindler is certain, and if things go wrong, you'll be beaten again. If you want to promote the White Lotus Sect in this era, it's already impossible. If things go wrong, you might even be labeled as an evil cult and get a cross-provincial arrest warrant. It's not worth it.

  But Wen Shu's old blue way is different, first of all, his appearance is already set, this thing is like an actor, it must be long and sturdy, at a glance, this old man has a fairy-like demeanor, and he also has a proper business. His mouth is also agile. Cheating those foolish common people is naturally easy.

  But what about us? We're just a couple of young guys in our twenties, looking like we just stepped out of Okinawa, and at first glance, it's clear that we don't have much experience. Who would believe that we're the ones with real skills? People are often blinded by what they see right in front of them. That's one thing, but actually, that's not the main issue, the main issue is...

  Who still believes in ghosts now?

  Things that can't be seen are unscientific, this is the common tragedy of most people. I remember after watching a movie later, I felt very moved, the name of the movie was "The First Commandment". There's a classic line in it: In the past, there was a man who went to the deep mountains to hunt, he thought that except for black bears and white bears, there were no other bears in the mountain. But later, he was still eaten by a bear. Why? Because he didn't know that there are also gray bears in this world.

  By the time they saw the grizzly bear, it was too late.

  Lao Yi sighed and said to me: "Alas, what you said is also true. It seems that the two of us are destined not to see the light of day. Don't you feel stifled?"

  I smiled wryly and said to him, "Maybe I was born with a cheap fate, forget it. If I'm always holed up in anger, won't I suffocate? Still the same old saying: one's own dreams must be fulfilled by oneself, and the troubles one finds for oneself must also be suffered by oneself. People are sometimes very contradictory - anyone can talk reason, anyone can speak straightforwardly, but when things really happen to themselves, they're still just as muddled."

  Lao Yi obviously didn't understand the meaning of my words, but seeing that I could think so openly, he smiled and said: "Don't say anything else, after all, you're still soft-hearted and not suitable for our line of work."

  After hearing this sentence, I didn't laugh. Instead, I seriously asked him: "If your ex-girlfriend was also affected by this evil spell, would you save her?"

  Lao Yi stopped talking and judging from his expression, he seemed to have fallen into deep thought as well.

  It seems like both of us are softhearted people.

  After a while, he sighed again and said, "Damn it, I didn't think that in this day and age, speaking the truth would be so difficult."

  I lay in bed and said to him, "Forget it, this thing is over, don't think about it anymore. Who made us so unlucky? Now let's think about how to find that female ghost with a lack of virtue in the less than two years left."

  As soon as that female ghost was mentioned, Lao Yi's face turned sour again. After all, my life and his were still in the hands of that lustful and unpredictable Color Devil.

  Thinking of this, we both started worrying again.

  Lao Yi had to take a few more days off to take care of me, so I guess he won't be making much money this month. I feel really bad about it. He told me that he's already made up a lie with Uncle Wen for me. He said that I got drunk that night and then ran into some robbers who beat me up and even broke my leg.

  My heart is racing with anxiety, this lie is really too much, isn't it? Within less than three months, I've been robbed twice, can Uncle Wen believe that?

  I didn't expect Uncle Wen to really believe it. The afternoon I woke up, he came to see me and said I was unlucky, actually being tricked twice in such a short time.

  Finally, he added: "Is Harbin's public security really that bad? Maybe it's because the Spring Festival is approaching."

  Wen Shu told me, take good care of your illness, this month's salary won't be deducted, it's not easy.

  I think this old man is quite particular, and it's hard to find a boss like him nowadays. It's really touching, although I didn't dare tell him that the treasured copper sword was ruined by us two.

  That night, I let Lao Yi go back first, then lay alone in bed, saying that it was only now that the real quiet had come down, opening my eyes was black, and closing my eyes was also black.

  Forget it, just treat it as a dream.

  In this kind of environment, it's especially easy to feel sentimental about life. Now that it's already the end of December, I've been in society for almost half a year, and I never thought it would end up like this - I've been hospitalized twice and got injured all over my body. I remember when I first started working at Fuzetang, I lied to my dad saying I was working for a foreign company. This time when I go back home, how am I supposed to explain? Which foreign company can get you injured all over your body? The US Boxing Club in Harbin?

  Alas, I'm fed up, so I won't think about it anymore. Let him take all those annoying things and scram. My college experience has taught me that if you keep pushing yourself into a dead end, you'll really become abnormal.

  Better take good care of yourself first, and then take things one step at a time, don't ask how far this step is.

  After a month of good food and drink, I finally came back to life. Although I didn't save any money, it was all thanks to Bao Long and his wife who helped me out. Looks like I owe them one now, sigh.

