Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Holding the medical report in his hand, Wei Tianyi listened to the doctor's constant exclamations and pondered the reason behind his newfound health. His expression became somewhat dazed, unsure whether he should be delighted or distressed.

In truth, he had already sensed something amiss. Lately, he had been livid every day, feeling as if life were unbearable. His wife, who had lately taken to hosting her friends and their acquaintances for tea in the yard with an ease that seemed abnormal, their youngest son, who inexplicably found time to polish the meaningless stone monument at the entrance, their eldest son, whose behavior was bordering on that of a person with mental issues, and the mysterious neighbors who actually showed up to burn incense at their gate – all these sights made him feel like he could explode on the spot each time he entered or left the house. Logically, such constant anger should have led to nervous exhaustion, but despite the fiery rage within him, he never experienced insomnia – he would fall asleep instantly upon hitting the pillow, sometimes even having pleasant dreams, which left him refreshed to face another frustrating day.

Oddly, he now vaguely sensed that his improved health was allowing him to teeter on the brink of death from frustration yet remain alive...

But then again, given his level of success and wealth, a healthy body was what he had yearned for the most. Among his business associates, most had started to focus on wellness by middle age, but no matter how much they nourished themselves, they still suffered from minor weaknesses. Thus, it was a common refrain among industry leaders that they could earn money but not live long enough to spend it. If he shared his current complicated emotions with them, he might very well end up being ridiculed.

So... Ultimately, he should still be happy, right?

Wei Tianyi tried to accept this objective reality with mixed feelings.

**********

Meanwhile, the slender figure nearby found the situation extremely challenging. This was truly his first encounter with such an inscrutable predicament. Was there truly no way to infiltrate the Wei family?

Yet, behind him, Little Fatty and the pockmarked junior apprentice brother were incessantly chattering away.

"One of them is about the same age as our master, yet they're still so full of energy. What a difference in fate."

"Why don't we just give up on this and tell Master? We could ask for their secrets to longevity."

"Sigh, we can't even compete with them in our rituals, let alone in preserving our health. How can we fall behind in that aspect?"

The lanky man's temples throbbed with anger. Unable to tolerate it any longer, he wished he could teach them a lesson right there and then. His hands trembled, but just then, he heard a tentative inquiry from behind him, "Mr. Qing...?"

He instinctively turned around to see a young man leaning on a cane standing behind him. After a moment of thought, he recognized the person, "Mr. Xing?"

Xing Kai was surprised, "It really is you?"

Back when the Xing family had experienced a downturn in fortune, their company was severely affected, and their elders fell ill one after another. They had consulted many Taoist temples and shrines, but no one was willing to help. It was only after hearing about Xin Nan that they invited a master to exhume their ancestors' graves, which eventually improved their situation. At that time, Xing Kai had accompanied his family to participate in the ritual, and he remembered that this lanky man named Qing Lu was one of the powerful Daoist master's disciples.

Recognizing him, Xing Kai greeted, "Mr. Qing is here, does that mean Master Pang has also come to the capital?"

The lanky man fell silent for a moment. He still recalled the grand spectacle of green water overflowing from this person's ancestral grave. Unlike the green smoke, which was a good omen, green water was a sign that the family's descendants had not accumulated enough virtue. Back then, his master had exerted great effort and even used some unconventional methods to prevent further misfortune from befalling the family. However, although the problem was temporarily resolved, his master had warned them not to have too much contact with this family in the future, as they might be dragged into their bad luck.

Thus, he didn't bother to explain further and simply shook his head. "Master isn't here."

It seemed there were no more loopholes to exploit in Wei Tianyi and his wife. Since he couldn't maintain his dignity in front of his junior brother, he had no choice but to leave. However, the resentment in his heart refused to subside. He thought that if he truly couldn't succeed in retrieving the soul, he could at least perform a ritual before leaving to curse the family with ill fortune. Just as he was about to step away, Xing Kai let out an exclamation and looked at Wei Tianyi and his wife behind him. "Uncle Wei? Aunt Shu? Why are you two here?"

The thin, tall figure abruptly stopped, his gaze deepening—this was what it meant to stumble upon something without even looking for it.

*****

On their way back, Wei Tianyi's emotions were conflicted. He kept glancing at the car following them. On one hand, he felt that he was losing his mind, but on the other, he wondered—what if there were things in this world that science couldn't explain?

He had never believed in ghosts or gods before, but after seeing that mysterious medical report today, he suddenly felt a tinge of uncertainty.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to invite those so-called "masters" home after Xing Kai introduced them. He still remembered how they had inexplicably stopped him outside the hospital, saying that he was doomed. Logically, with such a healthy checkup result, he should have deemed them frauds. But now, with his worldview shaken, he couldn't help but ponder further—wasn't being angered half to death every day a form of misfortune too?

Moreover, Xing Kai had warmly recommended these individuals and even disclosed that his family had collaborated with them before. They weren't strangers—he was the cousin of his eldest son's fiancée and a friend who often appeared around his eldest son. Both were businessmen in the capital, and his father often crossed paths with Xing Kai's in business, making them old acquaintances.

As Wei Tianyi pondered, his thoughts delved deeper. The biggest question in his mind now was—could those supernatural entities he had always dismissed as mere superstition actually be real?

*****

From within the car that followed behind, Xing Kai's enthusiasm surged as he inquired, "Master Qing, what exactly do you intend for me to assist you with by getting into the Wei family? Are you planning something big?"

The lanky man, sensing his willingness to assist, knew there was more to the story. Though he concealed much of the truth, he didn't hide the purpose of his visit: "Indeed, there are some disputes that need resolution."

