Hua: Changing update scedule to Saturday and Sunday starting from next week ~

Chapter 7: Sensation

Wangfu did not speak for a moment.

You Xingyue fell silent for a beat. A flash of inspiration struck, and he offered a suggestion: “Then… how about you touch me back?”

Shi Wuyan: ?

Shi Wuyan’s pitch-black eyes locked onto You Xingyue. “Why would I touch you back? Where did you pick up such improper tones?”

Wangfu was far too solemn, turning You Xingyue’s thoughtless remark into outright flirtation.

You Xingyue suppressed a laugh, but the amusement in his eyes couldn’t be hidden, spreading outward in layers of ripples. “My apologies. Today, your subordinate, Yu Tu, commissioned me to clean the threads off Wangfu. Because untangling them by hand is faster, I took the liberty of doing so… If I have offended you, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”

On the table, the threads ensnaring Wangfu were mostly untangled. Under the sunlight, Wangfu revealed its true form of jade gears—warm, pristine white, and glowing with an inner brilliance.

Yu Tu had only delivered his true form today, yet a large portion of the threads had already been cleared.

Shi Wuyan scrutinized the new owner of Not Keeping Guests.

He was very young, with an extremely beautiful face. The gaze behind his glasses was calm and composed, showing no panic despite being confronted.

Noticing Shi Wuyan’s gaze, he actually beamed a bright smile.

Shi Wuyan averted his eyes from You Xingyue. “Suit yourself.”

Catching sight of the blood trace on You Xingyue’s finger pad, Shi Wuyan turned You Xingyue’s hand over. He saw a long, deep cut on the pad of the finger, with blood slowly seeping out from the depths of the wound.

Moreover, there were other unhealed cuts inside that palm.

The smile on You Xingyue’s face faded slightly, and he tried to pull his hand back.

Although his personality could be a bit casual, he was always reliable in his work and rarely made this kind of blunder. “I accidentally got cut by a thread, causing blood to drip onto your true form. I’m truly sorry…”

Shi Wuyan lightly brushed over the wound.

A wave of heat washed over You Xingyue’s hand. The wound stopped bleeding, and in the blink of an eye, it healed and scabbed over smoothly, leaving not even a scar behind.

To think the ghost deity who governed life, death, and reincarnation possessed such a gentle side.

Surprised, You Xingyue stroked his palm. “Thank you. If I had waited for it to heal on its own, it would have taken a long time. This is my first time clearing so many threads, and my hand slipped, letting blood fall on your…”

Shi Wuyan: “You can call me by my name.”

You Xingyue was startled.

Shi Wuyan said, “The Shi of time (shíjiān), the Wu of presence and absence (yǒuwú), the Yan of banquet (yànqǐng).”

You Xingyue instinctively repeated it in his mind: Shi Wuyan.

Bu Liuke tugged at You Xingyue’s sleeve, pointing at Wangfu’s true form.

Understanding the hint, You Xingyue said, “I’ve heard from Bu Liuke that artifacts should not be stained with blood, especially those that have developed spiritual awareness.”

Shi Wuyan: “I am not like those fragile artifacts out there. I won’t change just from being tainted by human blood and energy.”

Shi Wuyan’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. “But don’t stroke me so hard… I can feel it.”

Feeling quite innocent, You Xingyue pushed up the frame of his glasses. “Alright.”

Shi Wuyan stood up, and only then did You Xingyue realize the man was nearly half a head taller than him.

“Your guests have arrived.” Shi Wuyan took a step back, his voice and figure gradually fading away. “Once the threads are cleared, just call my name, and I will come see you.”

As his voice faded, a knock sounded at the door.

Zhang Xuemei and her husband walked in, their hands full of gifts, greeting him with smiles. “Good afternoon, Master.”

After a few days, Zhang Xuemei’s complexion looked much rosier, and she was full of vitality.

You Xingyue closed the lid of the jade box and poured two cups of hot water. “Please come in and make yourselves at home.”

Zhou Jian said with lingering fear, “If it weren’t for your warning, it wouldn’t just be a matter of losing the child. Something terrible might have happened to my wife too.”

Supported by her husband, Zhang Xuemei sat down. “Our family has been busy for a few days, and we haven’t sorted everything out yet. We’ve made a fool of ourselves in front of you.”

