At seven that evening, Dacheng came to pick me up with a driver.
“Brother Feng, Boss Yang told me to remind you to bring the Ghost Eye Paste from that day, along with Little Seal!”
As soon as we met, Dacheng said it outright.
“Is Boss Yang inviting me to have some fun, or does he have something else in mind?” I immediately realized there was more to this.
“Brother Feng, one of Boss Yang’s friends wants to test your mettle!” Dacheng said cautiously.
“Test my mettle?” I laughed.
“Brother Feng, don’t get mad. Take this first. Boss Yang said you should be paid well for your trouble, whether or not it works out!” Seeing that my smile didn’t look right, Dacheng said as he pulled five stacks of cash from his bag and set them on the table.
“It’s not like I can’t be tested!”
The moment I saw the money, I changed my tune and slipped it into a drawer, then locked it.
Seeing me accept the money, Dacheng breathed a sigh of relief and joked, “Brother Feng, if this works out, don’t forget me when you’re rich and famous!”
“I won’t forget you, kid!”
I smiled and tapped Dacheng. That trace of displeasure from earlier seemed never to have existed.
After packing my small house-call medicine kit, Dacheng and I went out and got into the car.
Come to think of it, ever since I opened my Clinic, it had been practically deserted, and business was dismal.
The occasional customer who came in for Acupuncture didn’t bring in much money either.
Many people in the Yin Trade who came to me to Condition the Body couldn’t afford to pay. For instance, that Fire-Dwelling Daoist, Fatty Lin, had given me the Beifeng Ghost-Slaying Seal in lieu of his medicine and consultation fees.
People in the Yin Trade didn’t make nearly as much money these days as they would ten years later.
Some people in the Yin Trade even had to take regular jobs to help support their families.
“Chengzi, where are we going?”
After getting in the car, I asked curiously.
“The Americas Club!”
Dacheng replied with a hint of smugness, as if he were the one treating us.
I’d heard of the Americas Club. It was one of the four top Clubs in Yanjing.
“Who’s coming this time?” I asked.
“Besides Boss Yang, there’s Boss Shi from Kongmei Web and Boss Ou from DC Capital!” Dacheng said.
“DC Capital?”
Forgive my ignorance, but I’d never heard of it.
“Mm-hm!”
Dacheng nodded and said, “Boss Ou is known as the leading figure in Huaguo’s venture capital industry!”
At the mention of Boss Ou, Dacheng’s face filled with admiration again.
“Boss Ou led the investment round when our company first raised funds!”
“So basically, he’s a big shot, right?” I said.
“Right!”
Dacheng chuckled.
“What did Boss Yang mean when he said Boss Shi was going to give me a membership?”
I continued.
“Oh, it’s about what happened last time!”
Dacheng said Xiaoran had worn a Buddha Amulet, hoping to use it to keep Boss Yang hooked, which had crossed a line. Boss Shi had been apologizing for the past few days and wanted to use this opportunity to make amends.
At this, Dacheng gave me a mysterious smile and said, “Brother Feng, Boss Shi’s membership is a big deal. Even I don’t have one!”
“What’s so special about it?” I asked.
Dacheng licked his lips and said, “Brother Feng, Kongmei Web has two tiers, public and private. Ordinary customers can only choose people by looking at the photos posted on the website. Only big shots like Boss Yang and prominent directors and stars in the industry get memberships. With one, you can not only watch videos, but also get your own personal Steward. Whenever they add new content, they’ll let you preview it first!”
As Dacheng spoke, he looked envious, practically drooling.
“All right, wipe your drool before you keep talking!” I said.
“Heh!”
Dacheng chuckled and said, “Brother Feng, tonight’s a High-End Match. If it weren’t for your connections, Boss Yang wouldn’t have let me come!”
“A High-End Match?”
I looked at Dacheng suspiciously.
“It’s more or less like King Zhou’s wine pool and meat forest. Not only is the wine top-notch, the people are too!” Dacheng started licking his lips again.
“What a pathetic lack of ambition!”
I tapped Dacheng and asked, “Do you know how they’re going to test me?”
“I really don’t know,” Dacheng said, shaking his head.
At 7:50 p.m., we arrived at Jingrun Tower.
“Brother Feng, of the four top Clubs in the Capital, the Americas Club was founded the latest. Since its members are mostly internet entrepreneurs, returnees, and people from the entertainment industry, some call it a gathering place for New Money and say its members lack pedigree.”
“Really, they’re just jealous because they can’t have what they want. The Americas Club is a chain, with more than a hundred branches around the world. Compared with the other three Clubs, its service is more professional, and it offers greater privacy!”
Dacheng introduced the place as he led me inside, as if he were a member himself.
As we talked, we reached the top floor.
After getting out of the elevator, we were ushered into a banquet hall.
The banquet hall was decorated in a European style. Boss Yang was surrounded by a group of beautiful women, swaying his body along to the music. When he saw us enter, he clapped his hands. The music stopped and the lights came on, making the women look even fairer.
“You girls, go to the side hall for now.”
Boss Yang waved the women away. Boss Shi immediately stood up and gave them a look, and they obediently left.
After they left, the enormous banquet hall seemed rather empty. Boss Yang waved to a middle-aged man sitting on a sofa inside and said, “Old Ou, didn’t you want to test our Brother Feng’s mettle? Hurry up and do it, so we can have some fun afterward!”
Boss Ou crossed his legs and gave me a couple of appraising looks before saying to Dacheng behind me, “Xiao Cheng, my Assistant is outside. Go have him bring the person in!”
“Sure!”
Dacheng nodded, turned, and went out to fetch them.
“Master Feng, Old Yang has been talking about you nonstop for the past week. I’m sick of hearing about you!”
After Dacheng left, Boss Ou rose from the sofa and walked over slowly. “I’m a stickler for proof. He says you opened his Heavenly Eye that day and dispersed a ghost, but I don’t believe him. He insists he saw it himself!”
“Verifying it is actually quite simple. We just need to find another ghost for you to disperse!”
“For the past week, I’ve been asking all over the place where I could find a ghost. My friends have started thinking I’m crazy!”
As he spoke, Boss Ou came up to me and leisurely took out a pack of cigarettes. He pulled one out and said, “Want one?”
“Sure!”
I smiled and accepted the cigarette. Boss Ou paused, clearly not expecting me to take it.
“Pfft!”
Boss Yang burst out laughing. “Old Ou, that’s what you get for putting on airs. I told you Brother Feng wasn’t an ordinary person!”
“You, honestly—you always have to ruin my act!”
Boss Ou shook his head at Boss Yang helplessly, then said to me, “Master Feng, don’t blame me for being cautious. There are too many con artists these days!”
“I understand.” I smiled and nodded.
“They say money makes the world go round. Well, I’ve got a little money and some Human Meridian, and I really did manage to find someone who might be possessed by a ghost. She’s an actress named Bai Xue. She was fairly famous a couple of years ago. While filming in Hengdian, she had an accident. Someone found her using a nail clipper to cut her own flesh, leaving blood all over the room!”
“The whole film crew knew she was possessed by evil!”
“After that production wrapped, she became more and more unwell!”
“Recently, she’s been recuperating in the Capital!”
“After I found all this out, I invited her over, hoping you, ‘Master,’ would diagnose what she’d gotten herself involved with.”
Boss Ou put special emphasis on the word “Master,” and his meaning was obvious: if I could see what was going on, then I was a real Master, and everything would be fine. If I couldn’t, then that would be another matter.