Chapter Eighty-Seven: Board Member of the Huaxia Vocational High School

“Strong, we underestimated this school. Even the doorkeepers are ghouls.” The fat one lifted his head to glance at the sky, then said with a faint, unreadable smile, “Looks like we’ll be busy tonight. I just wonder whether we’ll run into a second kind of ghost like the skinner.” His tone carried the slightest hint of anticipation.

The ghoul was unusually grotesque: its head resembled that of an ape, or perhaps a pig or a bear; its lips were vermilion; its eyes shone like mirrors; horns sprouted from its skull; some stood six feet tall, others more than three; its skin was blue; a pair of blue wings spread from its back, wide enough to span more than ten feet; yet its hands and feet were yellow, and it had a tiger-like tail. Unlike other spirits, it also carried weapons, often appearing with an axe or a club.

From outside, the school looked grand. Above it, the sun cast a mild and gentle light, warming the earth. But the moment Song Nianqiang and the other two stepped through the school gates, Song Nianqiang and the fat man both shivered and exchanged a glance, each seeing astonishment in the other’s eyes.

Although Song Nianqiang’s Mao Mountain Arts had not yet reached a high level, there were very few beings whose yin presence alone could make him tremble in broad daylight. No wonder both men looked startled.

A powerful entity could naturally affect Song Nianqiang’s state of mind with nothing more than its aura. Yet there was another possibility: a large number of ghosts could do the same, especially if they were unusually united. Their combined presence would become unprecedentedly strong, enough to alter the magnetic field of the place where they gathered.

The police officer who had come with Song Nianqiang noticed the odd look on their faces and asked curiously, “Why do you two look so pale? Is it because of this place—” He did not finish. In his line of work, ghosts were taboo as well. People who dealt with death all day tended to believe such things, and police officers, doctors, and undertakers were surely the most representative among them.

“Ha, nothing. You’re a grown man and you’re scared? How embarrassing!” Song Nianqiang mocked him. The officer’s face reddened slightly and he argued, “Who’s scared? I just thought something was off about you two, so I was kindly warning you!” With that, he strode ahead.

The teaching building of Hua Xia Vocational High School was well equipped. Private schools had to compete with public ones in facilities; if they couldn’t even surpass public schools, who would want to come here? So when Song Nianqiang reached the teaching building, he was mildly surprised. The equipment here was much better than at No. 1 Middle School.

The modern classrooms had computers and projectors everywhere. On the blackboard, traces of the last lesson remained. From the content, it was clear the final class had been physics, for the board was covered with formulas. Song Nianqiang did not recognize them, but he was certain it was physics because the biggest heading was Newton’s Second Law.

Even if he were terrible at studying, Song Nianqiang knew Newton’s Second Law belonged to physics. Walking through the classroom, tapping lightly on the desks with his fingers, he lowered his head and thought.

The fat man also felt something was wrong with the classroom, but he could not tell exactly what. In broad daylight, ghosts would not appear. He could only pace back and forth through the room, occasionally sticking a few talismans in special places as a precaution.

“Damn it, I get it!” With a slap on the desk, he startled the officer standing blankly outside. “Fatty, give me a hand!” Song Nianqiang came to the lectern, crouched down to examine it carefully for a while, then grinned and patted the desk.

“What is it? What did you find?” The fat man hurried over at the sound, crouching down to look as well, but he found nothing. “There’s something good inside. Later we’ll get it out. Heh heh...” Song Nianqiang’s smile turned sly. Seeing that smile, the fat man immediately understood roughly what was going on. There was no helping it: whenever either of them wore that expression, something “good” was bound to happen.

“Stick on a talisman for collecting ghosts.” Before starting, Song Nianqiang instructed the fat man. The fat man did as told. Then the two of them gripped the corners of the lectern and heaved. The lectern rose with surprising ease. At once, a plume of blue smoke burst out from underneath, but the talisman affixed to the lectern instantly absorbed it all.

“Done. Time to wrap up!” Song Nianqiang laughed, clapped his hands, and tore off the talisman from the lectern. Seeing the new pattern on it, the fat man leaned in as well, and in an instant his eyes lit up. “Holy crap! A beauty! No, a beautiful ghost!” he blurted loudly, drawing the police officer from outside the classroom inside as well.

“What beautiful ghost? Let me see!” Curiosity was human nature, and the officer was no exception, so he leaned in eagerly too. Song Nianqiang held the talisman out before him. On it appeared a naked woman’s portrait, and the expression on her face was one of fear and shock.

“Heh heh. Now that’s better. With this, tonight’s trip will be a lot less troublesome.” Saying that, he handed the talisman to the fat man and told him to put it away. Then the two of them left the classroom. After that, they went to the highest observation building, one of the school’s main sights. From there, the entire school could be seen at a glance, and now it provided Song Nianqiang with a great convenience.

Standing on the observation building, Song Nianqiang and the fat man opened their yin-yang sight and looked at the black whirlpools scattered throughout Hua Xia Vocational High School. Those were the places where ghosts gathered. They took out a sheet of paper, marked down each location one by one, and then went to those places that had been identified.

The fat man took red thread and cinnabar from his bag and arranged them as required. Song Nianqiang then carved the Mao Mountain formation in cinnabar, while the fat man laid red thread over the formation he had drawn.

“Hey! What are you doing? Who told you to come in?” Three burly men in black walked over, their expressions stern. At that moment, the police officer Song Nianqiang had brought came into play. “They were brought here by the director. We’re handling official business. None of this concerns you!” He showed no courtesy to the three men at all. He had been trailing along like a shadow beside Song Nianqiang and the fat man this whole time, and now that he finally had a chance to be useful, he naturally acted with thunderous force.

The three men realized a police officer had actually shown up and were immediately put in a difficult position. They did not fear ordinary people, not even the army, but police were a troublesome matter. After all, the success of their underworld business was directly tied to the police, and this officer had come on the director’s orders. If they offended the police chief, their future days would surely be miserable.

“Little Third, come back! You’re far too rude to our honored guests who are helping us!” Just as the three men were at a loss, a very authoritative voice suddenly rang out behind them. Upon hearing it, their expressions eased at once, and they bowed and withdrew.

Song Nianqiang, who had been bent over and busy with his own work, was also curious to see what was unusual about the owner of that voice, so he looked up. He found a very ordinary middle-aged man: overweight, dressed in a Zhongshan suit, his face full of smiles and looking harmless enough. Yet behind that smiling face, who knew what he was truly thinking?

“Comrade, your hard work is appreciated. I’d like to have a talk with these two young brothers.” He shook hands with the officer, but Song Nianqiang’s sharp eyes caught the fact that the plump middle-aged man slipped the officer something during the handshake.

“No problem. Just don’t take too long, Director. It makes things difficult for me too,” the officer said, then moved off to the side.

“Little Third, take this officer to my sauna shop to wash up. Everything’s free. Remember to take good care of him!” The burly man called Little Third by the plump middle-aged man nodded, but the officer’s face clearly showed delight after hearing this, and he eagerly followed Little Third away.

“Say whatever it is you need to say, and make it quick. I don’t have much time to waste here talking nonsense with you!” Song Nianqiang did not like this kind of person very much, because such people always put making money first, no matter how dirty the money was.