Qi Yuqiu carefully stored the finger bone he had just removed, wrapping it in talisman paper.
Liu Hao had followed his instructions, purchasing cinnabar, yellow paper, and Five Emperor Coins, and even fetching a jar of chicken blood from the vegetable market.
“Mr. Qi, do you need my help?” Liu Hao asked, meticulously arranging the items.
Qi Yuqiu shook his head. “You can stay if you want to watch. If you find it boring, go help me move the luggage to the car. Once we’re done here, we’ll move.”
Liu Hao forced a stiff smile. “I’ll help you with the luggage. Call me if you need anything.”
Mixing the cinnabar with the chicken blood and spreading out the yellow paper, Qi Yuqiu dipped his brush into the cinnabar mixture and began drawing a talisman with his wrist suspended.
The brush glided effortlessly across the yellow talisman, tracing intricate patterns. As the final stroke was completed, the talisman paper lifted without wind, hovering in the air and emitting a faint yellow glow.
Qi Yuqiu picked up the talisman, satisfied with the shimmering runes. His hand hadn’t grown rusty after all.
After drawing seven talismans, Qi Yuqiu solemnly placed the small amount of bone ash in the center of the table. He arranged the seven soul-summoning talismans, weighed down with copper coins, in the pattern of the Big Dipper.
“Wandering souls adrift, where do you linger? Three souls descend early, seven spirits draw near, swiftly as decreed!”
As he chanted the soul-summoning incantation, Qi Yuqiu swiftly performed the Hand Gesture Technique, finally pointing a finger toward the finger bone at the center of the Big Dipper formation.
A faint breeze stirred in the room, followed by an overwhelming surge of Resentful Energy flooding in, rushing toward the Big Dipper formation. The formation glowed faintly, blocking the Resentful Energy from reaching the finger bone.
Unable to find a host, the Resentful Energy grew enraged, thrashing wildly around the room like headless flies.
Qi Yuqiu changed his hand gestures, quickly wrapping the finger bone on the table with seven soul-stabilizing talismans folded into a triangular shape. He then dipped his cinnabar brush and drew a sealing rune on the triangular talisman.
The Resentful Energy was slowly drawn into the triangular talisman, and mournful wails echoed as the talisman paper trembled restlessly on the table.
Reaching out, he gently picked up the talisman and said, “I don’t mean you harm. Your three souls are still intact, and you still have a chance for reincarnation. If you continue wandering outside, you’ll eventually lose even the last trace of your spiritual awareness, and your soul will truly scatter.”
“I will avenge you. I promise you, those who harmed you will be punished.”
The talisman gradually stilled, lying quietly in his palm. Only then did Qi Yuqiu smile and tuck it into his pocket.
As for that beast, as long as he was still alive, he wouldn’t escape.
After securing the child’s three souls, Qi Yuqiu took out a strand of hair—plucked earlier from Cheng Qi’s head. He lit the hair, dissolving the ashes into the cinnabar mixture, then picked up his brush again to draw another talisman.
As the brush moved, the runes on the yellow paper gradually took shape, forming eerie patterns that coalesced into a human figure. With the final stroke, the tiny figure began to move.
“Go!” Qi Yuqiu tapped the figure’s forehead. The cinnabar figure’s patterns faded, gradually disappearing, leaving the yellow paper blank. Qi Yuqiu folded the paper into a triangle and tucked it into his pocket as well.
At the same time, Cheng Qi, sitting in his car, suddenly felt a warmth in his chest. He opened his jacket and asked the driver to turn on the air conditioning, unaware that a tiny figure formed of red lines had appeared on his chest before slowly fading away.
After tidying up the remaining cinnabar and yellow talismans, Qi Yuqiu found that Liu Hao had already moved all the packed luggage to the car. Qi Yuqiu locked the main door and casually pasted a talisman on it to prevent stray cats or dogs from wandering in.
Min Yu’s villa was located in Yuhe Bay, a high-end villa area close to the business district where his company was situated, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold.
The car drove into the parking lot on the basement level. Liu Hao led him to the elevator and arrived on the first floor, saying, “Mr. Min isn’t home today. Auntie and Uncle Liu have both taken leave and gone back. The bedrooms are on the second floor. You can settle in first.”
