Chapter 60

Ke Xingzhou’s thoughts were soon confirmed.

"Is this the right ward?"

"Should be. I just heard them talking about some big celebrity's wife giving birth, and they said it was a daughter. With the timing, it has to be our big sister!"

"How wonderful, she reincarnated so quickly. I thought she’d have to wait decades! Thinking back on the days we spent together working at the Xiaoyao Sect, I can’t help but feel a little reluctant..."

Chattering voices came from behind, and Ke Xingzhou turned around to see groups of benevolent ghosts from his Xiaoyao Sect arriving, each holding incense, candles, and ingots, visiting each ward in turn.

This caused babies in several other rooms to start crying loudly.

Ke Xingzhou: "..."

Nie Chen: "..."

Newborn babies have limited vision and incomplete development, so they can't see things in the mortal world. However, because they had just transitioned from being spirits to humans, their "obstacles" hadn’t yet covered their eyes, allowing them to clearly see the souls.

The benevolent ghosts didn’t realize they had scared the babies. They pressed their faces to the window of the corridor and looked inside.

"Hey, who’s this lucky one who succeeded in the queue?"

"I’m so envious... At this speed, I’d probably have to wait a few hundred years..."

A group of benevolent ghosts walked and stopped, their attention fully on the room. It wasn’t until they got closer that they noticed Ke Xingzhou and the others.

" Sect Master!" An old ghost cheerfully greeted him, "You’re here to see Big Sister off on her last journey?"

"Last journey..."

Before Ke Xingzhou could speak, the benevolent ghosts had already spotted the baby inside the room.

It was unclear how they recognized her, but their eyes lit up immediately.

"It’s her, it’s her! This must be her! She just smiled at me!"

"As soon as I saw that expression, I knew it was her! Only Big Sister would confidently pat someone else’s chest muscles like that!"

Ke Xingzhou: "..."

The benevolent ghosts crowded into the room, surrounding the baby and talking to her. To their surprise, the baby seemed to understand and giggled at them, even proudly sticking out her foot for them to smell."Congratulations, congratulations!"

"You must grow up safely and healthily in this life!"

"These incense, candles, and ingots are our sincere wishes. We’ll put them under your name, and when you finish this life, you’ll come back as a little rich lady! How’s that? Pretty loyal, huh?"

The baby girl glanced at the incense, candles, and ingots they were holding. Even with her unclear vision, her eyes lit up with greed for wealth, and she giggled.

Peng Jingshan was overjoyed: "She smiled! She likes me!"

Then, feeling an inexplicable chill around him, he gently put his daughter down and turned to adjust the air conditioner.

Ke Xingzhou: "......"

The newborn baby had limited energy, and after some giggling, she soon closed her eyes and fell asleep. The benevolent ghosts reluctantly reached out to touch her head from a distance before gradually retreating.

Ke Xingzhou finally had the chance to ask them, "Where did you get the news?"

The old lady ghost hadn’t drunk the Meng Po Soup, which was a possibility Ke Xingzhou hadn’t considered. He only found out just now. If he hadn’t randomly decided to come see, he would never have known about such a huge oversight.

He had originally wanted to contact Lu Li, but seeing that these benevolent ghosts all seemed to know...

Ke Xingzhou’s heart tightened. Could it be that someone from his own sect was intentionally making trouble?

He looked serious, and the benevolent ghosts, no longer in their previous carefree mood, were stunned when they heard his question. "No, she sent us the news after drinking the Meng Po Soup."

"Yes, yes."

"You’ve never reincarnated, so it’s normal you don’t know. Ghosts have been getting more and more expansive, and with more reincarnating ghosts, the Meng Po Soup doesn’t work as well as before! If you want to forget everything after drinking it, you have to pay extra!" The old ghost sighed. "We’re just regular, poor ghosts, trying to gather incense to fill our bellies and have a bit of fun. How could we afford to buy the stronger Meng Po Soup? We have to save up incense for our next life, just in case we die right after being born. At least the incense will allow us to reincarnate again, so we don’t starve to death! So, the incense we collect isn’t enough, so we can only drink the cheapest, slow-acting Meng Po Soup!"

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have hidden that big golden Buddha and lived such a poor life in the underworld.

