Chapter 88 Update

Chapter 88 Update

Xie Qingfeng spoke directly: “There's nothing wrong with this house; the problem lies with you. A month ago, you picked up some bad energy from somewhere. This energy has now formed a destructive formation, and you are its source. If it weren’t for the protective charm your family had gotten for you since childhood, you’d be dead by now.”

That’s why he said Li had a strong fate. Without the protective charm around his neck, Li would have died a week ago and would now be a corpse.

Li’s face turned pale as he heard this, instinctively clutching the charm he always wore around his neck, which indeed had been consecrated at a temple right after his birth.

It was just a talisman wrapped in waterproof material, shaped like a pocket watch, completely enclosing the charm inside. He sometimes thought it was useless and considered discarding it several times, but it was a gift from a deceased relative, so he kept it as a memento.

But he never imagined it would save his life.

Li spoke again, his voice trembling: “How, how could I have picked up bad energy? Master, can this be resolved?” His mind was in turmoil, fearing for his life.

Xie Qingfeng asked: “Think about where you went a month ago, especially any unusual places.”

Li couldn’t clearly remember his activities from a month ago but after racking his brain, he recalled: “I met an old classmate about a month ago. It was a rare encounter in a different city, so we went to a restaurant together. It was his suggestion. That place was creepy; I felt it was eerie when I got back. Could I have picked it up there?”

Xie Qingfeng glanced at him: “What you have was transferred to you from another person, it’s not related to the place.”

Hao Jixin, seeing Li still bewildered, exclaimed: “Still don’t get it? The National Teacher made it clear. It’s likely your old classmate unknowingly got this energy and passed it to you to save himself.” Having seen much with the National Teacher, Hao Jixin understood immediately.

Realizing what had happened, Li’s face turned even paler, followed by anger: “How could he do such a thing?”

Hao Jixin shrugged his shoulders: “It’s hard to truly know someone. Besides, you probably haven’t seen much of this middle school classmate since then, right? It’s been several years; how can you be sure they’re still the person you knew back then?” People often think too simply of others, but human nature is the most complicated thing in the world.

The young man, you can’t predict people’s hearts.

Jing Xi glanced at Hao Jixin with his air of a wise old man, as if he were already in his seventies or eighties.

Li was so shocked he couldn’t even cry. He indeed had been careless, never expecting such a thing. He thought encountering his middle school classmate was fate, not realizing it was a bad omen.

“Master, is there still hope for me?” Li asked, his voice trembling, legs weak, completely dazed. His eyes fixed on the National Teacher, his life hanging on the master’s words.

Xie Qingfeng hummed in affirmation: “Find the person who transferred this evil formation to you, and I can certainly resolve it.”

Hope sparked in Li’s eyes as he understood. He just needed to find that classmate to resolve it? He nodded vigorously, voice shaking: “I’ll call him right away and try to arrange a meeting.”

Hao Jixin looked at him sympathetically but didn’t intend to stop Li's actions.

Clearly, after meeting Li, this middle school classmate had taken him to a place that caused the trouble, and might even be the one who transferred the evil to him. How could he possibly let Li find him now? But Li wouldn’t rest without making the call, so they just had to wait.

The reason Hao Jixin thought it might be this classmate was inferred from the National Teacher’s words. The National Teacher said to find the person who transferred the evil formation, not explicitly the middle school classmate, implying it could be the classmate or someone else using the classmate to find Li as a scapegoat.

As expected, when Li found the number and called, it was a disconnected number.

Li went numb, raising his head, murmuring in confusion: “Can’t find, I can’t find him…”

Hao Jixin also looked towards Xie Qingfeng: “Master, is there another way?”

Xie Qingfeng hummed in response: “Do you remember the restaurant he took you to?” Li had mentioned the restaurant was creepy, and it was unlikely that someone would randomly take him to such a place. Thus, the creepy restaurant could be the only clue.

Over an hour later, Hao Jixin drove the car, following Li's directions through twists and turns, finally arriving at a deep alley.

The alley was too narrow for the car, so they got out and decided to walk. Standing at the entrance, looking in, the walls on both sides were high, with unknown courtyards behind them. Many locust trees were planted along the way, casting long shadows and making the alley especially dim and deep, with no end in sight.

Hao Jixin, stunned, turned to Li, who was pale and flustered: “Wow, this place is so secretive. You dared to follow a classmate you haven’t seen for years here? Weren’t you afraid they might betray you?” Now he just felt like labeling Li with the words ‘naive and simple-minded’ on his forehead.

Li's eyes were brimming with tears as he spoke, "I was just so happy at the time, I didn’t pay much attention. Plus, he said it was an old restaurant. Small, but the food was delicious. I even joked that good wine needs no bush, and good food is worth the journey..." His body shook more with each word, and he seemed to have forgotten how he had the courage to take that alley that day.

