Chapter 275

Chapter 275

◎Heaven’s Wrath◎

The golden fortune aura around Ma Zhao did not last long. After being struck three times by the millennial willow ruyi, his true form only remained for a brief moment before layers of dark mist quickly enveloped him, eventually turning back into the gray mist that devoured others' fortunes.

His state clearly showed he was being suppressed by something. Only by finding the person suppressing him could the curse on Ma Zhao be broken.

Ji Nanxing purified the millennial willow ruyi, ensuring it was free of any negative energy, then placed it back in its box and returned it to Xiao Ye. "Hurry and return it before your grandfather notices."

Xiao Ye, having just peeled off the Heaven’s Eye Charm from his body, set the box aside. "No hurry. Is there anything else I can help with?"

Ji Nanxing glanced at Ma Zhao and shook his head at Xiao Ye. "Not for now. I'll let you know once I find out who that person is."

"Can you really find them?" Ma Zhao asked softly from the side.

Ji Nanxing looked at him and gave a firm reply. "Yes. Whoever did this will leave traces. I’ll track them down and break this curse for you. Even if you’re already dead, I’ll ensure you pass on cleanly, free from this taint of poverty that doesn’t belong to you."

Ma Zhao met Ji Nanxing’s gaze. "So this wasn’t my fate to bear. I could have lived well, but someone swapped my destiny—even abandoned me with my adoptive parents. And because my fate was altered for the worse, I dragged them down with me, making them suffer hardships they never deserved. Is that right?"

Gone was the cowering demeanor of poverty and shame, replaced by an expression now filled with hatred. When a ghost with little lingering resentment suddenly nurtures hatred, the resulting ghostly energy erupts violently.

The curtains in the room flapped wildly under the influence of the vengeful spirit’s energy, and lighter decorations were swept to the ground.

Xiao Ye, having just peeled off the Heaven’s Eye Charm, saw objects crashing around and quickly stood up, moving to shield Ji Nanxing. "What’s happening? Did Ma Zhao turn into a vengeful spirit?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head and placed several talismans around Ma Zhao, suppressing the rampant ghostly energy. "I understand your hatred, but losing control will only hurt you. I promised I’d find that person and help you get revenge."

Ma Zhao gradually calmed down, though his eyes, once meek and kind, now burned with eerie malice.

If this had been his natural fate, he would have accepted it, blaming no one but himself—perhaps he had committed great sins in a past life, and this suffering was his repayment. But knowing it was all the result of someone’s scheme made it unforgivable.

What had he done wrong? What had his adoptive parents done wrong? Decades of grinding poverty, injustice, and cruelty—all because of someone’s calculated cruelty. If he didn’t make them suffer tenfold, he would never rest. Even if it destroyed us both, he would drag that person down to hell with him!

Ji Nanxing understood Ma Zhao’s feelings. He lit a Soul-Soothing Incense stick to soothe Ma Zhao’s emotions before speaking. "Tonight, I’ll use you as the focal point for a Karmic Justice Array. Whoever did this to you is no ordinary person. If there’s a karmic connection, it will manifest. Even if they don’t suffer immediate consequences, it will at least narrow down our search."

Ma Zhao’s ghostly energy slowly receded. Though still struggling to accept this reality, he knew the Young Celestial Master was helping him, so he nodded in cooperation. "Alright. I’ll do whatever you say."

Ji Nanxing had him finish the incense and return to the golden bell to recuperate while he prepared for the night’s ritual. This array was large-scale and couldn’t be set up at home—they needed an open space.

When Wu Yang learned Ji Nanxing was setting up a Karmic Justice Array to help Ma Zhao find the culprit, he came to assist.

Despite the straightforward name, the array was both costly and labor-intensive. Karmic Talismans were no common talismans—they involved complex elemental structures to manipulate causality. Not even someone with Xiao Ye’s talent could replicate them, making the talismans expensive. A full array required at least eight.

But even with the talismans, one needed sufficient spiritual power to activate them. Wu Yang knew his current abilities weren’t enough to sustain a complete array, but he could still help and gain experience.

