Chapter 69
On this day, all the Heavenly Masters indulged in a lavish dinner together, cordially invited by Zhang Rongfa. Throughout the meal, Zhang Rongfa spared no flattery for his guests. Had there not been urgent matters at hand, he might have gone around offering individual toasts with the hospitality he was known for in his business dealings.
However, the frail and scrawny woman, who was Zhang Rongfa's wife, didn't dine at the table. Instead, she served dishes along with the maid, refilled drinks, and collected empty plates. The young men, Li Kun, and the man with glasses, couldn't help but show their indignation at this sight, resorting to eating excessively to alleviate their frustration.
They were unaware of the wife's particular situation and felt it inappropriate to speak up for her impulsively. After all, they had no idea how Zhang Rongfa might treat this poor woman once they were gone.
Mu Cai, being a spirit, had no food to eat and comfortably lounged on the couch, oblivious that he was the talking point among several guests at the table. His eyes kept wandering towards the stairway entrance leading to the second floor. Before dinner officially started, a small figure appeared from the corner of that stairway.
It was a girl, delicately pretty, with messy short hair and a healing scar on her cheek. She wore old clothes and looked extremely petite. Mu Cai wasn't able to tell her exact age, as her colorless, thin face made it hard to guess whether she was so short because of her young age or so thin due to long-term malnutrition.
She nervously peered out from behind the wall, seeming to look for someone. The moment she saw Mu Cai, her already big eyes widened even further as she stared at him in astonishment.
Mu Cai sent her a comforting smile. The little girl blushed instantly, then shyly shrank back, only occasionally daring to peek at Mu Cai from the corner. Not until the wife gently ascended the stairs with a plate full of food did she lead the peeking little girl away.
When dinner was over, the day was nearing twilight and the outdoor sky was growing dark. After discussing with the other Heavenly Masters, Qin Zhongjin gave Zhang Rongfa some instructions. The corpulent man appeared visibly anxious, ceaselessly mopping his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief and nodding persistently.
As nightfall descended, everyone on the scene affixed a concealment charm to their bodies. Li Kun went as far as grabbing the drawn charms and heading upstairs expressly to the door of Zhang Rongfa's wife and daughter. He handed each of them a charm, reminding them earnestly, "Stick this onto your body. You should go to bed in about an hour at most. Be absolutely silent, don't walk around. Regardless of what you hear, pretend you didn't hear anything. Keep the talisman stuck on, and stay hidden under the blankets. Understand?"
The mother and child were extremely thin, their big, vacant eyes watching Li Kun as they obediently nodded.
Casting a glance downstairs, Li Kun saw that Zhang Rongfa was absolutely oblivious to his actions and continued to wipe his sweat in distress. Meanwhile, Mu Cai was seated on the couch, his eyes bright like the morning star as he stared at them. In a hurried whisper, Li Kun said, "The beauty in red just now asked me to inquire: if given the chance, would you be willing to take a lot of money and leave this place?"
The eyes of the gaunt, expressionless woman lit up at this.
She looked down at her quiet daughter, touching a bruise the size of a coin on the child's cheek, unable to hold back the grief and indignation in her heart any longer. They had suffered endlessly in this house; if there was a choice, she certainly wanted to leave.
However, she knew Zhang Rongfa all too well. He tormented her but didn't propose divorce for the sake of his reputation, unwilling to carry the stigma of driving away his wife. If she ever suggested a divorce, that brat would undoubtedly use every means to force her out, penniless.
She had already wrecked her health from years of round-the-clock labour to support the struggling family, and the torment following the child's birth. Given her current health, it would be challenging for her to find a suitable job to support herself and the child. This was the reason for her continued endurance.
But now, someone was willing to help her! It was that beauty in red who, despite his strange attire and otherworldly beauty, she trusted inexplicably. She believed that if the promise was given, it would be kept.
Her eyes welled up with a dewy shine that hinted at the verge of tears, "I'm willing."
Li Kun heaved a sigh of relief. When she had prepared to proceed upstairs with two talismans to look for the mother and daughter earlier, the beauty in red stopped her by reaching out his slender hand. The beauty's voice was incredibly pleasing. Li Kun almost lost herself in it, completely forgetting what was being said.
When she heard the request from the beauty in red, she naturally agreed unhesitatingly. Her favorability towards him sky-rocketed. Li Kun secretly mused, "He's so gorgeous and has such a kind heart. Even though he's a ghost, he's no different from a bodhisattva. No wonder Master Qin is so smitten with him, wanting to keep him by his side. I wish I could too!"