The southernmost room on the second floor was the master bedroom, and next to it was the guest bedroom prepared for Qi Yuqiu.
Dragging two large suitcases, Qi Yuqiu opened the door to the guest bedroom. Though called a guest room, the space inside was still quite spacious. To the left of the entrance was a private bathroom and a walk-in closet.
He opened both suitcases and organized the clothes into the walk-in closet. By the time he finished, his head was spinning.
All of the original owner’s clothes were either skin-tight or full of holes. He doubted his legs could even fit into those pants.
The most terrifying part was that he actually dug out several pairs of pants made from a few strips of cloth sewn together…
Qi Yuqiu, with a face full of exasperation, held up those strips of cloth. He hadn’t expected that the shirt and jeans he was wearing were the only normal set of clothes in the original owner’s wardrobe.
Tossing the cloth strips into a nearby bag, Qi Yuqiu closed the walk-in closet—out of sight, out of mind.
After all that trouble, it was already getting dark. Liu Hao prepared dinner for him before leaving.
After finishing his meal, Qi Yuqiu returned to his bedroom and took out the cinnabar and yellow talisman paper.
He moved the table near the window, set up a small platform using the Five Emperor Coins, placed the paper packet containing the child’s three souls on it, and then drew several calming talismans, folding them into triangles and arranging them around the paper packet.
“Tonight is a full moon. Remember to absorb the moonlight well to repair your soul.”
The paper packet shifted slightly.
“Oh right, I almost forgot something else.” As he spoke, he took out his phone, opened the music app, found the recording of the Taishang Sansheng Jieyuan Miaojing he had made, and placed it on the table.
For this kind of resentful spirit, chanting the incantation continuously was necessary to dispel its Resentful Energy. With a phone, he could record it once and play it on loop, saving himself from having to chant for hours each time.
I’m so clever, Qi Yuqiu thought, stroking his chin with a smug smile.
After washing up, he left the phone playing and went to bed.
The bright moonlight shone through the glass onto the table. The paper packet shifted slightly, and a wisp of Black Qi drifted out, transforming into the form of a child.
The bald-headed child rushed toward the phone, a fierce expression on its face as it reached out a small hand, but it couldn’t even touch it. The annoying chanting continued to flow through the room.
The ferocity on the child’s Black Qi-covered face gradually turned numb, and finally, it sat dazedly on the windowsill, curling itself into a ball.
Qi Yuqiu woke up, stretched, and opened his eyes to see a bald-headed child emitting Black Qi hiding in the shadows at the foot of the bed.
“What are you doing here?” Qi Yuqiu rubbed his eyes and glanced toward the window, noticing the phone had shut off. “Oh, it stopped playing.”
The child bared its teeth. Qi Yuqiu comforted it, saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll ask Liu Hao to buy a dedicated music player. Look, the Black Qi on you has dissipated quite a bit compared to yesterday. If we play it nonstop for twelve hours a day, it’ll all be gone soon.”
The Black Qi around the child froze for a moment before it hurriedly shook its head, indicating it didn’t want to listen to the chanting twenty-four hours a day!
Qi Yuqiu reached out and patted its bald head lightly. “It’s fine, it won’t cost much. Don’t be shy, Xiao Guang.”
“Xiao Guang”:…
He silently retracted the black qi enveloping him and slipped back into the paper packet.
Qi Yuqiu plugged in his phone to charge, finished washing up, went downstairs, and headed into the kitchen intending to make something to eat.
Half a minute later, he calmly retreated.
He didn’t know how to use any of those kitchen appliances, so there was no point in torturing himself.
He returned to his room and turned on his phone, just as a message popped up.
“I’ll be back at nine.” The message was from an unknown number.
But it was obviously from Min Yu. Qi Yuqiu checked the time—only 8:30—and quickly called him.
The phone rang for a long time before someone answered. Qi Yuqiu said, “Where are you? If you haven’t arrived yet, could you bring me something to eat?”
There was a long silence on the other end before a low chuckle came through. “Alright, wait for me.”
“Great, bring plenty. I have a pretty big appetite. Thanks!” With that, he immediately hung up.
Min Yu looked at the disconnected call, the curve of his smile widening.
