Shi Shaojian took the menu, glanced at it, and remarked upon seeing the familiar English format, "Bring me a coffee—actually, never mind. If my junior martial brother won't drink it, it can't be anything good. Bring me an orange juice too!"
Seeing the foreign script across the menu, Wencai looked somewhat dazed. He eyed Shi Shaojian and Liu Xiu uncertainly and asked, "You two... actually know foreign languages?"
"Hm? You don't?"
"..."
"Oh? You don't even know this?"
*You really have a nasty way of speaking!*
Wencai watched Shi Shaojian look down his nose at him with unmasked contempt, causing his face to darken and droop.
Feeling the gazes of Ren Fa and his daughter upon him, the young Wencai bowed his prematurely aged face with a faint blush and muttered, "I'll have a coffee too..."
His voice was meek, dripping with helplessness and self-pity!
*That'll teach you for saying my junior martial brother looks like a ghost!*
*As if someone like you could push my junior martial brother around!*
Shi Shaojian sneered inwardly, then raised an eyebrow at Liu Xiu, giving him a look that clearly said: *Your senior brother has avenged you.*
*Well, thank you so much!*
Liu Xiu shot back a helpless glance of his own. Meanwhile, having recalled how his father had failed to bribe the feng shui master back then and resorted to coercion instead, Ren Fa feigned ignorance and offered an awkward chuckle.
"Daoist, what do you mean by that? I don't quite understand..."
"Heh."
Liu Xiu gave a light chuckle and uttered four words to Ren Fa: "Coercion and bribery." The moment the words left his mouth, everyone noticed Ren Fa's complexion drastically shift.
"Daoist—no, Perfected Master, when you said earlier that I face a bloody calamity, you didn't just mean a simple injury with a bit of bloodshed, did you...?"
Ren Fa asked, his face pale. He spoke this way naturally because he believed in such things, well aware that so-called bloody calamities came in both trivial and catastrophic forms.
Of course, he had also suspected that Liu Xiu might have investigated him beforehand. But upon reflection, only the steward knew about what had transpired back then.
Moreover, remembering Wencai's claim that Liu Xiu was Ninth Uncle's martial nephew, he reasoned that Liu Xiu was unlikely to be a charlatan looking to swindle him out of his money.
"I dare not claim the title of Perfected Master. Let's speak over there—"
Liu Xiu pointed toward an unoccupied window not far away, well-suited for a private chat. Seeing Ren Fa nod, he rose from his chair and led the way.
Ren Tingting originally intended to follow, only for Ren Fa to tell her, "Be good and wait here," leaving her with no choice but to stay put.
"Per—Daoist, may I ask what you meant by that bloody calamity?" Ren Fa's tone had grown noticeably cautious.
It wasn't that he held deep reverence for Liu Xiu; rather, bathed in the full sunlight, he realized that Liu Xiu looked truly unearthly.
It was true that Liu Xiu possessed white hair and a youthful face, but his hair carried a metallic sheen. As for that youthful face, to be completely honest, Ren Fa felt he had only ever seen something like it on certain bamboo-and-paper funeral goods.
Now, he was thoroughly terrified!
He was afraid that the bloody calamity might strike him any second!
"You are going to die."
Liu Xiu spoke. Ren Fa froze for a moment. As a shrewd businessman, his mind swiftly leaped to that treasured feng shui plot and the feng shui master from years ago.
"Has that feng shui master returned for revenge?"
*Actually, it's your fire-fearing old man who's going to kill you!*
Liu Xiu grumbled sarcastically in his mind, but merely answered, "More or less. You could say that."
Ren Fa nodded repeatedly. "I understand, I understand—"
With that, Ren Fa grabbed Liu Xiu's arm in agitation. "I don't want to die! Daoist, please save me! I have money—"
*???*
*Why do you believe me so easily?*
Liu Xiu had already prepared himself to act smug and deliver a dramatic face-slap, but Ren Fa's overwhelming trust caught him off guard. Pausing briefly, he said, "If you want to live, do as you're told!"
"Understood, understood!"
"..." *Wait, something feels a bit off about that phrasing!*
Liu Xiu muttered internally. Ren Fa then smiled ingratiatingly with curiosity and began, "Daoist, may I ask how much it will cost for your assistance—"
Ren Fa trailed off, simply rubbing his thumb and fingers together. Just as Liu Xiu was about to hold out his hand, the narrator cheat's voice chimed in.
*[Ding! Favorability toward you: 0!]*
*What is wrong with you? Again?!*
*Why are you staring at me? Are you jealous of how handsome I am?!*
Liu Xiu's expression remained unchanged as he used his sensory perception to search for the source. At the same time, he held up eight fingers toward Ren Fa.
"Eight hundred silver dollars? Done, done, done!"
*You sure are loaded!*
Liu Xiu curled his lip, eyeing the obscenely wealthy Ren Fa before him. "I meant eight. Eight silver dollars, without the hundred!"
"Eight?"
Ren Fa blinked in surprise. He saw Liu Xiu glance toward his daughter, Ren Tingting, and say, "Not everyone does things purely for money..."
