Chapter 40

Chapter 40

The police officer who had just stepped away heard the villagers engaging in superstitious practices right in front of him and quickly stopped them, saying, "Hey, hey, grandpa, don't get so worked up. I still have a few questions for you here. Why don't you sit down first?"

As he spoke, he shot Xu Muchan and Wei Xilou a look, signaling them to leave quickly before the old man started grabbing at them again.

This wasn't the first time wild animals had attacked people near Guiyi Mountain, and it had nothing to do with a murder case—otherwise, it wouldn't have been left to beat cops like them. But if these villagers started engaging in superstitious rituals and holding people against their will, that would be a completely different matter.

The old man clearly didn't want to let Xu Muchan go, but the person blocking him was a police officer. Bold as he might be, he wouldn't dare go against the police. All he could do was watch helplessly as Xu Muchan turned and hurried away.

Moments later, the two emerged carrying their duffel bags, waved goodbye to the officers, and headed down the mountain.

With the police present, the villagers of Leigong Village could only watch them leave, even if they were reluctant.

Xu Muchan pulled Wei Xilou along at a rapid pace. Only when they were far enough away that Leigong Village was no longer visible did he slow down. Turning to look at the mountain god, he scolded him with righteous indignation: "Look at you—you've been the mountain god for so long, and you've got zero authority. You actually got scared off by the villagers!"

Wei Xilou arched an eyebrow at his lively expression. "If Achan wants to win back some dignity, we can still turn around and go back right now."

Xu Muchan's expression immediately changed. He grabbed Wei Xilou's hand tightly and said, "Forget it, forget it. How can a dignified mountain god be so small-minded? We're bigger than that—we won't hold a grudge against lesser folk!"

Wei Xilou let himself be pulled down the mountain, his gaze lingering on Xu Muchan's face, which was flushed a soft pink in the morning light.

The two waited at the foot of the mountain for a while before their ride pulled up.

They had originally planned to leave in the afternoon, with their flight back to Jiangcheng booked for 6 PM. But now that they had come down the mountain early in the morning, there was still plenty of time, so Xu Muchan suggested stopping by the city for a bit.

He thought he could buy some local specialties from Yundong to bring back and share with Wei Yao and the others.

The luggage bag that had only held a change of clothes was now packed to the gills with local goods on the way back.

The next day at school, Xu Muchan walked into the classroom carrying his bulging bag and saw Wei Yao and Wen Dajiang talking at He Jiaqi's desk. After the Dragon Boat Festival, He Jiaqi had finished handling things at home and had returned to school as well.

Xu Muchan glanced at the bag in his hand, thinking it was a good thing he'd bought plenty—no need to worry about not having enough to go around.

Wei Yao looked up and spotted him, then his eyes landed on the bag full of specialties in his hands. He bounded over like an excited puppy: "Xu Muchan, you actually brought us souvenirs?"

Xu Muchan nimbly stepped back and shoved the bag into his arms, saying, "Just grabbed a few things. You guys split them among yourselves."

Wen Dajiang crowded in to rummage through the bag with Wei Yao, running his mouth the whole time without a moment's pause. Xu Muchan resisted the urge to put on his earphones and greeted He Jiaqi instead.

He Jiaqi looked a bit thinner, but her spirits seemed good. She glanced at Xu Muchan. "I heard your vision has improved a lot, and you even participated in this month's exam?"

Xu Muchan hummed in acknowledgment, then pulled out his notebook from the desk drawer and handed it to her. "These are the notes I've been taking recently. Not sure if they'll be useful to you."

He Jiaqi took it and flipped through a couple of pages. Finding the notes extremely detailed, she thanked him with pleasant surprise: "I was just thinking about who I could borrow notes from."

Xu Muchan said, "Just give it back to me when you're done."

The wonderful holiday had just ended, and everyone was distracted during morning study hall—some were sneakily playing on their phones and chatting, others were rustling snack bags on the sly.

