IMMFBCG Chapter 36 V1

Chapter 36: The Protective Charm

 

After a while, Xie Letian and his wife took Xie Zi’an to the Xuanzhen Temple.

Ye Xue couldn’t help but glance at the young boy beside Wei Xiao. He was around eleven or twelve, a first-year middle schooler. Now, leaning against Wei Xiao, he appeared much more obedient.

Xie Letian’s expression grew serious. “Ye Daozhang, you mentioned earlier that this child has a special constitution and is very easily possessed by ghosts…”

Ye Xue nodded. “This child was born in a yin year, yin month, and yin day, making him a rare pure yin body. It’s very easy for him to be possessed by ghosts.”

Xie Letian and Wei Xiao’s faces grew even more serious.

Xie Zi’an, on the other hand, looked at Ye Xue curiously and called out softly, “Ye Xue-jie…”

The boy’s voice was clear and bright, not yet at the age of voice change.

Xie Letian frowned, worried that Ye Xue might think his son was being disrespectful, and was about to ask the child to address her differently.

But Ye Xue smiled faintly upon hearing it, clearly not bothered. She stepped forward patiently and asked, “Zi’an, is there something you want to tell me?”

Xie Zi’an nodded vigorously and, with an expectant tone, asked, “Sister, can I see ghosts?!”

Ye Xue paused for a moment, surprised. She thought to herself, this child is really unafraid. Even after realizing he had been possessed by a ghost, he wasn’t panicking. Instead, he was more interested in whether he could see ghosts.

Xie Letian sternly warned, “You little brat, are you itching for a beating?”

But Xie Zi’an wasn’t frightened by his father’s words. He looked at Ye Xue with a serious expression.

Ye Xue then asked him, “Why do you want to see ghosts?”

Xie Zi’an answered innocently, “Because that way, whenever Grandma misses Grandpa, I can let Grandpa possess me to see her.”

Wei Xiao and Xie Letian’s expressions grew somber, and they fell silent.

Xie Zi’an didn’t know that his grandfather had already gone to the underworld and would never return.

Wei Xiao patted Xie Zi’an’s head, quietly sighing to himself. He thought, finally, this child is starting to show some understanding and care for Grandma.

But then, Xie Zi’an said, “If Grandpa comes back, Grandma will be happy, and when she’s happy, she’ll give me more pocket money… Ah! Ouch, ouch, ouch!”

Wei Xiao, expressionless, twisted Xie Zi’an’s ear, wishing he could take the child home and give him another spanking.

Ye Xue couldn’t help but think to herself, that this really is a child’s nature. Because the first ghost he encountered was his own family, he naturally feels a kind of closeness to ghosts.

She patted Xie Zi’an’s head and patiently explained, “But being able to see ghosts isn’t necessarily a good thing. When you were at the ancestral home, the ancestral tablets were protecting you, which is why other ghosts didn’t dare approach. But what you did back then was very dangerous. The ghost that possessed you didn’t harm you because it was your grandfather. Do you understand, Zi’an?”

Xie Zi’an was confused. “But…”

Ye Xue changed the subject. “Zi’an, have you ever watched horror movies?”

Though Xie Zi’an didn’t understand why Ye Xue suddenly asked this, he nodded.

Ye Xue continued, “Have you seen The Village of the Damned? Or The Grudge?”

At the mention of childhood fears, Xie Zi’an’s eyes revealed some apprehension as he hesitated and nodded.

Ye Xue explained, “Many malevolent ghosts are like those in the movies. Some have not lost their sanity and only seek revenge; others don’t distinguish between good and evil and harm anyone they encounter. When you meet these kinds of ghosts, it becomes very dangerous if you can’t protect yourself.”

Xie Zi’an seemed to understand and appeared somewhat disappointed. “Oh, I thought I could be the protagonist.”

After all, that’s how it’s portrayed in novels.

Ye Xue patiently advised, “But didn’t Kayako destroy the protagonist’s entire team? Sometimes, being the protagonist doesn’t always help.”

Xie Zi’an was convinced by Ye Xue’s reasoning. “Alright, then I guess it’s better not to see them.”

Wei Xiao, relieved that Xie Zi’an had finally stopped talking about seeing ghosts, sighed and turned to Ye Xue. “Daozhang, is there any way to remedy this child’s constitution?”

Ye Xue pondered for a moment. “Give me a few minutes.”

With that, she asked Qin Haoran and the others to entertain the guests for a while, then turned to her room to search for her notes.

Since Ye Xue had never encountered a similar situation before, she had to refer to the notes left by Ye Yangyun.

While flipping through the notes in her room, Ye Xue found similar cases and examples.

A ghost dressed in white, resembling the “Wuchang” (a grim reaper figure in Chinese mythology), floated past, but gradually slowed its steps as it glanced inside the room.

Originally, Wei Xingteng had planned to find Bai Liu, but when he saw Ye Xue frantically flipping through books, he couldn’t help but walk over.

“Ye Daozhang?” Wei Wuchang’s voice came from behind her. “What are you looking for? Do you need help?”

