Chapter 028

“Business trip” was a new term Qiao Man had learned from television dramas since coming down from the mountain.

In the dramas, stylish and beautiful protagonists would push their suitcases, rushing to the airport covered in the dust of travel, heading to another city to handle work.

In reality, Qiao Man was also busily packing his own suitcase, grunting with effort. He pulled clothes from the wardrobe and packed his favorite snacks, not forgetting to find a suitable spot for his Luo Pan and other tools.

Lu Jianxing watched him trot back and forth, rummaging through drawers with great enthusiasm. He dragged his little suitcase all over the house and even measured it against his toy car. To his regret, he discovered he couldn’t take his beloved car on a business trip and had to give it up.

A business trip. Yes, a business trip.

Lu Jianxing’s film crew was shooting in City X. Coincidentally, Grandpa Zhang’s son was also in City X.

Xiao Man was a Master on official business, not just going out to play!

Ding-dong. The doorbell rang. Lu Jianxing went to open it and found Grandpa Zhang standing outside carrying several large bags.

“Oh, Xingxing, it’s you. Is Master Xiao Man home?” Looking past Lu Jianxing, Grandpa Zhang immediately spotted the child in the living room, half-buried in a box of snacks. His eyes lit up, and he called out, “Master Xiao Man!”

Qiao Man poked his head out from the snack box.

Grandpa Zhang squeezed inside jubilantly and set his things down. “Master Xiao Man, I’m so grateful I don’t even know what to say. I never expected you’d be willing to make a personal trip to City X. It’s all because of that unfilial son of mine. If he were willing to come back once in a while, we wouldn’t have to trouble you like this.”

Qiao Man said with a straight face, “I perceive that he and I share a karmic bond.”

Lu Jianxing glanced at him but said nothing.

Hearing this, Grandpa Zhang became even happier, his smile widening until his eyes were mere slits. “A bond is good, a bond is good! Master Xiao Man, I’ll leave that unfilial son in your hands. Please, you must help him. Don’t worry, I’ve already settled everything with my son. Someone will be there to pick you up as soon as the plane lands. Oh, and there’s also these…”

Grandpa Zhang pulled out the items he had brought. He didn’t know what a Master needed for a business trip, so he had prepared food and daily necessities. Lu Jianxing even saw him pull a stack of talisman paper from a bag.

The blank kind, with nothing drawn on them.

“I specifically went to ask around. They said this shop has the best quality talisman paper and cinnabar; they even supply Taoist temples. So I bought some, though I don’t know if you can use them.”

Qiao Man took them, gave them a look, and said with satisfaction, “These are quite good.”

His supply of talisman paper and cinnabar was almost gone, and he had been worrying about where to buy more, even considering asking Xingxing to help him shop online. Life down the mountain was truly wonderful; you could buy things without leaving the house, and the internet had everything.

Knowing the items he prepared were useful, Grandpa Zhang’s face glowed with joy. He left the supplies, offered a thousand thanks, and departed. Before leaving, he didn’t forget to remind them: “Remember to get a receipt for the plane tickets and have my son reimburse you. He’s got plenty of money, Master Xiao Man, so don’t be polite with him.”

“I know.”

Once the guest was gone, Master Xiao Man held his head high and proudly returned to packing his suitcase for the business trip. Halfway through, he remembered something and asked his assistant with a voice full of vigor, “Xingxing, are my plane tickets booked? Remember, it’s City X. Don’t make a mistake.”

Lu Jianxing: “…”

The tickets were naturally booked. They were even scheduled two days earlier than Lu Jianxing’s original departure for City X. Consequently, he had adjusted his own itinerary to head to City X early to accompany the child on his business trip.

On the day of departure, the assistant’s assistant, Maomao, pushed the luggage for the three of them, his head full of question marks.

“Brother Lu, are we really taking Xiao Man to City X?” Maomao looked at the child walking ahead and asked in a low voice, “After he goes, will he be unwilling to come back? Are we going to bring Xiao Man onto the set then?”

Lu Jianxing: “I don’t know.”

Maomao: “Brother Lu?”

Lu Jianxing said expressionlessly, “I’m just accompanying him on a business trip.”

Maomao: “…”

Qiao Man didn’t want to be carried. Wearing his children’s sunglasses, he walked at the very front with his head held high. After passing through security, they sat down in the waiting area. He crossed his little legs and grandly pulled a ten-yuan bill he’d earned from fortune-telling out of his Little Yellow Duck Backpack, handing it to his assistant, Xingxing. “Go buy me an ice cream.”

