TL: Hua

Chapter 2: Taoist Master

TL note: The spirit of the shop will be called “Bu Liuke” while the shop itself will be translated to “Not Keeping Guests” to avoid confusion.

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You Xingyue’s gaze swept over the woman, and before she could grow tense, he withdrew his look. Smiling faintly, he stepped aside. “Please, come in.”

When he smiled, it felt genuinely like warm sunshine and a gentle breeze, so genial that it put one’s body and mind entirely at ease.

The woman’s tension was instantly soothed. She stepped into No. 137 with cautious steps, but the moment she crossed the threshold, a shiver ran through her; she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a bit chilly inside the house.

You Xingyue drew back the curtains, and the incoming sunlight scattered the lingering yin energy within No. 137. “My apologies, I just moved in and haven’t had time to clean up yet, so there isn’t really anywhere to sit. Is there something I can help you with, Auntie?”

The woman hurriedly pulled out a thick red envelope. “I’ve been feeling groggy and out of it these past few days. Thank you so much for stepping in to help just now, Master. Please, you must accept this. This ailment has plagued me for nearly a week, and I’ve seen several masters, but none of them were any help. Since you gave me a hand just now, I already feel much better.”

You Xingyue didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Auntie, if you’re feeling unwell, you should go to a hospital.”

The woman hesitated slightly. “Master, I have a weak Bazi¹八字 (Bāzì), literally meaning “Eight Characters,” is a traditional Chinese astrological concept also known as the Four Pillars of Destiny (四柱命理). It is a system used to analyze a person’s character, potential, and life path based on the exact time of their birth. (Four Pillars of Destiny/Eight Characters). If I’m feeling unwell, isn’t it because I bumped into something unclean? I’ve been feeling dizzy and nauseous the whole time, and I almost fainted several times.”

Instead of looking at the months like Western astrology, Bāzì maps out your birth details using the traditional Chinese sexagenary cycle (a 60-year cycle combining Yin/Yang, the Five Elements, and the 12 Zodiac animals).

Just as You Xingyue was about to speak, Bu Liuke suddenly tugged at his sleeve.

You Xingyue discreetly shot him an inquiring look.

Bu Liuke pointed at the woman’s stomach. Taking advantage of the fact that ordinary people could neither see nor hear him, he spoke up, “Something feels a bit off there.”

You Xingyue followed his gaze.

A faint white line, appearing and disappearing intermittently, extended from the woman’s lower abdomen. Its tail end was practically transparent, making it nearly invisible under the sunlight. You Xingyue glanced at the woman several times but did not notice it.

He had seen this sort of situation before; most of the time, it meant pregnancy.

You Xingyue suddenly fell silent, his gaze fixed intently on her. The woman shuddered. “Master, what’s wrong with me?”

The woman’s husband, however, grew somewhat suspicious. The fraudsters they had encountered before loved to put on a grand, mysterious display, always making things sound extremely severe just to bluff them into buying expensive talismans.

The husband decided to strike first. “Master, do we need to buy some talismans to take back with us?”

“Hmm? I don’t sell talismans.” You Xingyue’s train of thought was interrupted, and for a moment he didn’t catch the husband’s implication. After a brief pause, he murmured, “The days are probably still too few, so I can’t see it very clearly. Auntie, why don’t the two of you go to the hospital for a blood test?”

Both the husband and the woman froze simultaneously. Having consulted so many spirit mediums and masters, this was the very first time one had told them to go get a blood test.

Completely bewildered, the woman asked tentatively, “Master, what kind of illness do I have?”

You Xingyue smiled. “Don’t worry, Auntie, it’s not an illness. I see signs of a new addition coming to your household. Because it’s been such a short time, a pregnancy test strip might not be accurate, so it’s better if you go to the hospital for a blood test.”

The woman lost her voice in shock. “This… this is impossible! I’m already forty-three years old!”

