The little shop fell silent. Wu Jiayou's breathing quickened as he picked up on the meaning behind Zhang Xiao's words.
Anyone in this line of work would encounter a few things they couldn't explain. If they hadn't, they simply hadn't been doing it long enough.
Even in the one-in-ten-thousand chance that someone was lucky enough never to encounter such things, someone around them certainly would have.
"Daoist-" Wu Jiayou's voice instinctively dropped. "Did you learn to command spirit troops and perform altar rituals on Dragon-Tiger Mountain?"
Zhang Xiao scratched his head, his expression rather peculiar.
"Uh... more or less?"
Half excited and half solemn, Wu Jiayou continued.
"Daoist, there's no 'more or less' about this. These things aren't a joke, or something for ignorant children to test their courage with or treat as spooky stories."
He paused, then said gravely,
"Your life is at stake here. One wrong move, and someone could die.
"They say the teachings aren't passed on lightly. Sometimes, even asking is inappropriate, so it certainly wouldn't be right for me to ask exactly what you learned.
"So, Daoist, allow me, Wu Lao'er, to ask one bold question.
"Are you truly confident?"
Zhang Xiao put away his smile. Equally serious, he answered solemnly,
"Mr. Wu, I wouldn't take on a job I didn't have the tools for!"
"Good!" Wu Lao'er clapped his hands, invigorated. "As it happens, I really do have a case that's been hanging around for ages. It's incredibly eerie. Feng shui is my main business. I handle weddings and funerals too, but with funerals, I only officiate.
"Actually dealing with something supernatural makes me a little nervous. Come, Daoist Zhang, let's sit down and talk."
Wu Jiayou led Zhang Xiao to a table. Once they were seated, he brewed some tea. His technique might