Chapter 7 Not Part of the Huo Family

Chapter 7: Not Part of the Huo Family

Huo Xingye was just as shocked, but he quickly realized—Gu Qingyin was here to exorcise ghosts.

Immediately, his face darkened, his eyes flashing with anger.

It was so quick Gu Qingyin wondered if she’d imagined it. After a few seconds of thought, she concluded she must have been mistaken.

"I’m just doing my job—why’s he pissed? Radio silence for three days, and now he has the nerve to be mad!"

After a brief silence, Xu Shaocheng bent down to pick up the car keys, lowered his gaze, and stepped aside to clear the doorway. Softly, he said, "Priest Liu, please, come in."

Huo Xingye also moved aside, and a middle-aged man in vivid yellow Daoist robes with his hair tied in a topknot walked in—this was Priest Liu.

Holding a compass in his hand and carrying a long cloth bag on his back, Priest Liu first circled the room before stopping where the female ghost had dissipated. "The yin energy here is extremely strong." He glanced at the compass again and let out a puzzled sound. "Huh. The yin energy’s fading."

"Did the ghost escape?" Priest Liu frowned deeply. "That can’t be right—the compass is dead on."

"Is it possible the ghost is already dead, and the yin energy is slowly dispersing?"

Hearing this, Priest Liu’s face lit up with realization. "Yes, that must be it." He looked up toward the source of the voice, and when his eyes landed on Gu Qingyin, his pupils contracted in shock. "Qingyin?! Is that you?!"

Gu Qingyin arched a brow, puzzled.

Huo Xingye narrowed his eyes, staring at Priest Liu’s back.

The Xu family of three and Qin Zhen were also drawn to the commotion.

"Priest Liu and Master Gu know each other?" Lao Xu pasted on a polite smile.

Everything had happened so fast, and he had completely forgotten about inviting Priest Liu. Now that the priest had arrived, the ghost was already gone. He was afraid Priest Liu would be pissed, but if the two knew each other, things would be easier.

Priest Liu snapped out of his daze and studied Gu Qingyin before hesitantly shaking his head. "I must have mistaken you for someone else. The person I know should be in her forties now." She looked just like her—but way too young.

"Liu Ergou?"

Priest Liu froze, eyes bulging. "No way—it’s really you?!"

Gu Qingyin smiled genuinely. "It’s me."

She felt a mix of joy and nostalgia. Twenty years had passed, and everything had changed. She decided she needed to organize a reunion for old friends; otherwise, she might bump into them on the street someday and not even recognize them.

"How do you look exactly the same as you did twenty years ago? Not a single change!" Priest Liu excitedly stepped forward. "Where’ve you been all these years? Why’d you vanish? We searched for you for years!"

Gu Qingyin waved her hand. "Save it for later." She turned to Lao Xu. "The ghost is gone, and the girl will wake up tomorrow. Shouldn’t we settle the fee now?"

Job’s done, show’s over. It was time to get paid and leave.

Lao Xu blinked, still processing, mumbling "Oh, oh" before pulling out his checkbook. As he wrote, he couldn’t help but think—*Who knew the lofty Priest Liu had a name like *that*!* Truly, appearances can be deceiving!

Gu Qingyin cheerfully accepted the check. "Well then, until we meet again. Don’t bother walking me out."

Lao Xu gave a bitter smile. He sincerely hoped they would *never* meet again.

Gu Qingyin walked out slowly, and Priest Liu instinctively moved to follow—only for Huo Xingye to abruptly cut in, pushing him aside.

Priest Liu mentally scoffed but quickly steadied himself and hurried after them.

Before long, only the Xu family and Qin Zhen remained in the room, the air thick with tension.

Qin Zhen was at his limit. He wanted to leave, but the issue wasn’t settled yet.

"Let’s end this," Mrs. Xu said calmly. "We’ve reached this point. Staying together now would only make us miserable. Let’s spare each other."

The earlier distraction had helped; Mrs. Xu had regained her sanity from the brink of hysteria and quickly entered a state of "screw it, I’m done." Now, she just wanted to escape this mess and start anew.

Lao Xu instinctively wanted to plead for her to stay, but when his peripheral vision caught Qin Zhen, he couldn’t make a sound.

"Let’s end this," Xu Shaocheng said hoarsely. "We should have done it long ago."

Lao Xu went rigid at his words, then let out a defeated sigh.

Qin Zhen glanced around, wanting to say something but shrinking back. He was stuck in the middle—no right to speak at all.

Once outside the villa, Priest Liu finally found a chance to slip past Huo Xingye and stood face-to-face with Gu Qingyin, pulling out his phone. "Add me as a friend so we can stay in touch. I have something else to attend to later."

Gu Qingyin pulled out her phone without hesitation and displayed her QR code.

As Priest Liu scanned it, he asked, "Should your return be kept a secret?"

"No, no need," Gu Qingyin replied before suddenly remembering something. "Is that idiot Dongfang Ran still alive?"

Priest Liu nodded. "Not only alive, but she’s also become an elder of the Arcane Arts Association."

Gu Qingyin raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "That’s all she’s good for."

Putting away his phone, Priest Liu studied Gu Qingyin’s face, his eyes filled with longing. "Back then, you left without a word. Who would’ve thought we’d meet again twenty years later? If I’d known earlier..."

"Mom, let’s go home."

Huo Xingye stood by the car and suddenly spoke.

Hearing this, Priest Liu froze completely.

Gu Qingyin, however, lit up, staring at Huo Xingye with a bright "Yeah!" before adding, "Coming!"

Priest Liu’s world crumbled! Priest Liu couldn’t accept this!

"Where did you get such a grown son?! You’ve been in seclusion for twenty years—don’t tell me you secretly got married and had kids?!" Priest Liu clung to his last shred of hope. "He’s just your adopted kid, right?"

Huo Xingye stepped forward, shielding Gu Qingyin behind him, and curled his lips provocatively. "I’m Gu Qingyin’s biological son, born after ten months of pregnancy."

Gu Qingyin peeked out from behind Huo Xingye, grinning as she nodded. "Xingye is the eldest of triplets. I’ll introduce you to my other two sons when they come back. Get their gifts ready."

When Priest Liu left, he was in shock.

His first love from his youth had actually married and had children twenty years ago, while he had foolishly waited all this time—twenty whole years.

Agh—! He needed to find a secluded spot and cry himself to death!

Huo Xingye thought with a sneer. Who did this guy think he was, thinking he could chase after his mother?

Once in the car, Gu Qingyin lit up, staring at Huo Xingye. "Call me ‘Mom’ again."

Huo Xingye remained silent, his expression icy.

The smile slid off Gu Qingyin’s face. "Was it something I said?"

Huo Xingye still didn’t speak.

Gu Qingyin shrugged, sat up straight, and took out her phone to scroll through short videos—nothing but handsome guys and delicious food, making her mouth water again and again.

The occasional "slurp" sounds next to him finally made Huo Xingye snap. He coldly demanded, "Who said you could take that ghost-hunting job? Did you even tell me before going? Did I agree?"

Gu Qingyin was taken aback. "Wait, why should I tell you? That's my job—I was working to earn money!"

Huo Xingye scoffed. "The Huo family doesn’t need that bit of cash."

Gu Qingyin nodded in agreement, then corrected him with a serious expression. "But hey, kid, here’s the thing. Even though I had you three with your dad, we never got married. Strictly speaking, I’m not part of the Huo family."

Huo Xingye sputtered. That wasn’t the point! The point was he didn’t want her taking those jobs!