But this cheerful atmosphere only lasted until morning study hall ended, when it was shattered by the stack of test papers the math teacher carried in.

The math teacher was a middle-aged guy with a bald spot, his weathered face sternly set: "We're going over the test papers this period. Although this month's exam was a bit more challenging, I thought it shouldn't be a problem for you. But as it turns out, most of your scores have disappointed me greatly."

A wave of groans swept the room.

Wei Yao secretly kicked Xu Muchan's chair with his leg. "How are you not nervous at all?"

He kept bouncing his leg as he spoke, worried about whether he'd pass this time—it was a matter of his allowance money!

Xu Muchan moved his chair a bit to the left, ignoring his nonsense.

Wei Yao was about to keep running his mouth when a voice called out from the front: "Xu Muchan."

He let out a "No way!" and turned around, staring in disbelief as Xu Muchan got up to go collect his test paper.

Old Zhang's face, which had been stern just a moment ago, immediately beamed from ear to ear when it landed on Xu Muchan: "You did quite well this time. Your foundation is solid, but there are some question types you might not be familiar with since you haven't encountered them much before. After class, you can talk to the math class representative—he's participated in quite a few competitions and is more familiar with those types. But he's not as careful as you when solving problems. You two can learn from each other's strengths and weaknesses."

With that, he handed the paper to Xu Muchan and called up the math class representative next.

Wei Yao leaned way over from across the room to look at Xu Muchan's paper: "Let me see, what score?"

Xu Muchan turned the paper toward him, and Wei Yao's eyes widened: "Holy crap, 138."

Xu Muchan frowned, not looking happy at all, saying, "So I did get the last big question wrong after all."

Wei Yao didn't want to talk to him anymore. He felt that a thin piece of math test paper had put a huge gap between him and Xu Muchan.

He rubbed his hands together with a glum look, praying he could at least pass.

Two consecutive periods of math class in the morning left Wei Yao feeling completely wiped out. He stared blankly at his paper, which had barely scraped past the passing line, when his desk was slapped.

He turned around and found it was the new class brainiac. He didn't want to talk to him.

He dazedly turned back around and continued holding a moment of silence for his math paper.

Xu Muchan poked him with his pen again.

Wei Yao turned around indignantly: "What?!"

Right now, seeing Xu Muchan's pretty face, all he could see was "138" written all over it, mocking him—a struggling student—from every angle. He really didn't want to look at him at the moment!

Xu Muchan asked, "Why didn't Xu Wangchuan come?"

He'd just noticed that the seat to his left was empty.

Wei Yao temporarily set aside his jealousy of the top student and thought for a moment before saying, "He probably took leave. Something seems to have happened with the Xu family. You didn't know?"

Xu Muchan genuinely didn't know. Surprised, he asked, "What happened?"

Wei Yao was confused too—how could Xu Muchan not know anything about such a big incident in the Xu family?

He scratched his head and said, "I heard it from my dad. Apparently, a batch of components from Xu Corporation was found to be substandard—cutting corners with cheap parts that failed quality inspection. But those components had already been put into use and caused an accident. It was only through backtracking that they discovered the components were defective. The news has spread widely throughout the industry. Xu Corporation is a supplier for several major companies, and now not only is the company where the accident happened demanding compensation, but the other partner companies are also requesting contract termination and damages. Xu Corporation is in hot water right now. I heard your dad was even hospitalized because of it. It makes sense that Xu Wangchuan would take leave from school."

Xu Muchan frowned, not expecting that the Xu family would have run into such a big problem in just one Dragon Boat Festival holiday.

When he got home after school that evening, he deliberately glanced at the Xu family villa. Not a single light was on in the entire villa—it was dead as a doornail, as if a giant shroud had been cast over the whole building.

He was about to turn away and head inside when he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of someone seemingly standing on the second-floor balcony of the Xu villa.

The figure seemed to be staring at him, its gaze like daggers, making Xu Muchan deeply uncomfortable.

