Ghost Tamer 15
Tang Xi was halfway through eating his incense when he felt the man holding him start acting up again.
The soft fur on his cat ears was stroked—once, then again.
He tried to focus on his incense, but after a few more bites, that mischievous hand continued its teasing.
Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.
His voice, though meant to scold, came out soft and petulant—more like a spoiled complaint than real anger.
That single sound traveled straight beyond the barrier, reaching the ears of every exorcist waiting outside.
The pillars of the exorcist world were so terrified they nearly dropped to their knees, trembling like quails, not daring to make a sound.
They exchanged horrified glances, their eyes filled with the same unspoken fear:
Did we just witness something we shouldn’t have? Are we going to be silenced?!
The few people hiding at the back, though equally afraid, also felt a flicker of hope.
They had been eagerly waiting for this stunningly beautiful shiki to fall out of favor with Ji Fuqing—hoping he would be cast aside so they could take the opportunity to curry favor with Ji Fuqing themselves.
But the scene they had expected never happened.
Instead, what they heard was—
The man who had always been as distant as the snow-capped mountains was now coaxing his shiki like a lover.
Muffled sounds of the ghost throwing a tiny tantrum mixed with Ji Fuqing’s low, tempting reassurances drifted from inside.
At this point, the exorcists outside wished they could stab their own ears deaf, terrified that Ji Fuqing might actually kill them just to keep this a secret.
It wasn’t until Ji Fuqing finally managed to pacify the sulking youth—by some unknown means—that he called them inside.
With the resolve of men marching to their deaths, the exorcists stepped forward.
The moment they entered, they were greeted with the sight of a small golden-furred kitten rolling around on the couch.
Tang Xi, back in his tiny cat form, was happily playing, swishing his fluffy tail as he chased a little paper figurine.
In an effort to appease his sulking kitten, Ji Fuqing had even summoned his own paper familiars—deliberately using them to tease the little kitten.
Every time he was about to catch it, the paper figure would suddenly speed up, only to slow down again on purpose.
Tang Xi scurried forward on his four short legs, trying his best to catch the paper.
“Greetings to the Celestial Master.”
The ghost exorcists below lowered their heads, not daring to look up. Meanwhile, Tang Xi finally managed to grab the darting paper figure.
Curiously, he glanced at the group of ghost exorcists.
He didn’t understand why they looked so frightened. Were they… afraid of him?
Tang Xi felt that he had made significant progress as a vengeful ghost—even to the point of being able to control ghostly flames.
Feeling a bit proud, the little kitten ghost accidentally loosened his grip, and the paper figure took the chance to escape from his paw pads.
Ji Fuqing picked up the little kitten and gently smoothed down his fur, responding absentmindedly with a hum.
The Ji family patriarch spoke up, “Ancestor, I’ve erased all discussions about you from the outside world, and the trending topics have been suppressed.”
When he first saw the topic trending online, he was nearly scared to death. But what shocked him even more was what happened next—
The ancestor had actually come to him personally, demanding that all photos of him on the internet be deleted. He even specifically instructed him to erase any posts or images related to that particular ghost.
Seeing a smartphone in Ji Fuqing’s hands felt bizarrely out of place.
The Ji family patriarch was satisfied when he noticed the astonished expressions on the other families’ ghost exorcists upon hearing his words.
Ji Fuqing simply responded, “Mm.”
Tang Xi suddenly remembered something. He looked up and meowed at Ji Fuqing, “Meow meow meow?”
Then he quickly realized that the man couldn’t understand cat language, so he shifted into his ghostly form, sitting on Ji Fuqing and asking, “How is Bai Qiaosheng doing?”
The original protagonist shou had developed yin-yang eyes after meeting Tian Rourou, but he couldn’t close them again. So, he had decided to join the Ji family and learn ghost exorcism.
Ji Fuqing was displeased that Tang Xi was bringing up someone else. His voice turned cold as he replied, “Ji Ziang is teaching him now.”
Hearing his son’s name, the Ji family patriarch instinctively looked up, but when he saw the intimate posture between the man and the ghost, he quickly lowered his head again. With a slightly obsequious tone, he said, “My son is currently training at home.”
