IMMFBCG Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Hiring a Stand-In

In the temple, several small vegetable plots are used for growing fruits and vegetables.

As Bai Liu passed by, he picked a few tomatoes to eat, biting into them while calling everyone for dinner.

When Ye Xue arrived, they were already seated at the table.

Bai Liu cooked dinner—three dishes and a soup.

No one else had touched their chopsticks yet. Xu Zhou was selecting fresh fruits to place as offerings in front of the deity’s statue.

The temple master poured himself a cup of baijiu (white liquor), glanced critically at the food on the table, picked up a piece of meat, took a couple of bites, and then immediately put it down with a look of disdain. “This food is so bad that if we gave it to your grandmaster, it would bring him back to life out of sheer anger.”

Hearing the conversation behind him, Xu Zhou chuckled and shook his head, knowing that the father and son duo were at it again.

Bai Liu chimed in, “Wouldn’t that be a medical miracle? Bringing the dead back to life!”

The temple master shot him a glare. “Was that supposed to be a compliment? I said your cooking tastes like pig slop!”

Ye Xue coughed softly, covering her mouth and trying to stifle her laughter.

The temple master suddenly realized the problem with his words. Pig slop was for pigs, but he was the only one who had eaten the food so far. Wasn’t he insulting himself, too?

Feeling embarrassed, he cleared his throat awkwardly and hastily poured himself another drink, downing it in one gulp.

Xu Zhou, having finished offering the fruits, returned to his seat. Seeing that no one had touched the soup, he decided to save face for his junior and took a sip.

But the moment the liquid went down his throat, his expression changed instantly. He barely managed to keep his smile intact, adding, “Ahem, junior brother, I think it’s better if I handle the cooking from now on.”

At Xuan Zhen Temple, there were only three people. They couldn’t let the senior, Master Bai, do the cooking, so the daily meals were typically prepared by Xu Zhou and Bai Liu. Most of the time, Xu Zhou cooked, but since he had been out today, it was Bai Liu’s turn.

However, Bai Liu’s cooking was simply not palatable—far from it.

Normally, they would just make do, three men eating whatever was available. But now that there was a young woman in their midst, they couldn’t expect her to endure such awful meals.

Bai Liu took a few more bites, still unable to understand what was wrong. “Is it that bad?” he muttered.

He looked toward Ye Xue, hoping for some validation.

Ye Xue calmly put down her chopsticks and smiled, offering a serious critique: “Your cooking is good. Next time, just don’t make it again.”

“Pfft.” This time, even Xu Zhou couldn’t hold back his laughter.

Bai Liu, now heartbroken by his new idol’s brutal honesty, fell silent, feeling utterly defeated.

Ye Xue glanced at the calendar. It was early August, and she would need to report back to school in early September. Since she was currently training at the temple, it made sense to inform the temple master about her schedule.

“Senior brother, I start school in September, so I may not be able to stay at the temple as much,” she said.

The temple master was slightly taken aback. “You’re still in school?” Then, realizing her age, he nodded knowingly. Ye Xue was still young, so naturally, she would continue her studies.

Her master had mentioned this on the phone when they talked. Ye Xue was in Haicheng for university and was training on the side. However, at the time, the temple master hadn’t paid much attention to this detail.

“Do you need help arranging off-campus housing?” he asked. Haicheng University wasn’t too far away, but commuting could be inconvenient.

Bai Liu, however, seized the opportunity to interject, his social energy back in full force. “I’ve always found it weird—why does a Heavenly Master need to go to university? Dad, isn’t this what people call ‘involution’?”

With Bai Liu’s interruption, the once-serious conversation quickly took a comedic turn.

The temple master, annoyed by his son’s smug expression, couldn’t help but smack him on the head. “Involution, my foot! Do you know that even monks need postgraduate degrees nowadays? If you weren’t my son, with your two-year college degree, you wouldn’t even qualify to be a Daoist priest!”

Bai Liu pouted, clearly unsatisfied, but before he could retort, Xu Zhou quickly intervened, “Alright, alright, master, let’s save this for tomorrow.”

Bai Liu: “…Thanks a lot.”

Ye Xue was amused by their lighthearted banter and shook her head. “I’ll stay in the dormitory during school days and come back to the temple on weekends.”

