Chapter 18: Contempt from Fellow Practitioners

"Niu Meng, let's move! We have business tonight!"

After half a year, Lin Feng, now equipped with the Fierce Ghost Containment System, finally figured it out! A ghost hunter who makes money is a true ghost hunter.

Niu Meng scratched his head. "Did someone die again? Are we going to retrieve a body?"

Lin Feng was exasperated. Handling corpses was a side job that the funeral home outsourced; it was a grueling task that paid 200 per job. After the police completed their investigation and determined there was no foul play, Lin Feng would transport the corpse—a job he had done quite a few times.

They say one generation influences the next into poverty. Retrieving bodies? Can't you think of something else? Aren't you uncomfortable living in this 60-square-meter rented room? We're out to make big money!

"The Nanyang Women's and Children's Hospital is haunted. Are you in? I'll treat you to a feast with roast pig when we're back!"

"Of course!" Niu Meng said indignantly. "Exorcising ghosts is the mission of my Niútóu clan!"

That's more like it!

Lin Feng quickly changed his clothes. The bathroom door opened, and as he took a closer look, he almost threw up. It was a female ghost—bloated, blackened, and reeking with an unbearable stench. It was unclear if she'd rotted in water or what had happened to her. No wonder she had to shower as soon as she got back.

As soon as the female ghost saw Lin Feng, she lunged at him. Lin Feng grabbed her by the neck. "I warn you, this is my home. Don't mess around! I'm letting you off because of Niu Meng, but next time, it won't be just a warning."

He threw the female ghost aside. She looked fearful, and Lin Feng couldn't be bothered to deal with her. He hurried out.

At night, they sped down the road on Lin Feng's bicycle. Niu Meng sat on the back, and the female ghost clung to his shoulder, drifting behind them like a kite. A man and two ghosts raced toward the hospital.

It seemed the female ghost felt safe with Niu Meng and insisted on coming along, which Lin Feng hadn't anticipated. But it wasn't a big problem. Since the ghost still retained some intelligence and Lin Feng could control her, he wasn't worried she'd cause trouble.

Nanyang Women's and Children's Hospital was where nearly 70% of Nanyang's babies were born. Its director, Xu Jianguo, was highly respected in the city, even appearing on TV several times.

The hospital had a European architectural style, grandly decorated with state-of-the-art facilities. It was a joint venture between the government and private investors, showing the financial power of its stakeholders.

Lin Feng parked his bike, and Niu Meng stood beside him. The female ghost hid timidly behind Niu Meng. Lin Feng exchanged a set of white clothes from the Fierce Ghost Mall and handed them to her.

"Since you've lost your memory and look so hideous, I'll call you 'Ah Chou' (Ugly). This outfit has a concealing effect and can hide your appearance temporarily. Put it on! Don't scare anyone—understand?"

The ghost quickly nodded. She transformed, the white clothing draped over her, with a veil obscuring her decayed face and eliminating the foul odor, making her look somewhat presentable.

Lin Feng instructed, "Niu Meng, take Ah Chou and follow me. Don't reveal yourselves, and keep your energy contained. This place is full of babies and pregnant women. If you scare anyone, no internet or shows for a week, and forget about roast pig at the feast!"

Lin Feng's severe tone startled Niu Meng; he had never seen Lin Feng this serious. Niu Meng quickly nodded. "Got it!"

Lin Feng made his way to the director's office. The empty corridor was eerie, and nurses shrank back as he passed, sensing a different, more solemn aura from him tonight.

Knock, knock, knock!

Lin Feng knocked on the door, and an elderly man with disheveled hair and scratches on his face opened it, leaving Lin Feng stunned.

"Are you Director Xu?" Lin Feng asked.

The old man's bleary eyes looked at Lin Feng, mouth slightly open. "You're the one from the call…the Master Lin? You're finally here…"

Xu Jianguo's emotions were highly unstable, tears streaming down his face.

At 4 a.m., Lin Feng sat in a chair in the office. Xu Jianguo, his eyes bloodshot, started to pour out his sorrows. The old man looked pitiful; clearly, the little ghost had tormented him recently. Lin Feng listened to his story, nodding thoughtfully.

"Sigh!" Xu Jianguo sighed, forcing a bitter smile. "What kind of misfortune is this? We've always been a model hospital, with plenty of government support. Master Lin, I can honestly say I've done nothing to harm any patients or their families. Why are we facing this?"

