Chapter 15

After resolving this issue, Jiang Zhuochen became persistent.

Early in the morning, Jiang Zhuochen yawned as he went downstairs and went into the kitchen before the housekeeper finished preparing breakfast.

For the first fifteen years, he ate whatever food he could find from various families, and for the next three years he was pampered with fine clothes and delicacies. He never even stepped into the kitchen, let alone cooked for anyone.

He followed the aunt and picked up a plating job to pretend he did it himself.

As Xu Xing went downstairs, he saw Jiang Zhuochen sitting at the dining table with his hands supporting his chin. When they met eyes, Jiang Zhuochen gave him a bright smile.

His mood improved with that smile early in the morning. As he approached, the other person stood up to wait for him and pulled out the chair next to him.

Good morning.

Xu Xing sat down and took a sip of soy milk. "Why are you up so early today?"

Jiang Zhuochen brought him breakfast, straightening his back a bit, his eyes bright. "Did you notice anything different?"

Xu Xing looked at the breakfast table, which was no different from any other day. This question was as unreasonable as asking a straight male friend if he had changed his lipstick shade and asked him what was different about him today.

He picked up a slice of toast and took a bite under the other person's intense gaze; even the taste was the same as before. He could only ask, "What's different?"

Jiang Zhuochen wasn't discouraged. He pointed to the plates on the table and said, "I arranged them all. Don't they look nice?"

...

Xu Xing chuckled, "It looks good, so you got up early just to arrange it on a plate?"

"Then I can't cook anything delicious either," Jiang Zhuochen said modestly. "I'll just have to show off my skills in other areas."

"What made you think of doing all this?" Xu Xing asked.

Jiang Zhuochen said bluntly, "If I want your help, I have to make you happy first, right?"

After all, that longevity lamp was useless; once it was used to sense his master's soul, it would light up in all directions, making it completely ineffective. He might as well cling to Xu Xing's coattails.

Xu Xing paused, his smile fading slightly. He wasn't particularly happy that he could sense the so-called soul; on the contrary, he felt somewhat annoyed.

He didn't want to have anything to do with Jiang Zhuochen, that very important person, especially since he was now trying to please him for that person's sake.

"You could find it without me, couldn't you?"

“It would be a huge waste of time,” Jiang Zhuochen replied. “It would take too long; I don’t even know when we’d find it.”

Jiang Zhuochen pursed his lips slightly, his eyebrows drooping.

Every time she showed this vulnerable side, Xu Xing's heart softened. He deliberately avoided looking at her and slowly ate his breakfast. "I'm very busy. You have nothing to do, so go out for a walk, maybe you'll find it."

“You can’t say that…” Jiang Zhuochen lowered his voice.

This is tantamount to trying to eradicate all the ghostly energy from the entire world. Not only is his own strength insufficient, but even the treasures he carries are not enough.

"Then think about what to say." Xu Xing finished eating, stood up, and walked out. "I'm going to the company first."

Jiang Zhuochen looked disappointed, then pulled out a chair and ran to Xu Xing's side. "Can I visit your company?"

Xu Xing glanced at him, said nothing, and tacitly agreed to the other party's request.

Upon arriving at Xu Xing's company, Jiang Zhuochen found the office to be much more normal. It was clean and tidy, yet the layout was grand and stylish, and the expansive view from the high-rise windows was incredibly relaxing.

Jiang Zhuochen's mind wasn't on that; he wasn't really there to visit the company, while Xu Xing, as he had said, was genuinely very busy.

Jiang Zhuochen sat to one side, the office door being pushed open from time to time, and one person after another would give a serious report on a bunch of things he couldn't understand, which would last for at least half an hour.

He could only squeeze in time to serve tea and water to Xu Xing, which drew frequent, ambiguous glances from the other man. Occasionally, before he could even stop walking, he would be caught by others who pushed open the door, and his face would show another look of horror.

Xu Xing ran his fingertips along the bottom of the document, and amidst the bewildered stares of the others, he picked up the documents and led his subordinates to the conference room for a meeting.

Jiang Zhuochen backed onto the sofa, sat down, took a sip of the water he hadn't yet handed out, and then placed it on the coffee table with a bit of effort.

He rallied his spirits and suggested going back to cook for Xu Xinglu, showing her his culinary skills. After being rejected, he angrily returned to the villa, only to change his attitude upon seeing her again.

