Chapter05
Xie was silent. He understood what Jing Xiebai meant.
Things had gotten to this point where it was no longer something an ordinary person like Xie Que could get involved in. Neither evil spirits nor exorcists were something Xie Que should be exposed to.
But Xie refused to resign himself. He hated the evil spirit, and he also hated the Taoist priest who had let it go, leading to the destruction of his family. No one could possibly accept this outcome; if he could, Xie would have personally sent them to hell.
It was with this in mind that Jing Xiebai went against his principles and asked if he wanted to continue. He knew the best solution was to resolve the matter alone, and simply inform Xie Que of the outcome. But how could an ordinary person survive a month of ghost stalking them? And why did the Taoist priest leave Xie Que behind, such a significant threat? Jing Xiebai had a hunch; perhaps Xie Que held a secret code.
Jing Xiebai has always been keen on exploring such strange things. So, Xie Que, do you want to get involved in this cause and effect?
Xie pursed his lips and said without hesitation: "Yeah."
Under the dim streetlight, Xie Que's eyes lit up slightly. He looked at Jing Xiebai seriously and said word by word, "Jing Xiebai, I want to resolve this matter once and for all. Whether it's the evil spirit or the Taoist priest behind it, I don't want to just let it go."
Xie Que knew how dangerous this situation was. Even a single earthbound spirit from the corpse-raising ground could have tortured him into such a state, let alone other, more powerful spirits. Yet Xie refused to give up. He feared that few people in this world could ignore the situation and continue living as if nothing had happened.
Jing Xiebai was startled for a moment, then instantly relaxed, a gentle smile playing on his lips. A subtle glint of light flashed across his quiet, cold, almond-shaped eyes, and he suddenly became lazy and casual.
He smiled, lowered his head slightly, pretended to be distressed, and said helplessly: "Then, do I have to add another fee?"
Jing Xiebai didn't want to rip Xie Que off, but this matter was indeed troublesome, and the price he charged before was really unreasonable.
Xie sighed. He also knew that he couldn't get away with nothing. If he didn't increase the price, all his work would be in vain.
Although Xie Que's current financial situation is worrying, it does not mean that he will be so poor in the future.
He nodded. "Sure. How much?"
Xie thought about Jing Xiebai's previous charges, so the price increase shouldn't be too much...
"Add another hundred thousand."
Outrageous.
Xie Que had a wooden face and stared at Jing Xiebai with an expression that looked as if he was worse than death.
Jing Xie was amused by his expression. He leaned over, put one hand on Xie Que's shoulder, and leaned close to Xie Que, saying lazily, "You can write an IOU. I'm sure you can pay it back soon."
It's not difficult indeed. Xie didn't have any particularly large expenses, so he could pay it back in a year or two at most. Thinking of this, his expression brightened a little. He took a step to the side, increasing the distance between him and Jing Xiebai.
"So what should we do now?" There has to be a plan, right? He doesn't want to wait any longer.
Jing Xiebai stood up straight and looked up at the mountains in the distance.
The mountains looked eerie in the darkness, giving the impression of a terrifying presence. The cold wind blew, and the leaves swayed, resembling the savage presence of a demon.
"Let's go back first. We'll know who did this tomorrow."
Jing Xiebai took out a piece of white jade from his pocket, handed it to Xie Que, and motioned him to put it on.
"You haven't fully recovered yet, so it's safer to wear this jade."
Jing Xiebai raised his foot and walked back.
"You should be careful recently, get more sun and drink more hot tea."
Jing Xiebai walked in front and gave Xie Que sporadic instructions.
Xie would occasionally say "hmm" as a response.
The two returned home, took a shower, and then went to bed.
After solving the problem of the earthbound spirit and finding his goal, Xie Que slept very well.
When he opened his eyes, the sunlight had already climbed onto the bed.
Xie blinked, a little confused about the situation.
"Mom." He called out habitually, and then realized that Xie's mother was gone.
Xie lay on the bed, feeling a little overwhelmed.
His parents passed away so suddenly that Xie didn't react at all in the beginning. He just numbly buried them according to the village burial customs.
The real realization that they had left was when Xie habitually dialed a familiar number only to find that it was no longer in service, and when he habitually called out "Mom" in the morning but never got a response.
Xie rubbed his eyes, took a deep breath, and got out of bed.
He opened the door and found Jing Xiebai had already prepared the noodles.
"Wash up and come eat some noodles. I'll tell you about our next plan."