What she was thinking, though, was that the temple was too poor. Supporting one more person for meals every day would be an extra burden. To avoid adding to her senior’s troubles, she would continue working part-time.

It seemed that chatting at the dinner table was a common habit, and without strict dining etiquette, their conversation soon turned to Ye Xue’s understanding of Daoist arts. The temple master seemed interested in assessing his junior’s abilities and cultivation level.

Though his talent wasn’t on par with Ye Yangyun’s, the temple master had plenty of experience and knowledge.

To his surprise, however, Ye Xue’s understanding of Daoist arts was still quite rudimentary—practically unfamiliar.

Yet, despite her limited knowledge, she listened intently. “So the art of face reading also involves observing, questioning, and listening?” she asked thoughtfully.

Ye Xue nodded. “I see.”

Since childhood, Ye Xue had known she was different from other children. She could see things others couldn’t, which often left her terrified by various ghosts when she was young, keeping her awake for entire nights.

Ye Yangyun would frequently stay with her, comforting her and keeping vigil by her bed. His presence kept the average spirits at bay.

Even so, her master wasn’t reassured. He made a protective amulet for her and spent seven days and nights praying at Master Zhang’s shrine, ensuring the blessed amulet hung around her neck to protect her as she grew up safely.

Over time, Ye Xue got used to being different. Most of the time, she could ignore the ghosts. However, there were still occasions when mischievous spirits would frighten her.

These spirits knew she was afraid of people who had died gruesome deaths, so they would deliberately return to their former state to scare her. Whenever this happened, Ye Xue would clench her fists and coldly stare them down.

But the moment Ye Yangyun returned from his rituals, the spirits would flee in panic.

Once, Ye Xue asked her master if he could teach her how to drive away the ghosts. Instead of agreeing, Ye Yangyun merely patted her head and sighed softly.

One day, after taking care of a troublesome ghost for a nearby villager, Ye Yangyun came home late to pick up Ye Xue. To his surprise, he found his young apprentice casually holding a peachwood sword, stabbing a ghost that had been trying to scare her.

He had never taught her anything about Daoist magic, but just from observing him use the peachwood sword once, Ye Xue had already mastered it.

With just a single strike, Ye Xue scared off the malicious spirits that used to torment her. From that moment on, they never dared to provoke her again.

Ye Yangyun stared deeply at Ye Xue, then asked her seriously if she truly wanted to learn Daoist magic.

Ye Xue earnestly nodded.

Thus, when Ye Xue received her acceptance letter from Haicheng University, her master no longer held her back. He gave her all the notes he had accumulated over his lifetime, instructing her to go to Xuanzhen Temple to continue her training.

Bai, the temple master, wasn’t entirely wrong in his assumption. Ye Xue was indeed unfamiliar with many things because, strictly speaking, she had only been formally learning Daoist magic for less than two months and hadn’t even completed the basics.

However, Bai had misunderstood something. Ye Xue had been raised by her master, and he naturally wouldn’t doubt her training. The idea that Ye Xue was only just beginning never crossed his mind.

In the world of Daoism, talent is crucial. Without it, someone might spend a lifetime learning and still be an outsider.

As Bai Liu listened to their conversation from the side, he found it strange. Based on what he’d seen of Ye Xue earlier that afternoon, she didn’t seem like someone who would struggle with learning. Could his father have misunderstood? Had he mistaken a hidden master for a novice?

Not wanting to discourage her, Bai softly reassured, “Sister, understanding the Dao is not something that happens overnight. There’s no need to feel too disheartened.”

Hearing this, Bai Liu glanced at his father with an odd expression.

The temple master noticed his son’s look and grew even more frustrated. Seeing Ye Xue’s diligence, despite her modest talent, compared to his own son’s lack of progress and effort, he lashed out, “And you! What good are you? You’re just wasting food, doing nothing but eating, and getting on my nerves! You can’t even draw a simple talisman! Imagine that, a Daoist who can’t even draw a talisman—what a joke! I bet a chicken could draw faster than you!”

Ye Xue couldn’t let this go and interrupted, “Master… I haven’t learned how to draw talismans either.”