After their explanation, Ke Xingzhou finally understood that the Meng Po Soup came in different grades.

However, it wasn’t just due to the expansion of the ghosts’ numbers.

Lu Li had told him before that although the underworld had become overcrowded with ghosts, causing the environment to deteriorate and the land suitable for the growth of the Meng Po Soup’s ingredients to shrink, the overall birthrate of humans had been dropping. If they only cared about reincarnating ghosts into human lives, the supply of Meng Po Soup was still barely enough.

But fewer ghosts were reincarnating into human lives, while the number of ghosts reincarnating into animal lives had been increasing year by year.

Cats and dogs are cute, don’t have to work, and if they have good owners, they live better than gods. Who wouldn’t want a life where they just lie down at home all day, getting praised as long as they don’t cause trouble?

Therefore, the number of ghosts queuing for reincarnation as animals was greater than those queuing for human reincarnation. Especially for common pets like cats and dogs, the reincarnation channels were always full, and many ghosts with low merit couldn’t even sign up!

In such a situation, it was naturally impossible to provide everyone with the strongest Meng Po Soup like in the past, where a single bowl would make them forget everything.

Thus, the slow-acting Meng Po Soup came into being.

Ke Xingzhou couldn’t help but wonder if he hadn’t accumulated enough merit in his past life, which was why he reincarnated as the most unfortunate human in this life. He stayed silent for a moment. "How long does the slow-acting Meng Po Soup take to work?"

"It depends on the ghost’s body constitution. The effect varies from ghost to ghost. It can take one or two days at best, or a month at worst!"

Body constitution... varies from ghost to ghost...

Ke Xingzhou hesitated, remembering an old man in the countryside who had bought a youth-reversing medicine that didn’t work. The man got so angry he asked him to help file a complaint with the seller, but the seller rejected the complaint because they had stated on the product page, "Individual body constitution, effect varies from person to person."He immediately questioned the effect of this Meng Po soup in his mind.

The good ghosts didn’t have any doubts about this, after all, it was Meng Po soup! Produced by the underworld, how could there be any mistakes?

Seeing that he wasn’t quite at ease, the old ghost chuckled and said, “Don’t worry, Sect Leader, after the confinement month, she’ll definitely have forgotten everything!”

As he said this, he gathered the incense and gold ingots that had been planned to be saved for the old lady ghost after her death in this life.

The other good ghosts widened their eyes: “What are you doing! We agreed to leave these for Big Sister after she dies in this life, and now you want to take them for yourself?!”

“Oh, what’s the problem?” The old ghost waved his hand, “Look at the family she’s being born into, rich and full of love. You can tell that she won’t be back here in the next few decades. What’s wrong with me saving it for her first? I’ll give it to her when she really comes down!”

The good ghosts scolded him for being a miser and said that when he was caught cheating at cards, the old lady ghost only gave him a beating, which was too lenient.

He should have been made to sign a debt note in front of the ghost official, and from now on, all his wages should go to repaying the debt, with only enough left for food!

The good ghosts kept teasing the old ghost, forcing him to hand over the incense and gold ingots he had hidden.

During this process, they bumped into passersby several times, making everyone who passed feel a chill, and they looked suspiciously at the central air conditioning vent.

Strange, is it broken?

Ke Xingzhou: “…”

Nie Chen suddenly leaned over, his breath next to Ke Xingzhou’s ear: “Can a living person open an account in the underworld and store money or items?”

“Of course not,” Ke Xingzhou instinctively answered, “A living person has no identity in the underworld, just like an unborn embryo. And besides…”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he froze.

Nie Chen had often asked him about metaphysical topics before. Ke Xingzhou once thought that Nie Chen wanted to learn and had even brought him to find a master, genuinely feeling sorry for him for lacking metaphysical talent.

Perhaps seeing his dejected expression was a little amusing, Nie Chen later confessed that he wasn’t actually interested in metaphysics.

He just wanted to know more about him.

Ke Xingzhou had not understood before, but now, in retrospect, he realized that Nie Chen had been subtly showing his weakness much earlier than he had thought.

Before the turmoil in the Nie family, Nie Chen had been raised in the countryside, and the two of them had relied on each other for nearly everything in their lives.

