Chapter 101

Chapter 101

◎The Forgotten Dream◎

Looking at Lin Chengyi, whose face showed signs of excessive indulgence in pleasures and whose eye bags were so heavy they seemed to drag his face down, Xiao Ye felt the talisman's warmth inside his phone case but kept a straight face. He continued scrolling through his phone while continuously chatting with Ji Nanxing.

Ji Nanxing had flown to the border city today with his second brother, also his senior brother. They were still at the airport. Xiao Ye had originally wanted to go with him, but due to the ancestral rites, relatives, both near and far, had returned home, and even his mother had saved up vacation days to come back for a few days.

As for his father, he was in the middle of a crucial project. According to his mother, it might be years before he could come back, and it was uncertain if he would make it back in time for his son's wedding.

When Xiao Ye heard his mother say this, he thought of Ji Nanxing and smiled, saying, "Don't worry, maybe by the time you retire, I still won't be married."

Although same-sex marriage is now legal, it's still a minority, and with Ji Nanxing's temperament, Xiao Ye felt that his journey was still long.

Xiao Ye's mother didn't push the issue. In her view, marriage and career were his own life decisions. When he wanted to get married, he would naturally do so, and when he wanted to focus on his career, it would be because career success would bring him happiness.

After all, he had an older brother. When they passed away, the two brothers would still have each other in this world. How their lives turned out would ultimately be their own affair.

Since it had been years since he last saw his mother, Xiao Ye, despite his attachment to Ji Nanxing, couldn't leave now. So he kept holding his phone, constantly chatting with Ji Nanxing, reminding him not to forget him when he met their master in the border city, and to send him lots of photos of the border city, even if it was just a pile of sand every day.

After Lin Chengyi sat beside him and yawned countless times, Xiao Ye saw that Ji Nanxing had said he was boarding the plane. He sent him a message wishing him a safe journey. When Ji Nanxing didn't reply anymore, Xiao Ye put down his phone and turned to look at Lin Chengyi: "What have you been up to lately?"

Lin Chengyi, having been asked this question so many times recently, thought Xiao Ye was also misunderstanding him like others and quickly put on a "don't overthink it" expression: "I haven't been taking drugs, overindulging, or staying up all night. I've just been having constant dreams, waking up countless times in the middle of the night, and not sleeping well, which is why I'm so sleepy."

Given his usual behavior, Xiao Ye obviously didn't believe him: "You haven't been messing around outside, have you?"

Lin Chengyi looked at Xiao Ye strangely. Their relationship was, in a way, just one of the few among the second-generation kids who could talk to Xiao Ye, but it wasn't particularly close because Xiao Ye didn't like hanging out with them.

He had come to the Xiao Family today because of his grandfather. His grandfather wasn't as accomplished as Xiao Ye's grandfather, who held a high position. Back when his grandfather was a teenager, he lived in the same alley as the Xiao Family, and he and Xiao Ye's grandfather had grown up together.

However, Xiao Ye's grandfather later joined the military through family connections, while his grandfather, lacking such connections and opportunities, started trading goods to make some money.

Although one went into the military and the other into business, and they hadn't seen each other for decades, the childhood bond remained. After Xiao Ye's grandfather retired, he reconnected with some old friends.

Now in their retirement years, they occasionally drank tea, went fishing, and reminisced about their past glories, rekindling their friendship. That's why Lin Chengyi could come to the Xiao Family with his grandfather. Because their ancestors lived so close, their graves were in similar locations, and to avoid disturbing their ancestors' peace, they hadn't moved the graves, so they just worshipped together every year.

But in their generation, Xiao Ye wouldn't treat Lin Chengyi any differently because of their ancestors' bond. Lin Chengyi knew that Xiao Ye didn't particularly like hanging out with them, not because he looked down on their family backgrounds, but because he somewhat despised their character.

Plus, with the age gap, when Lin Chengyi was in high school, Xiao Ye was still in elementary school. Even though now Lin Chengyi is in college and Xiao Ye is in high school, it was hard for them to play together as kids, let alone now.

As for why he could somewhat talk to Xiao Ye, it was probably because, although he was a bit of a playboy, he never toyed with people's feelings or irresponsibly created new lives. But this didn't make Xiao Ye treat him any differently; at most, he just didn't dislike him as much as he did the others.

Now, hearing Xiao Ye's question, Lin Chengyi didn't dare to think it was out of concern but cautiously asked, "Why do you ask? Did you hear someone badmouthing me outside? I haven't done anything illegal."

Xiao Ye countered, "Why would you ask that? Did you actually do something illegal?"

Lin Chengyi looked utterly wronged: "How could I! If I had the guts, my grandfather and parents would strangle me."

