Chapter 4 Appetizer (4)
All eyes turned towards the object Zhu Ming held—a small, crudely carved figurine, about five centimeters tall.
Mr. Li’s face flickered with guilt, but his body continued to thrash uncontrollably. Yun Zouchuan tightened her grip, noticing that he could only flail his limbs without any real chance of escape. She decided to ease up slightly; she didn’t want to be liable for any broken ribs.
Li Xiuya stared at the remnants of her pillow in astonishment. “How did that get inside my pillow? I had no idea it was there!”
“Perhaps you should ask Mr. Li,” Zhu Ming said. “It seems your husband wasn’t aware he was also affected. But now that he knows the gravity of the situation, I believe he’ll be more forthcoming, unless he intends to become the permanent host for this thing.”
Judging by the sweat pouring down Mr. Li’s face, the sensation of losing control of one’s body was terrifying.
Avoiding his wife’s gaze, Mr. Li stammered, “I was on a business trip and heard about a local shaman who was very effective. I went to her for a good luck charm. Honey, I didn’t know it was anything strange.”
“If it was for good luck, why didn’t you tell Ms. Li?” Zhu Ming held the crowbar in front of Mr. Li, tantalizingly close to the figurine he desperately tried to reach but couldn’t grasp.
Examining the figurine, she analyzed, “Ceramic, human head, snake body, female characteristics. In ancient Chinese folklore, snake deities are often associated with fertility and sexuality. The most famous one is Nüwa, the creator of humankind. Ms. Li mentioned having vivid, intimate dreams and experiencing strange physical contact with Mr. Li. I believe the connection is clear.”
With every word Zhu Ming spoke, the expressions of Li Xiuya and Mr. Li darkened.
Mr. Li insisted, “I really didn’t know about any of that. Honey, believe me, I wouldn’t use anything like that.”
Zhu Ming continued, “Don’t worry, I haven’t finished my analysis. Considering what’s been happening between you two, traditional beliefs, and the fact that Mr. Li kept this a secret, could it be because—”
Mr. Li inhaled sharply.
Zhu Ming finished, “—Mr. Li is impotent and resorted to unconventional methods for treatment?”
Mr. Li choked, his face burning with shame. “That’s enough! That’s slander! I’m not impotent! The figurine was for something else…” His voice trailed off, and he hung his head. “Fine, I’ll tell the truth. Honey, I heard that if you put this under your pillow, it would bring children and good fortune… I know you don’t want children, and the shaman told me this would change your mind.”
Li Xiuya’s face was a mask of disbelief. “We’ve been married for ten years, and we agreed not to have children. No wonder… no wonder you argued with me about this before your trip and then dropped it when you came back.”
Mr. Li protested, “Isn’t it normal for me to want a child at my age? But I didn’t mean to harm you! I didn’t know this thing was so evil!”
Zhu Ming clicked her tongue. Men and their pride. He’d rather confess than have his virility questioned. It was almost comical.
She interrupted them. “Ms. Li, Mr. Li, the issue now isn’t whether or not you want children, but this figurine. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take it and dispose of it.”
Despite her anger, Li Xiuya couldn’t bear to see her husband remain under the influence of the evil object, especially since it posed a danger to her as well. “What about him?”
Zhu Ming reassured her, “Don’t worry, he’ll return to normal once the figurine is dealt with. After that, he just needs to bathe daily in the yang energy of the sun, absorb the eastern purple qi, the southern diamond yang, and the golden crow’s tail light, receive the blessings of Xihe with a golden wheel around his body, and over time, the evil energy will naturally dissipate, restoring his health and well-being.”
Li Xiuya blinked. “What does that mean?”
Yun Zouchuan translated, “Sunbathe.”
Li Xiuya: “…”
It was 3 a.m., and the storm still raged. Getting a taxi at this hour would be difficult. “It’s not a good time to deal with the figurine,” Zhu Ming said. “A-Zou and I will stay here with you tonight and leave in the morning.”
Li Xiuya was immensely grateful. “That would be wonderful. We have a spare bedroom with a bed. You can rest there tonight.”
The room was intended for guests, usually their parents, and now it would serve its purpose.
Li Xiuya went to prepare the guest room while Zhu Ming and Yun Zouchuan used bedsheets to tie Mr. Li to a chair. He was still twitching uncontrollably.
At the guest room door, Zhu Ming saw Li Xiuya changing the sheets, her back bent, occasionally wiping her face.
Knock, knock.
Zhu Ming tapped on the doorframe. “Ms. Li, the master bedroom is safe now. If you have anything you want to discuss privately, you can go there.”
Li Xiuya startled, quickly composing herself, not wanting to show her vulnerability. She turned with a smile. “Thank you so much for tonight. I didn’t expect your studio to be so effective, despite its low profile. You pinpointed the problem immediately. Ms. Zhu, do you have… the legendary Yin-Yang eyes?”
Ouch. But Zhu Ming wasn’t about to downplay their abilities. She smiled. “Indeed. True skill isn’t determined by fame. Our Small Fire God Supernatural Studio may be discreet, but our services are extensive. Feel free to contact us again if needed. Returning customers get a 5% discount.”
