As the temperature dropped lower and lower, the atmosphere of the New Year grew thicker.

Shen Musi rallied everyone in the house to do a thorough cleaning of the entire building. They put up paper-cut window decorations and couplets, hung red paper lanterns, and added a bit of liveliness to the building’s previously cold and quiet air.

Zhou Jiayu had originally wanted to help, but the other four all expressed that he only needed to focus on cooking. He didn’t need to lift a finger for anything else.

Zhou Jiayu sighed inwardly—having good culinary skills seemed to be quite an advantage no matter where you were.

The New Year’s goods were bought by Zhou Jiayu and the others together. They could have had them delivered to the house, but Shen Yiqiong insisted on going out, saying that only by going out would it feel like New Year. Shen Musi and the others had always been very indulgent of Shen Yiqiong’s various requests, so when he insisted, they agreed.

So Shen Yiqiong drove Zhou Jiayu out to buy New Year’s goods.

When Zhou Jiayu first got in the car, he hadn’t reacted yet. It was only after Shen Yiqiong got in the driver’s seat and started the engine that he suddenly realized, “Shen Yiqiong, aren’t you not even eighteen yet? You have a license?”

Shen Yiqiong said very bluntly, “Nope.”

Zhou Jiayu: “Then…”

Shen Yiqiong said, “Do you?”

Zhou Jiayu said, “I… don’t either.” He indeed didn’t have a license.

Having received Zhou Jiayu’s answer, Shen Yiqiong stepped on the accelerator with satisfaction, and the car shot out.

For the entire trip, Zhou Jiayu was on tenterhooks, afraid a traffic cop would appear halfway and take Shen Yiqiong away. Driving without a license could get you detained for more than ten days under current law. Ten days later, New Year would be over—what would be the point of buying goods then?

However, Shen Yiqiong’s driving skills were actually not bad. He drove quite steadily and declared with confidence that he had known how to drive for a long time; he just couldn’t get a license because of his age. Zhou Jiayu didn’t know what to say.

The place they bought New Year’s goods was a large market where you could find almost anything. Shen Yiqiong spent money like it was going out of style, buying a huge pile of useful and useless things, leaving Zhou Jiayu dumbfounded.

In the end, when Shen Yiqiong asked to buy bubble solution, Zhou Jiayu really couldn’t hold back anymore. “There’s no child at home. What are you buying this for?”

Shen Yiqiong opened his eyes wide. “How is there no child? Isn’t the paper person our child?”

Zhou Jiayu: “…” Our… child? Shen Yiqiong really thought of himself as a godfather.

Shen Yiqiong said, “Early education is not something to be careless about. Think about it—if you accidentally raise it into the kind of unruly paper person Xu Jinghuo had, wouldn’t you wake up every day to see it standing at your bedside holding a big cleaver?”

This remark caused Zhou Jiayu to recall certain memories filled with shadows. He fell silent.

Without Zhou Jiayu stopping him, Shen Yiqiong bought even more exuberantly, filling the entire trunk and back seat of the car. He went home happily.

This was the first time Zhou Jiayu had bought New Year’s goods like this. He had originally thought that after getting home, Shen Musi and the others would lecture Shen Yiqiong. Who knew they acted as if they were used to it, resignedly carrying the things Shen Yiqiong bought into the house. Shen Yiqiong took his bubble solution, rattle-drums, and a series of other small toys to play with the little paper person.

Zhou Jiayu always felt that the harmonious atmosphere between them was actually a bit bizarre.

After coming here, the little paper person was always fighting with the yellow weasel. At first, it would suffer a bit, but later it became proficient in the art of fighting, sticking to the back of the yellow weasel’s head and scratching like crazy. The yellow weasel’s arms and legs were too short to resist. Watching it twist itself into a flower-like shape, Zhou Jiayu even suspected it might transform into a human on the spot to pull the paper person off the back of its head.

