Go all out

Chapter 38: Yang Yun

In the morning, after Tian Zhan woke up, he received a phone call. He hurriedly told me he had to attend to something elsewhere and needed to head there immediately. I asked if he wanted me to go with him, but Tian Zhan shook his head. However, unlike yesterday, he didn’t use his qi to mask the look of relief that had briefly shown on his face. So I could tell that this trip might not go smoothly for him. His Palace of Illness and Misfortune indicated he might get injured—even his spiritual power could be compromised. This surprised me greatly. I wondered what exactly this “matter” Tian Zhan had mentioned was. I carefully told him everything I’d seen on his face. After a moment’s thought, Tian Zhan said, “I understand,” and hurried off to the village entrance to catch a ride. It seemed he was truly in a hurry. As for me, I was about to begin learning the techniques for controlling the “qi” within my body. This was not only to make my future “qi divination” more accurate but also the effort required for me to quickly become a Level 2 fortune-teller. Following the mantra my master taught me, I began my breathing exercises. The process was actually quite boring—just deep breathing and similar movements. After breathing for about half an hour, I simply felt that I could hold my breath a little longer. I suppose that counts as a small step forward. I’m about to open the shop and start doing business. My master has set me up with this shop so I can earn some money for now, and I need to make the most of it. After all, no matter where I end up, money is still very important. My immediate plan is not only to grow quickly but also to save money. Once I’ve earned a million, I’ll set out to find Zhang Daoling. Finding Zhang Daoling is truly a matter of luck—it’s not something you can plan for—but I have no choice. Even if it takes a lifetime, I’ll find him. After opening the shop door, I tidied up the interior so it looked neat and presentable, waiting for customers to walk in. Not long after I opened the door, a pretty young woman poked her head inside. She was dressed quite fashionably—hot pants paired with a white T-shirt—giving her a youthful, vibrant look. A customer had arrived. Just as I was smiling and heading toward her, the beautiful girl blinked her big eyes at me, then walked over with a look of suspicion on her face. “Were you the one who saved me last time?” I was taken aback. Now that I could see her clearly—she was wearing light makeup—I realized it was Ye Zhi, possessed by Zhang Fei’er. How did she find her way here? “Uh-huh,” I nodded. “Is something wrong again?” Actually, judging by her facial features today, her House of Illness had returned to normal, and with her House of Destiny glowing brightly, it meant she could resume her former life. Her facial features didn’t show any signs of distress, so I couldn’t figure out why she’d come all the way here—after all, I’d already paid her last time. “It really is you! Oh my, this place is so hard to find—I’m exhausted. Go get me a glass of water,” Ye Zhi sat down as if she were an old friend, fanning her flushed cheeks with her small hands. Watching her give me orders like that, I was speechless inside. Oh, great—she’s treating me like a servant. But I guess that’s what comes with running a business. I smiled and poured her a glass of water. After Ye Zhi drank it, she pulled two stacks of red bills out of her bag and said quite generously, “Here, this is for you—as a thank-you for saving my life last time,” I hurriedly waved my hands. “No need. Zhang Jingwen already paid you for that last time,” Ye Zhi glared at me. “It’s for you—just take it.” I couldn’t help but wonder to myself: Are rich people really this unconcerned about money? Alright, if she’s giving it to me, I certainly won’t turn it down. I said “thank you” and put the money away. “Oh, right,” Ye Zhi smiled slightly and leaned in to ask me, “Master, will I have any bad luck coming my way soon?” “No,” I shook my head. “All right, that’s it for now. I’m off to have some fun,” With that, Ye Zhi stood up and walked out. When she reached the shop entrance, she turned back. “Master, you’re quite talented. You should find a storefront in the city and open a shop there. Staying cooped up in a place like this, you’ll end up getting moldy,” “Hehe, thanks for the kind offer,” I said with an awkward smile. Any decent storefront in the city would cost at least over 100,000 yuan. Actually, I’d love to, but I just don’t have the money. “Alright then. I’ll still come see you if I need anything,” Ye Zhi said before walking out. I looked at the 20,000 yuan in the cash drawer—it would be a lie to say I wasn’t happy. Having someone bring me money first thing in the morning was a good omen. I sat there until noon, then went to the backyard to whip up a simple dish to make do for lunch. It was a shame that hardly anyone