Volume 5 - CH 2

Location: Taiwan

Time: 2:30 pm

I seemed to have heard senior saying the job will be done by me. It was all an illusion… and my mind wandered off.

“Chu, you’ve been in a daze long enough.” With a “bang,” senior smacked me behind my head, which almost made me fall to the ground face flat. Fortunately, I stood firmly, or else the rocks on the ground would have stabbed my head.

Hey, don’t you know that when someone is in a trance, it’s easy to become careless and will be sent flying easily…

After I snapped out of my trance, the lady in office suit was already far away.

What did they said just now? Tell me, they really didn’t say anything just now, right!?

“You can say whatever you want.” Senior lifted his cap and patted it before putting it on. Both of us were currently standing on a busy and crowded intersection of a business district, where many people were coming and going.

The time passed by really quickly.

“Uh… actually, it’s not such a big deal…” I had a feeling I should really start my journey of writing my will, luckily I’m experienced in this already. This time, I have a better understanding of how to deal with it.

Ah… I suddenly felt the air was sweet, even though there were a lot of exhausts coming the cars driving by.

I’m not sure if it was because of these two months of “honing oneself,” my mood was abnormally very calm.

“Don’t worry, you won’t die. I’ll make sure to immediately bring you back to get treated by Tyre when you still have one breath left.” A very cold was said as a response.

This sentence is so familiar… I remember now, it was during the first time I met senior; his hellish train killer speech!

“Uh huh, but it’ll be rather painful.” Senior narrowed his eyes and added. I immediately had an extreme misconception where the bottom of my heart felt really chilly and turned into ice.

“I know.” Because I’m already very experienced. That’s right, I finally know what was not right.

I have already been in school for two months, and I have yet to be admitted to the hospital, other than my first day in school when I fainted because I got frightened. A new discovery of the history! I broke my long cursed record! Oh, oh God, this really is too amazing.

It might be because of the school being a killer school, and with my bad luck, a negative plus a negative gives a positive, so I became less unlucky?

“It’s impossible for that to happen.” As soon as the green light of the intersection turned on, senior replied to my thoughts and starting walking away. I could only follow him.

It’s not like giving me a small little hope would affect you!

After walking past a few roads, I realized I recognise this place. This was the part of the city where I watched a movie together with Miao Miao and Geng, the mall where less people went to nowadays. I heard from mom that this place used to be terribly busy a few years ago, since it operates every night until the early morn. However, now, the shops closed early to relatively help save money to pay for electricity.

This place was rather close to my house, and by walking, it would allow me to reach home quickly.

Senior, who was walking slightly in front, pulled his cap further down, but didn’t stop walking, “In fact, the work given by client Hong Yue is not really difficult, and you should be able to deal with it. Meanwhile you can also try other types of charms and arrays. You wouldn’t be able to intervene with the job entrusted by the Seventh Master of Spring and Autumn, so just look at it as an experience you can learn from.”

“Ah?” I looked at senior, feeling rather surprised, “I thought the both of them entrusted us with the same job.” Because both the place was at the construction site. Normally, it would mean it was the same problem.

Senior shook his head, and long black hair swished left and right in front of me. This caused me to think of some sort of shampoo advertisement, “The two things are not the same. Beast of Scroll is an ancient spiritual beast, a type of animal Elf especially there to protect an object. But even if it wakes up, it wouldn’t cause any earthquake or the like.”

An Elf that protects?

I frowned, I have never heard of this before. Normally, if there were any miracles, then this place would have had a temple or what-not built here.

The credit its due had probably be given to the Temple of the Land God, because just like the Seventh Master, no one knew of its existence.

“That year, after humans have entered the history of civilization, the Beast of Scroll voluntarily allowed the Seventh Master to seal and it entered deep sleep. It was sealed at the lake side, and its sleep has lasted for at least thousands of years.”

I took out my notebook, writing while walking. But if it was thousands of years ago, counting back, then it must have happened in this place during the ancient times, right?

It probably it wasn’t as big as it is now, since the place should fundamentally be an inhabited small island.

I looked at the road lined with cars waiting for the traffic light in front of my eyes. Nn, in fact, it’s pretty hard to imagine that.

“It’s almost time, do you want to eat something?” Looking at his watch, senior, who was walking in front, asked casually.

“Ah, I guess not.” A while back, I just ate a hotdog, so I’m currently not hungry.

