After performing the Small Golden Knife Technique, the two ghosts remained in place, not daring to move and only crying, until Tan Xiao's performance ended.

The Zhurong Band performed a total of three songs, and Tan Xiao could leave the stage after collaborating on the first one.

When going on stage, Tan Xiao hurried up himself, using the opportunity of moving the drums to free the young Judge Bao actor from the ghosts' entanglement. When leaving the stage, staff had already moved his drums down.

Mao Mao also conveniently returned the "rattle drum" to Tan Xiao, patting him on the shoulder, "Thank you aunties, thank you classmate Tan Xiao--"

Tan Xiao glanced at the two ghosts still huddled together trembling. Since he hadn't seen ghosts many times, their appearance was even more frightening than Liu Qingquan's. Even Tan Xiao felt a bit creeped out looking at them.

Just now when going up to block them, Tan Xiao had done some mental preparation.

As a result, when Tan Xiao looked at them, the two became even more fearful, hugging each other tighter, and the male ghost even started wailing loudly.

Tan Xiao: "......"

...He felt their behavior didn't quite match their appearance. They were timid, and the two ghosts seemed to have mistaken him for someone else, not deliberately trying to scare people. Mm, seems this old job of working in opera troupes could be maintained for a few more years.

Considering this, Tan Xiao didn't slash at them again. He walked off stage as if they didn't exist. When he reached the side of the stage, he casually handed the rattle drum to the young Judge Bao actor.

The young actor joyfully took it. Truth be told, he had electric toy cars, robots, and building blocks at home, but he really didn't have this kind of toy, let alone one that Mao Mao had just used in her performance.

He especially liked this rattle drum. Shaking it a few times, he said in a strong voice, "Thank you, big brother."

After all, he played Judge Bao, so his speech was no longer childish.

A moment later, when the young actor looked up at the stage again, he found that the two strange uncle and auntie from before had disappeared. Perhaps they had also finished performing and left the stage?

Tan Xiao walked backstage. Tan Chunying mentioned his earlier actions on stage, "Just now, the gesture you made..."

Hearing this, Tan Xiao felt a hint of nervousness in his heart. Before discovering Tan Chunying's incomplete soul, he wished she would notice something amiss and loudly accuse him of lying about being a mascot.

But now, Tan Xiao didn't dare disturb this delicate balance.

Fortunately, Tan Chunying just laughed foolishly a couple times and made the Small Golden Knife Technique gesture herself, raising it up and saying, "Wow, it really is the same as the gestures those rock musicians make."

She had no idea why Tan Xiao suddenly made these two hand signs, and even felt it was very normal. He was a Chu shaman after all, so what was the big deal about making a couple hand signs while performing? Wasn't it just like dance moves to liven things up?

"...That's right, actually this metal greeting gesture originated from ancient Mediterranean coastal residents using it to exorcise evil spirits, quite similar in concept to our Small Golden Knife Technique."

As Tan Xiao spoke, he thoroughly figured it out in his heart. Doing it in front of Tan Chunying had the same effect as doing it in front of these unaware audience members. There was really no need to worry about her finding anything strange.

Because she sincerely believed her family were just swindlers turned mascots.

To them, no matter what gestures Tan Xiao made, even if they didn't match metal greetings, it was all purely for performance.

The WeChat notification sound rang out. Tan Xiao lowered his head to look. It was from Mu Fei.

Mu Fei, who was watching the live broadcast, screamed at Tan Xiao through WeChat: [I'm watching the live stream, what did you just do! That was the Small Golden Knife Technique you made, right? I'm not seeing things, am I? Was it the Small Golden Knife Technique or rock and roll?!]

Tan Xiao quickly explained: [It was the Small Golden Knife Technique. There were two ghosts on stage just now that scared our young actor. I had to perform too and had no choice, so I did that. Don't worry, no one knows I was exorcising ghosts.]

[Oh man, I could tell.] Mu Fei sent several split cat face emojis, half crying half laughing. [Every year there are always some similar cases of muddled ghosts or ghosts from villages without internet.]