“Cough, cough!” Having intended to scold his son, the temple master accidentally offended his junior sister as well. He awkwardly stopped himself, changing the subject, “Ahem, well, the truth is, most people in the world are ordinary. Geniuses like your master only come around once in a lifetime.”

Ye Xue raised an eyebrow and curiously asked, “Master Bai, if my master is a genius, what about someone even more talented than him?”

“That would be a once-in-a-millennium genius among geniuses—a true prodigy!”

“Oh, I see.” Ye Xue pondered. Was she really that impressive?

While Bai Liu was quietly eating, he noticed his father’s temper flaring again. He kicked Bai Liu under the table, signaling him to keep quiet and not add fuel to the fire.

Bai Liu was dying to ask Ye Xue something, though. After escorting his father to his room, Bai Liu couldn’t hold back any longer and finally asked, “So, Shishu… are you…?”

Ye Xue understood his meaning and calmly replied, “One glance is enough.”

“Oh!” Bai Liu instantly understood.

Meanwhile, Xu Zhou looked completely confused. Wait, what were they talking about?

Bai Liu had been targeted all day and was starting to feel exhausted. Stretching lazily, he said to the others, “I’m not talking with you guys anymore. I’m so tired, I’m heading to bed.”

Ye Xue was about to nod in agreement when she noticed something off about Bai Liu’s expression. “Wait a minute,” she said, “why is your forehead dark again? Didn’t you just escape your bad luck today?”

Earlier, during dinner, Bai Liu’s complexion had returned to normal, but now it was back to its previous state.

Hearing this, Xu Zhou also looked at Bai Liu and saw a faint dark aura between his brows. He frowned slightly.

Bai Liu was shocked. “No way, it’s happening again? I nearly disfigured myself earlier today!”

Suddenly, Ye Xue grabbed his hand. Her fingers were cool to the touch, but Bai Liu’s whole body suddenly felt like it was burning up.

A faint black line appeared on Bai Liu’s arm as if something was trying to break free.

“Holy crap, holy crap!” Bai Liu’s arm started moving uncontrollably, lunging forward. He tried to hold it back. “What the hell? Help me!”

Both Ye Xue and Xu Zhou pressed down on his arm. Ye Xue noticed that his arm seemed to be trying to move toward the guest room where she was staying.

Ye Xue recalled the ghost she had captured earlier that afternoon and muttered, “Could that ugly thing be your source of misfortune?”

Bai Liu, confused, asked, “What did you say, Shishu?”

Xu Zhou seemed to grasp what was happening. “Shishu Ye Xue, let’s check out your room.”

When Bai Liu saw the hanging ghost inside Ye Xue’s jar, he jumped back in shock. “What the hell?! So, this thing has been messing with me?”

“This is a temple! How did it even get in here?!”

“If it were just an ordinary evil spirit causing trouble, capturing it would resolve the issue,” Xu Zhou mused. “But even though Shishu caught it, your bad luck still lingers.”

This meant someone was pulling the strings from behind.

Looking at the ghost’s constantly wriggling tongue in the jar made Bai Liu feel nauseous. He instinctively glanced at Ye Xue. “Shishu, what should we do? Am I going to be strangled to death in my sleep by that thing’s tongue? Can this be broken? Do I still have a chance?”

Ye Xue replied, “Hold on. Let me check my notes.”

Bai Liu: “???”

What? Notes?

Xu Zhou watched as Ye Xue casually pulled over a large burlap sack and started rummaging through it.

He remembered how much effort it had taken him to move that sack earlier, and couldn’t help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

This Shishu is something else.

The burlap sack contained all sorts of strange items—swords made of coins, peachwood swords, compasses, yellow talismans, black ink, ink lines, and other objects he couldn’t even name.

After flipping through a reddish notebook, Ye Xue finally found what she was looking for. “Found it.”

She looked at the entry and explained to the two, “It’s called ‘substitute fate.'”

The notebook her master had given her contained not only examples of ghosts he had encountered but also stories of exorcisms from his friends. One such story was about a businessman in Hong Kong who, years ago, had hired a master to set up a ‘substitute fate’ array in his company to lock in good fortune by using the resentment of the spirits. Every year on the fourteenth day of the seventh month, seven employees would die in various ways. Though the company became infamous for being haunted, the salary was so high that people, hoping to get lucky, still applied to work there.

