Ghost Tamer 3
“Meow—Aow!”
Tang Xi opened his mouth wide, trying desperately to spit out the golden spiritual energy.
After several failed attempts, he grew flustered and lifted his gaze toward his poop scooper.
For the first time, Ji Fuqing’s usually emotionless eyes revealed something else—surprise. Clearly, even he hadn’t expected this outcome.
Tang Xi reached out a paw, about to whimper and beg for help, when suddenly, a heat surged through his body.
Before he could react, the energy coursed through him, triggering a transformation—his small kitten form shifted into that of a human.
Ji Fuqing, who had lived for a thousand years and witnessed this situation for the first time, had his expression growing even more unreadable.
The lofty figure and the bewildered boy sitting on the ground locked eyes.
Tang Xi shivered. Now that he had returned to his human form, he felt especially cold—his clothes seemed to serve no real purpose.
At that moment, 1551 appeared at just the right time: [That’s because you’re a vengeful ghost. Of course, you’d feel cold.]
[Then can I go bask in the sun?]
[No, ghosts feel uncomfortable in sunlight.]
Why was being a ghost so difficult?
Tang Xi tugged pitifully at his slightly loose clothing.
Ji Fuqing watched as the boy lowered his head to avoid his gaze, only to suddenly look aggrieved, as if something had just crossed his mind.
For some reason, Ji Fuqing didn’t like seeing that expression on him. So, he reached out and gently touched the boy’s forehead.
There, a vermillion mark resembling a floral pattern was etched onto his skin—a symbol of their successfully forged contract.
“From now on, you are my shiki.”
His shiki, and his alone.
Tang Xi stared blankly, feeling a warmth radiate from where the man’s finger had touched his forehead. It instantly dispelled a large portion of the cold energy within him.
For a vengeful ghost, this should have been unbearable, but for Tang Xi—who loved basking in the sun—it was surprisingly comforting.
He reached out and grasped the man’s finger, tilting his head slightly as he smiled. “Mhm, I’m your shiki.”
His voice carried a hint of foolishness, as if he hadn’t quite grasped the situation.
Ji Fuqing’s eyelashes trembled. That strange, stirring feeling surfaced once again.
The first time was when he saw the little kitten.
The second was when it transformed into a vengeful ghost.
And now, this was the third.
Could this really be a vengeful ghost… or was it actually a bewitching ghost?
Ji Fuqing withdrew his finger and lightly brushed the corner of the boy’s eye.
Indeed, he had the face of a bewitching ghost, but his aura was far too heavy with yin energy. No bewitching ghost would have such dense yin energy.
Tang Xi had no idea what he was thinking and simply blinked obediently, letting him touch his face.
After probing further and confirming that the boy was truly just a ten-year-old vengeful ghost, Ji Fuqing withdrew his hand and ceased his touch.
He returned to his usual cold and indifferent demeanor.
The moment his hand left, Tang Xi immediately felt the chill creeping back in. He whimpered pitifully, “Don’t go.”
He wanted to be touched again—but saying something so embarrassing was impossible.
Ji Fuqing frowned, refusing to indulge this seemingly delicate shiki. “Don’t forget your manners. You should address me as ‘Master’.”
He knew that his spiritual energy was a natural threat to ghosts. The longer he touched them, the more unbearable it would become. He wasn’t sure what this little vengeful ghost was thinking, but to avoid harming him, it was best to keep some distance.
With that in mind, he took another step back.
But for some reason, the boy’s expression only looked even more pitiful.
Tang Xi huffed angrily: [1551, the poop scooper in this world have become so awful! They even want me to call him ‘Master’!]
1551 fanned the flames: [Exactly, exactly! We must not submit!]
The original character would never call a ghost exorcist “Master,” so this clueless cat getting angry by accident actually fit the character well.
1551 was calculating rapidly, feeling that it was truly a diligent and responsible system.
It had heard that the Supreme Judge would personally appear for this decade’s Best System Awards. Any system that placed in the rankings would surely earn the Supreme Judge’s praise.
. . . . .
“Celestial Master.”
Footsteps approached from outside the barrier, and several people stopped respectfully at the entrance, heads lowered.
Tang Xi realized that after becoming a vengeful ghost, he had indeed grown stronger. He could now sense even the slightest fluctuations of spiritual energy. At least in this regard, 1551 hadn’t let him down.
Ji Fuqing glanced at the boy still sitting on the ground, then retrieved a black robe from his storage pouch and tossed it to him.
“Put it on.”
Tang Xi stood up and donned the robe, then walked behind him, looking just like an emotionless puppet.
He found the robe rather unappealing—pitch black with a large hood that almost completely concealed him.
Ji Fuqing, unaware that his robe—refined from the essence of ten thousand ghosts—was being despised, only turned his attention to the people outside once the boy had properly dressed.
The people standing outside finally dared to enter in an orderly manner, respectfully greeting him with overlapping calls of “Celestial Master,” “Master,” with a few even addressing him as “Ancestor.”
Although Ji Fuqing was the ancestral patriarch of the Ji family, he had rarely shown much care for them. He spent most of his time in seclusion, and even when he emerged, he had little interaction with them. Nonetheless, his strength was unquestionable, and the Ji family was more than willing to serve him.
In fact, the Ji family’s current position as the leading ghost-exorcist clan was entirely thanks to their ancestor’s presence.
“What is it?” Ji Fuqing asked coolly.
The Ji family head stepped forward. “The younger generation has come to pay their respects.”
Another elder followed up, “May we ask, did you foresee some calamity, prompting you to leave seclusion this time?”
