Chapter 100 – Layers of Mystery: On the Chessboard, Are You the Piece or the Player?
"Merit…"
After destroying the formation beneath the building, Renji could sense a stream of merit flowing into his body through the Wheel of Merit.
Exorcising evil brought not only lottery rewards but also merit—double the satisfaction.
He briefly explained the office layout to Liu Qing, instructing him where to place everything. Once the money was transferred to his account, Renji took the card and headed straight to a hotel to rest.
Over the next few days, Renji busied himself gathering intel on this world.
When he first arrived, he had learned that this reality was a fusion of many Hong Kong-based cinematic universes. But after resolving the ghost-replacement case at the office building, he realized there were deeper secrets here—things even he didn't yet understand.
Online, there were countless discussions about supernatural events, but most of them lacked solid proof and were treated like stories or urban legends.
Still, a few threads gave Renji an odd sense of familiarity—like scenes he had watched before in certain films.
"It feels like information about ghosts and spirits is being deliberately covered up..."
Even the case he just solved hadn't stirred any waves. Renji had purposely made a scene when dealing with that haunted building—no way it should've gone unnoticed. Yet there wasn't a single piece of news about it.
It had to be suppressed.
And Renji knew this kind of suppression wasn't the work of ordinary people. They didn't have that kind of power.
Instead, the headlines were all about which gang boss had taken over what territory, or who got assassinated by rivals.
Classic gangster media.
Renji narrowed his eyes in thought.
Just then, his phone rang.
Stretching lazily, he picked it up and checked the caller ID. He answered, "What is it?"
Had Liu Qing already finished preparing everything?
But the voice on the other end wasn't Liu Qing. It was a deeper, more mature voice—a middle-aged man.
"Hello, Master Renji. I apologize for disturbing you. I'm Liu Qing's employer. Would you be willing to speak with me?"
Holding his phone tightly, Huang Yuan tried to sound as respectful as possible. He was aware that people with true spiritual power often had strange personalities, and since he had something to ask of Renji, politeness was essential.
From what Liu Qing had told him, this young man truly had the skills.
Huang Yuan had previously searched for capable exorcists himself. He'd scoured the internet and asked around in person, only to find a bunch of con artists.
The few genuine ones he did encounter either refused or didn't seem up to the task.
But after hearing what Renji had done in the building, he made up his mind. If Renji could solve the problem, he'd pay whatever price was necessary.
And it wasn't just about the building anymore.
Huang Yuan had started to notice strange things happening around his own family—things that made his blood run cold.
"I'm staying at the Victoria Hotel," Renji replied. "If you're free, come over."
"I'll be there right away! Please wait for me, Master!"
Overjoyed, Huang Yuan tossed his phone to Liu Qing and grabbed his coat.
"We're going to meet the master," he said.
"Yes, sir!" Liu Qing replied, quickly following behind.
Along the way, he explained what he knew about Renji—not much, admittedly, but enough to convey one thing: Renji was approachable, as long as you didn't act arrogant. Be respectful, and he was easy to talk to.
—
Victoria Hotel.
Huang Yuan reserved the best private suite and invited Renji to dine with him.
Though he had already witnessed Renji's powers on video, seeing him in person gave him pause.
If he hadn't known better, he might've thought Renji was just another scam artist.
"Master Renji, here's the menu. Please, order whatever you like."
"Thanks."
Renji flipped through the menu and ordered a few dishes at random. Then he looked up at Huang Yuan.
"You're not the one being haunted, are you? No… your body isn't carrying much negative aura. It's someone close to you. A family member, perhaps?"
This guy really was unlucky—first his building gets haunted, and now someone in his household too?
From what Renji could see, the man himself was still fine. But someone close to him was already bound by ghostly energy. If nothing changed, he wouldn't be far behind.
Huang Yuan looked genuinely startled.
He hadn't even said anything yet, but Renji had already figured it out.
As expected of a true master.
"Yes, Master. I'm not entirely sure it's a ghost, but my daughter has been acting… very strangely lately, so I thought…"
He didn't hesitate. He immediately laid out everything that had been happening with his daughter.
She had just gotten into university after finishing high school. At first, everything was fine.
But then she started changing.
She dyed her hair blonde. Got ear piercings. Started riding motorcycles. And even began hanging around with street thugs.
If Huang Yuan hadn't hired bodyguards in advance, she might have run off with one of them already.
And the worst part?
She wasn't being forced. She wanted to leave with them.
At first, Huang Yuan thought it was just teenage rebellion, a phase. He didn't take it too seriously.
But as time passed, things got worse. He realized something was definitely wrong—and luckily, he caught it in time.
He'd since locked her in the house. But because of that, she'd stopped eating and began threatening to kill herself unless she was let out.
It terrified him.
"She's possessed, isn't she?"
Renji tapped the table in thought. The signs were clear.
A complete personality shift. From a quiet, well-behaved girl to a reckless delinquent?
It was either severe emotional trauma—or ghostly possession.
Given the way she acted, it was probably the spirit of a female gang member.
"When did she start threatening suicide?"
"Three days ago."
"Then it's fine. Let's finish eating first before heading over."
Renji leaned back in his chair, completely relaxed.
If the spirit had been shouting suicide threats for three days and nothing had happened yet, there was no need to rush.
Compared to Renji, who was calmly enjoying his meal, Huang Yuan was nearly jumping out of his seat. He didn't say it, but his face practically screamed: Can we go now?!
