Chapter 19: So Easy

If you asked Lin Feng now who he despises the most, he would undoubtedly say: "People who cut off your income and talk trash."

So, Lin Feng prepared himself for a good show.

That so-called Taoist Liu—wasn't he supposed to be impressive? Lin Feng would bet that a second-rate ghost-hunter like him probably hadn't even seen a ghost before.

Xu Yang, Director Xu's son, kept rolling his eyes, inwardly sneering, "Let's see what you say once Taoist Liu catches the ghost!"

Lin Feng ignored Xu Yang's unfriendly gaze. "If you don't believe me, suit yourself. I'm not going to beg you."

The door to the director's office was open, and Lin Feng used his Heavenly Eye technique to observe Taoist Liu's movements.

The Heavenly Eye technique was incredibly useful and had come highly recommended when he purchased it from the Ghost Containment System. As long as a space wasn't closed off, Lin Feng could use it to observe his surroundings.

It was as if he had an invisible camera that could follow his intentions within a hundred-meter radius.

The director's office was on the top floor, just above the maternity ward, allowing Lin Feng to keep an eye on Taoist Liu's actions.

At that moment, the maternity ward corridor was eerily quiet. The area had been isolated, and not a soul was around. The air carried the distinct antiseptic smell of a hospital, and the late hour gave it a chilling atmosphere.

Niu Meng and Ah Chou stood at the end of the corridor. The lifeless infant they'd held earlier was now gone, and Lin Feng gave a faint smile.

"Heaven and Earth, reveal the spirits and demons!" chanted Taoist Liu, his peachwood sword boosting his confidence.

Having worked in this business, he'd encountered some strange events over the years, but he had never actually seen a ghost. Back in his training days at Qingquan Temple, his master had told him he lacked the innate talent for this line of work. Taoist Liu had dismissed this: "It's just a scam to make money—what talent do you need?"

He'd left Qingquan Temple five years ago, deciding to strike out on his own. Armed with bits of feng shui and fortune-telling he'd memorized, he'd advised a few businessmen on real estate, earning a decent sum. Feeling invincible, he expanded his services to include feng shui, matchmaking, exorcism, spirit guidance, and even wellness. Life was good.

Normally, he wouldn't touch ghost-hunting gigs. But the money was just too easy! Even the smallest job brought in five-figure sums.

Taoist Liu didn't believe in ghosts; he figured it was just people's minds playing tricks on them. A bit of nonsense was all it took to make a handsome profit and give clients peace of mind. Who wouldn't want that?

Tonight, at the maternity hospital, he'd put on the act of a high-level master, just for show.

In this day and age, who still believes in ghosts?

He smugly recalled snatching this job from that clueless youngster, even managing to hike up his fee by 18 times.

"Hah! A little punk like that thinks he can compete with me, Liu Quanyou?"

Smiling with satisfaction, Taoist Liu sat on the stairs.

Twenty minutes passed, with Taoist Liu occasionally shouting "Hah!" or "Begone!" while shaking a bell. He was quite pleased with his performance.

He was finally ready to head back.

Imagining how the director would soon shower him with gratitude, he felt even more delighted.

As he climbed the stairs, twirling his beard and planning how to spend his money, something felt off.

"Why do these stairs feel so long?"

Perplexed, Taoist Liu was certain he'd only gone down one floor. The hospital had only four floors, so he should've reached the third floor within a minute. But it felt like he'd been climbing for several minutes.

He continued upwards, only to find he was still on the third floor.

What...?

A chill ran down his spine.

He swallowed hard. "Am I seeing things?"

He quickly ran back up, only to find himself still on the third floor. The surroundings looked exactly the same as before.

Taoist Liu's legs began to tremble, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

Just then, he heard a rustling noise, as if something was crawling along the ground.

The maternity ward doors were a double-leaf design from years ago, now outdated. Half of one door slowly pushed open from the inside, and Taoist Liu saw an infant crawling out of the room, wearing a twisted smile, heading toward the restroom as if no one else was there.

"Oh, my god!"

His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor.

The sound of running water echoed from the restroom faucet, louder than ever in the empty hallway.

Taoist Liu, trembling, clutched his chest as though his heart was about to leap out.

What...is happening?!

What was that baby?

The hallway was illuminated by the hospital's cold lights, the kind used at night to avoid disturbing the spirits of deceased patients said to roam the hospital. Although it was just a rumor, the sight of such an eerie scene had left Taoist Liu's legs completely useless. The restroom was close to the stairs, and as he crouched behind the wall, he heard the water stop and the faint sound of wet footsteps moving toward him.

Everyone knew that sound—it was the sound of damp hands slapping against the ground.

"Oh, Heavenly Ancestor! Buddha! Jesus! If I make it out of here, I'll burn incense and pray for you all!"

Taoist Liu was nearly in tears. The wet, slapping sounds grew closer, and he let out a shriek, running downstairs.

He kept going down, hearing those slapping sounds echoing through the hallway. By the time he'd descended several more flights and reached what should have been B1, the sound was still following him.

Shaking, Taoist Liu clutched his peachwood sword and the talismans he'd bought at the market, screaming, "Somebody, help me!"

Back in the office, Lin Feng casually played on his phone, while Xu Yang kept checking the time, muttering, "Why isn't Taoist Liu back yet?" Meanwhile, Xu Jianguo, the director, sat there, visibly anxious.