Tang Xi’s eyes lit up. “That’s great! Let’s go see him!”
He tugged at Ji Fuqing’s sleeve, looking expectant.
Since he had accidentally pulled Bai Qiaosheng into this world, he naturally wanted to check if the boy was adjusting well to the exorcist circle.
Although the storyline mentioned that Bai Qiaosheng had a natural talent for ghost exorcism, Tang Xi still felt more at ease confirming it in person.
Ji Fuqing’s expression darkened slightly. He leaned in and whispered something into Tang Xi’s ear.
Tang Xi’s face slowly turned red. In the end, he awkwardly nodded.
Ji Fuqing, now in a much better mood, no longer minded that the little ghost wanted to check on another man.
He carried Tang Xi and followed the Ji family patriarch to see Ji Ziang.
Before they even entered the room, they could already feel a chilling ghostly aura.
The Ji family patriarch looked slightly embarrassed. “He’s probably exorcising a ghost.”
Ji Fuqing didn’t expose him, nor did he question why a ghost would appear in such a prominent family of exorcists.
Tang Xi happily raised his hand and knocked on Ji Ziang’s door.
To his surprise, the one who opened the door wasn’t Ji Ziang himself but a ghost that barely reached his calf. The ghost had a ghastly blue face, sharp fangs, lifeless ashen eyes, and hands as stiff as withered branches.
The moment Tang Xi looked down, he met the little ghost’s eerie gaze. Startled, he instinctively transformed back into his cat form—this time without embarrassing himself too much—though his ears still betrayed him by perking up in fright.
Ji Ziang appeared behind the ghost. He had initially been frowning, but when he saw who had arrived, he was visibly stunned and blurted out, “Why are you here?”
From behind, the Ji family patriarch shot him a warning look before scolding, “How dare you speak to the Ancestor’s shiki like that? Where are your manners?!”
Ji Ziang’s expression stiffened. Without another word, he pulled out a storage pouch and quickly sealed the little ghost away. Then, he respectfully greeted Ji Fuqing.
Tang Xi, still curious, tilted his head. “Where did that little ghost come from?”
Ji Ziang fell silent for a moment before replying, “It’s a shiki I just tamed.”
For some reason, his mind had been filled with images of Tang Xi’s bright and lively expressions. Before he realized it, he had already started flipping through books on taming ghosts.
But the ghost he tamed was nothing like the boy—nothing like his endearing foolishness. Of course, no ghost could be as simple and naive as him.
The boy was special, but… that specialness didn’t belong to him.
Tang Xi didn’t notice the turmoil in Ji Ziang’s expression. He tilted his head and asked, “Did something happen to Bai Qiaosheng?”
Ji Ziang snapped back to reality, a bitter smile creeping onto his face. “So… you weren’t here for me.”
Realizing his own slip, he quickly composed himself and stepped aside, revealing the full view of the room. Bai Qiaosheng was sitting within a ritual circle, meditating with his eyes closed.
Ji Ziang said, “As you can see, he’s doing just fine.”
Seeing that Bai Qiaosheng was unharmed, Tang Xi finally relaxed. He had wanted to catch up a little, but before he could, Ji Fuqing—suddenly struck with jealousy—rubbed his cat ears.
“You’ve seen him. Let’s go.”
With his sensitive ears being handled, Tang Xi didn’t dare act out. He could only let out a reluctant whimper and follow Ji Fuqing back.
As soon as they returned, Tang Xi was pinned onto the cloud-soft bed, his cat ears being relentlessly teased.
His mind grew hazy under Ji Fuqing’s low, coaxing murmurs. Even his tail appeared involuntarily, the tip twitching before being grasped and toyed with. Ji Fuqing’s fingers then trailed down to the more sensitive base of his tail.
Ji Fuqing murmured, “What should you call me?”
Tang Xi whimpered for a long while before finally, with red-rimmed eyes, whispering, “…M-Master.”
The moment the words left his lips, he was caught in a kiss. Ji Fuqing’s spiritual energy surged out uncontrollably, wrapping around him, seeping into every crevice—even slipping between his fingers.
