TL: Hua

Chapter 4: Pixiu

After the golden toad was sealed, the temperature and light in the villa returned to normal, and the red thread vanished simultaneously.

Master Wang, having been possessed by the golden toad, woke up and collapsed on the floor, coughing violently. The golden toad was an evil deity with heavy yin energy; Master Wang was destined to be ill for quite a while.

Cao Duo was left weak and trembling after the shock. He clutched his chest; when the golden toad appeared earlier, he had been so nervous his heart almost stopped.

Now that the golden toad was subdued, Cao Duo pushed himself up with shaky legs and kicked Master Wang hard twice: “You dared to harm me!”

Master Wang shrieked in pain: “I was forced! I bought that toad and thought it was just a normal golden toad ornament. Who knew it was an evil deity?! It forced me to do its bidding, or it would kill my son. Boss Cao, I only have one son, I had no choice!”

The golden toad had been nourished by incense and offerings, transcending the category of a simple vessel spirit and cultivating into an evil deity, which is even more troublesome than some shapeshifting demons. Master Wang was a man of crooked character to begin with, so when he couldn’t defeat it, he simply chose to be an accomplice, scouting for victims for the toad.

Zhang Xuemei lay limply on the sofa, the red thread on her wrist transmitting a trace of warmth to her.

You Xingyue walked over to Zhang Xuemei and felt relieved after a quick glance.

The golden toad had targeted Zhang Xuemei multiple times, but fortunately, it had been blocked in time. Her three souls and seven spirits were still firmly tethered within her body.

But why was the golden toad so obsessed with Zhang Xuemei?

Zhou Jian asked anxiously, “Master, is my wife alright? Does she need to drink some talisman water or buy some magical artifacts?”

After the thrill of the recent events, Zhou Jian already viewed You Xingyue as his great savior.

You Xingyue replied, “Just let her rest for a while, follow the doctor’s orders for medication, and spend some time in the sun.”

Zhang Xuemei had regained consciousness, but she felt a cramping in her stomach. She choked out: “My Bazi must be too weak; all sorts of demons and evil spirits are pouncing on me!”

You Xingyue shook his head: “Perhaps it’s not because of your Bazi.”

Although a weak Bazi makes one more prone to possession, the golden toad was quite powerful and wouldn’t bother picking on an easy target. The real reason, he feared, would have to be asked of the golden toad itself.

He reached out to hold back the furious Cao Duo, preventing him from beating Master Wang further: “Master Wang, why did you specifically target Mr. Cao’s family?”

Master Wang subconsciously looked at the golden toad.

The golden toad ornament was lying belly-up on the floor.

Although Master Wang’s title of “master” is largely exaggerated, there is still some real substance to it. He could tell at a glance that the golden toad had indeed been suppressed.

However, the toad’s baleful influence remained, and Master Wang didn’t dare to answer.

You Xingyue lowered his head to blow on the wound on his palm. The cut from the red thread was small but deep, and the pain didn’t diminish just because the area was small.

Sensing Master Wang’s hesitation, You Xingyue didn’t even look up as he casually asked: “Are you afraid of it?”

Master Wang shivered: “Of course I am!”

“Then are you not afraid of me?”

You Xingyue lowered his hand and cast a glance at Master Wang.

You Xingyue’s face was gentle and refined, but his eyes looked like they held two cold stars.

Master Wang shuddered: “I’ll tell you everything! The golden toad wanted to possess a body, and an adult is certainly not as suitable as a child. Mr. Cao has been having luck with offspring recently, and he is a wealthy man in Yingjiang City. The golden toad was very satisfied with Mr. Cao, which is why it forced me to do this!”

The abuse coming from Cao Duo’s mouth stopped abruptly.

Master Wang wished he could kowtow to You Xingyue: “It was all forced by that big toad! My skills might not be great, but I wouldn’t dare break the law and harm people!”

You Xingyue didn’t know much about feng shui or physiognomy. He tilted his head and carefully sized up Cao Duo, then looked at Zhang Mei: “I don’t think Mrs. Cao looks pregnant.”

Zhang Mei turned pale: “My husband and I have never had children. I had a check-up two weeks ago; I’m not pregnant…”

Zhang Mei covered her mouth and looked at Cao Duo in disbelief: “You?!”

Cao Duo lowered his head and muttered, “I’m not young anymore. After all these years, I’ve never had a biological child. Such a large family business needs someone to inherit it.”

Zhang Xuemei stood up with agitation, looking as if she wanted to slap Cao Duo: “Cao Duo, you are too ungrateful! My sister and you adopted a child. That child is obedient and smart. What on earth are you still dissatisfied with?! Cut ties with that woman outside immediately!”

You Xingyue let out a soft “Hmm,” and his eyes swept over Zhang Xuemei’s lower abdomen: “Auntie Zhang, you need to keep your emotions stable right now; don’t get too worked up.”

