Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Xiao Yue responded, "So I guess the person we hired back then wasn't a scammer."

"You already had someone come check it out—why didn't you have them fix it? All the way up to now?" Cheng Gu asked, puzzled.

Xiao Yue said sheepishly, "Mainly because we kept thinking it wasn't that kind of thing—otherwise it wouldn't have been so quiet."

Zhu Yuan put away the compass and looked around, her eyes landing on the wall behind the sofa. "Is it this one?"

"No, it's upstairs." Xiao Yue pointed upward and explained with a smile, "On the first floor we basically only use the kitchen; we mostly live on the second floor."

Cheng Gu quickly looked around and didn't notice anything off, then followed Xiao Yue up to the second floor.

The moment he got to the second floor, he could see at a glance that all the living areas were covered in black aura.

The leftover yin energy drifted slowly, as if it realized it had been spotted, and started seeping into hidden cracks.

Xiao Yue pointed at the wall. "It's this one—my husband heard it talk, but I didn't hear anything."

Cheng Gu looked up. The wall she pointed at was where the yin energy was thickest—the whole surface was covered in a faint layer of black, with no empty space left.

"What's wrong?" Noticing Cheng Gu staring hard at the wall, Xiao Yue widened her eyes and tried to focus like he did, but even after straining her eyes, she couldn't see anything weird.

"So much yin energy." Cheng Gu muttered. There was no need to hide this from their client.

"Huh?" Xiao Yue covered her mouth in shock. "Our house really has those things?"

"Yes, and more than one." Zhu Yuan pursed her lips, looking grim. "There have been way too many places gathering yin energy lately."

From that remark, it was clear that this kind of concentrated yin energy rarely happened before.

"Then how do we fix it?" Xiao Yue asked, worried. "Is it a big hassle?"

"No." Zhu Yuan said. "We just need to change the feng shui of your home."

Xiao Yue didn't quite understand, but Cheng Gu did, and explained, "Your house right now is like a Wi-Fi hotspot—those things just like to hang out here. Cut off the Wi-Fi, and they won't be drawn here anymore."

"I see." Xiao Yue picked up her phone, looking a bit awkward. "How much do you charge for this? If it's too pricey, we can't afford it, so let's talk it over first."

"It's not much." Zhu Yuan pulled talisman papers from her bag and handed them to Cheng Gu. "One eighty."

"Huh?" Xiao Yue froze, shocked by the low price, thinking she'd misheard. "One eighty? Are you sure?"

"Sure." Zhu Yuan looked at Cheng Gu. "Put the six talisman papers on the first-floor front door, the living room window, the wall, the ceiling, and the bathroom door and window."

The six talisman papers in his hand were the most he'd ever seen at once, and he knew them well—they were warding talismans that changed the magnetic field and kept those ghostly things away.

"And these two." Zhu Yuan handed him two more talisman papers, way more complex than the warding ones, with noticeable weight even in hand. "Put these on top of the front door, one on each side."

"Got it." Cheng Gu nodded and quickly went to the first floor to stick them up.

Zhu Yuan finished the second and third floors. For the wall with the heaviest yin energy, she first dispersed the leftover yin aura, then stuck four talisman papers on it.

Xiao Yue asked, "Is that all?"

"We still need to set up something outside your house." Zhu Yuan took out a small mirror. "Just wait here for me."

Xiao Yue's eyes fell on the bag she was carrying.

Such a small bag but so roomy—she'd watched Zhu Yuan pull out item after item and was already stunned speechless.

"Do you guys have a lot of skills?"

"Us?" Zhu Yuan paused mid-motion, then said with a smile, "Not that impressive—we just have some tricks for dealing with this stuff."

Xiao Yue hummed in response, and since she had nothing else to do, she followed her outside anyway.

Cheng Gu had already stuck up all the talisman papers and was standing at the front door with his head down, doing something, his lips moving slightly as if he was talking.

"I know the other talisman papers, but these two at the door are the first time I've seen them. Do you know what they are?" Cheng Gu asked thoughtfully.

