Chapter 91

Chapter 91

◎The Man Who Felt Cold All Over◎

Jiang Lei's brother is named Jiang Yu, the same person Xiao Ye met at the airport that day.

At first, Jiang Yu didn't notice anything unusual about himself. The weather was already cold, so he thought it was due to the low temperature and not wearing enough clothes that made him feel chilly.

Later, even indoors with the air conditioning or floor heating on, he still felt cold. It wasn't the kind of cold caused by external low temperatures, but rather a cold that seemed to come from deep inside.

Jiang Yu began to suspect that something might be wrong with his body. When Western doctors couldn't find anything, he turned to traditional Chinese medicine, which diagnosed him with a possible deficiency of qi and blood, prescribing a variety of tonics.

If Jiang Yu had always suffered from cold hands and feet, he might have believed it. But the problem was, without any injury or illness, how could he suddenly develop a qi and blood deficiency with cold extremities?

He used to be someone who feared heat rather than cold, someone who could keep his hands and feet warm in winter without wearing long johns. Such a sudden change made it hard not to suspect illness.

When local hospitals couldn't diagnose anything, Jiang Yu went to some of the more renowned hospitals nationwide, but they still couldn't identify the problem.

Later, his assistant suggested going to a city further south to recuperate. Their current location was in winter, while coastal areas still had summer temperatures. The natural warmth might help.

Taking his assistant's advice, Jiang Yu prepared to go to Haicheng. It was on the way to Haicheng, at the airport, that he encountered the young man. When he was near that young man, the cold in his body seemed to vanish.

Unfortunately, at the time, he thought he was recognized by a fan, so he avoided the young man when he looked at him. Later, when he tried to find him again, the young man was gone.

After arriving in Haicheng, it still didn't help. While others walked on the beach in shorts and tank tops, he was so cold he had to wear a sweater, and even a down jacket couldn't block the coldness inside his body.

He learned what it was like to sweat while feeling cold all over.

If he hadn't encountered that young man, Jiang Yu might have kept thinking his condition was purely physical. Although he always felt cold, it didn't severely affect his life, and he could still manage to go out.

But after meeting that young man, Jiang Yu began to suspect that it might not be a physical issue. He might have come across something unclean, and perhaps the young man had some powerful talisman that briefly dispelled it when he got close.

Jiang Yu remained in Haicheng for a while, but the coldness in his body didn't improve. He felt he couldn't go on like this and started asking around for effective temples or Taoist monasteries.

Before going to these places, he could still manage, but after visiting, he realized the problem was serious.

There are many temples and Taoist monasteries, but not many are truly effective. Jiang Yu could sense their effectiveness the moment he stepped through the gates. In places with genuine power, the coldness in his body would vanish, but other places were just ordinary tourist spots.

The most intense experience was at the Yuchun Taoist Monastery in his hometown, a large Taoist monastery with many visitors and worshippers, known for its efficacy.

Jiang Yu went there with a try-it-out mentality. As soon as he entered the gate, he felt a warm, spring-like breeze and knew he had come to the right place.

But soon, new problems arose. He got blessed talismans, peace charms, and even a rare and powerful Thunder Talisman that cost 20,000 yuan and was said to be effective against any fierce ghost.

Yet, his condition didn't improve. In fact, the coldness in his body worsened as soon as he left the monastery.

He couldn't stay in the monastery forever. Initially, the monastery had some effect on his condition, but gradually, even staying inside, he began to feel cold.

If it was just cold, it might have been manageable, but slowly, he not only felt cold but also extremely tired, with a heavy physical fatigue that led to frequent bouts of unconsciousness.

At first, he stayed hidden in the monastery, but his health continued to decline. He couldn't work or even live independently, often fainting. His family, terrified, urged him to stop with the superstitions and forced him to go to the hospital for treatment.

The hospital even formed a special medical team to study him but couldn't find anything wrong. They suggested he might have some kind of aging disorder, with his cells and organs rapidly aging. Despite his youthful appearance, his body functions were deteriorating, leading to slow movements and constant fatigue.