  It seems I really need to strengthen myself, can't always end up in the hospital after fighting with ghosts. Even if my body can take it, my wallet can't! The hospital bills are just too expensive. People like me who are poor can barely afford to get sick.

  And those doctors are simply wonderful, one evening when I went to the toilet, I saw a doctor in the corridor asking a female patient about her condition, and finally, like Li Baigu, he even looked at her palm. But for someone like me, they usually just go through the motions and then drop it. How beastly.

  Luckily, I've finally recovered and can run and jump again. After sorting out my exhausted mood, I started working again. The first thing I did after work was to put the copper coin sword back in its original place. Luckily, I feel that the copper coin sword still has some power left.

  There's still more than a month before the Spring Festival, so I'd better just go to work steadily and at least earn enough money to buy New Year's goods on my way home. After all, I'm not like when I was in school, I've basically become independent now. If I don't buy something to take back this year, where can I put my old face?

  As for the female ghost who escaped, there is still no clue. It seems that Harbin has become much quieter as the New Year approaches. The guests coming to Fuzetang are either those who want to ask Wensheng to write a talisman for good luck or those who are suspicious and skeptical. I found that I have become much more tactful and can naturally cooperate with Wensheng. Seeing my good performance, Wensheng patted me on the chest and said, "Do well, and when the New Year's holiday comes, I'll give you a big red envelope."

  This is naturally what I most want to hear.

  It's still early February, and there are more than 10 days left before the Spring Festival. Wen Shu sent me 2,000 yuan and said: "This includes your salary and red envelope. It's almost New Year's, and I'm going back to my hometown for ancestor worship. There's nothing much to do here either, so let's take an early holiday. You pack up and leave, and just come back after the 15th."

  I held the envelope filled with money, my heart full of gratitude towards Uncle Wen. It was great, this amount was enough for me to buy decent New Year's goods and return home with a flourish. And unexpectedly, they gave us such a long holiday.

  Wen Shu had told me before that his hometown is in Lishu County, Jilin Province. I heard he was an orphan and grew up eating at many different households, so there shouldn't be any relatives on that side. Whose ancestors is he worshiping?

  Forget it, thinking about these useless things doesn't do me any good. So I carefully swept the store, bid farewell to Uncle Wen after New Year's greetings, and slipped away. Although Harbin is great, where can compare with my hometown?

  So I didn't go back to my residence first, but instead ran to the train station to buy tickets. You say it's almost New Year's, why are there so many people buying tickets? As soon as I entered the ticket hall, I was stunned. It's not an exaggeration, there were at least 5,000 people in this hall. It was too spectacular, with long queues in front of dozens of ticket counters. As soon as I entered the door, I started queuing.

  Forget it, just queue up then. I can go home anyway. Feeling bored, I started looking around and saw that there were people who brought their own dry rations to queue up in front of me. I couldn't help but admire this guy for being a wise person. It's almost been an hour now, and I haven't moved forward by more than a few steps, while there are over 20 more people queuing up behind me.

  It's almost noon, looking at that guy eating boxed lunch so happily, my stomach also started growling. I cursed in my heart: It seems like buying Spring Festival train tickets is a whole exercise for the body, my legs are numb from standing, damn it.

  Just as I stood with my feet a little unsteady, the phone suddenly vibrated. I took it out and looked at it, wasn't this the number of Wang Cheng, the head of my dormitory? It's been almost half a year since we last contacted each other, and I don't know how he is now.

  So I picked it up, the ticket hall was too noisy, I blocked one ear and shouted into the phone: "Hello! Is that old Wang Ba? What do you want me for?"

  The nickname 'Lao Wang Ba' was obtained from that trip to Jingpo Lake, and later everyone called him that. All he heard on the phone was: "Old fart Lao Wang Ba, where are you now?"

  I said: "I'm still in Harbin, how about you?"

  Wang Cheng said on the phone: "I'm in Harbin too! Are you free tonight? I'm heading home, come and have a drink with me?"

  Drinking? I like this. It's been a long time since we last met, so I said to him: "Alright, give me your home address and I'll take a taxi there tonight."

  After asking for his current address, I hung up the phone and thought to myself: buy a ticket for the day after tomorrow night, Bao Jinlong and his wife have already gone back home for the New Year, tonight drink with Wang Cheng, tomorrow buy some goods for the new year and find Lao Yi to drink together, and then go back home to relax comfortably for a few days. Not bad.

  I gazed at the still very long queue in front of me and thought that this year was finally going to pass, it really was too long.

  But at that time, I didn't know that even drinking a glass of wine could lead to trouble.

  (New chapter begins, Xiao Fei is about to burst out, brothers are seeking votes here. Thank you thank you.)