“Happy New Year!” Xi Mufu said, then looked up at the fireworks.
Ji Jiu replied, “Happy New Year.”
The two stood in the courtyard, admiring the fireworks. Xi Mufu thought of the past when the town also had fireworks and performances. Her grandfather would always let her go enjoy them, saying that children should celebrate with excitement. She found herself missing him a little now.
Ji Jiu noticed the smile in her eyes turning into a trace of longing. After a few moments of silence, he suddenly said, “Do you want to go see them up close?”
Xi Mufu looked at him, puzzled.
Ji Jiu explained, “The fireworks are on the Front Street. Up close, they should look even better. If you want, we can use a spatial teleportation item.”
Meanwhile, Qin Yi had already discovered that Xi Mufu’s grandfather was still in the Underworld. But since he hadn’t revealed his own identity yet, he couldn’t make her grandfather appear, so he had to change the topic.
Xi Mufu paused for a moment. She was indeed curious to try the new item.
“Is that okay?” she hesitated. “But Front Street is crowded. If we suddenly appear in the middle of everyone, we’d definitely scare them… Maybe we should go to the mountaintop instead?”
On the western side of Jingning Town was a modest mountain with beautiful scenery. Visitors often climbed it after coming to the ancient town.
She had never watched fireworks from the mountaintop before—surely it would be a unique experience.
Ji Jiu nodded. “Sure.”
Xi Mufu checked the item. The [Spatial Teleportation Scroll] could carry up to seven people, so she could bring Ji Jiu along!
“Great.” Ji Jiu didn’t mention that he could also teleport himself.
Xi Mufu activated the item.
In almost the blink of an eye, the two arrived at the mountaintop, without any dizzying sensation.
Xi Mufu couldn’t help but exclaim, “Amazing!”
Although she had used otherworldly skills and items before, each time still felt extraordinary.
She looked down at the town below. Fireworks burst in the sky, illuminating the entire ancient town. The lights of the town blended with the fireworks—it was breathtaking.
“So beautiful,” she murmured in admiration.
Ji Jiu said nothing, simply standing quietly beside her until the fireworks ended.
—As an eternal deity, he had witnessed the world’s rise and fall, from ancient fireworks to the modern dazzling displays. To him, it was all fleeting.
After the fireworks, the two returned to the courtyard using the scroll.
It was past midnight. The professors had completed their New Year’s vigil with the students and had gone to rest.
“Good night,” Xi Mufu said with a smile. “Once again—Happy New Year, Master Ji!”
Ji Jiu smiled. “Happy New Year. Good night.”
·
The next day was Lunar New Year’s Day. Xi Mufu went to her ancestors’ graves on the mountain to pay respects to her grandparents and parents, again using the teleportation scroll.
Afterward, she had little else to do. Her family had no other relatives, so no one came to visit. However, neighbors from town sent their younger relatives to give her New Year greetings. People she had helped, like Sister Wang and Mr. Liu, even personally brought substantial gifts.
Aside from that, she was free and spent her remaining time drawing talismans.
This time, her talisman-making skill had leveled up. She received the blueprint for an Exorcism Talisman. However, the talisman was significantly more difficult to make. She struggled, failing many times.
“Seems like the higher the level, the harder it gets,” Xi Mufu muttered.
Ji Jiu advised her, “Try infusing it with merit.”
Xi Mufu didn’t really know how. Previously, when making protective talismans, merit naturally flowed into them, but she hadn’t consciously controlled it. Now, being told to deliberately infuse merit into an exorcism talisman, she felt uncertain.
As she pondered, it quickly became the third day of the lunar year. Shanqu Guan, the leader of the temple, indeed came to Jingning Town.
“Xiaofu, Happy New Year!” Shanqu Guan entered smiling, handing Xi Mufu a red envelope.
Xi Mufu was surprised—she still received red envelopes!
“I count as an elder to you,” Shanqu Guan said with a smile. “It’s only proper to give you a red envelope.”
Xi Mufu felt her heart warm and gratefully said, “Thank you, Leader Guan!”
Ji Jiu glanced at the red envelope in her hand, frowning slightly.
He had heard that humans traditionally give children “lucky money” on New Year’s Eve—but he had prepared nothing that night.
So that afternoon, Xi Mufu received a red envelope from the Director of the Special Administration Bureau, containing a 100-gram gold bar.
Xi Mufu: ?
Although she was happy to receive the gold, she was confused. Was today a special occasion? Why would Master Ji suddenly give her gold?
Ji Jiu said, “A New Year’s gift.”
Xi Mufu: !
This New Year’s gift truly touched her heart!
However… she hadn’t prepared a gift for him in return…
Seeing her hesitation, Ji Jiu said calmly, “No need. I lack nothing.”
It was true. As the ruler of the Six Realms, he owned everything—he lacked nothing.
Xi Mufu frowned slightly. Although he lacked nothing, she still felt obliged to give a return gift.
She knew he liked tea, so she planned to buy some high-quality tea to gift him. Fortunately, a neighbor in town had a tea plantation, producing a premium first-harvest spring tea reserved for family or distinguished guests. She hurried to reserve some.
Thinking this through, she immediately took out her phone and messaged the neighbor.
·
While Xi Mufu was arranging the spring tea with her neighbor, a voice called from the front yard: “Master Xi, are you there?”
Xi Mufu was surprised. Mr. Liu had already visited on New Year’s Day—why was he here again today?
She hurried outside and saw a tall, thin middle-aged man standing beside Mr. Liu. The man looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept for several nights.
“What’s going on?” she asked curiously.
Mr. Liu respectfully explained: “This is Ma Yong, my childhood friend. We grew up together in the village. When he was ten, his family moved to the southwest. We haven’t seen each other in many years. He returned this time to pay respects to his great-grandfather and grandfather. But after yesterday’s ritual, he had a night full of nightmares. In his dream, his great-grandfather and grandfather… did a male double-team on him.”
“Yeah, it hurt a lot,” Ma Yong added, confused and aggrieved. “Don’t be fooled by how I’m standing fine now—I was in pain all over… Master Xi, Mr. Liu said your magic is powerful. Please help me see what’s wrong. Did I encounter some unclean thing while worshipping on the mountain?”
Xi Mufu carefully examined the center of his forehead. Indeed, there was a shadow of black energy, as if he had encountered something unclean, though it didn’t seem life-threatening.
She suddenly remembered she had the [Yin-Yang Eye] ability. She should be able to see whether Ma Yong was being followed by any unclean entity. She quickly activated the skill.
The next moment, her eyes widened.
Behind Ma Yong, she saw two old men with faces somewhat resembling his own.
One of the old men was slapping Ma Yong’s forehead and scolding in a southwestern accent: “You fool! My grave is up there! You went to the wrong grave and still have the nerve to seek out the master! Crawl, now!”
Xi Mufu: “……”