Tang Guo and Qin Jiu returned to the Tang family’s former villa. By the time they arrived, it was already late at night.
The area was quiet. They climbed over the wall directly. Tang Guo floated in easily. Qin Jiu was also agile.
When they had come earlier, they assumed the Tang family had moved and that the place belonged to someone else, so they had not entered to look around.
Now that they knew the villa had not been sold and still belonged to the Tang family, Tang Guo, as the owner of this villa, naturally had the right to enter.
The inside of the villa was very clean. It was clear that someone came regularly to tidy it.
“Do you see anything?” Tang Guo asked Qin Jiu.
Qin Jiu shook his head. “I don’t see anything. What about you?”
Tang Guo shook her head as well. “I don’t sense any other ghosts. If there was one before, either it was captured or it was destroyed.”
Her expression turned cold. Just as that woman had said, the ghost that once appeared here was very likely her mother, Song Xiaoyun.
“I’m familiar with most ghost catching Taoists. Given the Tang family’s status, they wouldn’t have hired someone unknown. I’ll ask around and see who came to handle a case here,” Qin Jiu said. He took out his phone, opened a group chat, and typed his question.
Tang Guo glanced at the screen and laughed. “Your circle is quite trendy now. You even have group chats.”
“We can’t fall behind. Staying connected makes it easier to take on jobs and allows wealthy clients to reach us conveniently. The group owner and moderators handle contact with those clients,” Qin Jiu said casually. “Even as a Taoist, you have to keep up with the times. Otherwise, you’ll get cheated. Those businessmen are all cunning. If you’re too outdated, you’ll be taken advantage of.”
Tang Guo burst into laughter. “You’ve definitely been cheated before.”
“In the beginning, I was cheated badly,” Qin Jiu said without hesitation. “My first job earned me nothing. I had just come down the mountain then. That night I slept under a bridge. The second night I stayed on a bench in the park. On the third day, I finally earned enough for a lunch.”
“And later? How did you earn your first real sum?” Tang Guo asked curiously.
Qin Jiu sat down and continued, “I passed by a park. You know how parks are full of fortune tellers.”
“I know. Most of them are frauds.”
Qin Jiu nodded. “The ones I saw that day were all frauds. But after being taught a lesson for a few days, I didn’t expose them. I sat nearby and observed how they secured clients.”
“They didn’t need to be accurate. They usually used two methods. One was to say good things. The client would be pleased and tip generously. The other was to say bad things. The client would worry and ask for solutions. That was when they could sell products like fake talismans or fake protective jade pendants. Some people really bought them.”
“So you learned from them?”
“I did. But what I offered was genuine. My prices were also higher than theirs. Gradually, I built a reputation and stopped setting up a stall in the park.”
Tang Guo floated around happily. She particularly enjoyed the sensation of floating. Turning back, she said, “I bet when your business improved, the fortune tellers in the park ganged up to block you. They probably tried to beat you, but ended up getting beaten instead.”
“You’re quite clever. You even guessed that.”
Tang Guo floated right in front of him and blinked. “Of course. I’m a clever and beautiful female ghost.”
Her face was close enough to touch. Qin Jiu felt slightly uncomfortable and quickly lowered his head to look at his phone. Someone had already replied.
“Who was it?” Tang Guo asked.
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