The ghostly figure of Wei Wuchang tied the soul-reaping cord around his wrist and floated over, his pale face filled with curiosity.

Ye Xue saw him and thought it was a coincidence. She put the notes down and gestured for Wei Xingteng to look outside. “Do you see that child over there?”

Wei Xingteng followed her gaze and, upon recognizing Xie Zi’an, his eyes gleamed with interest. “Oh, a natural yin body. He’s prime material for Wuchang!”

Bai Liu seemed to have some sort of radar. Upon hearing the phrase “Wuchang,” he perked up and hurried over, asking, “What? There’s a new one for Wuchang? Can I quit my job then?”

Wei Wuchang casually replied, “Oh, don’t think about it, little brother. You won’t retire for another few decades.”

Bai Liu, not satisfied with this response, was about to argue with Wei Xingteng when Ye Xue interrupted them. “Quiet down and listen to me first. This child’s constitution is too special. Over time, he’ll attract the attention of ghosts, so we must find a way to solve this problem now.”

In the north, most exorcists have a yin constitution because they work with ghosts and spirits, so for them, a yin body is just an enhancement.

But Xie Zi’an was different. He was just an ordinary student, and this tendency to attract ghosts was not good for him.

Wei Xingteng thought for a moment and said to Ye Xue, “I have an idea! Don’t you have the Evil-Banishing Sword? If you take one of the red strings from the sword tassel and tie it to an evil-banishing charm, and have the child carry it on his person, it should work.”

“Evil-banishing charm?” Ye Xue was momentarily stunned, recalling, “I think I’ve used them all up.”

She had used all the charms she made on the green-robed ghost, so she would need to make more.

Wei Xingteng was about to suggest leaving so Ye Xue could burn incense and focus on drawing the charms when he suddenly saw Ye Xue casually grab a brush, dip it in cinnabar, and finish drawing a charm in seconds.

Ye Xue didn’t even sit down; she stood and completed it standing up.

Ye Xue nodded in satisfaction. “Fortunately, I had some charm paper and cinnabar on hand, or it would have taken me a few more seconds.”

Wei Wuchang, standing nearby, was completely stunned.

He stared blankly at Bai Liu and couldn’t help but ask, “Does Ye Daozhang usually draw charms like this?”

Bai Liu chuckled twice, his tone deep as he said, “Impressive, right? This is the difference between a genius and an ordinary person. People like us won’t understand.”

Wei Xingteng: “???”
You’re talking, but why drag me into it too?

After Ye Xue finished drawing the talisman, she took a red string, wrapped it around the yellow talisman in a triangular shape, and then placed it in a scented pouch before handing it to Xie Zi’an.

She patted the boy’s head and smiled, “Wear this, and you’ll be safe from harm.”

Xie Zi’an nodded obediently, then looked up at her. “Sister, you’re even more amazing than the main characters in the novels.”

Ye Xue asked, “Why’s that?”

Xie Zi’an said seriously, “You can not only chase away ghosts, but you can also make sure I won’t see any ghosts again. You’re so amazing.”

Ye Xue smiled with her eyes curved into crescents. “Thank you for the compliment.”

Xie Zi’an suddenly asked, “Sister Ye Xue, do you have a talisman that can make me win every game?”

Ye Xue’s smile faltered, speechless. “…No.”

If she had that kind of talisman, she would’ve already given it to Bai Liu, so he wouldn’t scream in the house every time he lost a game.

Xie Letian could no longer listen to the conversation. Fearing that Xie Zi’an might say something inappropriate, he handed the red envelope to Ye Xue, sincerely thanked her, and left with his wife and child.

Ye Xue gave the red envelope to Bai Liu, asking him to store it with the other money.

Bai Liu opened the envelope and found 3,000 yuan inside. He turned to Ye Xue and said, “That Mr. Xie is quite the big spender. Last time he gave us a check for 50,000, and now he’s giving 3,000 for a talisman.”

Ye Xue was taken aback. “He gave that much?”

Wei Xingteng, looking on, couldn’t help but envy. “It’s pretty profitable.”

He thought back to his past, how hard he worked to build up his career, only to be killed before retirement.

Bai Liu put the money in a drawer and locked it, then seriously said to Ye Xue, “Shishu, the temple’s business has been doing much better. It seems we can speed up the plan to replace the golden statues of the ancestors.”

“Wait, no…” Bai Liu did some quick calculations.

Not only did the Three Pure Ones need new clothes, but the statues of Zhenwu the Great and Wen Chang the Emperor would also need replacing. Right now, they used copper statues, which were still uniform, but if the main hall’s ancestor statue was changed to gold, the others in copper would look out of place.

There were also daily expenses and the costs for repairing the remaining side halls…

Bai Liu’s face darkened as he continued to calculate. “Wait a minute, Shishu, we’re still broke!”

Ye Xue patted him on the shoulder and smiled, “Did you just realize that?”

You can never earn enough money, and the village roads still aren’t finished.

Ye Xue wished she could split one hour into two.

To get rich, fix the roads first!