Wife, don't be afraid. I've already called the police. They said a supernatural being has accepted the mission and will be here soon to resolve it!
In a small, ordinary living room, a middle-aged man, unshaven for two days and looking rather disheveled, was smoking and comforting his wife.
The man, around forty-five years old, wore glasses and had a refined appearance. His face was etched with worry, but he forced down his inner anxiety to console his wife.
"Wuwuwu, I really wasn't trying to take advantage. I saw a hundred-yuan bill on the ground and wanted to pick it up to find the owner. But then it stuck to me! Maybe I should go rent a place outside and live alone. If I die, at least I'll die alone, and I won't harm you and our daughter!"
A slightly plump woman with a kind and benevolent face, her expression filled with despair and fear, sobbed.
At this moment, the banknote stuck to her palm was already stained with blood over 3/7 of its area, indicating that the "life-claiming money ghost" had visited her three times.
Each visit from the life-claiming money ghost intensified her fear, pushing her to the brink of collapse.
"Don't talk nonsense. This can definitely be resolved. Control your emotions and don't be so pessimistic. We'll face it together!"
The middle-aged man, with a calm demeanor, spoke sternly. Remembering it was Friday, his daughter's day to return from school, he prepared to call her and ask her to stay at school for now. Just as he was about to dial, a sudden knocking echoed from the door.
Upon hearing the sound, both the middle-aged man and his wife's faces changed.
"Doesn't it only come at night? Why so early today?" the middle-aged woman murmured, her face pale, before becoming hysterical and pushing the man beside her away. "You hide quickly, quickly!"
"Don't panic. It shouldn't be a ghost. I checked the Shenhua app; it usually doesn't appear during the day!" the middle-aged man said calmly, then walked towards the door, his expression wary. "Who is it?"
"Hello, sir. I am a supernatural being from the Shenhua Branch Bureau, responsible for investigating the life-claiming money ghost case. Is this Ms. Li Huafang's home?"
The middle-aged man vaguely felt the voice outside was familiar, but upon hearing what it said, his face flushed with excitement. He yanked the door open, saying eagerly, "Yes, yes, yes, are you Zhibo?"
"Holy crap! Old Jiang? Yu Zhibo, with a 50kg black cat perched on his shoulder, looked at the middle-aged man who opened the door, utterly bewildered, with a hint of guilt and evasion in his eyes.
"Zhibo, you've become a supernatural being?"
The moment he saw Yu Zhibo, the man called Old Jiang instinctively wanted to ask why Yu Zhibo hadn't been to school recently. But recalling what he said when knocking, his face filled with disbelief.
"Hello, homeroom teacher!" Yu Zhibo said awkwardly, feeling fortunate that he had turned off his live stream because the plot of finding the victim was too boring. Otherwise, being caught live-streaming by his old teacher would have been mortifying.
"No wonder you haven't been to school lately." Yu Zhibo's homeroom teacher, Old Jiang, looked at him with a complex expression. "Chen Bo hasn't been to class either. He must have become a supernatural being too."
"Yes, teacher. I didn't know this was your home, so I didn't bring any gifts. Please, take a look." Yu Zhibo scratched his head, looking obedient.
Yu Zhibo's homeroom teacher was named Jiang Chao. He was kind yet strict, and very concerned about the students in his class. The students affectionately called him Old Jiang.
Unlike other teachers who acted pretentious in WeChat groups, Old Jiang rarely posted anything in the class group except for important notices. To improve class performance, he often tutored students for free, making them both love and hate him.
They loved him because he didn't charge for tutoring and genuinely wanted to help students improve. They hated him because they really didn't want to study!
However, the students were not ungrateful. Especially the post-00s generation, who were more mature, so all students in Class 1, including Yu Zhibo, respected and feared Old Jiang, all believing him to be a good teacher.
Chen Bo, in particular, had a lingering fear of Old Jiang because the latter had personally dragged him back from a graveyard for skipping class and publicly criticized him in front of the class, causing him immense embarrassment.
"No need for gifts. You know what kind of person I am." Old Jiang welcomed Yu Zhibo into the house. His sharp eyes behind his black-rimmed glasses fixed on him, and he spoke with concern, instinctively starting to lecture.
"Zhibo, even after becoming a supernatural being, don't neglect your studies. A person who only possesses power without the foundation of knowledge is like a nouveau riche; they won't go far. Reading can help one understand reason and distinguish good from evil."
"I understand, teacher. I'll definitely study hard when I get back!" Yu Zhibo interrupted Old Jiang with a foolish grin, scratching his head.
Seeing Yu Zhibo's evasive demeanor, Old Jiang felt a bit helpless. "Take a look at your teacher's wife. It's best if you can resolve it. If not, don't take any risks." By the end of his sentence, his face showed a wry smile. "I never thought I'd eventually have to rely on my students, and one of them is still a high school sophomore."