After a few days of this stalemate, Xu Xing finally couldn't hold back any longer when he went to his study at night.

He stood at the door, and after Jiang Zhuochen finished showering and came out, he saw him walking towards him and asked in a low voice, "You came into my study?"

Jiang Zhuochen nodded. "The housekeeper came over today, so I helped with the cleaning."

"Did the housekeeper tell you that you can't go into the study?"

The voice was deep and steady, yet it was like a cold current surging in the deep sea. Jiang Zhuochen instantly sensed the low pressure spreading around him.

Xu Xing got angry.

No one had ever told him that he couldn't enter the study. Back when he was in the mountains, he could sleep anywhere if he was unhappy, let alone enter his master's study. So he naturally didn't know what status the study held for ordinary people.

"I didn't touch your things."

"That's not the issue," Xu Xing said in a deep voice. "I think even in your time, a study wasn't a place just anyone could enter. You know which areas were accessible and which weren't, right?"

Jiang Zhuochen tightened his grip on the towel, and the light reflected in his eyes suddenly dimmed as if a layer of veil had been added, even the frequency of his eyelashes crossing slowed down.

"This is the last time." After saying this, Xu Xing turned around and closed the door, so fast that Jiang Zhuochen didn't even have time to react.

Xu Xing frowned, a sense of frustration welling up from the bottom of his heart.

He wasn't really angry with Jiang Zhuochen, but his ulterior motives were too blatant, making his bright smile increasingly irritating.

What do you mean by "the housekeeper came to help clean"? Why didn't the housekeeper come every few days before?

He rubbed his temples, unable to bring himself to say anything harsh, so he simply closed the door to physically shut out any possibility of his soft heart.

Jiang Zhuochen angrily threw the towel on the bed. He couldn't help it; Xu Xing's face often confused him, and just now it felt like he'd been scolded by his master. Even though he told himself it was two different people, he still felt somewhat wronged.

That's different; Master won't be harsh with him.

As for where he can and can't go, was he the one who wanted to stay here in the first place? She's just annoyed with him and is using this as an excuse to yell at him.

He clutched the longevity lamp tightly to his chest, staring out the window to calm himself. If they won't help, they won't help; he'll just consider it a form of self-cultivation.

The next day, Jiang Zhuochen no longer went to the restaurant early. He slept until he naturally woke up, ate breakfast, and went straight to the Taoist temple.

Although he neglected the place for a few days, thanks to Chen Sheng and Wu Duo, the Taoist temple was guarded every day, and every three or four shops, Jiang Zhuochen noticed Chen Sheng gesturing wildly in front of the gate.

The other party somehow got hold of a loudspeaker, and Wu Duo and the other person took turns shouting.

"Come and take a look! Our Taoist temple accepts all kinds of exorcism, ghost warding, fortune telling, and feng shui commissions. The results are visible to the naked eye, and we guarantee your satisfaction. You'll have no worries afterward. Don't hesitate any longer, welcome to come in and consult."

Jiang Zhuochen quickly stepped forward, put his arms around their necks, and led them into the store without saying a word.

"Hey, Brother Jiang, what brings you here?" Chen Sheng put down his megaphone and asked for credit. "How was my method?"

Jiang Zhuochen scoffed at him: "Then why haven't I seen anyone come looking for me after you've been calling for days?"

"That's because they haven't seen it before." It was hot outside, and Wu Duo wiped his sweat after entering the Taoist temple, standing in the wind. "They didn't know how powerful you were."

Jiang Zhuochen was too lazy to listen to their boasting and was ready to kick them out after they had served their purpose. "Don't bother with me, go back now."

"It's no trouble at all." Wu Duo lingered, unwilling to leave. "It's summer vacation, we're very free."

Chen Sheng squatted down in front of the table, looking Jiang Zhuochen in the eye, his eyes gleaming. "Brother Jiang, could you demonstrate how to catch ghosts again?"

Jiang Zhuochen rested his chin on one hand, tapped his fingertip on the table, and gently curled the corners of his lips into a smile. "Okay."

Then, with lightning speed, he took out two talismans and stuck them on Chen Sheng and Wu Duo's foreheads. With his palms facing up and his fingers hooked, the two men involuntarily stood up.