But there was a problem with this—Zhou Jiayu troublingly discovered that the back of the yellow weasel’s head seemed to be getting rubbed bald by the little paper person again… But he didn’t dare tell Little Huang. Instead, he quietly took the little paper person back to his room and lectured it, telling it to focus on other areas and absolutely not to give the yellow weasel a Mediterranean hairstyle. Otherwise, the yellow weasel would definitely explode on the spot when it found out.

New Year really made people too happy. You could eat whatever you wanted and see whoever you wanted to see.

The day before New Year’s Eve, Lin Zhushui had someone send over a sheep. So Zhou Jiayu lit the stove and made a lamb hot pot. The lamb was not only fresh but also of excellent quality. Zhou Jiayu braised some, stewed lamb soup, and sliced lamb meat to prepare for shabu-shabu.

When it was time to eat, Lin Zhushui didn’t come over. Zhou Jiayu hesitated for a moment, but still first portioned out some dishes and had Shen Yiqiong accompany him to deliver food to Lin Zhushui.

Shen Yiqiong said, “Wow, this is the first time I’ve ever delivered food to Sir.”

Zhou Jiayu said, “You’ve never delivered food before?”

Shen Yiqiong’s expression became somewhat pained. He said, “Do you think if I sent food I made to Sir, would he love me or hate me?”

Zhou Jiayu: “…” Very reasonable.

Shen Yiqiong said philosophically, “Some things, when given, cause the other person even greater suffering.”

Zhou Jiayu recalled the taste of the noodles Shen Yiqiong made and actually felt that the word “suffering” was used quite aptly.

When they arrived at Lin Zhushui’s residence, Zhou Jiayu knocked on the door. A moment later, the door opened, revealing Lin Zhushui’s somewhat indifferent face. “Mm?”

Zhou Jiayu hurriedly held up the basket full of dishes and said, “Sir, I’ve cooked the lamb you sent over. Seeing that you didn’t come, I brought some over for you.”

Lin Zhushui took the basket and nodded. “Go back.”

Zhou Jiayu said, “Mm…” He actually still had some things he wanted to say, but in the end, they were stuck in his throat and he couldn’t get them out.

The lamb feast at dinner was warmly welcomed by everyone. The lamb was tender and fresh; no matter how it was cooked, it tasted especially good. Shabu-shabu suited Zhou Jiayu’s taste best. The thinly sliced lamb cooked with a quick dip, then dipped in sesame paste and put in the mouth—it was full of the unique freshness of lamb. It wasn’t tough to chew, and the meat was supple and elastic.

A single sheep yielded more than thirty jin of meat. They ate from seven o’clock until ten at night and actually finished almost all of it. The yellow weasel also got a share, gnawing on a big bone very contentedly beside them. The little paper person slept in the pocket of Zhou Jiayu’s chest, its head nodding bit by bit, looking especially cute.

Zhou Jiayu’s whole body was warm, and a flush rose on his cheeks. He had drunk some wine and was a bit tipsy, smiling foolishly. He felt that life right now was pretty good. He was very satisfied and seemed to have no other desires.

On New Year’s Eve, Zhou Jiayu made dumplings. Lin Zhushui came over in the evening to eat with them. The TV in the living room was on, broadcasting the lively Spring Festival Gala.

Zhou Jiayu held the yellow weasel in his arms, with Lin Zhushui sitting beside him. He caught a whiff of a sandalwood-like fragrance. It was very faint. Zhou Jiayu knew it came from Lin Zhushui. This scent made Zhou Jiayu feel especially at ease, even making him involuntarily want to get a little closer to Lin Zhushui.

“Come on, let’s go set off firecrackers!” Shen Yiqiong proposed. “I bought quite a few fireworks too.”

“Let’s go,” Shen Erbai was the first to stand up.

So the group headed out. Zhou Jiayu and Lin Zhushui walked at the back. Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, landing on the skin with a slightly cool sensation. The surroundings were filled with talking, laughter—incredibly lively.