Master Xiao Man said coolly, “Don’t forget to buy one for yourself too. Keep the change as a tip.”

Lu Jianxing: “…”

Assistant Xingxing took the ten yuan but didn’t move. “Not enough.”

Qiao Man: “What?”

Assistant Xingxing: “Ice cream in the airport costs thirty yuan each.”

Qiao Man: “…”

Master Xiao Man opened his backpack with a look of panic. Oh no, all the money in his little treasury added together wasn’t enough to buy two ice creams!

His mouth turned down, and he snatched the bill back from Lu Jianxing’s hand, saying dejectedly, “Then I won’t eat it…”

Lu Jianxing gave his head a firm rub and went to buy him the ice cream anyway.

A short while later, he returned with the ice cream. As soon as he sat down, the child clung to him, leaning against him affectionately. Before long, the boy had shifted from his own seat into Lu Jianxing’s lap. Having been softened by the assistant’s treat, Master Xiao Man couldn’t maintain his “cool” act for more than a few minutes before it crumbled.

Qiao Man ate the ice cream happily—it was his favorite chocolate flavor. “Xingxing, you’re so good to me.”

“When I earn more money later, I’ll buy you ice cream every day too.”

“Grandpa Zhang said City X is a lot of fun. I’ll take you to play.”

“Xingxing, is the film set fun? Will you fly around like they do on TV? I’ll watch you from the side…”

Lu Jianxing looked down and asked, “Aren’t you here on a business trip?”

Qiao Man froze.

Business trip. Oh, right. A business trip.

Master Xiao Man was going on a business trip, not trying to sneak onto a film set!

After a few hours of flight, the plane landed at the City X airport.

As soon as they walked out of the airport, they saw the person Grandpa Zhang’s son had sent to meet them. A man in a suit was holding a pickup sign with Qiao Man’s name on it.

Lu Jianxing carried the child and took their luggage, saying to Maomao, “You go straight to the crew. I’ll head over once I’ve finished helping Xiao Man with his business here.”

Qiao Man said with great composure, “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Xingxing.”

Maomao: “…”

That’s exactly why I’m worried!

Maomao walked away, looking back over his shoulder with every few steps.

…

Grandpa Zhang’s son had started from nothing in his youth and was now a successful businessman, the owner of a large corporation. The person who came to pick them up at the airport wasn’t the man himself, but rather his assistant.

The assistant glanced several times through the rearview mirror at the two people in the back seat. One was a young man fully disguised in a hat and mask, and the other was a tiny tot. He had no idea what their background was, only that they were sent by his boss’s father. The old man had called the boss several times, insisting that they be treated with the utmost hospitality.

The assistant said with a serious, responsible tone, “I have already booked rooms for you both at the hotel. Once we arrive, you can take a short rest. Over the next few days, I will take you to see the famous sights of City X and experience our local delicacies. If you have any needs, please feel free to ask. We will do our best to satisfy them and ensure you have an enjoyable trip…”

Qiao Man had been watching the unfamiliar scenery rushing past the car window. Hearing this, he sat up straight, only to be bounced back by his seatbelt. He corrected the man earnestly, “I’m here on a business trip, not for a vacation.”

Assistant: ??

A business trip? What kind of business trip?

Lu Jianxing explained, “I heard your company has been facing some internal issues lately. President Zhang’s father asked us to come and help. He should have mentioned this to you.”

Thinking of the recent rumors circulating within the company, the assistant’s gaze flickered. But help? Help with what?

It couldn’t be that they were here to catch ghosts, could it?

The boss had told him to take the two guests on a comfortable tour, keep them happy, and then send them back safely. Most importantly, they weren’t to cause any trouble during this time, nor were they to complain to the boss’s father afterward.

Seeing his hesitation, Lu Jianxing said directly, “We are here to see President Zhang. Please take us straight to him.”

“See President Zhang? This…” The assistant tried to be evasive. “President Zhang is quite busy today, I’m afraid he doesn’t have time to see you. You must be tired from your journey. We’ve prepared a luxury buffet at a five-star hotel, and tonight there’s…”

Beneath the brim of his hat, only the young man’s eyes were visible. His features were handsome but cold. He calmly listened to the assistant’s non-stop introduction of the itinerary, then pulled a phone from his pocket. “It seems there was a lack of communication. In that case, we’ll just have to contact Grandpa Zhang directly.”

Assistant: “…”

…

The car pulled up in front of the company headquarters.

Qiao Man was the first to hop out of the car. He looked around, staring in wonder at the skyscraper that seemed to pierce the clouds. He had to tilt his head back as far as it would go just to see the top.