Upon hearing this, Xing Kai was so thrilled that his hands trembled. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Master, you must seize this opportunity and at least make Wei Xi's life miserable for a while! It wasn't easy to convince Uncle Wei and Aunt Shu!"

Ever since the incident where he was beaten by his father after attempting to dine and dash, he had been filled with both hatred and fear towards Wei Xi. He wished to retaliate, but logically, he was well aware of his limits. Considering the other party's scientifically implausible combat strength displayed during that beating, seeking revenge would only result in him being pounded into the ground. To make matters worse, his credit card had been cut off by his family, leaving him without a means to devise a plan for vengeance. The appearance of the lanky trio of senior disciples was like scratching an itch he couldn't bear, making it impossible for him not to feel agitated.

The lanky man was also quite pleased. "Of course, we wouldn't have succeeded without Mr. Xing's assistance. I didn't expect you to be so persuasive. You managed to convince that couple with just a few words."

Xing Kai felt rather proud of himself and secretly straightened his back. He saw Master Qing's plump junior brother smile and say, "Yes, that's really despicable. You even know the couple, yet you have no qualms about deceiving them. Impressive, you're like one of those awesome villains in movies who have no chance of redemption."

Xing Kai's previously exhilarated mood plummeted irreversibly into the depths: "..."

Which side does this person belong to?

The lanky figure turned with a cold glance, "…Shut up."

As an accomplished translator of both Chinese and English literature, specializing in the realm of danmei fantasy novels, I'm currently immersed in the translation of a captivating tale that seamlessly weaves together elements of danmei romance with the ethereal mysticism of fantasy. The following passage, rich with these distinctive features, is artfully rendered into English:

When Xing Kai got out of the car, he was no longer as cheerful as he was at the beginning. He looked at Little Fatty apprehensively, fearing that the other person would start to stab him again with their words.

With this intervention, he noticed that Wei Tianyi and his spouse couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. Immediately, he thought of the experts standing behind him and gained some confidence. He encouraged himself as he asked, "Grandmaster Qing, you're confident in your abilities for a while, right?"

The lanky figure nodded with a cold expression. As long as he could enter the Wei family, he would have means to play his cards.

He was quite confident in his abilities, and the prospect of standing before the Wei family's gate filled him with excitement. However, his junior apprentice brother gently tugged on him, saying, "Senior Brother, Master has instructed us to minimize our interactions with the Xing family. You know we're already not that skilled. With their unfortunate appearance, what if they bring bad luck upon us too?"

The slender man, who was in the midst of a determined charge, gazed ahead at Xing Kai, whose limping figure indeed boded ill omens, and fell silent.

The lanky figure couldn't help but intervene, "Keep talking, and believe me, I'll knock you out right now."

Little Fatty thought, how can one not even tolerate the truth? Coincidentally, Wei Chengshu, who had just returned home, also saw his parents. Upon seeing Xing Kai, he couldn't help but frown, then his gaze swept over the strangers in Taoist robes, "Who are these people?"

Wei Tianyi was still in a state of superposition regarding his superstition, and at this moment, he was too embarrassed to admit his shaken worldview. He vaguely replied, "A few Daoist priests introduced by your brother Xing, here to inspect our home's feng shui."

Wei Chengshu: "????"

When Wei Tianyi met his youngest son's expression that seemed to ask if Dad had also become as abnormal as Big Brother, he couldn't help but feel annoyed and ashamed, "What kind of look is that? !"

Wei Chengshu: "…No."

Silently, Wei Chengshu returned to his room and rummaged through his metal bucket, increasingly convinced that he was the only normal person left in the family. The lanky trio of fellow apprentices and Xing Kai watched in bewilderment as he set up a stepladder outside the Wei family courtyard and climbed up with the bucket.

Xing Kai, somewhat dazed, asked, "…Hey, what are you doing?"

Wei Chengshu looked down at him haughtily and gloomily, holding the bucket, while wiping the top of the stone tablet with a cloth in his other hand, "Are you blind?"

Xing Kai: "……………………"

Wei Tianyi rubbed his face and turned away from the scene, "Don't ask, just go in."

Housekeeper Zhou had mentioned that Wei Xi and his disciples had gone out to receive an important official from some department, but the details were unclear to him. The lanky apprentice couldn't help but feel delighted and promptly instructed his two junior brothers to quickly set up an altar.

Wei Tianyi still felt a bit resistant, but he was also somewhat unsure, so he allowed them to proceed while standing at a distance to observe.

The lanky one surveyed the room and grew angrier by the second. Damn it, there was only a tiny statue of a deity, the size of an arm, being worshiped in the entire house!

His sorrowful gaze shifted indifferently from the two framed pictures hanging on the wall. One was a business license, the other appeared to be a certificate of sorts. He didn't bother to examine them closely, too absorbed in his anger. What kind of shoddy temple was this? Even someone who took up religion halfway might have more credibility. He found it hard to accept that such an opponent had kept him on his toes for several days.

Little Fatty also noticed the unusual simplicity of Taicang Sect and muttered to himself, "I told you it's not some hidden sect. How inexperienced are you, Senior Brother...?"

The pockmarked-faced cultivator, on the other hand, curiously examined the single deity enshrined. "What god is this? It doesn't seem to be one of the Three Pure Ones. Why have I never seen it before? Could this temple also be a cult?"

As his words faded, his vision blurred, and he suddenly slipped, his nose crashing into the edge of the table.

Everyone: "..."

Wei Tianyi watched in a daze as the pockmarked Daoist master frantically covered his bleeding nose as he scrambled to his feet. He started to feel uneasy again. "Dao... Daoist Master, are you alright?"