Still, knowing how temperamental people like Renji could be, he bit his tongue and forced himself to wait.
Finally, Renji wiped his mouth and stood up.
"All right. Let's go."
—
They arrived at a villa district shortly after.
Huang Yuan welcomed Renji inside and pointed toward his daughter's room.
"Master, this is it. I don't know what you require for your services, but as long as you can fix this… name your price. If I can do it, I will."
Huang Yuan already knew from Renji that his daughter wasn't just possessed.
The ghost inside her likely had deeper motives—and might even turn on the entire family next.
All he wanted now was for Renji to deal with the spirit as soon as possible.
"Ten million Hong Kong dollars."
Huang Yuan had money, so Renji asked for more than usual. Still, he didn't go overboard.
When he heard the price, Huang Yuan let out a breath of relief. If Renji had asked for his entire company, he would've given it—painfully—but ten million? That was nothing.
He might even send a bonus, just like last time.
"All right, Master. Please, come with me."
He pushed the door open and led Renji into the room.
The moment the door creaked open, the girl lying on the bed glared at them with murderous eyes.
"You old bastard! Let me go or I'll kill myself right here!"
Huang Yuan's heart tightened.
His daughter used to be so well-behaved and thoughtful. Seeing her like this was unbearable.
He turned toward Renji with a trembling voice.
"Master... can you fix this?"
"I can. It's just a minor possession."
Renji nodded.
He formed a hand seal and tapped Huang Wudie's forehead with his fingers.
He couldn't use lightning here—if he did, the girl would die along with the ghost.
"A Daoist?!"
The ghost inside her immediately sensed danger. Her shrill voice tore through the room like a scream made of knives.
"You can't kill me! If I die, this girl dies too! You don't want your daughter to die, do you?!"
Sensing death approaching, the ghost started begging.
"Please don't kill me! I promise I'll be good! I can even be your daughter instead! I'll behave, really—just don't kill me!!"
Renji's voice was calm and cold.
"Just a ghost's last whimper before death."
The spirit wouldn't last long. He was already waiting for the Wheel of Merit to reward him.
Suddenly, the girl's tone softened.
"Daddy... it's me... I'm scared. Can you come talk to me?"
Her expression turned innocent and weak. She looked fragile, almost real.
Huang Yuan instinctively stepped forward.
But before he could take another step, Renji grabbed his arm.
"She's still inside your daughter's body. If you go near her now, you're in danger."
Huang Yuan froze in place.
The girl on the bed quickly dropped the act. Her expression twisted in fury.
"Why?! Why does she get everything and I get nothing?!"
"My dad's a gambling addict! My mom's always sick! I had a brother in school! Since I was twelve, I had to carry the whole damn family!"
"I dropped out of school and started fighting in the streets. Every day, slashing and bleeding for a scrap of territory, just to survive!"
"But her?! She was born into luxury!"
"She bumped into me once—just once—and now she gets to live the high life while I rot? Why shouldn't I take what she doesn't even appreciate?!"
The ghost's screams filled the room, echoing with pain and rage.
She had finally gotten to taste what it meant to live well, and now it was slipping away.
Why were some people born in palaces, while others were born as beasts of burden?
Why were people celebrating someone else's birth with gold, while she had nothing?
She smoked, fought, drank, got abortions. But she was still human.
Didn't every girl want to be good?
"So that's why, despite all your talk of suicide, you never actually did it."
Renji chuckled, his tone mocking.
"You couldn't bear to lose this body, could you?"
This ghost was a delinquent. After stealing a rich girl's life, she didn't want to let go.
But she had exposed herself the moment she returned to her old habits—dyed hair, piercings, drinking, and biker gangs.
That drastic shift made it obvious to Huang Yuan.
"If you'd stayed quiet, no one would've noticed. But you couldn't hide what you were."
Renji narrowed his eyes.
"But there's one thing I don't understand."
"Your soul... it doesn't feel like a ghost. There's no ghostly aura, no yin energy. You feel exactly like a normal person."
"If you'd copied her behavior properly, I wouldn't have even known."
"What kind of ghost are you?"
This was a first for Renji.
He couldn't detect any ghostly energy from her at all. It was as if she had fully blended into the girl's body—no trace of spirit remained.
If she had approached him pretending to be Huang Wudie, he might not have noticed.
Strangely, she didn't seem capable of leaving the body, either.
Renji had originally planned to strike her soul directly, but seeing her like this made him hesitate.
He was curious—what kind of ghost couldn't leave the body?
Any spirit with a chance to escape would've run by now. But she stayed.
"You bastard Daoist! I'm not telling you anything!"
The ghost's voice turned feral again.
"And even if this girl doesn't die now, she'll never be the same! If I can't have this life, she won't either!"
"Old man, we could've lived in peace! I just wanted to enjoy the life she threw away!"
"But now you brought in a Daoist? Fine. Then your daughter can suffer too!"
Her howls faded slowly.
On the bed, Huang Wudie's expression twisted in pain—then slowly softened into a quiet, peaceful look.
"Master... my daughter...?"
"One of her three souls is gone."
Renji's voice was flat.
"It wasn't devoured. It's not inside the body either. It was forced out."
This ghost was unusual.
She was weak, yet able to possess a body without leaving behind a single trace of spiritual energy.
She had forced the original soul out of the body and taken full control.
This wasn't some vengeful spirit roaming free.
It was something else.
Something deeper.
Something darker.
(End of Chapter)
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