Chapter 82 – Home Visit

Wei Yang was awakened by the sound of someone banging on the door. It seemed like someone was pounding on the gate of the small courtyard, the wooden door creaking and clattering. Still half-asleep, he lazily turned over in bed, not intending to get up just yet. The Little Celestial Master lay quietly beside him, seemingly undisturbed by the noise, still deep in sleep. Outside the window, the sky was dim, the moon hadn’t fully set yet, hanging faintly on the horizon. It was probably not even five in the morning. Who could be causing such a ruckus so early?

After a while, the gate creaked open, as if Uncle had gone to answer it himself. However, he didn’t let the person into the courtyard. Instead, he started talking in a low voice, and the other person also spoke softly. Wei Yang, still curled up in bed, couldn’t make out what they were saying. But not long after, the voices grew louder, accompanied by some scuffling noises.

“Wei Tao, who can you really make decisions for? Hurry and call someone out, this is a serious matter!”

With a start, Wei Yang’s drowsiness completely vanished. He jumped out of bed and walked to the window. At the courtyard gate, a few people were blocking the entrance. Uncle was gripping the door tightly, not wanting to let them in, while Aunt stood anxiously in the yard, seemingly wanting to help.

Seeing this, Wei Yang didn’t hesitate. He put on his clothes and headed downstairs. As he descended, Aunt was the first to see him, her face showing both embarrassment and hesitation. “Ah Yang, you’re up? Look, this…”

Wei Yang smiled at her and quickly walked to the gate. “Uncle, what’s going on?”

Seeing him come out, the two groups inside and outside the gate reacted differently. The middle-aged man outside looked relieved and immediately called out, “Yangyang, it’s your cousin! Something’s happened at home, and we need your help…”

Uncle hurriedly cut him off, “Cousin, Ah Yang really has nothing to do with these matters. You should take him to the hospital instead…”

As the two sides were about to start arguing again, Wei Yang quickly interjected, “Uncle, standing here isn’t helping. Why don’t we let them in to talk? It’s still early, and we don’t want to disturb the neighbors.”

The latter part of his statement seemed to have more effect. Uncle hesitated, glancing at the lights in the neighboring courtyard, and finally stepped aside. The people outside immediately rushed in, surrounding Wei Yang. The leader of the group grabbed his arm, “Yangyang, come home with me. Your granduncle has suddenly taken a turn for the worse. It must be related to the bone-washing. We really need you to come…”

This man was the eldest son of Granduncle’s family, probably named Jiang Yong? It had been over a decade since they last met, and his temples were now streaked with gray. He was dressed in mourning clothes, with white hemp tied around his arm, clearly having rushed over without changing. His anxious expression didn’t seem feigned. Had something really gone wrong with the bone-washing burial?

Before Wei Yang could respond, Uncle objected, “Yongzi, Ah Yang is just here to visit. He really has nothing to do with the Jiang family’s affairs. And my mother’s attitude back then… Well, she never intended for Ah Yang to inherit the family business. What are you trying to pull here?”

Jiang Yong completely ignored him, speaking directly to Wei Yang, “What my father said is absolutely true, Yangyang. This situation is really strange. Our Jiang family has been doing this for generations—we can’t be wrong about this. I’m begging you, at least come and take a look at the old man. You could save a life!”

On one side, Uncle was frowning and refusing, while on the other, Cousin was pleading desperately. Wei Yang pondered for a moment before decisively answering, “I’ll go, but I have a friend with me. I’ll need to bring him along.”

Jiang Yong immediately frowned, “It’s not good to involve outsiders in this. After all, it’s our family’s… our family’s matter.”

Wei Yang smiled faintly, “Precisely because it’s the Jiang family’s matter, I want to bring him. Cousin, to be frank, my friend is a truly capable person. His family’s skills surpass even the Jiang family’s. If I can’t handle it, bringing him will be a safer bet.”

Hearing this, not only was Jiang Yong surprised, but even Uncle and Aunt, who were standing nearby, were taken aback. Wei Yang had never mentioned this before! They only thought that the young man was quiet and cold, inspiring a sense of awe, but they hadn’t expected him to have such a background.

However, having someone was better than having no one. Aunt, quick to react for once, immediately said, “Then let’s go! Since Ah Yang has said so, having someone to watch over him is always good.”

With this support, the two sides found it harder to object. Wei Yang smiled at them, “I’ll go prepare first. Please wait downstairs. I’ll be right down.”

Without waiting for a response, he headed straight to the guest room. Upstairs, both the man and the turtle were already awake. Zhang Xiuqi hadn’t even changed out of his pajamas and was standing in the hallway, seemingly about to go downstairs. Wei Yang quickly stopped him and said apologetically, “Brother Qi, sorry to disturb your sleep. Something seems to have happened at my granduncle’s place, and they want me to go take a look. Since the fox matter hasn’t been resolved yet, I think it’s a good opportunity to check things out.”

Ever since learning that sleep was also a form of soul-stabilizing cultivation, Wei Yang had been very careful about it. However, this time, he had still disturbed Brother Qi’s sleep. But the Jiang family’s household immortal was not something he could handle alone, especially since they still had that fox wood carving. It was necessary to investigate.

Hearing this, Zhang Xiuqi didn’t object. He simply turned around to wash up and change. Wei Yang rubbed the bridge of his nose and noticed the turtle master laboriously crawling out. He couldn’t help but smile, “You’ve finally decided to come out, huh? What do you want for breakfast? There’s still some fresh fish and shrimp downstairs.”

