Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The house where a person lives is called a Yang residence, while the grave where one resides after death is referred to as a Yin residence. In Feng Shui, there is a belief that burying the ancestors' remains in a location with good Feng Shui can lead to prosperity for their descendants. As for whether the descendants can indeed prosper, Xing Ruyi does not know; she only understands that a good burial site can preserve the ancestors' remains better, slowing down the decay caused by time, which is also a way for descendants to show filial piety.
Village Chief Gou clearly places his hopes on the former.
The person saved by Sister Sun is a Taoist priest who is very skilled in Feng Shui, but he fell into misfortune and poverty along the way. After the village chief brought him home and treated him well, he asked the priest to assess the family grave. After examining it, the priest told Village Chief Gou one thing: "When your grandfather was buried, there must have been strong winds, but no rain."
At that moment, Village Chief Gou was stunned. He was already over ten years old when his grandfather passed away and could clearly remember everything. The time of his grandfather's burial had also been assessed by someone, and from the time of the burial until the ceremony ended, the wind had been blowing continuously.
"Then the person who assessed your grandfather's Feng Shui must have had a grudge against your family!" After hearing Village Chief Gou's account, Xing Ruyi couldn't help but glance at his father, who had turned into a Drought Demon.
"Actually, it wasn't much of a grudge; it was just that his family owed my family a few taels of silver and could never repay it. My grandfather and I both sought someone to deal with him. However, after we confronted him, he returned the silver; it was just that he wanted to avoid repayment!"
"Was it really just a few taels of silver?"
"One tael; he owed my family one tael of silver. But with interest and such, it totaled five taels. We were clear about this when he borrowed the money. We are all ordinary rural families; saving one tael could take half a year or more. It was only because my grandfather and father were kind-hearted that they lent him money in the first place. Yet he not only failed to repay but also tampered with my grandfather's burial site."
"How do you know he tampered with it?"
"It's simple. When he asked me if there was only wind and no rain when my grandfather was buried, I confirmed it. Then he asked me if my father was reluctant to study and idled away his youth; I thought about it carefully and agreed. Then he asked me if the wind stopped immediately after my grandfather's burial; upon reflection, I realized it did indeed stop. Finally, he said that the so-called Master we hired actually found an ominous site for my grandfather and that it must be relocated for future blessings."
"Young lady, you see, I'm already at this age and haven't thought about getting rich or anything like that, but I have to consider my children and future generations."
"So that person helped you choose this burial site for Lai Qi's family?" Xing Ruyi smiled at Village Chief Gou and said, "If this place where Lai Qi's parents are buried is truly a land of good fortune, why hasn't Lai Qi prospered? Instead, he's impoverished and can't even find a wife?"
Village Chief Gou looked embarrassed and stammered before saying, "That's because of what that person said; Lai Qi's parents were buried incorrectly. As long as I bury my father here, I guarantee my life will be different from others."
"It certainly will be different; with a father who has become a Drought Demon, you might not be able to keep your position as village chief." Xing Ruyi shook her head and moved closer to Village Chief Gou before suddenly asking, "What did you do to that person? If you only treated him well with food and drink, he wouldn't have pointed you to such an ominous grave that turned your own father into a Drought Demon."
"The young lady laughs; what could I do? I just invited him for a meal and asked him to check my family's grave Feng Shui. Who would have known that person would be so ungrateful and harbor such malicious thoughts? I hope I never see him again; otherwise, I would definitely skin him alive."
Village Chief Gou gritted his teeth as he spoke, but his expression remained somewhat unnatural. Xing Ruyi intended to probe further when several villagers returned from searching for Child's Urine with wooden buckets in hand. Even from afar, she could smell the strong odor.
"You are finished!"
Xing Ruyi pointed threateningly at the Drought Demon. The Drought Demon glared with bloodshot eyes and shouted angrily. Clearly aware of the danger, he desperately tried to break free. Unfortunately, the fox's magic wasn't child's play; escaping with just a few struggles was impossible.
Several companions were quite lively. Although they feared the Drought Demon, seeing it restrained by the fox made them eager to take action themselves. Of course, it was also possible that they were using this as an excuse to vent their frustrations, suggesting they had been troubled by the Village Chief's family for some time. Xing Ruyi was happy to keep her distance, stepping back a few paces to stand safely outside the splashing range while offering technical guidance.
The companions worked together to hang the Drought Demon from a nearby tree, then splashed it with the prepared Child's Urine. Initially, the Drought Demon struggled a bit, but once it was doused with the Child's Urine, it immediately quieted down.
The fox looked up; although it was past noon and winter had set in, the sun seemed quite pleasant today. Seemingly casually, he waved his hand, and the clouds drifted away, allowing sunlight to pour down. The Drought Demon, soaked in Child's Urine and exposed to the sun, began to emit smoke that was black with hints of green, giving off a foul odor.
