Chapter 150

Chapter 150

◎The Last Love from Loved Ones◎

Outside, the team led by Mu Chun remained on high alert. This place, haunted for thirty years, could spell disaster for the entire street if the spirits inside acted up and the ghostly energy went unchecked.

But they waited and waited. Even after the worst had passed and the sky cleared, it stayed eerily quiet inside.

Just as Xiao Ye couldn’t resist the urge to peek over the wall, Ji Nanxing and the others emerged.

Xiao Ye hurried over: "Naonao! Are you alright? Were you hurt?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head: "No, it went smoothly. Just a bit worn out and hungry."

Hearing that he was worn out, Xiao Ye immediately half-supported, half-carried him toward the makeshift shelter: "I figured you'd be hungry. Food's ready. Too tired to move? Let me feed you."

Mu Chun also looked at He Long, who had come out last: "How did it go?"

He Long raised an eyebrow proudly: "Who do you think I am? Smooth sailing, of course."

Mu Chun couldn’t help but lightly smack him: "Get serious!"

He Long then said, "Don’t worry, the Qian and Wang families were sent off once their lingering attachments were resolved. As for the ones who died later, they didn’t have much attachment, just unresolved resentment. Luckily, Ji Nanxing opened the Ghost Gate, so I forced them through."

Mu Chun hissed: "You opened the Ghost Gate? No surprise, being the disciple of the great Taoist Master Yan."

Qian Fei, who came out last, looked around. Everyone else had someone to greet them, but he was alone. He could only find a spot to sit by himself.

Everything that had just happened was an illusion, a death cycle that had been broken, and his hands had returned to normal. But it felt so real that even now, sitting quietly, he felt a mix of relief and exhaustion, like he’d narrowly escaped death.

He Long briefly explained the situation inside to Mu Chun, who soon led the team in to handle the aftermath.

The decades of accumulated yin energy and resentment in this place had been partially dispelled by Ji Nanxing’s scripture talismans, but the long-term infiltration into the soil couldn’t be completely eradicated in a short time. They needed to bury some talismans to suppress it.

Seeing Qian Fei sitting there in a daze, He Long walked over and patted his shoulder: "After tonight, just try to forget all this."

It’s better for ordinary people to live ordinary lives.

Qian Fei forced a smile: "How can I forget something like this? But don’t worry, I won’t blab about it."

He Long gave his shoulder a firm squeeze and turned to Ji Nanxing without another word: "How you holding up? Still good?"

Ji Nanxing was eating the millet cake Xiao Ye was feeding him. He wasn’t too tired to hold the food himself, but Xiao Ye insisted on feeding him, leading to a playful tug-of-war over each bite.

After swallowing the millet cake, Ji Nanxing nodded at He Long: "No problem. I’ll leave the rest to you."

He Long smiled: "Don’t worry, we’ve got the cleanup. You two should head back early. Staying up late stunts your growth."

Ji Nanxing nodded, glanced at Xiao Ye, who jumped up with his bag and grabbed a box of cut fruit from the table.

These were things he’d prepared earlier, with plenty left, like cold noodles and braised dishes. But Ji Nanxing wasn’t up for heavy food, so Xiao Ye left them, telling He Long, "You’ll be busy. Share these with your team."

As Xiao Ye stood, He Long stepped back and tilted his head up slightly.

Ji Nanxing stood up with the help of Xiao Ye’s hand and said to He Long and Mu Chun, "We’re heading back. Call if anything comes up."

Then He Long noticed Ji Nanxing was now as tall as him, maybe even taller.

He remembered when Ji Nanxing was just a kid, barely reaching his waist. When Taoist Master Yan was busy, Ji Nanxing would sit quietly in the library, reading. He’d even bought him milk tea and snacks. It felt like yesterday, but now the kid had grown so much. Drinking his milk tea and munching on his snacks didn’t seem that long ago.