The last time Master Ji had emerged, it was because several vengeful ghosts with over a century of cultivation were wreaking havoc. They had nearly wiped out an entire town of tens of thousands. Master Ji had awakened, exorcised the ghosts, and then returned to seclusion.
But this time, not only had he come out, but he had even sought out a younger clan member—and, according to that member, brought back a ghost.
Could that ghost be a thousand-year-old vengeful ghost?
But that was impossible. Aside from their ancestor, no ghost or human should have survived for a thousand years. At most, they lasted a century.
A cold sweat broke out among the group.
“It’s nothing.”
Ji Fuqing’s voice was like divine salvation, rescuing them from their anxiety, as if they had been roasting over an open flame.
Tang Xi could feel the hesitant and wary gazes directed at him. He looked back at them.
The group clearly hadn’t expected the ghost to react, and they were startled.
Since they didn’t dare to stare directly at Ji Fuqing’s face, they instead examined Tang Xi, who stood beside him like a shadow.
They had assumed he was merely a new puppet under Master Ji’s control, but now it seemed he had his own consciousness.
Tang Xi gave them a grin.
Immediately, two streaks of blood-red tears slid from his eyes.
One of the exorcists standing at the front unconsciously stepped back in fear.
Everyone present was a family head or elder, possessing formidable strength. Normally, such petty ghost tricks wouldn’t faze them—but for some reason, this time was different.
This ghost belonged to Master Ji, which brought a different kind of fear.
Tang Xi hadn’t meant to shed tears of blood—it was just that he wasn’t used to being a vengeful ghost yet. Seeing that person get startled had, in turn, startled him as well.
Ji Fuqing reprimanded him lightly, “Don’t be mischievous.”
Though it was a reprimand, his tone was laced with indulgence.
The people below exchanged glances but didn’t dare show the slightest disrespect to the ghost, who appeared to have only ten years of cultivation.
After all, it was Master Ji’s shiki—it had to be extraordinary in some way.
Tang Xi, however, was completely confused. He could sense that the people in front of him were all incredibly powerful—the kind who could easily annihilate him.
Sure, he was a vengeful ghost, but that only meant he was dangerous to ordinary people and common exorcists. Against these elite exorcists, he would likely get beaten into submission.
He had no idea why they were suddenly being so respectful toward him, but that didn’t stop Tang Xi from basking in the favoritism. Lifting his chin, he immediately put on an air of arrogance, as if declaring, I’m strong and scary!
Ji Fuqing asked, “Is there a ghost that needs exorcising recently?”
The head of the Ji family was the first to react, quickly replying, “There’s a ghost haunting Changqing Academy. Victims have already appeared, and the situation is urgent. We originally planned to send my son, Ji Ziang, tomorrow.”
The exorcists who had been a step too slow could only grit their teeth as they watched him seize the opportunity to earn favor from the master.
Ji Fuqing nodded, acknowledging the information.
The Ji family head felt somewhat uneasy. The ancestor didn’t seem to have any impression of his youngest son, even though they had just gone to that haunted house together earlier today.
He was about to bite the bullet and mention Ji Ziang again when the noble and aloof man cast a cold glance their way and spoke slowly:
“I will go to Changqing Academy tomorrow. You are all dismissed. Do not interfere when the time comes.”
In other words, there was no need to send additional people—things should proceed as planned.
The Ji family head was thrilled.
His son had once again been personally chosen to accompany Master Ji, and the fact that he emphasized no one else should join could only mean that he valued his son.
I knew it! My son is destined for greatness—he must be a once-in-a-lifetime genius!
In reality, he was completely overthinking it. Ji Fuqing had no idea that Ji Ziang, the person accompanying him tomorrow, was the same young man who had guided him to the haunted house today. The reason he didn’t want anyone else tagging along was simply that he wanted to train his little shiki.
Tang Xi, unaware of what awaited him, was delighted as Ji Fuqing led him to a room of his own.
Just as the man was about to turn and leave, Tang Xi instinctively blurted out, “Aren’t you going to sleep with me?”
In his previous world, he had slept beside his poop scooper for decades, so he wasn’t used to being alone.
1551: [Character setting collapse warning! First warning issued!]
If he triggered too many warnings in one world, it would result in automatic failure and even a deduction of points.
Terrified, Tang Xi immediately clapped his hands over his mouth.
Ji Fuqing looked down at the little shiki.
It seemed like he had frightened himself with his own words—his eyes instantly welled up with tears.
After a brief hesitation, Ji Fuqing reassured him, “I’ll be in the room next door. Don’t be afraid.”
The last two words were so soft they were almost inaudible.
But Tang Xi heard them. He nodded pitifully. “Oh…”
Just like in the last world, his poop scooper didn’t remember him.
He watched as the door slowly closed. Only after it was completely shut did he turn around and start examining his room.
To accommodate him, Ji Fuqing had specifically removed all the talismans and magical artifacts that were originally in the room—worried that this foolish little shiki might accidentally hurt himself by touching them.
Tang Xi quietly walked over to the bed, gently lifted the blanket, and lay down.
But blankets couldn’t provide warmth to a ghost. He remained enveloped in an eerie chill.
1551 took the initiative to play a movie for him: [Let’s watch a movie!]
Though 1551 claimed these animated films were just for children, in reality, the ghost and the system ended up watching them all night.
The next day, Tang Xi woke up groggy and drowsy, a messy tuft of hair sticking up from his head.
Rubbing his eyes, he grumbled, Aren’t I a ghost? Why do I even need sleep?!
1551: [It’s already afternoon…]
He was ultimately dragged out of bed by Ji Fuqing. It was the first time Ancestor Ji had ever seen such a lazy creature.
So soft—like something that would cry if you took a bite.