Ji Nanxing chose a remote hilltop. Since a private winery occupied the area, most people treated the entire mountain as private property and rarely visited.

As they drove up, Wu Yang remarked, "Setting up such a conspicuous array on someone else’s land might not be ideal. Wouldn’t the rooftop of the Management Bureau work?"

Ji Nanxing replied, "The Bureau’s building isn’t tall, and it’s surrounded by offices. People in higher floors could easily look down and see the rooftop. As for the mountain, no matter how big the disturbance, it won’t matter—the winery is my family’s."

Xiao Ye stifled a laugh, while Wu Yang turned away, constantly reminded of his comparative poverty.

Before long, they arrived at the hilltop. Xiao Ye and the bodyguards set up lights against the darkness, while Wu Yang helped prepare the array.

Once the array was ready, Ji Nanxing calculated the timing and released Ma Zhao from the artifact. "Stand in the center. Do not move a muscle. If you carry any karmic debts, the array’s power will recoil upon you. If not, whoever altered your fate will suffer the consequences."

Ma Zhao said, "I can swear on my soul I’ve wronged no one in this life except perhaps my adoptive parents. But past lives... those I cannot account for."

Ji Nanxing said, "Then step inside. It's the Grudge from your current life that's being accounted for."

Even if he had wronged someone in his past life, that wouldn't justify having his fate altered in this one. Moreover, given his originally destined fortune of wealth accumulation, he couldn’t have been a villain in his previous life.

When the time came, Ji Nanxing stood outside the formation and began forming hand seals.

One by one, the talismans shot into the air, stationed at the eight cardinal points around Ma Zhao. Wisps of gray energy were drawn into the spiritual patterns on the talismans, and the glow from the formation's inscriptions reflected back onto Ma Zhao.

Intricate lines gradually emerged, forming a complex grand formation.

Ji Nanxing stood outside the formation, unaffected by the mountain winds, his expression calm as he focused on chanting incantations with lowered eyes. With each completed spell, his hand seals shifted, until thunderclouds gathered overhead, lightning churning within the clouds.

Wu Yang pulled Xiao Ye back a few steps. "The grand formation is complete."

Xiao Ye looked up at the sky. "What happens now? Will it just strike the person behind this dead?"

Wu Yang shook his head. "If it were an ordinary person with no protective artifacts, they’d probably be struck dead instantly. But since they were capable of casting the poverty-invoking curse and suppressing Ma Zhao for so long, they must have some means of self-preservation."

Besides, instant death would be too merciful. Meddling with someone’s destiny—even manipulating their entire life—was unforgivable. Getting caught meant eternal punishment, serving retribution in the mortal world before repaying debts in the afterlife. That was the fate a true villain deserved.

In a car moving along the road, the driver focused ahead while a refined middle-aged man in the backseat reviewed reports, half-listening to his son’s chatter.

After speaking for a while without a response, the young man tugged at his father’s sleeve. "I just want that car—it’s not even expensive. With modifications, it’s only a few million yuan. Dad, just buy it for me."

Long Shangyuan set down the documents and removed his glasses, his piercing eyes now filled with exasperation. "Didn’t you just buy one last month?"

Long Sili huffed. "That’s different! One’s a classic collector’s item, the other’s for driving. Are you buying it or not?"

Long Shangyuan chuckled. "Can’t I even ask a few questions before buying you a car? A few million yuan isn’t pocket change."

Long Sili scoffed. "It might as well be. Don’t think I don’t know—that deal you closed? That project moves billions daily. Nickel-and-diming me over a car?"

Long Shangyuan rolled up the documents and lightly smacked his son’s head. "No respect for your elders!"

Just as Long Sili was about to whine for extra spending money, Long Shangyuan felt a sudden burn on his wrist—the protective artifact he always wore. Years of his dealings had taught him the power of the supernatural. Though he’d been unscathed for over two decades, he never went without his artifact.

This was the first time it had ever reacted.

Though unsure what triggered it, Long Shangyuan knew the moving car was no longer safe. He barked at the driver, "Pull over! Now!"

