Chapter 41 The Shady Inn

Just as the sky was turning pale, Liu Jun rubbed his still-heavy eyes, pushed the car door open, and stepped out. Ah, what a fresh and pleasant breeze—such air was simply a luxury in the city. To say nothing of other places, back where he lived, opening the window in the morning meant choking on acrid exhaust fumes.

After a short wait, the tow truck arrived. The driver seemed legitimate enough, quoting three hundred and fifty for the first base mile and twenty for every kilometer thereafter. Liu Jun didn't know much about such things; his only vehicle didn't require towing, as a broken chain meant simply using one's own legs to pedal.

The fatty chatted with the driver for a bit and decided the rates were reasonable, falling right in line with the phone estimate, so he gave the go-ahead.

Roughly two hours later, the tow truck dropped them off at an auto repair shop named "Sibo." Liu Jun and the fatty stepped out to inspect the premises; the renovations were decent, and the scale was fairly impressive, boasting four hydraulic lifts alone.

The boss came over to ask what happened. The fatty explained that a sudden hard brake caused all four tires to skid, and afterwards the car refused to start. The boss hopped in, cranked the ignition, but made no comment on the issue or the potential cost, saying only that they would need to tear the transmission apart to figure out which replacement parts were needed, their exact models, and the price.

Neither Liu Jun nor the fatty thought much of it at the time, as the boss's logic seemed sound. The owner called over three young fellows, who pushed the car onto a lift and immediately got to work.

After about an hour of tinkering, the malfunction was located. They claimed the hard braking was merely the catalyst, and the root cause was a worn-out clutch.

When the boss approached the fatty to negotiate the price, a fierce argument quickly broke out. Confused, Liu Jun stepped forward to ask what was going on.

"Damn it, Brother Liu! This is a complete rip-off joint," the fatty fumed. "The last time I replaced a four-piece clutch set at the official 4S dealership, it cost fifteen hundred. These bandits have the nerve to ask for thirteen thousand for the exact same parts!"

Though Liu Jun knew little about cars, he certainly recognized the vast gulf between fifteen hundred and thirteen thousand. He intended to reason with the shop owner and negotiate a fairer price. However, the boss proved utterly unyielding, sticking firmly to thirteen thousand. If they didn't like it, they could push the car out themselves and have it repaired elsewhere. Naturally, taking the car elsewhere wouldn't have been a problem, except the mechanics refused to reassemble the parts—even if offered a labor fee.

With the transmission and clutch already dismantled and components scattered all over the floor, how could anyone possibly drive away?

They called other repair shops, and after much difficulty, one finally agreed to send a crew with a tow truck to put the parts back together and haul it away for repairs. Yet the Sibo boss flatly refused to let them through the door, nearly smashing the arriving tow truck outside.

The standoff dragged on until dusk, when a final settlement of eight thousand yuan was hammered out for the repairs. Even then, the boss looked thoroughly reluctant and grumbled for a long time.

Once the car was fixed and pulled out onto the street, Liu Jun asked the fatty to stop for a moment. He took out Li Xin’s tube of lipstick and quickly sketched a talismanic seal right on the shop's threshold.

"As Tathagata obeys my command, spirits and ghosts must halt their wandering. If any dare defy my will, mountains and rocks shall shatter to dust. By this single decree, all roaming phantoms of the four directions, reveal yourselves at once!"

Before long, a minor ghost materialized before Liu Jun, trembling with fear. Had it not been for the Summoning Decree, the specter would have fled long ago.

Liu Jun pointed toward the auto shop and instructed the ghost, "Do you see that repair shop? Go in there and stir up as much chaos as business allows, but you are forbidden to harm any living soul. Do a thorough job, and seven days from now, I will personally help you descend to the netherworld for reincarnation."

Daring to scam money out of Liu Jun—the shop owner clearly had no idea how precious money was to him. Fleecing him back was only fair.

Understanding the command and enticed by the promise of reincarnation, the minor ghost happily bounded inside to go to work. Moments later, shrieks echoed from within the shop as the owner and his crew scrambled out head over heels.