But why this was happening and what caused his rapid aging, the hospital couldn't explain.

The reason Jiang Lei followed Dong Xuan to find Ji Nanxing and the others that day was influenced by his family. His brother was so seriously ill yet still wanted to visit Taoist monasteries and seek out masters for superstitious remedies.

To Jiang Lei's surprise, Ji Nanxing actually had genuine abilities, since he had already seen it firsthand.

The Tangyuan incident also made him think that his brother might not just be superstitious, but that there was really something wrong with him, which explained why he was so insistent on getting the family to find a Taoist temple and a master, and to keep the talisman close to him.

When he returned home and saw his brother’s condition worsening, Jiang Lei decided to reach out to Ji Nanxing to see if his brother’s issue was supernatural or just a rare illness.

Over the phone, Jiang Lei explained everything he knew about his brother, asking anxiously but hopefully, "Could you take a look at this?"

Ji Nanxing asked, "Has your brother been to Yuchun Temple?"

Jiang Lei confirmed, "Yes. At first, it seemed fine; he only went occasionally and kept working as usual. But later his health declined, and he complained of constant fatigue and weakness, so he moved into Yuchun Temple. But his condition worsened, and even the temple couldn’t help. He reached out to the family, and that’s when we discovered he was sick and hadn’t sought hospital treatment. So when I went with Dong Xuan to find you that day, I initially thought you were just superstitious frauds. Sorry about that."

Ji Nanxing brushed it off, "No worries. So your brother felt the chill on his body eased a bit after going to Yuchun Temple, right?"

Jiang Lei replied, "Yes, that’s probably why my brother thought Yuchun Temple could help him. But who knew even they couldn’t?"

Ji Nanxing said, "Let’s set up a time to check it out."

Worrying that every day wasted put his brother in greater danger, and confirming Ji Nanxing was free, Jiang Lei said, "Is today okay?"

Ji Nanxing checked the time and glanced at Xiao Ye beside him. "Alright, let’s meet at the hospital entrance," he said.

After hanging up, Ji Nanxing told Xiao Ye, "I can’t make it to dinner tonight."

Xiao Ye headed straight to the room with the ancestor’s altar, packing talismans into his bag. "Who says you can’t? I’ll come with you. If it’s an easy fix, I’ll wait for you to handle it before eating. If it’s tough, we’ll eat first and then figure it out. Let’s go—time to work!"

Jiang Lei was already waiting at the hospital entrance. When he spotted them, he hurried over. "My parents aren’t here; I convinced them to go home. I’m on night duty today. They always believed my brother was delaying treatment due to superstition, thinking if he’d gone to the hospital earlier when symptoms first showed, it wouldn’t have gotten this bad. My brother told them when he was still somewhat conscious that he had already come to the hospital for a check-up at the beginning, but my parents just didn’t believe it."

Thinking of his mother who had been crying all day because of his brother's condition, and his father who was so worried he couldn't sleep at night, Jiang Lei sighed, "They just can't accept that my brother is so young, how could he get such a strange disease."

Xiao Ye, afraid that he was placing too much hope, gave him a heads-up, "Yuchun Temple is a very powerful Taoist temple for handling supernatural events here. If they are helpless, we might not have a solution either. Don’t get your hopes up too much."

Jiang Lei nodded upon hearing this, "I know, I just want to try again."

That's his own brother. Even if there's only a glimmer of hope, he wants to seize it and try.

The group quickly arrived at the ward. Jiang Yu was in a single room, and from the daily necessities piled around, it seemed he had been staying there for quite some time.

Jiang Lei said, "My brother has been hospitalized for almost two months. At first, he was occasionally conscious; although he slept a lot, when he was awake he could still talk to us. But in the past half month, the situation has gotten worse and worse. He hasn’t woken up much in the past ten days. The doctors have told us to be prepared."

While Ji Nanxing was looking around, Xiao Ye was also observing the person on the bed, but he didn’t recognize him as the person he had met once in the airport waiting room.

That person who made his talisman slightly warm was too wrapped up, with a hat, sunglasses, and a mask, and now this person had become so thin, even more unrecognizable.

