Go all out

Chapter 49: Ruthless or Not

I continued, “As for your future path, it may also be related to ‘water.’ The character for ‘life’ (活) can be broken down into ‘water’ (水), ‘thousand’ (千), and ‘mouth’ (口). This water signifies that you will live by the water’s edge, dancing with ‘thousand’ and keeping ‘mouth’ as your companion.” “What does that mean?” The Rat Demon seemed a bit confused. I looked at her intently and chuckled softly. “‘Qian’ means ‘thousand years.’ As for ‘kou,’ it’s even simpler: the way to restore your spiritual power is to eat more. As for what to eat, you should know better than I do.” The Rat Spirit nodded. “So you’re saying I should find something that’s a thousand years old to eat? Then I’ll be able to restore my spiritual power?” “You could say that,” I nodded. The Rat Spirit fell deep in thought. “Didn’t you specify what exactly it is?” After a moment of silence, the Rat Spirit asked. “It has something to do with water. And since it’s a thousand-year-old item, what do you think it might be?” I asked with a smile. The Rat Spirit paced back and forth, and as if a sudden thought had occurred to her, she smiled and gave me a deep look. “Thank you. I know what it is now.” I was taken aback. She knew what it was? To be honest, I’d never seen anything a thousand years old, but spirits like her surely would know—and I didn’t even know what this thing was myself… Perhaps once I reach the rank of a Level 2 Fortune Teller, I’ll be able to decipher the meaning of this “life” character. I smiled and shook my head, saying there was no need to be so polite. The worry on the Rat Spirit’s face faded considerably. She looked at me with a smile and said, “Do you know what the biggest difference is between you and your master?” I was taken aback—she’d brought up this topic before, though she hadn’t stated it so explicitly. “A ruthless heart! Your master has a very ruthless heart, but you don’t,” the rat spirit continued. Tian Zhan also said I was too compassionate. I wonder if that’s a good thing or a bad thing? After all, generally speaking, if you aren’t ruthless enough, you’ll never measure up to those who are, because the rule of this world is simple: there are no rules. I asked with a smile, “So do you think it’s better to be ruthless, or not so ruthless?” The Rat Spirit paused for a moment, then shook her head and said, “Anyway, I’d really like to beat up your master, but you—even though you’re his disciple—aren’t so bad. I don’t dislike you that much.” How should I put this? My master has her reasons for being ruthless—everyone has their own way of surviving, and I have no right to judge the person who raised me. Seeing that I wasn’t saying anything, the Rat Spirit said, “Money, or something else?” I smiled and shook my head. “Just have your big rat take me back.” The Rat Spirit gave me a deep look and nodded. I walked out of the cave and got back into the palanquin. By the time I got back, it was probably past ten o’clock. After the four giant rats set me down, they quickly scurried away. I opened the shop door, took a good shower, and fell asleep on the bed. Early the next morning, I was about to continue my breathing exercises for half an hour when I noticed a piece of gold, about the size of a finger, sitting on my bedside table. I rubbed my eyes, thinking I must be seeing things. I hurriedly picked it up, held it to my lips, and gave it a nibble. To my delight, it was indeed pure gold. There was also a row of tiny, plum-blossom-shaped paw prints on the table—it must have been sent by the rat spirit’s minions. I weighed it in my hand—it must have been a little over 100 grams. So that meant I’d made 20,000 to 30,000 last night? That rat spirit is pretty generous. Gold shops probably aren’t open yet at this hour. I suppressed my excitement and began today’s breathing exercises. I could feel the changes in my qi; my body still had that sauna-like sensation—I guess that counts as progress. I continued my breathing exercises until eight o’clock, then took a bus into the city. After visiting several jewelry stores, I finally found a price that satisfied me—I exchanged it for a total of 28,000. That meant if I could earn another 2,000 over the next few days, I’d be able to pay back Zhang Qiang, the body retriever, in full. With the money tucked away in my pocket—and a sense of delight in my heart—I headed to the funeral supplies market to stock up a bit before heading home. After all, with my mentor gone, the store had nearly sold out recently, so it was definitely time to restock. I didn’t buy much—just over 1,000—but if I could sell it all, I’d make five or six thousand, which would be a huge profit. After running around for a while to find a truck to deliver the goods back, it was already 6:00 p. m. The driver unloaded the cargo, and I began arranging the merchandise in the store. Just as I finished arranging everything, Tian Zhan called again. After