Zhang Wentao's plea for help

Bai Yunxi called Ye Fan, whose cheerful voice rang out. "Yunxi, why are you calling me? Do you miss me? I know-you must miss me!"

"I just ran into a ghost," Bai Yunxi said coldly.

Ye Fan's smile faded, and he frowned. "That shouldn't happen! One of the beads in the bracelet I gave you has a concealment formation carved into it. Unless you got close to a malicious ghost, it shouldn't have noticed you." He had put considerable thought into keeping ghosts from coveting his chosen wife.

"My little niece seems to have attracted something unclean while playing Pen Immortal. I ran into it when I arrived," Bai Yunxi said.

"Are you scared? If you are, I'll skip the police hospital and come keep you company first," Ye Fan said.

Standing nearby, Zhang Wentao nearly coughed up blood in anger when he heard that. Did Ye Fan even understand what it meant to keep his word? Had he never heard of first come, first served? The moment he heard from Young Master Bai, he wanted to desert his post.

Bai Yunxi frowned. "No need. Take care of your business first. But that thing seemed to run away after the Lightning Talisman hit it. Will it come after my niece again?"

"If it left a mark on your niece, that's very possible," Ye Fan said.

Bai Yunxi knitted his brows. "Then what should we do?"

Ye Fan thought for a moment. "Just catch that ghost."

Bai Yunxi asked, "How?"

"Ghost Hunting is a piece of cake for me, but it won't be so easy for you," Ye Fan said, sounding troubled.

"You really are amazing!"

Ye Fan chuckled. "Of course, of course. Spend more time with me, and you'll see how capable, reliable, and outstanding I am! I'm a one-in-ten-thousand catch!"

"Then, Mr. Capable Perfect Match, what should we do now?" Bai Yunxi asked through gritted teeth.

Ye Fan considered it. "Put two Peace Talismans on that little girl for now. I'll sort this out for you when I get back."

"All right." Hearing Ye Fan's answer, Bai Yunxi relaxed a little.

Xiao Chi stepped out of the hospital room. "What did that bastard Ye Fan say?"

Bai Yunxi smiled awkwardly. "He said he'd help resolve it when he gets back."

Xiao Chi nodded. "Good. I heard that brat hangs around your office all day and refuses to leave. He doesn't interfere with your work, does he?"

Bai Yunxi smiled. "It's not too bad. When I tell him to shut up, he stops talking."

Xiao Chi: "..."

Zhang Wentao looked at Ye Fan and couldn't help saying, "Young Master Ye, you really care about Young Master Bai!"

"Of course I do. He's my future wife!" Ye Fan said as though it were obvious. "Let's get this over with quickly. I have to hurry back to Yunxi. If he's scared, I can give him a hug. Seriously, why did I come out with you to treat a bunch of stinking men? I should have gone to the hospital with Yunxi. Then maybe he would have gotten scared when he saw the ghost and thrown himself into my arms."

By the time Ye Fan finished, he was shaking his head in regret, looking as though he had suffered a terrible injustice.

Zhang Wentao's mouth twitched. "I'm truly sorry, but I don't think Young Master Bai scares that easily!"

"I heard watching horror movies can bring people closer. I wonder if seeing real ghosts has the same effect. Do you think taking Yunxi to see ghosts would help our relationship heat up?" Ye Fan asked excitedly.

Zhang Wentao smiled. "Ghosts aren't something you can see whenever you feel like it."

Ye Fan chuckled. "Oh, that's not difficult. I just bought a haunted house! I checked it out, and there are dozens of ghosts living inside."

"A haunted house?"

Ye Fan nodded. "I fell in love with it at first sight. The place is full of yin energy, and the living should keep away. It's in a great location. You can come take a look sometime."

Zhang Wentao smiled. "Sure!" In the past, haunted-house owners had always invited him over to catch ghosts. This was the first time anyone had invited him to tour one. "A place you chose must be extraordinary, Young Master Ye."

"Of course! Just look at my taste!" Ye Fan's lips curled into a smug smile.

Zhang Wentao: "..."

As soon as Zhang Wentao reached the hospital, a youth wearing a Daoist robe came out to meet him.

"Senior brother, where did you go? Several martial uncles have been looking for you," Zhang Xuan said.

"I know. I went to get help, didn't I?" Zhang Wentao hurriedly replied.

Zhang Xuan looked at Ye Fan, deep suspicion flashing in his eyes. "Senior brother, is he the help you brought?"

Zhang Wentao nodded. "That's right."

Zhang Xuan gave Ye Fan a cold, critical look. "Senior brother, don't tell me you slipped up and brought back a fraud. I hear the outside world is full of swindlers."

Ye Fan nodded in wholehearted agreement. "Yes, yes! There are far too many scammers in this world. A couple of days ago, someone called claiming to be my boss and told me to transfer money to him. Who could possibly be the boss of a peerless expert like me? What a joke!" Ye Fan patted Zhang Xuan's shoulder. "Kid, you look like you have a serious case of teenage delusions. Scammers love fooling people like you. You need to wise up!"

