Chapter 376

Chapter 376

◎May you enjoy long-lasting blessings, eternal peace, and carefree joy in the days to come.◎

The origin of the Buddha statue was traced—it indeed came from abroad, purchased as a handicraft. However, due to its unconventional appearance, the family’s elders deemed it an inauspicious Buddha statue and feared that improper worship might bring misfortune, so they discarded it.

The old woman later picked it up. She sold the cardboard box as scrap but kept the statue at home until her death from a heart attack, when the evil spirit took over as its host.

After possessing the body, the evil spirit gained physical form for the first time and the ability to move freely. However, its power was too weak to sustain itself for long, so it sought to recruit devotees.

Gradually, it gained followers, and as more people worshipped it, its strength grew.

The evil spirit expended its power to fulfill the wishes of its followers, thereby attracting even more believers, while simultaneously repairing the body it inhabited.

Having developed sentience through human worship, it harbored no intent to harm from the beginning. Thus, it never considered switching to a better host. Through gradual restoration, it slowly returned the old woman’s body to youthfulness.

Ji Nanxing sighed as he reviewed the final case report. It’s rare for spirits to gain sentience, but what a shame—this little thing had grown amidst human greed and desire. Though it bore no ill will, it lacked restraint. Even with its current limited power, it had already disrupted many lives. If left unchecked, it would only become more uncontrollable as it grew stronger.

Thus, the evil spirit had to be exorcised—it couldn’t be nurtured and restrained like a guardian spirit to coexist with the living.

Later, Deng Zhiyan expressed his gratitude by gifting Ji Nanxing a car—partly to make up for missing his adulthood ceremony and graduation celebration, and partly to thank him for saving him and Lingling once again. Had Ji Nanxing not discovered the issue early, Deng Zhiyan might have lost control and done something irreversible, ruining his life.

Ji Nanxing rubbed his temples at the sight of his garage. The cars he received for his birthday were so numerous that he could drive a different one every day for a week and still have leftovers. His garage was practically running out of space.

He had no idea where the tradition of gifting cars for an eighteenth birthday came from—he didn’t even have a driver’s license yet.

Beyond thanking Ji Nanxing, Deng Zhiyan also donated a sum to the Bureau—neither too large nor too small, just 200,000 yuan (about $28,000). After compensating the Taoists who handled the aftermath of capturing the evil spirit, the remainder went into the Bureau’s operational budget. Though the funds were quickly allocated to the research team, the silver lining was that the research team, notorious for burning through funds, wasn’t just a money pit—they actually produced results.

They developed new chips and software that could be embedded in electronic devices to detect environmental changes through magnetic field particles. In simpler terms, devices like watches and phones could now measure ambient Yin energy readings and issue alerts if they exceeded safe thresholds.

This innovation could, to some extent, replace compasses and was user-friendly, almost accessible to anyone. As soon as the product was finalized, all Bureau members’ equipment was upgraded and deployed—including Xiao Ye, an affiliate member.

Ji Nanxing installed the new chip and software into his phone. With the entire Bureau mobilized to clean up the mess caused by escaped evil spirits, this new tool would save a lot of effort.

It was already Ghost Month, and now with evil spirits on the loose—it was like a broken roof during a storm.

The Yin energy detection software proved highly effective. Following the readings on his phone, Ji Nanxing spotted a man moving erratically, crouched by the roadside and gorging on talisman ashes.

In a narrow, dimly lit alley, remnants of a half-circle chalk outline for ritual paper offerings were visible on the ground. The ashes occasionally swirled in gusts of wind before scattering back down.

A thin young man squatted there, shoveling the ashes into his mouth with both hands. The sight made Ji Nanxing pause—was this an evil spirit or a *preta*, a hungry ghost?

But hesitation didn’t stop him from cordoning off the alley immediately.

Sensing the aura of the talismans, the young man jerked his head up. His ravenous expression twisted into something ferocious, his eyes gleaming with malice.

Ji Nanxing exhaled in relief—at least he hadn’t mistaken his target. This was indeed an evil spirit.

Before he could act, the evil spirit lunged at him.

Ji Nanxing assessed the possessed body—emaciated, clearly malnourished, and someone Ji Nanxing knew would crumble from one hit. He had no choice but to hold back, dodging the attack instead.

Mistaking Ji Nanxing’s restraint for fear, the evil spirit sneered with vicious triumph, its face contorted in a ravenous hunger.

Not wanting to waste time, Ji Nanxing directly summoned a Heavenly Thunder Talisman—a high-tier spirit-subduing talisman. The talisman glowed crimson, its awe-inspiring aura palpable even before activation.

The evil spirit was stunned. This young Taoist had come out swinging with a top-tier talisman right from the start? As a seasoned evil spirit who had killed many and clashed with Taoists before, it knew such powerful tools were typically a last resort.

Either this Taoist was a rookie relying on flashy talismans for survival, or he was rolling in them and didn’t care.

Seeing Ji Nanxing's calm demeanor, the evil spirit judged him to be the more formidable opponent and decided not to linger, turning to run. Freshly freed, it had no intention of being caught so soon.

Ji Nanxing naturally wouldn't let it escape. With a quick shift in hand gestures, the talismans he had earlier deployed to block the path burst into red light. The evil spirit shrieked in pain as the light struck it. The next moment, a crisp bell rang, and its mind went blank as its soul was yanked from the host.