"Huh?" Chen Sheng asked in confusion, "What's going on?"

Jiang Zhuochen spun his fingertip downwards, and the two people opposite him followed suit.

"Hey, Brother Jiang, let's talk this out, I'm dizzy," Wu Duo yelled.

After tossing the two aside, Jiang Zhuochen brought two fingers together, forcing Chen Sheng and Wu Duo to walk towards the center. Just as they were about to collide, Jiang Zhuochen bent his fingers downwards amidst their terrified cries, and the two of them suddenly squatted down.

"Aww!"

The gloom of the past few days vanished, and Jiang Zhuochen laughed out loud. "The demonstration is over."

Chen Sheng quickly tore off the talisman. "Brother Jiang, that's not fair of you."

"Here you go. Stick one on whoever you don't like." Jiang Zhuochen clicked his tongue and added, "Of course, you can stick it on a ghost if you're capable, so you can have more time to escape."

Wu Duo straightened his back. "Such a good thing?!"

Chen Sheng immediately perked up, clutching the talisman tightly to his chest. "Thank you, Brother Jiang!"

The two were completely bewildered by the talisman and shouted even louder outside the door.

After shouting for a while, Chen Sheng handed the megaphone to Wu Duo and took a big gulp of water from his bottle. Looking up, he caught a glimpse of a man not far away, his brow furrowed and muttering something to himself.

The man took a few steps, looked up and stopped after seeing the plaque of the Taoist temple, his expression hesitant.

As the man slowly passed by, Chen Sheng rushed forward and stopped him, smiling warmly. "Brother, would you be interested in learning more about our Taoist temple? We're experts in fortune telling, feng shui, exorcism, and warding off evil spirits—we guarantee you'll be satisfied."

“That’s right.” Wu Duo followed up, “The price is negotiable, and we’ll take care of everything in one go so you won’t have any worries.”

The man, who was already weak-willed, was half-heartedly pulled inside amidst the two women's chattering.

"Brother Jiang, we've got a customer!"

Jiang Zhuochen looked up and saw that they had indeed pulled a man in.

This Taoist temple has no fluorescent lights; it relies entirely on sunlight during the day, making it much darker than other places inside.

Xu Cheng didn't notice for a moment, but when he came in, he realized that the abbot was so young and exuded an unreliable aura.

Why did he walk in? Was he really bewitched?

Chen Sheng persuaded, "Our Brother Jiang may look young, but he's actually very experienced, far surpassing those old Taoist priests. Just tell him what difficulties you have, and he'll definitely help you solve them."

Jiang Zhuochen corrected him: "I never said such a thing."

Wu Duo, who was standing next to him, nudged him and said in a low voice, "Don't talk."

Chen Sheng gestured for Xu Cheng to sit down, "Come on, you can speak now."

Xu Cheng held the disposable water cup in his hand for a while, then sighed helplessly and slowly said, "It is a rather strange problem. For the past few days, my house has been surrounded by black mist every night, and I can vaguely see a blurry figure, but no one can recognize who it is. We have also asked a Taoist priest to perform a ritual, but it didn't work."

The black mist must be ghostly energy, Jiang Zhuochen thought. But he wasn't sure, so he suggested, "I can go back with you to take a look later."

Xu Cheng hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. "Okay, thank you."

Chen Sheng and Wu Duo excitedly waved goodbye to them.

Jiang Zhuochen sat in Xu Cheng's car as he was driven home. While waiting at a traffic light, he saw a familiar building.

After a long silence, he asked Xu Cheng to stop and wait for him as he passed by, then opened the door and walked towards Xu Xing's company.

He originally just wanted to come over and tell them he wouldn't be going home tonight, but the receptionist stopped him.

"Sir, do you have an appointment?"

"No."

The receptionist gave an apologetic yet polite smile. "I'm sorry, but if you need to see Mr. Xu, you'll need to make an appointment in advance."

Although she had seen this young man before, Mr. Xu hadn't asked anyone to speak to her, so she could only proceed strictly by business.

Jiang Zhuochen only wanted to let Xu Xing know in case he didn't see him when he got home that night, just in case. However, since Xu Xing was in a bad mood, it might be better if they didn't meet.

He nodded to show his understanding, and left without saying anything.

A note from the author: