Chapter 153 – Extra 14 – Baijia Buddha 4

What? Wei Yang almost couldn’t keep his expression steady. Why me? Brother Qi, what kind of trick are you trying to pull here? We didn’t rehearse this at all! However, when he saw the other’s serious expression, he immediately realized that this wasn’t a joke or some kind of showmanship—it was meant literally. Brother Qi wanted him to take a look.

The surprise vanished in an instant, replaced by something else. A complex, indescribable feeling welled up in Wei Yang’s heart. Though he was still dabbling in these shady deals, he wasn’t the clueless little charlatan he used to be. The awakening of his innate talent had granted him something else—a power unique to the descendants of the Wu Family, a straightforward, formidable force that was only useful in that unknown world.

Yet this power was also dangerous and coveted. He had indeed thought about better utilizing his talent, exploring the true uses of the Bone Formation, but Zhang Xiuqi didn’t agree, stubbornly staying by his side, determined to protect him from harm caused by using such techniques. They hadn’t seriously discussed this, but they both treaded carefully around that invisible line, neither crossing it nor yielding, maintaining an unspoken understanding.

But now, Zhang Xiuqi had suddenly taken a step back, telling him to “take a look.” A mix of emotions churned in Wei Yang’s heart, but he didn’t let it show. He simply nodded softly with a “Mm,” then turned his gaze to the curio shelf not far away.

As a modern collector, Master Sang’s collection was quite diverse. There were gilded vessels, porcelain vases with underglaze red and famille rose decorations, intricately carved ivory pieces, and rustic yet elegant purple sand and wood carvings. Over a dozen items filled the shelf to the brim. But upon closer inspection, each piece was indeed as Master Sang had said—nothing more than exquisite handicrafts, with no other noteworthy qualities beyond their beauty.

After scanning the shelf from left to right, Wei Yang frowned. Just as he was about to turn away, a faint shadow flickered at the corner of his eye. He paused, then immediately turned his gaze back, focusing on the compartment where the Jade Buddha had been placed. After a moment, he glanced over the other compartments and hesitantly spoke up, “The collection itself is fine, but this curio shelf…”

As he took a step forward, seemingly to get a closer look, a hand from behind stopped him. Zhang Xiuqi’s brows were tightly knit, and he didn’t let go, asking in a deep voice, “What did you see?”

The warm hand gripped his wrist, and Wei Yang froze, suddenly snapping back to reality. He quickly said, “A shadow—no, more like a human-shaped shadow—in the compartment where the Jade Buddha was placed. Besides that, there’s a faint shadow around every other item, but it’s too faint to notice easily.”

Even though it was broad daylight, the moment those words were spoken, both men standing nearby felt a chill run down their spines. Sang Yuqiao stammered, “What shadow? No one has died in this house! This location was carefully chosen—it’s not a graveyard, nor are there any roads with negative energy. Where could a shadow come from…”

Wei Yang suddenly realized something and turned to ask, “Master Sang, this curio shelf is made of golden nanmu wood, right? Where did the wood come from?”

Caught off guard, Sang Yuqiao blinked and cautiously replied, “It was sourced from a rural area in the south. Supposedly, it’s a beam from an old temple…”

Due to the overexploitation by generations of nobility, golden nanmu had long been on the brink of extinction, making it difficult to source directly from forests nowadays. Most enthusiasts of this expensive wood acquired it through various channels, often repurposed from old materials. Although golden nanmu had been designated as a tribute item in ancient times, forbidden for commoners, in the south—especially in rural areas—it was still commonly used as beams in large households and temples. A significant portion of these beams were of excellent quality, so Sang Yuqiao’s explanation wasn’t unusual.

Zhang Xiuqi, however, frowned. “A temple? An unofficial shrine?”

