IMMFBCG Chapter 33

Chapter 33: A Drop of Vermilion

Ruan Xinghua stared at Ye Xue, his eyes wide with shock.

He was about to say something more when Ms. Liu, standing nearby, knocked him on the head.

Ruan Xinghua’s mother scolded him, “How are you speaking? You can’t be so rude to Daoist Ye Xue.”

Although Ms. Liu hadn’t met Ye Xue before, she had heard a lot about her at Xuanzhen Temple. The devotees there held Ye Xue in extremely high regard and admired her deeply.

Ms. Liu, however, never imagined that the Daoist they spoke so highly of would turn out to be such a young, pretty girl.

Hearing the word “Daoist,” Ruan Xinghua was even more stunned. His eyes were filled with confusion as he looked at Ye Xue, momentarily forgetting what he wanted to say.

After a while, he finally responded, his voice trembling, “Dao-Daoshi? Ye Xue, you’re the Daoist here?”

Not just here to burn incense, not here as a part-time worker, but someone who the other Daoists respectfully call “Shishu” (Martial Uncle), an official member of the temple staff?

Xu Zhou heard Ruan Xinghua’s question, full of disbelief, and glanced at Ye Xue.

Noticing his gaze, Ye Xue nodded with a complex expression.

Xu Zhou understood and smiled, easing the tension, “So that’s it. I didn’t expect Ruan to know Shishu Ye Xue.”

Ruan Xinghua, still in a daze, mumbled, “Not just know her, we’ve even burned talismans together…”

Though, admittedly, I didn’t see anything happen.

Ms. Liu’s eyes widened in surprise, and she couldn’t help but ask her son, “How do you know Daoist Ye? Did you sneak out and get into some supernatural trouble without telling me?”

Ruan Xinghua, still shaken, hurriedly denied it when he heard his mother’s words, “No, I’ve been at home the whole time since I came back!”

Ye Xue coughed softly and explained on his behalf, “Ruan and I are schoolmates.”

“Oh, I see.” Ruan Xinghua’s mother nodded in understanding but then quickly remembered something. Her tone shifted to one of surprise again, “Daoist Ye is still in school?”

Ye Xue: “…”

Ye Xue nodded helplessly, “Uh, yes…”

Sometimes Ye Xue couldn’t figure it out either. Why did every devotee seem so shocked when they found out she was still a university student? Was there a rule somewhere that said Daoist priests couldn’t attend college?

Hearing this, Xu Zhou suddenly realized, “No wonder I didn’t sense any dark energy in him. Shishu Ye must’ve already taken care of it for Ruan.”

Ms. Liu had faith in the abilities of the Daoists at Xuanzhen Temple. After hearing the full story, she was relieved and planned to settle accounts with Ruan later when they got home.

But the one who had originally dismissed the idea of encountering ghosts, Ruan Xinghua, was now terrified. His voice was filled with shock as he asked, “What do you mean? Did I see a ghost? Where was it? Why didn’t I see it?”

Ruan Xinghua’s face went pale. “So, the talisman worked, right?”

Since the truth was already out, Ye Xue didn’t hide it from him any longer. She answered honestly, “Yes, when you burned the first talisman, it came. Did you suddenly feel really cold, like you were surrounded by dark energy? That was when the ghost appeared.”

Ruan Xinghua gasped.

It’s funny how people are. They may say they want to see ghosts, but if they ever actually brush past one, they’d be scared half to death. Not everyone dares to face a ghost.

People like Fan Xing and Jiang Cheng, who are so eager to find out what a ghost looks like, are usually just reckless because they don’t believe in ghosts at all.

In contrast, truly superstitious people often don’t even dare to casually mention anything related to ghosts or spirits.

“Wait!” Ruan Xinghua suddenly remembered something. “You said I felt cold because there was a ghost nearby. But afterward, didn’t I…”

A realization dawned on Ruan Xinghua. His voice shook as he asked, “So at that time, I… it…”

Ye Xue didn’t speak but looked at him with sympathy.

From her expression, Ruan Xinghua understood the answer. His breath caught in his throat, and his eyes rolled back as he fainted on the spot.

Ms. Liu quickly caught him. It was hard to say whether he was brave or cowardly.

He had been clamoring earlier about wanting to see a ghost, but now that he knew he encountered one, he fainted from fear.

Xu Zhou stepped forward to check on Ruan Xinghua’s condition and sighed in relief, “He’s fine. He’ll wake up in a bit.”