Seeing He Long staring in the direction Ji Nanxing and the others were heading, Mu Chun patted He Long's shoulder: "What are you looking at?"

He Long clicked his tongue: "What are kids these days eating on to grow so tall? Do you think they'd feel awkward going to the pediatrician given their height?"

Mu Chun couldn’t help but roll his eyes: "Nanxing is already sixteen or seventeen, so why would he go to the pediatrician? Get to work!"

Afraid that overexertion might lead to low blood sugar, after eating the millet cake, Xiao Ye encouraged Ji Nanxing to eat some fruit with higher sugar content. Ji Nanxing ate until he was halfway satisfied and then refused to eat more, as being too full would make it uncomfortable to sleep later.

Xiao Ye finished the remaining food Ji Nanxing didn’t eat, neatly packed the empty box, and placed it on the passenger seat, saying to the driver, "Please help us throw this away later."

The driver simply responded with a nod.

In this neighborhood, unless you enter the underground garage, you generally aren’t allowed to drive directly to the building. But the underground garage is huge and winding, with so many twists and turns that even those who don’t get carsick could feel disoriented. Ji Nanxing instructed the driver to stop at the entrance, as it was only a three-minute walk to the building.

As soon as the driver drove away, Xiao Ye knelt down in front of Ji Nanxing.

Ji Nanxing was startled and laughed, pushing Xiao Ye: "No need for that, let’s get up and go home to sleep. I’m so tired."

Xiao Ye reached out and pulled Ji Nanxing, who almost tumbled onto his back. Without waiting for Ji Nanxing to refuse, Xiao Ye hoisted him up and even gave him a little bounce: "You’re so light, are you even a hundred pounds?"

Ji Nanxing sighed helplessly: "Of course I weigh more than a hundred pounds. I’m almost six feet tall. If I didn’t weigh a hundred pounds, I’d look like a skeleton."

Xiao Ye grumbled: "You’re way too skinny, you need to eat more."

Ji Nanxing: "Put me down, I can walk on my own."

Xiao Ye ignored him: "Be quiet, it’s late. Keep it down. Am I not doing a good job? Carrying the young master without letting his feet touch the ground. But Naonao, is this the first time I’ve given you a piggyback ride?"

Ji Nanxing, lying on his back, thought for a moment: "I think so."

Xiao Ye adjusted his hold and smiled: "How is it? Isn’t my broad back comfortable to rest on?"

Ji Nanxing chuckled, slightly tilting his head to look at him: "Seizing every opportunity to praise yourself, is this the infamous narcissistic high school boy?"

This comment made Xiao Ye dissatisfied: "How is this narcissism? I’m just asking for your opinion."

Ji Nanxing: "What will you do with the opinion?"

Xiao Ye: "Of course, to improve my service next time. You’re my precious young master, I can’t let you be uncomfortable."

Ji Nanxing directly covered Xiao Ye’s mouth: "Such a handsome guy, why did you have to talk?"

As Ji Nanxing’s hand covered his mouth, Xiao Ye instantly pursed his lips. The scent from Ji Nanxing’s palm, a faint floral aroma mixed with his slightly cool body temperature, was impossible to resist, making Xiao Ye focus intently on capturing that hint of fragrance.

Usually, he never saw Ji Nanxing use hand cream, perfume, or any skincare products, so why did he always carry this scent? It was more captivating than any perfume.

Xiao Ye fell silent, and Ji Nanxing felt uneasy, as if the quietness amplified certain things.

Like body temperature. Like heartbeats.

Ji Nanxing wasn’t unused to being carried. His innate yin energy made it difficult for him to have prolonged contact with ordinary people, so from a young age, his master tried to compensate for this deficiency.

Often holding him, carrying him on his back. When he was five or six, his master would carry him around to play.

Perhaps due to balanced nutrition, he grew quickly. By elementary school, he was already taller than many of his peers. Gradually, he developed a boy’s pride and self-esteem, refusing to be carried or held.