answering, I asked straight away what was going on. He’d said last night that he’d be meeting the person with the photos, so I needed to know the details. “Let’s put that aside for now. I’m calling because something’s happened to Zhang Fei’er—I want you to go check on her right away,” Tian Zhan said. “What? Didn’t Zhang Fei’er go back to be with her mom? What happened?” I asked urgently. The last time Zhang Fei’er left, Tian Zhan had given her an amulet, telling her to crush it if she ever encountered trouble. Tian Zhan must have sensed Zhang Fei’er’s distress, which was why he was calling me. “I’m not entirely sure, but I sensed that the talisman had been crushed,” Tian Zhan said. “Okay, tell me where she is,” I asked. “It’s so late. Just take a taxi to the next city over and ask around in Zhang Village,” “Okay, I’ll head over right now.” “Wait… Remember what I told you: don’t be too sympathetic—it’ll only get you into trouble.” Tian Zhan’s voice was very somber. I nodded. “Got it.” “If you run into any danger, don’t act on impulse. I’ll put my work here on hold—we’ll deal with everything once I get there.” “Okay.” The call ended. I walked into the backyard, tidied up a bit, thought for a moment, then filled a plastic water bottle with my own urine and put it in my backpack. With this in my possession, I’d naturally have a bit of a supernatural trump card up my sleeve. Just as I opened the shop door, a car pulled up in front of me. The window rolled down—it was Ye Zhi, the one who’d brought me 20,000 yuan last time. She looked at me curiously and asked if I was heading out. I didn’t answer her, but instead asked what she wanted. If she was asking for a fortune-telling session, it was already evening, and I couldn’t read fortunes for anyone unless it was for free. But there was no need for that—Ye Zhi had money, so why wouldn’t I take it? “Yeah, I’m here to have my fortune told,” Ye Zhi nodded. I was taken aback. She looked healthy, and her destiny palace showed no particular signs—nothing indicated she was facing any troubles. “Sorry, I have to go out for something right now, and besides, I don’t do readings at night,” I said with an awkward smile. “Oh…” Ye Zhi nodded, then asked, “I’m heading out too—do you want a ride?” “No, thanks,” I said, shaking my head. “Okay, then I’ll come see you again tomorrow,” Ye Zhi said, glancing at me. “In a few days, I guess. I’m not sure when I’ll be back.” “Sure.” Ye Zhi nodded and drove away. I walked toward the village entrance, waited there for a while, and then got into a taxi. When I asked how much it would cost to go to Zhang Village next door, the driver didn’t say anything but gave me a curious look. “Young man, what are you going to Zhang Village for?” “To find someone,” I said. “How much?” “Three hundred,” the driver said, holding up three fingers. It stung a bit, but I nodded, and the driver stepped on the gas and took off. I didn’t say a word the whole way. I knew it would take at least two hours to get to Zhang Village, so I decided to close my eyes and catch some sleep. I don’t know how long I slept, but just as I was drifting in and out of sleep, I heard the driver calling me. I rubbed my sleepy eyes and asked, “Bro, what’s up?” “We’re here,” the driver said with a smile. I checked the time—it had actually been nearly three hours. I must have been sleeping pretty soundly. I glanced out the window, pulled out 300 yuan, and handed it to him. After he counted it, I opened the car door and stepped out. By this time, it was already 9:00 p. m. I looked down the concrete road stretching far into the distance, where I could see many buildings—most of them brightly lit. I’d never actually been to Zhangcun before, so I had no choice but to ask someone where Zhang Fei’er’s house was. I walked up to the first house, knocked on the door, and a man smoking a cigarette opened it. He looked at me curiously and asked who I was looking for. I asked where Zhang Fei’er lived, but he shook his head and said he didn’t know. His answer took me aback. Zhangcun isn’t that big, is it? How could no one in the whole village know where she lived? Judging by his appearance, he seemed like the kind of simple, honest villager who wouldn’t lie to me. I had no choice but to ask further, “Well, is there anyone in your village whose husband has passed away, leaving just a woman raising her child? Oh, right—the girl has already started college.” The man thought for a moment but still shook his head. “No.” I was really puzzled. Had I come to the wrong place? I asked him again if this was Zhang Village, and he nodded in affirmation. “Young man, did you get the wrong place?” the man asked, taking a drag on his cigarette. I could only give an awkward smile and admit I’d made a mistake. After saying thank you, I stepped out of his doorway. It must have been Tian Zhan who got it wrong, right? Feeling puzzled, I took out my phone and called Tian Zhan.