Three men, each harboring their own thoughts, suddenly heard a piercing scream coming from the stairs. Xu Yang's heart skipped a beat. "This isn't good!"

The voice, belonging to Daoist Liu, sounded muffled as if he was trapped or had something lodged in his throat. His desperate cries, strained and breaking, gave it an even more chilling tone.

Xu Yang grew frantic, like an ant on a hot pan. "Did something happen to Daoist Liu? What do we do?" he muttered, nervously pacing. Suddenly, his eyes fell on Lin Feng, who sat in a chair nearby. Grabbing Lin Feng by the collar, Xu Yang demanded, "Hey! Don't you deal with ghosts? Go save Daoist Liu!"

Lin Feng pushed Xu Yang's hand away, clearly annoyed by his attitude.

"First of all, he went ghost hunting of his own accord. I didn't force him. Second, I'm just a fraud; what do I know about these things?"

"You—!" Xu Yang was rendered speechless by Lin Feng's rebuttal. He pointed at him in frustration. "If my father weren't here, I'd have knocked you out by now!"

Snap—

In that moment, Lin Feng's hand tightened, shattering the glass he was holding.

Oh, so you're really testing me now? Just because I couldn't handle those weirdo siblings from the Paranormal Division doesn't mean I can't handle you!

"Wanna try me?" Lin Feng glared at Xu Yang, who stepped back in fear, shocked to see Lin Feng break the glass with ease.

At this point, Xu Jianguo realized his son was unreliable. The young man in front of him might be young, but he clearly had some skills. Crushing a glass with bare hands—he must have the strength of hundreds of pounds! Xu Jianguo, who had been in the military, hadn't seen many people capable of that.

"Master Lin… please lend us your help. My son was rude, and I apologize on his behalf. Our hospital is a model institution in the city; we can't afford any more incidents!" Xu Jianguo pleaded, with a hint of desperation.

Lin Feng stayed silent, his gaze becoming more playful.

Now you're asking for my help? What happened to all that arrogance?

Seeing this, Xu Jianguo realized his actions must have annoyed Lin Feng. Frustrated, he slapped Xu Yang. "Apologize to Master Lin!"

Xu Yang refused. "Him? Master? Who does he think he is?"

"Still running your mouth!" Xu Jianguo slapped him again, and Xu Yang, holding his face in disbelief, shrank back. Xu Jianguo's commanding aura was overwhelming. "Now, leave. Immediately!"

Gritting his teeth, Xu Yang glared at Lin Feng. "Just wait! I'll find someone else to save Daoist Liu!" With that, he stormed out, slamming the door.

Xu Jianguo quickly retrieved a stack of cash from the safe. Being a shareholder in the semi-private hospital, he had quite a bit of wealth, but another incident would damage their reputation. He counted out 100,000 yuan, wrapped it in newspaper, and said with a wry smile, "Master Lin, please do me this favor."

With Xu Yang gone, Lin Feng saw no reason to hold a grudge against the old man. He took half the money and returned the rest. "This little matter only needs 5,000 yuan. No need to make this more unpleasant for everyone."

Xu Jianguo, having been schooled by Lin Feng, could only nod in agreement, hiding any resentment.

Taking the 50,000 yuan soothed Lin Feng's earlier irritation, and he gave Xu Jianguo a lesson in the process.

"Alright, let's go check out Daoist Liu's 'predicament,' shall we?" Lin Feng smirked, noticing that Xu Jianguo looked hesitant. "What's wrong, Director Xu? You're not scared, are you? It'd be best if you came with me, so you don't think I'm trying to fool you."

"Fool me… of course not…" Xu Jianguo forced a smile, trying to appease Lin Feng.

Seeing Lin Feng's confidence, Xu Jianguo gathered his courage and gritted his teeth. "Let's go!"

...

After crying out for help, Daoist Liu realized the hallway had gone silent—no one was coming. Regret welled up within him, and he cursed his own greed. That thing was a real ghost, not some special effect from a movie!

Just as he wallowed in self-blame, he noticed that the eerie clicking sound had stopped. And faintly, he could hear footsteps approaching.

Overjoyed, Daoist Liu peeked out, only to find himself face-to-face, mere centimeters away, with a ghostly baby's face. Its mouth was twisted in a sinister grin, revealing blackened, sharp teeth that clacked together menacingly as it stared intently at him.

The smell of urine spread from Daoist Liu's trousers as his eyes rolled back, and he slumped against the wall, unconscious.

When Lin Feng and Xu Jianguo arrived, they found Daoist Liu passed out near the fourth-floor stairwell. Xu Jianguo checked his breathing and pulse, sighing with relief when he found both.

Lin Feng glanced at the empty space beside him and gave Xu Jianguo a sly look. "Director Xu, I'll be taking this little 'thing' with me."

Xu Jianguo looked at Lin Feng, confused.

Lin Feng reached out with his fingers as if grabbing something invisible. Xu Jianguo's eyes widened as he saw Lin Feng seemingly pull a dead infant from thin air. The infant's head was gripped tightly, and its body twisted 180 degrees, reaching for Xu Jianguo's hand while letting out a piercing screech.

Xu Jianguo let out a startled cry, but in a blink, the infant had vanished from Lin Feng's hand.

Lin Feng patted the money in his pocket and spread his hands. "See? It's just that simple. All that trouble your son caused, was it necessary?"

After Lin Feng left, Xu Jianguo took a long time to recover, swallowing hard in disbelief.

"Amazing!"