Customer First, A Final Meeting

"Are you the one behind her?" I asked coldly.

I always felt he must be working with the Onmyoji from the Island Nation.

As for him claiming to be an acquaintance of Xie Xiaotang, that was just an excuse.

Fatty looked at me, "What do you mean, the one behind her?" But he reacted quickly, adding, "Oh, you mean the one controlling her soul?"

He shook his head, "It wasn't me."

"Then do you know what really happened between her and us?"

Fatty shook his head again, "None of that is important. I'm not interested in knowing what happened between you, and I don't want to know. As for your origins, I've already guessed them. Like I said, she and I are old acquaintances. I'm handling her affairs."

This fatty seemed unreasonable.

"Then do you know who is controlling her soul?" I asked, controlling my temper.

This fatty couldn't be an ordinary person; he must have had some backing to dare to block us.

Judging by Sister Hong and Duan Hongbin's reactions, he was likely very powerful. Even if Sister Hong and Duan Hongbin teamed up, they might not be his match, or they wouldn't have been in such a stalemate.

Duan Hongbin spoke, but only I could hear him, "This is a bit tricky."

Fatty, however, spoke up, "I know. Judging by the execution, it's likely from the Onmyoji of the Island Nation. This is the Abe Family's Soul Restraining Technique. These Japanese are all like that, hyping up their petty tricks, but in reality, they're nothing special."

He suddenly reached out and grabbed Xie Xiaotang, his palm firmly covering the crown of her head. Xie Xiaotang let out a scream, and her face contorted in pain.

If Gu Song were here, he would definitely have gone berserk at this bastard.

Xu Qiuyan gasped, "Let her go!" She tried to rush forward, but I grabbed her. I had a feeling this fatty was performing some kind of ritual, trying to break the so-called Soul Restraining Technique of the Abe Family.

As expected, he soon let go, and Xie Xiaotang's expression was as if she had just woken from a dream.

She looked at the scene before her with surprise, and finally, her gaze fell on Fatty. "Are you Baozhengfo? Buddha Lord?"

Fatty smiled slightly at her.

Xie Xiaotang asked again, confused, "Why am I here?"

Fatty's smile faded, and his expression became somber. He looked at me.

I suddenly realized something. With Fatty's help, Xie Xiaotang had broken free from the Onmyoji's control, but she didn't seem to know she was dead. She was now just a spirit form, what we commonly call a ghost.

Xie Xiaotang seemed to be thinking about something, and suddenly her emotions became agitated. "Did... did I die?"

I said softly, "You remembered?"

She pursed her lips, "Yes. I was driving, and suddenly someone grabbed my head from behind and smashed it hard against the steering wheel, the windshield... it hurt so much, and the car crashed into the roadside..." She deflated at the thought, "So, I'm dead, aren't I?" She was asking Fatty.

Sister Hong and Duan Hongbin retreated.

Their original target was the Onmyoji behind Xie Xiaotang, but instead of the Onmyoji, this fatty appeared out of nowhere and broke the Soul Restraining Technique. What should they do next? Duan Hongbin looked at me.

I, on the other hand, was looking at Fatty.

Fatty smiled at Xie Xiaotang, "Yes, you're dead. Not only are you dead, but your soul was controlled by the person who killed you, and you were made to do their bidding."

"I'm dead, I'm dead!" Xie Xiaotang couldn't accept this reality.

"What about Gu Song? Is he alright?"

"He's fine," I replied.

Only then did Xie Xiaotang look at me, "And who are you?"

Fatty also looked at me, waiting for my answer.

"My name is Jiang Xiaobai, from Bureau Five, Section Nine. I'm in charge of investigating your case. Also, Gu Song's safety is temporarily my responsibility."

"Ninth Bureau? A newcomer?" Fatty squinted. I nodded; Xu Qiuyan and I were indeed newcomers.

I asked him, "You know the Ninth Bureau?"

"We've had dealings."

He didn't elaborate, but I couldn't help but be wary. What did "had dealings" mean? It depended on how you interpreted it. Maybe we were on opposing sides!

He seemed to guess my thoughts, "It's probably not what you think. I've assisted them on a few cases. We're friends, not enemies."

Even so, I didn't dare to believe him easily.

I've always been a very cautious person; it has to do with my experiences.

"Do you know Zhen Nanfang?" he asked me.

I shook my head; I really didn't know him.

"Then have you heard of the Little Monk?"

I still shook my head.

Fatty muttered, "He really is a newcomer."

"Do you know Xie Yi?" I asked back.

Fatty laughed, "Of course, I know him."

