"I'm being unreasonable?" Hu Jiu laughed, releasing his grip on the door. "How am I being unreasonable?"
Gao Qiuhai straightened his scarf. "I've investigated your background. You only control one ghost, while I Ghost Tamer two. I'm both your senior and someone stronger than you. I hope you can correct your attitude and stop being so ungrateful."
"Oh, I wonder what you have to say, senior?" Hu Jiu said sarcastically. Last time when Ghost Grass sealed off the city, the fact that he controlled two ghosts had already been made public at Headquarters. This guy's information was far too outdated.
"I told you, I just wanted to make a deal with you, but you insisted on making things like this." Gao Qiuhai took a step forward, as if to enter the room.
Hu Jiu blocked his path. "Just say what you want to do right here."
Gao Qiuhai glanced coldly at Hu Jiu: "Your codename is [Strangling Ghost]. Do you know what my codename is?"
"You're not some celebrity, how would I know the code name of a stranger Ghost Tamer?" Hu Jiu retorted sarcastically.
Gao Qiuhai's face immediately darkened. He was very dissatisfied with Hu Jiu's attitude. Why wasn't this weakling who had only controlled a ghost being respectful and obsequious?
A glint of malice flashed in his eyes. "My codename is [The Hanged Ghost]."
Hu Jiu instantly realized. "You're here to find the Vengeful Ghost Puzzle?"
"You got it right." Gao Qiuhai expected Hu Jiu to show a panicked expression, but he was disappointed.
Hu Jiu seemed unaffected. "If I only control one ghost, and you want to take the puzzle piece from me, you're asking for my life. You don't expect me to give you my life, do you?"
It was obvious that Hu Jiu was being sarcastic, but Gao Qiuhai actually nodded seriously. "That's right, I'm here to trade your life!"
Hu Jiu was utterly shocked. How could there be such a fool in the world! He was immediately amused. "What made you have the illusion that I would trade my life for you?"
"Let me finish what I have to say." Gao Qiuhai cleared his throat. "As you know, Ghost Tamers generally have short lifespans, and you've only controlled one Fierce Ghost. You haven't balanced the Supernatural forces within you, so it won't be long before you die from the Fierce Ghost Revival. Since you're going to die anyway, you might as well make the most of your life before you die."
"What value will I bring? I'll be a stepping stone for you!" Hu Jiu raised his voice slightly.
"That's right, I want to obtain your ghost so that the two ghosts I control can achieve perfect balance. In this way, my strength will reach a new level." Gao Qiuhai said matter-of-factly. The two Fierce Ghosts within him were in conflict, but the second ghost he controlled was slightly stronger than the Hanged Ghost, making the balance very fragile. Therefore, he wanted to enhance the Hanged Ghost by perfecting the puzzle.
"Why should I? You want to take things further, why should I sacrifice for you? I don't owe you anything!" Hu Jiu asked bluntly.
"I have a higher ideal: I want to become the world's number one Ghost Tamer and permanently eliminate the Supernatural crisis for humanity. I have a firm will: I will never waver in my determination to serve the people, and no matter what happens in the future, I will continue on this path."
"To truly change this terrible era, sacrifice is inevitable. You may not understand, and you don't need to consider it; just obey. When I reach the pinnacle, I will surely restore peace and prosperity to our nation and the world!"
"The Fierce Ghost within you is an essential ingredient for my path to success. Rest assured, I will forever remember your contributions and protect your family. I will give your parents a vast fortune. As long as I have a breath left, I will protect them."
Gao Qiuhai's expression was tinged with fanaticism as he stared intently at Hu Jiu.
Hu Jiu looked at Gao Qiuhai as if he were a lunatic. Ghost Tamers are generally in poor mental condition, but it is rare to see someone so seriously and bizarrely ill.
"When Jing Ke attempted to assassinate the King of Qin, Jing Ke planned to present Fan Yuqi's head as a gift to the King, using it as a pretext to get close to him and facilitate the assassination. Fan Yuqi hearing Jing Ke's words, Fan Yuqi immediately drew his sword and committed suicide. I hope you can have Fan Yuqi's awareness. For the greater good, don't worry about your own life; your sacrifice will be worthwhile," Gao Qiuhai continued to persuade him.
"You only have a few months to live at most, so you might as well end it sooner. You'll also bring your parents a huge fortune and my protection. No matter how you look at it, it's a win-win situation..."
This is said as if Hu Jiu had gotten a huge advantage.
"What if I don't want to?" Hu Jiu calmly interrupted Gao Qiuhai's incessant chatter.