The young man lying on the hospital bed, although somewhat emaciated due to his condition, still had excellent features. Seeing the flower baskets filled beside him, Ji Nanxing asked, "What does your brother do for work?"

Jiang Lei replied, "An eighteen-line small idol."

It's not like he's completely unknown. As someone who debuted from a talent show, he has some fame, but this fame is limited to fans who followed their talent show—the kind that no one would recognize walking on the street.

Ji Nanxing blinked, a stream of light flowing in his pupils. The various auras in the room directly revealed themselves to him: vitality, death, fortune, fate, all intertwined into complex and tangled lines.

After observing the aura on Jiang Yu, Ji Nanxing closed his eyes for a moment. The stream of light dissipated, and he turned to Jiang Lei, "Your brother's problem is very serious."

Although Jiang Lei was mentally prepared—after all, with his brother's current condition, not just one foot, it feels like his whole body is about to lie in the coffin—hearing Ji Nanxing say this, his mind still buzzed, and he blanked out for a moment.

He took a few deep breaths, his voice somewhat hoarse, "What's the problem? Is it so serious that he will die? Is there a way to save him?"

Ji Nanxing said, "Your brother has a late-blooming fate. His career fortune will gradually rise and achieve something after the age of thirty. But now his fortune and vitality are being stripped away bit by bit."

Ordinary yin-yang vision usually can't detect this issue, as it can only perceive lingering ghosts. Even if he went to the Yuchun Monastery, few could resolve his problem. The handful of people capable of handling such matters have already been summoned to deal with more pressing issues, along with his master who has been absent for nearly a year.

Thus, even if Jiang Yu had stayed at the Yuchun Monastery continuously, it would only slow down the rate at which his life force and luck are draining away—a temporary fix, not a cure.

Jiang Lei got the gist of what he was saying and asked, "Are you saying that my brother isn't suffering from a strange illness, but is actually being targeted by someone's cursed plot?"

Ji Nanxing nodded, "Moreover, time has been wasted. The opponent's curse has already taken effect. Your brother's life force and luck are almost completely stripped away."

Jiang Yu is now on the brink of death, and what was stolen from him has probably already fused with the other person's body. Even if we wanted to retrieve it, it wouldn't be easy, as too much time has been lost.

Jiang Lei felt his scalp tingle, somewhat at a loss, "Is there any other way to save my brother?"

Ji Nanxing removed his bracelet, lightly brushed his fingertip over the golden bell, and then gently tapped Jiang Yu's forehead. An invisible protective aura enveloped him.

Ji Nanxing put the bracelet back on his wrist, "I've temporarily sealed his aura, hoping to buy some time to see if there's a solution."

Jiang Lei said, "Thank you. Is there a talisman that can help my brother? He bought some talismans at the monastery, but they don't seem to work."

Ji Nanxing glanced at the corner of the yellow paper tucked under Jiang Yu's pillow, pulled it out, folded it into a triangle, and handed it to Jiang Lei, "This is the Heavenly Thunder Talisman, one of the most potent talismans. You can carry it with you. Under normal circumstances, lingering ghosts won't come near. But this talisman is ineffective for your brother; it's not the right remedy. Your brother needs a Soul Calming Talisman."

Xiao Ye, who was beside them, rummaged through his bag and pulled out a Soul Calming Talisman, "Will this work?"

Xiao Ye now draws more than just Heavenly Thunder Talismans. Although Heavenly Thunder Talismans sell for the highest price, he's also experimenting with other types, just in case Ji Nanxing needs them someday. His goal is to meet all Ji Nanxing's talisman needs!

Ji Nanxing took the Soul Calming Talisman from his hand, had Xiao Ye take out a cinnabar brush, asked Jiang Lei for his brother's exact birth details, wrote his birth characters on the back, and then folded it into a triangle and placed it under his pillow.

"For now, this should maintain his condition and stop things from getting worse."

The Soul Calming Talisman worked very well, and since it was drawn by Xiao Ye, the talisman was also charged with his Yang energy. Not long after the talisman was placed, Jiang Yu gradually came to.

