Go all out

Chapter 10: Zou Tianzhan

The drag marks weren’t very long. When I reached the end, I thought my wits might help me find some sort of clue, but after wandering around the area for a while, I realized I’d been overthinking it. The end of the trail was a three-way intersection in an alley, with cars coming and going constantly—how was I supposed to find the female ghost’s body there? It seemed likely that whoever did this had simply hauled her body away in a car. Feeling a bit discouraged, I could only keep asking the female ghost, “Do you remember anything else?” “I don’t remember.” The female ghost’s voice rang in my ears again, “Can’t you find it?” “Give me a little time—after all, this isn’t my area of expertise,” I said after a moment’s pause. “Mm-hmm,” the female ghost gave a soft nod and fell silent. Just as I was wavering, my cell phone in my pocket suddenly rang. I pulled it out and saw the contact labeled “Best Buddy”—I was pleasantly surprised. My best buddy, Zou Tianzhan—back when he graduated from middle school, his whole family moved to another city because of a fight, and I hadn’t seen him in basically three years. Why on earth did he suddenly think of me? As soon as I answered, Zou Tianzhan’s voice came through: “Xiao Tian, I’m back. I’m right outside your master’s shop. You’re slacking off again, aren’t you? Let’s go out for drinks tonight. Where are you? I’ll come pick you up right now!” I smiled slightly. “I’m over at Nightfall Bar. I just happen to have…” “A bar? Holy shit, wait twenty minutes. I’m on my way.” He hung up immediately. I was taken aback, then lost for words—that guy still hasn’t kicked his old habit of chasing girls. I chuckled to myself. But with Tian Zhan around, maybe he could help this female ghost find her body after all. After all, my best buddy has been bold since childhood, and he’s a tough fighter. If we run into the killer and I can’t handle it, my best buddy definitely can. With that in mind, I walked up to the entrance of Nightshade Bar with a smile. After waiting for about thirty minutes with no sign of Tian Zhan, a man with flowing long hair glided ghostlike toward me. I jumped in surprise—where did this punk come from? “Hey, handsome, waiting for someone? Why not come hang out with me?” He flicked his bangs off his forehead, revealing a face that women might find handsome, but one that made me want to puke all over him. I wanted to kick the guy—what kind of person was he? But after taking a closer look at his face, I was speechless and shocked. I grabbed his shoulders and said anxiously, “Tian Zhan, how did you end up like this? Your hair’s grown this long—why don’t you get it cut? Don’t you have any money? I’ll treat you…” “Get lost, you jerk.” Zou Tianzhuan laughed and snapped, “This is fashion, you know?” As he spoke, he flicked his bangs off his forehead—a gesture that couldn’t help but remind me of Mr. Huang Bo’s classic head-flicking move in *Crazy Stone*… “All right, enough of that. You haven’t been back for three years, and now you suddenly show up…” I was halfway through my sentence when Tianzhuan suddenly glanced at the rooster in my arms. I hadn’t even said a word, but the rooster in my arms immediately began trembling as if it had encountered a natural enemy. Tian Zhan’s lips curled into a faint smile, and with a look of “curiosity” on his face, he asked me, “What are you doing holding a rooster?” I glanced left and right before leaning in close to Tian Zhan’s ear and whispering, “I told you not to be scared. There’s a female ghost inside this rooster, but she won’t harm anyone. She wants me to help her find her body so she can report to the Underworld.” Tian Zhan gave me a speechless look and said, “Do you need help?” “What do you think, kid?” I teased with a laugh. Tian Zhan reached out and stroked the rooster’s neck. The rooster in my arms got even more frightened and almost struggled to escape. He whispered, “I’ll give you credit for not lying to me, bro.” “Huh? Tian Zhan, what did you say?” I was puzzled—why was this guy speaking so quietly? “Finding her body is easy. We’ll just come over together tonight. Give me an hour, and I’ll find her for you!” Tian Zhan said with absolute confidence. I thought he was joking, so I didn’t pay it much mind. I hadn’t seen my best buddy in three years—we had to at least go out for a meal and a few drinks, right? Chatting on the side of the road just didn’t seem right. “Alright, let’s grab a bite first.” “You’ve got a heart, kid.” Tian Zhan rubbed his belly, and I smiled. Tian Zhan and I were brothers, so there was no need to worry about saving face. We picked a small restaurant at random, ordered a few of our