He didn't meddle in affairs, had enough money, and really had no reason to do anything illegal. Living the life of a wealthy young master was good enough.

Xiao Ye scrutinized him for a while, but he wasn't as skilled as his Naonao, who could figure things out just by looking. Lin Chengyi just looked a bit pale, and he couldn't see anything else, so he directly asked, "Besides having nightmares, has anything else been off with you lately?"

Lin Chengyi didn't quite understand and asked, "What do you mean? Could you explain a bit more?"

Xiao Ye said to him, "Open your hand."

Lin Chengyi was puzzled but still extended a hand: "What's up? Are you giving me something?"

Xiao Ye opened a small slot on the back of his phone case. The case was custom-made, with a movable slot that could be easily opened with a fingernail. Although it couldn't hold much, given the size of the phone case, it was just thick enough to hold a talisman without making the phone uncomfortable to hold.

He pulled out the folded yellow talisman and placed it on Lin Chengyi's hand.

Lin Chengyi was confused, wondering if Xiao Ye had handed him a Peace Talisman. He questioned whether their relationship had reached the level of exchanging such talismans.

Before he could finish the thought, the talisman in his hand suddenly became extremely hot upon contact with his palm. He immediately tossed it away, but as it left his hand, the talisman burst into flames.

When the talisman hit the ground, half of it had already burned, and the remaining half was slowly being consumed by the flames, turning into ashes.

Lin Chengyi’s eyes popped open in surprise: "What is this? Is this magic?"

He hadn't seen Xiao Ye light any fire.

Xiao Ye was amused by his mention of magic: "Are you stupid? This is a talisman. You touched it, and it burned. What do you think that means?"

Although Lin Chengyi wasn't superstitious, as a Chinese person, he had some basic knowledge of such things. Still, he couldn't be sure: "Are you saying... there's something on me?"

Xiao Ye glanced at the ashes on the ground and took out another talisman from his phone case: "Twenty thousand each. Here's another one. You can try it."

He placed the remaining talisman on the coffee table, letting Lin Chengyi pick it up himself.

Twenty thousand wasn't much, and two talismans would only cost forty thousand. Lin Chengyi was a standard third-generation rich kid. As long as he behaved, his family gave him plenty of pocket money, which wasn't even enough for a single night out at a bar. So, he didn't care about the price.

But the situation was both novel and eerie. Combined with his inexplicable fatigue over the past few days, Lin Chengyi hesitated for a moment before tentatively reaching out toward the coffee table.

This time, he looked carefully. The talisman was just an ordinary piece of paper, folded into a triangle. It was thin and small, and there was nothing inside that could self-ignite.

Just as he was about to touch it, remembering the heat from earlier, Lin Chengyi paused for a moment. After steeling himself, he grabbed the talisman.

When he picked it up, he didn't feel the same heat as before. He figured Xiao Ye was just playing a trick on him, but the next second, the talisman burst into flames in his hand.

Lin Chengyi froze for a second before flinging the talisman away, but his fingertips were still burned by the fire. He hissed in pain, shaking his hand, and looked at Xiao Ye with a pale face, his eyes filled with panic.

After the talisman burned out, Xiao Ye gathered the two piles of ashes on the floor. The housekeeper would clean it up later. Then he turned to Lin Chengyi: "When you first sat down, the talisman on me started to heat up. That's why I asked if anything was off with you recently. This talisman is called the Heavenly Thunder Talisman. In the hands of a Taoist, it can destroy evil spirits. In the hands of an ordinary person, it can offer some protection."

He turned to Lin Chengyi: "Usually, if you’ve just brushed against something unclean, one talisman would do the trick. Evil entities fear the Heavenly Thunder Talisman the most. But now two have burned, which means your problem might not be easy to resolve. Or maybe you've provoked something, creating a karmic bond that can't be solved just by the talisman."

Lin Chengyi gaped, utterly confused: "You're speaking Chinese, but why do I feel like I don't understand?"

Xiao Ye rolled his eyes: "You've encountered a ghost. Got it?"

Lin Chengyi cursed under his breath and clutched at Xiao Ye for help: "Xiao, Brother Ye, you have to help me. What's going on? How did I end up encountering a ghost? Do you have any more talismans? Give me another one to try?"

Xiao Ye said: "First, think if you’ve pissed anyone off, said something rude, or if any of your recent flings were out of the ordinary. Start from the time before you began having these dreams."

Lin Chengyi chewed on his nails, racking his brain. He hadn't been in a relationship since returning to China, nor did he have the time for one. He had only been back for a little over a month, and most of his time was spent gathering friends for drinks.

But he wasn't exactly chaste either. At his age, it was natural to be a bit wild. Although he didn't think about it all the time, when he saw a beautiful woman and was teased a bit, he couldn't resist.