"Unwilling? That's not up to you! I control two ghosts, I'm definitely stronger than you. My friendly communication with you is enough to prove my sincerity. Otherwise, according to the usual Ghost Tamer controllers, I could just rob them outright!" Gao Qiuhai's tone was ruthless.
Hu Jiu chuckled, "But I just don't want to. I'm used to being selfish. Even if I only have one day left to live, I'll still live it to the fullest. What kind of nobody deserves my life-or-death sacrifice?"
"Hmph! You won't listen to reason, so don't blame me for being impolite!" Gao Qiuhai sneered.
"Sigh~" Hu Jiu sighed dramatically, "How about this, you offer me both of the ghosts on your body, and I will control them to climb to the top step by step and completely solve the Supernatural crisis for humanity. I'm younger than you, so it's more suitable for me to realize this great ideal!"
"Pah! I can't trust someone like you. How can you guarantee that you won't change your mind in the future? I have confidence in my willpower and will never be corrupted by the Supernatural, but you may not be so. I'm afraid that if you have power, you will do evil!" Gao Qiuhai said righteously.
Hu Jiu narrowed his eyes. "I'll return those words to you verbatim. You can harm an innocent person like me now for a high-sounding reason. Who knows if your ambition will swell in the future, and you'll use the banner of saving the world to satisfy your own selfish desires?"
"You're confident you can control two ghosts, yet you haven't made a move. You'd rather waste time talking to me than actually attack. Judging from your personality, I don't think you're a reasonable person. I bet you're in a terrible state, aren't you? You're afraid to act rashly!"
Gao Qiuhai's expression changed drastically in an instant, because Hu Jiu had hit his sore spot. For ordinary Ghost Tamers, using Supernatural meant irreversible depletion, so when Ghost Tamers clashed, few actually fought to the death; even if they won, it was a Pyrrhic victory.
If Hu Jiu refuses to cooperate and resists even at the risk of the Fierce Ghost Revival, Gao Qiuhai will inevitably suffer some damage even if he manages to subdue him. That's why he has been using rhetoric to coerce, entice, and morally blackmail Hu Jiu.
However, it seems that verbal battles are useless; physical battles are the only option. With that thought in mind, Gao Qiuhai immediately activated his Supernatural to attack Hu Jiu.
Bang--
A gunshot rang out, and Hu Jiu's counterattack came swiftly, giving Gao Qiuhai no chance to spout nonsense. He'd had enough of this farce; the noisy clown could step down.
Gao Qiuhai was shot at close range and was forced to retreat repeatedly.
The golden bullet could inflict some damage on the Ghost Tamer, but it didn't kill Gao Qiuhai outright. Instead, it enraged him. "Hu Jiu, you're courting death! How dare you fight back!"
He ripped off the scarf around his neck, revealing a blood-stained rope tightly wrapped around his neck, making his cervical spine sway precariously as if it might break at any moment.
In this situation, a normal person should have died long ago, but Gao Qiuhai is still strangely alive. With a slight movement, several blood-stained hemp ropes suddenly appear in mid-air and rush towards Hu Jiu's neck.
Hu Jiu was immediately trapped.
"Seeing how arrogant you were just now, I thought you were something special, but it turns out you're just a piece of trash. I took you down in one move." Gao Qiuhai said smugly, thinking that with the Hanging Rope around Hu Jiu's neck, the outcome was already clear.
However, the next moment, Gao Qiuhai was startled. Hu Jiu raised his hand, grabbed the rope around his neck, and casually tore it off!
"How is this possible!" Gao Qiuhai's eyes widened in disbelief, and he hurriedly activated the Supernatural within his body once more.
Hu Jiu felt a force pulling upwards from his neck and downwards from his ankles. The two forces were pulling at his body, as if they wanted to tear him in two.
The force pulling downwards must have come from the second ghost controlled by Gao Qiuhai, but unfortunately it still couldn't do anything to Hu Jiu.
Seeing Hu Jiu easily break free of his restraints again, Gao Qiuhai was speechless with shock. "No, this is impossible, you clearly only controlled one ghost..."
Hu Jiu retorted directly, "You want to deal with me, but you haven't even bothered to investigate my true information. Do you think you're the only one in the world who can control two ghosts? If you had carefully examined my background and family relationships, you would never have tried to trick me with those kinds of rhetoric. Why would I sacrifice myself for the happiness of my family? Don't be ridiculous!"
"You want something from me, yet you haven't even done the basic intelligence work properly. You're supposed to be able to see the big picture from small details? With your pathetic state, you think you can achieve some great ideal? Go get some more sleep; you can dream about anything!"