After so many years, the person carrying him had changed, and the feeling seemed different too.

As for what exactly was different, Ji Nanxing wasn’t unable to articulate it, but he didn’t want to delve into it for now. Perhaps he was truly too exhausted. At this moment, he just wanted to empty his mind, not caring or asking anything, letting the person carrying him move forward.

Feeling the weight on his shoulders, Xiao Ye smiled gently in a way Ji Nanxing couldn't see.

The streetlight stretched their overlapping shadows, and the chirping of insects in the greenery ebbed and flowed. The occasional breeze carried the warmth of summer, tinged with a faint hint of gardenia fragrance.

Xiao Ye tilted his head slightly, looking at Ji Naonao, who had rested his chin on his shoulder and was dozing off, feeling an immense sense of peace in his heart.

It wasn’t until dawn that the barricades at Ping'an Road Alley were removed, and Qian Fei, after staying up half the night, was finally allowed to go home.

As for the already dismantled courtyard downstairs, it would be up to the landlord to decide how to handle it.

When the management bureau contacted the landlord earlier, they were afraid she might think they were scammers, so they specifically had the law enforcement department reach out. Although the landlord was abroad, she was quite cooperative, as getting rid of the spirits in the haunted house would be beneficial for her.

Although Qian Xue had never seen any ghosts, she still believed in such things. Her house had been so haunted that it was hard for her not to believe.

Coincidentally, her company had a project to collaborate with a domestic company recently, so Qian Xue took the opportunity to return.

When she arrived at Ping'an Road directly after her flight, the barricades at the entrance had just been removed. Qian Xue dragged her suitcase inside and looked at the opened first and second floors of her courtyard, asking, "Has this really been taken care of?"

He Long had contacted Qian Xue before and recognized her voice. He turned to see a girl in a tank top and shorts, with her hair in a bun, and walked up to her, saying, "Miss Qian?"

Qian Xue put down her suitcase and said, "Hello, I'm Qian Xue."

After introducing himself, He Long said, "The spirits inside were exorcised and guided to the afterlife last night. The house should no longer be haunted, but it's been sealed for so many years, and the yin energy here is still very strong. So, the downstairs is temporarily not suitable for living. If someone moves in and is affected by the yin energy, they could get sick or even die."

Qian Xue's brow furrowed upon hearing this, "When will this yin energy dissipate?"

He Long replied, "It will take at least a few years. Or, if you can afford to buy a magical tool to neutralize the yin energy and bury it underground, you could move in immediately."

Qian Xue had no means to obtain such a magical tool. If she had the ability, she wouldn't have been helpless after taking over the house and could only rent it out at a low price.

Looking at the open courtyard gate, Qian Xue asked, "Do you have any documents? Like something that proves the house is no longer haunted?"

He Long smiled and shook his head, "No such thing exists."

Qian Xue felt a pang of disappointment. She had hoped that with a document proving the house wasn't haunted, it would be easier to sell. Now, although the house's issues seemed resolved, the public still perceived it as haunted, so she still couldn't sell it.

After asking some questions about the house, Qian Xue added, "Where is Qian Fei, the one you mentioned earlier who might be my cousin?"

He Long pointed to the top floor, "Up there."

Qian Xue thanked him but didn't head up right away. Instead, she grabbed her luggage and checked into a hotel.

Later, the courtyard on the first floor was bricked up again. She wasn't in urgent need of money, and the place had been empty for so many years, so there was no rush. Renting it out might harm someone and bring her trouble.

However, Qian Xue still arranged to meet Qian Fei. She had returned this time, in part, to reconnect with her relatives, and it felt surreal that, after all these twists and turns, she had unknowingly rented her own family's house.

Only then did Qian Fei learn that his uncle, who had relied on a few gold bars from their great-grandfather to start a business and eventually moved abroad for his children's education, had passed away shortly after leaving the country. His aunt had remarried.