[But I'm out here every day, borrowing this unit's name, borrowing that unit's name, afraid of scaring ordinary citizens. None are as gutsy as you, exorcising ghosts whenever you want to exorcise ghosts.]

Their unit's employees definitely wouldn't dare to casually do this, but who told them to have transitioned to the cultural tourism track long ago? This time the ceremony was at the invitation of the tourism bureau. And as she saw, there were no flaws at all.

Tan Xiao replied with a smiling emoji.

[So have you taken care of this? Do you need me to find a colleague to clean up for you? There should be colleagues in Nanchu.]

On the day the emperor's essence descended, Nanchu's geographical and weather conditions were extremely favorable, so the frequency of cases appearing was also much higher compared to other places. This was reflected in the data as well.

For this reason, the Bureau 404 had already set up a separate office in Nanchu to facilitate increased patrols and supervision. Before, they only remotely communicated with the responsible units in Nanchu.

Tan Xiao took another look at the two ghosts who were slowly recovering and fleeing the scene surrounded by Chu shamans, and replied: [I think it can be considered taken care of, it was just a misunderstanding.]

Mu Fei: [Okay, okay. Oh right, get an autograph from Mao Mao for me, wasn't that amazing? You were great too.]

Other than that Small Golden Knife Technique at the end which she found a bit creepy, everything before was truly stunning, as evidenced by the audience's reaction.

The Zhurong Band's song "Leaving the Fire" originally carried an ancient mystical atmosphere, telling the mythical story of ancient humans and fire, just expressed in rock music form.

Tan Xiao's shaman music, including the performance by the square dance aunties, not only avoided any of the strangeness or dissonance some people imagined, it even made the song's atmosphere richer and more unique, full of Chu folk culture.

Tan Xiao agreed. He happened to want to get an autograph from Mao Mao for his classmate anyway, so he might as well get one for Mu Fei too while he was at it.

Mao Mao had already performed three songs. After coming off stage, she pulled Tan Chunying aside to chat extensively about music. These two, one with flower tattoos on her arm and the other with a snake tattoo on her neck, were quite recognizable, so Tan Xiao didn't need to think.

Mao Mao had watched Tan Chunying's videos before, and collaborating with Tan Xiao greatly inspired her. The atmosphere on site just now made her very immersed, even better than the rehearsal.

So Mao Mao was inspired and really wanted to record a new version, getting both Tan Chunying and her son involved. In other words, adding Chu shaman cultural elements to the song.

"You could do a chanting segment at the beginning, that would definitely be especially good. Do you think any singing parts would be suitable?" Mao Mao asked in high spirits.

"That's awesome!" Tan Chunying was very interested in promoting the culture of shamans. She wanted to try it out on the spot and said to another band member beside her, "Can the guitar teacher play an accompaniment? I want to give it a try."

The band member was not surprised at all, "I'm the bassist."

The real guitarist beside them laughed loudly and strummed the song "Leaving Fire" from earlier. Tan Chunying improvised a few lines, but her body was not feeling very well, so she couldn't hit the high notes.

Even so, Mao Mao nodded her head while listening. It was just as she thought. If they recorded this in the studio, the effect would be even better. As a musician, just imagining it made her feel passionate.

It was at this moment that Tan Xiao walked over to ask for the band members' autographs. "My classmates and friends said they really like you guys and asked me to bring back your autographs."

Mao Mao signed her name very happily and exchanged contact information with Tan Chunying. They agreed to collaborate in the future when they had time, of course after Tan Chunying's body had fully recovered.

Tan Chunying even took out a talisman from her pocket and gave it to Mao Mao.

Mao Mao took a look. It was written in cinnabar with snake-foot calligraphy. She couldn't read it, but thought the patterns looked nice. She asked with a smile, "Is this useful?"

"Yes, yes, yes, definitely. Our family has been shamans for many years. In the past, we specialized in praying for rain for the emperor." As Tan Chunying spoke, she took out two rolls of paper tape and gave them to her, saying mysteriously, "That pattern is for attracting peach blossoms, and this one is for attracting wealth."