The idea of a ghost born from a stillborn baby was deeply unsettling for Xu Jianguo, a staunch atheist. Pointing to the scratches on his face, he spoke with agitation. "It appeared four days ago. The Taoist priest from Mount Tianhu came once and found nothing. Since I hadn't seen it myself, I didn't worry. But today, it actually followed me to my office! I'm old; I can't take this kind of fright…"

Lin Feng lowered his head, thinking. After hearing Xu Jianguo's grievances, he finally looked up.

"Director Xu, did you say the haunting is just one ghost baby running around?"

Xu Jianguo's eyes widened. "Just one? Master Lin, one was enough to send a nurse to the psych ward, make the head nurse take leave, and force two patients to transfer. Isn't that enough?"

Lin Feng chuckled. "You misunderstood me. I meant that if it's only one, it'll be simple."

Lin Feng turned to his companions. "Niu Meng, Ah Chou, go to the maternity ward. If you see the little ghost, bring it here."

Seeing Lin Feng speak to thin air, Xu Jianguo's heart sank, disbelief flickering in his eyes.

Lin Feng calculated: since it's a white-level mission, it should be easy to complete. His only concern was any potential surprises. But if it was just one ghost, he wouldn't need to take action himself.

Xu Jianguo, seeing Lin Feng's calm demeanor, couldn't help but doubt. This young man was so…young! Even after calming down, Xu Jianguo struggled to believe Lin Feng was a ghost hunter.

Lin Feng could sense Xu Jianguo's skepticism, but actions would speak louder than words.

"Director Xu, rest assured. Now, can we discuss the appearance fee…" Lin Feng rubbed his hands together, a bit embarrassed to be charging for a ghost-hunting job.

"Oh, of course, the fee. Here's the envelope I prepared—5,000 yuan. Please accept it. But…Master Lin, don't you need any tools or talismans? Shouldn't you have some equipment? How can you catch a ghost without even moving?"

5,000 yuan! Half a month's salary…

Lin Feng was thrilled. All the exhausting work of sewing up bodies and applying makeup for the dead had taken a mental toll, and he didn't even make 10,000 yuan a month. Now, he could make 5,000 yuan from catching a wandering ghost. Could it get any better?

"Don't worry. I don't need tools or to take action myself," Lin Feng said mysteriously, only to be interrupted by a sudden, mocking voice.

"Don't need tools? Don't even need to take action? What are you catching ghosts with—air? Ha! The con artists nowadays are getting ridiculous. Dad, you actually believe this nonsense? Are you senile?"

Outside the director's office, two people entered.

The speaker was a man around twenty-eight years old, with a yellow-robed Daoist following behind him. The man lifted his head with arrogance, looking at Lin Feng with undisguised disdain, while the Daoist kept his face expressionless, eyes downcast. He took a quick glance at Lin Feng, sneered, and then stopped looking at him altogether.

"Third Son, why are you here? Master Lin, allow me to introduce you; this is my youngest son, Xu Yang," Xu Jianguo introduced politely.

Xu Yang cut in dismissively, "Dad, this kid is even younger than me. How could he be some kind of master? You're always so level-headed—how could you fall for a scam this easily?"

Lin Feng felt his face flush as he clutched the red envelope. Though he'd grown up in humble surroundings and had developed a thick skin, he valued his reputation. Being called a "scammer" like this really struck a nerve.

For the first time, he'd worked up the courage to ask for a reward for catching ghosts, only to be ridiculed. Lin Feng's face turned red and green with anger as he sat there, quietly holding back his response.

Thinking Lin Feng was at a loss for words, Xu Yang grinned and proudly introduced the Daoist to Xu Jianguo. "Dad! This is Daoist Liu from the Qingquan Temple! Some buddies of mine recommended him; he's really skilled! When I heard from my elder brother about the haunting here, I went through a lot of trouble to bring Daoist Liu over!"

Xu Jianguo felt a bit skeptical. His third son ran a company but mostly spent his days bragging, drinking, and hanging out with his cronies. He never seemed to accomplish much and often asked for money from the family. Why was he so concerned about the family's affairs today?

However, given the urgent situation, and after a few days of being harassed by supernatural events, Xu Jianguo decided to take this Daoist seriously and treat him with respect, regardless of whether he was the real deal.

"Daoist Liu, my son has probably already briefed you about the situation here. Since you're here, please use your abilities to drive the ghost away!"

Daoist Liu wrinkled his nose, sniffed the air, and made a few calculating gestures with his fingers before replying with feigned solemnity, "Hmm… there certainly is an evil, tainted presence here. Exorcising demons is indeed our sacred duty, but it is very taxing on our spiritual energy… a small donation would help."