“There’s a temple fair on the third day.” Lin Zhushui, standing beside Zhou Jiayu, suddenly spoke. “Let’s go together.”

Zhou Jiayu thought at first that he had heard wrong. After pausing for a few seconds, he reacted. His whole person was so excited he couldn’t stand it: “Okay!”

Lin Zhushui nodded.

“Wow, this is the first time Sir has asked me out.” Zhou Jiayu was so happy he could die, but he couldn’t show it. He could only say to Jiba in his mind, “My god, I’m so happy!”

Jiba said, “Congratulations!”

Zhou Jiayu just grinned stupidly.

The crackling sound of firecrackers drove away the Nian beast. Fireworks blooming in the night sky prayed for the beauty of the new year.

The first day of the new year was a day for ancestral worship.

In the morning, the Lin family people came early. Naturally, Lin Po was among them. It was only after breakfast that Zhou Jiayu learned they were going up the mountain this morning to pay respects to their ancestors.

Lin Zhushui, however, seemed to be in low spirits. His expression was very cold the entire way.

The Lin family cemetery was private. Everyone buried in it was a member of the Lin clan. Whether in terms of environment or feng shui, it was excellent. The moment Zhou Jiayu entered, he saw wisps of auspicious aura lingering in the cemetery. Although the aura was faint, for it to appear in a cemetery was no ordinary phenomenon.

Lin Zhushui offered incense, then stood to the side, letting the remaining disciples kowtow to the ancestors one by one.

Zhou Jiayu stood in the back, a bit unsure of what to do. Up to now, Lin Zhushui hadn’t clearly established his status as a disciple. He didn’t know what form of worship would be appropriate for him… Just as he was thinking this, Lin Zhushui reached out and gently patted his shoulder, slightly lifting his chin toward Zhou Jiayu and saying, “Go. Kowtow a few times to the ancestral master.”

Zhou Jiayu hurriedly said okay, took incense from Lin Po’s hand, and respectfully stepped forward to kowtow a few times. Lin Po, standing to the side, looked at Zhou Jiayu with a somewhat complicated gaze. Zhou Jiayu couldn’t quite say what kind of feeling it was, but he clearly detected a bit of suppressed jealousy…

Well, being envied by the head of the Lin family counted as a kind of skill. Zhou Jiayu comforted himself like this.

The Lin family were great masters of feng shui, yet their method of ancestral worship was exceptionally simple—nothing more than the descendants offering a few sticks of incense and arranging some offerings. The direct and collateral branches of the Lin family totaled more than two hundred people, and they finished everything in one morning.

Lunch was already prepared at the cemetery side. It looked quite elaborate; there were some dishes Zhou Jiayu couldn’t even identify the ingredients of.

But no matter how exquisite the dishes were, Lin Zhushui wasn’t very accommodating. This time Zhou Jiayu paid a bit more attention and discovered that Lin Zhushui only moved his chopsticks once—and only picked up a single asparagus in front of him. It looked like he couldn’t even be bothered to put on a perfunctory show.

Lin Po’s attitude was also somewhat different from before. He seemed to know Lin Zhushui was in a bad mood and spoke very carefully. Lin Zhushui responded half-heartedly, his expression terrifyingly cold.

Shen Yiqiong was also uncharacteristically quiet today. He didn’t dare chat at the dinner table and buried his head in his bowl eating.

It was only in the afternoon that Zhou Jiayu understood the reason for these abnormalities.

They left the cemetery early, but Lin Zhushui didn’t get in the car.

“Where’s Sir?” Zhou Jiayu asked in a lowered voice.

Shen Yiqiong made a shushing gesture. After the car drove out of the cemetery, he said, “Sir went to see his grandfather and grandmother.”

Zhou Jiayu was stunned for a moment. “They both…”

Shen Yiqiong nodded.

