Chapter 396

Chapter 396

◎Self-Inflicted Consequences◎

He Wan couldn't accept this reality. As soon as Ji Nanxing left, he ignored the puddle of water on the bed and struggled to grab his phone from the cabinet beside him, frantic to call the Taoist. But the call went straight to voicemail. He then dialed the Taoist's assistant, who did answer—only to deliver news that hit him like a thunderbolt.

The Taoist had truly been arrested. He didn't know whether the Taoist had ever harmed anyone, but as far as he was concerned, the Taoist had simply sold him the Luck-Transferring Bead and taught him how to alter his fortune. How could this warrant arrest? What was the reason?

There were so many fortune-tellers and luck-adjusters out there—some on Weibo even had millions of followers. If they were targeting feudal superstition practitioners, why hadn’t those people been arrested? And if it was about harming others, where was the evidence? How could there even be concrete proof for such things?

Confused and terrified, He Wan looked at the bead he had tossed onto the bed, now filled with nothing but fear.

He didn’t know whether Ji Nanxing’s words were true. If they were, hadn’t he destroyed himself with his own hands?

Compared to being retaliated against by Ji Nanxing, the idea that he had ruined himself was even more unbearable. Not only had he lost his future, but he had also made himself into a laughingstock—Ji Nanxing hadn’t even taken any action, yet he had doomed his own life.

And now, to beg Ji Nanxing for help? That would be nothing short of humiliation and torment.

He refused to believe that only Ji Nanxing could undo the effects of this cursed bead. At worst, he could smash it, throw it away—as long as he kept it far enough to avoid its influence, surely nothing bad would happen.

Unfortunately, his hopeful thinking was shattered that very night when officials from the Management Bureau arrived.

“This Luck-Transferring Bead has been tainted with your blood and has absorbed Ji Nanxing’s fortune. Whether you discard or destroy it, you will still be affected by his fate.”

Faced with the stern, businesslike attitude of the officials—several of them in uniform—He Wan finally began to feel real fear. “Affected… how?”

Ye Junxing looked at him coldly. “You’ll die.”

Zhang Xi, standing beside Ye Junxing and taking notes, added, “You dabbled in these underhanded methods precisely to steal someone else’s fortune, right? It’s simple logic—if the other person’s luck, wealth, and blessings are stronger than yours, they’ll transfer to you. But if theirs are weaker, you’ll end up giving yours away instead. Not only is this illegal, but the person you targeted—Ji Nanxing—is a Taoist, one whose fate is marked by *Five Misfortunes and Three Deficiencies*. Whatever he lacks, you’ll have to compensate for.”

He Wan was soaked in cold sweat, whether from pain or terror, he couldn’t tell. Staring at them, he clung to a sliver of hope. “I—I know I was wrong. I’ll never do anything like this again. Please, help me. I really know I was wrong.”

Zhang Xi closed his notebook. “We’re only here today to follow procedures. Your crime could be treated lightly or severely. At worst, this counts as Theft of Fortune—it isn’t something money can measure. If the victim presses charges, you could very well go to prison. At best, if the victim forgives you and no major harm was done, a fine might suffice. But this bead—only Ji Nanxing can undo its effects, because part of it involves a Taoist’s fortune. No one else can resolve it.”

Looking at He Wan’s pale face, Zhang Xi continued, “Now that you understand the situation, we’ll leave for tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll speak to the victim. If he chooses to sue you, the next time we meet will be in court.”

When he was committing the act, He Wan hadn’t been afraid—in fact, he’d been excited, eagerly awaiting the results. The thought of trampling someone far beyond his reach had filled him with smug satisfaction.

But now that his deeds had been exposed, the feeling of being exposed for all to judge filled him with panic. And facing legal consequences, possibly even a prison sentence, that secret pride shattered, leaving only fear and unease.

It wasn’t until after the Management Bureau officials left that He Wan’s parents learned what their son had done. If not for his severe injuries, they might have slapped him. “We never should have let you enter the entertainment industry! You should’ve just focused on school. We never asked you to make a fortune—just live comfortably, with enough to get by. How could you be so foolish as to do something like this? How could you be so blind?”

He Wan’s mother, who had already been crying nonstop over her son’s injuries and the multiple surgeries he still faced, now wept even harder out of fear and guilt. When their son had first said he wanted to enter the entertainment industry, they hadn’t fully supported it, but they hadn’t opposed it either, thinking he should try his luck. Yet in such a short time, things had spiraled into this.

If only they had forced him to study harder back then—even if his grades were poor, at least he would’ve learned basic decency and the law, instead of straying into such dark arts!

Regret. Nothing but regret.

He Wan was miserable too. All he had ever wanted was to make his parents proud, yet now he had dragged both himself and his family into chaos.

When his mother tearfully begged him to apologize to the victim and seek forgiveness, He Wan finally wavered. Though it meant humbling himself completely, his fear was real. If he didn’t humble himself now, he might truly end up in prison.

He hadn’t even known their country had a Management Bureau with such extensive authority. Now that he did, he dared not cling to any more illusions.