Zhang Xuan: "..."

Zhang Wentao lowered his head, feeling helpless. Every time Ye Fan opened his mouth, he managed to infuriate someone beyond belief!

"May I ask which sect you studied under?" Zhang Xuan asked through gritted teeth.

"The Jade Cloud Sect," Ye Fan said.

Zhang Xuan frowned. "Never heard of it."

Ye Fan nodded. "Naturally." The Jade Cloud Sect wasn't here, so of course this fellow wouldn't have heard of it. Ye Fan was telling the truth, but to Zhang Xuan, it sounded as though Ye Fan was mocking his ignorance.

Zhang Xuan looked at Ye Fan, a challenging glint in his eyes. "It's rare to meet a fellow practitioner from another school. Would you care to give me some pointers, Young Master Ye?"

A hint of helplessness flashed in Zhang Wentao's eyes. Zhang Xuan was good in every way except for being far too competitive. He came from Dragon Tiger Mountain's direct lineage, possessed outstanding talent, and was highly regarded by several elders. The "help" Zhang Wentao had brought seemed too young, which had apparently rubbed Zhang Xuan the wrong way.

In truth, Zhang Wentao wasn't sure how skilled Ye Fan was either, but judging by the talismans he had produced, he suspected Ye Fan was no ordinary person.

"How do you want to compete?" Ye Fan asked.

Zhang Xuan took up a stance. "We'll duel with magic!"

Ye Fan nodded. "All right."

Ye Fan drove a punch into Zhang Xuan and sent him flying. He had put thirty percent of his spiritual power into the blow. Although Zhang Xuan had learned a few magical arts, he was still flesh and blood, and Ye Fan knocked him away in a single strike.

Ye Fan withdrew his fist. "Done."

Zhang Wentao: "..." Wasn't this supposed to be a magical duel? Why had Ye Fan turned it into a fistfight? "Young Master Ye, you..."

Ye Fan frowned, looking slightly displeased. "I'm pressed for time. I still have to get back to my wife. I don't have time to waste on this little brat. Young people are always so hotheaded and competitive!"

Zhang Wentao: "..." Young Master Ye, you're young too! Someone in his twenties could already have established a family and career in ancient times, but in the world of magical arts, that was still the age of a novice.

"Let's go," Ye Fan said.

"Young Master Ye, my junior brother..."

"Don't worry. I didn't hit him hard. He's just unconscious. He'll wake up after resting a while," Ye Fan said.

Zhang Wentao breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. That's good."

"All right, let's stop talking about this and hurry over to those unlucky fellows. If they're steeped in corpse qi for too long, they might end up brain-damaged!" Ye Fan said.

Zhang Wentao: "..."

The unconscious special forces soldiers had all been placed on the hospital's third floor.

Ye Fan examined the patients in each room, looking thoughtful.

"Young Master Ye, is there a problem?"

Ye Fan shook his head. "No problem." All he needed to do was gather the corpse qi using the Corpse-Driving Sect's methods. Ye Fan formed hand seals, and wisps of corpse qi surged out, gathering at his fingertips. He converted the corpse qi into spiritual qi and drew it into his body.

After drawing the corpse qi out of everyone in the rooms, Ye Fan felt his strength increase considerably.

Ye Fan's lips lifted into a lighthearted smile. Corpse qi was also a form of spiritual qi. The orthodox sects on the Cultivation Continent all cultivated by absorbing spiritual qi, so he had forgotten that corpse qi could be used as well. This world had far too little spiritual qi; he had to make use of everything available. Even if he didn't get the materials Zhang Wentao had promised, he wouldn't be losing out.

"You bastard! How dare you ambush me!" Zhang Xuan charged toward Ye Fan.

"Junior brother, calm down!" Zhang Wentao said nervously.

Ye Fan frowned at the approaching Zhang Xuan. By his calculations, Zhang Xuan should have been out for another hour. He hadn't expected the fellow to recover so quickly. Forming a hand seal with one hand, Ye Fan cast a Wind Break spell with the other and sent Zhang Xuan flying.

Watching Zhang Xuan slam hard into the wall, Zhang Wentao felt a flicker of pity. Being sent flying like that twice in one day had to be utterly humiliating for his junior brother. If he couldn't handle it well, it might leave him with a deep psychological scar.

Ye Fan finished casting and smiled. "All done. Get a few doctors to examine those people."

Zhang Wentao nodded. "All right."

Zhang Wentao entered a room and checked one patient's electroencephalogram. "Young Master Ye, your skills truly are extraordinary." The effect had been immediate! Zhang Wentao looked at Ye Fan warily, an indescribable reverence rising within him.

Ye Fan waved a hand. "You flatter me! When can we go look at the materials?"

"If you'd like to go, we can go right now," Zhang Wentao said.

Ye Fan nodded. "Good. Let's get it done quickly, before you hide all the good stuff."

Zhang Wentao: "..."