"Then you might as well take him in."
At this point, Mr. Hu fell silent again.
Looking at his profile, Lu Mingran finally realized that he was a cunning old fox, and everything he did was meticulously calculated.
He was like a loving father to his apprentices and close friends, the most reliable person. But to many outsiders, Mr. Hu was feared, and many said he was unscrupulous in his actions.
Was his choice of Su Yun really because of that weak supernatural ability and their birth chart?
“Mr. Hu, I hope you can tell me the truth.” Lu Mingran felt her palms sweating. “I know many things you have done, I know you.”
Mr. Hu didn't care how the young man knew him. He touched his cane and said, "Actually, there's nothing to hide."
He asked Lu Mingran, "Do you think Su Yun is kind?"
Kindness, of course he's kind. He provides Lu Mingran with food and shelter, and if she gets pushed too far, he'll just hit her with his bag. And because of his kindness, he was completely fooled by that male ghost employee.
But what does this have to do with taking on apprentices? If that's the case, why don't you go and take a look at Notre Dame?
"Lu Mingran".
Mr. Hu looked up at the sky:
Don't you think... kind people are easy to control?
Chapter 14 Want to Become a Grandmaster? No Way (The End)
So there really is nothing new under the sun.
That's right. In the later parts of the novel, Su Yun will do her best to complete any task that Mr. Hu asks her to do, even if it means losing money herself.
A capable and obedient apprentice is naturally easy to control.
Of course, Mr. Hu's purpose was not limited to this. Judging from his later schemes, Su Yun was probably the only one who could make sacrifices for the so-called righteous cause.
...
After remaining silent for a long time, Lu Mingran slapped her thigh hard.
He said, "You can't bully a kind-hearted person like that."
“I know there are many such cases. People who make a scene and cause trouble may look bad, but they gain real benefits. Meanwhile, those who are kind-hearted and gentle are bound by moral terms and are forced to work themselves to death.”
Lu Mingran recalled that at the end of the novel, Su Yun saw a limping man in the market who looked like an old friend of his, so he chased after him but failed to catch him.
The system told him that that was Su Yun's master. When Mr. Hu saw Su Yun hesitating about dealing with the group of people he needed to deal with, he came up with the idea of faking his death to provoke him.
I wonder what Su Yun would think if he really caught up with him.
Was I being schemed against and used my whole life, all because of my own trust in... my master?
Lu Mingran stood up, leaned down to look at the shrewd and calculating Mr. Hu, clutched his chest, and said to him:
"Mr. Hu, people's hearts can grow cold."
————————————————————————
Lu Mingran searched around and finally found Su Yun in the store. He told Su Yun that it was very dangerous outside recently and that she should not go out under any circumstances, no matter who called her.
"But……"
Su Yun stammered for a while, then said, "I have an appointment with Mr. Hu to have tea!"
As a result, it was as if someone had stepped on Lu Mingran's tail; Lu Mingran's voice rose an octave.
"no!"
Startled, Su Yun dropped the drink she was holding, and it rolled all over the floor.
Lu Mingran stayed by Su Yun's side all day. Even when Su Yun wanted to go home to sleep at night, he stopped him. The system was very touched and said that it did not expect you to be so dedicated to completing the mission.
Mr. Hu did not visit again. He did not see him on the second day or the third day, and no one knew what he was thinking.
On the fourth day, a package was suddenly delivered to the store, addressed to Su Yun.
Those were two ancient jade pieces. To be precise, they were the ones used by the male ghost, only they had been broken in half.
Lu Mingran was wandering around outside when he returned. He saw Su Yun standing behind the cashier, one hand holding the two pieces of jade and the other holding a piece of letter paper.
"What are these things?" Lu Mingran recognized the origin of the two pieces of jade at a glance.
Su Yun's expression was somewhat strange:
"Mr. Hu gave it to us."
"……us?"
Of the two pieces of jade, one was left for Su Yun.
Su Yun can see ghosts and is also prone to attracting them. Mr. Hu treated the jade stone that resembled a male ghost, and now Su Yun can use it to ward off evil spirits, which should ensure his safety.
There was another piece left for Lu Mingran, and... another letter.
Lu Mingran turned around and opened the letter.
"I thought about it and decided to take the family's son away after waking him up."
