IMMFBCG Chapter 86

Chapter 86 – Changing Fate

It was a Friday, the day just ending after classes.

Yue Xue sent a message to Yu Qi, telling him she was preparing to head back to Xuan Zhen Guan and then walked towards the school gate.

At the school gate, she happened to see He Siqi still there, standing by the roadside talking to someone on the phone.

Yue Xue glanced in the distance and saw it was Yu Si with her daughter He Xuan.

Yu Si probably came to pick up He Siqi, and even brought a car to come over. He Siqi hadn’t gotten into the car yet, but from the corner of her eye, she spotted Yue Xue and waved at her with a smile, calling out, “A Xue!”

Yue Xue smiled and walked over, greeting Yu Si as well.

He Xuan was dressed like a little Barbie doll; she seemed to recognize Yue Xue, and after spotting her, peeked her head out from Yu Si’s arms, making baby noises at Yue Xue.

Yu Si laughed, “Looks like this little girl still remembers you.”

Yue Xue touched her cheek but got caught by He Xuan’s small hand. He Xuan looked at Yue Xue and suddenly broke into a wide smile, revealing a newly grown baby tooth.

He Siqi teased, pinching He Xuan’s cheek, “Xuan Xuan, so picky, usually smiles only when Auntie feeds you, now A Xue comes and you’re giggling nonstop.”

After some small talk, Yu Qi’s car arrived.

Seeing it was getting late, Yue Xue bid farewell and got into the car.

He Xuan continued to look in the direction Yue Xue went.

He Siqi, still holding He Xuan, rubbed her daughter’s cheek, laughing, “Xuan Xuan, do you miss that pretty sister? A little young to be so fond of beauty standards, huh…”

She chuckled, settling He Xuan into the car, and taking the front passenger seat.

Yu Si started the car, adjusting the air conditioner since the temperature had dropped a bit, warming up the inside.

He Siqi seemed to be dozing off, resting her head on He Xuan’s little shoulder.

Yu Si focused on the road ahead but suddenly changed his expression sharply.

Right on the road, an unexpected figure stood still, seemingly waiting for Yu Si to crash into her.

As they got closer, Yu Si could even make out a smile on her face.

He hurriedly gripped the steering wheel, trying to swerve away.

Suddenly, the loud cry of a baby filled the car. He Xuan, with red cheeks, wailed loudly, pulling Yu Si’s attention back.

Yu Si quickly regained focus and when she looked ahead again, there was nothing, but she almost crashed into a large tree on the side of the road.

Thankfully, Yu Si regained her senses in time, avoiding an accident.

He Siqi woke up a bit, soothing He Xuan, “Xuan Xuan, what’s wrong? Are you hungry?”

Yu Si was still shaken, gripping the steering wheel with a trembling hand, trying to calm down and continue driving.

He Xuan looked ahead with red eyes, then quieted down, holding her longevity lock, nestling in He Siqi’s arms without speaking.

Yue Xue and Yu Qi returned to Xuan Zhen Guan. Passing by a side hall, they noticed Xu Zhou and Bai Liu were receiving guests in one of the front rooms.

Yue Xue intended to go back and do her homework but paused when she recognized a familiar figure.

“What’s wrong?” Yu Qi asked softly when he noticed Yue Xue had stopped.

Yue Xue looked up at Yu Qi and said, “I’ll check over there, can you bring the two notebooks from the room for me?”

Yu Qi nodded.

Yue Xue approached the side hall, realizing the familiar figure inside was Yu Mingxuan.

She initially thought it was about the last time she helped Yu Ming and he found out, but upon overhearing Yu Mingxuan’s conversation with Xu Zhou and the others, it seemed it wasn’t quite about that.

When Yue Xue got close, Bai Liu spotted her and called out, “Auntie Yue Xue!”

He made space and moved a chair over for Yue Xue to sit.

Yu Mingxuan turned around, looking at Yue Xue a few times, then smiled, “After Master solved the haunting at New Moon Square, I’ve been wanting to thank you in person but never found the right opportunity. Last time, I was too busy and couldn’t catch up with you. Now, it’s a coincidence to run into you here at Xuan Zhen Guan.”

Yue Xue thought to herself, this guy sure knows how to spin a tale; last week at New Moon Square, he didn’t even recognize her, they simply passed each other without a word.

Now, he’s all about gratitude.

Bai Liu looked at Yu Mingxuan, then at Yue Xue, and their eyes met with Xu Zhou.

Before Xu Zhou could speak, Yu Mingxuan continued, “I came this time not just to donate a deity’s golden body to the Daoist temple but also with a small favor. I hope Xuan Zhen Guan can help me change my fortune. Once that’s done, I’ll have the temple refurbished and the Three Clear Lords receive new golden bodies.”

Xuan Zhen Guan wasn’t as humble as it used to be; the Three Clear Lords in the main hall already wore new clothes. But more golden bodies wouldn’t hurt if there’s a replacement available.

However, typically, donators of golden bodies had to be sincere believers, not like Yu Mingxuan, who was suspect at best.

Yue Xue and the others didn’t say anything yet.

Yue Xue took a sip of tea and then said, “This Mr. Yu, Xuan Zhen Guan specializes in rituals and charms, exorcism, and ghostly matters. Changing fortunes isn’t our forte. If fortune had changed easily, Xuan Zhen Guan wouldn’t have been so quiet for so long and would still have plenty of followers. Don’t you agree?”