The husband also shook his head repeatedly. “How could that be? We are already so up there in years.”

You Xingyue spoke with certainty: “Go to the hospital first.”

Dizziness and nausea could very well be symptoms brought on by pregnancy.

The husband helped the woman up. Both of them were utterly dazed. Just as they were about to leave, You Xingyue stood up and called out to the woman, “Auntie, please give me your hand.”

The woman extended her hand blankly.

You Xingyue opened his wallet.

In this modern era where digital currency reigned supreme, he still carried a wallet with him everywhere. However, it wasn’t packed with cash, but rather with strands of red string.

You Xingyue took out a red string and tied it around the woman’s wrist.

In a place invisible to the naked eye of mortals, the woven red string tightly bound the woman’s soul inside her physical body.

You Xingyue was a peculiar Taoist master.

Whether Buddhism or Taoism, normal practitioners relied on the spiritual energy they cultivated. You Xingyue was different; he could see the threads entangled around living beings at a single glance, and he could even manipulate them at will.

You Xingyue had tested other practitioners before and discovered that he was the only one who could perceive the existence of these threads.

Just as Bu Liuke had said, threads represented the connections between living beings. The so-called “bound by the red thread of fate” referred specifically to marital and romantic relationships.

Using this red string that was visible to the naked eye, You Xingyue reinforced the connection between the woman’s soul and her physical body.

“Your Bazi is weak, so you are indeed easily frightened. Remember not to turn your head abruptly at night. You can take the red string off when you bathe, but if it breaks or comes loose, you must contact me immediately to replace it.”

The woman’s husband hesitated for a moment. He felt that this master might actually possess some real ability. “Master, let’s exchange contact information. My name is Zhou Jian, and my wife is Zhang Xuemei.”

You Xingyue and Zhou Jian exchanged mobile numbers.

The moment the red string was tied on, Zhang Xuemei felt a strange sense of tranquility settling over her. She couldn’t help but stroke the red string on her wrist. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but a wave of warmth seemed to wash over her body.

Ever since she was a child, fortune-tellers had told her she had a weak Bazi. She had even lost her soul once due to a fright, and even after growing into adulthood, she still occasionally suffered from heart palpitations.

Zhang Xuemei nodded repeatedly. “Thank you, Master. I understand.”

The couple walked out of No. 137 and drove away in a hurry.

After seeing the couple off, You Xingyue realized that the woman had left the red envelope behind. Sealed inside was two thousand yuan in cash.

After a moment’s thought, You Xingyue decided not to return it. Instead, he waved the red envelope at Bu Liuke. “This way, we have the money to commission a new shop sign.”

Bu Liuke cheered, “That’s wonderful!”

You Xingyue casually tossed the red envelope onto the table and resumed cleaning No. 137.

The interior space of No. 137 was much larger than it appeared from the outside; with every step You Xingyue took, the space seemed to extend further inward. On the side facing the street was a floor-to-ceiling window, in front of which stood a set of tables and chairs for hosting guests.

You Xingyue roughly estimated that the actual area was at least two hundred square meters, partitioned by five curio shelves.

Curio shelves were a common fixture in Chinese-style interior design, and large ones functioned effectively as space dividers.

The shelves were lined with various antiques. The further in one walked, the dimmer the light became, as if one were stepping out of the lighthearted modern world and back into those vanished eras, step by step.

Bu Liuke, holding You Xingyue’s hand, explained carefully: “All objects in the world are divided into two types: one is just an empty shell, and the other has developed a soul and has intelligence. However, before closing the shop, all the first type of objects had already left.”

Passing through the five curio shelves, Bu Liuke jogged on his short little legs to the left side and pushed open a door. “Inside is the bedroom. Everything you need is right here.”

The bedroom wasn’t large. Though it had been sealed away for many years, it was free of dust and exuded a faint, woody fragrance.

Bu Liuke tilted his head up, looking at You Xingyue with expectant eyes. “You’ll stay, right?”

