Back in reality.
Gu Zhe looked at the members of the Ming Family.
"Everyone, I've slain the ghost. Xiao Fei is safe now."
"You can untie her."
Joy at her newfound lease on life shone in young Ming Xiao Fei's eyes. Even the exhaustion in her body, drenched in cold sweat, could not hide her excitement and happiness.
"I can feel it. That ghost really is dead. I even faintly heard its final dying wail. I can't feel its malicious gaze on me anymore."
"I feel more at ease than I ever have before."
Hearing their daughter's words, the middle-aged couple dropped to their knees.
"Wonderful, wonderful! Master Gu, thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you..."
"Waaah... Thank you so much. Thank you so much."
"You're being too kind. Please don't do this."
"Waaah... Not at all! We really are grateful. Saving our daughter means saving us, saving our entire family. You've pulled us back from a dead end!"
Ming Xuan also bowed in thanks.
"Mr. Gu, thank you so much."
After saying that, she looked at Gu Zhe again.
"Um, um, you must have paid a huge price, right? Um, how much money do you need...?"
She instinctively lowered her head and glanced at the tips of her toes.
Whatever she was thinking, her cheeks turned a little red.
"Y-you can give me your account number. Tell us how much you charge for helping us this time. Whatever the amount, we won't refuse."
The middle-aged couple nodded in agreement.
They knew Gu Zhe had never said he was here to work for free.
Besides, he had done so much and even said he would have to pay dearly to slay the evil ghost. The Ming Family ought to compensate him.
They were even worried that whatever they offered would not cover what he had sacrificed.
Gu Zhe shook his head.
"There's no need for payment. Killing the monster dropped a reward this time, so I gained something from slaying the evil ghost too. The world it lived in was rather interesting."
Apart from his most fundamental class talent, which he would never tell anyone about, Gu Zhe had always been forthright about everything else.
Why waste his energy hiding things from these ordinary people?
He would never hesitate to take payment when it was due. Now that he had obtained a secret realm, he was in a fairly good mood. Young Ming Xiao Fei also deserved a little credit for providing the lead.
Why would Gu Zhe care about such a small sum of money?
Some of the things he had said before setting off had merely been meant to tease this beauty.
If he had really been after money, her meager savings would never have been enough to get Young Master Gu to act.
Still, without this secret realm, he would have collected what he was owed. Those were the rules. As things stood, although he had saved someone, he would not deny that he had benefited from it too.
Young Master Gu always did as he pleased. He had always been a man who followed his heart!
Ming Xuan froze.
"But, but you said you'd have to pay dearly!"
Is it really because he gained something? she wondered.
For some reason, her voice grew quieter, and she became a little shy.
Ming Xiao Fei's parents nodded as well.
All three wondered just what Gu Zhe had sacrificed. He only looked slightly tired, but that made it all the more extraordinary. Surely he had paid some mysterious price beyond their understanding, so they could not recognize how it manifested.
Meanwhile, Liu Zhaodi, who had delivered the paper figures, watched everything in utter bewilderment.
What ghost? What are you all talking about?
Didn't you just burn some paper? And you tied that little girl up-with steel cables, no less. Are you serious?
Especially that instinctive glance Ming Xuan had cast at her feet, with her face all red.
Lady, could you stop being such a lovestruck fool?
Who are you putting on that shy little act for?
And Brother Gu, why aren't you taking any money?
Isn't making money the whole point of doing this mystical mumbo jumbo?
Killing ghosts and getting reward drops? Do you think this is a video game?
Liu Zhaodi felt as though she had seen through the truth.
Hah. Men. Such pigs!
"Hmph, being well-endowed sure gives a certain old woman an advantage. And could a certain someone stop being so soft on pretty women that he won't even take payment? These paper figures cost money, you know. So did my taxi ride..."
"Hmph, of course the flowers outside smell sweeter than the ones at home."
"I was here first, okay?"
Ming Xuan's face grew even redder.
"Um, Mr. Gu, you should still... still name a price. You did save my little sister, after all..."
Ming Xiao Fei's parents also cast meaningful looks at Gu Zhe and their niece, then at the pouting girl beside them.
They smiled without saying a word.
We do understand the world of young people, actually.
"Master Gu, exactly. These are separate matters. You should still receive the payment you're owed. We can't disregard the rules."
"After all, you must have paid a great price. We're already very grateful that you agreed to help for Xiao Xuan's sake. Otherwise, we can't imagine what might have happened..."
Gu Zhe shook his head.
He knew they would only truly feel at ease once he accepted their money.
"All right, then. Let's make it ten thousand. Haha, ten thousand for a day's work. Neither too much nor too little!"
