Chapter 397

Chapter 397

◎Man-Made Disaster◎

Just giving money wasn’t enough. Mom Ji was determined to cultivate some hobbies in her son. Among the four children in the family, the eldest loved working and enjoyed earning pocket money for his younger siblings—that qualified as a hobby.

The second child loved research. Getting her the latest research equipment made her happier than acquiring rare jewelry.

The third child adored beauty, whether it was dressing up herself or others. When it came to spending, she was the most free-spending of the four. Brocade, silk, kingfisher-feather jewelry—not long ago, she organized a national fashion show where everything, from hairpins to shoe uppers, was handmade. Over a hundred embroiderers spent nearly three years completing the collection, with an investment of hundreds of millions, and it brought her immense joy.

Then there was the fourth child—seemed to want nothing. He ate whatever was available, wore whatever was given, never fussy, never craving anything special. The magical artifacts he liked couldn’t even be bought with money, leaving Mom Ji completely stumped, unsure what to get for her precious son.

Since she didn’t know, she decided to take him along and buy whatever caught his eye.

At the auction house, Ji Nanxing sat beside his mother, browsing the auction catalog, and couldn’t help but say, “We should’ve brought Second Brother. He’d love these things.”

The theme of today’s auction was antiques—Second Brother adored historical artifacts. A filigree-inlaid jade vase, a gold-lacquered dressing case, a white jade phoenix-head hairpin with openwork carving—each piece was breathtakingly beautiful but carried hefty price tags.

These were all works of art, heirlooms passed down through generations. Buying them would be purely for collection, but Ji Nanxing had no such hobby, and didn’t understand why his mom had insisted on dragging him here.

Mom Ji said, “These are all old items. Isn’t your field all about spiritual energy? The older something is, the more spiritual energy it has. See if any of these have developed spiritual energy. If they have, we’ll buy them—then performing liberation rites on them would earn you merit.”

Spending a few million to accumulate merit for her son? Totally worth it!

Finally understanding his mother’s motive for bringing him to the auction, Ji Nanxing was both amused and deeply moved. Among the four children, his parents worried about him the most.

Not wanting to disappoint her, Ji Nanxing bought a few items. As for spiritual essence, there were indeed one or two pieces—their aura and energy stood out from the rest. But the bidders at such auctions were sharp-eyed, and the truly valuable items attracted fierce competition. Ji Nanxing stayed out of the bidding wars.

He only bought a jade bamboo brush and a few Huizhou inksticks—modern craftsmanship, not antiques. They weren’t cheap, but not outrageously expensive either, just right for Xiao Ye's calligraphy practice.

For himself, he bought some incense. A few rare varieties fetched high prices, and it took multiple bidding rounds before Ji Nanxing secured them.

Mom Ji had her eye on a double-sided embroidered fan with silken koi. The enormous fishtail on the fan seemed alive, its undulating motion casting ripples of light, so ethereal it took your breath away. After some intense bidding, she successfully won it.

Mother and son headed home with their treasures, happily shared a meal, and it wasn’t until evening that Xiao Ye came to pick him up.

Hearing about his purchases, Xiao Ye said, “Mom likes embroidery? I’ve got plenty at home—there’s even a large screen embroidered with a mountain-and-river landscape. Next time, I’ll bring it over for her.”

Ji Nanxing: “Who are you calling ‘Mom’?”

Xiao Ye grinned. “Isn’t it just a matter of time?”

Back home, Xiao Ye carefully stored the incense Ji Nanxing had bought—these things were sensitive to moisture and had to be sealed tightly. He also hung up the brush and inksticks meant for him.

Back when he lived at home, his grandfather had forced him to practice calligraphy to cultivate his temperament. After moving out, he rarely wrote anymore, only picking up a brush to draw talismans. But now that Naughty got him such fine tools, Xiao Ye felt he ought to start practicing again.

After putting everything away, he returned to the bedroom to find Ji Nanxing already showered and lounging on the bed, scrolling through his phone. Xiao Ye quickly washed up, then launched himself onto the bed, pulling him into his arms for a kiss. “Hmm? This scent isn’t from your body wash. What did you use?”

He burrowed into Ji Nanxing’s neck, trying to catch more of the fragrance.