Mao Mao exclaimed, "Wow! They're so beautiful! Hahaha, thank you!"

"..." Tan Xiao was not surprised at all.

......

When Tan Xiao returned, it was already quite late, but there were still enthusiastic neighbors greeting him and Tan Chunying, saying they had watched their live broadcast performance.

Old Man Wang from next door, exposing his belly and fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, sighed at their courtyard entrance, saying he shouldn't have avoided the crowds and not gone to the live venue today. The atmosphere looked great even just watching the video.

"Then go next time." Tan Chunying warmly invited, "I'll let you know when there are similar events in the future."

Old Man Wang, who had awakened his rock and roll soul, nodded repeatedly and left humming "Leaving Fire".

Tan Xiao went upstairs and put everything back in its place. He thought that the Peacock God usually hung out at home when he had nothing to do, but he didn't see him today. Had he finally gotten busy?

Little did he know, Kong Xuan had just finished his physics homework and was lying down.

Ah Jin turned around and said profoundly, "Your Old Man Wang is really brave, getting pregnant at this age."

What the heck.

Old Man Wang was just fat with more visceral fat and a bigger beer belly. Tan Xiao had a premonition that he was going to say something crazy again and coldly said, "He's fat. Men can't get pregnant."

Ah Jin's body froze, with data streams turning, displaying a peculiar vividness.

He knelt on the ground and said in despair, "What? Men can't get pregnant?!"

Tan Xiao: "..."

You... forget it, never mind.

Tan Xiao helped him straighten the crooked floral cloth that had gone askew in his frenzy and went out, closing the door.

......

"Did you see the video of Tan Xiao's performance last night? My god, he was way too cool."

"Was that drumming? It was drumming on my heart!"

"I can't forget the melody of 'Leaving Fire' anymore...!"

"I hope Tan Xiao joins the Zhurong Band on the spot!!"

The classmates of Class 3 were obviously all paying attention to Tan Xiao's performance last night and discussing it very enthusiastically. In fact, it wasn't just them. The news had already spread throughout No. 1 Middle School last night. Some teachers even reposted it on their Moments, indicating that this was a student from our No. 1 Middle School.

And as far as they knew, it was also quite popular with the band's audience. The official recording hadn't come out yet, but the live video was already receiving rave reviews.

Many people exclaimed that they originally thought the Zhurong Band was bitterly making money, but didn't expect them to put on such a great show, which could be called Zhurong's best this year. And that Nanchu shaman was the best guest performer!

As soon as Tan Xiao stepped into the classroom, everyone stared at him. It wasn't strange. When he entered the school gate earlier, he was recognized by the gatekeeper who greeted him. He probably also saw the video on Moments last night.

Lin Yang took the lead in applauding and cheering. Only then did the others who were a bit hesitant also follow along and cheer - after all, Tan Xiao was usually a bit aloof.

"Awesome, Brother Xiao. You had so much style on stage." Lin Yang said with a wink, "Isn't it the school's 60th anniversary celebration this year? You'll have to put on a show then, right?"

The other classmates also echoed, "That's right, that's right."

Although they didn't really understand music, they could see that Tan Xiao was not overshadowed by the experienced singer on stage at all, and even performed very well. He could be said to be the finishing touch.

But come to think of it, Tan Xiao's number of performances might be even more than Mao Mao's...

"Well, our appearance fee isn't low." Tan Xiao made a joke, and also gave his classmates the autographs they had asked for, eliciting another round of cheers.

It wasn't just because of the band autographs they got, but more because Tan Xiao had really helped his classmates get the autographs.

Many classmates from different classes before felt that Tan Xiao didn't seem as cold and arrogant as the rumors said.

"Kong Xuan, did you watch Tan Xiao's performance?" Someone plucked up the courage to ask.

But they saw that Kong Xuan had been facing the window silently. At this moment, he slowly looked over. Kong Xuan's good looks had always been very aggressive, making people not dare to look directly at him. His eyes swept over fiercely as he actually said, "I watched it. The cooperation was excellent."

Wow, he actually watched it and even praised it.

