Chapter 48: Do It All
“Could it be… someone stronger than you?” Uncle Qing’s hand trembled as he spoke. “Junior Sister, you… you must protect me!”
“I am not invincible,” the woman in violet robes replied with a calm shake of her head. “Whether the punishment has already been dealt or if this is merely the beginning of something greater… no one can say.”
Uncle Qing’s face paled.
She studied his expression, her gaze sharp as a blade. “If you wish to avoid calamity, you had best listen to me and do exactly as I say.”
Uncle Qing took a deep breath, forcing a smile. “Of course! I’ll do whatever you say, Junior Sister!”
He coaxed her to sit back down before cautiously asking, “What should I do?”
“Who exactly have you offended recently?”
“Uh…” Uncle Qing hesitated, looking rather embarrassed.
The woman in violet let out a soft snort. “Do you truly not know, or have you deceived so many that you can’t even keep count?”
“It’s not that many! Besides, I’ve always been discreet. Even if I swindled a bit of money, most people wouldn’t have noticed…”
“Tell me everything!” she snapped, her patience wearing thin. “If you wish to rid yourself of this disaster, recount every single scheme you’ve pulled lately. Leave nothing out! Should you omit even one, and we miss the true source of your trouble, then when you fall into your enemy’s hands, even I won’t be able to save you!”
Uncle Qing’s face twisted in discomfort, but under the weight of her glare, he had no choice but to spill the details.
Within moments, he confessed to three recent schemes in which he had used trickery to swindle people out of their money.
The woman in violet remained expressionless. “Continue. I refuse to believe that’s all.”
“Well… there’s also something involving President Fang…” Uncle Qing’s voice faltered as he sneaked a glance at his Junior Sister.
Her eyes narrowed. “President Fang? What did you do to him?”
“I… performed a ritual for him, inside that haunted house of his. You know the one, Junior Sister.”
“Of course, I know!” she snapped. “I was the one who conducted the initial cleansing when he first bought the place! That house was steeped in Sinister Yin Energy, but I had already purged it! Why would President Fang suddenly seek another ritual?”
Uncle Qing flushed red, avoiding her piercing gaze.
“A month ago, President Fang approached me, saying that as the year’s end approached, he wished to prepare Fortune Blessing Charms as gifts. I was occupied with a commission in Bei Prefecture at the time, so I thought a simple task like that was within your abilities. That’s why I introduced him to you! What exactly did you do?!”
“I… it was nothing, really…”
“Speak!”
Uncle Qing winced, his face darkening. “The fortune charm business is small… there wasn’t much profit in it. And President Fang looked wealthy, so I… I decided to add a little something extra.”
The woman in violet let out a humorless laugh. “A little something extra? Oh, Senior Brother, how modest you are. Tell me, what exactly did you do?”
“I… I gave him a box of Burning Bone Incense…”
Silence.
The woman in violet’s face went deathly pale. She fixed Uncle Qing with a chilling glare, her voice trembling with restrained fury. “How clever of you, Senior Brother! So, you gave him Burning Bone Incense, knowing full well that once he burned it, he’d be afflicted by lingering resentful energy, making him susceptible to illness and misfortune. Then, when he fell into misfortune, you would conveniently suggest that his haunted house was to blame, and swindle him into paying you for another ritual? How very shrewd of you!”
She let out a few cold laughs, then abruptly dropped her smile and leaned in, her voice icy. “I know you are greedy. I know you deceive others without a second thought. That has never changed. But tell me, Senior Brother—did you stop to consider how this would affect me?”
Uncle Qing lowered his head, silent.
“I was the one who introduced you to President Fang. If he ever realizes your deception, he will hold me accountable as well! Did you think of that? Even if your lies remain undetected, did you not claim that the misfortune he suffered was due to his haunted house? And who was it that originally performed the cleansing of that house?”
She leaned in closer, voice sharp as steel. “It was me! You, my own Senior Brother, have implied that I failed in my work. Do you have any idea what position that puts me in?”
Her breath came slow and heavy as she fought to suppress her anger. “I used to think that, while you were a greedy and heartless fraud to others, at least you still respected and looked out for your Junior Sister. But it seems that when gold is placed before you, you have no problem betraying even your own kin.”
With that, she stood up abruptly, turned on her heel, and strode towards the door.
Uncle Qing panicked.
He bolted after her, dropping to his knees as he clutched the hem of her robe. “Junior Sister! Junior Sister! I was wrong! Please, you must save me!”
“Let go!” she snapped, unwilling to damage her robes by pulling away too forcefully.
“I won’t! Junior Sister, you’re the only one who can help me! I swear, this is the last time! I’ve truly learned my lesson!”
Her face flushed with anger as she stomped her foot. “Release me!”
“Please, just show me a way out of this!” Uncle Qing wailed, utterly terrified.
To him, deceiving people had always come easily. But his greatest safety net—the one thing that kept him out of real danger—was his Junior Sister, whose abilities far exceeded his own. If she refused to help him now… then he truly had no hope of escaping retribution.