On the way back, Shen Yiqiong intermittently told the story of Lin Zhushui’s parents. It was said that the two were well-matched, both great feng shui families. They fell in love at first sight and were happily married.

After Lin Zhushui was born, their relationship was elevated even further. This beautiful life continued until Lin Zhushui’s extreme yang constitution gradually manifested. In the feng shui profession, what was most feared were yin-related things. Therefore, an extreme yang constitution usually indicated extremely high attainment in this profession. Although this constitution would interfere with compasses, as long as one learned the Nine Palaces Flying Stars method, one could calculate with one’s fingers and break free from the limitations of the compass. However, this constitution had one enormous flaw: a short lifespan.

Shen Yiqiong said, “At the time, it was widely rumored in the industry that the Lin family ancestors had calculated Sir’s destiny and said he wouldn’t live past eighteen. Everyone believed it. It’s just that no one knows exactly what Sir’s parents did, but they actually changed his fate against heaven and allowed Sir to survive the hurdle of eighteen.”

Zhou Jiayu felt a bit sad listening to this.

Shen Yiqiong sighed, and a rare hint of worry appeared between his brows. “But changing one’s fate against heaven ultimately goes against the heavenly way. The two of them soon died in an accident together, leaving behind Sir, who was only eight years old…”

Eight years old. Even a genius like Lin Zhushui was still just a small child. Suddenly losing both parents—one could imagine how deeply he was struck.

“This matter seems to also be related to the Lin family.” Shen Yiqiong said, “So Sir moved out of the Lin residence not long after and established his own household.”

Zhou Jiayu had always felt that the relationship between Lin Zhushui and Lin Po was a bit strange. He hadn’t expected there to be this episode in the story.

“So every year after ancestral worship, Sir is in a bad mood.” Shen Yiqiong curled up in his seat, listless.

Zhou Jiayu felt that he really couldn’t help much and was somewhat melancholic. He muttered, “Then when we get back tonight, I’ll make more dishes that Sir likes.”

That evening, Zhou Jiayu put in some effort and made a full table of dishes, waiting for Lin Zhushui to return.

Probably seeing his nervousness and mood, Shen Musi kindly said, “Don’t worry, Sir will definitely come back. It’s just that the time will be a bit later. Let’s wait a bit longer.”

Zhou Jiayu thanked him a bit embarrassedly.

“Sir is in a bad mood every year on this day.” Shen Erbai comforted him. “We don’t know how to persuade him either. You being able to make this meal is quite good. Don’t think too much.”

The remaining two nodded in agreement.

They were indeed right. It was around eight in the evening when Lin Zhushui arrived home. Hearing the sound of the car at the door, Zhou Jiayu and Shen Yiqiong ran outside. Behind them followed a yellow weasel and the little paper person shamelessly insisting on riding on the yellow weasel’s back.

Watching their backs, Shen Musi smiled and said, “With Zhou Jiayu here, the house has gained a bit more human warmth.”

ShenChaosan, who had always been silent, said something quite meaningful upon hearing Shen Musi’s words: “Only the house?”

Their gazes met, and both saw in the other’s eyes what they wanted to say.

“It should be a good thing.” Shen Musi muttered softly.

A few minutes later, Lin Zhushui sat down at the dinner table, and the group began eating. Compared to lunch, his appetite was clearly much better. He even asked for two more servings of rice.

The other five people in the house saw this and were all quite happy.

Lin Zhushui was a powerful person, and precisely because of this, when he encountered certain matters, others were at a loss as to how to comfort him. It was as if speaking words of pity was an insult to him.

Fortunately, there was now an additional Zhou Jiayu.

The dishes were plentiful. Eating them warmed the stomach, and the person followed suit in warming up. Shen Yiqiong talked about the temple fair on the third day, saying it would definitely be especially lively.

Zhou Jiayu responded to his words and also expressed his anticipation.

