Nan Yuanman paused, turning to look in the direction from which the sound came.

That place was emanating a faint, yin energy. It wasn't very strong, but she could sense an exceptionally intense malice emanating from it.

Nan Yuanman frowned slightly, clutched the cloth bag, and stuck her little bottom out into the bushes.

At that time, in a secluded grove in the Taikoo Villas area.

The sun had already set, and the light inside the grove was exceptionally dim due to the shade of the leaves. If a passerby wasn't paying attention, they wouldn't be able to tell that there were people inside.

A handsome young man, dressed in a white shirt and suit trousers, with a very thin build and shoulder-length hair, was kneeling on the grass, staring blankly at the phone that was flashing a faint light in front of him.

The phone screen shows a conversation that is going on.

Strangely, the name displayed on that interface was "Anonymous".

A mechanical, deep, hoarse, and rather strange voice came from the other end of the phone: "That's right."

"As long as you follow my instructions and end your life step by step, you and your mother will be reunited in the underworld."

His voice gradually took on a seductive tone: "This world has nothing for you to miss, does it?"

"Your father had a new lover six months after your mother died, and he brought back an illegitimate child. Your stepmother is all sweet on the surface but bitter on the inside, and she is trying to sow discord between your father and you."

"Your illegitimate child is ruining your reputation at school, making everyone think you're a bad kid who cheats on exams and molests girls."

A look of pain appeared on the boy's handsome face, and his thin body trembled slightly. The voice continued, "Your father doesn't believe you, and neither do your grandparents. They believed the words of that illegitimate child, which is why you can't go home and can't go to school now."

"No one in this world will love you anymore. The only person who loves you is your deceased mother."

As the voice spoke, Meng Qinian's vision blurred for a moment, and the image of his mother seemed to appear before him.

She was wearing her favorite red dress, standing in front of him, looking at him with heartache, and reaching out her hand to him.

Meng Qinian stared at her blankly: "Mom..."

“Meng Qinian, your mother is also very worried about you. She misses you and wants to reunite with you.” He spoke slowly, “Don’t you want to see her?”

Meng Qinian's pupils gradually dilated, and he murmured, "I want to."

When his mother was alive, he still felt that home was a safe haven from the wind and rain.

After his mother passed away, he had no home anymore.

No one could shelter him from the wind and rain, and indeed there was nothing left in this world for him to cherish.

"Good boy." The voice sighed deeply, its tone revealing a barely perceptible excitement and agitation.

"Don't be afraid, just do as I say, and you will be free soon."

He said, "Take out the knife you bought today and cut your wrist."

Meng Qinian's eyes were lifeless, and he mechanically followed his instructions, taking out the sharpened fruit knife he had specially bought that day, and slowly and sluggishly placing the knife on that fair wrist.

"That's right, that's it. Good boy, don't be afraid. After the blood drips off, put your wrist on the phone. It won't hurt."

Meng Qinian slowly tightened his grip on the knife.

The sharp blade sliced ​​through the delicate skin, and just as it was about to cut into the blood vessel, a short, stocky figure suddenly emerged from the nearby bushes and pounced on him: "Hold back!"

With a clang, the knife Meng Qinian was holding was kicked away by the newcomer.

Nan Yuanman's eyes widened, and he quickly took out a talisman and slammed it down on the phone on the ground. His childish voice was filled with anger: "You did no good deeds in life, and now you're hiding and harming people even after you're dead! Get out here!"

The talisman landed on the phone and quickly enveloped it. A flash of golden light appeared, and then a sound of wailing and screaming came from inside the phone.

Immediately afterwards, a black ghostly figure, tinged with traces of blood, was ejected from the phone by the power of the talisman.

This is a student ghost wearing a high school uniform. He has a knife stuck in his chest, pale skin, and black markings all over his face, making him look quite terrifying.

After rolling on the ground several times, he glared at Nan Yuanman in shock and anger, his dark eyes gradually turning blood red: "You nosy brat! You're asking for it!"

With that, he roared and charged at Nan Yuanman.

Nan Yuanman's expression turned solemn. He pulled out a talisman from his small cloth bag, pressed it down with his hands in a mudra, and stepped out in the Yu Step, preparing to deliver a fatal blow.

The student ghost that was originally pouncing on her suddenly made a sharp turn in mid-air and disappeared into the dense forest in a flash.

Nanmanyuan: "???"

She was so angry she nearly fell backward, yelling, "You have no sportsmanship!"

How dare he play her for a fool! Unbelievable!

The students who escaped sneered.

He's not stupid!

When Nan Yuanman threw out that talisman, he knew he was no match for her.

Of course, we just ran!

As long as the green hills remain, there's no worry about running out of firewood!

Meng Qinian gradually awoke from his daze and, upon hearing the exasperated, childish voice beside him, instinctively asked, "What do you mean by 'no martial ethics'?"

Immediately afterwards, the pain in his wrist made him gasp: "Hiss—!"

The pain in his body brought him fully awake. Meng Qinian looked at his wrist, then at the short, chubby child standing in front of him, staring at him wide-eyed: "Wait, who are you?"

"Where am I? How did I get my hand injured?"

Nan Yuanman blinked and asked him, "Don't you remember what just happened?"

“You hurt your own hand.” Nan Yuanman pointed at him, then at the fruit knife she had kicked away: “You were yelling about wanting to reunite with your mother while you were slashing your wrist.”

Meng Qinian: "???"

Meng Qinian's eyes widened: "!!!"

He instinctively denied it: "Impossible! How could I, how could I do something so stupid!"

He did miss his mother very much, but he also knew that he was born from a near-death experience, and for her sake, no matter how difficult things got, he had to live well.

Only by living can I take revenge on that scumbag and bitch couple.

How could he possibly be suicidal?!

That's completely out of character for him!

“Oh, you wouldn’t normally do that, but if you’re possessed by a ghost, you could.” Nan Yuanman pointed to his phone wrapped in talisman paper: “There was a ghost in your phone. I saw it trying to tempt you to commit suicide when I passed by, and I saved you.”

She held out her hand to Meng Qinian: "Life-saving fee, ten thousand yuan, cash only."

Meng Qinian: "..."

He looked at Nan Yuanman with suspicion: "Kid, you're not trying to scam me, are you?"

Nan Yuanman couldn't help but retort, "What's so great about extorting money from someone as short-lived as you?"

Meng Qinian: "?"

He pointed at himself: "Who? Me? A short-lived ghost?"

"Yes, you were born in the Geng metal year and Hai month, which is October 1, 2020. The Geng metal in your Bazi chart is not strong and is drained by the Hai water. The Ji Mao hour pillar has a weak Ji earth to generate Geng metal, and the Mao wood has the potential to restrain the earth."

You've been frail and sickly since childhood, easily afflicted by illness. You suffered a serious illness when you were ten, prematurely losing your vitality. Now, you're being corrupted by ghostly energy; you won't live past thirty. What else could you be but a short-lived ghost?

When this long string of words reached Meng Qinian's ears, it meant, "Aba aba, you won't live past thirty, you're a short-lived ghost."

Meng Qinian: "!!!"

His eyes suddenly lit up, showing no fear of his early death, only excitement at meeting a true master.

He knelt down abruptly in front of Nan Yuanman, gripping her hands tightly, his expression excited: "Master! You are a true master! You can even calculate my birth year and month, so can you calculate when my father will die? Will he die before me?"

It doesn't matter whether he lives or dies, but his father must die!

Nan Yuanman looked utterly bewildered: "...Huh?"

Grandpa, these city folks are so crazy.