“I will not accept you as my disciple.”
“I’ve also been thinking about why I suddenly decided to give up on Su Yun. Maybe it’s because of you. You’re someone who cares about him a lot and is willing to protect him. I guess that’s the kind of care that kind-hearted people deserve.”
At the end of the letter, one line made Lu Mingran pause in surprise:
"There's one more thing. I've calculated something related to you, and it feels very strange. Perhaps only you know the answer."
The divination indicated that Lu Mingran was in a state that was neither human nor ghost at this moment.
Mr. Hu had never met such a person before, so he left him half a piece of jade, saying that he could definitely protect him if necessary.
Not human...not a ghost?
So what is he now?
Zombies? The kind that can fly and have existed for thousands of years?
"Beep—" Just as Lu Mingran was lost in thought, the system that had been pretending to be dead suddenly activated.
"Mission complete. Please click to confirm and exit."
Lu Mingran turned to look at Su Yun: "What about him? What happened to him later?"
"Of course, we'll continue along the main storyline of ghost stories, encountering many more ghosts, but also meeting many interesting people along the way."
Many years later, many strange things happened in City A. Some Taoist priests died silently, and some stood on the mountain with their hands behind their backs, lost in thought.
Su Yun knew nothing about it. He was living his life, which was both ordinary and not so ordinary. He wore the ancient jade left to him by Mr. Hu around his neck. He would occasionally be deceived by ghosts, and occasionally he would be so happy that he would eat an extra basket of xiaolongbao.
This is the complete story that readers want.
This is the life Su Yun should live.
So, what about Lu Mingran?
The system replied:
"As for you, our arrangement is that you are actually a rebellious teenager who ran away from home, and was later brought back after crying and wailing. Occasionally, you will come to see Su Yun."
Lu Mingran: "...Have you ever seen a rebellious 25-year-old?"
"That's the setup, anyway."
Lu Mingran looked at the system's pop-up screen and clicked "Confirm".
Then, the screen said that all he had to do was walk out of the convenience store.
Lu Mingran watched as the screen was put away, then he turned to look at Su Yun, who was still busy.
He called out to Su Yun.
"Um?"
"I'm leaving now," Lu Mingran said with a bright smile. "Remember to think of me."
Su Yun got goosebumps from his words: "Ugh—you just want to go out for a walk, why make such a big deal out of it?"
"Also, just a heads up, the guy selling jianbing guozi had a meeting with other vendors yesterday and said that you made a false report last time. Be careful when you pass by them."
Normally, Lu Mingran would have argued back.
However, Lu Mingran said, "Okay, I understand."
"Then, goodbye."
Lu Mingran finally decided to leave. He pushed open the glass door and stepped into the sunlight. The very same eerie bus he had seen that day was waiting for him. The bus stopped in front of the supermarket, and no one could see it except him.
Before getting into the car, Lu Mingran turned around and looked at the convenience store one last time.
The supermarket's sign reads "Xin Xin Supermarket".
He looked at the four characters, while also glancing at Su Yun, who was busy processing payments for customers inside the shop. Su Yun noticed his gaze, waved his hand at him, indicating that he should go and get back to his work.
Lu Mingran smiled at him in response, then turned and got into the car.
——————
Many partings in life happen silently.
Chapter 15 Want to know the formation? No way (1)
Fortunately, there were no other people or ghosts on that bus, only Lu Mingran and the driver. He couldn't bear the shock of that night any longer.
The sunlight outside was even quite warm, so Lu Mingran deliberately opened the window to let the warm sunshine shine on her. Before long, she tilted her head and fell asleep.
When you fall asleep, you dream.
He dreamt of the summer vacation of his junior year in college. At that time, his older brother, that spendthrift, not only owed money but also made their mother do all sorts of things for him. Lu Mingran felt sorry for his mother, who was working day and night to help his brother run the car wash and take care of his children. However, his mother always favored his brother and scolded Lu Mingran instead.
Disheartened, Lu Mingran realized one thing: he had to become independent.
So he didn't stay idle that summer vacation. He discussed with some classmates about going out to work. He had done things like handing out flyers before, but to be honest, it didn't earn much money. Later, a boss came to the school to promote a part-time job during the holidays, saying that he would run tutoring classes in the countryside of another city, and he was tempted.