The house gradually became lively again. The little paper person somehow provoked the yellow weasel again and was grabbed and stomped on fiercely by it. Fortunately, the paper person’s material was special; pure physical force was hard to damage it. But after being bullied, it would climb onto Zhou Jiayu’s arm in grievance, seeking comfort.

Zhou Jiayu stroked its head.

After the meal, when leaving, Lin Zhushui said thank you to Zhou Jiayu.

Zhou Jiayu was overwhelmed by the favor, waving his hand and saying Sir, you’re too polite. If it weren’t for you, right now I would… He hurriedly stopped mid-sentence because he realized he had almost confused his identity again.

Lin Zhushui, however, curved the corners of his mouth and said lightly, “If it weren’t for me, right now you’d still be living the high life.”

Zhou Jiayu: “…”

Shen Yiqiong said from the side, “Yeah, yeah, Zhou Jiayu, you don’t know how rich you were. My god, you had five or six seaside villas. But now they’re all gone, all compensated to the victims.”

Besides thank you, Zhou Jiayu felt he had nothing else to say…

Like a child anticipating a holiday, Zhou Jiayu also especially looked forward to the temple fair. On the third day, he got up early, put the steamed buns and baozi he had prepared the night before into the steamer, and ate breakfast with the group.

The temple fair was located at the east end of the city. Before they even got out of the car, Zhou Jiayu heard the clamor of voices.

The group got out of the car and followed the crowd toward the street of the temple fair.

Although there were people everywhere, Lin Zhushui was still very eye-catching. He wore a black mid-length windbreaker, revealing a light gray V-neck sweater underneath. His clothes weren’t buttoned up tightly; one could even faintly see his beautiful collarbones, the elegant lines of his slender neck, and the slightly protruding Adam’s apple in the middle of his neck. These parts all exuded an extremely eye-catching temperament. Lin Zhushui’s closed eyes made his cold temperament even thicker, yet within this coldness, another special flavor emerged. Zhou Jiayu found it hard to describe that feeling, but he noticed that many girls standing around Lin Zhushui were casting their gazes toward him.

Zhou Jiayu only took one glance and inexplicably felt his cheeks heat up. He uncomfortably averted his gaze.

“So lively.” Shen Yiqiong liked liveliness and was happy the whole way. “Wow, I want candied hawthorn. Do you guys want any?”

The others expressed their disdain toward him, saying that was something for children.

“I don’t care, I don’t care. You guys have to eat it with me!” Shen Yiqiong began to act spoiled. “Isn’t a temple fair about playing games and eating snacks? Zhou Jiayu, come buy it with me.”

After saying this, he didn’t give Zhou Jiayu a chance to refuse at all and forcibly dragged him away.

The candied hawthorn here came in many varieties—hawthorn, strawberry, grape, and kiwi. Shen Yiqiong picked five skewers and called Zhou Jiayu to go.

Zhou Jiayu said, “Aren’t you going to buy one for Sir?”

Shen Yiqiong was shocked. “I’d like to buy one, but are you going to give it to Sir to eat?”

Zhou Jiayu thought about it and agreed.

When Shen Yiqiong paid, he sighed and said Zhou Jiayu was getting bolder and bolder. Where had that little hamster who used to tremble at the sight of Sir gone?

Zhou Jiayu said, “So don’t call me Guan’er anymore…”

Shen Yiqiong laughed heartily, then rejected Zhou Jiayu’s request.

When the other three saw Zhou Jiayu hand that skewer of strawberry candied hawthorn to Lin Zhushui, they all showed expressions as if they had seen a ghost. But when they saw that Lin Zhushui actually took the candied hawthorn, their jaws practically dropped.

“It’s strawberry.” Zhou Jiayu even explained, “We picked a particularly plump one. Try the taste. If you don’t like it, give it to me.”

Lin Zhushui nodded, opened his mouth, and bit off one. The strawberry was held in his mouth, making his cheeks puff out slightly, inexplicably adding a bit of cuteness to Lin Zhushui.