The building had sharp, clean lines, resembling a cubic crystal sculpture. Its glass exterior reflected the sky, the edges refracting the sunlight. Compared to the tower, the people moving in and out of the narrow entrance looked as small as ants.

Qiao Man’s eyes widened.

This scene, this image – it was exactly like what he had seen on television!

He held Lu Jianxing’s hand, his eyes darting everywhere in fascination. He nearly tripped while going up the steps, but Lu Jianxing caught him just in time.

The assistant swiped his ID card to open the main doors and invited them to sit in the lounge area of the lobby. “Please wait a moment, I’ll go inform President Zhang.”

Qiao Man sat up perfectly straight. After a moment’s thought, he reached into his Little Yellow Duck Backpack, pulled out a pair of sunglasses, and put them on. Master Xiao Man set his small face into a serious expression, trying to project the aura of a master.

But no matter how cool he tried to look, his short stature – barely a fraction of an adult’s height – made it impossible to be taken seriously. People coming and going through the lobby couldn’t help but steal glances at him, their eyes lingering on the child’s fair, chubby face.

Why was there a child here?!

Upstairs, President Zhang only learned that the “Master” his father had invited was waiting downstairs when he received the internal call from his assistant.

“Didn’t I tell you to entertain them well and then send them back?”

The assistant whispered, “They said if they didn’t see you, they would contact the elder Mr. Zhang directly. I really had no choice…”

President Zhang: “…”

A secretary nearby reminded him, “President Zhang, Master Ding is also about to arrive.”

President Zhang’s expression tightened. He couldn’t worry about anything else for the moment. He hung up the phone in a hurry and led his staff down the stairs.

By the time the group reached the first floor, the scheduled Master Ding had not yet arrived. The assistant who had been sent to pick up the guests ran over, pointing toward the lounge area. “President Zhang, they’re over there.”

President Zhang wiped away a bead of sweat. Seeing that he still had some time before his own invited master arrived, he walked toward the lounge. He needed to appease these two so they wouldn’t complain when they got back, or his father would call to lecture him again.

He didn’t know what kind of tricks this Master Xiao Man had used to wrap his father around his finger. His father had called him several times today alone, going on and on about how powerful the master was and how difficult it had been to invite him. Although President Zhang was a filial son¹, he didn’t take his father’s words to heart.

His company had indeed been having problems lately, but what real skill could a fake charlatan who only knew how to swindle the elderly possibly have? If he were a real master, how could his father have invited him so easily?

To hire Master Ding, he had used personal connections and spent a fortune!

Furthermore… President Zhang reached the sofa and looked at the only two people there.

He looked at the big one. A stylish, handsome young man.

He looked at the small one. An exquisite, adorable little boy.

Neither of them looked anything like the stereotypical image of a high-level master.

Without hesitation, President Zhang looked at the older one. “Mr. Qiao, I presume…”

Lu Jianxing looked up, puzzled. “My surname is Lu.”

President Zhang froze for a moment, then looked at his assistant. “Then Mr. Qiao is…”

Qiao Man hopped down from the sofa. He pushed up his sunglasses and tilted his small head up confidently. “That’s me.”

Lu Jianxing added calmly, “I am his assistant.”

Hearing the voice, President Zhang looked down. Once he saw clearly, he was instantly speechless.

Dad, what on earth did you send me?

He vaguely remembered his father mentioning something about Master Xiao Man being only five years old. His father had praised him so extravagantly over the phone that he thought he had misheard the age. How could it actually be a five-year-old child!

President Zhang’s lip twitched. He said patiently, “Little friend, this isn’t a place for games. How about this? I’ll have someone take you to the amusement park, okay?”

Qiao Man was puzzled. “Didn’t Grandpa Zhang tell you? He asked me to help you. There are malicious influences at work around you, and if we don’t deal with it soon, you’ll be dragged down too.”

President Zhang chuckled. “You certainly know a lot for your age, little friend. Who taught you all that?”

Qiao Man stared at him for a moment and said with a hint of displeasure, “Grandpa Zhang begged me to come, so I came to help. Why are you still looking for other people?”

President Zhang was taken aback.

Before he could respond, his secretary nervously whispered a reminder, “President Zhang, Master Ding has arrived.”

President Zhang’s expression turned solemn. He stopped wasting words on the child and hurried out to greet the newcomer, the whole group swarming toward the entrance.

Lu Jianxing looked down and asked for the boy’s opinion, “Xiao Man?”