came by until the afternoon, but today was still worth it. If I could make 20,000 yuan every day, wouldn’t I reach my goal of one million in just over a month? Just thinking about it made me feel great. By evening, the village streets were deserted. As I was about to close up shop, a sudden chill swept past me—it felt like a blast of cold air brushing against my side. I couldn’t help but shiver, but without giving it much thought, I pulled down the shutter as usual. The moment I turned around, I jumped in fright. Sitting at my counter was a man dressed in white. His face was deathly pale, as if coated in a thick layer of powder—it was indescribably eerie. More importantly, he was clutching a large white knife in his hand, and his pair of blue eyes were staring coldly at me, leaving me completely dumbfounded. Seeing this terrifying sight, if it weren’t for the character “差” printed on his robe, I’m afraid I would’ve already bolted out the door. Could this be the same ghostly officer who spared Zhang Fei’er last time? Fighting back the fear in my heart, I forced a faint smile, took a few stiff steps, and slowly made my way to the counter. I pulled out a cup of water, scraped a bit of incense for offerings with my fingernail and dropped it into the water, then pushed the cup toward him. “You do know a thing or two about the rules,” the man said, glancing at me before picking up the cup and downing the water in one gulp. I let out a sigh of relief and asked, “Sir, would you like a fortune-telling reading?” “Yes,” He set the cup down. His voice was as cold as a block of ice. “What is your surname, sir?” “Yang Yun,” I stared at his face. How should I put it? It was the face of a ghostly official—different from the face of a regular ghost. While most ghosts are simply deathly pale, this ghostly official’s face was caked in white powder, with two round dots of rouge on each cheek. Just looking at his complexion, I couldn’t tell anything. If he hadn’t shown me his hands, I wouldn’t have been able to figure out why he was here. “So what do you want to have divined?” I could only ask. “It’s not me who’s doing the divination—it’s my descendants,” Yang Yun said, “Your descendants?” I was taken aback. To become a ghost officer, one must have been dead for at least a thousand years, right? “Yes. The descendants of my family from my lifetime are facing some trouble now, and I’d like you to help me show them the way forward,” “Did you bring them here?” I asked cautiously. In fact, the Ghost Officer coming to me today to ask for help for his descendants was a violation of the rules—simply put, it was a breach of divine secrecy. As a Ghost Officer, coming to see me like this meant that if he were discovered, he wouldn’t just lose his position; he could even be cast into the Thirteenth Layer of Hell. Of course, one slip-up could get me dragged into this as well, so I had to handle this with the utmost caution. “No,” Yang Yun said calmly. I sighed and had no choice but to continue, “You must know that if this gets out, both you and I will be punished.” Yang Yun nodded coldly. He flipped his hand and produced a token. “I’m not asking you to do this for free, nor am I asking you to take any risks. I’ll take full responsibility for any consequences. Here—this is your reward for helping me this time. You can use it to summon me once. No matter where you are or what you’re facing, I’ll help you resolve it.” Hearing this, I instinctively glanced at the token on the table. It appeared to be made of camphor wood, with the character “Yun” engraved on it. I didn’t refuse—nor could I really refuse. He’d spared Zhang Fei’er last time, and I’d likely have to deal with him again in the future. All things considered, it wasn’t wise to cross him. I put the token away; it felt quite cool to the touch and was a bit heavy. “All right, take me over there now,” I said to Yang Yun. Yang Yun nodded and walked out. I’d already packed a few things, so I slung a backpack over my shoulder, pushed my scooter out, and locked the shop door. Yang Yun led the way, and I followed on my scooter. Along the way, I asked him in general terms what exactly had happened to his descendants. At first, Yang Yun didn’t want to talk about it; he said he’d tell me when the time came, but of course I needed to know in advance. After hesitating for a moment, Yang Yun finally began to explain. It was actually quite simple. Before Yang Yun died, he left behind a substantial fortune, and his descendants lived comfortably off that wealth. But as the saying goes, “Poverty doesn’t last beyond three generations, nor does wealth.” Sure enough, by the third generation, his descendants’ fortunes began to decline, and they’ve remained poor ever since—for seven or eight generations now. It’s a bit strange, after all—they say poverty doesn’t last beyond three generations. No wonder Yang Yun took the risk to come find me.