Of course, the thought that Lin Zhushui was cute was something Zhou Jiayu only dared to think in his mind.

“Not bad.” After swallowing the strawberry, Lin Zhushui gave his evaluation. “A bit too sweet.”

Zhou Jiayu said, “Then are you still going to eat it?”

Lin Zhushui said, “Yes.”

So the group watched with their own eyes as Lin Zhushui ate the entire skewer of candied hawthorn. This scene was probably too rare. It took Shen Yiqiong quite a while to recover.

The temple fair was packed with people everywhere—sellers, buyers, performers, spectators. It was chaotically and incredibly lively.

Zhou Jiayu even spotted a fortune teller inside and pointed him out to them.

When Shen Musi saw the flag in that person’s hand with the four big words “Iron Mouth Straight Judgment” written on it, he laughed. “What do you guys say—swindler or skilled?”

Shen Erbai casually guessed, “Judging from this person’s face, it’s eighty to ninety percent a swindler.”

Zhou Jiayu listened muddleheadedly. Shen Yiqiong explained from the side, “‘Swindler’ and ‘skilled’ are both jianghu terms. In common parlance, ‘swindler’ means scammer tactics used to deceive people. ‘Skilled’ means they actually have substance—they’ve at least read some books on the subject.”

Zhou Jiayu said, “Oh!”

“These jianghu swindlers are the great enemies of our profession.” Shen Yiqiong stood beside Zhou Jiayu without moving, while Shen Erbai headed over there. “If they have a bit of substance, that’s fine. But if they’re really just relying on jianghu tactics to scam people, we have to take down that flag.”

Zhou Jiayu said, “Because they deceive people?”

Shen Yiqiong said, “Because they ruin the reputation of feng shui and divination.” In their profession, what they hated most were fraudsters. Because those people waved the banner of feng shui masters but did dirty deeds of deception. They had studied hard for twenty years, yet because of these people’s filthy actions, they got called swindlers. No one could accept that.

Shen Erbai had already arrived in front of that person’s table. He sat down directly and said, “Master, do a reading for me.”

The fortune teller said, “What would you like to have calculated?”

Shen Erbai said, “Just calculate something about my mother.”

The fortune teller said, “Let me see your left hand.”

Shen Erbai extended his hand. After carefully observing it, the fortune teller sighed and said, “I’m afraid your mother has been ill for some time.”

Shen Erbai said, “How did you know?”

The fortune teller sighed, “Look at the blackness at the tip of your brows, the white line entering your nose from between your brows, your withered yellow hair… these are all omens of your mother’s serious illness.”

Zhou Jiayu and the others stood not far away listening to their conversation. Shen Musi said, “It’s a swindle. Sir, what should we do?”

Lin Zhushui said lightly, “Have someone investigate clearly and then deal with it. Let him be for today.”

In a few short sentences, they seemed to have already determined the identity of the fraudster before them.

Zhou Jiayu thought it was simply because what the person said was inaccurate, but Shen Yiqiong explained, “If your mother were fine, would the first question you ask a fortune teller be about how she is?”

That made sense. When telling fortunes and asking hexagrams, what one asked was usually what was weighing on one’s mind. Being able to ask about one’s mother, then calculating based on the age of the person asking—eighty percent of the time it was related to illness.

“What if the calculation is wrong?” Zhou Jiayu felt this wasn’t entirely reliable.

Shen Musi said, “If it’s wrong, it’s wrong. Just don’t charge money. It’s not a big deal.”

Zhou Jiayu pondered thoughtfully.

After Shen Erbai came back, he was very dissatisfied with that fortune teller, saying these jianghu people’s skills were getting cruder and cruder. He recalled that back when these jianghu people hadn’t declined, their bag-of-gold and overturning-seal skills were astonishing enough to make people click their tongues in praise. Now they had to rely on blind guessing.

Zhou Jiayu’s mind was full of questions, but he was too embarrassed to be a hundred-thousand-whys. He thought he’d go back and flip through some books himself.

