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"Alright." The woman paid and yawned as she left.

The company's parking lot was occupied by several trucks.

A group of truck drivers, holding their lunchboxes, gathered to eat. Upon seeing the woman return with the sweet soup, one nudged the other.

Their lecherous gazes kept lingering over Deng Liqiao's ample bosom.

Feeling the uncomfortable stares, Deng Liqiao raised the sweet soup to shield herself and prepared to get into the car with a darkened expression.

"Sis Qiao!"

One of the men called out, stepping away from the group. "Sis Qiao, the boss has asked me to ride along with you this time."

"It's only a 300-kilometer trip; I can manage on my own," Deng Liqiao refused.

"Well, there's nothing I can do about that. It's the boss's order," the man said with a fake smile. Seeing her displeased look, he added, "The boss noticed that you seemed a bit off and is worried something might happen."

This man was an extra truck driver at the company, with a low salary but unwilling to leave. Now that he had finally found an opportunity to replace Deng Liqiao, he certainly wouldn't let it slip away.

He would even dream of taking the wheel from Deng Liqiao.

"Ding Jie from the finance department can accompany you," Deng Liqiao declined again.

After all, it was a 700-kilometer journey; it wouldn't be safe for a lone man and woman.

Ding Jie from the finance department was indeed female.

"That won't do either," the man chuckled slyly, sensing Deng Liqiao's fear. "Ding Jie doesn't know how to drive. Who will help if you get tired? The goods from the mainland are crucial; our boss will go berserk if we're late."

Deng Liqiao had no choice. There was only one female driver in the company. Back then, she had secured her job among a group of male drivers through sheer determination.

Silently opening the truck door, Deng Liqiao lifted the sugar water and got in.

The man climbed into the passenger seat, cursing Deng Liqiao's cold demeanor inwardly.

What was this bloody woman playing at? If he caught her napping or stopping to rest on the road, she could kiss her job goodbye!

Why did this woman deserve an eight-thousand-yuan salary?

Wait and see.

Eventually, you'll be fired.

Chapter 62

At Temple Street, the Chu Ji dessert stall sold out quickly.

"Sorry, we've run out of desserts. Please come again tomorrow if you'd still like to purchase some," Chu Yuening said apologetically as she closed the ice cream chest. After the customers had left, she wiped away the dessert residue on the glass counter with a cloth.

It had spilled during the packing process when the metal spoon was scooping the dessert.

Once it was clean, she went to Zhang's Tea Restaurant to wash the cloth and wring out the water. As she pushed the door open, she saw Wei Yanlin swinging his loose Daoist robe and wearing flip-flops while carrying a bunch of scarecrows with a smile.

"I've fulfilled my mission. I hurried over after making ten scarecrows. Did I disrupt your work?"

After some time apart, Wei Yanlin's hair, which he had shaved off to donate to an elderly woman, had grown back. He hadn't dyed it or styled it with hair wax into a slicked-back look.

Chu Yuening approached and blinked at the crude scarecrow. "It's quite cute."

She had expected Wei Yanlin to just go through the motions.

To her surprise, he had done a decent job.

"Isn't it?" Wei Yanlin lifted the scarecrow proudly. The straw hair was gathered in his hand, leaving only a round ball of straw for the head, apart from the central cluster that resembled the face.

The limbs were made of wooden sticks.

With a gust of wind, the scarecrow swayed from side to side.

Wei Yanlin's shiny, combed-back hair followed the motion. "It is pretty cute. Just now, a kid asked me for it. I didn't give it to her because I was worried it might affect her health."

In reality, not only had he not given it to her, but he was also afraid that an unsuspecting child might try to keep the scarecrow if they saw it outside.

Wei Yanlin even went as far as to use the scarecrow to scare the children.

Only to be chased down the entire Tung Chai Street by her mother wielding a broomstick.

The soreness still lingered in his bottom even now.

"Cough, Ning Ning," Wei Yanlin rubbed his buttocks subconsciously and asked with a chuckle, "What on earth do you need ten scarecrows for?"

Chu Yuening took the scarecrow and stroked its round straw head, "You'll find out when we get there."

As she spoke.

She retrieved the peachwood sword from its display case and hung the scarecrow upon it.

After being used once, the peachwood sword seemed to have formed a rapport with her. The moment she held it, she could sense its gentle warmth seeping through the wood.

Everything in this world possesses a spirit.

The sword was extending its affections toward her, indicating its fondness for its new master.

The garden complex was not far from Temple Street.

Throughout the journey, Wei Yanlin was tormented by curiosity and persistently asked, "Is someone up to no good, and you want to prank them with a scarecrow?"

"Or perhaps someone has been speaking ill of you, and you're using the scarecrow to curse their anus to rot?"

Wei Yanlin entertained various clever theories on his own.

Until, his flip-flops stepped onto the pavement of the garden community.

It had just rained, and the ground was still damp, chilled by the passing breeze. Yet, it was nothing compared to the biting cold that surrounded Wei Yanlin.

He fell silent, his casual demeanor replaced with a stern expression.

The air was filled with malevolent energy – pure negativity.

As soon as he stood at the entrance, the overwhelming negativity infiltrated his body.

"Vicious! Too vicious!" Wei Yanlin seethed with anger. "What kind of lousy array is this, trapping people inside to die slowly? All the Life Gates in the Eight Trigrams formation are blocked; how can anyone even attempt to rescue them?!"

Chu Yuening gazed at the angry Wei Yanlin and blinked. "You noticed?"

"Please," Wei Yanlin sounded aggrieved at the doubt in his abilities. "I may be inexperienced, but I'm not blind. Though my innate talent might be lacking, I've memorized quite a few of Master's reference books."

He might not possess the supernatural ability to see through the veil, but as an expert in the occult, he had a natural sensitivity to negative energies.

"But it's not just the Life Gate," Chu Yuening said, looking up at the sky above the garden complex. "All eight gates are sealed."

The Eight Trigrams are arrayed, and their images manifest. Each trigram represents a gate, forming an octagonal formation. They guard the eight directions, sealing them off completely – a death sentence for any living soul trapped within.