Chapter 20 Gilded Baby Corpse 02
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
After settling Feng Yuan’s affairs, Chen Yang and the other three didn’t show any intention of staying. They left that afternoon, but Ge Qing discreetly approached Mao Xiaoli before their departure.
Mao Xiaoli’s smile, from the moment she walked out of the villa until she got into the car, remained in place, suggesting that she must have made a good profit.
Driven by the spirit of sharing good fortune, Mao Xiaolivoluntarily confessed to Chen Yang, “Ge Qing and Ma Qiqi asked me to draw love talismans.”
Upon hearing this, Kou Xuanling sneered, “Not focusing on proper duties.”
Mao Xiaoli: “Not focusing on proper duties? Warding off evil spirits, capturing ghosts, and promoting harmony are all part of a celestial master’s job description. When Celestial Master Kou was appointed as a Five Thunders Celestial Master, did he look down upon the harmony business?”
The Daoist Harmony Techniques were techniques used to promote harmony and happiness in marriage. They were especially popular within Maoshan Sect, which had a branch dedicated to the practice of harmony techniques. Unfortunately, there were many scammers these days who used the harmony techniques to deceive. Many people now associate harmony techniques with deceptive items like Thai love amulets or the love voodoo insects of the Miao Border.
As a consequence, the practice of harmony techniques had diminished, and finding disciples of the harmonization sect had become exceedingly rare. Few people were willing to continue this tradition since modern youth tend to place their trust in Western astrology and various lucky objects for attracting romantic encounters. Ironically, the traditional Daoist harmony practice was seen as a scam.
Mao Xiaoli initially studied the harmony techniques and worship the Dual Harmony Immortal as her ancestral master. However, for the sake of making ends meet, she reluctantly took on ghost-catching assignments.
Chen Yang was quite surprised. He said, “The business related to emotions is the most profitable. How did they end up in such a miserable state?”
It was not just empty talk. Nowadays, many people may not believe in ghosts and deities, but they still placed their hopes and desires for things they could not obtain on them. The most typical example was romantic relationships.
Otherwise, why would so many people believe in the love luck predicted by astrology and spend a large amount of money on lucky charms and love talismans?
Hearing this, both Mao Xiaoli and Kou Xuanling looked at Chen Yang with extreme astonishment, their faces expressing the words, “How is that possible?!”
Chen Yang shook his head and sighed. What have you guys become? Your business capabilities are completely inadequate, and you don’t understand the market. How can you do business?”
“Remove the ‘guys’ from that statement,” Kou Xuanling moved his lips, “I can easily become a millionaire within a month.” He drew a line between himself and Mao Xiaoli with his hand. “We are different.”
Mao Xiaoli lowered her head in shame, realizing that she had become the kind of person described as “what have you become?”
Chen Yang didn’t want to dwell on the topic of the young girl’s situation, so he quickly changed the subject.
He and Mao Xiaoli took the subway on their way to this assignment, but for the return journey, they hitched a ride with Kou Xuanling. There was hardly a man who didn’t love cars, and Chen Yang also loved cars. Besides, the branch office didn’t have any vehicles, which made it inconvenient for business trips.
Mao Xiaoli: “We have a transpo.”
Chen Yang was surprised, but since he had just arrived at the branch office, he didn’t know that the office had a car available.
Mao Xiaoli: “Brother Chen, there’s a whole row of shared bicycles in front of our branch office.”
Chen Yang: “Xiaoli, would you like some candy?” Without waiting for Mao Xiaoli’s response, he put a handful of candy into her hand and smiled. “Go ahead, have some.”
Mao Xiaoli: “…”
Kou Xuanling: “The car I have is provided by the office. I didn’t buy it myself. If you want to buy one, you can ask the office. I remember they have two cars.”
Chen Yang looked at Du Shuo in silence and inquired, “You have two cars?”
It felt as if he had discovered that his husband had secretly saved money and had two hidden mistresses. He knew how much money Du Shuo had in his pocket. Where did he get the money to buy a car?
Upon hearing this, Du Shuo’s face subtly tightened as he quietly said, “The office provided the car. I didn’t receive a personal allocation. The office assigned a car to me as a compromise.”