As Li Kun's mind spun, she finally brought herself back to the task at hand. Seeing the woman in front of her agree, she simply nodded, "Good, as long as you listen to me, and get through tonight, I believe the beauty in red will definitely have a solution."
The woman nodded.
Li Kun didn't want to arouse Zhang Rongfa's suspicions by staying too long. After giving a quick instruction on how to use the concealment charm, she hurried downstairs.
As soon as she descended the stairs, she saw the spellbinding beauty in red, sitting on the couch, smiling at her. The radiant red lips moved, mouthing a silent "Thank you."
Li Kun felt like she'd been shot with an arrow, her head felt faint, and all she could do was giggle foolishly.
"What are you looking at?"
A deep voice came from beside him.
Mu Cai lazily sat on the couch, looking at the man approaching her, "I'm looking at the matter you promised me."
Qin Zhongjin's mouth slightly curved up in a smile, "I will fulfill the promises I made to you."
Mu Cai thought back to his past life's memories and now, and indeed found it to be true. As long as Qin Zhongjin made a promise, he never broke his word. Of course, he would not make a promise if he could not fulfill it.
For example, in his previous life, no matter how hard he tried to express his feelings, he never agreed.
Thinking about this, Mu Cai's heart settled as calm as still water. He said leisurely, "Thank you very much. I wonder what kind of repayment Mr. Qin expects from me?"
After saying that, Mu Cai cast a slanted glance at him.
Qin Zhongjin reached out and directly lifted the beauty in red from the couch, holding him horizontally. Mu Cai got used to his embrace, not only not rejecting it but also extending his slender arms to wrap around his neck.
With his eyes closed, the sword pattern on Qin Zhongjin's brow shimmered, "Then, Cai Cai, accompany me tonight on our mission. I'll carry you there."
Mu Cai had no objections to this request.
Although he didn't know why staying in this house seemed to improve his spirit and overall soul quality significantly compared to before, when he felt powerless in Qin Zhongjin's house, Mu Cai certainly wouldn't reject a voluntary, free ride from someone.
He wasn't a diligent person after all!
Mu Cai rested his head on the other's shoulder and lazily said, "Let's go then."
Qin Zhongjin immediately carried Mu Cai and began walking towards the staircase. In the eyes of others, it seemed that the couple had finally had enough of showing their affection and were now getting down to business. The others hurriedly followed.
The waxing moon outside the window hung over the treetops, and the wings of the night enveloped the land.
Suddenly, all the lights in the once brightly lit villa went out.
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Mother Zhang's room was pitch black, with everyone wearing concealment charms and standing several steps away from the bedside. They made no sound, even their breathing was extremely faint, almost reaching a point of holding their breath.
The room was completely silent, except for the sound of Mother Zhang's snores as she slept, and the ticking of the clock.
When the hands of the clock in the dark night overlapped and pointed to midnight, Mother Zhang's snoring suddenly stopped. Meanwhile, from the corridor outside the door, a rustling sound could be heard, as if something was crawling on the ground.
All of them held their breath in tacit agreement. Zhang Rongfa was so nervous that cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his back was soaked with sweat. His heart was pounding nonstop.
Mu Cai was also a little scared, unconsciously gripping Qin Zhongjin's neck with both hands and shrinking into his embrace. Though he was already a soul, deep down, he still considered himself a human being. Holding someone warm gave him a lot of courage on this chilly autumn night.
Finally, the dragging, crawling sound approached the door. Scratching sounds came from the door as Mother Zhang suddenly stood up from the bed. Her swollen figure cast a bizarre silhouette in the darkness, and the enormous belly seemed to have no impact on her actions. Mother Zhang delicately stepped down from the bed, as if being pulled by something, and opened the door.
The moment Mother Zhang sat up, Zhang Rongfa was so frightened that he almost screamed. Fortunately, he covered his mouth in time. Cold sweat streamed across his forehead, eyes, and nostrils, blurring his vision. A heavy smell of sweat spread among the group as everyone couldn't help but cover their noses.
With both hands wrapped around Qin Zhongjin's neck, Mu Cai had no means to block the source of the smell. He buried his face in the junction of Qin Zhongjin's neck and shoulder, rubbing his soft cheek against Qin Zhongjin's skin, causing him to shiver slightly.