Li Xiuya sincerely hoped she wouldn’t need their services again, discount or not.
She accepted Zhu Ming’s business card. The back read, “Ghost catching, demon slaying, feng shui consultation: Your home’s best friend.” The front advertised, “Infidelity investigations, tracking, evidence gathering: Worry-free litigation support.”
Their services were truly extensive. “It’s late,” Li Xiuya said. “Let’s get some rest.”
She returned to the master bedroom, and Zhu Ming and Yun Zouchuan settled into the guest room.
Another person’s bed was never as comfortable as one’s own. Zhu Ming lay with her eyes closed, listening to the muffled sounds of arguing from next door.
Yun Zouchuan couldn’t sleep either. After tossing and turning, she finally asked, “Boss, how did you know the evil thing was in the pillow? I can see ghosts too, but that wasn’t a ghost. When we came in, I sensed the evil energy, but it was everywhere, evenly distributed.”
Logically, it shouldn’t have been possible to pinpoint the source based on the concentration of evil energy.
People like them had an official designation: Awakened. It meant they possessed abilities beyond common understanding. Awakened abilities varied greatly. Throughout history, some had developed cultivation techniques and passed them down, like those who disguised themselves as Taoist priests or Buddhist monks. Often, family members shared similar abilities.
But many Awakened had unique, unclassifiable abilities that couldn’t be systematically cultivated or categorized. This didn’t mean they were weak. Strength depended on both talent and effort.
Yun Zouchuan and Zhu Ming had different abilities, but being Awakened meant they possessed sufficient spiritual sensitivity to see things ordinary people couldn’t. Both had high levels of sensitivity. What Zhu Ming could see, Yun Zouchuan should have been able to see as well.
With her employee, Zhu Ming wasn’t as gentle. “Dummy, not all supernatural incidents require special abilities to solve. We confirmed the presence of evil energy, so Ms. Li’s story was likely true. There was something wrong with Mr. Li.
Observe carefully. He was lying on the right side of the bed, but the nightstand on that side held feminine items: hair ties, face masks, lip balm. No one would want to reach over someone else for these things, so he should have been sleeping on Ms. Li’s side. As for the specific location, observing which direction his body instinctively protected when he moved was enough. Besides, there’s no harm in guessing. Bold hypotheses, careful verification. See? This is why I’m the boss, and you’re the employee.”
Yun Zouchuan pouted, but she held her tongue. Her salary was in Zhu Ming’s hands, after all.
The storm gradually subsided, as did the arguing next door. It reached a crescendo and then quieted down, but Zhu Ming only heard the loudest yell:
“Divorce! We’re getting a divorce tomorrow!”
She wasn’t interested in other people’s marital problems. She just hoped to see the final payment in her account in the morning.
Sometime later, dawn broke, chasing away the damp darkness. Zhu Ming yawned, got up, ordered a car, and bid farewell to a red-eyed, exhausted Li Xiuya.
Kind-hearted Yun Zouchuan, having listened to the argument for hours, offered words of comfort. “Don’t be sad. You have the right to castrate any man who tries to force you to have a baby.”
Li Xiuya: “Huh???”
Yun Zouchuan blinked, completely unaware of how strange her statement was. “That’s what my boss taught—mmmph!”
Zhu Ming clamped a hand over Yun Zouchuan’s mouth, forcing a smile. “She’s still young, going through a rebellious phase. Don’t take her seriously.”
Yun Zouchuan muffled, “Mmm! That’s exactly what you said!”
Sunlight streamed into the apartment. Mr. Li’s strange twitching subsided. Zhu Ming instructed Li Xiuya to let him out after he’d had some sun and then took her leave.
“Ms. Zhu, when will you dispose of that evil thing?” Li Xiuya asked anxiously.
“It’s powerful,” Zhu Ming said gravely. “It requires the strongest yang energy of midday to be purged. I’ll perform a ritual. I won’t invite you to watch, in case it affects you.”
Li Xiuya wasn’t particularly interested. After expressing her gratitude, she transferred the remaining payment. The notification chime was music to Zhu Ming’s ears. She waved goodbye with a cheerful smile.
Once they were alone, the smile vanished. She trudged downstairs and took the small figurine from Yun Zouchuan’s pocket.
As she clenched her fist, a writhing black mist accompanied by a faint, ear-piercing shriek escaped from between her fingers. A few steps later, bathed in the bright morning sun, Zhu Ming extended her hand, letting a handful of ash fall into a trash can.
She dusted her hands, about to stretch, when she suddenly stopped.
Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a small, white greeting card.
A white ribbon tied to the card fluttered in the breeze. Unfolding it, she saw a strange invitation.
“You are cordially invited to our world: Night of Sacrifice. We await your presence tonight.”
Above the text, on the inside of the cover, was a drawing of a totem identical to the figurine she had just destroyed.
Zhu Ming’s brow twitched, her voice hardening. “A-Zou, check your pockets.”
Yun Zouchuan patted her loose tracksuit pockets, and after a moment, she too produced an identical card.