Chapter 21 Gilded Baby Corpse 03
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Mao Xiaoli asked in surprise, “So, does that mean He Tianna is going to die?”
Chen Yang hesitated for a moment and responded, “Well, there might be a way to resolve it.”
“Do you have a way, Brother Chen?”
Chen Yang glanced at Mao Xiaoli and noticed Kou Xuanling’s curiosity. He explained, “The Crimson Vein Eye brings misfortune, but it doesn’t determine her fate. If she can avoid the misfortune, she can overcome the danger.”
“Is He Tianna the cause of the misfortune? What kind of misfortune has she encountered?”
“It’s simply an unexpected disaster.”
Unexpected disasters referred to unforeseen and undeserved accidents. Neither ghosts nor gods could predict them in advance. For example, while walking alone in a deserted street, someone might get struck by a falling flowerpot from the sky. That was what an unexpected disaster meant.
If this unexpected disaster was the result of deliberate plotting, involving supernatural elements, then it became a calamity.
Sometimes, ghosts attached themselves to people and seeked substitutes. They made the person they possessed experience various calamities. If they were fortunate, they could overcome the calamities, but if they were unfortunate, they would die. Those who encountered calamities usually had short lives, which was why it was believed that their lives would end soon.
Chen Yang: “Instead of worrying about others, you should focus on when you will be promoted to the Alliance Authority.”
Mao Xiaoli let out a cry and pretended to be unconscious, knocking her head against the car window.
Chen Yang shook his head, deciding not to talk to her anymore. He turned to Du Shuo and asked in a low voice, “Are you going home tonight?”
Du Shuo replied, “Yes, I’m going back. But I’ll be making a separate trip to Fengdu.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for you at home. What should we have for dinner tonight? I’ll buy groceries and prepare the meal before you return. Oh, and remember to change your appearance when you come back. I don’t want to startle anyone.”
Chen Yang didn’t want everyone in the branch to know that his husband was the Director of Dafu Office. It would attract too much attention. He decided to announce their relationship once he became more stable and capable of being the branch office manager.
“As you wish.”
Du Shuo didn’t really mind. After all, he would be using his real face and name when he returned. The Director’s identity was just a title and not that important.
Chen Yang smiled and playfully held Du Shuo’s large hand in his own, observing each finger. Du Shuo’s hand was slightly bigger than his, with long and strong fingers that had a slight callus on the fingertips, probably from frequent writing.
It was mentioned that he worked as an official in the Underworld, handling tasks such as catching ghosts and mainly involved in paperwork. The first time they met was on the eve of their engagement, with only a single lamp illuminating the room. Chen Yang could only see half of Du Shuo’s body, while the other half remained hidden in the darkness.
Chen Yang couldn’t clearly see his face, but he could feel his gaze fixed on him. He noticed that Du Shuo wore a jade thumb ring on his left hand, similar to those worn by nobles in ancient times.
In the first year of their marriage, Chen Yang occasionally saw Du Shuo wearing the jade thumb ring. However, he never saw him wear it again later on. Chen Yang initially wondered if Du Shuo had belonged to a wealthy family from a fallen dynasty, but Du Shuo never discussed his past.
“What happened to the thumb ring you used to wear?”
Du Shuo glanced at the red string around Chen Yang’s neck. “Do you want it?”
“No, I remember seeing you wear it before. It looked nice. Why did you stop wearing it?”
“I still wear it.”
“Hmm?” Chen Yang looked puzzled, tilting his head innocently.
Unable to resist, Du Shuo gently held Chen Yang’s neck. He quickly transitioned from a pinch to a caress. He revealed his left ring finger and showed it to Chen Yang. “I had it cut into two pieces, as an engagement gift.”
Du Shuo always wore a large jade ring on his ring finger, which served as their wedding ring. Chen Yang’s ring was threaded onto a red string and hung around his neck, always hidden beneath his clothes.
“So, it’s the same ring.”
Chen Yang felt a mix of surprise and expectation. He had considered wearing the ring on his finger, but his current job involving interactions with ghosts and deities made him concerned about damaging the ring.
Du Shuo smiled, taking advantage of the angle to lean closer to Chen Yang, gently touching the tip of his ear and giving it a light bite. Chen Yang’s pupils widened slightly, fearing that the two people in front of them would notice. Fortunately, Mao Xiaoli was absorbed in her own thoughts, and even if Kou Xuanling saw, he would likely assume the two were having a private conversation.
The car arrived at Shenchun Community and came to a stop. Chen Yang and Mao Xiaoli stepped out and bid farewell to the two passengers before watching them depart. Once the car was out of sight, they turned around and began walking. After a few steps, Chen Yang’s phone emitted a notification sound.
He took it out and discovered it was a message about a money transfer into his bank account. It was a substantial sum of four million yuan, already deposited. Ever since Chen Yang became the director, Ma Shanfeng had provided him with a personal bank account. Once a task was completed, the money would automatically be transferred into his account. Simultaneously, Mao Xiaoli also received a notification of funds being credited to her account, causing her to exclaim, “My ritual tools have arrived!”
Chen Yang narrowed his eyes, realizing that he now had the initial funding to accumulate merits for Du Shuo.
