Chapter 34

As the current head of the Qingyang Temple and a Taoist with genuine ability, Master Wenyuan is a man highly sought after by those in need of assistance.

He had a long-time friend whose newborn child, similar in age to Qingyao, suffered from a vastly different constitution. The infant was born extremely frail, spending the first three months in the hospital. Even with meticulous care, the child suffered from frequent convulsions and would often suddenly stop breathing or fail to respond to any stimuli.

Upon examining the child, Master Wenyuan realized the infant’s birth chart was highly unusual. The child was prone to soul-loss, highly susceptible to ghostly interference, and easily possessed; he feared the child might not live to adulthood. He spent considerable time selecting a piece of top-quality jade, consecrating it with protective mantras to nourish the soul and repel demonic possession. He also carefully crafted several offensive talismans, such as Thunder-Calling and Ghost-Repelling charms, to provide defense against more vicious spirits.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, a time when both humans and supernatural entities were active, Master Wenyuan intended to deliver gifts to his friends before the transition of the year.

His friends were scattered across the land, and conventional delivery methods were too slow. He relied on paper cranes for navigation and sent the "Five Ghosts" to traverse the spirit paths.

The paper cranes navigated based on the addresses written on the yellow slips attached to them. However, due to the sheer number of friends, a moment of carelessness led to a mix-up in the addresses.

By the time he realized the mistake, the paper cranes had already returned. Upon checking his inventory, Master Wenyuan felt a wave of dread.

The Thunder-Calling talismans were designed specifically to combat demons and spirits; if touched by a supernatural being, they would be triggered. The energy he had poured into them was immense, capable of summoning lightning powerful enough to shatter the souls of ordinary spirits.

If these had been sent to any other friend, it might have been manageable, but they had been mistakenly delivered to Lang Xiao and Hu Yuanfei.

This was a catastrophic blunder.

Ignoring the paper cranes, Master Wenyuan made a video call directly. While waiting for it to be answered, he prayed to all the gods and immortals, begging for no tragedy to have occurred.

Before his prayer was finished, the call was connected. The screen was instantly filled with the face of Hu Yuanfei, who was seething with boundless rage.

Although he hadn't been struck by the lightning, the fur all over his body was standing on end, unexpectedly matching his furious mood.

Hu Yuanfei enunciated each word, "Wang! Wen! Yuan! What on earth are you trying to do?"

"It’s okay, it’s okay, they survived," Master Wenyuan thought, patting his chest in relief. He bowed low, apologizing, "I am so sorry, truly sorry. I’m getting old, I mixed up the addresses, and the items meant for another child were sent to you instead! Thank goodness you are all safe. I shouldn’t have caused such trouble during the New Year."

His attitude was sincere. As the camera zoomed out to show him bowed at a ninety-degree angle, the sight of such a high-ranking Taoist apologizing so humbly extinguished two parts of Hu Yuanfei's anger.

Forget it, he thought. He’s old; mistakes are inevitable. I’ll forgive him this once.

*As if!*

Hu Yuanfei was not a magnanimous fox, especially since the one most affected was not him, but Qingyao—the cub’s soul had been scared right out of her body by the lightning.

Hu Yuanfei tapped his sharp claws against the screen, as if slapping Master Wenyuan’s face. "Do you know that Qingyao’s soul was scared out? If we hadn't discovered it in time, she might have wandered off and been eaten by other ghosts, or captured by some wicked Taoist to be refined. We might have lost her forever! Do you realize how serious the consequences were?"

Sweat beaded on Master Wenyuan’s forehead. Qingyao was the junior he held in the highest regard; his monthly visits were fueled by the hope of making her a disciple of Qingyang Temple. He had nearly destroyed his own future protégé.

He regretted his carelessness even more deeply. "Is Qingyao alright? How is she now? I’ll drive over immediately to check on her."

At that moment, Qingyao was doing quite well. She was playing with the piece of jade, rolling it around, and even trying to gnaw on it. Lang Xiao, assuming she was hungry, had gone to prepare some milk. The Yellow Dog and Li Bai stood guard on either side of her, terrified that something else might happen.

Hu Yuanfei snorted. "What could happen with us here? Her soul has already returned."

Master Wenyuan breathed a sigh of relief, though he felt a twinge of pain in his heart as he said, "Let Qingyao wear that jade. It’s a top-tier soul-nourishing piece. Children of her age are easily frightened, and having the jade to protect her will prevent this from happening again."

Hu Yuanfei raised an eyebrow. "What? Is this not for Qingyao? Do you intend to take it back?"

Master Wenyuan wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling miserable. That piece of jade was worth nearly a million, but it wasn't the money that pained him; it was the rarity of finding a material suitable for soothing a soul. It had taken him great effort to acquire, and he had promised it to a friend. Where was he supposed to find another one with the same effect on such short notice? Even with new material, the process of chanting and consecrating would take days.

But since he was in the wrong, he could only force a smile. "How could I? If Qingyao needs it, it is hers, of course. But could you return the books and talismans in the box? You have no use for them..."

Hu Yuanfei didn't speak, narrowing his eyes at him through the screen.