“To Yu Chun Pavilion,” he told the driver.
By the time Qi Yuqiu had finished two sets of martial arts exercises and drunk two bottles of milk, Min Yu returned with his breakfast.
Two bodyguards brought the dishes to the dining room and laid them out one by one. Min Yu smiled and gestured for Qi Yuqiu to hurry up and eat.
Qi Yuqiu sat in the dining room, staring at the dishes on the table in silence.
“They say pregnant people crave sour foods, so I specially ordered these dishes. Try them and see if they suit your taste?” Min Yu personally pushed a plate of sour plums toward him, smiling.
Qi Yuqiu looked at the sour radish soup, vinegar-sauced wood ear and pork, and sweet and sour ribs on the table, his mouth already watering with acidity.
He picked up a sour plum and popped it into his mouth. The sourness was intense—definitely a wake-up call!
“Is it good?” Min Yu asked expectantly.
Qi Yuqiu forced himself to say, “It’s good.”
“If it’s good, I’ll have them deliver a box every day from now on. You can enjoy them slowly.”
“No, no, that’s not necessary,” Qi Yuqiu quickly refused. “Actually, I don’t really like sour things that much.”
The amusement in Min Yu’s eyes was impossible to hide, though he feigned surprise on the surface. “The ancients said ‘sour for a son, spicy for a daughter.’ It seems you’re carrying a little princess.”
Qi Yuqiu:…
This whole baby thing just wouldn’t go away. Life really was unbearable. Maybe they should just call it quits!
Qi Yuqiu resentfully took a sip of the radish soup to wash away the sour taste in his mouth.
Under Min Yu’s “care,” Qi Yuqiu finished every last bite of the meal. As for the taste—aside from the plums being a bit too sour, the rest was actually quite good~
“Are you going out for work today?” Min Yu asked him.
Qi Yuqiu nodded. Someone was coming to see him today, so he definitely had to go out.
Min Yu nodded and didn’t say anything more.
Just then, Liu Hao happened to come in. Qi Yuqiu greeted him and headed out.
After he left, Min Yu’s uncle, Cheng Baoquan, called in a furious rage, ranting about Qi Yuqiu’s faults—a mere minor celebrity acting all high and mighty, even daring to bully his cousin.
Min Yu laughed. This little guy really kept surprising him.
The person on the phone was still cursing when Min Yu casually interrupted him. “He and I are legally married. Should I apologize to Cousin Cheng Qi on his behalf in person?”
His uncle choked on his words and immediately fell silent.
“Yuqiu is still a child. Cheng Qi is older—shouldn’t he know better than to pick on him?”
Cheng Baoquan hadn’t expected Min Yu to defend that minor celebrity. Wasn’t it said that he hadn’t even seen the guy since they got married?
He calmed down, knowing the Cheng family couldn’t afford to offend Min Yu, and quickly said, “It’s just some childish squabbles among kids. I was just letting you know.”
“I understand. Thank you for your concern. If there’s nothing else, I’ll get back to work.”
“Beep—”
The call was disconnected. Cheng Baoquan angrily threw his phone onto the sofa, cursing, “That brat Min Yu, how dare he speak to me like that!”
Sitting on the sofa, Cheng Qi said with a sinister tone, “If he wants to protect that lowlife, I’ll make sure to finish him off.”
Cheng Baoquan also felt that Qi Yuqiu needed to be taught a lesson and sighed, “Don’t act recklessly. Go see your aunt. If she steps in, Min Yu won’t have anything to say.”
Cheng Qi smiled, “Don’t worry, Dad. Min Yu will never find out.”
Cheng Baoquan patted his son’s shoulder but suddenly noticed his face was unnaturally pale, his eyes were bloodshot, and he seemed shrouded in a gloomy aura of Yin Energy.
“What’s wrong with you? Why is your face so pale?”
Cheng Qi touched his face, frowning, “Maybe the air conditioning is too strong. Dad, turn it off. I feel a bit cold.”
Cheng Baoquan glanced at the bright sun outside and was about to suggest he go to the hospital when Cheng Qi suddenly collapsed to the floor, lifeless.
Panicking, he shouted, “Quick, take him to the hospital! Get him to the hospital now!”