Taking a glance at the time; half past two, seems like we had unconsciously spent quite some time on the job. That’s strange, why didn’t I feel anything, and it felt like time had passed really quickly.

“Ming Yang!” Not long after I followed senior into the city, someone suddenly called out and patted me behind my back.

Turning back, I saw a considered-to-be familiar face.

“Your friend?” Senior stopped, turned around, and glanced at me. He probably didn’t think I would be stopped by someone.

Behind was a group of people, both males and females, probably about five or six of them. However, I didn’t know more than half of people. Nevertheless, I recognize the person who called me; it was my schoolmate from middle school.

Since it was the weekend, I guess they met up to go shopping or the like? It was Saturday, so it was normal for people to appear in the city.

“Nn, he is my classmate from middle school. His name is Ho Zheng.” I made a general introduction to senior, before turning around to face my former schoolmate.

I had not seen him since last summer, about four months ago, and suddenly felt he was rather unfamiliar; did he look like this in the past? It seemed like I couldn’t clearly remember him,”Zheng, he is my second year senior at my current school.”

Senior nodded politely towards my schoolmate, without mentioning any words of friendship.

I glanced at Zheng’s friends, and most of them were dressed in clothes that were extremely… popular with youngsters. As a matter of fact, I wasn’t that close of a friend with him. In the past, in school, our conversation consist of mostly greeting each other, and borrowing homework.

When I occasionally recalled the past, I found out that during my three years of middle school, I probably only had one true friend — the gifted lucky student. His personality was really very good, and he was the only nice guy who didn’t view me as an unlucky person.

“Hello, Senior.” Ho Zheng opened his mouth and laughed as he greeted Senior. His attitude was rather frivolous and not at all serious. I heard a girl behind asking him who I was, then Ho Zheng said I was the person he kept mentioning to her about.

“Chu, let’s go.” Senior, who seemed like he wasn’t keen to getting to know people, turned his head and wanted to leave.

I could absolutely feel he didn’t have the slightest bit of a good impression on my former schoolmate.

There was a girl with curly hair at the other side, suddenly pulled senior, “Zheng’s former schoolmate and schoolmate’s senior, since everyone knows one another, just follow us and go singing together; the more the merrier.” She curiously tilted her head, wanting to look at the face below senior’s cap. Senior then smacked her hand away, frowned, and turned his head.

I thought it was already considered as merciful for him to not snap the girl’s hand. In the past, there was time when I was in the health care center, and I saw the assistant casually patting him, only to get kicked by a chain of foot techniques. On the spot, the wooly aborigine turned into a furless aborigine, wailing for half the day because he couldn’t even get up.

From this incident, one would know senior extremely hates others touching him.

“Ming Yang, come and have fun with us together with your senior, since you guys looked free right now.” It looked like Ho Zheng was still very enthusiastic when he issued an invitation.

I shook my head, “We still have something to do.” I needed to go back home and report, or else my mom would definitely settle the accounts with me.

“Let’s go, let’s go.” A group of people started to coax, but we didn’t even know each other, so why the coaxing? Whether if senior and I went or not, it doesn’t matter, right?

After causing such a scene, it would feel rather weird if we don’t go.

“If you want to go then just go.” Senior crossed his arms and said coldly.

But I don’t really want to go.

“Senior, let’s go together. We won’t ask you to pay for us, don’t worry.” In the group of people, there was a person who looked older smiling at us, “Since you’re Zheng’s friends, let’s go, let’s go.” After he finished saying, a few people surrounded, pulled, and half-heartedly dragged us away.

For me, from the beginning until now, this type of many-people-grouping-together was the hardest to deal with.

Unexpectedly, senior was actually obedient as he went along with their wishes and followed them. Could it be that he didn’t want to make a move due to the consideration of not wanting corpses to be littered around this place?

Nn, it was actually very possible. But when did senior become so kind-hearted?

Puzzled.

Following the crowd, I already knew which shop they were headed to, because in the city, there’s only one shop that caters to students with offers where the number of people would decide the number of extra hours given and the like. I’ve always heard about it from the other schoolmates, but I have never been there before.

Public places were too dangerous for me.

“That’s right, Ming Yang. Is your condition still the same as in the past?” Ho Zheng, who kept walking beside me, asked.

