Chapter Twelve: The Cause

Yang Wenhao pretended to make things difficult: “Of course there’s a way, but you see, Old Skin Zhou told me to clean the toilets, and I can’t go back until they’re spotless. You know, a task of such importance requires my utmost care.”

“Cleaning toilets is an important task? And you need to be careful about it?” Brother Sun’s mouth twitched—he didn’t know what to say. He looked at Yang Wenhao. “Then I’ll wait for you to finish.”

Yang Wenhao sighed. “You know, a task like this is exhausting. Do it once, and it takes ten days to half a month to recover.”

Needing ten days or half a month to clean a toilet? By then, who knows what would have happened. Absolutely impossible.

At this, Yang Wenhao sighed again. “If only someone could help me, then I could help you properly.”

At these words, everyone understood what he meant.

He just didn’t want to clean the toilets himself—he wanted someone else to do it for him.

“Brother Sun, I think this guy is nuts. Let’s get out of here. They say stupidity is contagious.” One of the underlings sidled up, but before he could finish, Brother Sun kicked him aside.

Brother Sun also understood Yang Wenhao’s meaning. It was clear he wanted him to help clean the toilets.

No one wants to do a job like cleaning toilets. But when he thought of what happened to him every night, he couldn’t stand it.

It’s just cleaning the toilet—what’s more important, your life or your pride?

“I’ll do it,” Brother Sun gritted his teeth.

“You have promise. I’ll leave it to you. Here’s the broom. I’ll come find you after school.” Yang Wenhao tossed him the broom with a grin and walked away, beaming.

The sudden shift in Yang Wenhao’s demeanor almost made everyone’s jaw drop.

“Let’s go. Let Brother Sun handle this.”

With that, Yang Wenhao hurriedly dragged Wang Xin away.

He was in such a rush because he was afraid Brother Sun would regret it. If only he knew the relationship between Zhuo Youxuan and Sun Wentao, he might not have been so quick to leave.

Back in the classroom, Yang Wenhao noticed Wang Xin looking at him strangely. “What are you staring at? Go look at pretty girls.”

Wang Xin said, “I really admire you. You actually got someone to clean the toilets for you just like that.”

“That’s not trickery, that’s wit,” Yang Wenhao patted Wang Xin’s shoulder. “Learn from me.”

Wang Xin asked, “By the way, who is Zhuo Youxuan? Do you know her?”

Yang Wenhao shook his head. “No idea.”

“Then why, when you mentioned her, did Sun Wentao look like he’d seen a ghost? He’s willing to clean toilets for her.”

Yang Wenhao replied, “Chances are, he really did see a ghost.”

“A ghost?” Wang Xin’s eyes widened in shock. “How do you know?”

“I guessed.”

……

After a whole day of classes—thankfully, Old Skin Zhou’s lesson was already over, or else seeing Yang Wenhao in the classroom would have turned his face black with rage—school was finally out. Yang Wenhao went early to wait by the bathroom. No joke—Old Skin Zhou would be inspecting.

Just as Yang Wenhao arrived, Sun Wentao, formerly known as Brother Sun, came out of the men’s room wearing a mask. His eyes lit up when he saw Yang Wenhao.

“Brother Yang, it’s done.”

Sun Wentao walked over.

As soon as Sun Wentao got close, Yang Wenhao waved him off. Sun Wentao thought he was about to be given another task, but Yang Wenhao’s next words left him speechless.

“Stay away—a stench is clinging to you.”

Helpless, Sun Wentao stepped back a meter.

Just then, Old Skin Zhou arrived, hands clasped behind his back, his face stern.

“Mr. Zhou.”

Old Skin Zhou nodded. “Well, is it done?”

“All finished, please inspect,” Yang Wenhao replied.

Old Skin Zhou waved his hand. “I won’t look. I trust you. School’s out—you can go home.”

Trust me? As if.

Yang Wenhao rolled his eyes, then glanced at Sun Wentao. “Let’s go.”

Having promised Sun Wentao, and with the system’s reward in mind, Yang Wenhao decided to help out.

At first, when Yang Wenhao questioned him, Sun Wentao was evasive. But when Yang Wenhao threatened to withdraw his help, Sun Wentao confessed everything.

It turned out Zhuo Youxuan wasn’t a student at their school—she was a lady from outside.

After joining his boss, Sun Wentao wanted to act tough, so he chose to visit a massage parlor.

But things went wrong the very first time.

Zhuo Youxuan died—right in front of Sun Wentao.

It scared him half to death. Afterwards, his boss sent someone to deal with Zhuo Youxuan’s body.

But the nightmare didn’t end there. Every night since, Sun Wentao dreamed of Zhuo Youxuan and him entangled together.

And every time he woke, his body was utterly drained. No matter what he ate, nothing helped. He tried all sorts of remedies, but nothing worked.

With his health slipping day by day, Sun Wentao was terrified, but he dared not tell anyone. After all, a death was a serious matter.

That’s why he was so willing to clean the toilets for Yang Wenhao.

“Brother Yang, you have no idea—Zhuo Youxuan’s skills were really—”

He stopped, realizing Yang Wenhao’s face was dark, and wisely shut his mouth.

“System, is Zhuo Youxuan a ghost?” Yang Wenhao asked.

“Yes,” the system replied.

After receiving the answer, Yang Wenhao was puzzled. “I’m a cultivator—what does catching ghosts have to do with me?”

“All things in the world are divided into yin and yang. Humans are yang, ghosts are yin—both are part of the world. Cultivators are the masters of all things—”

“Enough, enough—I don’t need a lecture.” Yang Wenhao was speechless. After all that, it just meant that ghost-catching was also a cultivator’s duty.

“Please remember, a ghost is merely another form of life. Cultivators can handle them just as well.”

Yang Wenhao turned to Sun Wentao. “Do you know where Zhuo Youxuan is buried?”

“I…” Sun Wentao’s face reddened. “My boss had her dealt with—I don’t know where she is.”

“Then take me to your boss.”

“Brother Yang… my boss is from the underworld.” Sun Wentao hesitated.

“Oh? And?” Yang Wenhao’s face remained calm, as if he didn’t catch Sun Wentao’s implication.

“Forget it, I’ll take you.” Sun Wentao gave in—he might not even survive the next few days, so what was there to be afraid of?

It was just introducing someone to his boss—what could go wrong?

Seeing Sun Wentao give in, Yang Wenhao chuckled inwardly. As if he didn’t understand the meaning behind Sun Wentao’s words.

So what if it’s the underworld? He wasn’t afraid.