That explanation seemed reasonable.
Chen Yang quickly accepted it. In fact, Du Shuo hadn’t lied. The car was indeed provided by the office, but Du Shuo cleverly rearranged a few words.
‘Didn’t receive a personal allocation’ and ‘didn’t personally allocate’ implied different levels of initiative
Du Shuo made a decision. He decided that he would give his Director’s salary to Chen Yang in the future to avoid being scolded for spending too much if he found out. He lowered his gaze and said, “I’ll write a report and request a car allocation for the branch office.”
Hearing this, Chen Yang instantly smiled.
Kou Xuanling observed Du Shuo and Chen Yang sitting in the back seat through the rearview mirror and felt that their interaction was odd. However, as a straight guy who hadn’t explored new experiences, Kou Xuanling couldn’t quite describe what was peculiar about their behavior.
Lost in his own thoughts, Kou Xuanling almost ran a red light. Mao Xiaoli said, “Can you focus on the road while driving?”
Kou Xuanling: “If you think you can do it, then come and drive.”
“Fine. Give me your driver’s license,” but Mao Xiaoli hadn’t obtained her driver’s license yet.
“Go away.”
Kou Xuanling stepped on the brake, narrowly avoiding running the red light. They were at a bustling intersection in the city, close to a large shopping mall, with busy traffic and people coming and going.
On the upper right corner of the road, there stood a tall commercial building with several floors. An LED display was mounted on the building. At that moment, the previous advertisement ended, and the next one showed an entertainment news piece. It was about a popular young actress named He Tianna, who had recently gained fame and was facing threats from obsessed fans, almost leading to a tragedy.
As a result, He Tianna’s popularity and attention had significantly increased. Some accused her of seeking attention, while others sympathized with her. Most people, however, simply evaluated what kind of person she was based on the type of fans she attracted.
From the display screen, it was visible that He Tianna looked tired and troubled. When facing questions from reporters, she remained silent throughout the entire interview.
As soon as Mao Xiaoli saw He Tianna, she suddenly said, “Yin Suwen.”
Chen Yang raised his head and looked at her. He happened to have watched a TV drama in which He Tianna had played a character named Yin Suwen. After a brief glance, he looked away and softly muttered, “A darkened forehead signifies an impending disaster. Red veins running through the pupil indicate a short remaining life.”
“Brother Chen, what did you say?” Mao Xiaoli asked.
Chen Yang lowered his gaze and replied, “It’s nothing.”
“Oh.” Mao Xiaoli wasn’t sure if she had heard correctly. At that moment, the traffic light turned green, and the car turned away from the display screen. She took out her phone enthusiastically and started scrolling through Weibo, reading celebrity gossip.
Kou Xuanling glanced at Chen Yang through the rearview mirror, concealing his astonishment at the young man’s expertise in the Celestial Master Dao, feng shui, and physiognomy. Although he only revealed a bit of his proficiency in feng shui and physiognomy, his celestial master rank should be capable of conferring the Third Grade Five Thunders.
He wondered who his mentor was.
Lost in thought, Kou Xuanling unintentionally noticed Du Shuo unwrapping a candy and placing a white milk candy into Chen Yang’s mouth. Without lifting his head, Chen Yang bit the candy off Du Shuo’s finger and held it in his mouth, causing his cheek to bulge.
Du Shuo poked Chen Yang’s swollen cheek with his index finger, but Chen Yang impatiently brushed it away.
Kou Xuanling pressed his lips together and pondered seriously.
Could it be that things were different after being sleeping together?
He gradually shifted his gaze to Du Shuo, who seemed to sense it and raised his cold gaze, meeting Kou Xuanling’s eyes through the rearview mirror. Kou Xuanling shivered intensely, realizing that sleeping with the Director himself required courage.
Mao Xiaoli asked with confusion, “Kou Xuanling, are you cold?”
Kou Xuanling had a blank expression and replied, “Hot.”
Feeling hot and still trembling? Mao Xiaoli shrugged, indicating her lack of interest. Then, with a gossipy tone, she said, “Do you know that recently there have been a lot of melons in the entertainment industry? They are so fresh and sweet, it’s simply deliciously good to bite into.”
“Melons?”
