Chapter 35 – Another One

The hallway was in complete disarray. The previously arranged red rope circle had been trampled loose, and copper coins were scattered all over the floor. Nearby, there were a few torn pieces of a suit, though it was unclear whose they were. Mr. Li, with his once handsome and dignified face, now sported bruises and even two bite marks, suggesting he had endured quite the “attack.” At the moment, he was furiously kicking his apprentice while holding up his pants, which had lost their belt and had a broken zipper, all the while cursing loudly, looking absolutely livid.

Senior Manager Jian, on the other hand, was crouching on the ground in a pitiful state, not daring to fight back. His usually neat center-parted hair was now a complete mess, and there were two long scratch marks on his face that had broken the skin, as if a grapevine had toppled over at home.

Wei Yang turned his head and couldn’t help but twitch his lips at the sight of this farce. He coughed lightly, “Mr. Li…”

His voice wasn’t loud, but Li Ke shuddered visibly, quickly letting go of his apprentice and jogging over while holding up his pants. “Master! Has the evil been dealt with? What exactly happened…”

As he spoke, he cautiously craned his neck to look behind Wei Yang. Zhang Xiuqi had already collected the insect corpse on the ground into a bottle, so all Li Ke could see were a few copper coins embedded in the concrete and a deep hole. He shivered again, his expression a mix of relief and lingering fear.

Wei Yang pressed his nose bridge, wiping away the remaining traces of blood, and sighed with a feigned air of gravity. “Even I didn’t expect the Peach Blossom Barrier to be so powerful, with evil spirits embedded within it, which led to this chaos. But now the evil entity has been dealt with. Why don’t we go inside to discuss the situation?”

“Is… is it safe inside?”

“Perfectly safe. It’s not convenient to talk in the hallway, so let’s go inside.”

Li Ke was still clearly shaken and hesitated for a long time before finally gritting his teeth and shouting at Jian Ning, “You little brat, keep an eye out here and don’t let anyone come up and cause trouble!”

Even without Li Ke’s order, Jian Ning wouldn’t have dared to follow them. What he had witnessed in the room earlier was like something straight out of a horror movie, and the ensuing “encounter” was something he would remember for the rest of his life. Any thoughts of currying favor or sucking up had long been thrown out the window, and he only wished he could escape the hospital as quickly as possible. But now, he didn’t even dare to run!

Nodding dumbly, he obediently shrank into a corner like a quail. After glaring fiercely at this useless subordinate, Li Ke finally calmed down a bit, mustered his courage, and followed the two masters into the director’s office.

The director’s office was now in complete disarray. Several expensive marble floor tiles were cracked, the computer and stationery on the desk were scattered everywhere, the glass on the bookcase doors was shattered, and the leather sofa had several deep gashes. The bed in the inner room had even collapsed on one side, as if a tornado had swept through the place.

Swallowing hard, Li Ke asked hesitantly, “Master Wei, what exactly is the origin of this Peach Blossom Barrier?”

Before Wei Yang could answer, Zhang Xiuqi had already picked up something from the floor in the inner room and handed it over. It was a yellowish-orange ornament shaped like a lion, but with a dragon-like head, a horse-like body, and legs covered in scales. It looked majestic and imposing, with exquisite craftsmanship. Upon closer inspection, the piece seemed quite old, with a faint layer of oxidation on its gilded surface, resembling an excavated treasure.

Mr. Li, seeing the object, couldn’t help but ask in confusion, “Isn’t this the Pixiu statue that was on the desk? What’s wrong with it?”

Wei Yang simply examined it from top to bottom, gently touching the small, deep hole on the statue’s head, and sighed. “Can’t you tell the difference between a Pixiu and a Bixie? Look at the two horns on its head!”

Many people mistakenly believe that Tianlu or Bixie are just alternative names for Pixiu, but that’s not the case. These mythical creatures are collectively called “Fuba.” Those with a single horn are Tianlu, those with two horns are Bixie, and those without horns are the true Pixiu. According to legend, Pixiu love to eat gold and silver treasures and, lacking an anus, are seen as auspicious symbols of wealth accumulation, as they only take in and never let out. They are highly favored by Feng Shui enthusiasts. However, Tianlu and Bixie are genuine tomb guardians, often used as burial objects during the Han dynasty. But unless one is an expert in antiques, it’s not easy for the average person to distinguish between the three.