Qian Xue, who indeed bore a resemblance to Qian Fei, even without a DNA test, said, "I only knew that all my father's relatives were lost in that fire. Knowing of your existence was a surprise, but I'm glad to have a relative in this world."

Her mother had remarried and soon had another child. By then, Qian Xue was older, and in that household, watching them busy themselves with the newborn, she felt like an outsider. She didn't stay with her mother long and soon enrolled in a boarding school.

Now, she only occasionally spoke with her mother over the phone, and their last meeting was years ago.

Qian Fei smiled and said, "Although I'm not very capable and my life is just average, feel free to come to me if you need anything. Even if I can't solve your problems, I can at least help brainstorm solutions."

Qian Xue, clearly a product of Western education, was very outgoing and direct. Hearing about Qian Fei's strangely poor circumstances, she couldn't help but laugh, "So, can someone really be that poor? It's unbelievable."

Previously, the Taoist had said that his good fortune in the past two years was due to his deceased relatives. Now that they were gone, Qian Fei didn't know how his life would turn out. He said to Qian Xue, "If you stay in the country longer, you might see just how poor life can get."

Qian Xue waved her hands repeatedly, "I'm still more comfortable living abroad, but you can come visit me in the future. Since you're in the country, I’ll leave it to you to look after the house. I'll have the rent transferred directly to you, and you can slowly help me renovate the first and second floors. I hope to shake off its haunted house reputation, so it will be easier for me to sell."

Qian Fei didn't refuse either. Although he was somewhat reluctant—after all, this was their family’s old house, and he had experienced such bizarre events there—the house was no longer his. He couldn’t live there or afford to buy it back, so naturally, he couldn't ask his cousin to keep the house.

After meeting and chatting with Qian Fei, Qian Xue left. It was odd; they’d never met before, but it seemed that family ties naturally built trust between them, and she felt at ease entrusting the house to Qian Fei for management.

On his way home, Qian Fei suddenly received a call from the police station, asking him to come over. When he arrived, he saw his long-time good friend Liang Wei—the guy who had planned to start a business, asked him to be a guarantor, then ran off with the money, leaving him in debt.

Two years had passed, and this guy had been hiding who knows where. Not long ago, he was caught for prostitution, and upon checking his identity, he was directly deported back.

Seeing his former friend now too ashamed to even lift his head, Qian Fei wasn't as angry as he had imagined. He didn’t even ask why.

The initial betrayal had happened over two years ago, and his anger had mostly worn off by now.

Qian Fei said nothing, just filled out some paperwork as per the procedure. When he left the police station, he felt a sense of relief, as if a burden had been lifted. The debtor had returned, and any claims would now go to Liang Wei. The money he had repaid earlier could be considered as cutting the last ties of their friendship. He didn't bother pursuing it further; seeing Liang Wei's state, he knew there was no point.

Looking at the clear sky, Qian Fei felt that perhaps his relatives were looking out for him from the afterlife. Although they couldn't change his fate of poverty, it was still something. Surviving that deadly fire and growing up safely was already a stroke of luck.

But thinking about his fate, Qian Fei couldn't help but call Ji Nanxing, "That runaway friend of mine got caught, so I don't have to pay his debts anymore. Did my parents change my fate for me?"

Otherwise, how many runaway debtors actually get caught? This kind of luck is pretty rare, right?

Ji Nanxing immediately poured cold water on his hopes, "Don’t get your hopes up."

If Qian Fei's fate, which had been afflicted by the Five Misfortunes and Three Deficiencies due to his narrow escape from death, could be changed so easily, his master would have already altered it for him. Even his master was so poor he didn't dare keep money in his pocket.

Qian Fei choked, "So, without them suppressing my fate, I'll go back to being as miserable as before?"

Ji Nanxing, "For legitimate income, you can donate one-tenth of it each time you receive it. Don't accept any windfalls. If you accidentally win the lottery, donate double the amount you won. At least that will keep you safe."

