Chapter 10

Macau is a small place, so it doesn't take long to get anywhere, especially by taxi. After comforting himself, Lu Hang found that the taxi had already arrived at the destination. He paid the fare, got out of the car, and walked toward the sauna shop ahead. The sauna was located on the third floor of a commercial building, with shopping malls occupying the first and second floors. After getting out of the taxi, Lu Hang initially planned to head straight to the elevator and take it to the third floor. However, as he approached the entrance of the mall, his stomach suddenly started to churn, forcing him to change direction and head to the bathroom on the first floor of the mall. Because his stomach pain was unbearable, Lu Hang walked very quickly, not even paying attention to the people ahead. Naturally, he accidentally bumped into a pedestrian. "Sorry! Sorry!" Lu Hang immediately apologized. The person he bumped into seemed very calm. After Lu Hang apologized, the person just smiled at him and continued walking without a word. Watching the person walk away, Lu Hang couldn't help but secretly give a thumbs up. "Macau truly is an international city, even the people's manners are so refined!" Praise aside, Lu Hang's stomach issue remained unresolved. Three minutes after the person left, his stomach started to hurt again, so badly that Lu Hang rushed through the mall, running desperately to the bathroom. He barely made it in time before an accident occurred. After solving his problem in the bathroom, Lu Hang weakly walked out. He intended to continue to the sauna, but when he headed toward the elevator, he suddenly saw the same person he had bumped into earlier walking toward the elevator. The way the person was walking was strange, almost hugging the wall as if avoiding traps everywhere. The person seemed to sense Lu Hang was watching him. After walking a few steps, he suddenly turned around, smiled eerily at Lu Hang, and then kept walking. The person’s smile was frightening. His face was covered with deep wrinkles that were unusual for someone who looked no older than thirty, and his complexion was paper-white. Lu Hang was startled by the smile. He stopped and waited until the person entered the elevator before continuing his walk. When he finally arrived at the third floor, the person appeared in front of him again, walking the same strange way and wearing the same eerie smile. Lu Hang was completely terrified. He gave up on the sauna idea and stumbled back to the elevator, returning to the first floor and running out. Perhaps he was so frightened that he didn't even notice the street, nearly being hit by a car as he left the building. The close encounter with the car crash further panicked Lu Hang, and he realized that all these strange events were happening because he had not returned the "wealth ghost" to the old man. He decided to go back to that remote spot and return the item. But when he arrived, the old man was still not there. With no other choice, he thought about resting in a hotel but abandoned the idea due to all the bizarre occurrences. Instead, he wandered aimlessly on the street, not knowing how long he had been walking or where he had been, until he found himself near the harbor. Looking at the dark sea, an idea suddenly popped into his head: "Since I can't find the old man to return the wealth ghost, why not just throw it into the sea and be done with it?" Although his idea was reasonable, just as he was about to do it, the voice of the little boy echoed in his ears again, repeating things like "banker" and "player." This triggered a realization in Lu Hang. "No! The wealth ghost helped me win so much tonight. If I throw it into the sea, wouldn't I be repaying kindness with ingratitude?" He abandoned the thought and left the harbor, continuing to wander aimlessly. Not long after, he stopped when he noticed a Buddhist temple nearby. The doors were open, and lights illuminated the inside, showing that the monks were still working. Moved by the temple's holiness and solemnity, Lu Hang forgot the old man's warning and took the wealth ghost into the temple. By the time he realized his mistake, it was too late, and he felt very uncomfortable, wanting to leave but feeling weak all over. His discomfort strengthened his resolve to leave the wealth ghost in the temple. He took a few breaths and slowly walked to the altar. After much effort, he placed the wealth ghost in a very inconspicuous spot on the altar. No sooner had he placed it than he felt a chill all over his body, goosebumps rising, and a dizzy spell overcame him. When he finally cleared his head, he found himself standing in front of the sauna shop's commercial building. "How did I get back here?" he muttered, shocked. Before he could process what had just happened, something even more terrifying occurred. The person he had seen multiple times in the shopping mall appeared on the rooftop of the commercial building. He quickly spotted Lu Hang and flashed the same eerie smile at him. Then, with a whoosh, the person jumped from the rooftop. Lu Hang was startled and tried to run, but his feet felt like they were made of lead, unable to move. He could only watch as the person fell and crashed at his feet, blood splattering everywhere. What disturbed Lu Hang even more was that after seeing the person die in front of him, he was able to move his feet again. He thought about leaving the scene immediately, but a voice inside him called him to the body of the deceased. He obeyed and approached, only to discover that the person who had fallen was none other than himself. "How could this be?" Lu Hang stared at his own dead body, his mouth agape. "How did I die here?" "Because you used the little ghost to make a fortune, so now you must pay the price!" a loud voice said from behind him. Startled, Lu Hang’s vision blurred and then cleared again. When he could see clearly, he realized he was still inside the Buddhist temple. "Is this the item you placed on the altar?" an old monk asked, holding the wealth ghost and walking toward Lu Hang with a smile. "Yes... I put it there," Lu Hang hesitated, then admitted. "Fortunately, you knew to place it here, or you wouldn't have lived to see tomorrow!" the old monk said seriously. "Live to see tomorrow? Why? Isn't this just a ghost that helps you make a fortune?" Lu Hang was shocked. "Exactly because it helps you make money, that’s why it’s dangerous!" the monk explained. "Let me explain. The bottle contains the corpse oil of a fetus that was less than five months old. While it can help you make a fortune, it has great resentment because it never entered the world. After it helps you, it demands your life to calm its anger." "That's terrifying!" Lu Hang exclaimed. "The old man who gave it to me never mentioned any of this!" "How could he tell you?" the monk replied. "If he did, how would you use it to make money without hesitation?" "If I’m not mistaken, after giving it to you, the old man disappeared without a trace, right?" "Yes! Yes!" Lu Hang replied repeatedly. "I went back to find him several times but never saw him again." "Exactly!" the monk said. "He wanted you to be killed by the little ghost quickly, then it would move on to harm the next person." "Master, what should I do now?" "Don’t worry," the monk reassured him. "Since you know to bring the ghost here, it shows we are connected, and I will help you deal with it. However, remember this—money should be earned through righteous means, never through evil methods like gambling. If you use it this way, you will lose your wealth, and worse, your life. Understand?" "I understand," Lu Hang nodded. "After tonight, I will never gamble again!"