"Uh, isn't that too little? You killed a real ghost..."
"It's fine. That's enough!"
"All right, all right..."
Sure enough, only after Gu Zhe accepted the money did they feel happy and believe the matter had truly been resolved.
Then the middle-aged man hesitantly asked another question:
"Master Gu, both you and that ghost said our Xiao Fei was some sort of spirit child with incredible spiritual sensitivity. In the future... could something like this happen again?"
The woman also looked worried, perhaps having thought of something herself.
She muttered, "The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, feats of strength, disorder, or spirits. The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, feats of strength, disorder, or spirits. Respect ghosts and gods, but keep your distance. People told me that before, but who could have imagined ghosts and gods really existed in this world? I shouldn't have worked as a rice diviner and let my daughter learn it. I didn't know ghosts were real either, or I would never have dared get involved."
"With Xiao Fei's condition, can she still keep her distance from ghosts and gods?"
"In the future, could she... could she... Waaah, what are we going to do? Master, is there anything you can do?"
Hearing this, the little girl's excitement at being rescued gave way to fear.
"Big brother, could you cripple my mystical powers?"
Gu Zhe was speechless. What novel had she gotten that idea from?
"Turning you into an idiot with an incomplete soul would probably do the trick."
"Ah, no! I don't want to be an idiot!"
"Even if you wanted to be one, I couldn't do it. I don't currently have the ability to cripple your mystical powers."
"Mr. Gu, aside from that, is there really no other way? What if... what if another ghost...?"
Gu Zhe smiled faintly.
"Don't worry. This was just a coincidence. Generally speaking, ghosts can't breach the boundary between yin and yang."
"Xiao Fei does have a talent for being a spirit medium, though. In the future, she could summon a connection with ghosts in the Netherworld. Of course, it would only be a connection, not actual possession, and she could drive them away herself at any time. What happened this time was a freak coincidence that would be very hard to repeat."
He fell silent for a moment.
"Hmm, avoid places rumored to be haunted, and try to stay home during the Ghost Festival!"
"Ah!!"
"Don't worry too much. Even if she does get possessed occasionally, ordinary ghosts don't have the means to come and go freely over and over like this one did. They can't survive in the world of the living for long either. As long as you keep your mind steady-your own body has spirit-flesh fusion, after all-and don't panic, you won't be swallowed up so easily. Perhaps stepping outside for a bit of sunlight would drive it away..."
"Ah!!"
The more he reassured them, the more worried they became.
You're making it sound awfully complicated and dangerous.
What do you mean, don't panic? Won't be swallowed up so easily? Might occasionally get possessed?
And what's this about summoning connections between yin and yang?
The more we hear, the more nervous we get, okay?
It all sounded mysterious and dangerous.
For a moment, they exchanged helpless looks.
Suddenly, the girl's father seemed to think of something.
"Master, why don't you take Xiao Fei as your disciple? From what you've said, she should be quite talented."
Ming Xuan nodded along.
"Yes, since Xiao Fei has a spiritual root, she can cultivate toward immortality too. Once she learns some skills, she'll be able to protect herself and subdue demons."
A gleam appeared in the girl's mother's eyes.
"Master, why don't you take Xiao Fei as your goddaughter? Neither of you is ordinary, so there must be a strong bond of fate between you. I can see that Xiao Fei likes you too. Quick, Xiao Fei, call him godfather."
Hearing her father and sister's suggestions, Ming Xiao Fei's eyes lit up, and she forgot all about being afraid.
Longing flashed through her heart. Riding the wind on a flying sword, I, Ming Xiao Fei, will master immortal arts and vanquish demons throughout the world. I, Ming Xiao Fei, will slay monsters and demons too...
Then she heard what her mother said.
She looked at Gu Zhe's youthful face.
Godfather?
Her cheeks flushed despite herself. I'm supposed to call a big brother this young my godfather?
Mom's going way too far.
For a moment, her lips moved uncertainly. There was no way she could say it aloud.
She said quietly, "He's clearly a big brother. I want to be his little sister, not his goddaughter."
Meanwhile, Liu Zhaodi was about to lose her mind.
An image flashed through her head.
Ten years later, Brother Gu would be just over thirty, at the charming prime of his life.
A beautiful twenty-two- or twenty-three-year-old woman would coyly call Brother Gu "godfather," while a certain old woman who couldn't see her own toes stood beside him, mature and stunning.
Meanwhile, she would only be able to pitifully run errands and do odd jobs.
She shuddered despite herself.
Instinctively, she shouted:
"I object to this marriage!"