He recalled her earlier words—
Whoever was after him had only used a minor trick, summoning Yin energy to attract vermin and creeping creatures.
And that was only the beginning.
If one were ruthless enough, would it not be wise to gather a bit of Blood Fiend Qi?
If there were yet another move to make, what would it be?
The woman in violet robes furrowed her brows, her sharp gaze locking onto Uncle Qing. Only after a long, steady breath did she grit her teeth and say, “You… release me first.”
“Junior Sister is finally willing to care about me?”
“Hmph!”
Only then did Uncle Qing loosen his grip. The violet-clad woman turned away, retracing her steps to the tea table where she sat down again.
“Continue speaking—what else have you done?”
“Nothing. This time, truly nothing else.” Uncle Qing shook his head fervently. “I swear, that’s all. While you were away, I only did the things I just mentioned.”
Her eyes narrowed as they fell upon the bruises on his forehead. “And those injuries on your face—what happened?”
“This… someone caused trouble for me, sent a few street thugs to ambush me.”
The violet-robed woman sneered. “Serves you right! Hah, I reckon someone saw through your tricks, grew furious, and sought revenge. Do you really think the world is filled with fools?
“You love deceiving the wealthy because they are generous with their gold, but did you not consider that those with power and influence have the means to strike back? The moment your schemes are exposed, the retaliation will be even fiercer.”
Uncle Qing dared not argue. Instead, he bowed repeatedly, silently pleading for help.
The woman closed her eyes briefly in thought before speaking again. “The one who struck at you lurks in the shadows. If you wish to end this trouble, you have but one choice—make peace.”
“Make peace? But shouldn’t we at least find out who is behind this first?”
“We cannot.” She let out a cold laugh. “They are hidden among many. Since we cannot identify them, then we shall appease them all.”
“What?!”
“The schemes you mentioned—every ill-gotten coin you took—return it by tomorrow. Say that your skills are lacking and you dare not accept such payments. Give all the money back.”
Uncle Qing froze in place. “All—All of it? But that’s a small fortune! Three families, in total, over hundreds of thousands! And I’ve already suffered enormous losses recently…”
The woman scoffed. “If wealth is more precious to you than life, then do as you please.”
Face bitter with regret, Uncle Qing finally sighed. “Fine… I will return the money.”
Only then did the woman continue. “As for President Fang, I will meet with him myself. Whatever compensation is necessary, I will handle it—but the funds will come from you.”
With no room for argument, Uncle Qing had no choice but to nod.
“And regarding your ambush…” She paused in thought. “Withdraw the report tomorrow. Seek a private resolution. I suspect this is but another consequence of your schemes. Resolve it along with everything else.”
“That is unnecessary! Hiring some thugs to attack me and an Eminent Master using mystic arts against me—those are two entirely different matters! They couldn’t possibly be from the same source!” Uncle Qing protested indignantly. “Junior Sister, I understand we must tread carefully when it comes to the hidden master. I am willing to endure that humiliation! But these street rats who beat me—why should I hold back? Do you know how they humiliated me? They even cut my hair!”
Seeing his suppressed fury, the violet-clad woman understood that pushing him further would be counterproductive. With a sigh, she relented. “Fine. Do as you wish with them.”
Then, standing once more, she spoke her final words. “Senior Brother, the night is deep. I shall take my leave. From now on, may you tread your own path wisely.”
—
Morning came, and Chen Yan sat on his bed in a daze.
Out of habit, he pinched his fingers together, running the Fate Circulation Technique to divine his fortune for the day. Finding nothing amiss, he finally rose to wash up.
Emerging from the grand master bedroom, he descended the stairs, only to see an elegant woman seated cross-legged on the living room sofa, immersed in meditation.
Her back was straight, her long, slender neck aligned perfectly with her spine. Her thick, dark hair was braided into a simple plait that hung to one side. Her hands rested on her knees, palms facing upward, forming intricate mudras with her fingers.
At the sight of her, Chen Yan felt a shiver down his spine.
[Ah… How absurd this all still feels.]
Somehow, overnight, he had gained a mother.
The villa’s underfloor heating made the space as warm as spring. Naturally, Gu Qing Yi had long discarded the heavy coats of winter. She now wore only a snug, soft cashmere sweater—thin and form-fitting. From the curve of her back alone, her graceful figure was fully outlined, drawing an undeniable allure.
Chen Yan quickly averted his gaze.
[No. No. Best not to look.]
His thoughts, however, refused to quiet.
[What kind of situation is this?!]
At first, he had assumed this was some childhood betrothal arrangement—only to discover that she was, in fact, his late father’s Primary Wife.
And now, she was living under the same roof as him.
Beautiful beyond words, yet bound to him by such an awkward tie.
[What kind of messed-up novel plot is this?]
A young widow. A stunning stepmother. Living together…
No matter how one looked at it, this was not the path of an honorable tale. Rather, it seemed to be hurtling toward a certain kind of notorious script at breakneck speed.
[Which depraved writer came up with this ridiculous storyline?!]
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