“It’s the same, is there any problem?” I glanced up ahead, the person who looked older was talking to senior; a one-way conversation, because senior turned his head to the other side, completely ignoring him, but he could still happily talk by himself. The other people whom I didn’t know were gathered in one group while laughing loudly and fooling around. People who were passing-by avoided us and left quickly, as though they were afraid we would invite trouble.

“Uh, I didn’t mean it that way. You seemed to have less injuries all over your body compared to last time?”

“Ah?” Of course there’re no injuries all over my body because the medicine the assistant used was too effective.

I suddenly remembered what I’d forgotten! I’d forgotten to ask what kind of medicine it was, since it was very effective!

“After meeting senior and the others, I don’t get injured that often anymore.” This should be considered as the truth. Apart from countless of horrifying experiences of being at the brink of death, I didn’t really get injured that much.

“Oh, that’s great.” I don’t know if it was my imagination, but I kept feeling Ho Zheng looked like he wanted ask something.

Ho Zheng, who probably got bored chatting with me, went back to his companions’ sde, laughing while saying something. I took two quick steps and reached the front, and walked beside senior.

Senior was deep in thought while looking at his fist.

Uh… this can’t be, right?

“If I want him to shut up, I guess one punch should be enough.” Glaring at the person who was still talking to himself, senior had a very strong desire of landing his fist on the person’s face.

“It’s better not to cause a commotion in the city.” Come on, boss, you’ll be hunted down by the police.

“Don’t worry, Black Robes have their own privileges no matter where they go.” Senior patted me on my shoulder.

The problem doesn’t lie there, alright?

In the end, senior didn’t reward him with a punch that would have directly allow him to enter the gates of heaven.

We were taken to the city’s singing center, and because it was a holiday, there were more young students going in and out of the place while there were relatively lesser young adults.

The second I entered the building, for some reason I felt the hairs all over my body standing its ends. It felt extremely cold inside. Was there something here?

“There are many things coming in and out of this place.” Senior lifted his head to look around the luxuriously decorated lobby, and casually gave me a conclusion.

Can you please explain what the so-called “things” are? What does the word “many” mean!?

“You’ve been in the school for so long and you still can’t see them?” Senior turned around, narrowed his eyes, and looked at me.

It felt like I was being stared at by some poisonous snake or wild beast, and my body unconsciously shrunk back.

Also, the time I was in school was definitely not long, only two months, and also you need to minus the blank periods where I was frightened until I blacked out.

Although I couldn’t see, I still felt a kind of creepy feeling. I kept feeling there was something wrong with this place, and my subconscious kept telling me it was better to immediately leave this place.

“Dear guests, your friends have already gone into the room.” The waiter who was standing nearby reminded us, and it was only then when I realized only the two of us were left in the lobby.

Why didn’t they tell us before they left? Such impoliteness.

After we asked for the room number, under the kind waiter’s lead, we went through a very long corridor, and stopped in front of a door of a room. After we said our thanks, the waiter left.

Just as I was about to open the door, a lowered down voice escaped through the gaps of the door. I couldn’t hear it very clearly, but I knew approximately what they were saying, “Ah, just now didn’t you say that schoolmate of yours is an unlucky person, unlucky no matter where he went. Why didn’t we get to see anything after such a long time? You made us look forward to it, so you better not fool us.”

“He really used to be very unlucky, but how would I know he wasn’t unlucky anymore.”

“Ah! Maybe we might see something when we start singing…”

“Hahaha. I’ll use my cell phone to take a video and let my good friends see this.”

“Me, too!”

I closed the door, cutting off the voice.

I knew, because I wasn’t close him, they shouldn’t have any reason to treat us to sing… Really, I actually already knew. Just like in the past.

“Do you still want to sing?” Senior, who was standing behind, took out his cell phone, suddenly interrupting my thoughts, “I don’t like to be treated by people whom I’m not close with, so we could simply just find others to come over.”

“Yeah?” I opened my eyes wide, surprised.

Senior dialed a number, and regardless of whether I was surprised or shocked, he very spontaneously talked to the person at the other end of the phone after it connected, “Nn… Help me to check there’s a shop listed on my current list. I seem to have seen it not too long ago.” The other person answered, and senior nodded, “I’m already here, help me to ask for the shop owner’s wishes.”

After the conversation ended, senior turned off his cell phone.

“Job?” I obviously heard his conversation.