Nie Chen was good at noticing patterns and was more suited to the current exam-oriented education system than Ke Xingzhou. He was also a few years older, so many times, he would learn something first and then teach Ke Xingzhou at his pace.

Ke Xingzhou was highly gifted, and even without such hand-on teaching, he learned quickly, though it wasn’t as easy as it could have been.

Instead, Nie Chen himself unknowingly became addicted to this teaching method, to the point that when Ke Xingzhou entered the Taoist academy and began studying in a completely unfamiliar field, Nie Chen felt lost for a long time.

Nie Chen had never been good with words. The phrase “I just want to know more about you” hid behind countless failed attempts by this unbeatable academic prodigy.

Nie Chen’s action of leaning over just now was so natural that Ke Xingzhou didn’t have any guard up and answered his question without thinking.

Now, remembering the past, he couldn’t help but feel a little stuck.

Nie Chen, however, seemed oblivious: “Besides what?”“……” Ke Xingzhou did not speak.

He had already realized that Nie Chen was trying to coax him into speaking.

Nie Chen knew him too well; he understood that if Ke Xingzhou truly disliked someone, he wouldn’t even give them the chance to converse. Therefore, he always used this method to test him. But Ke Xingzhou kept falling for it every time, letting him succeed.

But Ke Xingzhou really didn’t want to repeat the same mistake.

He refused to speak, and after a while, Nie Chen sighed slowly.

His gaze shifted away from him, landing on the good ghosts who were still playfully fooling around nearby. There was a flash of disappointment and hurt in Nie Chen's eyes: "You never used to treat me like this."

Ke Xingzhou remained unmoved.

He thought to himself that the past was the past, and now was now. In the past, Nie Chen had been his close partner, and he would answer any questions. But now, what position did Nie Chen have to ask him anything?

Then, he saw Nie Chen turn to look at him, calling out softly, “Master. Are you only willing to be a teacher to your senior brother?”

Ke Xingzhou: “……”

Nie Chen reached for his palm, his fingertips gently tracing his hand. It didn’t look like a proper disciple trying to learn Taoist practices.

But alas, having just received a promise to buy the filming base for him, Ke Xingzhou couldn’t really show any favoritism.

He pulled his hand back, his ears flushed red, and forced himself to continue, "Besides, the underworld verifies the ghost’s name and time of death for their registration. The old lady ghost has reincarnated, and her previous registration was canceled. Unless she comes back after a hundred years to inherit what she left behind."

Therefore, even if the good ghosts stored incense and offerings now, they wouldn’t be able to register them under the old lady ghost's name.

"I see." Nie Chen nodded, looking at him thoughtfully, "Then we’ll talk about it later."

"What later?" Ke Xingzhou pressed.

Nie Chen didn’t answer. Instead, he smiled at him, as if asking if he was willing to talk now.

Ke Xingzhou: "…"

He paused for a moment, turned his face away, and snorted, "Forget it. I’m not that interested."

Now that the title of “Master” had been accepted, Ke Xingzhou had completely given up. But even though he had said it, he couldn’t help but curl his fingers, feeling a tingling sensation on the back of his neck.

He and Nie Chen… Master and disciple…

He was a little dazed when suddenly his hand grew warm. Without thinking, he was pulled out of his unconscious grip and held gently in Nie Chen’s palm. Nie Chen leaned over again, his gaze deep into his eyes: “Master.”

Those gray-green eyes made Ke Xingzhou lose his focus: "…Huh?"

“Wait a little longer,” Nie Chen said, his eyes full of undefined emotions, “You’ll know soon enough.”

"…"

Their gazes met, and an indescribable atmosphere lingered between them.

Nie Chen’s heart stirred, and his gaze involuntarily lowered, landing on Ke Xingzhou’s lips.

When they were at the filming base, because Zhu Chu was eavesdropping outside the door, he had to stop himself, only giving Ke Xingzhou’s lips a light kiss before pulling away. But he and Ke Xingzhou had already shared a deeper connection before. After years of separation, how could such a light kiss soothe the long-neglected heart within him?The sensation he had already experienced in the darkness resurfaced in his mind at that moment. Nie Chen’s throat moved twice, his eyes dimming slightly, and he couldn’t help but lower his head and lean in.

