Chapter 16: Ghost Hunting

“Lower your voice!” Madam Wei snapped irritably. “Do you want the whole mansion to hear? Constantly talking about ghosts—even if there’s nothing, you’ll invite misfortune!”

Wei Jianming pursed his lips and asked Wei Ruyan, “What exactly happened?”

Wei Ruyan explained the situation.

“Alright,” Madam Wei said, “I’ve already sent Steward Zhou to invite Taoist priest Li. Just wait a bit.”

“When the Taoist priest arrives, take him directly to Shen Shilang’s courtyard,” Wei Ruyan instructed.

…

Before she knew it, it was time for Su Jinshi to leave for the gathering.

Usually, Su Jinshi enjoyed attending such gatherings, relishing the lively atmosphere.

As a scriptwriter who mostly worked from home, she had few opportunities to interact with outsiders.

So, gatherings were a good option for her.

But now, Su Jinshi was almost tempted to call Xiaomai and cancel.

The communication box’s timer hadn’t gone off yet, so Su Jinshi couldn’t tell Shen Shilang she was going out.

Su Jinshi left with her phone, got into the ride-share car she had called, and opened the game again. She saw Shen Shilang practicing calligraphy in his room, with Youmi lying at his feet. The scene looked peaceful and beautiful, making Su Jinshi reluctant to disturb him.

So she just watched quietly, without interacting with Shen Shilang.

When the car stopped at the restaurant, Su Jinshi closed the game and entered.

After giving the private room name, a waiter led Su Jinshi to the room.

Entering, she saw Xiaomai and Mo Jizong were already there, along with another classmate named Du Jinze, who had also stayed in the capital after graduation.

“Sorry I’m late,” Su Jinshi said as she entered.

“Not at all, you’re actually five minutes early,” Xiaomai said, showing Su Jinshi the time on her phone. “Kang Youwen and Lu Jiaying haven’t arrived yet.”

Su Jinshi always disliked being late but also wouldn’t arrive too early. She usually arrived four or five minutes before the agreed time. Relieved she wasn’t the last to arrive, she sat down next to Xiaomai.

“Jinshi, long time no see,” Mo Jizong greeted.

Su Jinshi smiled and nodded, “We haven’t met since graduation. Back then, everyone thought you’d stay in the capital. Who knew you’d end up in Shanghai instead.”

Mo Jizong had been quite popular in university—good-looking, from a well-off family, and academically excellent.

“I was determined to join my current company, but there were no positions in the capital, so I went to Shanghai. I was hoping for a chance to develop at the capital’s headquarters in the future,” Mo Jizong explained with a faint smile.

“That’s quite an achievement. It’s not easy to get into the Shanghai branch. Now that you’re in the capital, does that mean you got a promotion?” Du Jinze asked.

“Just a small promotion,” Mo Jizong said modestly, then turned to Su Jinshi, “By the way, Jinshi, I heard from Xiaomai that you’re working as a screenwriter now.”

Su Jinshi smiled sheepishly, “Just for short dramas.”

“Short drama screenwriting isn’t easy at all. It requires a very fast pace, with each episode of just a few minutes needing a plot climax,” Mo Jizong said.

Xiaomai exclaimed in surprise, “You seem to know quite a bit about this. Do you watch short dramas often?”

“I work in a film and television company. We’re about to expand into the short drama business. My trip to the capital is to oversee this development,” Mo Jizong explained, then said to Su Jinshi, “Jinshi, could I learn more from you about this? I wonder if we could invite you to write scripts for us.”

Su Jinshi smiled, “Of course, if there’s a suitable opportunity.”

“I heard from Xiaomai that the dramas you write rank very high on the platform,” Mo Jizong added another compliment.

A while later, Kang Youwen and Lu Jiaying also arrived.

The group chatted about their university days, their current work situations, and inevitably included some complaints about their companies and colleagues.

In such a setting, with everyone chatting, Su Jinshi didn’t feel comfortable taking out her phone to check on Shen Shilang in the game.

…

At the Wei Mansion.

When Steward Zhou returned with Taoist priest Li, the sky had already darkened.

The taoist priest walked along, holding a compass, appearing very serious.

When he met Madam Wei, she explained the recent situation in the mansion to him.

“If what you say is true, then it seems there are indeed ghosts haunting the mansion,” Taoist priest Li said. “However, I’ve been using this compass to observe the energy within the mansion, and its atmosphere remains relatively stable. There is no evil spiritual energy present, so this ghost appears to be an ordinary wandering spirit, without any ill intentions.”

“However, even if it’s a spirit without malice, staying in the mansion for a long time will drain the yang energy of the people living here.”

Madam Wei quickly said, “Then we’ll have to rely on you, Taoist, to drive away this ghost.”

“Of course,” Taoist priest Li said, “Now that I’m here, I’ll certainly help your household resolve this matter.”

“Taoist, I suspect the ghost is in a small courtyard in our mansion,” Wei Ruyan interjected. “Every time we’ve encountered the ghost, it’s been near that courtyard, and once it was near the person living there.”

“Then I shall go and take a look at that small courtyard,” Taoist priest Li said. “Please lead the way.”

“Taoist priest, please come this way,” Steward Zhou led him towards Shen Shilang’s small courtyard.

Wei Ruyan and Wei Jianming, both scared and curious, followed along, thinking that with the Taoist priest present, they needn’t fear the ghost.

Madam Wei hesitated for a moment before deciding to follow and take a look as well.

Taoist priest Li continued to hold his compass as Steward Zhou led the way to Shen Shilang’s small courtyard.

“It seems this wandering spirit indeed harbors no ill will,” he said. “The reactions along the way haven’t been very strong.”

“Taoist, but are the reactions getting stronger as we approach the small courtyard?” Wei Jianming quickly asked.

Taoist priest Li paused, thinking to himself that there were no ghosts haunting the Wei mansion at all. He observed that it was filled with righteous energy, though there was some killing energy brought back by General Wei.

With such killing energy present, what ghost would dare to cause trouble in the Wei Mansion?

But since he had come, he might as well earn some money.

Moreover, since the Wei family was so certain there were ghosts in the Mansion, if he said there weren’t any, it might seem his skills were too shallow to detect them.

So, Taoist priest Li nodded, “That’s correct.”

When they reached the entrance of Shen Shilang’s small courtyard, Wei Ruyan warned, “Be careful, Taoist. There’s a vicious dog in his courtyard, it’s very fierce.”

The servants who came along were holding clubs. Wei Jianming said carelessly, “If that vicious dog dares to charge at us, we’ll beat it to death.”

Taoist priest Li took two steps back as Wei Jianming ordered someone to push open the door.

Unexpectedly, unlike during the day, this time Youmi didn’t rush out.

It seemed he had understood Shen Shilang’s instructions and no longer blocked people’s way.

Shen Shilang, hearing the commotion outside, walked out with Youmi on a leash.

It was the first time Madam Wei and Wei Jianming had seen Youmi, and they were truly startled.