Calmly, Liu Jun climbed back into the vehicle, and the fatty drove away. Throughout the journey, the fatty kept casting sideways glances, as if he had something on his tongue.

"Spit it out if you've got something to say instead of dragging your feet like a newlywed," Liu Jun snapped irritably.

"Brother Liu, as an orthodox Taoist practitioner, isn't it a bit unseemly to employ a minor ghost to fleece people?" the fatty hesitated before continuing. "I'm not trying to undermine you, I'm just worried it might affect your cultivation."

"Fatty, do you even know why I cultivate?" Liu Jun replied. "I don't have such lofty ideals; I practice Taoism purely to make money. And I make money simply to live comfortably—it's as straightforward as that. This shady mechanic cheated me out of my hard-earned cash and ruined my peace of mind. If I let him off with a smile, what would be the point of my cultivation?"

Liu Jun was the type of person who lacked grand ambitions; he cultivated his skills rather than his temperament, and becoming a moral saint was out of the question—never gonna happen in this lifetime.

"Brother Liu, that devil-may-care attitude of yours is precisely what I admire about you. Though, if you were to treat me to another meal, I'd respect you even more." The fatty only ever had food on his mind. Still, Liu Jun realized he was hungry too, having gone completely without food since the towing mishap.

"You're always full of requests. Let's find somewhere to eat. Look at me, I'm not even hungry," Liu Jun said. No sooner had the words left his mouth than his stomach let out a most uncooperative rumble.

They found a small eatery that, despite its modest size, served remarkably delicious food. After dinner, they drove back to the antique shop. Fortunately, the old master was away; had he found the doors locked for days on end, he surely would have docked Liu Jun's wages.

Liu Jun tidied up the shop a bit, recited the *Great Mystery Heart Scripture* for a while, and practiced drawing talismans. Dog Brother didn't come downstairs all night, which was just as well—otherwise, Liu Jun would have worried the hound might remember the dog food incident and take a swipe at him.

After a night of diligent cultivation, morning arrived, and just as he was locking up, the fatty returned from answering a phone call.

"Brother Liu, business is calling! Thirty thousand yuan to handle a little situation down at a construction site," the fatty announced mysteriously.

"If we're catching ghosts, just say so. Why are you acting like an underground operative exchanging secret codes?"

"I just figured our profession is rather mysterious, so we should keep a low profile."

"Give Li Xin a call and tell her to come over tonight so we can head to the construction site together. The kid loves a thrill, and as it happens, I need an extra pair of hands."

After heading home to catch up on sleep until the afternoon, Liu Jun drove over to pick up Li Xin and headed toward the construction site. Seated in the passenger seat, Li Xin turned to him with eager anticipation.

"Master, are you planning to take me on as a formal disciple? Is this some sort of preliminary training and test?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Don't read too much into it. I simply figured you had a genuine interest in this sort of thing, which is why I had the fatty invite you along. Besides, I do need a favor."

"Just name it, Master! Your business is my business, and whatever I can help with, I certainly will," Li Xin replied cheerfully. Though disappointed that Liu Jun still wasn't taking her on as a disciple, her mood remained undampened.

"It's nothing major. A shady auto repair shop called Sibo ripped me off earlier today, and I happened to hear that their site is currently haunted. I need you to act as a bridge for us so we can offer them our high-end services."

Li Xin was a sharp girl. Although she occasionally acted a bit eccentric, she quickly grasped Liu Jun's intent and patted her chest with absolute assurance that she would get the job done.

Upon arriving outside the perimeter of the construction site, Liu Jun learned that the project was contracted by the fatty's uncle. The uncle had been deeply troubled by the haunting rumors, and upon hearing from his nephew Liu Ping that the duo possessed genuine expertise, he decided to invite them to take a look out of sheer desperation.

The area was a newly developed plot, surrounded by desolate wilderness. Near the front stood an isolated grave, half-excavated, sitting forlornly amidst a patch of overgrown weeds. Looming directly behind the solitary grave was a dilapidated old house; its dark, windowless frames gaped like empty eye sockets, resembling a wild beast poised to devour its surroundings at any moment.