You Xingyue didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Why did Bu Liuke always think he was going to run away?

You Xingyue squatted down and patted Bu Liuke’s hair. “Of course. I still owe you a debt, after all, so I will definitely repay it. We’ll open for business as soon as the paperwork is sorted out.”

—

Yingjiang City Second People’s Hospital

Zhou Jian waited restlessly in the long corridor, peering into the department from time to time. Before long, Zhang Xuemei emerged holding a test report, looking utterly dazed.

Zhou Jian quickly stepped forward to support his wife. “What do the test results say?”

Zhang Xuemei gripped Zhou Jian’s arm tightly. “Twelve days pregnant! The doctor said I have a calcium deficiency and I’m a bit anemic, which is why I’ve been dizzy.”

This was simply miraculous! She hadn’t even realized she was pregnant herself.

Only now did Zhou Jian understand what the master meant by “the days are too few.” At just twelve days, even a pregnancy test strip might not pick it up. It truly was too early!

Zhang Xuemei snapped back to reality. “Quick, quick, Old Zhou, let’s prepare a larger red envelope. We need to deliver it to the master right now.”

Zhou Jian quickly steadied Zhang Xuemei. “Wife, we still have to go over to your younger sister’s place for dinner tonight. Let’s have dinner, get a good night’s rest, and go see him tomorrow instead.”

Zhang Xuemei slapped her forehead. “Right, right, right. We’re supposed to eat at my sister’s house today.”

Zhang Xuemei’s younger sister, Zhang Mei²Different character from Zhang Xuemei (梅 meaning plum blossom). Her is (枚 meaning pieces; trunk; horsewhip; gag)., had married a contractor. Originally just a moderately well-off family, the contractor had suddenly struck a streak of good luck in recent years, landing several major projects back-to-back. He now held quite a substantial fortune in Yingjiang City.

When Zhang Xuemei and her husband arrived at the door, it took quite a while before Zhang Mei came out to open it.

Having not seen each other for a week, Zhang Mei looked incredibly gaunt. Her complexion was sallow, dark circles loomed under her eyes, and her face bore an unmaskable exhaustion.

Holding her sister’s hand, Zhang Xuemei couldn’t help but frown. “We haven’t seen each other in just a week. How have you lost so much weight?”

Zhang Mei touched her sallow face and let out a bitter laugh. “You have no idea. Lately, it’s like the house is haunted. I keep having nightmares, I can’t sleep well, and I can’t eat anything.”

Nearing forty, she had never raised any children and had always looked much younger and more beautiful than Zhang Xuemei. Yet, in the span of just one week, she seemed to have aged several years.

Zhang Xuemei asked, “Where’s brother-in-law?”

Zhang Mei pouted toward the interior. “Inside, keeping the master company.”

She muttered under her breath, “Old Cao said the house hasn’t been peaceful lately, so he sought out this feng shui master surnamed Wang to take a look.”

As they spoke, the three of them walked into the living room. Sure enough, they saw a middle-aged man dressed in a Tang suit, strolling around the living room with his hands clasped behind his back.

Meanwhile, Zhang Mei’s husband, Cao Duo, was eagerly following behind the middle-aged man. “Master, my wife has been having constant nightmares recently, and things frequently go missing around the house for no rhyme or reason. Could something unclean have made its way inside?”

As Cao Duo spoke, he noticed Zhang Xuemei and her husband walk in. He merely cast a casual glance at Zhang Xuemei. “Big Sister and Brother-in-law are here. Make yourselves at home.”

With that, he offered no further hospitality, continuing to trail behind the feng shui master to introduce the furniture and layout of the living room.

Having achieved success in his middle age, Cao Duo had been flattered and coddled for a few years now. His mindset was entirely different from the honest and sincere contractor he used to be, and even his attitude toward his wife’s side of the family had shifted.