Lin Yang thought to himself that it seemed the relationship between these two had improved after discussing the questions together.

They didn't know that Kong Xuan's praise was from the perspective of the Peacock, affirming the use of drumming for entertainment, and of course, even more so, recognizing his shaman.

Tan Xiao looked at this classmate whose mood seemed a bit unpredictable and was very suspicious that he was really a childhood playmate he had forgotten. Otherwise, how could he explain his awkward behavior?

What a pity. Tan Xiao could imagine that if he dared to ask Kong Xuan which one he was from Huaxi Road, Kong Xuan would definitely get angry again.

......

Today's physics evening self-study class was supposed to be a lesson. The physics teacher was lecturing and wanted to demonstrate, but found that he had forgotten to bring the things he needed. Without hesitation, he pointed to a few people to help him get them, saying, "Lin Yang, Kong Xuan, and Tan Xiao, you three go together to the 17th floor next door. You're all deskmates. Bring me the test papers too while you're at it."

Tan Xiao: "..."

Lin Yang: "..."

As everyone knows, Tan Xiao has two deskmates...

It was all because Kong Xuan kept squeezing to the back every day. He was used to the spacious seat. Even when not discussing questions, he would sit in the back. Even the teacher started to play along.

The building where the storage room was located was the old teaching building next door. The exterior walls were covered in ivy, which had grown back several times after being cleared. Inside, little cuties like geckos and spiders often appeared. It was jokingly called the "five poisons building" and was a famous "Gu building" at Nanchu No. 1 Middle School.

Perhaps due to the design, the interior was indeed much colder and darker.

During class time, the campus of No. 1 Middle was very quiet. The 17th floor was basically all kinds of equipment rooms and old laboratories. After going up, there was not a single person, only a long corridor. As the three students approached, the lights came on one by one with their footsteps.

Drip, drip, it seemed to be the sound of a faucet not tightly closed in the bathroom or some laboratory, amplified and inexplicably creepy.

"Do you know, although this is called the 17th floor, if you add the negative first floor, it's actually 18 floors*." Lin Yang said in a fluttering tone.

*T/N: First floors are sometimes labelled as '-1'.

"You mean some ghosts might miscount and think this is the negative 18th floor?" Tan Xiao said.

"...Can't you just let me finish my line?" Lin Yang felt Tan Xiao was really something.

Last time at his second uncle's funeral, Brother Xiao didn't find anything strange at all. His mother later said that this kind of work requires people with guts. As they say, if you're used to the strange, the strange will ruin itself.

Indeed, those who pretend to be psychics know better than anyone whether there are ghosts or not. Otherwise how could they make money with a clear conscience? If they had any reverence, they wouldn't be able to profit from it.

—Of course, this doesn't mean Brother Xiao intends to cheat money. Lin Yang knew he had long been a legitimate mascot. He just meant that idea.

At this time, a snort of laughter was heard from Kong Xuan.

Probably also mocking me, Lin Yang sighed.

Only Tan Xiao was puzzled. His words just now were just a feeling. After all, he had just experienced two souls mistaking a kid for Judge Bao. He wondered if this urban legend might also be true.

Tan Xiao found the equipment room, inserted the key and was about to open the door, but the lock was a bit old. He didn't unlock it on the first turn.

"Dong."

"Dong."

Two sounds, and the motion-sensing lights in the far corridor lit up.

Lin Yang looked over there, but there was not a single figure. He looked back, feeling a little strange.

"Bang!"

Another sound, this time the sound of something hard hitting the ground, quite heavy.

But on the way here, all the classrooms were locked. Looking inside through the windows, there was no one. The elevator was even more silent. The motion-sensing lights could be said to be broken, but what was this?

Lin Yang looked over there strangely, "Who is it?"

His hand couldn't help but grasp the "the Qilin arrives here" talisman his mother had prayed for him. This thing seemed to be quite useful when verified before. He stood closer to Tan Xiao.

"?" Tan Xiao looked at him in puzzlement, "Don't crowd me."

Learning from Kong Xuan? One after another, what's wrong with them, liking to crowd people.