"Someone's coming." A deep, magnetic voice sounded by his ear, answering his question while also warning him. "They should be suppression talismans, to keep those things from getting in the house."

There were too many types of talisman papers—Cheng Gu had only seen a fifth of them, and even their team leader He Jing hadn't come across all of them.

"Are you on the phone?" Zhu Yuan stopped beside Cheng Gu, looking confused.

"I was just wondering what these talismans were—I've never seen them before." Cheng Gu pointed at the talismans above the door.

"Suppression talismans." Zhu Yuan said softly. "The other talismans are just backup for these two. With these two in place, those things won't dare come in."

Yan Sui was right again.

Cheng Gu blinked, wondering just how much Yan Sui knew about this stuff.

"I'm going to set up the formation." Zhu Yuan said, walking to the courtyard and hanging the small mirror on the garden gate, facing the street.

Then she returned to the center of the yard, a brush appearing in her hand out of nowhere, its tip coated with a pale gold liquid mixed with red.

As the brush touched the ground, smooth talisman patterns appeared, then quickly vanished.

Zhu Yuan moved too fast—Cheng Gu could barely keep up.

"Your house is too noticeable. Even with all this, some things will still wander nearby. This formation is to make your villa less visible—basically erasing it from those things' sight, so it won't attract them anymore. Some powerful ones can't be blocked, but with the mirror and talismans, even if they know, they can't get close."

Xiao Yue tried to see what she was drawing, but within seconds her eyes went dizzy, she could barely stand up straight, and her tongue nearly tied itself in knots: "Th-thank, th-thank you."

The brush stopped, a golden flash appeared, and a complex talisman pattern emerged on the ground—so intricate that the naked eye couldn't tell where it began or ended.

In an instant, it vanished. Cheng Gu rubbed his slightly sore eyes.

"Done." Zhu Yuan packed up all her tools. "That's handled. We're off work now."

"Master, what about those talisman papers?" Xiao Yue quickly asked. "Do we just leave them up like this?"

"Yes. You can take them down after three months, but don't touch the two above the door." Zhu Yuan pointed at the small mirror hanging on the garden gate. "And don't move the mirror either—keep it up for a full year before taking it down. Also, you should install a door on the upstairs balcony. Without a door, those things can come and go from upstairs."

"Okay." Xiao Yue made a mental note of everything. "So how do we handle the payment?"

Zhu Yuan opened the website and added a new order.

After Xiao Yue paid, she remembered something: "So will my husband still hear strange sounds in the future?"

"No." Zhu Yuan put away her phone. "Those things won't be able to get anywhere near your house anymore."

Xiao Yue thanked them a lot, then stuffed a bag of fruit into each of their hands.

Cheng Gu carried the fruit into the car and buckled his seatbelt with one hand, noticing that Zhu Yuan seemed lost in thought, her brow still furrowed. He couldn't help but ask, "Are you thinking about the yin-gathering site?"

“Yes,” Zhu Yuan replied, glancing at him with slight surprise, curious that he could read his thoughts. “These places come up way too often. In all my time here, I’ve only run into two, but lately, there have been more than ten job orders tied to this.”

A pale face suddenly flashed in Cheng Gu’s mind. Remembering the guy with the paper effigy he’d run into not long ago, he ventured, “Do you think someone’s doing this on purpose?”

Zhu Yuan snapped his fingers and started the car. “That’s what I’m thinking too—it’s too clustered. I don’t know about other places, but around here, it’s just weird. We gotta be careful with future jobs; someone might be scheming behind the scenes.”

Cheng Gu nodded. “Are companies in other areas different from ours?”

“They’re the same,” Zhu Yuan said, eyes fixed on the road. “Similar scale, and the good ones can move up to the headquarters.”

Before Cheng Gu could ask, Zhu Yuan went on, “I don’t know much about the headquarters. All I know is that people there are more in touch with the underworld, kind of like messengers for the dead. We’re just scattered helpers—basically errand boys.”