Zhou Jian hurriedly patted Zhang Xuemei’s shoulder.

Cao Duo said unhappily, “Who doesn’t want to have their own child? Zhang Mei and I have been married for so many years and don’t even have a kid. Now that I have a biological child on the way, how can I cut it off? I’ll just give that woman a sum of money and bring the child back; wouldn’t that be better?”

Zhang Mei was trembling with rage. She grabbed whatever was at hand and threw it at Cao Duo: “You go outside to deceive young girls, and now you’re deceiving a child! Cao Duo, you’re an animal!”

The lingering guilt in Cao Duo’s heart vanished into smoke. He frowned and dodged: “I’m out there working hard, paying for your food and clothes, and letting you stay home as a housewife. How have I let you down? And what about you? You can’t even give birth to a child for me!”

Zhang Mei covered her face and crouched on the ground, sobbing.

She had been infertile her whole life, accompanying Cao Duo until now, only to find out the man she’d spent her life with had been cheating, and after being exposed, he had the gall to blame her for not being able to have children.

Zhang Mei was thirty-seven years old. She had wasted most of her life on such a man; how could she not feel despair?

You Xingyue handed over a pack of tissues: “Auntie, take care of yourself.”

Cao Duo’s behavior had crossed the line from scum to complete human trash. The golden toad harming him could be considered a case of “dog eat dog.”

Zhang Mei covered her face to avoid revealing her disheveled expression and mumbled two words: “Thank you.”

Master Wang continued: “When the golden toad arrived at the Cao house, it discovered that Mrs. Cao was not pregnant. So, out of anger, it started doing evil things. The strange occurrences Mrs. Cao saw in the house were all intentional intimidation by the toad! I couldn’t stand it, so I came today to warn Mrs. Cao… Ah!”

The golden toad made a sound: “You’re full of crap!”

The golden toad rolled on the ground, full of rage at Master Wang’s attempt to whitewash himself and shift the blame onto it.

Master Wang’s legs suddenly became nimble, and he scrambled behind You Xingyue.

You Xingyue: “…”

He looked at the golden toad with curiosity: “You can talk.”

The golden toad cursed at Master Wang: “It was the one surnamed Wang who didn’t want to offer me incense anymore! He said he’d scouted a better family and claimed Cao Duo had offspring luck! But when I got to the Cao house and calculated Cao Duo’s Bazi, I found out he can’t have kids at all! He’s destined not to have children in his life!”

Cao Duo’s expression froze. He looked at the golden toad in disbelief: “What did you say?”

The golden toad had learned some new words in modern society: “I said you can’t have kids! You’re infertile, do you understand?!”

You Xingyue couldn’t help but clap internally: What great gossip! This is so melodramatic and satisfying.

Cao Duo was dejected: “That’s impossible, the timing all matched up…”

He took out his phone, went to the corner, and made a call. It’s unclear what was said on the other end, but Cao Duo flew into a rage: “Taking my money and betraying me…”

You Xingyue pricked up his ears and listened for a while. Once he got the content he wanted, he reverted to his gentle, peaceful persona and focused on comforting Zhang Mei and Zhang Xuemei.

After a while, Cao Duo walked back and looked at Zhang Mei blankly.

Zhang Mei was being held by Zhang Xuemei, and neither of the sisters was willing to look at Cao Duo.

The golden toad struggled to roll to You Xingyue’s feet and fawned: “I’m the one who was cheated! Taoist Master, please spare me. I’m willing to bring you wealth and treasure. I won’t ask for any offerings!”

You Xingyue couldn’t be bothered with the golden toad and looked at Cao Duo: “Do you still want to keep the golden toad?”

After hearing about the toad’s plan to possess him, how could Cao Duo dare to keep it? “No, no! Master, please take it away!”

“Wait a moment.” Zhang Mei struggled to stand up. “Master, actually, before the golden toad arrived, there were already some strange movements in the house. Things on the table, like water cups and documents, would fall for no reason.”

Cao Duo, disregarding his embarrassment, said, “Yes, yes! It’s because of the strange phenomena in my house that I wanted to consult a feng shui master. Master, could it be that there’s… a demon in my house?”

Bu Liuke tugged on You Xingyue’s clothes: “Second floor, second room on the left side of the stairs.”

You Xingyue: “I know what the situation is.”

He stood up and walked straight to the second floor, stopping in front of a room: “This is Mr. Cao’s study, right? Is there a Pixiu ornament placed inside?”

Cao Duo exclaimed in admiration: “Master, you truly can predict everything. Is there a problem with the Pixiu?”

He stepped forward quickly and eagerly opened the study door.

You Xingyue lowered his head, and Bu Liuke, who could “predict everything,” smiled shyly.

Cao Duo’s study was lined with large bookshelves, and on a luxurious solid wood desk sat a Pixiu ornament the size of a young girl’s fist.