"Your name is Baozhengfo?" I asked curiously, as I had just heard Xie Xiaotang call him that.

"Yes, that's my real name."

I chuckled inwardly, surprised someone would actually go by that name.

"Don't laugh, my parents gave it to me, I can't help it. Do you know what my dad's name is?"

How could I possibly know? I could only shake my head.

"His name is Bao Ping'an."

Xu Qiuyan couldn't hold back any longer and let out a "pfft" of laughter.

"I want to see Gu Song."

Xie Xiaotang walked up to me.

I thought for a moment and said, "Do you really want to see him?"

Xie Xiaotang nodded. "Yes, there are some things I want to say to him."

"You just want to see him? Don't you want to see your child?"

Her body trembled slightly. "You... you know about the child?"

I sighed. "I do. I also know that he was almost beaten to a pulp trying to save Gu Song."

Fatty said to Xie Xiaotang, "I told you from the beginning that I was against you two raising that little ghost. You two have ended up like this because it drained your luck. But it seems now that even without the little ghost, you wouldn't have escaped this calamity. It's fate."

"Fatty, what do you do for a living?"

Fatty looked at me and said, "I'm just a charlatan, I make a living by deceiving people."

Charlatan?

"To put it plainly, I'm a traveling salesman, I tell fortunes, I read Feng Shui, that sort of thing."

"You study Taoism?"

"I know a little bit."

"But she calls you Buddha Lord?" Xu Qiuyan said.

Fatty rolled his eyes. "I know a bit about Buddhism too. It depends on the client's needs. If the client believes in Buddhism, then I chant Amitabha. If the client believes in Taoism, then I chant Boundless Heavenly Lord. So I have two sets of outfits, I prepare both a kasaya and a Taoist robe."

Xu Qiuyan's eyes widened. She had never met anyone like this before.

"You don't understand, this is called professionalism, got it? Professionalism. Whether it's Buddhism or Taoism, as long as you have real skills and can get the job done for the client, you can make money."

I wanted to laugh but didn't. Although he said that himself, I knew very well that this guy had real substance. The way he skillfully removed the Onmyoji's control over Xie Xiaotang just now was very impressive.

Sister Hong had said that completely freeing Xie Xiaotang from the Onmyoji's control was not easy, even she couldn't do it, nor could Duan Hongbin.

Especially when the two sides were at each other's throats earlier, it was clear that both Duan Hongbin and Sister Hong were very afraid of this guy.

Sister Hong was a cold and arrogant person, even looking down on everyone, but in front of Fatty, she showed fear.

Duan Hongbin was also incredibly arrogant and so confident.

But earlier, he had told me that the other party was very tricky, implying that if a conflict really broke out, I should find a way to escape myself. He clearly didn't have the confidence to handle the other party. Or perhaps, he was afraid of being annihilated by the other party.

"Is Xiao Tian okay?"

As I was lost in thought, Xie Xiaotang asked again.

"He's fine, he just needs a good period of rest."

"That's good then."

I asked her, "Aren't you thinking about yourself?"

She turned to look at Fatty. "Can... can I stay here?"

Fatty shook his head. "No, not if you don't want Gu Song to die."

A look of sadness appeared on her face. "But I can't let go of them."

Fatty sighed. "Humans and ghosts have different paths. You've already missed your chance once, do you want to miss it a second time?"

Xie Xiaotang started crying, crying very sadly, her cries somewhat eerie.

Fatty comforted her, "Sister Xie, I know you can't bear to leave them, but it's come to this. You have to learn to let go."

"But why can she stay in this world?" Xie Xiaotang pointed at Sister Hong.

Sister Hong's expression changed slightly. Fatty glanced at Sister Hong, then looked at Xu Qiuyan. "That's her fate, just like your son being able to stay in this world is his fate. It's just that for every action, there is a consequence."

Xie Xiaotang was completely disappointed. She knew that Fatty would not let her stay.

Fatty coughed lightly. "Brother, let these two meet once, and then I'll send her away." I knew what he meant by sending her away; he was going to send Xie Xiaotang to where she belonged. I didn't expect him to actually have such abilities.

I nodded. "Okay, I promise you."

However, I didn't leave immediately. Instead, I said to Fatty, "We originally wanted to find that Onmyoji through her. With you interfering, that lead is broken."

"As long as that thing is still with you, the clue won't be broken," he said with a smile.

I was startled. How did he know?

"Don't look at me like that. That box she's holding should be the one you gave her, right? The box is empty, so the contents are still with you. The other party controlling her was to get what you have. Think about it, if their goal wasn't achieved, how could they give up so easily?"