The question left Sang Yuqiao dumbfounded, but Wei Yang was beginning to understand. An “unofficial shrine” didn’t refer to a temple of ill repute, but rather to shrines that worshipped deities not officially recognized in religious texts and lacked formal clergy. In ancient times, religious management was strict, and both monks and Taoists had to possess officially issued certificates to be considered legitimate. In some dynasties, these certificates were even sold as high-value identification documents, making it impossible to meet the demand. Thus, in remote villages, there were no proper temples, but instead, small shrines maintained by locals, often worshipping local deities like the Yellow Emperor, Chen the Eighth King, Chen the Fourteenth Lady, or Lord Pingshui. Some were deified historical figures, while others were simply mythical animals, bearing no relation to true deities.

However, unofficial shrines were still shrines, and over time, they accumulated countless prayers and obsessions, which attached themselves to the shrine and, over time, developed a certain spiritual power. This beam was no exception—it was essentially an undeveloped yin-energy ritual instrument, and by coincidence, the Jade Buddha had prematurely activated it.

Without explaining, Wei Yang instead looked at the jade carving held by Heipi. “Does this thing really have spiritual energy?”

“Jade inherently connects with the divine, and with its divine form, its essence, energy, and spirit are all complete. Naturally, it can influence the flow of energy,” Zhang Xiuqi answered firmly.

Sang Yuqiao, however, was completely confused by the two masters’ cryptic explanations. He was, after all, a cultured man and knew what an unofficial shrine was, but what did that have to do with the Buddha statue? And what was this shadow Master Wei mentioned? Nervously pushing his glasses up, he anxiously asked, “What does it mean for the Jade Buddha to have spiritual energy? Is the problem really with the Buddha statue?”

Wei Yang shook his head. “On the contrary, this Buddha statue has done you a great favor. The real issue lies with the curio shelf. Having been exposed to long-term worship without proper rituals to guide the spirits, the beam has already spawned malevolent forces, though they haven’t fully formed yet. When you brought the Jade Buddha home, the energy within the statue immediately detected the abnormality of the shelf and began to suppress it. The malevolent forces within the shelf, unwilling to be subdued, naturally fought back, and the conflict between the two affected the vitality of the house, causing some disturbances in the energy field. Left alone, it wouldn’t have been a major issue, but someone misjudged the symptoms and moved the Jade Buddha, allowing the agitated malevolent forces to break free and begin affecting the master of the house.”

Hearing this, Sang Yuqiao’s mouth hung open, and he was speechless for a long time. So, it wasn’t the Jade Buddha that was the problem, but the statue had actually been shielding him from the malevolent energy for a long time? His mind buzzed, but being a seasoned man of the world, he didn’t immediately believe the two men’s words. Instead, he hesitantly looked at the Jade Buddha and then at the curio shelf. “Then what should we do now? Should we move the shelf or burn it…”

“No,” Wei Yang glanced at Zhang Xiuqi and said directly, “This kind of malevolent object from an unofficial shrine needs to be worshipped. It’s likely already taken your home as its new shrine and sees you as its master. Since it hasn’t received offerings for a long time, it’s giving you a small warning. If you destroy the shelf directly, you’ll only anger it.”

Sang Yuqiao’s face turned pale, and his lips trembled. “Then can it be destroyed?”

This time, Zhang Xiuqi nodded. “It’s just a Baijia Buddha. With proper rituals, it will dissipate over time.”

A true Buddha’s power encompasses millions of devotees, but those from unofficial shrines are only worshipped by a hundred families, so their power is naturally incomparable. Moreover, this beam was just a structural element, not the altar or the Buddha statue itself, and hadn’t even taken a true form. Though troublesome, it wasn’t particularly dangerous.

Sang Yuqiao was torn, but Wei Yang smiled slightly. “Even if it’s a malevolent object, it’s still a Buddha. If we can harness this energy, it might actually become a ritual instrument.”

As he spoke, his gaze fell on the black jade Buddha statue.

Sang Yuqiao immediately understood. “Can we use this Jade Buddha to suppress it? And turn it into a ritual instrument?”

By now, Heipi wasn’t a fool either and immediately put on a professional smile. “Master Sang, perhaps we should take this Buddha statue back. It’s involved in too much, and it’s hard to explain everything. Why don’t you find another item…”

“No, no!” Sang Yuqiao was instantly anxious. “Brother Liu, I really didn’t mean it that way. This time, I was deceived by a scoundrel—it’s entirely my own fault. If it’s really as Master Wei… no, Master Wei Yang said, this Buddha statue is my fate! How could I look elsewhere?”

His words were sincere, and his voice even trembled slightly. Heipi couldn’t help but feel delighted. He wasn’t sure if Wei Yang was just putting on a show, but if he could get Sang Yuqiao to beg for the Buddha statue back, Xiao Qu’er’s reputation would soar to new heights. Wealthy people were all superstitious, and with this being a high-end art piece imbued with spiritual energy, those seeking Master Qu’s work would probably line up to the heavens!

But as a businessman, he was well-versed in the art of bargaining and didn’t immediately agree. Instead, he glanced at Wei Yang with a troubled expression. “Ah Yang, what do you think…”

Wei Yang, understanding his intention, pondered for a moment before speaking. “Brother Ming, as the saying goes, ‘The one who tied the bell must untie it.’ Since this Jade Buddha has been battling the Baijia Buddha for so long, it might indeed be better to use it. What do you think, Brother Qi?”

Zhang Xiuqi, of course, knew what the two were up to, but he didn’t expose them. Instead, he took the Jade Buddha and looked at Sang Yuqiao. “I need to carve a talisman on it.”

Sang Yuqiao nodded repeatedly, unable to hide the joy in his eyes. “Of course, Master Zhang, go ahead.”

With permission granted, Zhang Xiuqi didn’t hesitate. He turned the statue upside down, took out his short sword, and began carving. As the blade moved, jade dust fell away, and soon, a shallow talisman appeared on the base of the statue. He handed the Buddha back to Sang Yuqiao. “Cut your middle finger and smear the blood on the talisman, then place the Buddha back in its original spot.”

Sang Yuqiao’s hand trembled, and he was about to say something when Wei Yang spoke up. “From now on, this will be your family’s ritual instrument. You can’t let someone else do it.”

Hearing this, Sang Yuqiao closed his mouth. Glancing at Zhang Xiuqi’s cold, expressionless face, he didn’t dare ask to borrow the sword. Instead, he hesitantly walked to the desk, picked up a paper knife, and cut the tip of his middle finger. Wincing, he smeared the blood onto the talisman. Strangely, even though it was jade, the blood immediately seeped into the statue as if it could absorb liquid. The reverence in his heart deepened, and Sang Yuqiao carefully held the statue with both hands, walked to the curio shelf, and respectfully placed the wrathful Vajra back in its original spot.

As the jade carving touched the wooden shelf, Sang Yuqiao felt a chill run through his body, as if something had gathered in that small compartment. However, the Buddha statue in his hands remained warm and unchanged. Marvelling inwardly, he stepped back after placing the statue and looked up to see the hanging pendulum on the ceiling had stopped swaying, now motionless in its original position.

He let out a quiet sigh of relief and bowed to the two men. “Thank you so much. I was truly unlucky to have met such a scoundrel before, and I’ve caused Brother Liu so much trouble. It’s all my fault for not having a good eye. I deserved to be deceived!”

Wei Yang, however, didn’t pay much attention to the man’s platitudes. His gaze returned to the curio shelf. Just moments ago, he had seen a faint shadow merge into the Jade Buddha. The black jade statue didn’t darken but instead became even more lustrous, with the white flames around it emitting a faint silver glow, shining brilliantly. This was the first time he had actively used his Wu Family power during such a small job, and the first time he hadn’t relied on showmanship, truly handling the situation with real methods.

Shifting his gaze, he glanced at the Little Celestial Master standing beside him, still expressionless, and a faint smile touched the corner of his lips. He turned to Master Sang and said lightly, “Since this matter has been resolved, perhaps we should check if that quack caused any other problems elsewhere…”