Bu Liuke clawed at the desk, standing on tiptoes to observe the little Pixiu: “A Hetian jade¹Hetian jade (和田玉) is white and the high grade one is called Mutton Fat Jade because of its oily luster. It’s legendary in Chinese culture, revered for thousands of years as the “Stone of Heaven.” Unlike the bright green, glassy jadeite popular in Western jewelry, traditional Hetian jade is prized for its greasy, oily luster and its dense, velvety texture. Pixiu, the material is quite average. It has awakened its intelligence for only fifty years. The newborn vessel spirit is very fragile; affected by the evil energy of the golden toad, if it’s not nurtured, it’s going to disappear.”

You Xingyue’s glasses were no longer the right prescription. He bent down and looked carefully for a while before finding a nearly transparent shadow inside the jade Pixiu.

This was the little vessel spirit; it was indeed weak.

You Xingyue’s observation made Cao Duo’s hair stand on end. He gave a fawning laugh: “Master, please take this one as well. Although it cost fifty or sixty thousand when I bought it, it’s just a token of my heart. I’ll settle down and be honest from now on. I won’t be doing any flashy things outside!”

As he spoke, Cao Duo glanced at Zhang Mei but only saw her cold side profile. Cao Duo retracted his gaze awkwardly.

Bu Liuke let out a “Wow”: “Hetian jade of this material is so expensive now?”

You Xingyue: “…”

You Xingyue cradled the little Pixiu. Although he wanted to take it away, he didn’t mince words: “This little Pixiu is different from the golden toad; it is a spiritual object of proper origin. However, having been disturbed by the golden toad’s evil energy, it won’t have any effect even if kept in the house.”

Once bitten, twice shy, Cao Duo didn’t dare to keep a single thing.

Zhang Mei gave a bitter smile and said wearily: “We only have the capacity for what we can handle. Master, please take it. Our family can’t afford to keep these precious things.”

You Xingyue gently stroked the jade Pixiu: “In that case, I will take both the Pixiu and the golden toad back with me. As for the money, I…”

“No, no, no, I won’t take your money. Look at your hand; hurry up and bandage it, and stay here for dinner tonight.”

Having witnessed You Xingyue’s abilities, Cao Duo was willing to give away not only two troublemakers but also real gold and precious jade in order to curry favor with him.

You Xingyue: “No, I have things to do when I get back.”

For one, he was worried about the little Pixiu’s spirit, and for another, Cao Duo had cheated and been cuckolded, so the family was bound to have a blow-out fight. Since it was an embarrassing family matter, You Xingyue would inevitably be in the way.

Zhang Mei looked at You Xingyue’s hand with pity: “You should at least wash the wound; it looks too frightening.”

You Xingyue spread his hands, showing six or seven cuts from the red thread running from his palms to his fingertips. Honestly, it did look frightening.

The group went downstairs, and Zhang Mei took out a household medical kit to briefly bandage You Xingyue’s hand.

You Xingyue was in a rush to leave, so after thanking them, he headed toward the door.

Zhang Xuemei and the others hurriedly got up to see him off. With such a huge incident happening to Zhang Mei, Zhang Xuemei, as family from her maiden side, was certainly going to stay to keep her company.

Zhang Xuemei said guiltily: “I’ve caused you trouble, Master. One phone call brought you here to work until now, without even eating a thing. There’s a lot to deal with here at home, but once we’ve settled it, we will definitely pay a visit to express our thanks.”

Zhang Mei rushed to the door, took a red envelope, and handed it to You Xingyue: “Master, you’ve done us a huge favor! If it weren’t for you, who knows what might have happened to my sister, and we would still be being scammed by that guy surnamed Wang!”

You Xingyue hefted his bag and smiled: “Too much is as bad as too little; I cannot accept any more.”

This sounded too cryptic. Fearing she might violate some taboo of his profession, Zhang Mei didn’t force it on him.

You Xingyue took one step out the door, then seemed to remember something. He turned back and smiled: “Uncle Zhou, remember to accompany Auntie to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow.”

Zhou Jian was highly on edge and almost cracked his voice: “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Zhang Xuemei was so startled she hurriedly covered her stomach: she almost forgot she was pregnant!

“It’s nothing. Auntie Zhang is an older expectant mother; just pay attention to calcium and vitamin supplements,” You Xingyue said, implying more. “You’re a good man. I’m sure you know better than I do how to take care of your wife.”

Cao Duo’s face slowly turned green.

He had waited decades without a single biological child, yet Zhou Jian was already having his second!

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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  Hetian jade (和田玉) is white and the high grade one is called Mutton Fat Jade because of its oily luster. It’s legendary in Chinese culture, revered for thousands of years as the “Stone of Heaven.” Unlike the bright green, glassy jadeite popular in Western jewelry, traditional Hetian jade is prized for its greasy, oily luster and its dense, velvety texture.