Zhang Mei smiled awkwardly. “Don’t mind him.”

Zhang Xuemei snorted inwardly. Clutching her sister’s hand, she couldn’t help but furrow her brows. “Could you really have run into something unclean? Let me tell you, I encountered a master today…”

Zhang Mei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Sister, how can you still be so superstitious! My family’s Old Cao is the same. He brought back a whole bunch of feng shui ornaments from outside, claiming they attract wealth and treasures, and spent a fortune on them.”

Zhang Mei had always been half-believing and half-doubting when it came to ghosts and gods, yet both her sister and her husband believed in them implicitly.

Zhang Xuemei said, “There are some things you just have to believe.”

She sat down on the sofa, and a sudden sensation of a malicious gaze landing on her crept over her. Simultaneously, a wave of chill rose from behind her back, causing her to shudder uncontrollably.

This feeling was exactly the same as the day she ran into a dirty thing during a funeral procession!

Zhang Mei was startled. “What’s wrong?”

Zhang Xuemei subconsciously gripped the red string on her wrist. “It’s nothing.”

She looked toward the direction the gaze was coming from but found no one. She saw only a massive golden toad ornament placed on the curio shelf in the living room. It held a copper coin in its mouth, and the golden toad’s head was facing directly toward her.

Under Zhang Xuemei’s watchful eyes, the bulging eyeballs of the golden toad shifted subtly.

Horrified, Zhang Xuemei blinked and looked closer. The golden toad was completely motionless. “Little Sister, that golden toad…”

Zhang Mei glanced at it, not caring much. “Old Cao bought it from a feng shui master a few days ago. It cost over a hundred thousand yuan, and he said it had been consecrated.”

Restless and uneasy, Zhang Xuemei couldn’t stop her eyes from darting toward the golden toad again and again.

Zhang Mei merely thought Zhang Xuemei was exhausted from moving houses. Feeling bad for her, she said, “Let me go brew a cup of red date tea for you…”

Just as Zhang Mei stood up, Zhang Xuemei swept a glance toward the golden toad. She saw a massive toad crouching atop the golden ornament; suddenly, its hind legs kicked off, lunging straight toward her belly!

The red string on Zhang Xuemei’s wrist flashed with a faint light, blocking the toad. Overcome by a freezing chill throughout her entire body, Zhang Xuemei blacked out. In the final second before her consciousness vanished, she heard the panicked voices of her sister and her husband.

Zhou Jian’s face turned white with fear. “Wife!”

He called out to her twice before Zhang Xuemei slowly came to. Zhou Jian looked down, only to see that the red string on Zhang Xuemei’s wrist had snapped at some point.

The originally vibrant red string had burst apart right down the middle, the break blackened, and a strange, burnt odor hung in the air.

The master from Nanbei Street had said that if the red string broke, he must be contacted immediately.

With trembling hands, Zhou Jian dialed a number on his mobile phone.

Having just locked up the shop doors, You Xingyue pulled out his phone. Looking at the caller ID, it turned out to be the contact he had just added today. He picked up the call. “Hello?”

Zhou Jian’s voice shook. “Master, the string on my wife’s wrist… it broke.”

You Xingyue raised an eyebrow slightly.

Although he had instructed them to contact him promptly if an accident occurred when he tied the red string, this was the very first time he had encountered a situation where a red string actually snapped, despite having given away or sold several of them before.

YOU CAN PURCHASE FIRST HALF OF THE TRANSLATION (Ch 1-80 in Epub format) HERE. The second half is coming soon ~

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  八字 (Bāzì), literally meaning “Eight Characters,” is a traditional Chinese astrological concept also known as the Four Pillars of Destiny (四柱命理). It is a system used to analyze a person’s character, potential, and life path based on the exact time of their birth.
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  Different character from Zhang Xuemei (梅 meaning plum blossom). Her is (枚 meaning pieces; trunk; horsewhip; gag).