However, the turtle master was in no mood to eat. It crawled to his feet and nudged his instep with its head. Wei Yang frowned, finally noticing something was wrong. He crouched down and grabbed the turtle’s shell, “Huh? Why are there black spots on your shell…”

The turtle’s shell had always been a deep brown, with clear textures and a glossy sheen, making it look quite majestic. But now, there were several black streaks in the center of its shell, looking very strange. Wei Yang, having raised turtles for a long time, knew that sudden changes in shell color were usually signs of illness, likely shell rot.

This turtle was who knew how old, and if something really went wrong, it would be a big problem. However, as Wei Yang was worrying, the turtle master, as if finally having gained attention, stretched its neck out proudly and strutted around in front of him, almost as if showing off, leaving its owner utterly confused.

At this point, Zhang Xiuqi finished washing up and returned, seeming more awake now. He looked around the room with some confusion, walked to the bed, and examined it. Suddenly, he said, “Something has been here.”

“What kind of something?” Wei Yang was very sensitive to this kind of thing now and quickly asked.

Zhang Xiuqi shook his head, seemingly unable to figure it out. However, when he looked down and saw the turtle master crawling to his feet, poking its head out to nudge his instep, the furrow between his brows relaxed. He bent down to examine the turtle’s shell closely and pointed at it, “It blocked it.”

Wei Yang: “…”

This time, Wei Yang was truly baffled. When the Little Celestial Master mentioned “something,” it was almost certainly not a good thing. How could the turtle master have blocked it?

Zhang Xiuqi’s expression, however, was very serious. He specifically pointed at the black streaks on the turtle’s shell, “The Great Derivative True Technique can suppress evil.”

Wei Yang, of course, knew what “Great Derivative” referred to. In ancient times, “Great” was synonymous with “Tai” or the other variation of “Tai,” so the “Great Derivative” referred to the “Great Expansion” in the Book of Changes, “The number of the Great Expansion is fifty, but its application is forty-nine.” This number was the foundation of divination and the root of many Taoist theories. For example, the Native Soil Sect of Taoism, which focused on astrology and feng shui, was highly skilled in the derivation of the Great Expansion Technique. The Divination Sect, which specialized in prophecies and hexagrams, also relied heavily on the principles of the Book of Changes. “Those who know the way of change know the actions of the divine.”

With such a prestigious name, coupled with “True Technique,” it was clear just how impressive the patterns on the turtle master’s shell were. While turtle shells were indeed used for divination in the past, who would carve such a thing on a live turtle? Could the turtle he picked up from the roadside have some grand origin? Looking at the turtle master, who was once again strutting around proudly, even Wei Yang, with his quick adaptability, was somewhat overwhelmed.

After struggling with the thought for a while, Wei Yang finally sighed, “You really are something, huh? Was this why you pulled me yesterday? Damn it… Why do I keep picking up such ancestors? Anyway, we’re going to the Jiang family today. Are you interested in coming along?”

It had to be said that the little charlatan reacted quickly, immediately trying to recruit the turtle master. However, the turtle master just gave him a sidelong glance and strutted back into the room, apparently wanting to take a bath. Whether it was because it had expended too much energy blocking the evil yesterday or because it didn’t sense any danger today, Wei Yang couldn’t tell. He could only smile wryly, “Forget it, Brother Qi. Let’s just go by ourselves.”

Zhang Xiuqi nodded, taking out some spare talisman paper and copper coins from his travel bag. He also packed the wooden box he had prepared yesterday into his arms. Since they were going to deal with the fox, this item was essential. Once everything was ready, Wei Yang didn’t hesitate. He led the way downstairs. In the courtyard, Cousin and the others were clearly getting impatient. Seeing them come down, they quickly said, “Yangyang, my father has been struggling all night. We can’t delay any longer.”

Wei Yang’s expression remained calm as he solemnly replied, “Then let’s get in the car first. I remember Granduncle’s place isn’t too far from here. You can fill us in on the details on the way so we can be prepared.”

Actually, Jiang Yong wasn’t too keen on bringing Wei Yang’s “friend” along. However, after seeing Zhang Xiuqi in person, he inexplicably felt that maybe his nephew wasn’t lying. Not just in this village, but in the surrounding area, it would be hard to find someone with such a presence. After hesitating for a moment, he finally gritted his teeth and nodded, “Alright, there’s still room in the car. Let’s head home first!”

The cousin had driven over in a six-seater van, which had seen better days. As it rumbled along the village roads, he instructed his companion to drive while he leaned back to explain the situation to Wei Yang in detail. It turned out that ever since the bone-washing ceremony started two days ago, things had been going wrong. First, his father’s leg had been affected by yin energy, making it difficult for him to move. Then, there were some strange occurrences at home. However, the old man, hearing that Wei Yang had returned home, thought it was a sign that the family’s household immortal had returned and didn’t pay much attention to it.

But yesterday, things took a drastic turn. The family’s Zhufang had suddenly shattered, and the old man collapsed on the spot. When he returned home that night, he started convulsing, as if possessed by a ghost. The Jiang family, after all, was a long line of spirit mediums. Even without the household immortal, they had some methods to deal with weaker spirits. However, this time, none of their usual methods worked! It was then that Jiang Yong naturally thought of the Wei family’s youngest son, who the old man had always spoken of—Wei Yang, who was now standing before him.

As the other man spoke, Wei Yang pondered for a moment before suddenly asking, “What exactly is this Zhufang you mentioned?”

He didn’t ask about the old man’s condition, nor did he inquire about the specifics of the bone-washing. He didn’t even ask about the symptoms of the possession. Instead, he directly asked about the “Zhufang,” which inevitably made Jiang Yong pause. After a moment of surprise, he responded with even more confusion, “You don’t even know what Zhufang is? Did my aunt never tell you about it?”