“Has anyone from our branch ever made it to headquarters?” Cheng Gu asked curiously.

“Not that I know of,” Zhu Yuan said. “People from branch offices almost never have contact with the headquarters. Even when there’s something to discuss, they send someone over to deal with it.”

“Remember the team lead in the office? I doubt he’s ever been to the headquarters either—he’s only had contact with them because it was necessary.”

It suddenly clicked for Cheng Gu.

“Do you want to go to the headquarters?” A voice came from behind him.

Cheng Gu glanced at the rearview mirror. Yan Sui wasn’t in the back seat—he must have ducked down to avoid being noticed by Zhu Yuan.

“Just curious,” Cheng Gu said vaguely.

He was just curious about a ghost-catching company this big.

The car pulled into the company parking lot, and Zhu Yuan stretched his arms.

“Alright, we still have some time before we clock out. I’m going to grab a coffee outside. Want to join?”

“Sure,” Cheng Gu said with a nod.

If a task came in, their phones would notify them automatically, so there was no need to just sit around in the office.

Cheng Gu had never been so happy with a job before. Sitting across from Zhu Yuan over coffee, he couldn’t help but praise the job’s flexibility, while also wondering about those who had left before getting through the probation period.

“You can handle the job, but a lot of people can’t,” Zhu Yuan said. “A lot of people think that doing this long-term messes with your head. The money’s good, but it drives people nuts. There are also family reasons—even after getting through the probation period, many quit after a few months.”

“Can people who quit go back to living normally?”

“Just like the clients do, over time they gradually forget everything about the company,” Zhu Yuan said. “It’s a kind of protection, really, since it’s hard for people who leave the company to fit back in.”

After finishing his coffee, Cheng Gu found it quite good and turned his head to look at the menu.

Zhu Yuan: “Are you getting one for your boyfriend?”

Cheng Gu immediately covered his face and mumbled, “Is it that obvious?”

He did want to buy one so Yan Sui could try it.

“I guessed,” Zhu Yuan said with a chuckle. “But it was pretty obvious—you were smiling just a moment ago, and when you looked at the menu, you were grinning even wider.”

Cheng Gu smiled sheepishly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Zhu Yuan checked the time. “It’s almost quitting time. Let’s head back to the office.”

Cheng Gu got a coffee to go, returned to the company, and left shortly after work ended.

Taking a cab home, Cheng Gu eagerly handed the coffee to Yan Sui. “Try it—isn’t it great?”

“It is.” Yan Sui took the coffee with a smile, took a sip, and gazed at Cheng Gu with dark, deep eyes.

Cheng Gu immediately looked away, scratching his face. Even though he tried to control it, he couldn’t help but blush.

He had been wondering lately whether he and Yan Sui should take things to the next level.

Or when would be the right time.

“You’re blushing.” Yan Sui reached out and traced his cheek. “What are you thinking about?”

The low, seductive voice made Cheng Gu lose his train of thought for a second, and he blurted out his inner thought: “I was thinking about whether we should get closer…”

Meeting Yan Sui’s amused expression, Cheng Gu quickly lowered his head. “I was just thinking—I wasn’t serious.”

“Closer how?” Yan Sui asked.

Cheng Gu knew he was teasing him. Straightening his back and lifting his head, his gaze landed on Yan Sui’s curved lips. Working up the nerve, he grabbed Yan Sui’s shoulders, pulled him closer, and kissed him on the lips.

“That’s the kind of closer.” Having done that, he pushed Yan Sui away, pretending nothing had happened, and headed to the kitchen to wash the fruit.

His heart was racing so hard he couldn’t settle down. Cheng Gu swallowed hard, regretting what he had just done.

Yan Sui grabbed his wrist and cupped his face, his gaze soft. “I see. So now is it my turn?”

“What?” Cheng Gu stammered, his eyes darting everywhere, stumbling over his words. “You—you—are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” A shadow fell over him. He closed his eyes nervously, his body trembling slightly as he felt the cool, soft lips press against his.

Cheng Gu didn’t pull away.

Author’s note:

None.