Yin Yang Rogue

  I've settled two gloomy affairs, and my body is extremely exhausted. After all, I'm not Master Nan's old freak who lived for over a hundred years, nor do I have his kind of Taoist practice that allows him to walk thousands of miles. This situation is a test for my "essence, energy, and spirit", and if I'm not careful, it could lead to exhaustion of my vital energy.

  But anyway, everything turned out to be a happy ending, and now it's time for the final touches... Ah, no, I mean, it's time to get paid. That night, our whole family had a delicious dinner together. I also ate my fill, which was a rare occurrence. Our normally sweet and lovely daughter was back to her usual self, with her curved eyes always smiling like a crescent moon.

  I also liked it in my heart, but I was poor and had nothing to give as a gift. So I took the talisman paper, asked for Niuniu's birth date, dotted on it, wrote a protective charm for her, folded it into a triangle, and instructed Li Shanmin and Liang Hongyu to sew it with red cloth and wear it on the child's body. Be careful not to get wet.

  When not carrying it on the body, put the amulet in a high place, and do not let the amulet be placed among filth and pollution. Liang Hongyu and her husband repeatedly nodded in agreement, and with nimble hands and feet, they finished sewing the protective charm that night and hung it on Ya's body. I knew this matter had too great an impact on them, especially since they had personally witnessed the soul flying away, so this gift of mine was considered to have reached their hearts.

  Li Shanmin wanted to give me 5,000 yuan, I definitely couldn't accept it. I only took three hundred or so. In the situation where I resolutely refused the rest, Li Shanmin didn't persist.

  The next day when we were leaving, it was Li Shanmin who drove us to the city. When I returned to the dojo, I discovered that one of my soul flags had 3,000 yuan rolled up inside. It seemed that Liang Hongyu and her husband had secretly put it there. It wasn't until later that I found out from Liang Yuhao that he had secretly told Liang Hongyu that I had a preference for the number "three" and only accepted money with "three" in it.

  So there are three thousand dollars! I am also crying and laughing. Because of the numbers 3, 6, and 9, each number is an extreme. It also subtly matches the Buddhist concept of cause and effect and rules. In Buddhism, three refers to the Three Paths, six refers to the Six Realms, and nine refers to the Nine Grades of Rebirth. In Taoism, "three" refers to heaven, earth, and man, "six" is a harmonious number, and "nine" is a changing number.

  But I couldn't possibly ask for 600 or 900, could I? We're all ordinary people, and I'm only taking money to ensure a good start and finish, without any ulterior motives. So it's always better to take less if possible, after all, it's not easy for ordinary people to make ends meet.

  But I didn't expect that this time, I also brought a "calamity" to myself. Since I returned to the Daoist temple, this "calamity" has been sticking to me, with one voice calling "Master" on my left and another voice calling "Great Master" on my right. Who else could it be besides that fatty Jiang? It's making me want to cry without tears.

  Jiang Pangzi seems to be particularly interested in this line, and he said that when I was drawing symbols with my fingers at the time, it was simply "cool to explode", and he also wanted to learn from me, go back and soak up girls and so on.

  I wouldn't bother with him, but the old cheat actually found it quite curious and privately asked me over drinks what trick I used to make his son so obedient. And how did things go this time when we went out?

  I didn't explain, just casually glossed over a few sentences, and this old rascal was on the same page, winking at me with the implication that "your tricks are the same as mine, you're just a cheat, if you don't want to say it's fine, I won't ask, I understand!"

  The old man thought his jade pendant was saved, and this matter still had to thank me. So for those three days, I also counted as solving trouble for him, not deducting my salary, and giving me a bonus of 200 yuan. I suddenly became speechless.

  The next two days were spent in leisure, as I had a steady supply of food and wasn't worried. I called out Liu Wanwan, who had introduced me to my job. Liu Wanwan was a university student who had come to Beijing to study and had rented the house across from mine on the same day as me. When she first moved in, there were some issues with the house, but I helped her resolve them.

  So she was very grateful to me, also very curious, and also had a bit of awe for me. Liu Wanwan is considered a beauty, with a fair and delicate face, a pair of eyes that are just the right size, and clear as water. A ponytail was neatly tied at the back of her head.

  She didn't ask much, just asked if I was doing well at work. I nodded and said it's going great, thank you. With a curved and shy smile, she said: "It's nothing."

  When I was halfway through eating, Liu Wanwan suddenly raised her head and asked me with a bit of embarrassment: "Fang Xian, do you... still take care of things yourself?"

  Because she had trouble with her house last time, I helped her solve it, so she's very clear that I understand this line. Now the meaning of asking this question is very obvious, she wants to introduce a job to me, implying whether I will take it or not.

  I also didn't know what was going on and asked a few more questions in detail. Liu Wanwan said, "It's a friend of one of my teachers, there's been some trouble at home."

  I became interested and asked what was going on, and Liu Wanwan only told me then. It turned out that the incident of her residence being haunted had been known by many classmates, and it even became a topic for discussion during breaks. Of course, it also reached the teacher's ears.

  There was a teacher named Meng, and this Teacher Meng originally didn't believe in it. One time, when Teacher Meng had dinner with several friends, he brought up the matter of Liu Wanwan as a casual conversation topic at the dinner table. During which, Teacher Meng even laughed and said: "These kids actually still believe in this? It's really hopeless. What era is this? Where are there stories about gods and ghosts?"

