Otherworldly Merchant

Chuyi comforted me. “Don’t worry. I’ve strengthened the Corpse Puppet with more spells. It’s okay.”

After receiving his confirmation, I could ease my mind.

Chuyi’s phone rang. He glanced at it and told us his client was calling him.

His client was worried because Chuyi had gone missing for the whole night.

“Relax. I’ve found the corporeal soul, so everything is all right. However, I unexpectedly found more than twenty souls with the same condition. I think they should be from around your neighborhood. Can you ask around and see if other kids from your neighborhood are in the same situation?”

His client didn’t sound happy to hear this. “I’m paying you, so you should only worry about my son. You don’t need to care about other people. If they’re in trouble, that’s fine by me. My son won’t have to compete against them during the university entrance exam.”

Chuyi’s voice turned cold. “Their parents are worried just like you. You shouldn’t be this unkind.”

The client was stubborn. He said that if Chuyi meddled in other people’s business, he wouldn’t pay him.

Was Chuyi the sort of man that would bow for a little bit of money? Of course not! He directly hung up the call.

His client called him many times after that, but Chuyi kept hanging up.

The client finally cracked after the tenth call. Left with no choice, he could only agree to Chuyi’s condition. He sent his people to ask around.

Not everybody had the power and money that Chuyi’s client had. Not everyone could invite Chuyi to work for him. Most people could only helplessly watch their children die without being able to do anything.

Chuyi asked me to tell him about all the clues I had collected until now. I then told him everything in detail.

I focused on the scarf and that man who had bought twenty-four red silk scarves. He was surely the culprit!

Chuyi nodded. “We must find the person who bought those twenty-four red scarves. And, perhaps the granny who’s selling red scarves isn’t a nice person, either.”

Since Chuyi suggested that we should see the granny, I agreed and took him to see her.

We searched the neighborhood several times but couldn't find her. I went to the security booth to ask, and they told me that they hadn’t seen her since yesterday.

Chuyi frowned. “Do you know that woman? Does she live around here?”

The security man shook his head. “No, I haven’t seen her before. A few days ago, she appeared here and sold some red silk scarves. Her business was going really well as she told her customers that the red silk scarves could help the students achieve ideal scores.”

Chuyi raised his brows and asked me, “Have you ever touched those red scarves?”

“Yes, it happened when I went there yesterday and talked to her. What’s wrong?”

Chuyi immediately lifted his head to study my eyes. I felt worried because I sensed that something was wrong.

I looked at him. “Hey… What’s wrong?”

Chuyi stared at my eyes for a while and looked somewhat absent-minded. However, he eventually shook his head. “No, it’s nothing. We should go back now. The first thing we need to do tonight is to return those wandering souls.”

Since Chuyi didn’t want to tell me, I thought it wasn’t anything big. I didn’t pester him and followed him back to Ms. Wu’s apartment.

After we got to the apartment, Chuyi started to walk around. It was as if he was searching for something.

I thought he was searching for the otherworldly item, so I told him, “I searched yesterday, and I also asked Ms. Wu. She told me she doesn’t have any antiques in the house.”

Chuyi nodded, looking pensive. He didn’t continue his search and laid on the sofa to recover his strength.

Xiaoqing walked out of her room. I saw her so I called, “Xiaoqing, did you buy a red scarf downstairs?”

Xiaoqing answered, “Yes, I did. Many of my classmates bought one. They said that it could strengthen our focus and ensure that our university entrance exam scores will be high.”

I felt helpless. What was wrong with kids these days? How could they pin all their hopes on some red scarves?

“Xiaoqing, do you know where that red silk scarf is?”

Xiaoqing shook her head. “No, I don’t know what happened to it. My red scarf disappeared several days ago, and I don’t know where it went. Is the red scarf related to my incident?”

“No, it’s nothing. You don’t need to worry about this. Just focus on your upcoming exam.”