Earlier, Ji Fuqing had only agreed to bring him here under this condition. Now, even if Tang Xi wanted to escape, he could only endure being teased.
After all, he had agreed to call him Master and to let him do as he pleased.
But the man holding him was getting bolder, his hands gradually sliding over his curves.
A chill ran down Tang Xi’s spine, and his dazed mind suddenly cleared. He realized—Ji Fuqing wasn’t even planning to prepare anything before proceeding!
It’s so big… It’ll kill the cat!
Tang Xi immediately called for a halt, puffing up in protest.
But as he continued scolding, he suddenly noticed Ji Fuqing’s expression darken.
“Why do you know so much?” the man gritted his teeth.
It was because, in the previous worlds, it was you who taught me everything—step by step.
Tang Xi was taken aback by his harsh tone. Feeling a bit wronged but not knowing how to explain, he lowered his head and sulked in silence.
Seeing him stay quiet only made Ji Fuqing’s chest feel even tighter.
He had a file on the boy’s past life. According to the records, he had been a young master who loved to go out and have fun, spending every night in bars.
Someone like that had surely been in many relationships.
Ji Fuqing only cared for the vibrant boy before him now, the person in those records felt like a stranger.
But the mere thought that someone else had once held this soft, delicate youth the way he did filled him with uncontrollable violence.
He lowered his head and asked, “Do you want to recover your past memories?”
Tang Xi thought about the fragments of memories that had flashed through his mind when he was unconscious. Without hesitation, he nodded.
The air around Ji Fuqing instantly grew cold.
A normal exorcist might fear that a shiki recalling too much of its past would turn against its master. But Ji Fuqing only cared about one thing—
If the boy regained his past memories, he might start thinking about someone else.
Just the possibility made a murderous rage stir inside him. He wanted to erase everyone who had ever been connected to the boy.
For reasons even he couldn’t fully understand, Ji Fuqing still agreed to help Tang Xi recover his memories.
However, Tang Xi would have to find them on his own.
. . . . .
Tang Xi had been in this world for so long, yet now, he was finally back at the old mansion where it had all started.
Without him—the ghost bound to this place—the mansion’s ghostly aura had weakened considerably. The eerie chill in the air was gone.
In fact, plants had even begun creeping inside. Since it was in the mountains, the greenery had grown wild during his absence.
The moment he stepped inside, Tang Xi felt a strange sense of familiarity—one that didn’t belong to him.
Back on the first day, he had been too terrified to properly look at the mansion.
Now, he realized—it was a grand European-style estate, standing alone in the mountains.
Ji Fuqing formed a cleansing seal, instantly removing all filth and dust from the place. However, he deliberately avoided one room, leaving it untouched.
It was the very room where Tang Xi had first been transported.
Inside, dark stains of dried blood covered the floor in large patches.
Tang Xi trailed behind Ji Fuqing like a little shadow, peeking inside before immediately wanting to run away.
He could feel that this was the room carrying the heaviest emotions of his original self.
But before he could escape, Ji Fuqing grabbed him by the back of his collar and carried him in.
“Do you remember anything?”
Tang Xi picked up a photo from the floor. In it, a woman was smiling at him with gentle warmth.
Suddenly, fragmented memories surged forth.
A woman stood barefoot on shattered glass, tears streaming down her face. She looked at ‘him’ and said, “you must grow up well,” before turning and jumping from the rooftop.
The scene shifted—everything was in black and white. ‘He’ was at a funeral. The woman’s memorial photo had been chosen carelessly, and people around ‘him’ were smiling with false sympathy.
‘He’ left the suffocating funeral hall, which had become nothing more than a place for adults to socialize.
When ‘he’ returned home, his once kind father stood there with another woman and said, “This is your new mother.”
That woman had a son who looked only a year younger than him…
These were the original character’s memories. After his mother’s suicide, his father had brought in a mistress and her illegitimate child.
Yet, the home in these memories wasn’t the old mansion.
When Tang Xi snapped out of the past, he realized—his face was already covered in tears of blood.