The Drought Demon appeared to be in great pain, its eyes fixed on the squatting Gou Village Chief, mouth agape as if pleading for help from its own Son. Xing Ruyi sighed lightly, unable to watch any longer. She retreated to the fox's side, leaning against him and asking, "Is this enough?"
Before the fox could respond, Xing Ruyi heard a rumble of thunder. Suddenly, what had been bright turned dark. Looking up, she saw thick black clouds covering the sky. Lightning flashed and thunder roared before heavy rain began to fall.
Thanks to the fox's protection, Xing Ruyi remained dry but felt chilled by the wind and caught a cold nonetheless.
This long-awaited rain fell for three days straight, gradually restoring the parched fields to their original state as hidden seeds began to sprout and peek out from underground.
As for the Drought Demon, after being scorched by the sun and drenched by rain, it turned to ash and was washed away by the flowing water. Gou Village Chief seemed unaffected; he simply returned home and erected a respectable tomb for his father.
Due to the heavy rain, Xing Ruyi's plans were delayed. She could only stay temporarily at Sun Sister's Home with Si Niang and the others.
Sun Sister was left alone at home after her husband and father-in-law had passed away; she had only herself and a young son. The child was quite handsome and not afraid of strangers, always smiling cheerfully. However, Sister Sun seemed preoccupied with something and often wandered near the fox.
"This Sister Sun seems less genuine than that Sun the Shopkeeper. She should know who you are and what kind of person Young Master Yin is; why does she keep trying to get close to him? It's fortunate that Young Master Yin has a good temper; otherwise, he would have been angry long ago," Si Niang said while flipping over the pouch she was embroidering.
Xing Ruyi was teaching Bell how to read when she heard Li Siniang's words and glanced outside. The fox disliked staying indoors; at that moment, he stood under a grass shed outside with his eyes closed in meditation while Li Mao attended to him. Although Sister Sun didn't say anything, she kept finding excuses to sneak into that grass shed and even deliberately walked over to try touching the fox.
"Did you see that?" Si Niang asked with a smile.
"I did!" Xing Ruyi adjusted her brush tip.
"Not angry? That Sister Sun is trying to get close to your future Husband!"
"If my future Husband were so easily swayed, he wouldn't deserve to be my Husband at all. Don't worry; I know how patient the fox is. If he can't hold back, it'll only bring trouble for that Sister Sun."
"You too! Knowing that this Sister Sun has ulterior motives towards Young Master Yin yet still staying in her house—it's like sending a sheep into a tiger's den or offering flowers to butterflies!"
"Without entering the tiger's den, how can one catch a tiger? Do you think I want to? I just can't bear to see good people die in vain while the wicked go unpunished," Xing Ruyi said, glancing at the corner of the room.
Sister Sun's child was currently crouched there, a little over two years old, patting the wall with one hand while babbling in a tender voice. Xing Ruyi could hear clearly what the child was saying: "Daddy! Hold me! Hug me!"
To others, the child's words might seem like mere attempts at speech, perhaps evoking some sympathy for the child's background. But Xing Ruyi knew that the child was not just learning to talk; he truly saw his father—not just His Father, but also His Father's father.
The honest pair of father and son stood in the corner of this bedroom. Grandfather Sun's Sister had moist lips and nostrils, while her husband's neck bore a distinct blue mark. From their ghostly appearance, it was clear that these two did not die from drought or starvation.
Looking around, Xing Ruyi estimated that the rain would likely stop within half a day. She set down her pen and walked toward the corner. The Son-in-law's Father appeared anxious, his eyes fixed on Xing Ruyi without blinking.
"Sweetheart, Auntie will take you outside to play, okay?" Xing Ruyi picked up the child and handed him to Si Niang. "This child's hands and feet are all dirty; give him to Sister Sun so she can wash him up."
Although Si Niang did not have her own children, she had raised her sister-in-law Bell by herself. Seeing this child covered in dirt made her frown. She put down her needlework and took the child.
"Other mothers are mothers too; Sister Sun is a mother as well. Why is it that she seems so careless? Look at what this child has in his hands; what if he swallows something harmful?"
Li Siniang said as she coaxed the child to loosen his grip. A dark object rolled onto the floor with a thud. Xing Ruyi bent down to pick it up. It was a bead, completely black. Others might not know what it was, but Xing Ruyi recognized it immediately. This bead was made from Black Donkey Hoof and carried a distinct scent of black donkey hoof; it was a Taoist talisman against evil spirits. However, the bead was somewhat rough, indicating that its owner was not someone who paid much attention to detail.
Naturally, there wouldn't be such an item in Sister Sun's home, and a bead made from Black Donkey Hoof wouldn't just end up in a child's hands for no reason. Remembering how the child had been crouched in the corner earlier, Xing Ruyi naturally turned her gaze toward Grandfather Sun's Sister's ghost.
Comment 0 Comment Count