Xu Jianguo immediately understood and asked quietly, "Daoist, how much would be appropriate for the donation?"

Daoist Liu replied indifferently, "The Daoist tradition honors the numbers three, six, and nine. This place is filled with yin energy, so it would take three large incense sticks to summon the protection of our patriarch. Just 90,000 yuan—you're getting a great deal."

Lin Feng nearly fell out of his chair in shock.

"Nin…ninety thousand?" Xu Jianguo's heart skipped a beat, while Xu Yang was thrilled. "Dad! This is a great deal. Daoist Liu charges business moguls six figures just for a feng shui consultation!"

Xu Yang quickly thanked Daoist Liu. Xu Jianguo, though, was quite skeptical. He'd never heard of a Daoist charging 90,000 yuan, let alone 30,000 yuan per incense stick. It was practically robbery.

In a low voice, Xu Jianguo muttered, "Third Son, Master Lin only asked for 5,000…"

Xu Jianguo might have been better off saying nothing. At that moment, Lin Feng started to feel a bit self-conscious.

Coming here to exorcise a ghost, he thought 5,000 yuan was already quite a lot. But compared to 90,000, it was just peanuts! It didn't feel right to ask for less—it was making him look weak in front of a competitor.

Sure enough, Daoist Liu sneered, "Five thousand yuan? That's barely enough to buy cinnabar, paper talismans, or a peachwood sword—how can you even talk about exorcising ghosts? And you believe a scam like this? Xu Jianguo, you're a sensible man. Think it over; I have other matters to attend to and can leave if you don't need me."

"Don't go!" Xu Yang quickly stopped the Daoist from leaving, practically begging him to stay.

With Daoist Liu displaying such arrogance and Xu Yang urging him on, Xu Jianguo finally made his decision, gritting his teeth. "Then, please, Daoist Liu, do your best! Master Lin… I'm sorry you came here for nothing tonight."

Xu Jianguo had treated Lin Feng with respect despite his disbelief, so Lin Feng could let it slide. But he couldn't stomach the attitudes of Xu Yang and Daoist Liu. They kept calling him a scammer, and it was beginning to tick him off. Who said ghost-catching required talismans, cinnabar, and peachwood swords? He had Niu Meng right here!

"That's alright, Xu Jianguo. Keep the money; I'm not leaving. I'd like to stay and see exactly how this Daoist plans to catch ghosts." Lin Feng's voice remained calm, but inside, he was fuming. He had never been treated with such contempt by another exorcist.

Want to compete with me? Let's see what you've got!

Xu Jianguo noticed that Lin Feng seemed annoyed and hurried to give him the 5,000 yuan as a token of gratitude. "Master Lin, you've come a long way. Take this as a small compensation."

But Xu Yang quickly snatched the envelope, stuffing the money into his wallet.

"Ha! Don't try to play hard-to-get with me. I've walked more bridges than you've walked roads. Playing this 'gracious exit' trick to fool my dad? How shameless can you be?"

Xu Yang's arrogance and cruel words didn't anger Lin Feng. Instead, he turned and noticed Niu Meng and Ah Chou had returned, carrying a shivering ghostly infant.

Daoist Liu sniffed the air and immediately sensed a hint of yin energy.

"There's a presence!" he exclaimed.

Daoist Liu held up a peachwood sword, quickly made a series of mystical gestures, and rushed toward the door with a compass in hand. However, Niu Meng and Ah Chou had hidden their aura well, not leaking a hint of ghostly energy.

With Daoist Liu gone, Niu Meng and Ah Chou entered and stood quietly behind Lin Feng.

Xu Jianguo and Xu Yang watched as Lin Feng lifted his head and spoke to the air.

"Niu Meng, put the little one back for now! Tonight, I want you two to play along with our esteemed Daoist."

Niu Meng and Ah Chou paused but immediately obeyed, saying, "Understood!"

When Niu Meng spoke, a chill filled the room, causing Xu Jianguo and Xu Yang to shiver.

The eerie atmosphere and disembodied voices created an unsettling scene, leaving Xu Yang muttering, "What a show. His scare tactics are top-notch."

But Xu Jianguo noticed something peculiar. He smelled a familiar odor lingering in the air—the scent of a ghostly infant.

Xu Jianguo's eyes widened. He recalled that Lin Feng had spoken to thin air twice now.

And the last time… hadn't he ordered the little ghost to be captured?