But when he turned to look back, there was nothing on the second-floor balcony of the Xu villa.

Xu Muchan wasn't sure if it was his imagination—after all, the Xu family had always been involved in all sorts of spooky stuff. There had even been a God of Joy before, but it had disappeared after his brother arrived. Now that he and his brother had both left the Xu family, could the God of Joy have come back?

He glanced back once more. The Xu villa was quiet, with nothing out of the ordinary.

Forget it. He didn't live there anymore anyway. Whatever happened there, it had nothing to do with him.

Xu Muchan dropped the matter and headed into the living room.

But even though he wanted nothing to do with their affairs, the Xu family still came looking for him.

The next morning, as he was heading out for school, Xu Muchan ran into Xu Wangchuan.

Xu Wangchuan seemed to be waiting there on purpose. Seeing Xu Muchan come out of the house, he smiled warmly and invited him to come back to the Xu house for a visit.

"The family business hit a rough patch, and Dad got so worked up he ended up in the hospital. He just got out yesterday and is resting at home now. Mom and Dad miss you a lot, Muchan—please come back and see them."

Xu Muchan frowned at him, feeling something was off about Xu Wangchuan. He was gaunt and pale, clearly worn down by the family's troubles. But when he talked about the Xu family's problems, his face broke into a beaming smile—while his eyes stayed cold and empty, like a puppet in a horror movie.

And the red vein-like threads linking him to the God of Joy that Xu Muchan had seen before were now gone.

Everything about Xu Wangchuan and the Xu house felt off.

Xu Muchan shook his head. "The Xu Corporation's in trouble, and me going back won't help. Besides, there's nothing to say between us—we'd probably start arguing within a few sentences, and that would only mess with their recovery."

And with that, he got in the car and drove off.

Xu Wangchuan stood at the gate of the Xu villa, watching the Bentley's taillights fade into the distance, his face twisting.

At school, Xu Muchan had just sat down when Wei Yao leaned in with a sly look: "The Xu family really seems to be in deep trouble—you didn't go back yesterday, did you?"

Xu Muchan shook his head. "I ran into Xu Wangchuan this morning. He asked me to go back and check things out, but something felt off about him, so I said no."

"Good call—that jerk's definitely up to something."

Wei Yao then filled him in: "My grandpa said the Xu family's been dropping serious cash hunting for experts these past couple days. Something big must've happened. He was worried you wouldn't know, so he told me to tell you—don't get involved in the Xu family's mess, and definitely don't go back. Who knows what they're scheming."

That cleared up some of Xu Muchan's confusion—it seemed the God of Joy had resurfaced.

Though he was puzzled about how the backlash could've come so fast, since it wasn't his problem anymore, he put it out of his mind.

That evening, as Xu Muchan was heading home from school and passed the Xu villa, he saw the place—which had been dark before—now blazing with lights, cars packed in the courtyard, and people milling around, even chatting on the public road.

Judging by how they were dressed, these were the experts the Xu family had hired.

Though how much real skill these so-called experts actually had was anyone's guess.

Xu Muchan was about to roll up the window when he heard someone call his name. He stuck his head out and, to his surprise, saw Yan He, along with a man he didn't recognize.

Xu Muchan got out of the car, a bit surprised: "Taoist Master Yan, what are you doing here?"

Yan He said, "The Xu family's run into some trouble, so my senior brother and I came to check it out."

He hesitated, then asked carefully, "So, you and the Xu family..."

Xu Muchan said plainly, "Xu Qingming is my father. I used to live at the Xu house, but we had some disagreements, so I moved out."

Yan He noticed the car that had just driven off was a Bentley, let out a low whistle, and said, "So where are you living now...?"

Xu Muchan pointed to another villa across the street: "I live with my brother now—that's the place."

Yan He laughed heartily, silently cursing the filthy rich.

"Is this the kid you mentioned before?" The man who'd been quiet the whole time looked Xu Muchan over curiously.

