Chapter 86 – Animal Curse

Hearing this, Jiang Nian immediately shuddered. Indeed, with such a big commotion here, he didn’t know how things were at home. They couldn’t afford any mishaps! Fumbling, he pulled out his phone and made a call. After just a few words, his face lit up with joy. Without even hanging up, he shouted, “They said the old man just vomited some yellow liquid and has already woken up!”

This shout immediately eased the tension for the Jiang family members. Due to their family traditions, they were already quite accepting of supernatural matters. After witnessing such a bizarre event today, they were undoubtedly frightened, but reverence clearly took precedence. Their gazes toward Zhang Xiuqi had completely changed. After a few more words with the family, Jiang Nian hung up and hesitated for a moment before asking, “Master Zhang, does this mean the evil has been dealt with? Does the grave site still need any other arrangements…”

With Wei Yang safe and sound by his side, Zhang Xiuqi had also calmed down. He didn’t respond to Jiang Nian but instead quickly walked over to the coffin. He carefully inspected the remains inside, carved something into the coffin board with a dagger, and then returned to Wei Yang’s side. “It’s fine.”

Although Jiang Nian had asked the question, Zhang Xiuqi’s answer was clearly directed at Wei Yang’s earlier concern. The Jiang family members’ expressions shifted awkwardly. Jiang Nian gave the two a strange look, cleared his throat, and asked, “So, Yangyang, what do you think we should do…”

Wei Yang had even more questions in his heart than the Jiang family, but as a seasoned scammer, he never showed weakness on the surface. He hummed thoughtfully and said, “Uncle, perhaps you should first arrange for someone to collect the bones. It’s best to discuss with my eldest uncle. If possible, have the remains cremated in the county town to dispel any lingering evil spirits. As for the three-year mourning rituals, it’s better not to make it a grand affair.”

After all, Auntie was a member of the Wei family. While the bone-washing burial could follow the Jiang family’s customs, cremation absolutely required the consent of her biological son. Jiang Nian naturally understood this. After exchanging a few words with his brother, Jiang Yong led a few people back to the village, presumably to discuss matters with the Wei family.

Seeing Jiang Yong leave with the others, Wei Yang turned to the remaining family members and said, “Someone should also go back to check on grand uncle. Sprinkle some millet in the yard to draw out the poison, and have him drink some porridge to wake up his stomach. Once he’s stable, he should still go to the hospital for a check-up. After all, this has been quite taxing on the body. Uncle, we’ll need to inspect the surrounding terrain and dispel the earth’s energy. Why don’t you leave someone here to wait for us, and they can take us home when we’re done.”

Jiang Nian couldn’t possibly miss the implication in Wei Yang’s words—he clearly wanted them to stay out of the way. Although he felt a bit awkward, he knew they had to rely on Wei Yang’s “friend” this time. After a hesitant glance at Zhang Xiuqi, he ultimately said nothing and nodded, leading the others down the hill.

Finally rid of the outsiders, Wei Yang let out a sigh of relief and turned to the Little Celestial Master beside him with a wry smile. “Brother Qi, what exactly happened? Is that evil spirit really dealt with?”

Zhang Xiuqi nodded. The malevolent energy in the grave had completely dissipated, so the black mist had undoubtedly been dealt with. However, he seemed somewhat puzzled about how it had been resolved. His gaze fell on the pocket of Wei Yang’s jacket. “It was broken by that.”

Even the renowned Three Mountains Talismans couldn’t handle that evil spirit, yet it had been effortlessly destroyed by a beam of white light. Such a powerful ritual instrument was something Zhang Xiuqi had never seen before. Following his gaze, Wei Yang remembered he had placed the Bone Formation in the inner pocket of his jacket. Could that white light have come from the Bone Formation? But this thing had been hidden in the Jiang family’s shrine. How could it possibly have dealt with such a powerful evil spirit…

A sudden realization struck Wei Yang, and he blurted out, “Could it be that this evil spirit wasn’t here by accident? Was someone behind it?”

“Not a person. An animal curse,” Zhang Xiuqi answered.

Unlike human spellcasters, all spiritual animals naturally knew how to use curses. These were attacks that utilized curses and resentful energy, the most formidable method of assault for such creatures. This was because most animals were extremely vengeful. For example, killing a weasel that had gained spiritual power could lead to being targeted by a powerful Yellow Immortal, with the curse afflicting generations of the family. Even changing names or moving to a new location wouldn’t help. However, the strength of animal curses varied. Only a few spiritual animals could cast powerful curses, and using such magic was inherently against the natural order, harming the animal itself. Therefore, unless there was deep-seated hatred, such curses were rarely encountered.

After learning the origin of the animal curse, Wei Yang’s expression turned even grimmer. He immediately thought of the eerie fox in the ancestral home. “Is this animal curse related to the Foxy Lady of the Jiang family?”