But what truly broke him was a medical report—a spot on his lungs, suspected to be a tumor. And with lung tumors, the chances of it being malignant were high. He had undergone a full check-up just six months ago, and back then, his health had been perfect—no spots at all.

It hadn't been long before he was hit with a life-threatening illness, and He Wan was truly scared. He feared that if the issue with the bead wasn't resolved soon, it might be too late when he finally wanted to fix it.

He contacted Ji Nanxing overnight, and Ji Nanxing didn’t make things difficult for him, agreeing to come to the hospital the next day.

He Wan’s mother knew her son had done wrong, trying to harm someone using shady methods—and that someone was Ji Nanxing. When she saw Ji Nanxing in the morning, she immediately knelt down to apologize.

Fortunately, Xiao Ye acted quickly and stopped her: "You’re not the one who should be apologizing."

He Wan’s mother: "It’s my fault for not raising him properly. His mistakes are because I failed to discipline him. Little Wan knows he messed up—he really does. Please give him another chance, forgive him. We’ll do whatever it takes to make up for the losses and mistakes."

Ji Nanxing: "Auntie, please step outside. We’d like to talk to him alone."

He Wan’s mother glanced at her son, wiped her tears, and left the hospital room.

He Wan kept his head down, not daring to look at Ji Nanxing. After a long silence, he finally forced out a "sorry."

Xiao Ye pulled out a chair and sat down: "Do you really regret what you did, or are you just apologizing because you’ve backed into a corner?"

He Wan wanted to say he truly regretted it, but deep down, he knew he was only doing this because he had no other choice. If everything had gone according to his plan, he would have been smug as hell. Now that his scheme had been exposed and he was suffering the consequences, how could his apology be sincere?

Just as he was about to say something nice to smooth things over, he looked up and met Ji Nanxing’s gaze. He Wan immediately fell silent, knowing that no matter how sweet his words were, he couldn’t deceive Ji Nanxing.

Xiao Ye scoffed.

Ji Nanxing said matter-of-factly, "One million—that’s your compensation to me. Otherwise, I could easily sue you for what you’ve done. Another million—that’s my fee for fixing what the bead did. Keep your insincere apology to yourself. Once the money is transferred, I’ll take care of the bead."

Two million wasn’t chump change for his family. The construction materials business had been struggling in recent years, and their store had been shrinking. But since they had once been well-off, they still had some savings and could manage to come up with the cash.

The fact that Ji Nanxing didn’t force him to kneel and beg for forgiveness was already a kindness in He Wan’s eyes. Still, losing two million in one go was a heavy blow, especially since his dumbass moves had also damaged his reputation, making it impossible to continue his career. The contracts and endorsements he had just signed would now require compensation, piling on the damage.

But money didn’t mean squat compared to their son’s well-being. Knowing that He Wan would have to pay compensation for breached contracts and still needed surgery, his parents quickly sold two of their properties and gathered some cash, transferring the two million to Ji Nanxing right away.

Once Ji Nanxing received the money, he took the bead and left.

He Wan had expected some threats—something like, "Try pulling that shit again and see what happens."

But Ji Nanxing said nothing at all. And it was precisely because he said nothing that He Wan felt even more uneasy. Forget about provoking Ji Nanxing—he wouldn’t dare mess with that dark magic crap again. These things could truly cost lives.

Because a spot showed up on his lung scan, He Wan underwent a second examination soon after. The results brought relief—it was benign.

After all this turmoil, he'd been through the wringer. The family’s early savings had taken a huge hit from this disaster. Instead of achieving fame, he had nearly ended up in prison.

Though He Wan was unwilling—after all, he had once enjoyed the applause and admiration—he had no choice but to accept his downfall. His injuries from the car accident alone would take a long time to heal, and his family had already suffered heavy losses because of him. They couldn’t afford any more of his recklessness.

The jinx bead wasn’t hard to resolve, nor was it as complicated as the authorities had claimed—that because it involved a Taoist, they couldn’t handle it. All it took was some spell water and a purification ritual. The authorities didn’t intervene because they knew Ji Nanxing wanted to settle it himself.

As for the two million from the He family, Ji Nanxing didn’t keep a single cent—he donated all of it. He didn’t need the money. If He Wan had truly regretted his actions, Ji Nanxing wouldn’t have demanded so much. But since his remorse was insincere, he had to pay the price. Only when it hurt would he remember the lesson.

He and He Wan would never cross paths again. He Wan was never destined for great wealth or fortune to begin with. Even after the bead’s effects were undone, He Wan had still suffered consequences—his lifespan and blessings had been diminished. If he lived quietly from now on, he might still have a peaceful life.

Later, when Ji Nanxing’s mother found out that her casual interest in a celebrity had inadvertently attracted a hater to her precious son, she was both furious and heartbroken. So she shook them down for serious cash from her husband and eldest son, transferring tens of millions to her youngest son, telling him to buy whatever he liked to cheer himself up—as compensation.

Ji Nanxing looked at the massive sum deposited into his account with some helplessness. He had no collecting hobbies, nor did he want to start any business ventures. The money just sat in his account, with no clue what to do with it all.