Chapter 62 The Importance of Identity

Although Lu Yuan had forgotten many things, his subconscious told him that the old man before him was not to be trifled with.

He could not see through the entity level of this old man.

Yet, this specter of an old man was undoubtedly much more formidable than Zhuo Yan.

Lu Yuan was aware that a portion of his memory was missing, though he could not recall precisely what that missing part was.

After taking the incense, Lu Yuan did not bow in worship; instead, he directly inserted the stick into the incense burner, then looked at the old man specter: "I am a psychologist."

Lu Yuan intended to use his identity as a psychologist to make the other party wary.

According to Lu Yuan's conjecture, the priority level of the television should be quite high—at least higher than that of ordinary specters. Since the television had bestowed upon Lu Yuan the identity of a psychologist, it should also serve a certain deterrent function.

The old man remained silent.

Lu Yuan furrowed his brow slightly.

He discovered a strange phenomenon: the hatred emanating from this old man specter was remarkably scarce, so scarce that it could be described as pitifully minimal.

Normally, the strength of a specter is judged by the density of the hatred it carries. The denser the hatred, the more terrifying the specter.

This ought to be common knowledge.

Yet, this piece of common knowledge did not apply to the old man specter standing before him.

The old man said nothing.

Neither did Lu Yuan.

A flicker crossed Lu Yuan's eyes. He once again considered testing the waters with his utility knife. He was pressed for time and needed to reach Mingzhi Elementary School. If he delayed too long here, the television would take action against him before any other specter even needed to make a move.

Until more than half of the incense in the burner had burned away, the old man finally spoke in a leisurely tone: "Doctor Lu, you are not the first psychologist I have met. Nor, of course, will you be the last."

The old man's words left Lu Yuan momentarily stunned.

However, there was some good news.

Lu Yuan detected no murderous intent in the tone of the old man specter. In other words, this specter currently had no intention of attacking him.

"The previous psychologist was named An Shi, but unfortunately, he died." The old man sighed, seeming to feel a sense of regret over An Shi's demise.

"Those people truly have a morbid sense of humor."

"Every newly arrived psychologist has to make a trip to Mingzhi Elementary School, yet in the end, they all die there."

The old man offered a mocking remark.

After a brief hesitation, Lu Yuan sat cross-legged on the ground and set his backpack aside: "You were waiting here specifically for me, weren't you?"

Lu Yuan suddenly figured it out.

Every psychologist had to visit Mingzhi Elementary School, and this intersection happened to be the closest route to the school. Therefore, anyone wishing to go to Mingzhi Elementary School was bound to pass through here.

His encounter today was not a coincidence, but an inevitability designed long in advance.

The old man looked somewhat surprised. Lu Yuan seemed slightly smarter than the previous psychologists, but only slightly. In terms of capability, Lu Yuan was the worst of the lot.

"I won't kill you."

The old man spoke.

Lu Yuan did not show any expression of relief or joy. Leaving this place would undoubtedly require paying a price; otherwise, there would have been no reason for this old man specter to drag him here.

"I need you to help me find something."

The old man kept his head lowered, obscuring his facial features and, naturally, his expression.

Lu Yuan's mind raced.

Soon, numerous conjectures formed in his head.

On the surface, Lu Yuan maintained a calm demeanor: "Very well."

Lu Yuan agreed with unexpected crispness.

This once again took the old man by surprise.

The old man slowly raised his head and turned to glance at Lu Yuan. This time, Lu Yuan could clearly make out the old man's features. They were no different from those of a normal person; there were no horrifying sights of falling eyeballs or half-mangled flesh as one might imagine.

A sharp pain pierced Lu Yuan's eyes.

He simply appeared to be an ordinary old man.

Furthermore, the old man had an utterly unremarkable face.

Thrown into a crowd, he would be completely untraceable.

Logically speaking, such a person should leave no lasting impression; even if seen before, they would quickly fade into obscurity within one's memory.

Yet, for some reason, Lu Yuan felt that this old man looked somewhat familiar.

The old man quickly turned his head back: "Are you so confident that you can bring back what I want?"

Lu Yuan shook his head: "I'll do my best."

One can only ever do their best at anything.

Where in this world is there anything guaranteed to succeed absolutely?

If he still failed after trying his best, then so be it. It wasn't that Lu Yuan didn't want to succeed, but rather that the task was simply too difficult, impossible to conquer even with maximum effort.

The old man let out an abrupt chuckle.

"Interesting."

"You're an interesting young man."

"Much more interesting than those previous psychologists."

While tossing ghost money into the offering basin before him, the old man continued, "There is a child named Jin Sheng in Class 1, Grade 5 of Mingzhi Elementary School."

"Bring him here."

The old man stopped talking right there.

A glint flashed in Lu Yuan's eyes.

"What's in it for me?"

Lu Yuan had never been one to work for free. Since he was putting in the effort, he expected a commensurate reward.

Of course, if this old man specter intended to use Lu Yuan's life as payment, then Lu Yuan would have nothing more to say.

The old man was startled once again. He felt that the number of times he had been astonished today exceeded the total of the past few decades combined. This living human actually dared to bargain with him for benefits...

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

A faint light flickered from the Buddhist shrine by the old man's feet.

In an instant, a bone-chilling cold crawled up from the base of Lu Yuan's spine straight to his crown.

"So the hatred of this specter isn't carried within himself at all; it's all stored inside this Buddhist shrine." Lu Yuan cast a subtle, fleeting glance at the shrine.

A trace of panic stirred within Lu Yuan, but on the surface, he appeared exceptionally composed: "You won't kill me. Because you can only rely on me to do you this favor; no one else, human or specter, will do."

The old man narrowed his eyes slightly.

He did not like people who were too clever.

Through his rapid brainstorming just moments ago, Lu Yuan had deduced quite a few things. First of all, this old man specter was not doing this for the first time; the previous psychologists had undoubtedly been intercepted by him as well.

And the sole purpose of the old man specter stopping passing psychologists was to enlist their help.

It was just that all the previous psychologists had failed.

Lu Yuan softly stated, "Only I possess the identity badge of Mingzhi Elementary School, and only I can enter the school legitimately. You are well aware of this, which is why you intercept every psychologist who passes through this intersection."

Identity was the most crucial asset.

Whether it was Lu Yuan's identity as a psychologist or his status as the psychological counselor at Mingzhi Elementary School, both provided him with the convenience to move around.

Simultaneously, identity defined one's scope of activity.

Armed with the identity of a psychologist, Lu Yuan could move freely within the psychological clinic and make unrestricted use of any items inside it.

Similarly, armed with the identity of a psychological counselor at Mingzhi Elementary School, Lu Yuan could move freely within the school grounds and command the children using his authority as a teacher.

These were the advantages conferred by identity.

On the strength of this alone, Lu Yuan possessed ample confidence to demand a reward.