Yu Mingxuan’s smile faltered slightly, a crease forming on his brow, clearly caught off guard by the refusal, especially since he didn’t expect Xuan Zhen Guan to turn down his request to change his fate.

Xu Zhou, already unsure about Yu Mingxuan’s intentions due to his aura, silently acknowledged Yue Xue’s decision, even though he didn’t fully grasp her reasoning.

Bai Liu was more straightforward, saying, “Master is right, changing fortunes isn’t that simple. Hey, if you don’t mind, you could check out our official Xuan Zhen Guan Weibo, and maybe share the koi post, who knows, you could even win a lottery!”

Bai Liu was practically giving a marketing pitch.

Yu Mingxuan managed a tight smile, “Daoist Bai is quite the joker.”

Although Yu Mingxuan’s family split from Yu Minghe’s, they still held significant wealth. Even if they won three or four hundred thousand in a lottery, it wouldn’t make much difference to their financial situation.

Since Xuan Zhen Guan couldn’t help, Yu Mingxuan had no choice but to leave.

Yue Xue noticed his hurried departure and guessed he was likely heading to other Taoist temples, but with his kind of aura, unless another Taoist was just trying to make a quick buck, the answer would be the same everywhere.

As Yu Mingxuan walked out of the side hall, Yu Qi approached with Yue Xue’s things.

Yu Mingxuan paused, almost as if he thought he was seeing a mirage, “Is that Yu Qi?”

The star-crossed fate, inheriting a vast fortune but still cursed to die soon, many were hoping he’d hurry up and pass away. But recently, there have been rumors that Yu Qi’s health has improved.

Yu Mingxuan rarely saw him and initially thought it was just gossip, but now he realized Yu Qi had truly recovered.

But why was he at Xuan Zhen Guan?

With these doubts, Yu Mingxuan left Xuan Zhen Guan.

As he exited the side hall, Yue Xue mentioned to them that Yu Mingxuan was Yu Minghe’s cousin.

Since Xu Zhou was with Yue Xue when they exorcised the house, he was familiar with the family dynamics.

Xu Zhou nodded, “No wonder I thought he had ulterior motives, poor character.”

Yue Xue agreed, “Bad fortune follows when you do more bad deeds and face retribution. It seems like his family’s hired Taoists can’t help much, so Yu Mingxuan is desperately looking for ways to change his fate.”

Bai Liu added, “So he’s the one who set up Yu Minghe’s fake marriage.”

Then Bai Liu asked, “By the way, Master, isn’t Yu Mingxuan’s family quite wealthy? They even hired a bunch of Taoists. If they knew we helped him, would we be in trouble?”

Yue Xue glanced at him, “With just a few street Taoists around him, they couldn’t pose a threat to us.”

Bai Liu grinned, “Money talks, right?”

Yue Xue replied, “Even if he’s rich, Yu Qi is wealthier.”

Bai Liu gave her a thumbs up, “Master, you’re the best.”

Xu Zhou, who had been listening to their conversation, just shook his head helplessly.

Yu Qi had already brought in the notebooks.

Yue Xue walked over, linking arms with him, and said to the others, “I’ll go back and do my homework first. If there’s anything that can’t be solved, just come to me.”

Xu Zhou smiled in agreement.

Bai Liu, noticing they were linked, muttered under his breath, “Looks like they’re going to talk about romance…”

“Hm?” Yue Xue shot him a look.

Bai Liu quickly straightened up, grinning sheepishly, “Master, take care, no need to walk me out!”

Yue Xue ignored him.

Xu Zhou glanced back at Bai Liu, exasperated, “Looks like you’re just asking for a beating if Master doesn’t give it to you today.”

With that, he gathered his account books and left the side hall.

Bai Liu finished his water and followed suit.

Meanwhile, Yu Minghe returned to his study. The assistant brought over some files and placed them on the desk, then said, “Yu Mingxuan seemed to have visited Xuan Zhen Guan.”

Hearing this, Yu Minghe furrowed his brow slightly, “I thought I told them to keep the news quiet so no one would find out it was Yue Xue who helped me. Why did Yu Mingxuan go to Xuan Zhen Guan?”

The assistant explained, “Don’t worry, Mr. Yu. Yu Mingxuan didn’t catch on; he’s not likely to do anything to Yue Xue for now. But he’s unhappy that Xuan Zhen Guan turned down his business proposal. Seems like he’s plotting something against Xuan Zhen Guan.”

Even though Xuan Zhen Guan was managed by the Taoist Association, messing with a Taoist temple wasn’t a big deal for the second house, especially given Yu Hua Yuan’s connections with Haicheng.

The assistant reported everything about Yu Mingxuan’s visit to Yu Minghe.

“I have a connection with them, and Yue Xue helped me,” Yu Minghe said. “Keep an eye on Yu Mingxuan.”

The assistant whispered, “Chairman Yu also thinks so. But before we could move, the people from the Yu family had already intercepted them.”

Yu Minghe raised an eyebrow, “Yu family?”

The assistant added softly, “That Mr. Yu seems to have a close relationship with Yue Xue.”

The two families occasionally did business together. In Yu Minghe’s mind, Yu Qi was a reserved young man.

He smiled softly, “A perfect match, both talented and beautiful.”