He didn't know if the meal was good, but he was certain it was his last.

Fortunately, the other person had a good memory. Despite the distance, he remembered the way back. He must have really thought the restaurant was good, noting the route as he followed, planning to bring others here next time.

Li bravely led the way, the narrow alley seeming endless. Hao Jixin rubbed his goosebumped arms, "Master, why is it so cold here?" It was already November, and he was not lightly dressed, but it still felt unusually cold.

Xie Qingfeng quietly observed the path ahead, "The locust trees on both sides carry heavy yin energy."

"Damn it!" Hao Jixin almost jumped up, while Li, leading the way, stumbled and nearly fell.

Luckily, after turning a corner, they finally saw the bright entrance of the restaurant.

An old sign hung above the door. Even though it was daytime, from their angle, it looked dull and gloomy, uncomfortably so.

The door was wide open, with the words "Temporary Restaurant" visible. Inside were a few tables and chairs, hardly anyone around, and no one greeting at the door. Hao Jixin admired Li even more, wondering what kind of food this eerie place served.

"Who would open a restaurant in such a confusing, ghostly place?"

Li whispered tensely, "There's a big courtyard inside, one on each side. It's quite bright there. The tables and chairs are all set up in the courtyard. The food was decent, so I didn’t suspect anything at the time..."

Suddenly, Xie Qingfeng asked, "Did you go to the left or the right side?"

Li uttered a sound of realization, blinking in confusion before understanding what the master meant. After thinking for a month, he pointed to the left, "I went to that side."

Xie Qingfeng hummed in agreement, "Then this time, we'll go to the right."

Hao Jixin had a bellyful of questions but dared not ask them, fearing that walls have ears and might spoil the master's plans.

Still, he couldn't resist sneaking behind Jing Yingdi. He couldn't use the master as a shield, but Jing Yingdi's strong yang energy was feared by ghosts. Using him as a cover meant no evil spirits could harm them.

Jing Xi gave him a ghostly glance: "Are you courting death?"

Hao Jixin offered a pleasing smile, pointing ahead, "Hurry, the master is moving forward. Let's go and protect him."

Jing Xi, not wanting to argue and concerned about the safety of the place, quickened his pace. With long strides, he soon caught up, lifting the bamboo curtain before Xie Qingfeng could, stepping in first.

As the bamboo curtain lifted, the scene brightened instantly. A large, open courtyard surrounded by locust trees, with a large incense burner in one corner filled with ash. The strong scent of incense was still detectable from a distance.

But just outside the curtain, there was no trace of the scent. Was the curtain that effective in blocking odors?

Before Jing Xi could continue observing with a furrowed brow, the heavy bamboo curtain at the entrance suddenly rang with bells. Quickly, the curtain lifted, and a young man stepped out, expressionless, glancing at them, his gaze finally resting on Li, who was shrinking aside. His brow furrowed, seemingly recognizing Li.

Li glanced up quickly as the young man emerged, not recognizing him, but the man's scrutinizing gaze made Li more certain that he was related to the evil array affecting him.

Suppressing his anger, Li turned to look at the master, not daring to speak.

The young man had regained his composure and smiled at Xie Qingfeng and the others, "Have you gone the wrong way? If you're looking to eat, go to the left. This side is a private residence and does not entertain guests."

Xie Qingfeng slightly lifted his eyelids, glancing towards the incense burner, "We have come for that."

The young man, who would normally have been pleased, hesitated upon seeing this guest who had visited a month ago, causing his master to make an exception. He didn't dare agree, and was also puzzled. How could someone, supposedly dead a week ago, appear perfectly alive?

The young man forced a smile, "Please wait a moment, I'll ask the owner."

As soon as the young man left, Li, with a trembling voice, asked, "Master, does he recognize me? He looked at me several times." His gaze was as if Li was a dead man. "But I'm sure I've never seen him before."

Xie Qingfeng inquired, "What exactly did you eat on the left side?"

Li thought for a moment, "A dish of stir-fried garlic sprouts with meat, a roasted lamb leg, braised pork, and sweet and sour liver tips..."

Xie Qingfeng, noting his pause, urged, "Is that all? Mention everything, no matter how small, both food and drink."

Li continued, "Those were the four dishes. Before the meal, we had a pot of tea. The teapot was ceramic, so I couldn't see inside. The tea was dark brown, quite fragrant, like some sort of floral tea, but I'm not sure which kind. Also... I remember feeling full at the end, and they served a special soup, dark and murky. Only I had it; my classmate said he'd already tried it, so I didn't think much of it, thinking it's a specialty... The soup was black but tasted good..."