Ji Nanxing pushed the puppy-like behavior away. “I used some face cream. It’s on the table—if you like the smell, go put some on yourself.”

Xiao Ye: “I like it on you. Since when do you use stuff like this? You never bothered before.”

Ji Nanxing: “My skin’s been feeling dry lately. Autumn’s getting harsh.”

He’d been raised with meticulous care since he was little, only living more casually after moving out. So he didn’t see anything odd about men using skincare products. Xiao Ye, on the other hand, had grown up washing his face with plain water—nowadays, he only added a can of shaving cream to his shelf. Never having encountered anything so fragrant and soft, he immediately lost control, burying himself in Ji Nanxing like a cat with catnip.

Ji Nanxing couldn’t help laughing at his antics, tweaking his ear. “Are you really a dog? One whiff of something new and you go sniff-crazy.”

Xiao Ye nuzzled the person held obediently in his arms, his voice dropping slightly and laced with longing: "Naonao."

Ji Nanxing tilted his head back slightly, revealing his long neck, and wrapped his arms around Xiao Ye, smiling as he tugged playfully at his curls.

As if receiving a signal, Xiao Ye pulled the blanket over both of them and turned off the lights, forcing Ji Nanxing to go to sleep.

Since it was the weekend and there were no classes, Ji Nanxing had slept in. Xiao Ye had gotten up early to jog, watered the plants in the garden, and made breakfast before heading upstairs to wake him.

Ji Nanxing was lying on the bed, face down. The room was comfortably warm thanks to the heating system—warm enough that even with part of his shoulder peeking out from under the covers, he didn’t feel cold.

The peaceful sight of him sleeping on his side made Xiao Ye’s heart ache with affection. He wrapped his arms around Ji Nanxing from behind and couldn’t help but gently bite his shoulder.

Ji Nanxing had woken up when Xiao Ye entered the room, but only opened his eyes after being bitten. “What are you doing? It’s still so early.”

Xiao Ye wrapped him tightly in the blanket and lifted him into his arms. “Breakfast is ready. If you want to go back to sleep, you can doze off again after eating.”

As he spoke, he slipped his hand under the covers—not doing anything too bold, just rubbing Ji Nanxing’s waist to help him relax.

Ji Nanxing pushed his hand away, grabbed a pajama top hanging by the bed, and pulled it on without bothering with pants. The dark-colored fabric contrasted sharply with his pale legs. Barefoot, he stepped onto the floor, making Xiao Ye’s blood heat again as he recalled how those very feet had kicked him the day before.

Xiao Ye buried his face in the pillow, unable to look anymore. Ji Naonao really was like an enchanting little demon—every part of him was irresistibly attractive.

By the time Ji Nanxing finished washing up and changing clothes, Xiao Ye had already set the breakfast table. “I made pan-fried mini buns and sweet egg liquor. Come sit down and eat.”

Just as he brought his own plate to the table, he noticed Ji Nanxing chuckling at his phone. “What’s so funny?”

Ji Nanxing: “Xia Junyan sent me a message asking if I want to earn some pocket money.”

Xiao Ye laughed. “He’s not stuck somewhere again and needs you to rescue him, right?”

A guy who barely makes enough to pay rent by selling talismans asking someone else about earning extra cash clearly meant he needed help with something beyond his ability.

Ji Nanxing replied with “Cut to the chase,” and Xia Junyan immediately sent several voice messages.

Besides taking on cases, Xia Junyan mostly sold talismans. The ones commonly used by Taoists were usually sold to the Management Bureau, but drawing the same few talismans repeatedly got boring. Seeing other talisman masters running private shops, he decided to open an online store selling things like peace talismans, exam-success talismans, love talismans, and career-boost talismans.

A girl had bought a talisman from him over a year ago. Apparently, it worked, because she became a loyal customer, regularly replacing old talismans with new ones and even asking for tips on improving her luck.

Recently, the girl bought a house and consulted him about feng shui arrangements, even purchasing a home-protection charm.

Xia Junyan specially sourced a gourd pendant for her, selected to match the layout of her residence. The gourd, symbolizing "fortune and prosperity" (福禄), had been consecrated and empowered with protective talismans. The young girl had been highly pleased.