“Nn, I called the damn money grabbing fellow.” Senior dialed from his cell phone again, this time it was picked up very quickly, “Want to come to Chu’s world to sing? My treat.”

“Who did you call!?” I took one step back, senior actually spontaneously invited others here.

“Gasai.”

“What?!”

This time, he didn’t call, he switched to sending messages, and they were sent really quickly. I couldn’t stop him in time. Are you from the legendary Godly Power Thumb clan, “A few people from your class, I usually see you guys together.”

“My class?” Wait a minute! My class? We have rivals in our class—!

“Incidentally, I should also message the three from Alis Academy. You guys seem to get along well, too.”

Senior! Enough! Stop!

I deeply felt senior wanted this shop to collapse, since he called all the people who would start fights with each other to come here. What does he want to do!?

Very soon, his cell phone rang, senior casually picked it up, “Nn, alright, then I’ll deal with this job at the same time.” And hung up the phone after a few seconds.

“Let us count how many people will come.”

I suddenly felt rather faint. I want to go home. A warm and gentle home, a home with a comfortable bed. To escape from here, running would quickly get me back to my cute home.

“Dear customers, is there any problem?” The same waiter was holding onto a towel and headed to where we were when he saw us standing around, and kindly came to inquire.

“Help me open another room.” Senior boldly took out the legendary universal credit card, the bright glare caused my eyes to hurt, “I want the largest room in your shop.”

The waiter froze.

I dazed off. I realized I keep receiving very huge impacts today, causing my head to have difficulty operating. Figuratively speaking, it was like a gear that has been forgotten to be oiled for three hundred years. My head felt rather dizzy. I need a break, I really do.

“Ming Yang, why are you guys still standing outside and not coming in?” The small door of the room was pulled open. Ho Zheng, who came out of the room, saw us standing outside the door, stopped and asked in a puzzled manner, “Quickly come in, we’re already selecting the songs!”

“That’s…” I was thinking of how to tell him about senior being unhappy, so opened a huge room and invited others here to have fun, and thus, we won’t be singing with them.

“Excuse me, please do not stand in the middle of the road, alright?” While I was thinking, a hand suddenly emerged from the side, pushed Ho Zheng, who was blocking the hallway, on his face to force him back into the room, “Looks like I’m the first one here.”

To be honest, Ryan’s usual long hair covering his face was a mess, and it made him look like a tramp. At that moment, his sudden appearance in the dim corridor really felt like seeing a ghost. Just like senior, he also turned his hair black before coming here, his type of black hair strengthened the ghost-like feeling.

“Whoa!” Ho Zheng was really freaked out.

Because I was accustomed to being scared at school, I was miraculously and completely unmoved by it by his appearance even at this degree.

“What are you screaming for? Move aside.” The second one was Ryan’s partner, Chifuyu. He looked at Ho Zheng with disgust before stopping in front of me, “Yang Yang, you actually went to see the juvenile delinquent’s match but didn’t come see Ryan’s match.” Thick glasses issued a sharp glint, I same kind of feeling where I was caught by a company’s superior for playing games during working hours.

That’s not right! It’s not like he is paying me salary, why should I be afraid of him!

“Uh… because I got lost.” But then again, I was still very afraid.

“Because this uncle is more handsome! So of course~~ Yang would come and see me.”

He’s here! He appeared!

At that moment, I saw lightning from the sky striking the earth, generating evil sparks and electric around us.

A mysterious flowered-shirt Taiwan visitor appeared at the corner of the corridor, using the light in the corridor as a spotlight, striking a cool pose. However, it was completely destroyed by his ten thousand years old shirt, beach shorts, and slippers.

“Nonsense! Ryan is a million times better than you!”

“Uh huh, how can a tramp be compared to me.”

The both of you are about the same; one is a Taiwan visitor and the other one is a tramp. Also, your conversations are similar to old ladies quarrelling in the market regarding whose husband is better.

Ryan, who was the victim, completely ignored the two people who were arguing in the corridor, and was whispering to senior about something.

Why are you guys standing here? Not going into the room?” Interrupting the two who started going all out in their argument, was a gentle voice which came from the great senior Geng. Then, everyone remembered the waiter who was forgotten for who knows how long.

The waiter was completely petrified. Black lines filled his face, and was at a loss on what he should do while standing at the same spot looking at the strange crowd appearing in front of his eyes.

I bet he was thinking whether or not he should report to his superior about the strange people that had gathered.