Xiaoqing nodded and stole a glance at Chuyi. It looked as if she wanted to say something but didn’t have the courage. In the end, she didn’t say anything.

I knew that she likely wanted to ask for his phone number but was too shy to do so.

Chuyi’s charm was truly boundless!

It was a big loss that Chuyi didn’t work in the entertainment industry now that young idols were very popular.

The night quickly fell. I followed Chuyi and left the apartment.

Senior Shu had left during the day. Chuyi gave him two medium-level Spirit Talisman for the commission. The old man was overjoyed. “Next time, if you have any problems, just give me a call!”

I followed Chuyi all the way to the sewer in front of the park.

He made a hand seal above the sewer and threw a black talisman into the manhole. Immediately after, we heard some commotion underneath.

It sounded like someone was hitting against the manhole cover. Chuyi gritted his teeth and shouted, “Open!”

The cover shot up into the sky, and a figure emerged immediately after. It was the corpse with the lantern.

The corpse was very dirty; his shroud was stained with rubbish and discharged water from the sewage. He now reeked of a horrible smell.

His cheeks, which were covered in a white powder, had turned become dark purple. I knew it was a sign that its body was deteriorating. Although Chuyi had already enhanced it with spells, it still couldn’t bear the load of that many souls.

Chuyi took out a bell from his pocket. “This corpse won’t be able to handle all those souls. I have to take some of them out and seal them inside this bell. Then, we’ll part from here and deliver these lost corporeal souls home.”

I nodded in agreement.

Chuyi called his client and asked him to send the addresses of all the victims. I jotted down the names and addresses.

Next, it was time to split the souls. Chuyi and I would half of the souls each.

Every time he called a name, a shadow flew out of the Corpse Puppet’s mouth and hit the bell, making it jingle.

After we had divided the souls, Chuyi and I parted ways. I went to the addresses his client had provided to deliver the souls home.

All the souls Chuyi had shared with me were in good condition and strong enough. I just needed to show them the way, and they would return to their bodies by themselves.

As for the weak souls, Chuyi needed to use his power to send them back to their bodies. My magic power was far weaker than his. That was why he needed to personally take care of those weaker souls.

Most of these souls were of children from normal families. The places I was heading to were all remote neighborhoods or ghettos.

These areas were quite chaotic, and there were many wandering ghosts and lone souls. However, since I had the Peach Soul Flower, none of them dared to bother me. It didn’t take me a lot of time to bring the souls back home.

Afterward, I went to the address Chuyi had given me to meet with him.

However, my phone rang midway. I took it out to check. It was a call from that granny who sold red silk scarves.

Why did she call me? Did she meet again that man who bought twenty-four red scarves from her?

I couldn’t wait to pick up the phone.

However, I still remembered Chuyi’s words, and the woman could be an accomplice of that man. Chuyi stared me in the eyes for quite a long time when I told him that I’d touched the red silk scarf. Therefore, I had to be careful and couldn’t trust the granny blindly.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down before receiving her call.

“Hey boy!” After hearing the old woman’s hoarse and innocent voice, my heart chilled. “You asked me to keep an eye on the man who bought twenty-four scarves, right? I just saw him. He’s having supper across from my house.”

I blurted, “Granny, please tell me your address. I’ll come over immediately.”

“Good, It’s No. 18 Huangpu Street. Remember to bring the money. You promised that you would pay me if I notified you about the man.”

“All right.” I agreed then hung up. Right after that, I called Chuyi to ask for his opinion.

I didn’t know what was happening on his end, but he didn’t pick up the phone after I had called him three or four times.

I closed my eyes and pondered. I didn’t want to let this important clue slip away. If I lingered here, that man could leave before I arrived.

I eventually decided to go there alone. I sent Chuyi a brief message to tell him to reach me at No. 18 Huangpu Street and call me as soon as he read the text.

After sending the message, I impatiently headed toward No. 18 Huangpu Street!