She pulled a paper packet out of her bag and pushed it in front of You Xingyue. “Master, you left in such a hurry last time. We didn’t have time to thank you properly.”

Before You Xingyue could decline, Zhang Xuemei said, “Master, just a phone call from the two of us caused you to make a trip all the way here and even get injured. If you don’t accept this, I won’t feel right about it.”

Zhou Jian added, “She’s right. This isn’t from my sister-in-law; it’s a token of our appreciation.”

You Xingyue thought about it. “In that case, I will accept it.”

Running Not Keeping Guests required a significant amount of money, and the little capital he currently had on hand was nowhere near enough.

Seeing You Xingyue accept the red envelope, Zhang Xuemei smiled, though a hint of worry still lingered between her brows.

Understanding her concern, You Xingyue took the initiative to bring up Zhang Xuemei’s sister. “How has Little Auntie Zhang been lately?”

Zhang Xuemei gently rubbed her lower abdomen. “To be honest, Master, I wanted to ask you to read her fortune and see if getting a divorce is a good path for my sister.”

You Xingyue shook his head.

Auntie Zhang was overthinking things. How could she want to solve every single problem through the mystical arts?

You Xingyue reminded her, “I am not well-versed in fortune-telling and fate, so I can’t read it. Besides, fate isn’t set in stone. I believe hiring a good lawyer to weigh the pros and cons is much more important.”

Zhang Xuemei pondered for a moment before sudden enlightenment struck her. “You’re absolutely right! Once our issues are all sorted out, I will definitely bring my sister over to thank you in person!”

With that, Zhang Xuemei abruptly stood up and rushed out the door like a whirlwind, giving both Zhou Jian and You Xingyue a fright.

Chasing after his wife’s footsteps, Zhou Jian called out, “Master, you must let us know on your grand opening day! We will definitely come over to help liven up the place!”

The couple had arrived in a hurry and left in an even bigger hurry.

Inside the paper packet the couple had brought, there was a whopping 20,000 yuan.

With this money, You Xingyue’s financial situation finally eased up, allowing him to renovate the entire storefront.

As You Xingyue placed the jade box into his bedroom, his phone began to buzz and vibrate.

He picked it up and answered the call. “Hello?”

“Is this Mr. You? The custom sign you ordered from us on Wednesday is ready. Let us know when you’re free, and we can deliver it right to your door.”

You Xingyue replied, “If it’s convenient, could you bring it over now? The address is No. 137, Nanbei Street.”

“Good, we’ll head over right away.”

You Xingyue hung up the phone and patted Bu Liuke. “Once the sign is up and we do a bit of remodeling, we’ll be able to officially open for business very soon!”

The main entrance of No. 137 wasn’t small, but unfortunately, because it had been closed for many years, the space for the storefront sign had been heavily encroached upon by the neighbors. You Xingyue knew that arguing over this would waste a lot of time, so he simply didn’t bother disputing it with the other shops.

To make it stand out, the custom sign You Xingyue ordered was designed in an antique style.

The newly made sign was a dark ebony color, with the three characters “Not Keeping Guests” emblazoned in gold lacquer. Hanging beneath the sign were two small lanterns that glowed with a faint, intoxicating warmth amidst the bright, glass-dominated surroundings of the modern street.

As soon as the sign was installed, the place immediately felt like a shop on the verge of its grand opening. The elegant, classical style of the storefront renovation actually made it distinct enough for people to pick it out from the crowd of other shops at a single glance.

Bu Liuke tugged at You Xingyue and said, “There’s a storeroom right next to the bedroom. Take a look and see if there’s anything useful.”

After seeing off the workers who installed the sign, You Xingyue found the inner storeroom of No. 137 with Bu Liuke’s guidance.

No. 137 was practically like an alternate dimension. When he pulled open the small door to the storeroom, it surprisingly revealed a warehouse inside that was roughly the same size as No. 137 itself.

Hainan rosewood, pungent-scented rosewood, and chicken-wing wood were carelessly tossed on the ground. Gold and silver vessels, calligraphy, paintings, and ancient books were piled messily across the shelves.

As far as the eye could see, just about any item could be considered a rare treasure.

Leaning against the doorframe, You Xingyue lamented, “Is this what it feels like to beg for food while holding a golden bowl?”

