Chapter 20 Belated Affection

Chapter 20: Delayed Penitence

It only made sense—vengeance by a vengeful ghost was only natural. Even a Celestial Master who stumbled upon such a scene would typically wait until the ghost had settled its personal grudges before intervening.

But the present situation was sticky—Gu Xifeng had made the payment, and it was a substantial sum at that.

Gu Qingyin was exasperated. When did clients start lying? Was she going to have to vet every client now before accepting a job? No wonder service fees were so high these days—there was just too much hassle involved.

True, Dai Jingyan wasn’t directly killed by Gu Xifeng, but he was absolutely an accessory to murder!

“What do we do now?” Liu Ergou sidled up to Gu Qingyin and whispered.

Gu Qingyin sucked her teeth, musing. “If necessary, we’ll dispel the resentment first. Once Dai Jingyan regains her senses, we’ll see what she wants to do. If needed, we’ll forfeit the final payment!”

Twenty-five million—they’d already received 12.5 mil upfront. Even without the rest, they’d still come out ahead!

Though they took money to resolve disasters, they were Celestial Masters with consciences.

“You keep him under control. I’ll set up the formation.” Gu Qingyin estimated the time needed. “About three to five minutes.”

Liu Ergou nodded solemnly. “Got it.”

With a sword in one hand and a compass in the other, Liu Ergou made a swift motion. A beam of golden light shot from the compass, striking Dai Jingyan’s ghostly form.

An unearthly wail followed.

At the same time, Gu Qingyin sprang into action, hurling talismans and peachwood nails with precision, each landing around Dai Jingyan to gradually form an intricate formation.

Gu Xifeng wiped away his tears, watching as Dai Jingyan writhed in pain under the golden light, his eyes filled with anguish.

He was the one who had done wrong, yet the one he loved was the one suffering. It wasn’t fair.

In a sudden impulsive move, Gu Xifeng turned and lunged at Liu Ergou.

Caught off guard, Liu Ergou dropped the compass.

Dai Jingyan broke free instantly, scattering the half-formed formation into chaos.

Gu Qingyin clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Idiot.”

Without missing a beat, she flung three peachwood nails, aiming for Dai Jingyan’s forehead and shoulders.

Dai Jingyan phased out of the way, crouching low and snarling viciously at Gu Qingyin.

Rolling her eyes, Gu Qingyin wove her spiritual energy like threads, casting them like a spiderweb to retrieve the scattered talismans and peachwood nails, pulling them back into place with a flick.

Recognizing the threat, Dai Jingyan released a torrent of dark energy, attempting to disrupt the formation again—but before she could act, the golden light trapped her once more.

Glancing back, Gu Qingyin saw Gu Xifeng bound tightly with a red rope and tossed aside. She paused, then pointedly ignored him.

As the final peachwood nail fell into place, the formation activated. A radiant white light erupted, engulfing Dai Jingyan.

Gu Xifong’s eyes widened in horror. “Jingyan!” he screamed.

Liu Ergou kicked him. “Shut up! We’re purging the resentment. Should’ve never let you in here—almost ruined everything.”

Had any other Celestial Masters been here today, they’d have been lucky to escape with their lives. But their skill and teamwork made the difference.

The purification lasted a full eight minutes. When the light faded, Dai Jingyan at the center of the formation had turned translucent, looking somewhat weak, but—

Her eyes cleared, the whites and pupils distinct once more.

Dai Jingyan bowed to Gu Qingyin and Liu Ergou respectively, pleading, "Please, Masters, send me to be reincarnated."

"Have you made up your mind?" Gu Qingyin raised an eyebrow.

Dai Jingyan nodded calmly.

"No!" Gu Xifeng thrashed on the ground like a pinned insect, shouting, "You can't leave!" Dai Jingyan didn’t even spare him a glance. He then turned to Liu Ergou, frantic, "Get out!"

Liu Ergou scratched his ear with deliberate nonchalance, "We don’t want the remaining payment."

Gu Xifeng froze, then roared, "You’re breaching the contract! I’ll expose you!"

Liu Ergou: "Whatever."

Gu Xifeng had no choice but to stare at Dai Jingyan with reddened eyes, "Do you hate me this much?"

Hearing this, Dai Jingyan finally turned her gaze to him and said calmly, "I don’t hate you. I just hope that in the next life, and the life after that, for all eternity, we never meet again."

Tears streamed down Gu Xifeng’s face, his heart aching so much he could barely breathe. He could only watch helplessly as Dai Jingyan’s figure grew fainter, her expression more serene, until she vanished completely.

From then on, it was farewell forever.

Though the Vengeful Ghost was gone, the resentment and yin energy in the villa remained heavy.

Gu Qingyin pulled out several talismans and pasted them on the doors, windows, and walls. Once finished, she walked over to Gu Xifeng and said in her usual businesslike tone, "After forty-nine days, you can renovate and move back in."

Liu Ergou stepped forward to untie Gu Xifeng, treating the red rope like the precious artifact it was. "Later, Mr. Gu."

Gu Xifeng remained frozen even after Gu Qingyin and Liu Ergou left the villa.

He was lost in thought, wondering how things had come to this. At the very beginning, all he had wanted was to escape the arranged marriage and return to Dai Jingyan. But somewhere along the way, he had taken a misstep, leading to mistakes he couldn't undo.

Gu Xifeng closed his eyes. His Jingyan wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.

As soon as they got into the car, Gu Qingyin and Liu Ergou split the money, then each made donations via their phones—this was second nature by now.

"You free tomorrow?" Liu Ergou asked hopefully. "Senior Sister Chen is in Yuncheng. Let’s meet up."

Chen Ling? Not exactly close, but an old acquaintance nonetheless. Gu Qingyin nodded. "Sure, text me the details."

Back at her ancestral home, Gu Qingyin took stock in her study. These two jobs had consumed a lot of supplies—yellow paper and cinnabar needed restocking, and tomorrow would eat up most of today's pay.

No wonder Celestial Masters were generally poor—high costs, high risks, and though the fees seemed substantial, in the end, money ended up going right back out.

The next morning, Gu Qingyin took a ride to the antique street, heading straight for the authentic goods store.

As luck would have it, Qin Zhen was running the shop today, and Lin Jiaqin was there too.

Gu Qingyin’s eyebrow arched slightly. Had these two gone public with their relationship?

Seeing Gu Qingyin again, Qin Zhen wasn't as warm as before, feeling somewhat awkward instead. Still, he greeted her with a smile, "Let me grab those from the back."

Once he disappeared into the back, Lin Jiaqin spoke up, "I heard you're over forty, yet you could pass for early twenties. Do you have some anti-aging secrets?" she asked pointedly.

Gu Qingyin thought to herself, she was indeed in her twenties—just youth. Who needs a secret formula?

"No secret formula, just personal constitution."

Lin Jiaqin clearly didn't believe it. "If Celestial Master Gu truly has a secret, I’d be willing to pay for it. I’ll make sure the price is worth your while."

Gu Qingyin chuckled and shook her head. "Birth, aging, sickness, and death are natural laws—even a Celestial Master can’t escape them."

"Is that so?" Lin Jiaqin smirked. "Since the master refuses, forget it."

She clearly wasn’t going to listen. Gu Qingyin simply ignored her now—whatever, her choice.