Chapter 35: Ward Off Misfortunes
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Lin Chongchang called Qi Zhenbai. He had heard that Perfected Zhang from Longhu Mountain would come to Fuzhou and wanted him to come see Lin Haoxing. However, asking him wasn’t easy. After all, Perfected Zhang was a famous Master in the capital. Many bosses wanted to ask him, but sometimes couldn’t, and was a distinguished guest to many large families in the capital.
Plus, he, himself, didn’t believe in the supernatural. He wasn’t at all convinced that Lin Haoxing was really haunted, so he mentioned it a bit in front of Qi Zhenbai, but never asked directly.
But it was different now; he saw an evil spirit haunting his grandson Haoxing with his own eyes. This time, he cheekily and bashfully asked Qi Zhenbai.
What he didn’t expect was for Zhu Bocheng to answer the call and tell him that Zhenbai had already mentioned it and that Perfected Zhang would come to their door in a few days. This made Lin Chongchang elated. He asked a few questions and was relieved to hear that Zhenbai was doing much better. He ended the call after a few words.
On the other end, Zhu Bocheng wasn’t in such a good mood as Elder Lin. He just felt f*cked up when Qi Zhenbai disappeared in front of the subway station the moment he turned his head. He wondered, he is a young master, so why didn’t he just take the car instead of squeezing in the subway with others? Besides, it’s the morning rush hour.
Chi Shuyan and Qi Zhenbai both got off the subway and stared at each other somewhat awkwardly. Chi Shuyan was mostly embarra.s.sed. Every time she thought about what happened on the subway car, she wanted to kill herself with a piece of tofu. In fear of his purple aura bewitching her again, she tactfully drove him away, “I’m going to the medicinal herb shop.”
Qi Zhenbai nodded deadpan, then followed Chi Shuyan to the herb shop.
Chi Shuyan: “…” Did he not understand what I meant? She took in a deep breath, and was about to set the record straight…
“Are you feeling better?” Qi Zhenbai inquired.
With a grunt, Chi Shuyan reacted instinctively. She was indeed uncomfortable earlier and had pa.s.sed out several times, but it seemed that after ‘intimate contacts’ with Qi Zhenbai, her ‘indigestion’ from the aftereffects of the ghost qi and yin qi seemed to have disappeared without a trace. Chi Shuyan looked up at Qi Zhenbai in a daze. Relying on his unspeakable fate, it didn’t seem impossible, but with the memory of his death before he reached 30, he probably wouldn’t live much longer in this life either. For the first time, without being attracted by his purple aura, Chi Shuyan considered his appearance seriously, then drew a labored breath through gritted teeth. Tsk, tsk… No wonder his life is short. This purple aura and this face shouldn’t fall on a mortal. It’s really, really… terribly a pity!
Chi Shuyan’s mood turned complicated and she acquiesced to them going to the herbal shop together. She had the foresight this time to procure so many herbs that even the two of them couldn’t lift. She could only have the herb shop deliver them.
However, as Chi Shuyan was filling out the card address, Qi Zhenbai, who was next to her, glanced faintly and said he had a car.
Chi Shuyan: “…” Why didn’t you say so earlier?Why would you wait until I’ve almost finished filling out the card? But thinking about it, she didn’t have much of a relations.h.i.+p with Qi Zhenbai, so she shook her head and said, “Forget it, it’s quite a ha.s.sle, and the card has been filled out anyway.”
“It’s no trouble; it’s on the way anyway.” Qi Zhenbai raised his slender eyes, a reserved smile always hanging on the corner of his mouth, yet hiding some surprise in his eyes. He, himself, hadn’t expected such a coincidence.
Chi Shuyan didn’t understand at first, until Qi Zhenbai’s crystal-clear, long, strong, lean fingers seized the card. Chi Shuyan blurted out, “Do you live near here?” That was indeed a coincidence.
Qi Zhenbai nodded and said nothing else. His shallow smile grew more vague while pulling a handkerchief to wipe his hands. Chi Shuyan choked. As if realizing it, Qi Zhenbai said elegantly, “Sorry, I’m a bit of a germaphobe and don’t like crowds!” Meaning, he wasn’t averse to her.
“Oh!” How could Chi Shuyan believe a word he said? Last time, I hugged you for a while, yet you were extremely disgusted and wiped your hands with your handkerchief for a long time. How much more now that you’ve carried me for so long? But someone with germaphobia took the initiative, so how could she be bothered? Seriously speaking, she pounced on him, yet not only did he not throw her out, he also acted like a gentleman to help her. Chi Shuyan sighed and said to herself, you should have more self-control and stay away from him from now on. Don’t be so tactless, or else you’d jump on anyone the moment you see their purple aura later on. You can’t blame others for being disgusted and be on their guard against you. It would be the greatest shame that could never be washed away.