favorite childhood dishes, and added two bottles of beer. We started chatting as we ate. But as we chatted, I noticed something. I hadn’t seen it earlier, but now I could make out Tian Zhan’s facial features: a wisp of dark energy was swirling around his Palace of Illness. This wasn’t the look of bad luck—it meant someone important to him had recently passed away… “You noticed?” Tian Zhan’s expression suddenly turned calm. “What exactly happened?” I set down my beer glass and asked urgently. “I don’t want to talk about it right now,” Tian Zhan said, shaking his head. His voice suddenly turned very cold, giving me a strange, unfamiliar feeling. What on earth had he gone through during those three years away? “Fine, if you don’t want to talk about it, let’s just drink.” I smiled and raised my glass. The chill on Tian Zhan’s face vanished immediately, and he returned to his usual grinning self. I was speechless inside—had this guy been deliberately putting on a mysterious act just now? What puzzled me, though, was that aside from that one moment, I couldn’t read anything else from his expression. It was as if there were a thin veil over Tian Zhan’s face, blocking my ability to analyze him—which left me feeling perplexed. Oh well, he’s my good buddy—why would I deliberately pry into his past or future? We drank from noon straight through until nightfall. We didn’t drink much alcohol or eat much food—we just chatted. When it came time to pay the bill, Tian Zhan insisted on picking up the tab. My face darkened, and he immediately backed down. A good brother had come all this way to see me—how could I possibly let him pay? That rooster had been hiding under a chair, waiting for the two of us the whole time. When we stepped out of the restaurant, I naturally picked up the rooster. It was already evening, so Tian Zhan pulled me into the alley behind the Nightfall Bar. To my utter astonishment, he pulled a yellow talisman out of his backpack, muttered something under his breath, and the talisman in his hand immediately burst into flames. I was startled but quickly walked over out of curiosity to see if the kid had a lighter hidden in his phone. He laughed and scolded me. “Don’t bother me—I’m performing a ritual.” Tian Zhan’s expression turned serious, and it suddenly dawned on me: I hadn’t seen this kid in three years—could he have been studying Taoist magic under that Taoist priest? No wonder I couldn’t read anything from his facial features. Usually, with someone who has some spiritual cultivation, I can only read them if they’re willing to let me; if they’re not, it’s very difficult at my current level of fortune-telling. Of course, if my master were to read Tian Zhan’s fortune, whether Tian Zhan was willing or not, he’d have nowhere to hide in front of my master. Just as this thought crossed my mind, the burning talisman in Tian Zhan’s hand suddenly took flight of its own accord. After circling a few times in midair, it flew deep into the alley like a guiding light. Tian Zhan glanced at me and followed right behind it. I watched in amazement and, naturally, didn’t want to be left behind. “This female ghost died unjustly, so she’s filled with resentment. As long as that energy is present, no matter where her body lies, I’ll find a way to track it down,” Tian Zhan explained, though his tone was still a bit haughty. I looked at him with admiration. “That’s so impressive! Teach me!” “Oh, sorry. This kind of Taoist magic is tailor-made for handsome guys. As for you…” Tian Zhan gave me a sympathetic look. “Never mind. Fortune-telling is a pretty lucrative profession. I’ve got high hopes for you, buddy.” I almost kicked him right then and there—that little jerk! Tian Zhan smiled and continued, “Having that female ghost enter the rooster’s belly—that’s actually not a bad idea. But she’s a new ghost, so her body is very weak. Once she goes in, there’s a good chance she won’t be able to get out. You’ll have to be more careful next time.” “Is it that serious?” I felt a chill run down my spine. If that female ghost couldn’t get out, what good would it do to find her body? “Of course. I’m a leading expert on ghosts and spirits. Also, when it comes to ghosts, try not to believe them.” As he said this, Tian Zhan’s expression suddenly turned serious. “Why?” I was taken aback. Why was Tian Zhan acting like this? It was as if he’d been tricked by a ghost before. “Because they’re nothing but a bunch of nonsense!” Tian Zhan said with a sudden chill in his voice. As he spoke in that tone, the rooster in my arms began trembling with fear once more. I wondered to myself: Why did Tian Zhan seem to carry so much more malevolence with him this time around?