Gao Qiuhai's face flushed red with embarrassment and anger. He finally realized he had touched a brick wall, glared at Hu Jiu, and turned to leave.
"Stop! Did I say you could leave?" Hu Jiu's sinister voice rang out at the opportune moment.
Gao Qiuhai seemed somewhat exasperated. "What else do you want? To fight me? I'm warning you, even if you win this time, I'm not afraid of you. I have connections, you dare touch me... uh... oh..."
Before he could finish speaking, Hu Jiu grabbed his neck tightly, rendering him unable to utter a sound. He could only glare at Hu Jiu with resentful eyes. He hadn't expected Hu Jiu to actually dare to make a move. After all, conflicts between Ghost Tamers, once they really started, would inevitably lead to mutual exhaustion and heavy losses.
The exploration mission is about to begin tomorrow. Gao Qiuhai was originally very confident that even if Hu Jiu was wronged, he would endure it. He didn't expect Hu Jiu to play by the rules. Wasn't he afraid that his condition would decline and he would die in the Ghostly Ancient Tomb?
With his neck grabbed, Gao Qiuhai fought back, but this time he was truly terrified. All his Supernatural power seemed to vanish into thin air, unable to budge Hu Jiu in the slightest!
Even more terrifying, Hu Jiu actually managed to untie the Hanging Rope around his neck with his bare hands!
The hemp rope, which had become one with his flesh and blood, was torn off. Intense pain swept through his body, and Gao Qiuhai's panicked eyes were filled with pleading, probably wanting to beg for mercy, but Hu Jiu did not give him the chance.
Gao Qiuhai's neck was twisted three times clockwise like a pretzel, and he was completely dead. His corpse immediately began to revive. When the Fierce Ghost was fully awakened, Hu Jiu took the opportunity to copy it and then stuffed the corpse into Golden Corpse Bag.
"The Ghost Tamer codenamed [Hanged Ghost] attacked me, but I killed him in return..." Hu Jiu dialed Xiao Mei's number and briefly informed her of the situation.
Gao Qiuhai came to the hotel to see him openly, and his route was almost public knowledge, so he simply reported it directly.
Xiao Mei seemed shocked for a moment, but quickly helped Hu Jiu deal with the aftermath. She asked a very important question, "Do you have clear evidence that he attacked you first?"
"Yes! I have a video recording. It was definitely him who attacked first, trying to kill me." Hu Jiu was very detail-oriented and had long been prepared for Headquarters to investigate, so he quietly turned on his phone's recording function when Gao Qiuhai knocked on the door.
Xiao Mei breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. You have evidence, so you're in the right no matter what. I checked, and the second Ghost Tamer controlled by Gao Qiuhai, codenamed [Hanged Ghost], [Ghost Tripping Foot], was provided by Headquarters, so Headquarters has to take it back as per protocol."
"No problem, but can that Hanging Rope be considered as compensation for my emotional distress?" Hu Jiu asked again, "The Hanging Rope's ability highly overlaps with the Bloodstained White Silk I control, and it's of great help to me."
"Wait a moment." Xiao Mei paused for a moment before replying, "Okay."
The video was submitted to the higher authorities, and there's nothing more to say about it. Gao Qiuhai is undoubtedly at fault and needs to bear full responsibility. Hu Jiu's handling of the matter is reasonable, and it's also reasonable for him to ask for compensation for emotional distress.
Soon someone came and took away Gao Qiuhai's body, and also delivered an empty Golden Corpse Bag to Hu Jiu. Several figures peeked out from the corridor, probably disturbed by the noise earlier.
Xiao Mei reminded Hu Jiu: "One of Gao Qiuhai's relatives has a lot of power. Although you can't find fault with your actions in dealing with Gao Qiuhai, some people will side with their relatives regardless of right or wrong. He won't make things difficult for you openly, but he might resort to underhanded tactics in private."
"Thank you for reminding me." Hu Jiu thanked him politely. He hated the kind of thing where the older generation suffers the consequences of the younger generation's mistreatment. Indeed, murderers should be punished along with their entire families to avoid future trouble.
He has already copied the Supernatural codenamed [Ghost Tripping Foot], and will find an opportunity to have Gao Qiuhai, "the person above him," act as a test subject in the future.
The air was filled with a faint stench of decay. At Hu Jiu's request, they were moved to another room.
I spent a sleepless night.
Before they knew it, it was the next morning. Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on Hu Jiu. After breakfast, Hu Jiu headed to the meeting room where they had met the day before.
Many Ghost Tamers are staying at this hotel. I wonder if word has spread about what happened last night, and whether Gao Qiuhai has any close friends. If he does, Hu Jiu needs to be wary of them...