Chapter 13 My Son Is So Cute

Chapter 13 My Son Is Quite Lovable

Gu Qingyin hadn’t gone far, so she returned to Tianfu Jinyuan in just ten minutes. Huo Xingye was already waiting at the entrance.

As soon as Gu Qingyin got out of the car, she sent the driver away. She walked up to Huo Xingye and scanned his face, asking with concern, "Not afraid anymore?"

Huo Xingye touched his chest and replied calmly, "I’ve got my jade pendant on."

Gu Qingyin laughed lightly. "Let’s track down the Yin Gathering Array first."

Liu Ergou’s hotel was a good distance away, and it would take at least half an hour for him to arrive. Gu Qingyin wasn’t about to sit around waiting.

"Do you want to learn the arcane arts?" she asked casually.

Huo Xingye paused. "Is it something anyone can pick up?"

"Of course not," Gu Qingyin said, giving him a strange look. "It takes serious talent. But you’re my son—you’ve probably got some of it in you. Even if you can’t reach my level, knowing how to protect yourself is still good."

Huo Xingye hesitated. "I might not have that much time."

Gu Qingyin understood. She nodded with a smile. "Fair point. You already have enough on your plate."

The mother and son stopped by a fountain in the residential area.

Gu Qingyin looked around and sighed. "This Yin Gathering Array is quite large. All this going to waste."

Huo Xingye also looked, but to him, it was just an ordinary fountain.

"What does the Yin Gathering Array look like?"

Gu Qingyin turned to him and, after a few seconds, asked seriously, "How’s your nerve?"

No man would admit to being scared. Huo Xingye nodded calmly. "There’s almost nothing I’m afraid of."

Gu Qingyin nodded. "Heads up—I’ll open your ‘third eye.’"

Huo Xingye’s heart skipped a beat. "After that, I’ll be able to see ghosts?"

"Exactly. Heads up—once your third eye is open, the surroundings might change quite a bit." Without giving him a chance to back out, she immediately asked, "Ready?"

Gu Qingyin raised her hand toward Huo Xingye’s eyes. He instinctively closed them, then felt a chill spread across his eyelids, seeping into his entire eyeballs.

"Done."

For a heartbeat before opening his eyes, Huo Xingye felt a flicker of fear. But curiosity quickly overpowered it. When he opened his eyes, he saw a completely different world.

The first thing he noticed was the darkness.

It had been dark before, but there were streetlights illuminating many areas. Now, even the lit spots seemed dim, as if the darkness had solidified, blocking out the light.

Then there was the fountain. The water was no longer clear but murky, with something lurking beneath the surface that made his hair stand on end at a single glance.

"Don’t stare into the water," Gu Qingyin warned. "The yin energy is too strong—it’ll hurt your eyes."

Huo Xingye turned his gaze away, only to accidentally lock eyes with a hanged ghost under a streetlight.

The hanged ghost had a dangling tongue and tilted its head to stare at him. Suddenly, it let out a creepy laugh and floated closer. "You can see me? You can see me!" It grew excited. "Then come keep me company!"

The hanged ghost lunged at Huo Xingye. Gu Qingyin saw it but didn’t intervene. Instead, she even stepped aside to give it room.

Huo Xingye was startled and instinctively stepped back, but the hanging ghost still pounced on him. Before he could struggle, the ghost let out a sharp "Ah!" and was flung into midair.

The next second, the hanging ghost burst into flames inexplicably, turning to ashes within seconds and disappearing into thin air.

Huo Xingye's eyes widened, and it took him several seconds to recover, gasping for breath as he pressed a hand to his racing heart. He pursed his lips and looked at Gu Qingyin with slight resentment.

Gu Qingyin felt a twinge of guilt under his gaze. She cleared her throat and said, "Now you see what the jade pendant can do. You won’t be afraid of ghosts in the future."

Huo Xingye: "...Right."

Gu Qingyin let out a hearty laugh—her son’s stubbornness was just too adorable!

Huo Xingye’s face grew hot, but he kept his cool with visible effort.

Gu Qingyin thought privately—expression management must be one of a CEO’s essential skills!

After teasing her son for a while, Gu Qingyin turned to business. The Yin Gathering Array was larger than she had expected, and forcing it open would be too troublesome. She needed to find its weak point first.

Normally, locating a weak point in an array required a compass to determine the direction, but Gu Qingyin didn’t need one—her Yin-Yang Eyes were far more effective.

After circling the fountain once, she pinpointed the weak spot. However, after rummaging through her bag, she couldn’t find a suitable ritual tool to break the array.

She tsked in annoyance. There was no choice but to wait for Liu Ergou to arrive before proceeding. She had originally planned to cause some minor damage to alert Lin Wu, but it was a shame.

Gu Qingyin sat down by the fountain and extended her palm. "Come, sit. Tell me about your childhood."

Huo Xingye complied and sat, trying to recall stories from when they were kids. Before their father passed away, the three brothers had indeed enjoyed a happy childhood.

"Our dad doted on us—some might say too much. He gave us whatever we wanted, fulfilling almost all our material needs," Huo Xingye said, his eyes unfocused with memory. "He also patiently and sternly guided us when we made mistakes. I only remember him getting truly angry once."

"When we were in kindergarten, some kids in our class called us motherless bastards. We got into a fight and knocked out one of their teeth. Dad was called to the school by the teacher."

"After hearing what happened, Dad's face darkened and demanded that the other child’s parents apologize as well. Before leaving, he paid the medical bills, but those kids never returned to the kindergarten afterward—apparently they were transferred out."

"That night at home, he solemnly told us that we weren’t motherless—our mother had just gone somewhere far away and would take a long time to return. But he promised that he would bring her home one day."

Gu Qingyin blinked, her heart ached.

Huo Xingye fell silent for a moment before speaking in a low, hoarse voice, "He never brought you home. Not only that, he lost himself along the way."

Gu Qingyin gently grasped his hand and whispered, "Mom’s back now. As for your dad… once Xinghai and Xingchen return, I can always call his spirit back. As long as he hasn’t reincarnated, even if he’s in the underworld, I can bring him back. Then our family can finally be reunited."

Huo Xingye nodded slightly after several minutes.

Afterward, mother and son drifted into silence, neither speaking.

When Liu Ergou arrived, he found the atmosphere between them heavy and hesitated to approach.

Only when Gu Qingyin snapped out of it and beckoned him over did he cautiously walk up and ask, "Did you two argue?"

Gu Qingyin rolled her eyes. "We’re perfectly fine!" She extended her palm. "Give me a set of peachwood nails."

Liu Ergou handed them over reluctantly, grumbling, "These are expensive. Use them sparingly—this job isn't paying extra."

Thinking about current prices, Gu Qingyin immediately put on a serious face. "I’ll do my best!"