The driver reacted swiftly, swerving to the curb despite it being a no-parking zone.

Long Shangyuan flung the door open and bolted out. Long Sili, still inside, stared blankly in confusion before instinctively following. "Dad? What’s—"

Before he could finish, a thunderous crack split the air. A lightning bolt crashed down. Long Shangyuan, already moving away from the car, dodged the worst of it, rolling aside as the blast hit. His artifact shielded him just enough to escape unscathed.

Long Sili wasn’t so lucky. Though he wore a consecrated talisman, it was no match for a true artifact. The moment he stepped out, lightning struck him dead-on, leaving his ghostly form seized and scorched on the ground.

A lightning strike out in the open—under clear skies, no less—sent nearby pedestrians scrambling for cover, while those farther back whipped out phones to capture the spectacle. Something you only hear about; witnessing one firsthand left jaws dropped.

"Divine retribution—once in a lifetime sight."

By that evening, before the next day’s news could break, videos, photos, and headlines about Long Sili, sole heir of DragonMotion Tech, being struck by lightning were already blowing up online.

Back on the mountain, the formation still active, Ji Nanxing glanced at the news Xiao Ye handed him before turning to Ma Zhao, drained by the formation’s power. "We found the one who meddled with your destiny."

Ma Zhao, his ghostly form nearly shredded by the formation’s power, mustered his strength to float closer. "DragonMotion Tech?"

Ma Zhao was a little rattled. Although he had lived a life of poverty, he’d owned a budget phone with internet access before his death, so he wasn’t completely ignorant of the world beyond his immediate surroundings. He’d heard of DragonMotion Tech—now the biggest information network company, the largest live-streaming platform, and a powerhouse in gaming, AI, and more.

Now that he knew the person who altered his fate was such a powerful figure, he doubted he could actually take him on or seek justice for himself.

Ji Nanxing looked at him and said, “You’re a lingering ghost. All you need to do is speak your grievance. I’m a Taoist, and it’s my duty to ensure justice is served. So you don’t need to worry about anything. Whoever he is, he’ll answer for it.”

Long Sili was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. The news of Long Shangyuan’s only son being struck by lightning spread quickly, and soon, reporters swarmed the hospital, scrambling for the scoop.

Online, some people wondered who the victim was, cueing others to fill in Long Sili’s backstory.

Long Sili, DragonMotion Tech’s crown prince. His father built the company from scratch, now valued in the tens of billions. His maternal grandfather, Xia Chichun, was the founder of Deyu, whose largest subsidiary, DR chain supermarkets, ranked among the world’s top 100 companies.

The Xia family had only one daughter—Long Sili’s mother, Xia Yili—and Long Shangyuan had only this one son. Both the Xia and Long family fortunes would eventually be his. The internet was eating it up over the lightning strike on such a golden heir.

“What does money matter? Lightning doesn’t discriminate.”

“Watched the video—one bolt, then the clouds cleared. Which Taoist had it out for this rich kid?”

“I just want to know what kind of oath the young master swore for it to be so effective.”

“From the video, he was burnt to a crisp. Is he alive or gone? Not even money can fix that.”

“The more money, the more shady the deals. I just want to know what shady deeds this young master did to anger the heavens.”

Rather than an accident, online chatter insisted Long Sili’s lightning strike was divine retribution. A wealthy heir like him must have indulged in all sorts of excesses—perhaps even played fast and loose with lives. It wasn’t malicious speculation; too many rich people considered themselves above the law.

Soon, a hashtag about the young master’s retribution trended, only to be quickly removed—a shameless cover-up, which only fueled suspicions.

While DragonMotion and the Xia family’s PR teams monitored the online frenzy, the incident was spun as a freak accident rather than a moral failing, so they just needed to keep the situation from escalating.

At the hospital, Long Shangyuan sat outside the emergency room. Xia Chichun, nearly eighty, hurried over, frantic. Seeing the “In Surgery” sign, he glared at Long Shangyuan. “You just left him there to die?”

