Chapter 59: The Ways of the World

Putting aside Coach Yang’s personal character, I personally don't think he did anything wrong in this matter.

Fear is only human nature!

Perhaps the other party's vengeful spirit harbored resentment simply because Coach Yang failed to save her.

Saving someone should be done within one's capacity. If one chooses not to, there is nothing much to criticize.

It is much like someone drowning in a river; while there are many onlookers, very few actually jump in to rescue them.

Even if the rescuer knows how to swim, a drowning person is often panicked and struggles violently, which easily drags the capable swimmer down into the water as well.

Regarding such matters, I personally believe one must look at them rationally.

Of course, if Coach Yang genuinely had a clear opportunity to save her at the time and chose not to, he would certainly deserve moral condemnation.

"Master, what should I do?" Coach Yang asked in a panic.

"We will lure that evil entity out, and then I shall send it off to peace," the old man said with absolute confidence, bolstered entirely by the fact that I was right by his side, keeping him completely at ease.

"Lure it out? Do we have to go to the scene?" Coach Yang asked.

"There's no need. The evil entity is right inside this room," I said.

"What? Inside this room?"

Cold sweat instantly beaded on Coach Yang's forehead, leaving him nearly speechless.

"Does it still think it can hide here?"

I drew my rune-inscribed greatsword and thrust it straight toward the corner of the room.

The moment I stepped inside this room, I had already sensed the heavy, lingering yin energy filling the space.

This ghost had been following Coach Yang for quite some time now; it was either lurking in his car or hiding right here in his apartment.

Every now and then, the ghost would manifest just to frighten him.

After all, having died only recently, although fierce, the ghost was still quite weak and could only intimidate Coach Yang to cause the three spiritual flames on his body to flicker and dim, allowing it to finally materialize.

"Ah..."

With a miserable shriek, the female ghost appeared, tumbling down from the ceiling.

Clad in flowing white garments, she had a gaping, bloody hole right across her abdomen.

The sight was deeply horrifying, but to me, this was merely routine.

"He caused my death, so I must kill him!"

Green light flashed in the female ghost's eyes as she fixed her unblinking gaze on Coach Yang. "I want him dead!"

The female ghost's resentment remained undiminished, which was precisely the reason she was still able to linger in the mortal realm.

"Outrageous! The underworld has its rules, and the mortal world has its own order. It is not your place to act as you please here!" I rebuked coldly, driving my longsword forward once more.

The runes inscribed upon the greatsword surged out from the tip, binding the female ghost tightly in place.

"It was the robber who killed you. Why don't you go after him to settle the score, instead of coming here to target this man?" I continued to chide, "It turns out that wicked entities like you are also nothing more than bullies who pick on the weak while fearing the strong."

People often feel a sense of unfairness, wondering why some individuals who commit every conceivable evil and murder without blinking can still live carefree and untroubled lives, while others who do good deeds every single day die young.

Regarding such arguments, I hardly know how to explain it; I can only say that perhaps this is simply fate.

Yet, why do those who commit every conceivable evil and murder without blinking live so carefree without vengeful ghosts demanding debts from them?

One could understand it this way: ghosts, even after death, still harbor fear toward their murderers.

To use a simple, easily understandable analogy: it is much like walking down a street and getting bitten by a dog. The next time you walk down that same path, you will naturally be much more cautious, worrying that the dog might leap out to bite you again.

By the same token, certain individuals carry an inherent aura of ferocity; once they have killed someone, the resulting ghost remains deeply terrified of them.

Of course, this is not always the case.

In this world, very few things are absolute. Due to their disposition or exceptionally deep-seated resentment, certain entities manage to break free from the shackles of fear and retaliate against their murderers.

"Vanish!"

I couldn't be bothered to waste any more words with this female ghost. With a wave of my rune-inscribed greatsword, she was reduced to flying ash within moments.

Some might feel pity for her, believing she was entirely innocent since she was merely robbed and murdered, only to be subsequently destroyed by my blade.

Yet many things cannot be judged solely by whether someone is pitiful or not.

Her death was indeed tragic, but why must she interfere in the affairs of the mortal realm?

Once one medries in mortal affairs, even the most justified grievance loses all legitimacy.

...

This task was completed with effortless ease.

One hundred thousand yuan, paid entirely in cash, which the old man stuffed directly into a black plastic grocery bag before we departed.

Before leaving, I offered Coach Yang a final piece of advice—in human conduct, one must always adhere to certain principles and rules.

I wanted to warn him not to be consumed by lust, constantly chasing after every woman he laid eyes on.

Otherwise, sooner or later, he would inevitably fall because of a woman.

Lust is like a sharp blade suspended over one's head; this is a truth summarized by countless heroes and legendary figures throughout the ages.

Coach Yang's physiognomy was less than favorable; around the age of forty, he was bound to encounter a severe calamity, one that would prove exceedingly difficult to survive.

Coupled with his temperament, it was easy for me to deduce that this calamity was deeply intertwined with women.

Upon leaving Coach Yang's residence, I used my phone to hail a ride, preparing to head back to the studio.

At this hour, the dormitory gates were undoubtedly locked, leaving us no choice but to return to the studio to rest.

"Little Brother Jiang, might I offer a suggestion?"

The old man suddenly said with a smile.

"If you have a suggestion, just spit it out. Why ask me? You make it sound like I'm going to eat you or something." I rolled my eyes at him. We were already so familiar with one another; was there any need to beat around the bush?

"I was just afraid you might be displeased! Well then, I'll speak my mind directly, but please don't get upset." The old man stared closely at my facial expressions, terrified that my mood might suddenly turn. "In the future, when we encounter simple and easy jobs like this, could you possibly act a bit more strained? When subduing demons and devils, make it look intensely perilous, the kind where we're practically knocking on death's door."

This suggestion...

I struggled to understand why the old man would propose such a thing.

"Just think about it," the old man hurried to explain, "if we resolve things too easily, people will feel like we charged too much money and that it wasn't worth it."

"The more difficult we make it look, the more they will feel that every penny spent was well worth the value."

His explanation made a fair amount of sense, and I grasped most of it.

The old man was entirely right.

Many people might hand over the money readily in the heat of the moment, only to regret it afterward, feeling that the service wasn't worth the price.

Most of those who hire us to help are utter laymen.

How could they possibly understand whether a situation is truly difficult or not? Their most direct measure of such matters is likely just the amount of time spent.

The longer it takes, the harder it must have been to resolve.

"I'll keep that in mind for the future."

I nodded.

This could indeed be considered a useful little trick.

"Precisely! Doing it this way serves a dual purpose: first, it makes our client feel their money was well spent; second, just in case we ever feel the job wasn't lucrative enough, we can actually demand extra payment from the client!"

The old man had calculated everything down to the smallest detail.

Hearing those words, only one phrase echoed in my mind—*What the hell!*

The old man had thought things through so thoroughly!

As expected of someone who makes a living through deception, when it came to worldly experience and human sophistication, I still had a very long way to go.

Today, not only did I harvest one hundred thousand yuan, but I also gained a valuable lesson in life philosophy.

The trip was well worth it!

After chatting for a bit longer, the car arrived at the entrance of the residential compound. The old man and I got out and made our way back into the studio.