Normally, Old Jiang exuded an aura of authority, like a stern father. In class, apart from that foolish Chen Bo, few dared to put an arm around his shoulder.
Yu Zhibo rarely saw him look so helpless. His courage surged, and imitating Chen Bo, he slung an arm around his shoulder, acting like a close buddy. "Don't worry, Old Jiang. Your problem is my problem. This is a piece of cake; I've got it covered."
After saying this, sensing Old Jiang's gaze shift, Yu Zhibo felt a secret thrill while quickly removing his arm. He then looked at the fearful and uneasy woman on the sofa, his expression turning serious. "This must be Teacher's Wife, right?"
"Hello, little student. Thank you for your trouble with this matter!" Li Huafang, Jiang Fan's wife, forced a smile and said, trying to sound cheerful.
Initially, when she saw a supernatural being arrive, she was filled with hope. But to her surprise, it turned out to be her husband's student, and he seemed rather unreliable, making her heart fill with apprehension. "Can this work?"
"It's fine, no big deal!" Yu Zhibo grinned as he walked up to Li Huafang. He glanced at her hand and said, "It's only stained with blood less than half. I just dealt with one whose banknote was 80% stained with blood. Yours is even less of a problem. What happens next might be a bit unbelievable, but please don't be scared!"
Jiang Fan and Li Huafang nodded with solemn expressions.
"I didn't expect your home to be here, teacher. If I had known, I would have found an opportunity to visit!" Yu Zhibo said, making small talk to ease their tension, then clapped his hands.
Immediately, from outside the door, a person who looked exactly like him, with two banknotes stuck to his palm, appeared and walked in, greeting them, "Hello, homeroom teacher, hello, Teacher's Wife!"
Jiang Fan, Li Huafang: ⊙﹏⊙
"This is my ability," Yu Zhibo said with a smile, then gave his clone a look.
The clone nodded, understood immediately, walked to Li Huafang's side, and in the next moment, his eyes turned crimson. To the shocked gaze of Jiang Fan and his wife, he transformed into Li Huafang's appearance.
Then, the clone first used its mental power to stimulate the ghostly consciousness within the banknotes, attracting its attention, and then used the Sharingan to cast an illusion.
Instantly, the banknotes on Li Huafang's palm began to slowly detach, eventually sticking to Yu Zhibo's clone's palm.
The black mist on her body also surged together, enveloping Yu Zhibo's clone entirely.
At this moment, after transferring three banknotes to himself, Yu Zhibo's clone's black mist became even denser, though ordinary people couldn't see it.
"Am I... cured?" Li Huafang, tears of joy streaming down her face, looked at her empty palm. It was like a terminally ill person, suddenly free from a chronic illness, her face filled with relief and happiness.
"Zhibo, what is this?" Jiang Fan's brow furrowed. He had initially thought Yu Zhibo would destroy the life-claiming money directly, but he hadn't expected him to transfer it to himself. Even if it was just a clone, he still felt some concern.
"It's fine, teacher. This is routine for me. Didn't you say that professional matters should be handled by professionals? You can teach me about academics, but when it comes to supernatural matters, you're definitely not as good as me!" Yu Zhibo said with a smile.
"I was too narrow-minded!" Jiang Fan chuckled, patting Yu Zhibo's shoulder with a complex gaze. "Thank you this time!"
It was clear that he, who had always been relied upon by his students, was somewhat unaccustomed to relying on his students, especially when one of them was the class's troublemaker.
However, compared to Chen Bo, Yu Zhibo was undoubtedly much more composed. If Chen Bo had come for this, he would likely have grinned from ear to ear and tried to show off desperately.
"Then I'll be going!" Yu Zhibo said, preparing to bid farewell after finishing his task. Li Huafang quickly stood up, nervously rubbing her clothes with her hands, and said, "Please stay for dinner!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Zhibo turned around and respectfully said, "Thank you, Teacher's Wife, but no need. I still have over a dozen people who found life-claiming money that I need to help. Let's save it for next time. Next time I have the chance, I will definitely visit."
"Since you have urgent matters, we won't keep you!" Jiang Fan pondered for a moment, then walked into his study and soon took out a rolled-up calligraphy scroll. He said, "This calligraphy has been with me for 20 years. My father wrote it for me after I became a teacher, and it's the source of my pride all these years!"
He paused, then looked at Yu Zhibo with expectant eyes and continued, "You are still too young. Suddenly gaining power far beyond that of ordinary people, I worry you might get lost in it. I am transferring this to you now, hoping you will not forget your original intention and always maintain a pure heart!"
Yu Zhibo took it solemnly and opened it. It read: "Never forget your original intention, keep the mission firmly in mind." The eight characters were written with vigorous strokes. He could even see with his Sharingan that a faint white glow emanated from the edges of the characters.