However, even in his one-night stands, it was always a mutual agreement. He’d give them gifts and treat them to breakfast in the morning, and they would part with a kiss and a promise to meet again. It couldn't be because of these things that he attracted something unclean, right?

After drawing a blank, Lin Chengyi turned to Xiao Ye, bewildered: "Really, there's nothing. My life is boring. I sleep until the afternoon, meet people for meals and drinks, and occasionally sleep with someone, but it's always mutual and ends well. There haven't even been any conflicts. I only go to crowded places. The only time I might’ve run into something like that was when I visited my mom’s side to honor our ancestors a few days back. But we go every year, in a group, and I didn't step on any graves or say anything disrespectful."

Seeing that he truly couldn't think of anything, Xiao Ye said: "Then I’ll get someone to check you out. We’ll bring in a master to see if we can fix this with cash."

Lin Chengyi nodded eagerly: "Yes, please! I never figured you’d know about this stuff, Xiao."

Xiao Ye glanced at him sideways: "Shouldn't you be more shocked that ghosts actually exist?"

Lin Chengyi replied: "Why be shocked? I’m not superstitious, but I do believe in this stuff. I just didn't expect to encounter one by chance."

Xiao Ye chuckled, "You better hope it's just a fluke."

Otherwise, if it was actively provoked, the slightest mistake could be deadly.

If Ji Nanxing were still around, Xiao Ye definitely wouldn't seek help from others. Unfortunately, Ji Nanxing has gone to the border city, so Xiao Ye had no choice but to find someone else to take a look.

This matter could actually be directly reported to the Management Bureau. He had been selling talismans on the Human Realm Network and had done several transactions with people, even selling some talismans to the Management Bureau, so he knew the ropes pretty well.

However, the procedure at the Management Bureau is to first register a case, then wait for a Taoist to take on the case and handle it. If no one takes it, you might have to wait indefinitely.

Xiao Ye swiped his phone and found Wu Yang's WeChat.

Wu Yang was the Taoist who once handled a case in the entertainment industry but didn't deal with it in time, nearly causing a death. Later, knowing that he was self-studying how to draw talismans, Wu Yang came to buy talismans from him. Their communication was limited to talisman dealings.

Xiao Ye opened the chat box with Wu Yang: "If you're free, come take a look and handle the case. If not, I'll take him to the Management Bureau."

Wu Yang didn't ask why Xiao Ye didn't directly contact Ji Nanxing and replied almost instantly: "I'll take it."

Xiao Ye replied with an OK gesture, sent him an address, and then said to Lin Chengyi, "Let's go, I'll introduce you to the master."

Over there, Grandpa Lin was still chatting and drinking tea with Grandpa Xiao. Since they were planning to return to their hometown to pay respects to their ancestors, they were discussing the timing. Hearing that they were going out, they just waved their hands, telling them to be safe.

Xiao Ye had arranged to meet at a restaurant. They had just entered the private booth when Wu Yang arrived right after.

Xiao Ye smiled, "That was fast."

Wu Yang nodded. During the Qingming Festival period, it could be said to be both very busy and very idle. Various Taoist sects were gearing up for sacrifices, and except for some freelance Taoists, most of the Management Bureau's members were disciples of Taoist sects who also needed to return for various preparations.

Additionally, the Management Bureau also had sacrificial activities during Qingming, so everyone was swamped.

To say it's idle is also accurate. Generally, cases are fewer during this period because the commotion of sacrifices would make some spiritual entities dare not easily show up. Those who have lived long enough are well aware of the existence of Taoists and dare not cause trouble, so naturally, there are fewer cases.

Thus, as soon as Xiao Ye contacted him, he almost instantly took on the case, not missing any chance to earn some cash.

Wu Yang looked at the man beside Xiao Ye, "Him?"

Lin Chengyi quickly stood up to greet, "Hello, Master."

Xiao Ye nodded, "He used up two of my Heaven's Thunder Charms."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yang frowned, his first reaction was one of dismay. Even at the internal price of the Management Bureau, a Heaven's Thunder Charm costs five thousand each, so two would be ten thousand, which is indeed heart-wrenching.

Xiao Ye ordered some food and drinks and briefly explained the situation for Lin Chengyi: "That's the gist of it. He himself has no clue where or what he provoked. I didn't bring a camera, so I can't spot his issue."

Wu Yang then asked, "What about Ji Nanxing?"

Xiao Ye: "He went to seek his master."

Wu Yang nodded, took out a Heaven's Eye Talisman, and opened his heavenly eye. When he saw the situation on Lin Chengyi, he couldn't help but frown again.

Lin Chengyi felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze and, seeing his expression, nervously asked, "How is it? What's on me?"

Could it be that there's a female spirit clinging to his back or something?