Despite the terrifying and bizarre scene in the dark night, Qin Zhongjin's mouth curled up slightly.
His beloved Mu Cai was always so dependent on him, making him very happy.
Mother Zhang had already opened the door in front.
All the Heavenly Masters present were seasoned veterans, and at this moment, they did not fear anything and stared directly at the doorway.
Hidden in the darkness, a creature with incredibly thin limbs, a large head as big as a pot, and a body similar in size to a baby, crawled in rapidly. Due to their experience in handling supernatural matters, these Heavenly Masters mostly had excellent night vision, which made them see even more clearly that the creature had a face resembling a human, with no nose, its mouth stretching to its ears, and revealing a mouthful of sharp fangs.
Zhang Rongfa didn't have particularly good night vision, but when he saw that thing come in, he started shaking like a leaf, almost fainting in fear. Fortunately, he hasn't wet his pants until now, otherwise, the exorcists might have to take unconventional measures to deal with him.
After Mother Zhang opened the door, she appeared to be guided by something. She staggered over and laid down on the bed with her face upward.
The imp, under the concealment of the restraining charm, seemed to sense something. Squinting with narrow eyes, it glanced towards the exorcists. However, it didn't see anything and finally, fluttering its chicken-claw-like fingers, tried to crawl onto the bed.
Seeing the imp becoming increasingly agile and clambering up onto the bed after pulling at the bedsheet, it even crossed over Mother Zhang's protruding belly. Its target appeared to be Mother Zhang's mouth, which has anomalously opened to a nearly horizontal angle that the human jaw just can't achieve.
But it was Mother Zhang's stomach that began to undulate bizarrely. Palm prints like a baby's hand began to protrude from her stomach. From within her stomach came thin and shrill laughter that echoed eerily and terrifyingly in the room as if welcoming its kin.
It was only then that Zhang Rongfa realized how his mother's belly had grown so much day by day! Turns out, those little devils would creep into her stomach in the dead of night!
When he saw one of the little devils about to crawl into his mother's mouth, Zhang Rongfa felt a lump in his throat. With a roll of his eyes, he immediately fell to the floor, unable to get up. His plump body collapsed onto the ground, causing a deep, dull sound.
The effect of the suppressive talisman instantly failed, causing the little devil to look over. To its surprise, it saw that the room was filled with seven or eight people all standing tall. Immediately, it opened its mouth and let out a sharp scream. In an instant, the entire room was filled with innumerable glowing green-eyed devils, just like water flooding the floor when a pipe burst.
Li Kun was so angry that she immediately seized the opportunity and kicked the dead pig-like man on the floor.
This person is not the reincarnation of a pig spirit! He's stupid, poisonous, and as scared as a mouse!
Mu Cai felt satisfied just by looking, and didn't want to fall behind others. He hurriedly whispered in Qin Zhongjin's ear, "Hurry, kick him now! He doesn't know anything right now. It won't be easy once he wakes up! Make sure to be steady, ruthless, and precise when you kick!"
Qin Zhongjin: "..."
While Cai Cai was leaning in to tell him this, his warm breath brushed against his ear, making Qin Zhongjin feel somewhat ticklish. Unable to help it, he embraced the person in his arms a bit tighter, slightly turning his head. This caused Qin Zhongjin's earlobe to brush past Mu Cai's soft and cool lips.
A flicker of emotion crossed Mu Cai's heart. Before he could react, Qin Zhongjin didn't hesitate and stretched his leg out with great force, aiming at the fat body lying on the ground. Zhang Rongfa's pants immediately bore an obvious shoe mark. Even though Zhang was unconscious, his body instinctively let out a groan of pain.
Mu Cai quickly forgot the earlier subtle touch. He praised, "Great job!"
Even though it wasn't very gentlemanly, it was truly satisfying!
Li Kun even clapped his hands a bit in response.
The onlookers: "..."
The man with the glasses felt like he was going to go crazy right then and there. With their formidable enemies right in front of them, the leaders were having fun. Didn't they see the little demons on the opposite side gnashing their teeth and glaring at them with green eyes? Why stir up enmity at this moment?
Could they at least respect their opponents!
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Author's Note:
Other people: This is a horror film, frightening!
Cai Cai and Li Kun: This is a standard satisfying plot, amazing!
Qin Zhongjin: This is a romance film, Cai Cai kissed my ear!
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