The three of them were equally puzzled and didn’t understand.
“…” Mao Xiaoli said, “Director Du and Kou Xuanling, I can let it pass, but why don’t you, Brother Chen, have the vitality that young people should possess?”
“…”
Mao Xiaoli lowered her voice and spoke mysteriously, “Lately, several celebrities have been in trouble, caught on camera acting strangely and erratically. There’s a wild rumor going around that they are raising little ghosts and now facing their repercussions.”
Kou Xuanling responded, “Just baseless guesses.”
“There’s evidence to support it,” Mao Xiaoli persisted, extending her phone screen towards Chen Yang in the back seat. “Brother Chen, watch this video… Their behavior is truly weird, isn’t it?”
Chen Yang couldn’t see anything bizarre from a shaky video clip, so he simply stated, “It’s probably due to high stress or maybe they’ve been drinking. The media is always prone to exaggeration.”
“But someone leaked that this famous actor, Duan, always sets an empty seat with utensils whenever he eats, refusing to let anyone sit there. Despite being unmarried, he has been seen coming out of a children’s toy store several times, carrying numerous toys.”
Chen Yang assumed a serious expression and said, “You spend your time following these things, neglecting your own cultivation. Starting now, no more phone usage. Focus on drawing talismans and practicing. Strive to attain the rank of Five-ranked Alliance Authority.”
Mao Xiaoli hesitated and said, “Ah? But Brother Chen, didn’t you say you would write a report to the Association to recommend my promotion?”
Upon hearing that, Kou Xuanling let out a mocking laugh, his voice loud and clear, “You talk as if recommendation alone guarantees success. Do you think the Daoist Association won’t evaluate you? If that were the case, just about anyone could become a celestial master.”
Mao Xiaoli pursed her lips. Although she disliked Kou Xuanling’s attitude, she had to admit he was right. She found herself caught between spectating the melons and pursuing promotion.
Chen Yang shook his head in helplessness upon seeing this.
Mao Xiaoli was young and talented, but she had a playful nature. She didn’t have a strong desire to become a celestial master and couldn’t bring herself to give up her playful tendencies.
Du Shuo reached out and held Chen Yang’s hand “Let her be.”
Chen Yang: “I just can’t bear to see her waste her talent.”
“You can’t force it.”
After saying this, Du Shuo fell silent and didn’t speak further. He only hinted at that point. If it weren’t for his concern about his little wife worrying too much, he probably wouldn’t have said anything.
Chen Yang pondered for a while and then let it go.
Du Shuo was right, one shouldn’t force things. There was a destined method for everything. Sometimes, the countless sermons of others couldn’t compare to a single moment of realization for Mao Xiaoli.
“Oh? What does it mean for the pupils to have red veins?”
Mao Xiaoli suddenly asked.
Chen Yang was briefly startled, realizing that it was the same thing he had just said. “Why are you suddenly asking about this?”
Mao Xiaoli: “I saw it from a popular influencer. He’s a well-known fortune teller on Weibo. Many celebrities have consulted him for fortune-telling and destiny alterations, and the results have been quite accurate.”
Kou Xuanling glanced at Mao Xiaoli’s phone screen and recognized the mentioned fortune teller, “Pan Canghai, a senior disciple of Tianji Pavilion. He specializes in Purple Star Astrology and is a descendant of the Shen lineage.”
The implication was that his words could be trusted.
“I just saw a weibo he posted, where he was analyzing He Tianna’s facial features and mentioned this line.”
Chen Yang pondered, realizing that this fortune teller must have genuine skills. Kou Xuanling, on the other hand, was greatly surprised. He knew how intricate Pan Canghai’s predictions involving fate were. When it came to matters of life and death, the process was exceptionally complex. Yet, Chen Yang, with a casual glance, could effortlessly provide an unbiased deduction, mirroring Pan Canghai’s results.
Could it be that his fortune-telling abilities were comparable to those of the disciples of Tianji Pavilion?
“The term ‘Crimson Vein Eye’ refers to red blood vessels that run straight through the center of the eyeballs without any deviation. It’s an ominous sign, indicating an impending disaster and a short life.”
If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
oh, i have red line that cross the center of my eyeball too.