Ye Yangyun’s friend had heard of the situation and broke the array, leading to the businessman being brought to justice.

It turned out that Bai Liu had encountered one of these substitute spirits—a hanging ghost.

The only way to break the curse was to destroy the array.

After hearing this, Bai Liu scratched his head in confusion. “But that ghost didn’t try to strangle me earlier. She just threw a rock at me—and missed.”

Ye Xue replied, “Maybe she’s just really bad at killing. Though you seem a bit disappointed?”

Her words were chilling.

Bai Liu immediately shook his head vigorously in denial. “No, no, no! That’s not it at all!”

Xu Zhou concluded, “For now, we need to find out who placed the curse.”

“How do we find that?” Bai Liu asked.

Xu Zhou inquired, “Have you made any enemies recently?”

Bai Liu raised his eyebrows and gave them a look as if they were asking something ridiculous. “No way. I’m way too likable to have enemies!”

Even now, he was still joking.

Xu Zhou took a deep breath and, smiling, said, “Shidi, you should start planting more trees.”

“Plant trees? My dad always said if we mess up the temple’s feng shui with random planting, it could turn a blessed place into a cursed one.”

Ye Xue couldn’t hold back her laughter. “He meant you need to become more self-aware.”

Bai Liu was stunned into silence, annoyed. “Are you two even planning to help? I’m the one getting hurt here!”

Ye Xue soothed him, “Alright, alright, we’ll help you. Just wait a minute…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Bai Liu, with a knowing look, made a ‘please’ gesture. “You need to check your notes, right? Please, go ahead.”

Xu Zhou chuckled, a bit helpless. “Thanks for your hard work, Shishu.”

Among them, no one was fully knowledgeable. Ye Xue had only been training for two months, Xu Zhou hadn’t learned this technique yet, and Bai Liu…well, he didn’t know anything. The only person who might know what to do was currently passed out drunk.

Moments later.

Ye Xue put down her notebook and looked up, her expression relaxed. “All done.”

Bai Liu: “Huh? That fast?”

Xu Zhou was also surprised.

Ye Xue stretched, then looked at the hanging ghost in the jar with a friendly smile. “It’s quite simple. Just need a few things.”

The hanging ghost, seeing her creepy smile, felt a chill down its spine and whimpered.

Ye Xue’s smile deepened. “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt. It’ll be quick.”

She picked up a small peachwood knife and yanked out the ghost’s tongue, slicing off a small piece.

After storing the piece, Ye Xue grimaced, shook her hands in disgust, and rushed to the sink to wash them, even using disinfectant.

Bai Liu: Isn’t using disinfectant on a ghost kind of pointless?

Xu Zhou offered to help, asking, “Shishu, is there anything else I can assist with?”

Ye Xue shook her head. “No need, I’ll just take a look.”

Xu Zhou thought to himself, So that’s what she meant by ‘just one look is enough.’

They watched her calmly flip through the notebook again, then pick up a yellow talisman, dip a brush in cinnabar, and draw the same symbol.

“So…that’s it?” Bai Liu asked, uncertainly.

Didn’t she say she hadn’t learned how to draw talismans? Was one look enough?

Ye Xue, with a modest tone, replied, “It should work.”

Then she took out another piece of paper, marked the four cardinal directions, and adding some measurements.

She tied the talisman to a chopstick along with the small piece of the ghost’s tongue, securing it with a neat bow. “Activate!”

With a loud whoosh, the talisman ignited, emitting a bright flame.

The jar shook violently, and the chopstick slowly moved across the paper, pointing out a direction.

“Southwest,” Ye Xue read aloud, “about three miles.”

“Southwest?” Xu Zhou frowned. “That’s Tianyi Temple.”

Bai Liu’s anger flared. “I knew it! Just the other day, I directed an old lady to our temple for incense, and they hold a grudge over that. They do stuff like this all the time!”

Tianyi Temple? Ye Xue thought, the name ringing a bell.

She mulled it over and smiled slyly. “So, they’re rivals, huh?”

Bai Liu scratched his head. “Uh, I guess you could say that.”