Chapter 28: Believe It or Not, Celestial Masters Are Mostly Broke

Chapter 28: Believe It or Not, Celestial Masters Are Mostly Broke

“Believe it or not, that’s up to you.”

Disasters sent by Heaven may still be forgiven; disasters brought upon oneself cannot be escaped.

If Lei Yating refused to listen, then so be it. Pei Ye was neither her father nor her mother. She was not responsible for teaching her how to conduct herself, much less forcing her to listen.

Zhou Huirong, the peacemaker, stepped forward again.

She earnestly advised Lei Yating, “Yating, just listen. What Xiao Hong said isn’t without reason.”

Ghosts were all transformed from people. Just like that elderly couple earlier, a simple conversation had allowed things to end peacefully. Why fight to the death?

Thinking about it carefully, the previous ghost had been the same.

Lei Yating became so angry at her words that her chest felt tight.

Whether it was her or Mei Lixiang, both felt a deep sense of being isolated.

In the past, they had always banded together to exclude Xiao Hong, gaining a sense of mutual validation by complaining about her. Now they were the ones being isolated, and the feeling was truly unpleasant.

Lei Yating was a reborn individual and also possessed a golden finger. Deep down, she naturally carried an attitude of looking down upon everyone else from above.

So what if she was isolated?

She was not asking anything of them anyway. In the future, they would not be walking the same path. Without them around, she would even have fewer troubles.

For example, when she snatched good items from the Red Packet Group, she would not have to endure their constant questioning. She could also justifiably refuse to let them share in the benefits.

Did they think she did not know that Bai Xiaoxiao and the others coveted her Divine Water?

If their relationship became too good, she would instead have no idea how to refuse their requests to use Divine Water.

Lei Yating was quite open-minded about it, but Mei Lixiang was not so broad-minded.

Whenever she stayed in the dormitory, she felt suffocated, as though everyone was secretly looking at her strangely whenever she was not paying attention.

When Mei Lixiang saw Pei Ye holding her phone and tapping away, she felt even worse.

Had they created another group chat to complain about her? Were they currently talking behind her back, calling her a thief, saying she was disgusting for stealing a dead person’s anal plug and vaginal plug?

The moment she imagined that scene, Mei Lixiang became restless and unable to sit still.

The roommate in the upper bunk could not sleep peacefully because of all her small movements and could not help snapping at her.

As soon as Mei Lixiang heard it, her delicate body trembled. She threw herself onto the bed, hugged her pillow, and wailed loudly, crying with extreme grievance.

Everyone else: “???”

“How ridiculous. She’s making it look like we’re bullying her.”

Bai Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes and complained in the Dormitory 4021 five-person group chat.

This five-person group did not include Pei Ye, Lei Yating, or Mei Lixiang. It only contained the other five girls.

“She’s the one who stole a ghost’s belongings and brought ghosts to the dormitory to scare us. We haven’t even had the chance to feel wronged yet, and she’s already crying.”

“She’s a little princess. Having fragile nerves is perfectly normal.”

The group chat was indeed lively, but it was nothing like what Mei Lixiang imagined. Their complaints about her amounted to only three or four sentences.

Mei Lixiang simply did not generate as much discussion as Xiao Hong.

In the group chat, they were all discussing Xiao Hong’s true identity, letting their imaginations run wild.

No one mentioned anymore that Xiao Hong was a delinquent girl. No one said she went out for compensated dating either. Instead, they said her personality was actually quite nice. Her previous aloofness was now attributed to the bearing of an expert.

Everyone scrutinized every memory they had, trying to dig up evidence of her good qualities.

In the end, even the fact that Pei Ye smoked but never smoked in the dormitory, and even restrained herself from using electronic cigarettes there, became proof that she was gentle and kind-hearted because she did not want them inhaling second-hand smoke.

After all that imagination, every stain on the original Xiao Hong’s reputation had been transformed into a shining virtue.

This was exactly what Pei Ye had expected.

After all...

She was so popular. Who would not like her?