Ji Nanxing fired off a Heavenly Thunder Talisman, scattering most of its Yin energy. Before it could resist further, he flipped the golden bell and trapped it inside.

With the evil spirit captured, Ji Nanxing retrieved the sealing talismans blocking the path. Glancing at the collapsed person on the ground, he took out his phone and called for an ambulance. Possessed by an evil spirit and having swallowed all that talisman ash, the person needed to be sent to the Bureau’s hospital to cleanse the Yin energy and have their stomach pumped.

He hoped the person wouldn’t remember the possession—otherwise, the mental scars would be brutal.

After the medical team arrived and took the person away, Ji Nanxing continued his patrol.

Once he finished checking his assigned area, he opened the Bureau’s newly developed app and flagged his zone as clear before packing up and heading home.

The moment he stepped inside, Xiao Ye followed right behind him, with takeout in hand. "I saw your car on the way back. Perfect timing—just got some cumin-spiced crispy pork noodles. Still hot. Dig in, I’ll whip up some juice. Orange or watermelon?"

Ji Nanxing: "Watermelon."

Xiao Ye set the food down, wrapped Ji Nanxing in a hug, and kissed him. "Any evil spirits today?"

Ji Nanxing: "Caught one. Three left. With Ghost Month stirring up trouble, it'll be a hassle to catch them."

Xiao Ye gently rubbed his back. "Don’t push yourself too hard. I’ll patrol with you tomorrow."

Ji Nanxing: "No class?"

During summer break, Xiao Ye had enrolled in a photography course to learn how to take better pictures. Before even attending a single lesson, he’d already bought a ton of camera gear. The display cabinet on the first floor, originally meant for figurines, was now mostly occupied by photography equipment.

Xiao Ye: "No class. It’s just a hobby course. Daily classes would kill the fun."

Ji Nanxing patted the arm wrapped around him. "Let go. I’ll shower first, then eat."

Xiao Ye tightened his embrace instead, like he was recharging from Ji Nanxing, before finally releasing him. "Take your time. If the food gets cold, I’ll reheat it."

While Ji Nanxing went upstairs to shower, Xiao Ye quickly rinsed off downstairs to wash away the sweat from being outside.

By the time Ji Nanxing came down, Xiao Ye had already prepared watermelon juice and a bowl of shaved ice. Hearing footsteps, he quickly stir-fried the slightly cooled noodles to warm them up again.

He carried the food and drinks to the coffee table in the living room, queued up the movie they'd left unfinished the day before, and chatted with Ji Nanxing about the evil spirit he’d caught earlier. The conversation then shifted to the annoying classmate in Xiao Ye’s photography course.

This prompted Xiao Ye to marvel at the diversity of human behavior. "I don’t even know the guy, never spoken a word to him, and he’s standing next to me, blabbing nonsense."

Ji Nanxing: "What nonsense?"

Xiao Ye: "Something about camera snobbery. He had a Fujifilm and looked down on my Canon."

Ji Nanxing found it amusing. "Next time, bring something fancier than his."

He pointed at the massive telephoto lens in the cabinet—the kind that looked like a serious weapon.

Xiao Ye tucked Ji Nanxing’s hand against his chest. "Not worth my time. I’m not learning this to play with equipment."

He just wanted to take good photos. If he mastered the techniques, even a phone would suffice.

After eating, the two lounged on the carpet, leaning against the sofa as an animated movie played on the screen. Ji Nanxing had initially been resting against the sofa, but Xiao Ye gradually pulled him into his arms, wrapping one arm around his waist and playing with his fingers with the other.

Ji Nanxing glanced at the time. "Sleep? It’s almost midnight."

Xiao Ye nuzzled his cheek against Ji Nanxing’s ear. "You’re going home for dinner tomorrow, right?"

Ji Nanxing nodded. Tomorrow was his real birthday—the earlier banquet had been held on an auspicious date chosen in advance, conveniently combined with his college acceptance party.

Xiao Ye reached over and scooped him up in one motion, pulling him into his arms and settling him onto his lap. "On such an important day, I won't compete with your parents. No one could be happier than them to see you turn eighteen, but you have to make it up to me."

Ji Nanxing smiled. "How?"

Xiao Ye supported the back of his neck with one hand, lowered his head, and kissed him on the lips.

This wasn’t their first kiss. Though they hadn’t gone any further, they’d gotten pretty good at kissing—skillfully parting lips and deepening the kiss.

Until the clock ticked softly past midnight. Ji Nanxing felt something slip onto his finger, and he gently pushed Xiao Ye away to look at his own hand, still clasped in Xiao Ye’s palm.

A ring now adorned his previously bare finger—a plain silver-white band on his middle finger, simple and clean, looking elegant on his fair, slender hand.

Xiao Ye held his hand and gently twisted the ring. "Perfect fit. I made it myself. You're about to start university, and there'll definitely be more suitors around. I need to stake my claim."

Ji Nanxing asked, "Where's yours?"

Xiao Ye fished in his pocket and pulled out another ring.

Ji Nanxing took it and slid it onto Xiao Ye’s finger, the silver band sliding smoothly into place.

Once the ring was securely on Xiao Ye’s middle finger, he ran his fingers lightly over Ji Nanxing’s, then tightened his grip, clasping his hand firmly in his own. He bent down and kissed Ji Nanxing lightly on the forehead. "My Naonao is eighteen now. Happy birthday. May you have a long life filled with blessings, always safe, healthy, and free from worry."