  As a result, on the same day at the banquet, a business friend surnamed Zhu was silently drinking wine. After hearing Mr. Meng's words, he suddenly became spirited and insisted on pulling Mr. Meng to continue drinking after the banquet dispersed.

  Mr. Meng was in high spirits that day, so he agreed. The two of them found a big restaurant and ordered a dozen beers to start chatting. This friend with the surname Zhu revealed that he wanted someone to take a look at his home to see if anything was going on.

  At that time, Mr. Meng couldn't help but laugh and said to him: "You also believe that there are ghosts in this world?"

  Who would have thought that the friend looked at Teacher Meng with a determined look and said: "Yes, I believe! And now I'm in some trouble."

  Mr. Meng felt a bit embarrassed seeing him so serious and couldn't laugh anymore. However, his friend with the surname Zhu asked him to contact Liu Wanwan, wanting her to ask for my help.

  I asked Liu Wanwan in detail what was going on at home, and Liu Wanwan shook her head and said that they didn't say anything specific. She just said that if it's possible, she wants me to help out a bit. And also said that if I can help him, he won't let me go empty-handed.

  "I thought for a moment and then nodded, saying: 'This weekend, then.'"

  Liu Wanwan nodded gently, thought for a moment, furrowed her brow, and said with some embarrassment: "Actually, if you don't want to go, it's okay. Although Teacher Meng is my teacher, he himself doesn't quite believe in this either."

  I shook my head and smiled: "It's not because of these things, some things are what I should have done myself."

  I bid farewell to Liu Wanwan and returned to the Dao Guan. As soon as I entered, I saw Jiang Pangzi pacing back and forth. When he saw me return, he grabbed me in one swift motion. I thought something was wrong, but instead he anxiously lowered his voice and said, "Master, something's happened."

  I didn't think so, Jiang Paozi's personality is indeed impulsive and reckless. What could happen? As a result, I asked, and it actually happened.

  Originally, the fat boy had a lively personality and loved to show off. After going back, he exaggerated and told everyone about what happened at Liang Yuhao's house, even saying that I was his master, how cool is that? As a result, one time when he went back to the dorm after class, he found a note on his bed.

  Within seven days, you will lose whenever you gamble!

  Jiang Paozi usually liked to play cards with a few dormitory roommates, and didn't think much of it. At the time, who would have thought that things would take a strange turn? But what happened next was indeed very strange. Jiang Paozi started losing at every gamble, and at first, he didn't believe in evil omens. However, he really did lose more and more, playing cards for 50 cents, one night he even lost all his underwear.

  Lost three days in a row, this month's living expenses have been spent, really can't afford to eat, so I went home with a thick face to ask for money and was scolded by the old man.

  I gave him a white eye: "Then you won't gamble?"

  "However, I just can't control my own paws. If I don't play, my hands get itchy and my whole body feels uncomfortable. Besides, we're not even playing for high stakes, just small bets back and forth, a little excitement to liven up life in college. Master, did I somehow get possessed by an evil spirit or something?"

  I shook my head and said, "Maybe you're thinking too much. Many things don't necessarily require a trick to achieve. If this person secretly bribed another person in your dorm who plays cards with you, and they colluded to cheat together, if it's done discreetly, with your personality, you might not even notice. So it's very possible that you're overcomplicating things."

  "Ah, it's not like that at all! I even won at cards this morning. At noon, a few of us from the dorm went to eat together and when we came back, I saw the note on the bed and the weird symbol next to it. I cursed a couple of times and tore up the symbol. From then on, I really haven't been winning at cards, it's like I'm jinxed!"

  I frowned and hastily asked him to wait, asking what symbol. Jiang Pangzi told me that together with the note, there was another symbol, which was different from the normal one, it was drawn in a messy way, he couldn't understand it either. Although he believed in this, but Jiang Pangzi was a typical person who would believe in good things and not believe in bad things. When he got angry, he directly tore up the symbol.

  He thought that the talisman was either a blind drawing or the source of the curse, and tearing it up would make everything disappear. All spells were also broken.

  Then from that time on, something strange happened. Jiang Pangzi started to lose every bet, and even those dormitory friends felt that things were strange.

  Jiang Pangzi lost all his money and was really out of options. He didn't believe in superstition, but he had no choice now that he only knew one expert, which was me. So he could only come to find me.

  Look at me not speaking, Jiang Pangzi muttered with a dejected face: "Hmph, I don't know what's wrong, in the past twenty years, searching all over the streets for someone who understands, searching for someone to exorcise ghosts, not one could be found. Since getting to know Master you, these things have started piling up around me. If you won't take care of me, that would really be unrighteous."

  Actually, I wouldn't really ignore Jiang Paozi. Hearing him say this, I roughly had a guess in my mind. Maybe it's just that Jiang Paozi can't control his mouth and goes around spreading the things he encounters, like Fu, Fa Shu, driving out ghosts and whatnot. He secretly annoyed some of his fellow practitioners, but they didn't seem to have any malicious intentions. If they really wanted to harm Jiang Paozi, they wouldn't set up a situation where "he's bound to lose".

  As long as Jiang Paozi doesn't gamble, nothing will happen. If he gambles, he'll lose some small money, but won't come to any harm. Another possibility is that the other person also understands Feng Shui and has set up this situation, perhaps having heard Jiang Paozi mention me and wanting to test whether I'm a real expert or not.

  Who is this person? What's his purpose after all? Someone who understands Feng Shui or Taoist magic, hiding in school, it seems that this matter really has some interest.