Using money to buy peace—that's what it meant.

After hanging up, Xiao Ye couldn't help but chuckle behind Ji Nanxing, "These days, who isn’t after money? His luck is just awful. Is he doomed to be poor for life?"

Ji Nanxing, "Actually, everyone has some degree of the Five Misfortunes and Three Deficiencies, but it's usually not too severe. As long as you live an ordinary life, it doesn't have much impact. For someone like him, whose affliction is more pronounced, it's best to join the path of the mystical arts and build up good karma to balance his fate. But he's just an ordinary person with no ability to exorcise or guide spirits, so he can only rely on his partner's fate to help suppress it."

But finding such a partner is extremely difficult. In this world, there aren't many perfectly matched pairs, and even if there are, who has the luck to actually meet them? The odds are less than a million to one.

Xiao Ye said, "Then we can only wish him good luck."

Then he added curiously, "Why is it easier to accumulate merit in the path of the mystical arts? Isn't doing good deeds in daily life as meritorious?"

Ji Nanxing, "How many life-and-death good deeds do you encounter in society? But in the path of the mystical arts, what we deal with are life-and-death matters involving lingering ghosts. If you can guide one to the afterlife, it's equivalent to saving a life. The merit from that is much greater than, say, picking up money and handing it to the police or helping an old lady cross the street."

That night, when they helped nineteen lingering ghosts move on, it was equivalent to the merit of saving nineteen lives. If you're not in the path of the mystical arts and don't intervene with lingering ghosts, the merit of saving nineteen lives—how big of an event would that be, and what are the chances of encountering it?

"But many things are judged by actions, not intentions. As long as you do something, no matter how small, it might come back to you someday."

After saying this, Ji Nanxing pushed him away, "Why are you glued to me? Aren't you hot?"

He was trimming the flowers in a vase, and Xiao Ye, instead of playing games or doing homework, was just sticking close behind him, watching him trim, like a big, clingy dog.

Xiao Ye said matter-of-factly, "Isn't it because it's hot that I want to stick close to you? You have no idea how cool you feel. Come here, let me hug you."

As Xiao Ye opened his arms to hug him, Ji Nanxing directly pressed a bunch of trimmed flower branches to his face, "I'm going to check how much incense we have left. It's been a while since we bought any."

The ancestor’s altar must never miss its daily three sticks of incense.

Xiao Ye carefully inserted the flowers that Ji Nanxing had trimmed into the vase. How is Ji Naonao so amazing? He can do everything—catch ghosts, light incense, play the piano, paint, arrange flowers, and he's good-looking to boot! Gosh, how can he be so charming?

While admiring the flowers that Ji Naonao had personally trimmed, the phone beside him rang. Xiao Ye turned his head and shouted towards the room, "Naonao, it's a call! It's my sister!"

Ji Nanxing came out of the room, "What do you mean 'my sister'? That's my sister."

Xiao Ye grinned, "Well, I have to call her sister too, right?"

Ji Nanxing answered the phone, said he had time, and listened to the other end for a while. After hanging up, he turned to Xiao Ye, "We're going out to eat tonight."

Xiao Ye let out an eager "Oh," his eyes begging to be included, but he didn't speak up, fearing it might inconvenience Ji Nanxing. Seeing Ji Nanxing go back to the room to change clothes, he sighed and tapped the sofa.

His little desk mate is having a family dinner, and he can't be so bold as to crash it. It's fine, it's just one dinner. He can ask where they're dining and swing by to pick them up later.

Ji Nanxing came out and saw Xiao Ye still dawdling on the sofa, "Aren't you gonna change?"

Xiao Ye exclaimed, "Are you taking me?"

Ji Nanxing, "You don't want to go?"

Xiao Ye instantly jumped up, "I'm going! I'll go change right now, wait for me!"

Hehe, even family dinners have a spot for him. His standing in Ji Naonao's heart has gone up again!