As soon as he opened his eyes and saw his brother by his bedside, Jiang Yu smiled at him. Just as he was about to speak, he felt a tickle in his throat and couldn't help but cough. This cough was so severe it seemed like he might stop breathing.

Ji Nanxing said to Xiao Ye, "Go pat his back."

Xiao Ye was puzzled but obediently went forward to pat his back. However, instead of helping, his patting made Jiang Yu cough even more violently, leaning over the edge of the bed in a fit of gagging.

Jiang Lei, seeing his brother struggling to breathe, panicked and ran out to get a doctor.

Ji Nanxing stopped him, "Don't rush, let him cough it out."

Xiao Ye continued to pat his back, not daring to stop until Ji Nanxing said so.

After a while, Jiang Yu retched for a long time and finally spat out a mouthful of strange, fibrous stuff. It wasn't much, just a few strands, but the strange, thread-like substance looked extremely eerie.

Ji Nanxing had Xiao Ye stop, walked over, and threw a talisman on the ground. As soon as the talisman touched the fibrous material, it immediately caught fire. After burning, the threads didn't turn to ash but instead became some mysterious black substance.

Jiang Lei looked at his brother, who felt much better in his chest after spitting out that mass, and Jiang Yu, also bewildered, looked at his brother and the two strangers in the room.

When he turned around to see who was patting his back, he was startled and said in a hoarse voice, "It's you?"

Xiao Ye raised an eyebrow, "Do you know me?"

Jiang Yu struggled to sit up, but he didn't have much strength, so Jiang Lei helped him up.

Jiang Yu took a couple of breaths and said, "That day at the airport, I was sitting next to you. I had been feeling cold all the time, but after sitting next to you, I wasn't cold anymore. When I turned around to look for you, I couldn't find you."

Xiao Ye also remembered this incident. After returning, he had mentioned it to Ji Nanxing. He didn't expect that after all this time, they would circle back to this, "It's you. That day after you sat next to me, the talisman I was carrying got a bit warm. I thought there might be something wrong with you and wanted to talk to you, but you avoided me. I was afraid you'd think I was crazy, so I walked away."

These words made Jiang Yu, already pale, turn even whiter. That one moment of avoidance cost him a chance to be saved.

Back when he was on that talent show, he was constantly being filmed by cameras and rushing from one schedule to the next. Wherever he went, because the news was released in advance, there were many fans waiting at the airport, and everywhere he looked, he saw fans holding up signs with his name.

It gave him the illusion he was famous, thinking anyone who looked at him twice wanted his autograph.

In reality, he was only a big deal in that small circle, and outside of it, hardly anyone knew who he was.

It was only after his health deteriorated that he discovered this reality. He had already formed a group with his teammates, but he missed a lot of events because of his illness, which didn’t get much attention. Even on his personal Weibo, there were hardly any messages of support or concern.

He wasn’t as big as he thought, and the world didn’t revolve around him. It was just all the pointless hustle that messed with his head.

If he’d figured this out sooner and been more humble in his mindset, he might’ve grabbed that life-saving chance at the airport.

Jiang Lei thought his brother had gotten a little full of himself since participating in that talent show, but he could understand. Suddenly thrust into the spotlight and picked to debut in a group, who could resist all the flowers and applause.

But now, it’s too late for that.

Jiang Lei looked at the things on the ground and then at Ji Nanxing: "What are these? Did he drink some talisman ash water and get possessed?"

Ji Nanxing: "He’s possessed, but it’s not from talisman ash water. It’s probably some kind of gu, but I’m not sure which one. I’m not very familiar with gu."

Jiang Lei already saw Ji Nanxing as his brother’s only hope, and hearing this made him even more anxious: "What should we do then? Do you know any masters who understand this? Our family will make it worth your while."

Ji Nanxing said: "First, get your brother transferred to another hospital. Staying here won’t do him any good. I’ll contact the hospital and arrange everything before you transfer. That hospital has a department for supernatural cases, and they’ve got doctors who know about gu worms."