Not Keeping Guests casually pushed aside a yellow rosewood chair. “Hmm? These are just objects without spiritual awareness. Even if they are old, they aren’t anything special. Humans have always really liked them, though.”

You Xingyue: “…”

You Xingyue retrieved some antiques from the storeroom to fill up the five large curio shelves inside the shop. The existing renovation inside No. 137 was already quite complete, so You Xingyue merely added new curtains and cushions.

No. 137 had two large matching windows, providing excellent natural lighting. You Xingyue customized a circular archway for the large window facing Nanbei Street.

After tossing and turning through the renovations, the savings in You Xingyue’s hands shrank from 20,000 down to 1,500.

You Xingyue sent a message to Auntie Zhang Xuemei about tomorrow’s grand opening, then sighed to Bu Liuke, “Tell me, what kind of god should I pray to so I can strike it rich tomorrow?”

Biting his knuckles, Bu Liuke thought hard. “How about praying to the golden toad?”

Suddenly hearing its name called, the golden toad croaked excitedly.

You Xingyue turned his head away coldly. “Never mind then.”

The Pixiu poked its head out, its ear tips twitching. “Pray to me!”

Watching the little Pixiu’s posture as it used its hind paw to scratch its ear, You Xingyue fell into a silent stare: “…”

Praying to this not-so-bright Pixiu probably wouldn’t do much good, right?

—

Meanwhile, at Zhang Xuemei’s home:

Holding her phone, Zhang Xuemei cried out in surprise, “Old Zhou! The Master is opening his shop tomorrow! Quick, quick, quick! Go order a few flower baskets so we can bring them over together tomorrow. And tell my sister to come with us tomorrow too.”

Zhang Xuemei’s son complained, “Where did you guys find another master? Last time you got scammed out of over 30,000 yuan, and now you’re going to give away money again.”

His own mother was incredibly superstitious, and there wasn’t much he could do about it as her son. Furthermore, since his mother was pregnant, he could only nag her with warnings: “Giving away money is one thing, but if you feel unwell, you have to go to the hospital. You’re pregnant right now, so you can’t just eat random folk remedies…”

Zhang Xuemei glared at her son. “I only found out about my pregnancy because the Master reminded me! Your aunt’s house was haunted a few days ago, and that ungrateful wretch Cao Duo’s cheating was all exposed by the Master!”

With that, Zhang Xuemei briefly explained what had happened at the Cao family home.

Her son had just returned from school today, and he hadn’t expected so many things to happen in the span of just a few days. Yet, he still harbored doubts about this “Master You” his mother spoke of.

This sounded way too supernatural! A golden toad turning into a spirit? There were so many stray cats at his university; how come he hadn’t seen a single one turn into a spirit?

Zhang Xuemei also showed her son the red string on her wrist.

Her son leaned in closer to take a look. “It’s just a very ordinary red string. The wholesale price is ten cents a piece. And you guys gave him tens of thousands… Are you sure he’s not a scammer?”

Since Zhang Xuemei and her husband were able to open a shop on Nanbei Street, they naturally possessed a fairly wealthy family background. The son didn’t care about a few tens of thousands of yuan, but he cared deeply about whether his parents were being swindled.

Zhou Jian came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of fruit. “What do you mean by scammer! Show some respect! The red string is truly effective. Your mother has been sleeping much more soundly at night. A young kid like you, do you even know what a sense of awe and reverence means?”

The son curled his lip. “Since it’s the grand opening tomorrow, I’ll go too.”

Zhou Jian asked, “Didn’t you say you don’t believe it? Why are you going?”

The son yawned. “I’m definitely going. Regardless of whether it’s real or fake, that Master did indeed help Mom and Auntie. I bet my cousin will go too. Since it’s a new shop opening, two more people means a bit more foot traffic.”

In his heart, the son added: I’m mainly going to see this so-called “Master” to prevent my parents from falling into a trap and getting scammed again.

He really wanted to see what kind of upgraded version today’s scammers had evolved into.

What kind of respectable master opens an antique shop? The waters in the antique industry ran incredibly deep, and with his mother being so superstitious, if she got scammed again and spent over a hundred thousand yuan to buy back some “magical artifact,” that would be terrible.