Xia Junyan: “Everything was fine at first, but last month strange things started happening. Items in her house were moved, her personal belongings like bracelets and necklaces kept disappearing, only to reappear later. Even her dolls’ expressions turned suddenly harsh and scary. She was so frightened she threw all her dolls away.”

Xiao Ye listened in and whispered to Ji Nanxing, “Could it be another Doll Spirit?”

Ji Nanxing shook his head and played the next voice message.

Xia Junyan: “The girl found the house terrifying and moved back to her parents’ place, but the problems didn’t stop. She kept having nightmares, sometimes hearing whispers in her ear, but when she woke up, the room was empty. Her condition worsened—her hair started falling out in clumps. Eventually, she came to me for help. I checked her house thoroughly, but there were no traces of Yin energy—neither in the house nor on her. I placed suppressing talismans, but nothing changed.”

Xia Junyan sighed. “I’m completely stumped. The girl is really suffering, but I can’t figure out what’s wrong. Since it’s local, maybe you could take a look? You might spot something I missed.”

This was the first time Xia Junyan had encountered a case where he couldn’t detect anything. Even if a ghost was powerful, there should still be signs of Yin energy or some reaction from the talismans. But this time, nothing—no signs, no responses from his tools.

Since it was the weekend and they had nothing else planned, Ji Nanxing agreed. He was curious too—what kind of situation would leave no trace of Yin energy and no reaction from talismans?

The girl, Tang Huaying, was 26, very pretty, and came from a well-off family that dealt in auto parts. They had bought her a spacious 200-square-meter apartment outright, which was where the haunting had started.

When Ji Nanxing and Xiao Ye arrived, Xia Junyan was already waiting at the entrance. The moment he saw them, he looked as if he’d found salvation. “Thank god you’re here! Come on up. I just don’t get it—how can there be no signs at all? I wondered if something had gained spiritual awareness. I wanted to bring the Doll Spirit—it’s also a spirit and might sense other spiritual entities—but it’s away on a job.”

Xiao Ye: "Even the Lingwa agents are on assignment. Is your Bureau really that short-staffed?"

Xia Junyan: "Transfers are common. Our country's huge, and there aren't enough Taoists to go around. With so much to do and so few people, we've got to help each other out."

Ji Nanxing: "Where's the girl?"

Xia Junyan: "Upstairs."

Ji Nanxing sounded puzzled: "She dares to stay upstairs alone?"

Normally in supernatural cases, no one would dare stay behind alone.

Xia Junyan: "Nothing ever happens during the day, so it’s fine."

They went upstairs. Although Tang Huaying had been warned in advance that the Taoist coming was young, seeing someone this youthful and handsome still caught her off guard: "Please come in, Master. Xia Junyan must’ve filled you in on my situation, right?"

Ji Nanxing nodded. "Yeah. I’ll take a look around first."

He walked through the apartment. None of his tools reacted, and he saw nothing unusual inside. Then he studied her face and asked, "You live alone?"

Tang Huaying nodded. "I live alone. Never been in a relationship—no drama. I’m not working right now. When I have free time, I like to travel. I also co-own a cat café with a friend, but I rarely get involved. I put up the money, and she runs the place. So far, no issues."

"I don’t have any surveillance cameras inside," she said when asked. "I’ve heard cameras can be hacked, so I skipped them. Only the front door lock and the elevator hallway outside have cameras."

Ji Nanxing: "Have you been losing a lot of hair lately?"

Tang Huaying nodded. "This stuff is scary, and since I can’t figure it out, staying here doesn’t work—I tried going home, even hotels—but nothing helps. It’s got me on edge."

"There’s nothing wrong with your place," Ji Nanxing said after checking. "The layout’s good, the orientation’s fine, and nothing in here looks off. I’d suggest getting checked out at a hospital—maybe even a drug test."

Tang Huaying blinked. "Wait, the house is fine, and *I’m* the problem?"

"Just a hunch," Ji Nanxing replied. "That’s why I’m suggesting the test."

Tang Huaying had never considered the issue might be with herself. She’d assumed something supernatural, yet here was a Taoist sending her straight to science. Since when do Taoists go all “science mode”?