…

Sure enough, Xu Zhou was right. It wasn’t long before Ruan Xinghua regained consciousness.

After confirming that her son was alright, Ruan Xinghua’s mother didn’t linger and left the temple, not wanting to interrupt their work any further.

Before leaving, Ruan Xinghua solemnly promised Ye Xue that he would keep her secret.

When he said this, his expression was so serious that one couldn’t help but wonder what he was imagining, almost as if he viewed Ye Xue as some kind of reclusive master.

In reality, Ye Xue’s reason for not revealing her identity was quite simple. She just didn’t want to promote superstitions at school.

After all, Ye Xue was a legitimate Daoist priest.

Afterward, Ye Xue asked Xu Zhou about Bai Ziang’s whereabouts, “Do you know where my senior brother went?”

Xu Zhou thought for a moment and replied, “Shifu had something to take care of earlier. He’s probably helping some local devotees with a feng shui issue.”

Ye Xue nodded. “I see.”

Xu Zhou added, “Shifu might not be back for a while. If it’s urgent, maybe you could give him a call?”

Ye Xue made a sound of acknowledgment and then turned to Yu Qi. “Yu Qi, do you want to call him?”

Yu Qi had been unusually quiet since earlier, and when Ye Xue brought up the question, he remembered the excuse he had made before. After a brief silence, he said, “…No rush.”

After the devotees left, Xuanzhen Temple became quite peaceful.

Seeing that no new visitors were coming for the time being, Ye Xue brought out her desk and began practicing drawing new talismans.

It didn’t take much effort for Ye Xue to learn talisman drawing. Within just a few minutes, she had already drawn over a dozen.

She was extremely focused when doing anything, never letting external distractions affect her.

As the sky darkened, the temple lit its lanterns.

Ye Xue decided to place a lantern nearby for extra light. The soft candle glow reflected on her face, softening her usual cool demeanor, and making her profile appear gentle and serene.

Yu Qi quietly watched her from the side, lost in thought.

His gaze was so intense that even the usually concentrated Ye Xue could feel its pressure.

She set down her brush and suddenly looked up at Yu Qi.

He hadn’t expected her to turn around, and for a moment, he forgot to avert his eyes, locking eyes with her.

Realizing what had happened, he awkwardly looked away, his expression uncomfortable.

Ye Xue seemed oblivious to his embarrassment and smiled, “Why are you staring at me… drawing talismans?”

Yu Qi had been nervous when he heard the first part of her question, but after hearing the second half, he didn’t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

In a soft voice, Yu Qi said, “You have a natural talent.”

Yu Qi had seen many people with high levels of talent before, but none could compare to her.

Ye Xue could even complete a talisman in an instant.

If his master were here, seeing such a gifted disciple, he would surely be pleased.

Seeing that Yu Qi was lost in thought, Ye Xue paused her talisman drawing, resting her chin on her hand. With curiosity, she asked, “I get the feeling you have quite a bit of knowledge about Daoist arts.”

Yu Qi’s eyes trembled slightly as if he was lost in memory.

Yu Qi didn’t just have some knowledge; he had mastered all the talismans his master taught him when he was very young.

But whenever he completed a talisman, dark energy would quickly engulf it, rendering it useless.

Since then, Yu Qi has never drawn a talisman in front of anyone again.

Ye Xue didn’t press further. She glanced at the miscellaneous books on her desk and changed the topic, “I have some other books here if you want to read them.”

She turned to look at Yu Qi, and her pale complexion was marked by a hint of red, with a smudge of vermilion still on her face.

While drawing talismans, it was easy for her fingertips to get stained with vermilion. And since Ye Xue had just touched her face, the red mark had transferred to her cheek.

What could have been a messy moment turned into something strikingly beautiful, like a vibrant splash of color against a snowy backdrop.

After a brief silence, Yu Qi’s fingers twitched as he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Ye Xue.

Confused, Ye Xue asked, “What’s wrong?”

Yu Qi lowered his eyes and quietly explained, “Your face… it’s dirty.”

Ye Xue instinctively touched her cheek, smearing even more vermilion across her face.

Seeing the red stain on her hand, she couldn’t help but laugh at her predicament.

Just as she was about to take the handkerchief to wipe her face, she felt Yu Qi suddenly step closer, bringing the scent of pine with him.

Ye Xue froze in place as she felt a gentle, soft touch on her cheek.