At the end of the temple fair was a large temple enshrining Buddhist beads. Judging from the stream of people coming and going, this temple must have had flourishing incense.

Lin Zhushui had them buy some incense, candles, paper money, and go in to pay respects before coming out.

It was now noon. There were more and more people around. Zhou Jiayu was walking in the crowd when he suddenly heard someone loudly shout his name.

Zhou Jiayu turned his head and looked through the crowd but didn’t find the person calling his name. But when he turned back, he discovered that Lin Zhushui and the others had already been squeezed by the crowd to a place farther away.

Zhou Jiayu hurriedly wanted to go over, but someone tugged at his foot. He lowered his head and saw an old lady sitting on the ground, groaning, “It hurts, it hurts so much…”

Seeing there were so many people around and the old lady was still sitting like this, Zhou Jiayu was afraid she would be trampled by people. So he lowered his head and said, “Old lady, are you alright?”

“Help me up. It hurts so much.” The old lady was wearing a floral jacket and a white flower on her head. Although her attire was a bit strange, there was nothing unusual about her aura. Moreover, with so many people around at this time, nothing should go wrong. Zhou Jiayu thought this and, with a tug of his hand, helped the old lady up.

“Old lady, where is your family? Did you injure your foot?” Zhou Jiayu inquired about the old lady’s injury.

But the old lady didn’t speak. She squinted her eyes and looked at him. Zhou Jiayu felt very uncomfortable being stared at by this gaze. He was about to take a step back when he saw her reach out extremely quickly and slap his back hard—Zhou Jiayu heard her voice by his ear. She said, “Give my grandson’s life—back to me—”

Zhou Jiayu’s whole body shook violently. He felt as if his entire person were floating. The surrounding environment twisted and distorted. It was as if he had arrived in another time and space.

After Zhou Jiayu recovered, the clamorous sounds around him had all disappeared. The lively temple fair street was completely empty. Only the snowflakes drifting in the sky fell sha sha onto the ground.

The street was very quiet. The shops were still open. The fried meatball stall was steaming with heat, but there wasn’t a single person there.

Zhou Jiayu stood in the empty street, looking around at a loss. He felt as if he had… arrived at a rather bad place.

“Quick, Zhou Jiayu!!” Jiba’s voice suddenly rang out, “Find a place to hide!!!”

Zhou Jiayu was startled. “What’s going on?”

Jiba said, “Don’t ask first. There’s no time. Quick!! Go into the temple in front of you and hide under the Buddha statue!! Don’t show your head no matter what sound you hear!”

Jiba’s voice was sharp and urgent. Zhou Jiayu hadn’t heard him use this tone in a long time. After hearing this, he quickly ran into the temple in front of him. The moment Zhou Jiayu entered, he was startled by the Buddha statues before him. The Buddha statues in the temple before had all been kind-eyed and benevolent. Now these Buddha statues had all changed their appearance. They glared fiercely at those who entered, weapons in their hands. Their lifelike appearance made it seem as if they would jump down the next moment.

Beneath the Buddha statues were some compartments made of cloth curtains, used to store offerings of fruit and tribute. Zhou Jiayu randomly found one and hid inside.

“What exactly is going on?” Zhou Jiayu said, “Where is this?”

Jiba said, “Shh—don’t talk first. Be quiet!”

Zhou Jiayu had no choice but to shut his mouth.

Clank… clank… clank… Not long after Zhou Jiayu hid in the cloth curtain, a strange sound rang out, like chains dragging on the ground. The sound came from all directions and soon approached Zhou Jiayu’s location.

Zhou Jiayu held his breath and focused. Through the gap in the cloth curtain, he faintly saw the scene outside. Those were black shadows floating in mid-air. Saying they were black shadows, they were actually more like humans. It’s just that their feet were suspended in mid-air, black chains on their ankles. Their faces were hidden in the darkness, their features unclear. They drifted slowly into the temple like this.

