Corpse Head Song, You're in Serious Trouble

As Corpse Head Song spoke, he was steadily playing the fish.

Judging by the look of it, this fish was no small one.

But hearing his words made my heart jolt.

He had taken one look at me and already seen that something had happened to me.

He wanted me to stay, clearly because he meant to protect me.

Still, his words were far too blunt and not exactly pleasant to hear.

But none of that mattered. I had come here to ask him for help anyway.

Without wasting any time, I hurriedly replied,

"Thank you, sir. I'll stay."

After saying that, I quickly walked over.

Corpse Head Song was excitedly playing the fish.

It was a Giant Black Carp, easily over ten pounds.

After a while, he worked the fish over to the bank.

I knew what to do and hurriedly grabbed the landing net to help.

"Sir, this fish is huge. You're amazing!"

Hearing that, Corpse Head Song burst into laughter, looking extremely pleased with himself.

"Nothing to it, nothing to it. Yes, yes, scoop it like that. Don't let it get away."

Naturally, I was extra careful.

For fishermen like him, losing a big fish hurt worse than getting killed.

If I messed up the landing net, I could not guarantee anything.

Even if I brought out Uncle Yu's bargaining chip, this old man probably would not help me.

Before long, I netted the fish onto the shore.

Corpse Head Song was extremely excited, speaking especially loudly.

It was as if he was afraid the other fishermen would not know he had caught a Giant Black Carp.

Yet all the fishermen around us wore grim expressions, watching Corpse Head Song show off with utter disdain.

I stood beside him without saying anything. I deliberately avoided his shadow too, not daring to offend him.

Only after showing off for quite a while did he put the Giant Black Carp into his fish bag.

Then he clapped his hands, turned to glance at me, and said,

"Seeing how well you know the ropes, do you know what kind of trouble you're in?"

I nodded and answered honestly.

"I do. I came here today to ask you to help me escape this danger."

But Corpse Head Song merely chuckled and shook his head.

"There's no need to talk about escaping danger. The corpse spots have already spread to your neck. You're dead for sure.

"But you're a decent kid. You brought me some luck.

"So I'll protect you for one night and let you live one more day.

"If you want to stay, stay. If not, suit yourself..."

Corpse Head Song spoke very directly.

There was no beating around the bush, nor was he coy about it.

It was obvious that this old man was a man of temperament.

And I liked dealing with people who were straightforward like that.

But one night was definitely not enough. I had to shake off the haunting of Zhang Qiang and those other ghosts.

I did not waste any more words and spoke again.

"Sir, if you're saving someone, see it through. If you're sending Buddha west, send him all the way.

"Uncle Yu told me to find you. He said that if you save me,

"he's willing to make Yin Food fish bait for you for three months.

"And he'll keep your secret forever."

Upon hearing that, Corpse Head Song began stroking the little beard on his chin, then narrowed his eyes at me.

"Uncle Yu? Yu Long, right?

"That kid is really a piece of work.

"But he's actually willing to make fish bait for me for three months?"

I nodded.

"That's what Uncle Yu told me at the hospital.

"He said you were more capable than him. If you were willing to step in,

"you could definitely settle what's happening to me. Once he gets out of the hospital, he'll make fish bait for you for three months."

At that, Corpse Head Song's eyes widened, and a hint of panic appeared on his face.

"Yu Long went to the hospital?"

Seeing Corpse Head Song suddenly become nervous,

it seemed his relationship with Uncle Yu, his fellow disciple, was not as bad as Uncle Yu had described.

I nodded.

"Uncle Yu hurt his neck last night while helping me. Something dirty injured him, and he's still in the hospital."

"How is he?"

Corpse Head Song pretended to be calm, but his gaze kept wandering.

"Uncle Yu's condition has stabilized. As long as the wound doesn't get infected, he'll be fine."

I answered truthfully.

Hearing that, Corpse Head Song visibly relaxed.

Then he said to me,

"That kid's just a cook, yet he dared to mess with dirty things. He had it coming.

"But I am more capable than that guy.

"Since he's willing to make fish bait for me for three months,

"tell me everything you've encountered these past few days.

"Don't leave out a single detail. Let me see whether I can save you."

Seeing Corpse Head Song get down to business, I nodded repeatedly.

I began by telling him how I got a girlfriend a year ago.

Then how I gave her a coin, how I later encountered her in dissection class with a coin still in her mouth.

I told him about Zhang Qiang and the Dissection Teacher suddenly dying violently.

How I met Uncle Yu, how Uncle Yu used Yin Dish to send off ghosts, only for Old Ghost to ruin it afterward.

Then I told him about going to the Cursed House and Uncle Yu getting injured.

And what happened when I encountered the Hearse on the way to the hospital.

I told him everything in full detail, revealing nearly every single detail.

After listening, Corpse Head Song frowned deeply.

From time to time, he looked at me with astonishment.

His expression was strange, to say the least.

In the end, he even asked for my Eight Characters.

He said he wanted to see whether my fate was weak and whether my Eight Characters attracted yin energy.

But after one look, he complained,

"What kind of garbage Eight Characters are these? Killing, Blade, Injury, and Owl—you've got the whole set.

"With Eight Characters this lousy, you didn't die young? You even got into medical school?

"Either smoke rose from your ancestors' graves, or you stepped in dog shit."

After saying that, Corpse Head Song suddenly froze, as though he had thought of something.

He did not cast his line again. Instead, he stroked his goatee and stared me up and down with an odd look in his eyes.

Every so often, he even licked his lips.

As he looked at me, he suddenly seemed to grow excited.

That stare made my hair stand on end, and I even clenched my legs together.

I kept feeling like he was plotting something against me.

But I had gotten into university through hard work and steady effort.

I had no idea how many days and nights of studying it had taken. It was not because of dumb luck.

I said nothing, but I was not happy about it.

Still, what he meant was clearly that my Eight Characters were bad and prone to attracting disaster...

At last, Corpse Head Song withdrew his gaze and returned to normal.

He took my left hand and examined my palm and wrist.

I could not make heads or tails of palm reading.

But my wrist was covered in patches of black corpse spots.

After studying me for a long time, he shook his head and said,

"Kid, what you're involved in is more serious than I thought.

"By all rights, your life should have ended long ago.

"But the reason you've lived until today probably isn't because that idiot Yu Long has been protecting you.

"It's because your ex-girlfriend has been protecting you!"

Hearing that, I froze on the spot.

My ex-girlfriend had been protecting me?

I stared wide-eyed at Corpse Head Song, not quite understanding.

"Sir, could you explain that more clearly?"

Corpse Head Song smiled and continued,

"To put it simply, your fate isn't good. You have the fate of someone who dies young.

"Under normal circumstances, you definitely wouldn't have lived this long."

The more Corpse Head Song said, the more confused I became.

Seeing my complicated and shocked expression, he continued.

"My guess is

"that you've survived until now because your ex-girlfriend has been protecting you.

"The way she protected you was by giving you those coins.

"Her leaving you probably had nothing to do with you not using that coin.

"Rather, something must have gone wrong with your ex-girlfriend herself.

"Otherwise, a ghost capable of getting you Fortune Coins would not have had her physical body dug out and dissected.

"That meant she could barely protect herself and had no time to look after you.

"You didn't receive any new Fortune Coins, and your fate was already so bad. Naturally, ghosts began clinging to you."

Corpse Head Song explained my actual situation in simple terms that I could understand.

Then, seeing that I was still in shock, he added casually,

"As far as I'm concerned, sending away the ghosts haunting you won't be difficult.

"You could say it'd be effortless, something I could do with a wave of my hand.

"But if you want to keep living, that'll be difficult..."