"Oh, right, right." Yan He then remembered he hadn't introduced them. "This is my senior brother, Pei Rong. We're from the Laoshan Sect. If you ever need anything, feel free to hit us up—we do a little bit of everything."

He even handed over a business card, looking all serious.

Xu Muchan took it and looked—yeah, they really did it all, from exorcisms and feng shui to selling talismans and fortune-telling. Everything you could think of, and then some.

But Xu Muchan wouldn't dare hire them, especially since he had a real evil spirit right at home.

He gave a polite nod and tucked the card away.

Just as he was about to head out, another voice cut in: "Taoist Master Yan, Taoist Master Pei, long time no see. Didn't expect to find you two here."

Xu Muchan turned toward the voice and his pupils suddenly shrank.

The speaker was a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard, looking shrewd and capable.

He was clearly talking to Yan He and his senior brother, not even glancing at Xu Muchan beside them.

Yan He seemed to dislike him, brushing him off with a few half-hearted words.

Xu Muchan barely kept his composure, forcing himself not to stare at the middle-aged man.

Yan He muttered, "Why's he here too?"

Pei Rong was just as puzzled: "That guy never shows up unless there's something in it for him. Looks like the Xu family's situation is more complicated than we thought."

Xu Muchan forced himself to calm down and asked, trying to sound curious, "Who's that? Is he a Taoist too?"

Yan He curled his lip in disgust. "A rogue sorcerer named Cui Tong. Not a real Taoist. He picked up some shady tricks from who knows where—he's got some skill, sure, but he never does anything good and constantly dances around the law. We don't think much of him, but we can never catch him red-handed."

Xu Muchan said, "He looks way older than you two, but he seemed pretty respectful toward you just now."

"That's just an act."

Yan He said, "That kind of wolf-in-sheep's-clothing loves to play the nice guy. When I first came down from the mountain, I ran into him—I was young then, and he swindled me once."

"If I'd known he was coming, I wouldn't have bothered. The Xu family really is scraping the bottom of the barrel this time, inviting all sorts of people."

Pei Rong tried to reassure him: "With this many people here, we'll just do our job and not worry about the rest."

Xu Muchan listened distractedly, exchanged a few more words with Yan He, and then headed home.

Once inside, he sat down in the living room, still dazed. He stared into space for a while before pulling out his phone to search for "Cui Tong," but nothing came up.

He set the phone down, still looking dazed.

Wei Xilou walked in and saw him like that. Frowning slightly, he came over and bent down to look at him: "What's wrong?"

Xu Muchan shook his head and stayed quiet for a moment.

But Wei Xilou slipped a bank card into his hand: "This is your allowance. The PIN is your birthday."

Xu Muchan clutched the card tightly and looked up at him, dazed.

Wei Xilou stroked his face and guessed, "Is it because of the Xu family's troubles?"

Xu Muchan shook his head, hesitated, then spoke slowly: "I passed by the Xu house earlier... and I saw the man who bought me all those years ago. I only just found out his name—Cui Tong. He's a sorcerer."

"He looks exactly the same as he did over a decade ago... not a single difference. I don't know if he recognized me."

What was even more unsettling was why Cui Tong had come to the Xu family this time.

The moment Xu Muchan recognized Cui Tong, it felt like a heavy mountain had settled onto his chest. The memories he'd deliberately tried to bury were forcibly dragged back to the surface, and the dim, musty recollections instantly swallowed him whole.

Back then, Cui Tong had bought him for fifty thousand yuan and taken him out of Jiangcheng by train.

The green train was slow, and Xu Muchan remembered they had spent two days on it. During those two days, Cui Tong didn't say a single word to him, only asking if Xu Muchan wanted to eat at mealtimes.

Xu Muchan didn't know why, but he was terrified of him. He didn't dare cry or make a fuss, and when Cui Tong asked if he wanted to eat, he could only nod obediently.

After getting off the train, Cui Tong took him into the mountains by tractor.