“Anyway, I’ve never been to this kind of place before.” While pushing his glasses back, Chifuyu curiously looked around.

“Lame.” The five-color rooster head would never forget to add sarcastic comments.

I’m really sorry, I’d only been here once, too.

“That’s right, Gasai said something had suddenly popped out.” Senior kept his phone, and said to everyone, “If he’s not here later, it means he won’t be coming.”

I don’t know if I saw it wrongly, but for a split second, Chifuyu’s expression had a hint of disappointment.

“Miao Miao also said she will be coming a little later. She said something about dressing up and the like. I really don’t know what’s there to dress up for.” The ten thousand years tramp said with a gloomy voice.

For someone who doesn’t even have the most basic sense of tidying up his appearance, I guess it would be difficult for him to criticize someone else?

The waiter, who finally snapped out of his trance, took us deeper inside, and after turning at a few corners, he opened a glass door.

Appearing in front of us was a new room — the inside was really spacious, and even if a dozen people were to do hip-hop dancing inside, there wouldn’t be a problem.

What caused my surprise was not the spaciousness of the venue, but inside, there were three great uncles who had already dyed their hair black casually sitting one one comfortable looking sofa with their legs crossed, flipping through the book with the list of songs in a carefree manner.

“Hello, you guys are really slow.” Leido was biting onto a strip of dried squid he bought from the vending machine outside, while lifting a hand to greet us.

…I glanced at Yido. Could prediction be used to find the place?

“Haven’t come to sing for a very long time, I felt rather unaccustomed to it.”

After everyone came in to sit down in twos or threes, Geng flipped through the book with the list of songs and said, “There’s also a place to sing at the left shopping street with three-dimensional simulation, next time let us all go there to sing, how about it?”

“Agreed!” A bunch of voices echoed.

To be honest, I find it really difficult to describe the current situation. I seemed to be an Earthling who just came back to Earth from Mars, and although I realized I’m on Earth, I’m still being surrounded by Martians; it was that kind of feeling.

With a “bang” sound, Senior smacked me behind my head, “Who are you calling Martians!?”

“No, nothing.” I clutched onto my head and sat a bit further away.

But the room really was worthy of being called a luxurious room. The entire side of one of the walls was the screen; compared to the usual, this was at a completely different level. The seats were extremely soft comfortable sofa seats, and even the refreshments brought in by the waiter were very high grade. There were mini cakes, handmade snacks, and even sodas and various other beverages. No wonder everyone says money makes things easier.

Senior, you have once again allow me to open my eyes towards a new horizon.

I don’t know when the five-color rooster head grabbed a microphone, but in less than a second he was already standing in front of the screen wall, and behind him was his huge black shadow, “Next, allow me to sing “A Man Should Strengthen Himself*” for you!” Then, he coolly shook his five-color hair, stepped on the small ice bucket that who knew when he dragged it there.

[T/N: The song is a soundtrack played in a Martial Arts movie called “Once Upon a time in China” starring Jet Li.]

“Spurt!” I’m sorry, I accidentally spat out the drink from my mouth.

“Cough, cough…” Chifuyu choked.

“…” The book in senior Geng’s hand fell on the floor, issuing a thud.

“What are you doing, what are you doing! What kind of reaction is this! Don’t you know the essence of this song!?” Projected by the microphone, the five-color rooster head’s voice became louder and louder. The whole room was buzzed with his voice, “This is the representative from the masterpiece of your uncle’s list.”

Sorry, my question was, ‘why does an alien chicken like you know how to sing Chinese songs?’.

The loud vibrating drum sound resounded inside the room, very passionate, extremely passionate, so passionate that it reached the highest point!

At the exact same minute and second, the room’s door was kicked opened with a loud bang, interrupting the five-color rooster head, who just about opened his mouth wide to sing.

I clearly heard a rather inaccurate pronunciation of “F—” coming from the microphone.

“Whoever pushed my friend earlier, come out now!”

The boss from Ho Zheng’s gang, followed by the group of guys and girls were standing outside the room. It was obvious they were here to cause trouble.

Ah, nowadays the youngsters are really impulsive.

The “A Man Should Strengthen Himself” song was very manly and continued to play in the room, but no one uttered a single word.

I saw the five-color rooster head was about to show his fangs and sharp claws.

“Just-now-who-was-the-one-who-interrupted-my-singing-!”