“Do you smell it?” a voice said. It was unclear which black shadow had spoken.

“I smell it,” another black shadow responded. “How is there the scent of a living person here? And it smells so good…” One of the shadows lowered its head, seemingly searching for the source of the scent.

This shadow was standing right beside the cloth curtain where Zhou Jiayu was hiding. The moment it lowered its head, Zhou Jiayu saw its face clearly.

That was not a human face at all. Although its facial features were similar to a human’s, its face was covered in yellow fur. Its eyes were narrowed into a line like a fox’s, with no pupils visible. Its entire cheek was stiff, like a strange mask, making the hair on Zhou Jiayu’s back stand up after looking at it.

“It seems to be right here, right here.” The black shadow slowly brought its face closer to where Zhou Jiayu was hiding. Its face and Zhou Jiayu were separated by only a thin piece of cloth. Zhou Jiayu watched it reach out its hand. That hand was also covered in fur, its nails sharp and long. “Is it here?” Hearing these words, Zhou Jiayu’s heart was about to jump out of his throat. He watched with his own eyes as that hand got closer and closer to him, about to lift the cloth curtain before him.

However, the moment its fingers touched the cloth curtain, a miserable cry came from its mouth, “It hurts—it hurts so much—”

Another black shadow beside it said, “Why are you touching the offerings?!”

“But there’s the scent of a living person inside,” the black shadow said.

“Are you stupid? The scent of a living person becomes that of a dead person once it gets here.” They rustled and whispered some more unknown things. After a while, they floated out the door again.

Only then did Zhou Jiayu let out a breath. He reached out to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. “Jiba, what happened to me?”

Jiba said helplessly, “That old lady doesn’t seem to be human. She slapped your soul out of your body with one palm…”

Zhou Jiayu widened his eyes. “A soul can be slapped out?”

Jiba said, “Yeah. For a normal person, at most one soul and one spirit would be slapped out. Just find someone to help call back the soul and it would be solved. But your situation is special, isn’t it?” When it said this, it actually showed a worried expression—Zhou Jiayu was a bit amazed at how rich a bird’s expressions could be.

“You’re not the original soul of this body to begin with,” Jiba said. “So you’re also somewhat unstable. She probably didn’t expect that one slap could completely slap your entire soul out intact…”

Zhou Jiayu: “…” He wanted to smoke a cigarette and calm down. “What did she mean by her grandson?”

Jiba said, “Who knows? Feels like you’ve probably killed quite a few people too.”

Zhou Jiayu had nothing to say.

“What do I do now? Just wait here? Can I find a way back?” Zhou Jiayu felt he absolutely couldn’t die so inexplicably like this. “Is this the underworld? What are those black shadows?”

“Oh my Guan’er, you’re about to die and you still have so many questions.” Jiba said, “This isn’t exactly the formal underworld. It’s just a transitional place. Come out first. After coming out, grab some incense ash and smear it on your temples and forehead. Smear a lot.”

Zhou Jiayu looked left and right. After confirming there was no one, he quickly ran out from the cloth curtain and, following Jiba’s instructions, scooped out some ash from the incense burner. When he was scooping the ash, he always felt that the Buddha statue before him was glaring at him, making him a bit embarrassed. He apologized, “Sorry, I’ll just use a little. When I get back, I’ll burn more incense and paper for you. A great person doesn’t remember the offenses of a petty person.”

Whether it was Zhou Jiayu’s imagination or not, after he said this, he saw that the Buddha statue’s expression actually softened a bit.

Zhou Jiayu smeared himself until he was ash-gray all over, but he sighed in his heart. He thought encountering something like this during New Year was really unlucky enough. He didn’t know if he could escape this calamity this time.

__

Author’s Note:

Zhou Jiayu: I want to make something delicious for Sir.

Lin Zhushui: Come here.

Zhou Jiayu: Mmph…?!

Lin Zhushui: Very delicious.