Then he handed Xu Muchan over to his adoptive parents and left without a word.

The adoptive parents had no children of their own. At first, seeing that Xu Muchan was obedient and well-behaved, they treated him decently enough, but it didn't take long for their true colors to show.

The adoptive father gambled and drank heavily. When he lost money or got drunk, he'd hit people—both his wife and Xu Muchan.

Xu Muchan was young then, and when he got scared, he couldn't help but cry. But the more he cried, the harder he got beaten, and gradually he learned to endure.

He had a good memory and knew his adoptive parents weren't his real parents, and that his home was in Jiangcheng. So when the beatings got too bad, he tried to run away.

But Leigong Village was too remote, with winding, maze-like mountain paths.

Going by memory, he hid in the woods and stumbled down the mountain. But just as he was about to reach the bottom, he spotted Cui Tong in the woods.

Cui Tong had somehow followed him, silent as a shadow, watching him without making a sound.

Xu Muchan was terrified at that moment, afraid of being caught and dragged back, so he ran for his life. But he was too young, and after only a few steps, he tripped in his panic and rolled down the hillside.

The last thing he remembered from that escape attempt was Cui Tong's thin, elongated body bending down like a paper effigy, looking at him with a smile.

When Xu Muchan woke up again, he was back in Leigong Village.

His furious adoptive father locked him in the woodshed, and his adoptive mother, who'd previously been kind to him, stood outside cursing him, calling him an ungrateful little brat.

After that, Xu Muchan never got another chance to escape, and Cui Tong never showed up again. But that twisted, eerie shadow had left a deep mark of fear on Xu Muchan's heart.

When he saw Cui Tong today, he used every ounce of self-control he had to keep from fleeing in panic.

Xu Muchan's gaze was a little unfocused as he looked up at Wei Xilou and murmured, "He's come to get me again."

"Who's come to get you?"

"Cui Tong."

Xu Muchan clutched Wei Xilou's hand tightly, his teeth grinding audibly, the veins in his neck bulging.

Wei Xilou pressed him against his chest, gently patting his back, and kept asking, "Why does he want to catch you?"

Xu Muchan buried his face in his arms, fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt tightly, and spoke in fragments: "Because... because I ran away, he found out, and he's come to drag me back..."

Wei Xilou's expression darkened, but his patting on the young man's back stayed gentle: "Achan has forgotten—you have a brother now. You're not alone anymore."

Xu Muchan's trembling body gradually calmed. He looked up at Wei Xilou, as if desperately trying to steady his spiraling emotions, and murmured again: "Right... they're dead, and I have a brother..."

With the repetition, Xu Muchan seemed to finally break free from his fear. Some color returned to his pale face, though he kept his eyes lowered, too embarrassed to look at Wei Xilou.

Wei Xilou gently stroked his hair without pressing the matter further, simply saying, "The bride doll's red veil has been lifted. Does Achan want to go see it?"

Xu Muchan was taken aback: "Who lifted it?"

Wei Xilou shook his head: "I don't know."

"That Cui Tong might be here for that too."

Xu Muchan bit the inside of his lip, thinking. He hadn't wanted to get involved in the Xu family's affairs, but Cui Tong's sudden appearance made it impossible to ignore... After a moment of hesitation, he said, "The Xu family has invited a lot of Taoists and monks. Some might be fakes, but others have real skills. I'm afraid they might find you out..."

Wei Xilou chuckled: "Even if they did, they couldn't do anything to me. Achan doesn't need to worry."

But Xu Muchan wasn't so optimistic. Besides, Yan He was a decent guy, and Xu Muchan didn't want to get into a conflict with him over something unnecessary. He thought for a moment and said, "If you don't do anything, they shouldn't be able to tell anything's off about you, right?"

Wei Xilou nodded.

Xu Muchan felt relieved: "Then don't make a move. We'll use visiting the sick as an excuse to check it out, and if things seem off, we'll get out of there."