Chapter Three: Business Comes to the Door
Yu Niang chuckled, tears welling in her eyes. Whether she knew she couldn't break free of the spirit rope or thought what she said made sense, she didn't say anything more.
Seeing her silence, Jingwu planned to put her into his Qiankun bag, but the next second, a Xuanmen aura came, and the two appeared in the Shao family's courtyard.
She turned her head and met a pair of clear eyes. The boy looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, with delicate and handsome features, a tall figure, and a youthful face, but he had a serious expression, appearing mature beyond his years.
With such abundant spiritual energy within his body, he's truly a genius in cultivation.
Jingwu paused slightly, and the two who came quickly made hand seals and chanted incantations to summon the Ghost Gate and send Yu Niang inside.
She looked at the two men in surprise, and just as she was about to speak, the older man spoke up.
"Young friend, it seems you are a fellow practitioner. I wonder if you have taken a master? Would you like to join our Xuanmen sect?"
Jingwu looked at him with suspicion, but still answered, "I have already become a disciple of Shuangcheng Temple."
The middle-aged man looked at her with surprise in his eyes, then smiled regretfully and said, "What a pity. I am Yun Zhaohui from the Xuanmen sect, and this is my junior brother, Yue Huai."
Upon hearing the name Yue Huai, Jing Wu immediately turned his head to look at the fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy. This was the name of the genius boy that his master mentioned every day.
Born into the renowned metaphysical family, Yue, he was exceptionally gifted from a young age. He entered the metaphysical sect at the age of eight and became famous throughout the world by the age of ten. His master had always longed to take him as a disciple, and when he learned that he had become a disciple of the metaphysical sect, he was so angry that he cursed the metaphysical sect as shameless in the temple.
Jingwu still wants to laugh when he thinks about it.
"Young friend, what's your name? How did you discover this female ghost?" Yun Zhaohui had been secretly observing her for a long time. He noticed that although her cultivation level was low, she was calm and collected, and her talent was exceptional. Although she had already become an apprentice, he still wanted to establish a good relationship, just in case she ever switched allegiances to the Xuanmen sect.
"My name is Jingwu, and I live here." Although Jingwu was talking to the person in front of him, his eyes couldn't help but dart towards Yue Huai, thinking about how to bring him back to the temple to fulfill his master's wish and get his master to accept him as a disciple.
Yue Huai felt uncomfortable under the gaze and his face turned cold: "Senior brother, we should go back and report."
Yun Zhaohui also realized what was happening, and immediately smiled and said goodbye to Jingwu. After escorting Chen the butcher's daughter back to her home with the young man, she made a hand seal and disappeared into the Shao family's courtyard.
Jingwu watched the two disappear without giving it much thought and walked into the house. As soon as she entered, she saw Shao Che standing straight up like a corpse, which startled her.
"Uncle, you....."
"Awu, has that thing left?" Shao Che asked cautiously, looking around the courtyard. His voice trembled as he spoke.
Jingwu nodded and patted his shoulder: "They're gone, Uncle. You can get a good night's sleep now."
As soon as she finished speaking, she walked towards the attic, not even noticing Shao Che's mutterings.
After a whole night of tossing and turning, she was exhausted and sleepy. She went upstairs and went straight to bed to sleep.
The next morning, Jingwu got up and went downstairs. She saw four people with big dark circles under their eyes sitting at the dining table. She paused for a moment, and before she could speak, she heard Shao Che speak.
“Awu, this morning, Butcher Chen and his wife both died, leaving behind a seven or eight-year-old daughter who was taken back to the next village by her grandmother.”
He sighed deeply. Last night, he overheard his niece's conversation with the female ghost behind the door and realized that this was retribution for the evil deeds of Butcher Chen and his wife.
Last night, he told his wife what he had overheard, and she was furious and indignant on Yu Niang's behalf. She was also thankful that A Wu had given her the talisman, otherwise she would have been dead.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Awu, do you still have that talisman? The original one looks like it's turned to ash."
As he spoke, he took out the ash wrapped in red cloth from his pocket.
Seeing this, Jingwu nodded: "Yes, Uncle, I'll get it for you after you finish breakfast."
"Okay, okay, thank you for your trouble, A-Wu." Shao Che felt increasingly embarrassed, realizing that he hadn't listened to her advice last night, which had caused her so much trouble.
"It's alright, Uncle." Jingwu seemed to see his embarrassment and comforted him with a smile: "Uncle, don't think too much about it. It's just that the female ghost was too cunning. If it were an ordinary person, they would open the door to save a familiar seven or eight-year-old girl who was asking for help."
Moreover, this was Shao Che's destined tribulation.
She quickly finished her breakfast, went upstairs, took out a good luck charm from her cloth bag, and handed it to him.
Shao Che treasured it like a precious gem, and thanked him repeatedly.
"By the way, Uncle, when are you going to South Street today?"
"Oh? I'm not going to South Street today. I'm planning to go up the mountain to dig up some winter bamboo shoots and sell them with sweet potatoes tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Jingwu's face scrunched up: "Aren't you going?"
"What's wrong, Awu? Are you going to town for something?" Shao Che noticed her pale face and immediately asked, "It's still early, how about your uncle takes you?"
Jingwu thought for a moment. He shouldn't miss this business opportunity. If Shao Che didn't go, he could use a teleportation spell, saving him the trouble of walking.
So she smiled and said, "It's okay, Uncle, you go ahead and do your work. I can go to South Street by myself."
"How can that be?!" Shao Che immediately said in a loud voice, "It's not safe for a girl like you to go alone. I'll go with you. We happen to have some sweet potatoes at home that we can sell."
Jingwu wanted to refuse, but seeing his uncle's resolute attitude and his aunt's already starting to pack, he swallowed his words.
Before long, two large baskets of sweet potatoes were packed.
Her aunt wrapped Jingwu in her old cotton coat and whispered, "It's freezing outside, wear warm clothes so you don't catch a cold."
"Thank you, Aunt." Jingwu smiled and looked up at her.
Seeing her smile, the woman couldn't help but reach out and touch her cheek. She also longed for a daughter, but alas, she had no such fate and only had three sons.
If only she weren't that man's daughter.
Jingwu was oblivious to her aunt's dazed expression, busy wrapping her sleeves. Suddenly, a blue purse was handed to her, and when she looked up, she saw the woman's conflicted look.
“I heard from your uncle that you need a purse to hold the money you earn from your stall. This purse was a gift from your uncle a few years ago, and I haven’t used it yet. If you don’t mind, you can take it.”
Jingwu took it, blinked at the brand-new purse, and accepted it with a smile: "Thank you, Aunt, I like it very much."
The woman nodded, then said nothing more and watched the two leave.
Jingwu followed behind Shao Che and soon arrived at South Street.
She remained seated beside Shao Che's stall, waiting for someone destined to have their fortune told.
Aunt Chen, who sells vegetables, didn't come today; she stayed home taking care of her daughter-in-law and grandson. Instead, many onlookers from yesterday gathered around, scrutinizing her with curiosity.
Jingwu didn't pay attention. He checked the time and realized that the person destined for the first divination of the day should be arriving soon.
The next second, the owner of the steamed bun shop not far away poked his head out to look, then walked over and stood in front of her, hesitant to speak.
Jingwu looked up at him and heard him sigh deeply.
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