After giving Mr. Li a quick lesson, Wei Yang concluded, “This thing is definitely a burial object, and it’s quite old. Having been soaked in corpse energy for so long, it actually gave birth to a spirit. Bixie are female beasts, and the tomb owner was likely a woman, so the yin energy was naturally extremely strong. It needed to absorb the life essence of the living to gain sentience. Unfortunately, your reception room already had a natural Peach Blossom Evil formation, which was further amplified by the soul-snatching spirit within the Bixie, giving birth to the Peach Blossom Barrier. With evil spirits embedded within the barrier, it was naturally extremely dangerous. And you dared to conduct business in this room—aren’t you afraid of being drained by the evil spirit? Sigh, where did you even buy this Bixie? How could you casually acquire a burial object?”

As Master Wei lectured him with righteous indignation, Li Ke gradually clenched his teeth. “Jian Ning, you little brat…”

It was no wonder he was furious—this gilded statue had been personally delivered by his beloved apprentice! Li Ke’s wife was a devout Buddhist who loved collecting Buddha statues and ritual objects, which had also sparked his own interest in antiques. To cater to both of their interests, Senior Manager Jian had gone to great lengths. Not long ago, he had specifically brought over this gilded ornament, claiming it was a Pixiu statue that would bring good fortune, and even boasted that it was a genuine Song dynasty piece acquired at a high price, perfect for placing in the office to attract wealth. Genuine my ass! It was probably some black-market item he’d gotten from a shady dealer! And the renovation of the sixth floor seemed to have been handled by that little bastard too—this Peach Blossom Evil formation was likely his doing as well!

While Mr. Li was seething with anger, Wei Yang had already guessed the origin of the Bixie statue. Without batting an eye, he added, “By the way, Mr. Li, you should take care of your health in the coming days and avoid any intimate activities. This soul-snatching spirit loves to absorb human essence, and you’ve already lost a lot of vitality. When the evil spirit emerged, you refused to stay safely within the Copper Coin Formation to avoid the evil energy, so you’ve likely been tainted by it. If you don’t focus on strengthening your foundation and nurturing your vitality, it might be difficult to regain your vigor in the future…”

“What?!” This statement was even more terrifying than all the previous ones combined. Li Ke’s face turned pale. “I… I won’t be able to perform anymore?”

He prided himself on being a man with a stable home life and numerous affairs on the side, not to mention being the director of an andrology hospital. For someone of his status and position, to lose his virility would be an absolute joke! Panicking, he rushed forward and grabbed Wei Yang’s arm, pleading, “Master Wei! You have to help me!”

Holy shit, your pants are falling off! As the old man’s trousers slid down his buttocks, Wei Yang felt like he was about to go blind. Beside him, the Little Celestial Master frowned, reached out, and pulled the pants back up with one hand, while effortlessly extricating the young conman from the situation with the other. After pushing Mr. Li aside, Zhang Xiuqi said expressionlessly to the stunned Wei Yang, “This isn’t good.”

Wei Yang: “…”

Was I also included in the “uncle won’t allow it” category now? Why did it feel like I’d been caught in the crossfire? Brother Qi, do you even know what “not allowed” refers to?

While Wei Yang was silently complaining internally, Mr. Li’s face turned red, and he quickly tightened his hold on his pants. After fumbling around and failing to find a bank card or checkbook, he bowed and apologized to Zhang Xiuqi, “You’re right, this isn’t good. One thing at a time—my bad, my bad. Master Zhang, please don’t take offense. I’ll go get the checkbook now, and we can discuss the rest after the matter of exorcising the evil is settled…”

Wei Yang: “…”

Watching General Manager Li scurry out of the director’s office while holding up his pants, Wei Yang sighed. “Brother Qi, the thing we encountered this time—it wasn’t another Three Corpses worm, was it?”

Most of what he had told Li Ke earlier was made up, of course, designed to be as terrifying as possible. But he had a rough idea of what the evil spirit actually was—a worm, emerging from a burial object, and Bixie and Tianlu were the most commonly used tomb guardians during the Han dynasty. If he couldn’t connect the dots, he’d be the one who was clueless.

Seeing that there was no longer any “threat” around, Zhang Xiuqi’s brow smoothed out, and he nodded seriously. “Lower Corpse, Peng Ji.”

The Lower Corpse governs lust—the legendary lust worm. Recalling the worm’s appearance, Wei Yang had to admit that the saying “the character for ‘lust’ has a knife above it” was quite fitting. Even the Lower Corpse had two large scythes, looking utterly vicious. Scratching his head, he couldn’t help but feel a bit impressed. To think that just taking on a random job would lead to encountering another Three Corpses worm. Would he have to deal with all three before things settled down? He wondered what the Middle Corpse would be like—if it governed gluttony, would it be attached to a fat person or a chef?

“Ah, by the way, does getting rid of the Lower Corpse have any effect on people?” Wei Yang suddenly thought of this. Most of what he had said earlier was meant to throw shade at Jian Ning, with a small portion being genuine “water and fire tricks” to set the stage for future money-making. Now, of course, he had to ask the “expert” for his opinion.

“Reduced desires.” Zhang Xiuqi’s answer was as concise as ever.

Since it was something that governed desires, getting rid of the lust worm naturally led to reduced desires. Wei Yang chuckled. “Reduced desires are for the best. Let him take his time recovering.”

After a while, Li Ke came trotting back, not only having changed his clothes but also carrying a checkbook. Without hesitation, he scribbled down a number, tore off the check, and respectfully handed it to Wei Yang with both hands. “Master Wei, this is your hard-earned fee. As for my physical recovery…”

Wei Yang glanced at the amount without a trace of emotion, folded the check, and tucked it into his shirt pocket. “Recovery will take time. After all, I’m not a doctor. Feng Shui is just a supplementary measure—it might not be so easy to recover fully…”

“I understand, I understand!” Mr. Li quickly agreed, though the look of hope on his face remained strong. “But that’s secondary. In the future, I’ll also need the two of you to take a look at the layouts of my hospital and home to make sure nothing goes wrong again… Sigh, I really have met with misfortune!”

Wei Yang smiled faintly. “It’s never too late to mend the fold after the sheep are lost.”

“Exactly!” Li Ke snorted coldly, deciding to tighten the reins and deal with that ungrateful apprentice of his. Then, glancing at the Bixie statue on the desk, he felt a pang of regret and cautiously asked, “This statue… Master, do you think you could take it back to dispel the evil energy?”

Wei Yang looked at the gilded Bixie and replied indifferently, “This tomb guardian no longer has any evil energy. Keeping it won’t cause any issues.”

“It’s just that once bitten, twice shy. I think this piece has a nice design and would be perfect for a master like you…” Mr. Li smiled ingratiatingly and pleaded again. Finally, he managed to get the master’s nod.

With a million-yuan check in his pocket and holding the Han dynasty gilded Bixie statue, Wei Yang finally felt refreshed. He smiled at the sucker, “Mr. Li, we’ve expended quite a bit of energy this time, so we’ll take our leave now. We’ll deal with these ‘miscellaneous matters’ of yours another day.”

“I’ve troubled the two of you!” Having secured their promise, Li Ke didn’t dare to keep them any longer and eagerly escorted the two out.

By now, people had started trickling up to the sixth floor to check on the situation. After all, the exorcism had caused quite a commotion, and the security and staff weren’t deaf—they were naturally curious about what had happened. However, Jian Ning, who had regained his senses, wasn’t about to let anyone see the state of the place and had blocked everyone at the stairwell, managing to clear the area. Seeing Wei Yang and the others come out, he hurried over, though his eyes darted around, unsure where to look.

Li Ke was thoroughly disgusted with this apprentice who caused trouble when there was none, stole the spotlight when there was, and even betrayed his master in a critical moment. He raised his chin high, not wanting to acknowledge him.

Jian Ning awkwardly rubbed his hands, about to say something, when Wei Yang crouched down and began picking up the red thread and copper coins from the floor, stuffing them into his bag.

Jian Ning: “…”

Li Ke: “…”

Damn it! Both of them inwardly lamented. They had completely forgotten about it earlier. If they had just left it there, the master probably wouldn’t have come back for it—they could’ve gotten a set of ritual tools for free! However, Li Ke quickly snapped out of it and, like an overgrown doorman, bent down obsequiously to press the elevator button. Wei Yang didn’t even glance at Jian Ning, only giving a cold smile. “Mr. Jian, you should stop trying to pick up bargains in the future.”

Jian Ning had no idea what had happened in the room or that Wei Yang had pinned the blame for his master’s impotence on him. He thought Master Wei was referring to the incident at the ghost market where he had tried to snatch the Buddha statue. Cold sweat broke out on his back—what on earth had possessed him to dare snatch something from the master’s mouth? But if that statue had been useful… Shuddering, he immediately dismissed the thought. If the master decided to give him a taste of what had happened today, he’d probably lose his life—what good would snatching a ritual tool do then?

The cowardly man put on a pitiful expression. “Master Wei, I really know I was wrong…”

“Get out of the way!” Li Ke didn’t hesitate to shove his apprentice aside and stood next to Wei Yang. “Master, I’ll drive the two of you back to Jieshui Studio.”

As these ingratiating words were spoken, the smooth elevator doors closed once more, leaving the dejected Senior Manager Jian outside.