TL: Hua

Chapter 15: Measuring Others by One’s Own Standards

You Xingyue fell into deep thought.

Wu Xingfang looked on with a face full of anticipation.

After a moment, You Xingyue said, “I do have something fairly suitable in my shop, but I’ll need to visit your shopping mall to assess the specific situation first.”

The golden toad was actually a very good choice. For one, it had received offerings and possessed substantial spiritual cultivation, enough to suppress evil energy. Secondly, the golden toad carried the function of attracting wealth, with a grand and majestic appearance that suited a commercial mall.

The problem lay in the fact that the golden toad itself had strayed onto a crooked path. If the mall were built over a lake where many people had drowned, would that fuel the creature’s evil energy?

Failing to receive a definitive answer, Wu Xingfang felt a bit disappointed.

You Xingyue softened his tone to explain, “We also need to consult with the feng shui master you hired. We can’t just bring back an artifact that conflicts with the feng shui, after all.”

Every word was well-reasoned and logical, making Wu Xingfang nod repeatedly. “Yes, yes, that makes complete sense.”

He limped over to his car. The driver hadn’t yet recovered from the shock. It was only when Wu Xingfang got inside that the driver swallowed hard several times and, shaking like a leaf, climbed into the vehicle as if snapping out of a dream.

While You Xingyue was speaking with Wu Xingfang, Shi Wuyan had been standing quietly off to the side.

Filled with apology, You Xingyue pursed his lips slightly and spoke in a soft voice: “I’ll have to trouble you to come by again tomorrow morning. Um…”

You Xingyue murmured gently, “After all, I feel that if they have fewer lingering obsessions, perhaps you might be bound by fewer shackles as well.”

When he was younger, he had often felt that the threads were too heavy and tight, pressing down on him and suffocating him. Later, as he grew older, You Xingyue stopped running away and finally managed to coexist peacefully with the threads, which eased that suffocating feeling slightly.

Having said that, You Xingyue tilted his head, looking at Shi Wuyan with a smile. “It’s just a bit of my own selfish desire to judge others by my own standards.”

Perhaps… only a mortal like himself would harbor the desire to escape. Being a ghost deity of the underworld, Wangfu might possess a heart far stronger and more resilient, but that didn’t stop You Xingyue from acting out of consideration for him anyway.

You Xingyue was someone who smiled often. Contrary to his gentle appearance, he never avoided the gaze of others. When he smiled, his eyes merely crinkled softly, shining bright and clear.

Shi Wuyan, however, didn’t dare look at him. Drooping his eyelashes, he gave a low, quiet response: “Mhm. I shall head back first and return tomorrow.”

You Xingyue said, “Alright.”

Following the rustling sound of robes, Shi Wuyan’s figure vanished into the night.

Now that a resolution for the water ghost had been decided, You Xingyue also prepared to take his leave.

You Xingyue opened his mouth: “Uncle Gu—”

Snapping back to reality, Gu Xuan grabbed hold of You Xingyue! “Master!”

Though Gu Xuan was nearly fifty, he exercised regularly and still possessed the energetic spirit of a man in his prime, causing You Xingyue to stumble slightly from the sudden pull.

You Xingyue: “…”

Gu Min couldn’t bear to watch any longer and stepped forward to pull Gu Xuan back. “Dad, be a bit more composed.”

Gu Xuan’s teeth chattered as he spoke at a frantic pace: “S-Son… you’re possessed by a ghost! Master, ever since four days ago, strange things have been happening at home! The seafood in the fridge keeps disappearing for no reason, and things on the table suddenly fall to the floor! On top of that, my son’s game was delayed for so long, yet it suddenly went into open beta! Master, do you think my son is raising a ghost child¹In Chinese folk occult belief and popular culture, it refers to a dark magical practice where a sorcerer enslaves or cares for the spirit of a deceased child or fetus to gain personal advantages. outside?!”

Gu Xuan pointed right at the top of Gu Min’s head. “Master, can you see the cat demon?!”

The Pixiu grumbled unhappily: “I am a Pixiu!”

Gu Min: “…”

He covered his face.

As the saying goes, if you don’t exhaust a cat during the day, the cat will exhaust you at night. After being tormented for several nights, Little President Gu had resorted to forcibly dragging along the sleeping Pixiu during the day to prevent it from getting too much rest and throwing a party in the middle of the night. Who knew the Pixiu was such a troublemaker that Gu Min truly couldn’t outlast it?