"There, there seems to be someone." Lin Yang was also embarrassed to say that he had been a little afraid of such things since he suspected his second uncle had visited him in a dream.

"It's very normal for there to be people." Tan Xiao turned the slightly stiff lock open in one go, feeling that his words were funny, "There are thousands of people in our school." He went in to get the equipment, took it down from the shelf and told Kong Xuan to hold it, then took some more for Lin Yang.

"Take it."

Lin Yang was still standing at the door, leaning against the doorframe. He was about to take two steps forward to take the things, when he saw the corridor lights suddenly light up from the other end, just like in a horror movie, desolate and eerie.

As the light came on, the corridor did not make people feel at ease because of the brightness. Instead, the light shining in the gloomy interior made it even more bizarre. Lin Yang even swore he felt a faint chill rushing straight at him!

Lin Yang shuddered and staggered into the storage room, feeling all his hair standing on end.

Tan Xiao heavily put the things in his hands, reminding him to come back to his senses, "Did you stay up late reading novels again last night?"

"I didn't!" Lin Yang subconsciously retorted, his eyes glancing outside.

Kong Xuan also glanced outside, then looked back at Tan Xiao.

If everything before could be considered a coincidence or psychological suggestion, the next second, Lin Yang was really a little panicked.

After the light approached, there was the sound of something slowly dragging on the floor, one after another, very rhythmic, just like... just like...

Inside Lin Yang's stiff body, his brain was spinning rapidly, thinking about this seemingly trivial little detail.

Then, he finally thought of it.

It sounded like some creature crawling forward on all fours on the ground, the friction with the floor.

The sound was getting closer and clearer, with more details. Yes, not just one, there were also faint panting sounds...

Huff.

Huff.

"It should be here, that shaman. Ugh, the houses in the living world are so complicated now."

"Be careful, your elbow hit me."

"What can I do? That slash from the shaman made me unable to stand!"

"So what, as if anyone can stand up?"

"Ugh, tired of crawling, let's rest for now and find him when the school is on break. Say, is he a scholar?"

Tan Xiao: "............"

Good grief, how come it's them, who knows why they still dare to come looking for him... and what scholar.

Recalling their behavior, he couldn't help but wonder what era these ghosts were from. They weren't even as worldly as the village without internet. They seemed only a little better than Xiong Hui, out of touch with the changes of the world. Could there also be homebody ghosts?

Thinking of Liu Qingquan again, it was two extremes. One side was "not participating in work and being out of touch with the times" and the other was "wanting to be rehired as a working ghost even after death"...

That sound was getting closer and closer! Impossible, impossible, I still have protective talismans on me. Unperturbed by the strange, unperturbed by the strange. Lin Yang silently chanted in his heart.

Lin Yang boldly rushed forward two steps holding the equipment, walking out of the storage room, and abruptly stopped.

Indeed, there was nothing in the corridor, empty and desolate.

He looked up, down, left and right, but only saw the gradually dimming light tubes. A gecko quickly crawled across the corner. No wonder it was called the gu building. Lin Yang thought, could it be that he was too psychologically suggestive, leaving a shadow because of his second uncle's matter, resulting in being oversensitive?

Lin Yang looked back and saw Tan Xiao and Kong Xuan had also walked out of the storage room. They were both looking at him, startled, with expressionless faces. This instantly pulled him out of the bizarre atmosphere just now and turned to embarrassment.

Lin Yang said sheepishly, "Did you hear any strange sounds?"

He couldn't see it, but he felt he really heard something. It seems that Lin Yang's luck is indeed not so good this year, prone to noticing strange movements, Tan Xiao thought. But just as Lin Yang himself thought, sometimes when one has enough courage, there's no need to worry.

Actually, if it were only Lin Yang alone, Tan Xiao might even consider telling him the truth.

It's just that there's also the clueless Kong Xuan beside him. Let's not scare Kong Xuan.

"Didn't hear anything," Tan Xiao said with certainty.

Lin Yang then looked at Kong Xuan.

Kong Xuan just gave Tan Xiao a puzzled look and clicked his tongue, "Tsk, didn't hear anything."