After resolving the matter with the prayer wheel and obtaining the secret Nine-Character Mantra of Tibetan Buddhism, I was in a great mood and decided to order a double serving of "Can Eat It." Just as I was enjoying my meal with Huang Jiu, the car of He Xiaoyun and Chen Zihao pulled up outside.
Huang Jiu wiped his mouth and said, "This guy always comes when I'm eating chicken. Every time I eat 'Can Eat It,' he shows up. It's bad luck."
I shot him a glance.
He Xiaoyun's visit this time must be related to his curse. However, as my second uncle had said, if He Xiaoyun caused trouble again, we should just beat him up mercilessly. So, I didn't feel like getting up to deal with him.
The car door opened, and Chen Zihao came down first. He jogged to open the rear door and helped a pale He Xiaoyun out, who seemed to be walking awkwardly.
Seeing He Xiaoyun's condition, I couldn't help but laugh out loud, but quickly suppressed my smile. On the other side, a young man around my age got out of the car.
Huang Jiu put down his chicken leg and whispered, "That kid wouldn't be He Xiaoyun's nephew, would he?"
I exhaled, clearing the table and asked, "Didn't you say he was a handsome guy? Why is he here?"
Huang Jiu seemed embarrassed.
A mere nephew of He Xiaoyun wouldn't be too intimidating, but behind him was the Longhu Mountain, a major sect that had been around for thousands of years.
Rumors on the internet said that Longhu Mountain had more than ten purple-robed Grand Masters.
Taking advantage of He Xiaoyun's slow pace, I hurried to the back room and strapped the Blood刺 dagger to my waist, along with a few yellow talismans.
When I returned, He Xiaoyun had entered the shop with the help of Chen Zihao and the young man.
As soon as he stepped inside, I caught a strange metallic smell of blood. I gave He Xiaoyun an odd look, wondering if he really had been cursed by Huang Jiu and was suffering from a severe period.
Chen Zihao hid behind He Xiaoyun and kept his head down, not saying a word. It seemed my previous warning had made him more cautious.
I scanned the group, my eyes resting on the young man.
Through my spiritual vision, I noticed a faint aura of energy around his lower abdomen, but it was much smaller compared to mine, like the difference between sesame seeds and soybeans.
I immediately felt disdain.
He Xiaoyun came from a family of Yin-Yang practitioners, so his nephew must have been trained in these arts from a young age. His talent shouldn't be lacking, especially since Longhu Mountain had chosen him.
But what was the result?
He was less capable than I was, having only practiced Qi for a month.
This made me lose interest in those prestigious sects.
Before I could speak, Huang Jiu suddenly stood up and grinned, "If you've got something to say, say it. If not, then get lost!"
He Xiaoyun twitched his mouth, but his condition made him reluctant to speak. He just gave me and Huang Jiu a dark look.
The young man stepped forward, casually curling his lips into a disdainful smile. I immediately braced myself for a fight.
But to my surprise, the young man cupped his hands and said, "I am He Xiaoyun's nephew, He Xiaolong, a disciple of Longhu Mountain."
"Hmm." Huang Jiu commented, "Nice name, but whether it's a dragon or a worm, who can say for sure?"
It seemed that after obtaining the Nine-Character Mantra, Huang Jiu was feeling pretty confident and had no problem speaking his mind.
Surprisingly, He Xiaolong remained calm and didn't respond to Huang Jiu. Instead, he turned to me and said, "Boss Li, I heard that my uncle offended you a few days ago, and after returning, he started experiencing strange symptoms. I hope you can spare him this time, for my sake."
His politeness threw me off guard, and I couldn't use any of the retorts I had prepared.
But if I responded favorably, it would imply that I was the one responsible for the strange happenings. So I smiled and replied, "As the saying goes, a doctor can't treat himself, and a practitioner without enough spiritual energy is more prone to encountering evil. Luckily, our shop specializes in helping people like him. But…"
"We do charge quite a high fee!"
Upon hearing the mention of a fee, He Xiaoyun could no longer suppress his anger and shakily pointed at me. "You little rascal…"
Before he could finish, He Xiaolong intervened and said, "Uncle, charging for services is completely normal!"
I couldn't help but smirk. They say that the eyes are the window to the soul, and the contempt in He Xiaolong's eyes was all too clear.
Right now, the person who most wanted to slap me was He Xiaolong. But his patience made me wonder what he was really up to.
I thought about it for a moment, then He Xiaolong asked, "Boss Li, how much do you think my uncle owes for this?"
I decided to test his limits, so I said, "100,000."
"Phew!" He Xiaolong exhaled deeply, and his fists clenched.
That price was clearly provocative. I braced myself, ready to fight if he took a swing.
But after a long breath, He Xiaolong slowly loosened his fists and turned to Chen Zihao. "Chen Shao, pay up."
Chen Zihao, without saying a word, hurried to the car and returned with a bag of cash.
He Xiaolong handed the bag to me, and for the first time, I felt uneasy.
It was strange. Even if Chen Zihao was the one paying, 100,000 wasn't a small amount. This could potentially ruin both his and Longhu Mountain's reputation.
I hesitated for a moment, thinking I should leave a way out and take only 20,000, to ease the tension. But when I saw the sharp look in He Xiaolong's eyes, I quickly dismissed the idea.
Regardless of whether I took 100,000 or 20,000, the relationship between us had already soured. Since that was the case, I decided not to hold back.
I took the bag, counted the bills briefly, and didn't bother checking if the amount was correct. I placed the money on the table and said, "You may leave now. Your uncle will be fine tonight."
He Xiaolong snorted coldly, helped He Xiaoyun up, and called to Chen Zihao before leaving.
As they drove away, I noticed that there was blood dripping from He Xiaoyun's calves into his shoes, sending a chill down my spine.
Normally, no curse could alter a person's physiology.
Once they were gone, I quickly grabbed Huang Jiu and demanded answers.
Huang Jiu, caught by my grip, didn't dare beat around the bush and confessed, "That's a technique from the Ten Thousand Mountains. It's far more powerful than what you typically find outside!"
More powerful than anything that could make a man experience his period?
I didn't believe it, but Huang Jiu was adamant, saying their family was from the outskirts but still belonged to the Ten Thousand Mountains and had learned their methods.
Seeing that he was telling the truth, I tried to pry further, asking about the female corpse issue.
Since the female corpse was no longer around, I thought Huang Jiu would be more forthcoming, but no matter how hard I shook him, he wouldn't say a word.
There was nothing else to do, so I let him go and instructed him to undo the circle and burn the paper figure.
Afterward, I started thinking about He Xiaolong again. The more I thought, the more something seemed off, so I pulled out my old Nokia phone and asked Chen Kai for Zhang Ying's number.
I planned to use Zhang Ying to lure Chen Zihao out and ask him some questions.