Jing Xiebai took out his tablet and played an old idol drama. He ate noodles while staring at the screen.
Xie said nothing and went to the bathroom to wash up.
He was so upset that he mistook toothpaste for facial cleanser without realizing it. It was only when he was spreading it on his face that he realized he had squeezed the wrong thing.
Xie hurriedly washed the toothpaste off his face, too lazy to use facial cleanser, so he just rinsed it with water and left.
Xie Que sat down opposite Jing Xiebai, tore open the lid of his instant noodles, and mumbled as he ate, "You tell me now. I want to resolve this matter as soon as possible."
Xie felt much better after knowing who the target of revenge was.
Jing Xiebai looked up at Xie Que, took a big mouthful of noodles, drank a sip of soup, and turned off the TV series.
"We're going to deal with the forbidden area in your village today. We'll also ask someone about the Taoist priest. Although the hope is slim, I still think we should ask. It would be great if we can find the person who came to your village to set up the formation."
Xie nodded and ate his noodles faster.
"Okay... you... wait... I... Ma Sang... is done."
Jing Xiebai couldn't help laughing when he saw Xie Que wolfing down the food.
He handed Xie Que a cup of tea.
"Eat slowly and don't choke. We can resolve this matter today. We'll leave after we're done."
"Ah?" Xie didn't expect them to leave so early. For a moment, he didn't care that there was still noodles in his mouth, and looked at Jing Xiebai with a confused face.
Jing Xiebai put away the tablet and casually explained, "This Taoist priest must have a next step. We need to find him quickly."
Xie, however, ate even faster after hearing this. He took a big mouthful, not even chewing, and swallowed it all in one gulp.
"Ahem," Xie took the tea and took a big gulp. "Let's go. I'm done eating."
After saying that, Xie Que stood up, cleaned up the mess, put on his bag, took his cell phone, and pushed Jing Xiebai out.
"Let's go find the village chief. If he can't tell us anything, we'll have to ask the village shepherd. If he still can't tell us anything, we'll be really helpless."
Xie turned around and locked the door.
He has changed from the decadent look of the past few days and is now full of energy.
Jing Xiebai was facing the sun, his features hard to see in the shadows. But Xie heard his voice, tinged with laughter: "Okay, let's go."
Xie also laughed and replied, "Okay, I'll lead the way."
This time he didn't take the shortcut.
The village chief's home wasn't far from Xie Que's. He had trouble walking and rarely went out. Even when he did, it was usually to check on the vegetables in the fields in front of his house.
"Uncle Zhang, I'm here!"
Xie Que saw the village chief working in his field from a distance.
"Hey, Quezai, why are you here?" The village chief stopped what he was doing, stood in the field, and looked at Xie Que with a smile on his face.
He was really happy. In recent years, apart from the New Year, there were basically no visitors to the village. Having a young man come to see him would make the village chief feel that there was still life in the village and it was not so cold.
Xie ran over, waved to the village chief, and shouted, "Uncle Zhang, please come up. I have something to ask you."
The village chief did not suspect anything and came out of the field trembling.
"Hey, Quezai, you have..." The village chief was stunned when he saw Jing Xiebai behind Xie Que.
"Who is this?"
Xie didn't use the same trick he used yesterday to deal with the aunt, but he didn't tell the truth to the village chief either.
"This is the master I invited to solve the problem of the forbidden area in our village. I was always worried after I went back, so look, I found someone else to take a look at this matter."
Jing Xiebai raised his eyebrows. He really didn't expect that Xie Que didn't even need to draft his lies. His lies were so smooth that no one could suspect him.
"Well, when I heard Xiao Xie talk about this, I felt something was wrong. After thinking about it, I decided it would be better to come and take a look."
Jing Xiebai had to admit that Xie Que's lie was indeed a good one. It not only prevented the village chief from lying to them but also avoided causing panic among the villagers.
When the village chief heard that they were here to deal with the forbidden area, his face lit up with joy.
"Oh my, thank you so much."
As the village chief spoke, he invited the two men into his home for tea.
He took out the black tea his son had brought for the New Year and brewed it. However, Xie saw that he had difficulty walking, so he stood up and took the kettle.
"It's okay, Uncle Zhang, you don't need to make tea. We're in a hurry, let's just sit down and talk."
Jing Xiebai also joined in the conversation.
"Yes, old man. The sooner this matter is resolved, the better. Let's sit down and talk."
The village chief's face was filled with smiles. "Okay, okay. If you have any questions, just ask. I will tell you everything I know."
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