But just before his lips were about to touch Ke Xingzhou’s, he was pushed away.

Ke Xingzhou furrowed his brows: “If you’re not going to speak, then don’t. What’s with teasing me like this?”

Nie Chen: “……”

Ke Xingzhou turned to leave, but his wrist was firmly grabbed. Nie Chen’s gaze was like a bottomless cold pool, and his gray-green eyes made Ke Xingzhou feel as if he was being targeted by a large beast.

Nie Chen was already half a head taller than him. With just a slight step forward, the proximity between them created an inexplicable sense of pressure.

Ke Xingzhou couldn’t help but feel his heart race as Nie Chen’s eyes locked onto him. His mind involuntarily started recalling the things they had done together before—though none of those moments had been quite like the encounters they had after their reunion.

In the past, Nie Chen always cared about his feelings, to the point of being self-destructive.

Their first time together had been delayed for half a year, and each time they had to stop because of Ke Xingzhou’s fear.

Nie Chen never once complained.

Even after they became intimate, it wasn’t as uncontrollable as it was sometimes depicted in literature. Instead, he remained considerate and gentle to the core.

Ke Xingzhou didn’t really care what outsiders thought, but Nie Chen did.

He cared about how others viewed Ke Xingzhou, so no matter where they were, not even in their temporary rented apartment, they always tried to keep quiet.

But now, three years later, the gentle Nie Chen he knew was gone, replaced by someone full of aggression.

Last time in the haunted house, Xie An and the others were just a wall away, and there were even cameras inside. Yet, his kisses rained down relentlessly, taking away all the air in Ke Xingzhou's chest.

Earlier today, he had kissed him under Zhu Chu’s covert watch.

And now, even in the busy hospital corridor, with the good ghosts from the Xianyao Sect playing nearby, they could turn and look at any moment—

Ke Xingzhou felt as though he were walking a tightrope over a cliff. He could hardly tell whether his frantic heartbeat was from Nie Chen’s overly bold actions or something else.

Instinctively, he took two steps back, and his back hit the door of the ward.

The cold sensation brought some clarity back to his mind. Ke Xingzhou couldn’t help but grit his teeth: “Nie Chen! You…”

Before he could finish, a voice came from behind: “Master! Are you here to check on the child?”

As the words fell, the ward door was opened.

Peng Jingshan looked curiously at the two people outside, especially at Nie Chen, whose extraordinary demeanor seemed out of place in this place. His expression hesitated: “Who is this…”

Ke Xingzhou’s face was still red, and hearing this, he quickly regained his composure: “He’s my disciple!”

Peng Jingshan paused, then asked in confusion, “Isn’t your disciple the Mr. Zhu from today?”

“This is my second disciple!” Ke Xingzhou quickly interrupted.

Peng Jingshan looked doubtful, it sounded like Master Ke didn’t have a good impression of this second disciple, but why were their bodies so close? It almost seemed like they were about to press together…He thought to himself, and when he looked up, he was startled.

Ke Xingzhou’s second disciple was staring at him fiercely, his gaze cold as if he wanted to kill him.

How could Ke Xingzhou’s second disciple be like this!

No wonder when Ke Xingzhou introduced him, his tone was strange, and he didn’t even mention his name. It seemed the first disciple was more tactful.

Peng Jingshan thought to himself, but didn’t ask any more questions. He could only awkwardly nod and smile: “I see… Master Ke is truly young and talented, and this second disciple… he’s quite a handsome young man.”

After his dry compliment, he was made uncomfortable by Nie Chen’s gaze. The awkward conversation couldn’t go on, so he invited Ke Xingzhou into the room to see the child.

He explained to his wife about the events that had happened at the "All-Star Idol" filming base today, and introduced everyone to each other. Then, looking at the baby beside the bed, he suddenly had an idea: “Master Ke, how about you name my daughter?”

Ke Xingzhou: “?”

He frowned, instinctively wanting to refuse.

Naming someone came with responsibility, and besides, he had never named anyone before. Even the little cows and kittens the housekeeper was taking care of still didn’t have names.

Moreover...