When Zhu Bocheng drove to the herb shop, he was surprised when he saw Chi Shuyan beside Qi Zhenbai. He’d been worried about how to find the girl who gave him the prescription, but now that he saw her unexpectedly, how could he not be surprised?
They sent Chi Shuyan home and Zhu Bocheng was again speechless when he found where she lived. It’s fate. He stifled his inner excitement knowing that they actually lived in the same neighborhood.
Although he beat around the bush in the car, he figured that Chi Shuyan wasn’t the expert who prescribed the prescription, nor had any idea where the expert was, so Zhu Bocheng felt somewhat lost. But probably because Qi Zhenbai had given him a precautionary shot, and his cold ailment wasn’t something that could be cured casually, he wasn’t utterly disappointed.
It suddenly dawned on Zhu Bocheng, “You didn’t get on the subway because you saw her, did you?”
Qi Zhenbai’s heart trembled when he heard his question, and his thick, long lashes masked the tumultuous emotions in his slender eyes.
With a long sigh, Zhu Bocheng suddenly felt saddened and patted Qi Zhenbai on the shoulder. “Zhenbai, there will be a way.” Many people thought that Qi Zhenbai was carefree, but as a normal person, how could he not worry about life or death? He also thought he peeped into Qi Zhenbai’s heart.
“Hmm.” Qi Zhenbai raised his icy eyes to look at him askance, his slightly tensed body loosening. The moment Qi Zhenbai echoed himself, Zhu Bocheng concluded that he really guessed correctly, so he opened his arms, wanting to give him a comforting hug. Then, Qi Zhenbai turned around with both hands in his trench coat pockets, treating him like a fool.
Zhu Bocheng: “…” It must be my illusion, why does it feel like I’ve been scorned?
The Lin Residence
Lin Jings.h.i.+ looked at Lin Haoxing, who was playing with Transformers, and asked with a chocolate, “Xingxing, do you still remember how that Master saved you? Can you tell mom everything?”
“Mom, I told you everything. Sister turned into a ghost and scared those two away,” Lin Haoxing replied impatiently.
“Then, why was that car still running when they found you? Was it the Master who was driving?”
“Sister doesn’t know how to drive. She folded a paper man, huffed and blew, and then let the little paper man drive the car.”
“What’s up with that paper man? Was it really alive and also drove?” Lin Jings.h.i.+ asked incredulously.
“Yeah, yeah, mom, you’ve asked me that many times. Mom, you have such a bad memory.” Lin Haoxing pursed his lips in displeasure.
Lin Jings.h.i.+ laughed awkwardly, “Mom was just asking.”
Lin Haoxing held his little face seriously and feigned adult concern, “Mom, you’ve asked me so many times. It’s unlikely that you’re suffering from Alzheimer’s… Dementia, or that menopause. But Mom, you’re still so young.”
Lin Jings.h.i.+: “…”
Lin Chongchang, who had been in for a while, puffed out a laugh at Lin Haoxing’s words. It was only then that Lin Jings.h.i.+ realized that Lin Chongchang was right behind her. She felt a bit vulnerable, knowing that her father found her unsightly this whole time.
“Why do you keep hounding him about this?” Lin Chongchang rubbed Lin Haoxing’s head and told him to go back to his room and play. “I just finished a few phone calls.”
Lin Jings.h.i.+ was obviously happy that Lin Chongchang took the initiative to talk to her, so she told him of her trip to the zoo with Lin Haoxing.
“We were just pa.s.sing through a square, when a stray dog pounced on Xingxing out of nowhere. It freaked me out. Then, the jade on Xingxing glowed green again and that big dog bounced off. We found out when a police team was alerted and came to catch it that the stray dog seemed sick and had already bitten several adults,” Lin Jings.h.i.+ recounted shuddering in retrospect.
The dog was huge, standing as tall as an adult. Several adults had no way to subdue it. And when it opened its mouth, it exposed teeth so sharp and yellowish. If bitten, not to mention germs, Haoxing’s small arm might have been bitten off.
Lin Jings.h.i.+ was still somewhat convinced of the jade pendant’s usefulness. That was when she pursued the process of Lin Haoxing’s rescue. But why did it seem like that person was a charlatan? How could a paper man come alive? So, she also had some reservations about the jade pendant.
Moreover, when that ghost fled, she wondered if something else had scared it away. But this time, she personally saw the jade pendant glowing green up close, so Lin Jings.h.i.+ was thoroughly convinced.
“Did you really see it?” Lin Chongchang was shocked. He never would have thought that this jade pendant could ward off ghosts and misfortunes. This magic weapon must have really been worth a lot. He got a little mixed up at the moment. What an immense favor!