Qiao Man stood on his tiptoes to look outside. Through the glass doors, he saw a black car parked at the building’s entrance. A middle-aged man wearing a Taoist Robe stepped out. He had an arrogant air and a small mustache. His background was unknown, but everyone around him was incredibly respectful. President Zhang was particularly eager, personally stepping forward to welcome him.

As Qiao Man watched, the scene felt somewhat familiar.

Back then, whenever people came to pick up his master to go down the mountain, they acted just like this.

Since coming down the mountain, he hadn’t seen any other Taoists besides himself.

Qiao Man was curious. “Who is that? Is he more powerful than me?”

Master Ding was, of course, a Master. He was someone President Zhang had used all his connections and spent a fortune to hire, all to solve a recent internal problem at the company.

“Master Ding, it’s wonderful that you were willing to come!” President Zhang greeted him eagerly. “Please, come inside.”

Master Ding’s attitude was cold. He looked at the building, and his brow soon furrowed deeply. “The Yin Energy here is incredibly thick.”

Yin Energy represented ill omens. Hearing that his company was thick with it sounded like a curse, yet President Zhang was almost moved to tears by the statement. He said repeatedly, “Master Ding, I’m counting on you!”

“It’s just a minor ghost.”

Master Ding gave a contemptuous snort, lifted his foot, and stepped into the building shrouded in Yin Energy.

The crowd followed him in a bustling swarm.

Master Ding’s Taoist Robe looked out of place in the modern building. Passing employees glanced over, their confusion quickly replaced by looks of relief.

“I’ve already explained the details over the phone. Our company has been deeply troubled. Not only that, but it’s also been a major hindrance to our operations. The employees are all in a state of panic now. As long as you can solve this problem, I will reward you handsomely.” Since these matters shouldn’t be discussed too loudly, President Zhang lowered his voice as he led the way to the stairs. “Master Ding, this way, please.”

Master Ding nodded. “Though it is a bit troublesome, President Zhang is sincere, so this humble Taoist will do his best to resolve the difficulties for your esteemed company.”

Upon receiving his affirmative answer, the group around them breathed a collective sigh of relief, as if a heavy weight had been lifted.

Just as they were about to head up the stairs, a childish voice piped up from the side, “Why aren’t you taking the elevator?”

Everyone was startled. They looked around and found a fair-skinned, cute little boy trailing at the back of the group. No one knew when he had followed them. Being stared at by so many eyes, Qiao Man rubbed the tip of his toe against the floor, feeling a bit shy.

He looked at Master Ding and asked curiously, “Are you very powerful? How powerful? Are you more powerful than my master?”

President Zhang shot a look at his assistant, signaling him to pull the boy away.

Before the assistant could move, Qiao Man asked again, “I heard what you said just now. You said the Yin Energy here is very thick. Where is it? Why can’t I see it?”

President Zhang’s expression changed. He quickly explained, “Master Ding, please don’t mind him. The child speaks without thinking.”

“It’s no matter.” Master Ding shook his head, speaking with an air of profound mystery. “Ordinary people haven’t opened their Heavenly Eye², so naturally, they cannot see. The Yin Energy here is dense, and a malevolent ghost is at work. Even I must be somewhat cautious.”

Hearing this, the group turned pale and instinctively huddled closer to their companions.

They were all employees of the company and had personally experienced the “malevolent ghost” Master Ding mentioned. They had been troubled by it for a long time.

Master Ding continued, “However, once I capture the malevolent ghost, all problems will be solved.”

Qiao Man’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. “You can catch ghosts?”

Master Ding stroked the small mustache on his lip. “Of course.”

Qiao Man’s eyes lit up, brighter than a puppy seeing a meaty bone. He wanted to get closer, but the crowd blocked his way. Xiao Man grabbed onto an adult’s leg and poked his head out from the side, saying eagerly, “Then can I watch? My master never taught me how to catch ghosts. I’ll just watch from the side. I won’t cause any trouble!”

President Zhang frantically signaled his employees, but Master Ding was surprisingly easygoing. “Your master is also a Taoist?”

“Mhm, mhm!”

Normally, practitioners of the same trade were rivals, but his opponent was just a five-year-old child looking at him with longing. Master Ding gave a proud flick of his wide Taoist Robe sleeves. “Watch if you want.”

Qiao Man thanked him happily and pulled Lu Jianxing along to follow at the back of the crowd.

Although the task Grandpa Zhang entrusted to him wasn’t finished because President Zhang refused his help, being able to learn a new skill he hadn’t been taught meant the trip wasn’t a waste! If he ever saw his master again, he could brag that Xiao Man had learned new skills out in the world!