He had seen the video—when the lightning struck, Long Shangyuan had dodged without a thought for his son.

Long Shangyuan took a deep breath. “This was out of anyone’s hands. You know he’s my son—my only son!”

Having already lost his only daughter, Xia Chichun couldn’t bear the thought of burying his only grandson. But no amount of money could shield them from such an act of nature.

Long Shangyuan sat silently, thumb worrying the beads of his bracelet—each one now cracked. He knew the charm was almost burnt out.

But he couldn’t understand how it had come to this. That child had been dead for almost two years. Even if souls lingered, they should have reincarnated by now.

No—wait. He and his mother had been suppressed at Muqi Garden, unable to move on. But if they couldn’t act while alive, how could they retaliate after two years?

He should’ve had Chen Po take care of Ma Zhao before she died.

But back then, Ma Zhao hadn’t yet committed suicide. Chen Po died first, and Ma Zhao followed two days later. With both dead, they could no longer aid Long Group or him, so Long Shangyuan had put the matter aside entirely—not even bothering to check if Chen Po had prepared new talismans.

He figured even if she had, with her gone, replacing the talismans would be pointless.

Yet now, after all this time, disaster struck?

No—Long Shangyuan wondered if he was being paranoid. A ghost dead for two years wouldn’t suddenly reappear. Today’s incident was clearly aimed at him, so perhaps it was a business rival’s doing?

If he could hire masters to manipulate feng shui, swap Ma Zhao’s fate, and suppress his wife’s spirit, others could hire masters against him too. But who?

Long Sili wasn’t dead—yet. He clung to life, but with severe burns, whether he’d make it was still up in the air. For now, he was alive but not out of the woods yet.

The hospital had dedicated personnel on watch, and he would be notified immediately if anything happened. As soon as Long Shangyuan left the hospital, he went straight to his most trusted Taoist.

His actions didn’t escape Xia Chichun’s notice either. Xia Chichun found it strange—it wasn’t even stormy weather, yet a single bolt of lightning struck, and the thunderclouds dissipated right after. The whole thing reeked of suspicion.

Xia Chichun turned to the steward who had served him for most of his life and asked, “Do you think Long Shangyuan provoked someone in the business world, and my grandson got dragged into this?”

The steward shared his suspicions. “It’s highly possible. That lightning was downright supernatural.”

Xia Chichun narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke to the assistant behind him. “Investigate this. There aren’t many Taoists with such abilities, and the Mystic Circle is small. With enough money, I refuse to believe we can’t uncover even a hint of information.”

Far away in a border town, Master Yan heard about the incident and considered making some easy money for his disciple.

Xia Chichun wasn’t just any ordinary businessman without connections—he even had a couple of mystic masters among his acquaintances. After all, building such a large business often involved some belief in feng shui or taboos.

Unfortunately, no matter how much he inquired this time, there wasn’t a single lead in the Mystic Circle. However, the two feng shui masters he knew both agreed that the lightning that day was anything but normal. But since the lightning had already dissipated, it was too late to trace its residual energy.

So, Master Yan sent word: five million for a piece of information—was Xia Chichun interested?

Xia Chichun wouldn’t hesitate even if it were fifty million. If Long Shangyuan had provoked someone, he’d pay to ensure his grandson’s safety and keep his grandson from paying for his father's mistakes. If it was his grandson who had offended someone, then he’d see if the matter could be resolved. But first, he needed a lead—otherwise, he wouldn’t even know who to approach.

Master Yan provided Xia Chichun with an account number—once the money was transferred, the information would be his.

Xia Chichun wasn’t worried about being scammed. Master Yan’s reputation in the Mystic Circle was too high to risk tarnishing his name over a mere five million. So, as soon as he received the account details, Xia Chichun transferred the money without hesitation.

Just as Ji Nanxing walked out of his final exam, his phone buzzed. He checked it—five million had been deposited, along with a WeChat message from his master: “Pocket money for my dearest disciple.”

Ji Nanxing: “…” What trouble had his master gotten him into this time?