You Xingyue sighed. “That isn’t a ghost. It’s a Pixiu. Didn’t Gu Min tell you? A few days ago, he brought home a Hetian jade Pixiu from my shop. What’s on Gu Min’s head is the Pixiu’s vessel spirit. Uncle Gu, you’ve probably heard that certain artifacts can become sentient. We call them vessel spirits.”

You Xingyue spoke earnestly, “Uncle Gu, you can have a little more faith in your own son.”

With a dazed expression, Gu Xuan stared blankly at the Pixiu. “Is that so? I see him idling around all day, ignoring the family business just to develop games. That 6A or 3A game of his was stuck for almost half a year. I was really worried he was raising a little ghost at home.”

In Gu Xuan’s eyes, game development had never counted as a proper career.

Gu Min: … speechless.

You Xingyue found it amusing. “Pixiu are lively by nature. It goes out with Gu Min during the day, so it’s only natural for it to make some noise when it romps around after coming home at night. It’s not a demon or a ghost causing trouble.”

Seeing Gu Xuan’s strange expression, You Xingyue adopted a serious tone: “Uncle Gu, the Pixiu is an auspicious divine beast that wards off evil and brings wealth. By nature, it detests petty and scheming people. Little President Gu is pure, upright, and has done many good deeds, which is why the results were so immediate after he brought the Pixiu home. Furthermore, for ordinary people, there are very few places the physical body can go, but the soul can soar to the highest heavens. Games are the imagination of the spiritual world.”

You Xingyue had indeed not misjudged him. After the promotional launch of Gu Min’s game, it was met with overwhelming acclaim, trending on social media for a time. Simultaneously, Gu Min’s company had quietly donated a sum of money to a charitable organization.

Having stayed by Gu Min’s side for several days, a layer of spiritual glow had already nourished the Pixiu’s spirit form. Perhaps in ten or twenty years, the Pixiu’s spirit form could become just like a physical body.

Busy with his career year-round and burdened by the prejudices of the older generation, Gu Xuan had never paid attention to his son’s field. Only today did he learn that in the eyes of others, his son could actually earn an evaluation like “pure and upright.”

Gu Xuan’s eyes flickered with complex emotions. At this moment, he finally realized that in the process of getting along with his son, he had overlooked his son’s strengths because of his prejudice.

To think that such a mistake was pointed out to him by a young man the same age as his son.

As expected of a master of Taoism. He was so young, yet so wise in the philosophies of life.

Gu Xuan said with deep emotion, “I understand now. Thank you for enlightening me.”

You Xingyue had no idea what kind of impressive persona Gu Xuan had assigned to him in his mind. He was in a hurry to get back. Bu Liuke was still waiting for him.

“Uncle Gu, as a father, you’re just not used to appreciating your son’s qualities from an outsider’s perspective. I still need to prepare for tomorrow, so I’ll be taking my leave now.”

Gu Min offered on his own initiative, “I’ll drive you back. It’s hard to get a cab around this villa area.”

You Xingyue checked his phone. It was already past eight in the evening, and it really was difficult to hail a taxi. “Alright, sorry for the trouble.”

Gu Xuan patted his own hair. “Good, good, good. Xiao Min, drive the boss back.”

As Gu Min drove You Xingyue back, the Pixiu didn’t rest for a single second along the way.

Exhausted in body and mind, You Xingyue said, “You really ought to be called Pixiu²“Pi” as in 顽皮 [wán pí] meaning naughty or mischievous..”

Gu Min smiled and said, “I think it’s quite cute.”

You Xingyue glanced at Gu Min, his feelings beyond expression: “…”

So Gu Min is actually a cat lover, isn’t he? Anyone else really wouldn’t be able to stand the Pixiu’s endlessly energetic antics.

It was no easy feat making it back to No. 137 Nanbei Street. From afar, You Xingyue saw Bu Liuke leaning against the window with a furrowed brow, his face full of worry.

A weight lifted from You Xingyue’s heart, and an involuntary smile touched his lips. He quickened his pace, unlocked No. 137, and Bu Liuke tumbled up and threw himself into You Xingyue’s arms.