Ke Xingzhou glanced at the baby girl, who was still restless in her sleep, frowning and making little noises. He fell silent for a moment: “You should think of a few names, and let her choose.”

“Huh?”

Peng Jingshan was stunned for a moment, instinctively wondering how such a small baby could understand anything. But seeing Ke Xingzhou’s serious expression, he couldn’t help but believe him.

His wife added, “Children are very spiritual. Let her choose for herself. When the eldest was born, you said he was ugly, and didn’t he pee all over you? He even remembered it until after the month was up, crying every time you held him!”

Recalling the embarrassing past, Peng Jingshan awkwardly scratched his head and laughed.

Ke Xingzhou: “…”

At this moment, he doubted how much difference there could be in the effect time of the slow-acting Meng Po soup, depending on the ghost.

Peng Jingshan enthusiastically invited Ke Xingzhou to be his daughter’s godfather.

Ke Xingzhou glanced at the baby girl, whose legs were still kicking even in her sleep. After a brief silence, he firmly refused.Nie Chen: "..."

On the way back, the once exuberant scenes from the rideshare driver’s past appeared again amidst the congested traffic.

However, unlike last time, the good ghosts this time were no longer wild or carefree. They obediently squeezed into the back seat, with some hanging directly on the car roof, tethered to each other like flying kites, and didn’t dare crowd Ke Xingzhou and Nie Chen in the front seat.

The good ghost who had made the request was even hanging at the very top of the kite, tears streaming down his face as he faced the mixed exhaust fumes and dust storm.

Sigh... How could Master’s second disciple be so fierce...

When they arrived at the filming base, the office that had been reassigned to the Xiaoyao Sect as its sect office, Zhu Chu had just raised his head to greet, "Mr. Nie," when he was immediately hit with an assignment to practice a hundred talismans.

Zhu Chu: "???"

He glanced at the desk piled high with practice papers, holding his sore wrists as he fell into an unprecedented state of confusion. After thinking for a long time, he still couldn’t figure out what he had done wrong to provoke this wealthy and powerful junior disciple.

Could it be just because he breathed?

He immediately felt like everything was wrong. Gathering his courage to restore his authority as the sect's eldest disciple, he froze as he met Mr. Nie's emotionless eyes, instantly shutting down the impractical idea.

He felt wronged and wanted to complain to the master, but remembered how the master had been reluctant to take disciples at first. It was only after his strong request and Mr. Nie’s financial persuasion that he had reluctantly agreed.

If he went to the master now to say that he didn’t want this junior disciple anymore, would the master think he was joking with the sect’s future?

Just thinking about it made him feel like he couldn’t do it.

But to continue drawing talismans, he was very unwilling.

After thinking it through, he simply sneaked a talisman from the junior disciple’s pile, took a photo, and posted it on social media with the caption: [Exclusive stock provided by junior disciple for the master, secretly taking some out for you all to use.]

Previously, the lottery for fortune-turning talismans had attracted a lot of fans. Some netizens would check in daily to make wishes, treating the Xiaoyao Sect’s Weibo as a wishing pool.

As soon as he posted this update, a curious comment appeared: [Junior disciple? Ke Ke, does your sect actually have other living people besides you?]

Zhu Chu paused for a moment, explaining that he wasn’t Ke Xingzhou, and that the account had always been operated only by him.

The fan, clearly someone who loved to interact, immediately replied: [Huh? This account isn’t being used by Ke Ke? So all my daily check-ins were a waste of time! That’s outrageous!]He is truly such a failure.

In the sect, he dares not resist his junior, and outside, he doesn't dare resist his fans!

That said, many fans are still focused on serious metaphysics. Soon, some fans noticed that this time’s talisman was different from the previous luck-changing talisman and asked Zhu Chu if he had switched to a different kind of talisman.

Zhu Chu immediately perked up and explained: "That's right. This one is the disaster-eliminating and evil-repelling talisman. As mentioned in 'The Sequence of Xuanyuan Huangdi's Blessing of the Thirteen Disciplines,' this talisman 'treats various pestilences and diseases in both men and women. It assists in treating what medicine and acupuncture cannot reach and works with immediate effect.' To put it simply, it can suppress evil spirits, banish ghosts, destroy various disasters, and protect one's body with righteous magic!"