“It wants to kill you,” Zhang Xiuqi’s voice carried a cold edge. Only now did he understand why the black mist had turned to attack Wei Yang. If it had been an intelligent evil spirit, it would have targeted the most dangerous opponent first—him, the Celestial Master. Only something under a curse would lock onto a specific target, even leaving its own weaknesses exposed to the enemy.

The thought that the curse’s true target was Wei Yang ignited a cold rage in Zhang Xiuqi’s heart. He should have killed that fox!

“This curse is targeting me? It was really that fox?” Wei Yang’s mind buzzed with shock. He had never imagined Foxy Lady could be so malicious, even using his grandmother’s corpse… Wait, wasn’t Foxy Lady the Jiang family’s household deity? How could it harm the family it was supposed to protect? Didn’t the Jiang family have some kind of agreement with it?

His thoughts were in chaos. Wei Yang took a deep breath to steady himself. “Brother Qi, do you know anything about household deities? How could a deity worshipped by a family for generations suddenly turn on them? Logically, I should also be able to become an offering, and one with great potential at that. Why does it want to kill me… And Grandma, it was peaceful with her before. How could it cast a curse on her body?”

“Not a living curse. A corpse curse,” Zhang Xiuqi replied. He wasn’t familiar with the rules of household deities, but he could distinguish between different types of animal curses. The curse cast on Jiang Nu wasn’t the usual kind. Instead, it used the corpse as a vessel for a targeted attack, employing the Soul Capturing Technique to trap the evil spirit that should have departed. When the intended target approached the coffin, the curse would activate, and the evil spirit would attack. If Old Master Jiang hadn’t placed the fake locust wood Zhufang in front of the grave, the curse’s malevolent energy wouldn’t have leaked out. And if Wei Yang hadn’t come here, the evil energy wouldn’t have attacked on its own.

The sole target was Wei Yang.

“As soon as I approached the grave, the evil spirit would attack?” Wei Yang’s face turned pale. With every word Zhang Xiuqi spoke, his complexion worsened. His gaze involuntarily fell on the coffin, where the remains were still scattered, the withered bones emitting a pungent odor. Looking at the corpse, Wei Yang recalled his grandmother’s face, filled with arrogance and hatred during her lifetime, and her final words.

“She didn’t want me to visit her grave, didn’t want me to come…” In her final moments, had she known about this curse? Were those painful last words her only act of kindness toward him in her entire life? Wei Yang couldn’t help but dwell on it, his heart gripped by an indescribable pain.

Beside him, Zhang Xiuqi reached out and gently grasped Wei Yang’s arm. He didn’t know what Wei Yang was going through, but he knew he should touch him, pull him close.

It worked. Wei Yang looked up and forced a smile at Zhang Xiuqi. “So, it all comes down to me, doesn’t it? I wonder what the origin of this Bone Formation is, and why it worked when I used it… Wait, maybe it was originally meant to suppress that fox?”

His thoughts gradually became clearer, and Wei Yang’s heart skipped a beat as he considered a possibility. Why was there a peach wood lotus platform and this Bone Formation under the Zhufang shrine? Perhaps the relationship between the fox and the Jiang family wasn’t based on a simple agreement but involved some hidden circumstances that required the Bone Formation to restrain the fox’s actions and force it to serve the Jiang family. Therefore, after Grandfather hid the Zhufang, although the fox could no longer possess Grandma, the chain that restrained it was also loosened, allowing it to find an opportunity to target him and cast the curse on Grandma’s corpse.

But what drove the fox mad and made it want to kill him? What was the connection between him and this Bone Formation? And what about the strange vision he had just seen? Wei Yang hesitated for a moment but still asked, “Brother Qi, could you see the form of that evil spirit? That giant bird-like monster…”

Zhang Xiuqi shook his head. “There was no bird. It was black mist, formed by the animal curse.”

Wei Yang’s throat tightened. “What about the fox we saw in the ancestral home? Was it a real fox, or something else?”

“It had no physical form,” Zhang Xiuqi answered firmly. “It was a spirit, borrowing a body to cultivate.”

The Jiang family’s fox had never had a true physical form. It was merely a demonic spirit attached to the Zhufang. That was why only the Jiang family members, holding the Zhufang, could summon the fox to possess them. So, on that moonlit night years ago, had the fox he saw been real, or had he glimpsed its true form through its spirit?

Wei Yang’s heart began to pound wildly. He thought of a possibility, the real reason he was considered a “jinx” to the family. His gaze swept over the coffin, and he gently pulled his hand away, walking over to the withered bones and kneeling down. Grandma had hated him all her life, and he had hated her in return. But was this hatred innate? If the fox had been behind it all, where did that leave the enmity between him and Grandma? The Jiang family had used the fox, but the fox had also used the Jiang family. He didn’t understand the full extent of the entanglement, but he wanted to eliminate the fox and free the Jiang family from this readily available “benefit.” After all, they were humans, not the fox’s “offerings.”

He kowtowed gently once, then stood up and smiled at Zhang Xiuqi. “Brother Qi, let’s go. Let’s head back to the Jiang family and see.”