Just then, soone walked into the middle of the road, waved to them and blocked their way.
Su Bai took the chance to move his lighter away and calmly put it back to his pocket. Then he blew out a smoke ring.
Nine stepped on the brake.
It was a short, fat guy standing in front of them. It was sumr, but this guy was wearing a rather heavy coat. If he wasnt so neatly dressed and fair-skinned, he would be considered a lunatic who had just escaped from a madhouse.
Seeing that their car had stopped, the fat guy ca to them at a quick pace only to find that the door was locked.
Nine was frowning, as if he was going to drive away. But Su Bai leaned over and opened the lock of the rear door. The fat guy opened the door and word in.
The entire car sank as he got in. He was indeed very heavy.
Im in the right car, right? Ive been waiting for you! Its rude to keep waiting for so long since youve taken my order. The fat guy complained.
Wrong car. I didnt take
But Nines words were cut off by Su Bai.
Never mind, bro. Where are you heading? Well drive you there.
The fat guy nodded with a big smile and answered without politeness: Floral Brook Park.
Nine, lets drive him there first. Su Bai took out his cellphone, found that place in Baidu Map App and put it in front of Nines eyes.
With Su Bais insistence, Nine had to agree.
The car was running smoothly. Su Bai put his hand out of the window and felt the wind outside. It made him a little absent-minded.
It seed that he had beco jinxed since the first ti he t the Dreadful Radio. He hated such an idea. He still rembered that when he was young, his aunt once took him to his grandfathers birthday celebration; there were people secretly called him a jinx, and when his aunt heard that, she had a real quarrel with them.
Litchi had warned Su Bai not to go ho tonight, and Su Bai had realized that sothing must have happened to Nine who tried to visit him at ho just now, which could be confird by that lighter. But Su Bai would not regret. It was the sa choice he would make if his parents were in danger. After all, throughout his life, there werent many people that Su Bai would miss or worry about. Besides, if anything had happened to Nine, it might well be because of Su Bai.
That bronze chest
While his thoughts were wandering, he suddenly saw in the rearview mirror that the fat guy behind him seed to be doing sothing. Su Bai coughed, sat up and started to observe from the rearview mirror.
The fat guy was wearing a coat, and now his hands seed to be fumbling around under the coat.
Hes got skin disease?
That was the first idea ca into Su Bais mind.
Then
Tinkle
With a crisp sound, the fat guy paused
Su Bai paused
And Nine also paused.
A small bell fell under the fat guys feet. It was an ancient-styled bell, carved with the appearance of a Bodhisattva. It didnt look like so simple handicraft that could be found at any stall by the street.
The fat guy was so scared that his whole face went pale. Then, he cautiously raised his head up and looked forward.
Nine frowned. He seed to have a strong aversion to this shaless fat guy; he was not invited in this car, and now he was annoying them with this stupid bell! Although Nine was starving, he didnt want to disobey Su Bais will, so he had to drive this fat guy to his destination and find dinner later.
Su Bai just sat there as if nothing happened. But in his mind, he was troubled. Who the hell was this fat guy? And what could this bell do?
He had got a sharp hunch that this fat guy was more than just an ordinary person getting into the wrong car; it seed that he had co with a strong purpose.
The fat guy sneakily picked that bell up, put it on the seat beside him and murmured:
Phew! A little gift from my girlfriend. Cant throw it away. Annoying.
That sounded unnatural. He was trying to hide sothing but only made it even more obvious.
Nine humphed and continued driving.
Su Bai closed his eyes and pretended to be sleeping.
Seeing neither of them paying any attention to his incident, the fat guy seed quite relieved. He sat there for one minute, but when the car stopped before the traffic lights, he started fumbling under his clothes again.
Su Bais eyes were slightly open, and he was still observing this fat guy from the rearview mirror. What on earth was this fat guy looking for?
What on earth was there under his coat?
Su Bai didnt think he was just touching his fat body.
As he had expected, after a while, there ca a dumb sound.
Rub-a-dub.
The fat guy paused in astonishnt again.
Su Bai was surprised too.
It was a wooden fish[1] falling down beside the fat guys feet.
The wooden fish must have contained so particulate matters, therefore it sounded crisply after it hit the floor.
A bell and a wooden fish? What the hell was this fat guy up to?
Ghost?
Su Bai subconsciously looked at Nine in the driver seat. Was Nine still human?
The fat guys face went pale again. But afterwards, he found that neither of them responded weirdly. He nearly collapsed when he picked up that wooden fish and put it aside.
This is from my father-in-law. My father-in-law is a monk. A professional monk.
Su Bai shook his head speechlessly. This fat guy was indeed very funny. Su Bais original plan was to check on Nine by himself when the ti ca or to go visit Litchi although he was not close to Litchi, she seed to be his only hope for now.
However, just then, the fat guy suddenly stood up. A string of Buddha beads fell out of his pocket; he stepped on it, slipped over and fell onto the rear seats.
Son of a Whats wrong with you?
Nine got so angry that he slamd on the wheel, turned around and yelled at the fat guy.
Su Bai also felt a little awkward, turned around and looked at this noisy, fat guy.
The fat guy was lying on the rear seats, pale and sweaty, with his lips moving silently.
Bai, is this guy insane? Nine asked Su Bai. He was suggesting that they should throw this guy out.
Su Bai shook his head, No, its almost there. Hes gonna leave anyway.
Since Su Bai was still insisting, Nine said no more and kept driving.
The fat guy was lying there feeling very embarrassed. It had been three tis, he thought. He could have scared himself to death. Then he managed to sit up with difficulty.
Soon, Nine pulled over and pushed the horn.
Here we are.
Oh, thank you.
The fat guy replied imdiately and reached out to the door.
Su Bai was watching closely, so he noticed that the fat guy was holding sothing red in his hand.
No
Properly speaking, his entire palm was stunningly red.
The fat guy opened the door but didnt get out. He suddenly turned around, held up a spell paper with one hand, and pulled back the other hand to draw on that paper with his finger covered with cinnabar. His drawing was finished within a blink; then he shouted:
Buddha of Imasurable Divinity, Hierogram Will Control Evil!
The fat guy was planning to subdue the ghost!
Su Bai turned around imdiately. He had speculations about the fat guy, but he had lowered his guard a little due to all those clumsy actions, and then he subconsciously believed that the fat guy would get off after they arrived.
But the fat guy played them at this ti.
He had drawn a sign and read a spell without stopping; apparently, he was an expert of Taoism, not clumsy at all.
However, Su Bai wasnt ready to offend Nine here; he hadnt even figured out what he should do. Would Nine be incurable if he did anything rashly? Was Nine still alive or already dead?
But what happened next amazed Su Bai even more: he felt a chill from his forehead between his eyebrows.
Clap!
The fat guy tagged the spell paper onto Su Bais forehead!
Then the fat guy shouted: Ho! I could sll the evil in your car from miles away! You sll even more vicious from here! Spell is cast, Buddha will show the power. Now reveal yourself, you demon!
After that, he shouted to Nine on the drivers seat:
Im hunting the ghost. Youre mortal, so just get off now, otherwise, itll be my fault if you get hurt.
Just then, a sound ca from the trunk. The bronze chest, which had been nicely placed in the trunk, was now giving out a faint light.
Nines eyes also started to shine with the sa faint light while the spell paper on Su Bais forehead just fell off.
The fat guy was totally confused.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Wooden fish: a wooden fish is also known as a Chinese temple block. It is a wooden percussion instrunt used by monks and laity in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. The Taoist clergy has also adapted the wooden fish into their rituals. Wikipedia
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