Wu Yang said, "A person has three fires. You've already extinguished two; the fires on both shoulders are out. The only remaining heavenly fire is also quite faint and could extinguish at any moment."

Lin Chengyi swallowed hard, his face filled with panic, "If it goes out, does that mean I'm dead?"

Wu Yang nodded. In his current state, if it weren't for the heavenly fire still burning, he would probably already be dead.

The Heavenly Fire can be seen as the fire of the deities. As the saying goes, deities watch over us from just above our heads, which is what this means. Moreover, with Qingming Festival approaching, his life is still intact, likely because his ancestors have been watching over him.

Hearing Wu Yang's words, Lin Chengyi stammered: "So, what should I do? Can I still be saved?"

The Heaven's Eye Charm only allows one to open the Heavenly Eye and see things on others that ordinary people can't. But it’s not like Ji Nanxing’s innate spiritual eye, nor does it have the advanced Taoist ability to instantly discern cause and effect. Therefore, it can only be explored through meticulous questioning.

Wu Yang: "You said you’ve been dreaming for several days. What did you dream about?"

Lin Chengyi shook his head: "I can’t remember; I forget almost everything after waking up, but I feel exhausted. I haven’t had a full night’s sleep for days."

Xiao Ye, standing nearby, said: "If you’re tired after dreaming, you might be haunted by a seductive ghost."

A seductive ghost, as the name implies, is an alluring spirit. These ghosts aren’t bound by gender; they indulge with the living in dreams, draining their Yang Energy.

This was something Xiao Ye had read in the "Compendium of Hundred Ghosts" at the management bureau. Given Lin Chengyi’s personality and his current state, didn’t he seem like someone who’s been drained by something?

Lin Chengyi’s face paled again. Though he couldn’t recall his dreams, Xiao Ye’s words made him wonder if his lustfulness had attracted a seductive ghost.

Wu Yang, however, shook his head: "It’s not a seductive ghost. If it were, he wouldn’t look like this now. His complexion is bad, but his vitality and energy remain intact. If it were a seductive ghost, after a few nights, he’d be skin and bones, completely drained."

Lin Chengyi breathed a sigh of relief: "So what did I provoke? If I stick more of those powerful talismans on me, will ghosts stay away?"

Wu Yang: "That’s just a temporary fix, not a solution to the root problem. If you really did something to provoke a ghost, the talismans will keep it at bay for a while. But once it grows stronger and gets close, it’ll kill you outright."

Lin Chengyi valued his life too much to keep talking recklessly.

Xiao Ye didn’t have much experience with such matters. When he worked with Ji Nanxing on cases, Ji Nanxing could instantly grasp the situation without needing such detailed questioning.

Before this, he’d assumed all independent Taoists were as skilled as Ji Nanxing. Now, seeing Wu Yang handle the case, the gap was clear. His Naonao was truly the best.

Seeing Lin Chengyi in a panic, Xiao Ye asked: "Then how do we investigate his situation?"

There’s no ghost following him; only the fire on his body has gone out. He can’t figure out what he’s provoked or where the root lies, making it tricky to handle.

Wu Yang said: "The key lies in his dreams. Let him sleep and see."

Lin Chengyi hesitated: "But I can’t remember after waking up."

Wu Yang: "I can help you remember. I’ll light an incense stick, and you try to recall your dreams."

Lin Chengyi was pressed to lie down. He was sure he couldn’t sleep with someone watching him, especially after learning he’d provoked something sinister. He was too scared and unsettled to sleep.

After Master Wu lit an incense stick and placed it nearby, Lin Chengyi’s eyelids grew heavy, and he soon lost consciousness. Before passing out, he wondered if the incense was some kind of drug—it worked too well.

Lin Chengyi was semi-conscious in his dream, his mind still foggy. He walked along a dark path, enveloped in complete darkness. The further he went, the clearer his mind seemed to become.

The endless darkness ahead felt familiar, but he couldn’t place it. His feet kept moving forward, beyond his control.

After walking for an unknown time, Lin Chengyi grew afraid. It was late at night, and not even the sound of insects could be heard. Despite being in a dream, he felt cold, his body chilled.

Just as his fear peaked, the scene shifted. He found himself standing in a pit, surrounded by desolation, so dark he couldn’t see anything. He held something in his hand but didn’t know what it was.

After a moment, his hands raised the object and struck it down with force.

The sound of striking echoed. He seemed to be holding a hammer, striking repeatedly. He could feel something being smashed down with each blow. He thought, no wonder he felt so tired upon waking—he’d been forced into hard labor in the middle of the night.

He had no idea how long he’d been striking mechanically until a faint light appeared in the sky, revealing his surroundings. He was in a grave pit in the wilderness, holding a large hammer, striking a coffin.