Jiang Lei didn’t expect there to be such a hospital. After noting the hospital's address, he hurriedly prepared for the transfer.

Although he was already an adult, the transfer still needed his parents' consent. When his parents arrived at the hospital and saw Jiang Yu awake and even able to sit up, they were overjoyed.

It wasn’t until Jiang Lei told his parents the whole story that the Jiang parents' expressions changed.

Mrs. Jiang even pulled her younger son outside the ward and said with a serious face: "Tell me honestly, did the doctor say something? Is your brother not going to make it?"

She thought Jiang Lei was comforting his brother, seeing that his brother was probably not going to make it, so he wanted to go along with it.

Jiang Lei shook his head: "No, what I said is true. My brother is not sick, Mom, believe me. He’s my brother, how could I harm him? Do you remember Xiao Xuan’s Tangyuan? I even brought it home to play with. Tangyuan passed away last year, but it has been following Xiao Xuan. Just the other day, the Young Celestial Master used a talisman to let me see Tangyuan’s soul, I saw it with my own eyes. Today as well, he changed a talisman for my brother, and my brother woke up. But he said my brother is infected with a gu, and he’s not sure how to deal with it yet, so he asked us to transfer to a hospital that can suppress the gu."

Mrs. Jiang was still somewhat skeptical: "Is there really such a hospital? Isn’t it a scam?"

Jiang Lei gave the hospital’s address: "It’s a national top-tier hospital, not some private small workshop. Hurry up and transfer my brother, every day delayed is another day wasted."

While the Jiang family was busy with the transfer, Ji Nanxing was pulled by Xiao Ye to go eat. They had been delayed for a while, and if they didn’t eat soon, he thought he would starve his Ji Naonao.

While waiting for the meal, Ji Nanxing sent the photos of the flocculent substance and the burned remains to the Taoist group of the management bureau.

This Taoist group wasn’t for all the Taoists in the management bureau, but only for those who had been rated.

Taoists also have differences in abilities, apart from their own abilities, there’s also the completion rate of cases. Only a small portion can be rated as first-class, and Ji Nanxing’s ability is definitely among the first-class.

He briefly explained Jiang Yu’s situation and combined it with these two photos, wanting to ask other Taoists if they could see the problem with him.

The quiet Taoist group quickly became lively, some hadn’t seen this kind of gu before and curiously asked in the group.

Some had dealt with some gu before and had specifically studied it, and soon someone in the group said: "From your description and the things that were vomited out, I suspect it’s a symbiotic gu."

Ji Nanxing typed on his phone: "Symbiotic gu? There are many types of symbiotic gu, I wonder if the master can tell which one it is?"

Master Min: "It seems like the Alang gu, I suspect, but I’m not very sure. You can check the Alang gu related materials at the management bureau for comparison."

After politely thanking him, Ji Nanxing said to Xiao Ye: "Let’s go to the management bureau after eating, we’ve found the direction for investigation."

Xiao Ye placed a spicy bullfrog leg into his bowl: "Eat up, eat your fill."

Ji Nanxing said, "Don’t you know eating bullfrog is bad luck?"

Xiao Ye looked at the pot of spicy bullfrog and asked, "Is that a thing? Why?"

Ji Nanxing: "Because bullfrogs resemble golden toads, and golden toads attract wealth."

Xiao Ye laughed: "Then if I eat the wealth-attracting one, wouldn’t I get even richer?"

As he spoke, he added another piece to Ji Nanxing's bowl: "We’re eating, let’s not get superstitious."

Ji Nanxing couldn’t help but chuckle: "So you only believe what you want to and call the rest superstition?"

Xiao Ye nodded with a look of agreement: "Isn’t that how it is these days? Believe the good stuff, ignore the bad!"

Author's note:

Three-sentence ghost story:

In the middle of the night, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and you wrapped yourself in a blanket, covering your ears.

Then, someone next to you gently hugged you and whispered, "Don’t be afraid, it’s just thunder, I’m here."

Just as you were drifting off, you jolted awake, remembering you live alone.