Master Wenyuan felt bitter. "I happen to have drawn a lot of Qi-Gathering talismans lately. I’ll send them over tomorrow."

"How many? I won't agree to anything less than a specific amount."

There were over twenty talismans in that box. The last time, the stingy old Taoist had only sent a few, which weren't enough for them to cultivate for even a few days.

Master Wenyuan felt his heart ache. "Twenty? Is twenty alright?"

"Twenty per person!"

"I don't have that many. The New Year is busy; I haven't had the time."

Hu Yuanfei remained silent.

Master Wenyuan finally compromised. "I’ll send ten tomorrow, and as soon as I finish the rest, I’ll send them over immediately."

"That’s more like it."

"I'll have the Five Ghosts bring those talismans back."

"Hurry up, we’re going to sleep."

"Yes, yes, of course."

The Five Ghosts, having just returned, were sent out once more. This time, Master Wenyuan verified the address repeatedly, ensuring no mistakes, before letting them depart. He was certain he would never make such a mistake again.

The Five Ghosts arrived quickly, bringing a new box—the one originally meant for them. Hu Yuanfei tossed the old box out the window with disdain, then cautiously accepted the new one, holding it as if it were a bomb before carefully placing it on the table.

"I hope there’s nothing dangerous in here. That old Taoist is cunning and treacherous; what if he’s trying to kill us off?"

Lang Xiao returned with a milk bottle. She picked up Qingyao, removed the jade from the cub's mouth, and placed the bottle to her lips. Qingyao hugged the bottle and began to drink greedily.

Too lazy to listen to Hu Yuanfei’s grumbling, Lang Xiao waved her hand, using her demonic energy to open the box.

Inside was an array of handcrafted toys: rattles, small rubber balls, bells, wooden birds, and a pair of silver locks. The rest were the promised talismans and a Taoist classic that also possessed calming properties.

The talismans and the book were handwritten by Master Wenyuan, showing sincere effort as a gift.

Hu Yuanfei curled his lip. "Just these things."

Lang Xiao, however, was not dissatisfied. Although she had been angry about the accident, the matter was resolved. The jade was clearly extraordinary, and the old Taoist had been generous. Looking at the gifts he had prepared for Qingyao, she realized he truly cared for the child, and everything had been a simple accident.

Lang Xiao said earnestly, "The Master has given us many gifts; we should return the favor."

Hu Yuanfei sat with his arms crossed. "He gives gifts with an agenda; he’s just a human with impure motives. Why should we return anything?"

"Reciprocity is essential. If we want to establish ourselves in the human world, it is necessary to be on good terms with such people. Besides, you can feel whether he is sincere or not, can't you?"

Hu Yuanfei didn't argue further; the old Taoist was indeed not a bad person. But he was still angry, and it wouldn't fade immediately.

He grumbled, "Fine, what do you suggest we give? We don't seem to have anything worth gifting. Does he need mice caught? I can catch mice for him for free once."

"Clearly, he doesn't need that."

"Then let him pet my fur once? The fur of a cultivated fox is precious. If he doesn't appreciate it, that's his problem!"

Lang Xiao: "...Even less so!"

Hu Yuanfei counted and realized how impoverished they were; he had nothing of value to offer. "I can't think of anything. What do you say we give?"

Lang Xiao searched herself and eventually pulled out two wolf claws. They were long, sharp, and semi-transparent gray, with the texture of both stone and jade, and they rang with a metallic sound when tapped.

These were the tips of her claws that had slowly grown and shed after a century of cultivation. They had been refined by her demonic energy; while not exactly magical artifacts, they were sharper and tougher than most human weapons.

Humans should like these, Lang Xiao thought uncertainly.

Hu Yuanfei poked at the claws, his paw pad nearly pricked. This was something that could hurt even the owner if handled poorly. He withdrew his paw, feeling reluctant for Lang Xiao. "You’re giving these to a human? These look too good."

Lang Xiao found a small box left over from a purchase and placed the claws inside. "There are plenty more. Do you want some too?"

As she spoke, she tossed two more to Hu Yuanfei.

Hu Yuanfei immediately tucked them away happily. "Heh heh, thanks. I suppose I’ll have to contribute from my own collection then."

He used his hind leg to scratch his neck frantically until it made a rustling sound, and soon, a few tufts of fiery red fur drifted down. He grabbed the fur and placed it into the box with great solemnity.

Lang Xiao: "..."

She had never seen such a stingy fox.

The two demons didn't have Master Wenyuan's methods to send the items via ghosts, and their claws were too sharp for standard shipping. They had to send the Master another message, claiming they had forgotten to put something in the box and asking his five ghosts to make one more trip.

Master Wenyuan, who was busy explaining the situation to a client, looked at the message with confusion. The box he had just retrieved was right next to him; aside from the jade pendant, everything else was there—nothing was missing.

Could they be trying to return the jade pendant? That seemed highly unlikely.

Filled with suspicion, he sent the Five Ghosts out once more and returned to his phone call. Without the jade pendant, he had to find a temporary substitute until he could craft a second one.