While passing by the community market, Chen Yang decided to go in and buy groceries. Mao Xiaoli, though uncertain, followed him inside. When they emerged, their hands were filled with bags of various items.
Mao Xiaoli asked, “Brother Chen, are you planning to cook?”
“Yes.”
“Brother Chen, can you cook?!” Mao Xiaoli appeared genuinely surprised.
Chen Yang nodded and said, “My partner will also be coming over today. It’s a good opportunity for me to introduce you all.”
“Your wife is coming?”
Wife?
Chen Yang narrowed his eyes slightly but didn’t feel the need to explain. Instead, he felt a sense of anticipation about Du Shuo’s reaction to being called “wife.”
Carrying the groceries, they arrived at the branch office where Ma Shanfeng was still working. The office was well-lit, creating a cozy atmosphere. Upon their return, Ma Shanfeng invited them over for tea. The television had just finished airing commercials and started playing a historical drama.
It happened to be the historical drama starring He Tianna, which had gained popularity.
Ma Shanfeng noticed the groceries in their hands and teased, “Xiaoli, so you finally want to learn how to cook?”
Mao Xiaoli sat down without hesitation, took a sip of the freshly brewed tea, and shook her head as she said, “Cooking is impossible, absolutely impossible in this lifetime.”
Chen Yang declined the offer of tea, peeled a piece of candy, and put it in his mouth. He then said, “I’ll go cook.”
Upon hearing this, Ma Shanfeng’s eyes lit up, and he decided to stay for dinner. When Mao Xiaoli mentioned that Chen Yang’s partner would be coming over tonight, it further strengthened his resolve to stay.
“By the way,” Ma Shanfeng took a sip of tea and said, “Qiudao has returned.”
“Did he resolve that challenging task?”
Ma Shanfeng shook his head “He came back and slept for two days. Today, he has been playing games all day.”
Mao Xiaoli was surprised. “Was that task very difficult?”
“Very difficult.”
Chen Yang was still there and looked at Mao Xiaoli with a puzzled expression. Mao Xiaoli explained, “Zhang Qiudao, he’s the fourth member of the branch. He took on a difficult three-star task before and now he’s back. Whenever he faces really tough tasks, he usually sleeps for a few days to recharge and then spends the whole day playing games to relax.”
Chen Yang nodded, showing his understanding. He then joined Mao Xiaoli in looking at Ma Shanfeng, who seemed to know something. Unfortunately, Ma Shanfeng just continued sipping his tea, giving no indication of providing an answer.
Mao Xiaoli, being impatient, exclaimed, “Ma Shangfeng, don’t keep us in suspense! Please, tell us.”
Ma Shanfeng glanced at her and slowly said, “This time, we lost a member of the Longhu Sect.”
“Ah!” Mao Xiaoli exclaimed at the gravity of the situation.
Ma Shanfeng sighed, “It was because the other party was arrogant and careless. They didn’t realize that it wasn’t a three-star task but a five-star one.”
Mao Xiaoli stood up abruptly, her astonished expression almost tangible, with a hint of fear. She asked, “Didn’t the Daoist Association handle this matter?”
“They are handling it now.”
“They only handle it when someone dies,” Mao Xiaoli frowned, extremely displeased. “The Daoist Association and the Administration Office in Nanyue are so inefficient. They actually mixed up a five-star assignment with a three-star one and released it on the app. If it weren’t for Zhang Qiudao’s lucky streak and sufficient strength, wouldn’t he have been lost in Nanyue?”
Zhang Qiudao’s previous task was in Nanyue, an uninhabited village.
Chen Yang listened silently, understanding why Mao Xiaoli was so angry. He had seen the assignments on the Dafu APP himself, and most of them were one to three stars, with the three-star tasks already raising concerns. As for four-star and five-star tasks, Zhang Qiudao, a fourth-rank celestial master, would never dare to take them.
Even Kou Xuanling wouldn’t dare to easily accept a four-star assignment, let alone a five-star one.
For a five-star assignment, it was incredibly lucky that Zhang Qiudao’s group only suffered one casualty. It was worth mentioning that there was also a member from the Tianji Pavilion who had a strong sense of foreboding upon entering the uninhabited village. They performed multiple divinations, all of which indicated unfavorable outcomes.
With their heightened vigilance, they were able to retreat in time. However, they had only reached the entrance of the uninhabited village when they already had a casualty.
Generally, when assignments were posted on the APP, the Daoist Association or the Administration Office would verify and confirm their difficulty level. They tended to exaggerate rather than underestimate it. Similar to the incident in Hanjia Mountain, where a task that should have been rated as two stars was overstated.
Overstating wasn’t a big deal, but it should never be understated. It could lead to lower-ranked celestial masters mistakenly taking the task lightly and losing their lives. Like the task Zhang Qiudao took this time, it was supposed to be the most challenging five-star assignment but marked as three stars.
The Daoist Association and the Administration Office of Nanyue must provide an explanation.
Chen Yang lowered his gaze, and the sense of relief in his heart completely vanished, leaving only seriousness.
Being a celestial master, dealing with and opposing ghosts, most of them do not meet a good end. They might die at any moment since it was a high-risk profession with high returns.
He stood up and said, “I’ll go cook.”
Fortunately, even if he died, he could still be with Du Shuo. Thinking this way, his heart became calm, free from fear.
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