Carefully and attentively, the young man wiped away the vermilion, bit by bit, until her face was clean.

When he finally finished, Ye Xue looked up at him, her dark eyes sparkling like stars.

Yu Qi snapped back to reality, only then realizing that he had, without thinking, acted on his impulse.

Ye Xue asked softly, “Is it all clean now?”

Yu Qi, hiding his hands behind his back, subconsciously tightened his grip on the handkerchief and replied in a low voice, “It’s clean.”

Meanwhile, Xu Zhou had finished drying out the clothes of the cotton doll. As he returned to the main hall to help dress the doll, his peripheral vision caught sight of the two figures standing a little too close to each other.

Xu Zhou paused for a moment. Although he couldn’t see the details of what was happening, he sensed a subtle shift in the atmosphere between the two, different from before.

Xu Zhou couldn’t help but recall something from the past.

When Mr. Yu’s health wasn’t well, Xu Zhou and his master had once visited the Yu family to check on him.

In Xu Zhou’s memory, Yu Qi was someone emotionally detached, never letting anything weigh on his mind. Even when the elders discussed his illness with regret, he remained indifferent, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

But somewhere along the line, Yu Qi began to show more human warmth. His usual detached expression was sometimes replaced by the hint of a smile.

Xu Zhou couldn’t help but glance at Ye Xue, who was intently drawing talismans, and then at the young man focused on her. He had a feeling that Yu Qi’s changes were somehow related to Ye Xue.

The villa area was quiet. Even the cleaning lady subconsciously moved more quietly, careful not to disturb the people in the study.

Yu Qi preferred peace, so the bodyguards and servants rarely disturbed him unless it was something important.

On the desk in the study, vermilion ink and yellow talismans were neatly arranged.

But Yu Qi seemed lost in thought, not reacting to anything.

It wasn’t until the clock struck midnight that he slowly lowered his gaze to the tools in front of him.

Everything was ready. Just a few strokes and the talisman would be complete.

Yu Qi wasn’t sure what he was thinking. Something he had long put aside—talisman spells—had resurfaced today.

Outside, wandering spirits roamed, and the occasional wail of ghosts could be heard.

He was tired of this constant noise.

Yu Qi picked up the brush and, without hesitation, began drawing a talisman on the paper.

The talisman quickly took shape.

But in just a short while, the yellow paper would be tainted by black energy, turning it into a useless scrap.

Yu Qi crumpled the talisman, intending to throw it away.

For some reason, he hesitated, sensing something.

Slowly, Yu Qi unfolded the talisman in his hand.

The vermilion ink hadn’t smudged, and the spell remained clear.

This time, the strange black energy didn’t appear.

That same day, Ye Xue and her roommates had agreed to go to the study room in the teaching building to review their notes.

The weather in Haicheng was unpredictable. Just the day before, they had been wearing coats, but today, it was so warm that they switched to short sleeves and skirts.

To save on dorm air conditioning costs, they decided to study in the classroom instead.

They weren’t the only ones with this idea. By the time Ye Xue and her friends arrived at the teaching building, the study rooms on the lower floors were already full.

So, they kept going up, eventually reaching the top floor.

Most of the classrooms on this floor were empty, so Ye Xue and Wei Cainin casually chose one to enter.

As soon as Ye Xue opened the door, she saw three people already inside, all of whom she and He Siqi were familiar with.

Ruan Xinghua and the others had just arrived, books still in their hands.

After they picked their seats and settled down, Wei Cainin and the others walked in.

Fan Xing and Jiang Cheng greeted Ye Xue and her friends, but Ruan Xinghua, still unsettled by a recent ghost encounter, looked distracted.

Ever since the incident, Ruan Xinghua had been haunted by its aftereffects. Even though the Daoist temple had assured him he was fine, he couldn’t stop overthinking.

But he didn’t feel comfortable discussing it with his roommates, so he kept it to himself.

When Ruan Xinghua saw Ye Xue and He Siqi, he gave them a quick hello before zoning out over his textbook again.

Suddenly, the temperature in the room plummeted, becoming uncomfortably cold.

Ruan Xinghua jumped up with a loud “What the hell?! Why is it suddenly so cold?! Is there something here?!”

His roommates stared at him in shock, completely baffled by his extreme reaction.

“What are you talking about? I just turned on the air conditioner,” one of them said.

Ye Xue set down the remote and asked, “Aren’t you guys hot?”