If the original Xiao Hong could hear her roommates’ discussion, she would probably only smile bitterly, unsure whether to call them naive and innocent or hypocritical and disgusting.

When a person dies, their light goes out.

These roommates would never know that the Xiao Hong they knew had died long ago. Her soul had already been seized by a passing underworld messenger and sent to Fengdu to wait in line for the reincarnation lottery.

The next day, after finally finishing his busy work, Zhu Chun’an remembered to ask Pei Ye how things had gone.

Pei Ye sent him an [OJBK] meme sticker.

“As long as it was resolved. This junior was worried it might delay Senior’s important affairs.”

Pei Ye silently reflected on whether mailing those two jade plugs could really be considered an important affair.

She sent him a [Cute Tough Guy Drinking Milk] meme sticker.

Zhu Chun’an was not some conservative Taoist who knew nothing of the modern world. On the contrary, he was no different from his peers. He studied, browsed the internet, played games, and was familiar with all sorts of meme stickers.

The fact that Pei Ye, an old ghost who had come down from the mountains, could so quickly grasp the wonders of internet memes surprised him.

“Chun’er, have you finished writing the mission report?”

Senior Sister Chai Sitian passed by and knocked on his desk, telling him not to focus only on his phone.

Zhu Chun’an smiled bitterly and begged for mercy.

“Sister Sitian, I’m writing it now, immediately. I’ll give it to you as soon as I’m done.”

A sudden mission from headquarters had arrived yesterday. Zhu Chun’an had spent the entire night squatting in a graveyard outside the city. Not only had he fought ghosts twice, he had also fed mosquitoes all night long.

After finally dragging his exhausted body back for a short rest, he was now being forced by his senior sister to write a mission report. It was exhausting.

“Headquarters has assigned a newcomer to our branch. You’ll be mentoring them this year.”

Now that spiritual energy was so thin, Celestial Masters with genuine ability were becoming increasingly rare. Every Special Investigation Department branch in every city was short-handed.

This year’s newcomer had even been specifically requested from headquarters by Realman Qingxuan.

Zhu Chun’an politely declined, hoping Chai Sitian would consider a more experienced senior.

“Me mentor a newcomer? Sister Sitian, my experience isn’t sufficient. Wouldn’t that be harming the next generation?”

Zhu Chun’an possessed talent and insight. Despite his young age, he was the strongest member of the T City Special Investigation Department branch. The only thing he lacked was experience and worldly knowledge.

But mentoring newcomers was not about strength. What newcomers needed most was guidance from seniors, learning at their side and accumulating experience.

Chai Sitian glanced at the branch roster and helplessly spread her hands.

“Among the branch’s Celestial Masters, only your schedule is flexible enough.”

The others were either away on long-term missions or travelling to other provinces on assignments. Zhu Chun’an was a university student. The missions he undertook were all short-term, making his schedule very flexible.

Since Chai Sitian had put it that way, Zhu Chun’an naturally could not refuse.

For newcomers, the Special Investigation Department would assign missions with relatively low danger levels and high completion rates. This allowed them to adapt while also gaining practical experience.

When newcomers carried out missions, their mentoring senior would accompany them to ensure their safety. This was essentially the Special Investigation Department’s beginner protection period for recruits.

If the mentoring senior happened to have a mission and felt it suitable for broadening the newcomer’s horizons, the newcomer could accompany them as well.

“That young?”

Zhu Chun’an glanced at the newcomer’s file and discovered that the newcomer was only sixteen years old.

“Xiao Pangzi? That’s definitely a name only biological parents would choose.”

Xiao Pangzi lived up to his name. One look at the passport-style photograph in his file made it clear that he was not light in weight.

Chai Sitian said, “Zi can carry the meaning of wealth and property. His parents probably hoped he’d earn lots and lots of money when he grew up.”

Zhu Chun’an complained, “If that was really the meaning they intended, then he shouldn’t become a Celestial Master.”

Did they not know that being a Celestial Master was a bitter profession?

Living in luxury was a privilege reserved for powerful Celestial Masters. Most middle and lower-ranking Celestial Masters lived rather frugally.