As he stepped onto the stairs, he repeated his question, “Why aren’t you taking the elevator?”

The reason, of course, was that there was a ghost in the elevator.

It wasn’t just the elevator, the entire company was haunted.

The reason President Zhang had invited Master Ding was that this building had been haunted for a long time.

At first, it was just minor issues, like flickering lights, a programmer’s code disappearing after an all-nighter, or muffled voices echoing through the empty building in the dead of night. Things began to take a serious turn a month ago when an employee suddenly went insane.

That employee was a long-time staff member who had worked diligently every day and was well-liked by his colleagues. That was until a month ago, when he was assigned a new task. He suddenly hurled a folder into his supervisor’s face and went on a rampage, beating up every colleague who tried to stop him. After that, his behavior became bizarre. He often sat at his desk talking to himself, breaking into eerie laughter from time to time. His attire became eccentric, and he would occasionally crawl across the floor in a contorted way. He even burst into a meeting once, jumped onto the conference table, and started performing a square dance³ as if he were possessed.

The functioning elevators began to malfunction, trapping people inside. However, when the maintenance crew arrived to inspect them, they couldn’t find a single thing wrong. The breakdowns happened several more times after that, yet the cause remained a mystery. Some people even claimed to have seen a button for the -18th floor⁴ appear in the elevator after work. This terrified the employees so much that they only dared to take the stairs, trekking up and down dozens of floors every day.

The company’s official website would turn into a ghastly image every night at midnight, only to return to normal at dawn. None of the company’s programmers could find a way to fix it.

Problems like these were too numerous to count.

Eventually, even the company’s business operations began to suffer.

Products that had clearly passed quality inspections were found to have defects after hitting the market, resulting in massive losses. Company secrets were also mysteriously leaked. New products that had been in development for a long time were released by rival companies first, causing all their hard work to go down the drain.

The hauntings were an internal matter, but product issues were operational disasters. Consequently, even Grandpa Zhang, who lived far away in A City, saw his son’s company name in the news.

After finally struggling up to the twentieth floor, the group was panting heavily, completely out of breath.

Qiao Man hopped onto the final step and looked up curiously. “Can ghosts really leak company secrets too?”

President Zhang pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead. “I heard the rival boss is secretly keeping a little ghost⁵. Maybe he sent it to steal them.”

Qiao Man nodded, though he only half-understood.

“There were signs leading up to this,” President Zhang said, lowering his voice. “Our company was doing perfectly fine, but then one day, our Money Tree⁶ died under mysterious circumstances. Everything started going wrong with our products after that.”

Qiao Man tilted his head. “A Money Tree?”

“Look, he’s coming,” someone nearby suddenly whispered. “That madman.”

All conversation ceased, and everyone even held their breath.

Blocked by the crowd, Qiao Man couldn’t see anything. He had Lu Jianxing pick him up, and peering over a sea of heads, he finally saw a person in a Ghillie Suit crawling along the corridor ahead of them.

Everyone watched in silence, speechless for a long time, as they tracked the person crawling from one end of the hallway to the other.

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Translator’s Notes

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1. filial son: Refers to the Confucian virtue of filial piety (孝, xiào), which demands deep respect, obedience, and care for one’s parents. President Zhang’s internal conflict stems from the social obligation to honor his father’s wishes despite his personal skepticism. ↩
2. Heavenly Eye: The ‘tianyan’ (天眼) or ‘third eye’ is a concept in Taoism and Buddhism referring to an enlightened ability to see things hidden from ordinary sight, such as ghosts, auras, and the true nature of reality. ↩
3. square dance: A reference to ‘guangchangwu’ (广场舞), a popular form of synchronized exercise in China usually performed by middle-aged and elderly women in public squares. In this context, the bizarre behavior of a professional employee performing this dance on a table emphasizes his loss of control or possession. ↩
4. -18th floor: In Chinese mythology, the afterlife consists of eighteen levels of hell (十八层地狱). The appearance of an 18th basement floor button is a common horror trope signifying a direct portal to the deepest level of the underworld. ↩
5. keeping a little ghost: Refers to ‘yang xiaogui’ (养小鬼), a folk sorcery practice where a practitioner ‘raises’ the spirit of a deceased child to perform tasks, grant wishes, or sabotage rivals. It is considered a dark, dangerous, and taboo method of gaining success. ↩
6. Money Tree: The ‘facai shu’ (发财树, Pachira aquatica) is a popular indoor plant in Chinese business culture believed to bring financial prosperity. Its sudden death is often interpreted as a bad omen for the company’s financial health or the failure of its ‘feng shui.’ ↩