“Xingyue! You’re not hurt, are you?”

Bu Liuke only reached up to You Xingyue’s waist and had to tilt his head back to see his face clearly.

“No, I’m perfectly fine.” You Xingyue patted Bu Liuke’s head. “Have you been behaving well at home?”

Bu Liuke nodded vigorously. “Mm! I was just playing games with Ultra-Thin a moment ago!”

You Xingyue held Bu Liuke and turned sideways, gesturing to Gu Min: “Little President Gu, care to come in and sit for a bit?”

With the Pixiu sitting on top of his head, Gu Min looked around the shop curiously. Unexpectedly, even he couldn’t see who the boss was talking to.

Hearing the boss’s invitation, Gu Min shook his head. “I’ll head back. I still have to work tomorrow.”

The Pixiu stood up, shook its fur, stretched its head toward the golden toad, and stuck out its tongue at it: “Big dumb toad. Bleh—”

For the first time, the golden toad didn’t bicker back with the Pixiu but instead stared straight at it.

It almost couldn’t recognize the Pixiu’s vessel spirit!

How many days had it been? It had already been fattened up by a whole circle! Wouldn’t this mean it was eating its fill of wealth and good fortune?

Ever since the golden toad was suppressed by the red thread, it had been left out in the cold by You Xingyue. It would be a lie to say it had no resentment, but it couldn’t defeat You Xingyue. Moreover, You Xingyue’s cultivation was growing deeper by the day, and he had Wangfu as a backer, so it could only bottle up its resentment inside.

But the moment it saw the Pixiu, the golden toad had an epiphany. How out of its mind was it to hold a grudge against You Xingyue? Flattering the boss and marrying itself off to a good family was the true way forward!

Just look at the Pixiu; it had grown from a malnourished, underdeveloped little kitten into a pig!

Gu Min had already learned of the feud between the Pixiu and the golden toad from the Pixiu itself. Hearing this, he helplessly plucked the Pixiu off his head and stuffed it into his pocket. “Boss, I’ll be going now.”

You Xingyue nodded. “Drive safely, and don’t let the Pixiu distract you.”

The Pixiu rolled over playfully, exposing its belly to You Xingyue.

Gu Min waved goodbye and walked off with the Pixiu to fetch his car.

You Xingyue closed the door. He soothed Bu Liuke, greeted Zitan and Ultra-Thin, and prepared to go wash up. As he passed by the golden toad, it called out obsequiously, “Bo~ss~.”

You Xingyue grew vigilant. “What are you up to?”

Golden toad: “I-I just wanted to ask if that Boss Gu from earlier is still short of a little cutie?”

You Xingyue said calmly, “Wake up. How are you anywhere near as cute as the Pixiu?”

The golden toad’s true form was actually quite exquisite, golden all over, holding a copper coin in its mouth with a sleek, rounded form. However, the golden toad ornament itself was much larger than the Pixiu, and being completely gold-plated made it look overly opulent.

The more You Xingyue thought about it, the more he felt it would be very fitting for a shopping mall.

The golden toad panicked: “Boss! I’ve truly reformed this time and will never dare to have any wicked thoughts again! Boss, please find me a good family to marry into. I’ve turned over a new leaf!”

The golden toad deeply hated its past blindness for actually offending the boss.

It also wanted to be raised into a pig, spending every day gorging itself on fortune and merit until it was stuffed!

“Is that so?” You Xingyue took two steps back, rested his hands on his knees, and bent down with a beaming smile. “Have you really turned over a new leaf and are willing to find a lifelong home?”

For some reason, the golden toad shivered. It always felt that beneath the boss’s gentle smile lurked malicious intent. It quickly made its voice sound sweet and melodious: “Really~”

You Xingyue lost his smile: “Why are you talking in that voice?”

The golden toad said bashfully, “Ultra-Thin said this is called a cloying, high-pitched voice, and humans love it.”

You Xingyue: “……”

On the table, Ultra-Thin’s screen went black with a snap. It had shut itself off.

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• 1
  In Chinese folk occult belief and popular culture, it refers to a dark magical practice where a sorcerer enslaves or cares for the spirit of a deceased child or fetus to gain personal advantages.
• 2
  “Pi” as in 顽皮 [wán pí] meaning naughty or mischievous.