The talismans Ke Xingzhou had drawn for Ke Xingzhou were naturally focused on exorcising evil and killing ghosts.

However, this required a Taoist to channel energy into the talisman, meaning it needed to be accompanied by a chant to be effective. For ordinary people, the effect would be as described above.

Zhu Chu dropped some knowledge and successfully earned some fans' admiration, and his dissatisfaction with the situation quickly dissipated.

He glanced at the talisman papers he had practiced on the desk. Thinking about his master's expectations for him, he didn't feel that the practice assigned by his junior was too heavy. Taking a deep breath, he buried himself in practicing his talisman drawing technique.

Meanwhile, online, the fans, both positive and negative, continued to argue over the new updates from the sect.

Some came out to debunk it, saying that despite sharing the luck-changing talisman, they had not seen any changes. They claimed that the sect's numerous shares and wishes were all fraudulent.

However, many netizens who had genuinely received help were upset by these comments: "The little Taoist priest already said, sincerity is key! The luck-changing talisman isn't effective just by sharing it; it requires personal effort to seize fleeting opportunities!"

The trolls were not happy: "If I worked hard and got results, does that mean the talisman had any effect? What's the point of sharing this thing? It's a waste of my time!"

Fans responded angrily: "Do you think you can win the lottery just by lying at home and thinking of a winning number? There's a limit to daydreaming! Good things don't just fall into your lap!"

Lan Xing, seeing the new post from the sect, noticed the fans' futile attempts to save face and sneered. He replied to one of the fans: "Could anyone really think a piece of scrap paper could do anything? Do you even know what survivor bias is? So many people shared it, of course, a few of them would be at a turning point, it's normal! And yet you guys twist the efforts of others into the power of the talisman, how ridiculous!"

After sending the message, he glanced to the side and nudged the gloomy Ke Chenyi: "Is that fake junior still on the show? I heard your parents had already contacted the production team, arranged for his vote to be sabotaged in the first episode, and kicked him out. Why did the plan get delayed?"

Ke Chenyi had never heard of such a thing and furrowed his brows: "Where did you hear this?"

"Not sure who said it, maybe it was when my dad talked to your dad on the phone." Lan Xing said casually, opening the live-streaming app, only to see either Ke Xingzhou or his sect's updates.The follow-up to this matter naturally did not happen.

There was indeed a phone call, but the important figure looked at it for a long time without answering and did not go out.

The time Ke Xingzhou mentioned passed, and nothing happened. There wasn’t even a bicycle outside the door, and the important figure soon left safely.

"...Later, that important figure invested in both your dad’s and my dad’s companies, reviving our families' businesses. He also helped your family join the ranks of the aristocratic families." Lan Xing said this with a bit of envy. Their family was always just short of that last step. His dad was now planning to place his hopes on him.

After saying this, he changed the subject back to where they left off: "So I say he faced divine punishment! You’ve heard of it, right? Even if fortune-telling is accurate, it depends on whether someone has a connection to the metaphysical. Those who don’t have such a connection, yet casually tell others’ fortunes, are leaking heavenly secrets—it’s deadly!"

Ke Chenyi turned pale as he listened. "How could this happen? How could Xingzhou leave home because of this?"

Lan Xing didn't understand his shock and shook his head. "Look at Ke Xingzhou. After that day, he suddenly had a high fever that wouldn’t go away. No medicine worked, and he was on the brink of death several times. If he really had that kind of power, why would heaven punish him?"

Ke Chenyi could no longer listen. He finally understood why Ke Xingzhou was so shocked when he mentioned the events from five years ago. His father had been very secretive about that matter back then.

So that’s what happened! So that’s why!

He suddenly stood up and was about to leave. Lan Xing, holding a glass of wine, spilled some when he was bumped into and angrily said, "The wine just got here. What are you doing?"

"I’m going to find Xingzhou... No, I’m going home. You drink slowly. Today counts as me owing you one, keep it on my tab."

Ke Chenyi finished speaking and hurried out the door.

But he didn’t notice that as he left, in the flickering lights of the bar’s private room, Lan Xing’s forehead darkened with a shadow.