*To be honest, I think we'd better stick to talking about money!*
Watching Liu Xiu stare at his daughter, Ren Fa furrowed his brows. However, taking in Liu Xiu's features and stature, he suddenly felt that Liu Xiu looking slightly unearthly wasn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, Liu Xiu's good looks were more than enough to overshadow those quirks.
At that thought, the furrow between Ren Fa's brows instantly smoothed out. He warmly took Liu Xiu by the arm and said, "Come, come, Daoist, I haven't introduced my daughter Tingting to you yet. Come, Tingting, greet our guest! This is—"
Ren Fa froze, suddenly realizing he didn't know Liu Xiu's name, and couldn't help but look at him.
"—Liu Xiu."
Having failed to pinpoint the whereabouts of that hidden observer, Liu Xiu replied, and then tacked on, "Eighteen years old this year."
Hearing this, Ren Fa beamed. "What a coincidence! My daughter Tingting is also eighteen this year. You two are the exact same age!"
"They sure are big..."
Wencai, who wasn't paying attention to age but was instead staring at her ample chest, nodded subconsciously—and immediately caught a heavy punch right in the gut.
"Aaargh—you—"
Wencai cried out in agony, clutching his stomach as he glared indignantly at Shi Shaojian, who had hit him out of nowhere. Shi Shaojian expressionlessly pulled his hand out from beneath the table; wisps of mud-like Gui Water Yin Thunder coiled around his fist.
The sight made Wencai's expression change instantly, and he ceased glaring at Shi Shaojian. Shi Shaojian scoffed inwardly: *Hmph! How dare you gawk at the woman my junior martial brother has his eye on!*
After muttering to himself, he pulled back his fist and said to Ren Fa and his daughter, who were looking at him, "Nothing to worry about. Whenever this guy gets something he loves to drink, he just likes to holler. Isn't that right, Junior Martial Brother Wencai?"
As he spoke, Shi Shaojian thrust his thunder-wreathed fist from beneath the table right up to Wencai's face once more. At this moment, an imperious, domineering will showed clearly in his eyes as he looked at Wencai with an effusive, beaming smile.
"Y-Yes..."
*Just you wait until my master comes back!*
*No, I'll go find Qiusheng right after this and beat you up!*
Wencai hung his head and agreed with a bitter face while clutching his stomach. Liu Xiu looked blankly at Shi Shaojian's "no need to thank me" expression, remained silent for a beat, and gave a faint nod.
Though Ren Fa and his daughter were surprised by Wencai's bizarre habit, they didn't dwell on it. One spoke while the other stayed quiet.
The one speaking was Ren Fa, who seemed to have turned into a matchmaker on the spot, posing questions to Liu Xiu while singing Ren Tingting's praises.
Her father's attitude struck Ren Tingting as... not bad, actually. After all, she was of marrying age now.
Thinking this, she looked at Liu Xiu's face, and then looked at it again. Her attitude was exceedingly pragmatic, prompting Shi Shaojian to furrow his brows, judging Ren Tingting to be a truly superficial woman.
*Whack!* "Aaargh—"
*You hit me again!*
*What did I do this time?!*
Wencai shrieked as a punch landed squarely on his thigh. With reddened eyes, he hung his head, rubbed his thigh, and choked back tears.
"I... I just love coffee too much..."
"—Uh, then drink more of it! Waiter, bring him another cup—no, bring him three more cups of coffee!"
Ren Fa generously ordered. Having said that, he resumed chatting with Liu Xiu, casually slipping in details about Ren Tingting, having completely forgotten about his fire-fearing old boy waiting in a coffin for the grave relocation.
Liu Xiu stared blankly at Ren Fa. He really wanted to tell Ren Fa that he was overthinking things; he hadn't looked at Ren Tingting out of romantic interest.
Nor was he acting on lust. It was merely that he didn't want Ren Tingting to endure the very downpour that his original body had once suffered through.
Namely, having her family estate devoured down to the bones!
Consider it a burst of charity on his part. Naturally, if she insisted on pledging herself in marriage and handing over vast family fortunes, he wouldn't refuse either. As for whether helping Ren Fa would delay their corpse-driving itinerary, Liu Xiu figured that in this regard, Four-Eyed Daoist could just bear the hardship!
With that thought in mind, after exchanging a few more words with Ren Fa and glancing at Wencai, who had been coerced by Shi Shaojian into choking down four cups of coffee, Liu Xiu stood up and said to Ren Fa:
"Let's head to your home to take a look first."
As the saying went, the most dangerous place was often the safest. Liu Xiu intended to visit Ren Fa's residence to see if he might run into this supposed feng shui master.
"Alright, alright, alright! A-Xiu, let's go. By the way, A-Xiu, what do you like to eat? It's just about noon anyway, so you must stay and have lunch with us—"
Ren Fa was exceedingly warm. In particular, recalling Liu Xiu's mention that his parents had passed away early, he instantly felt that Liu Xiu was all the more suitable to be his son-in-law.
And so, the group departed the Western restaurant. Because Liu Xiu had suggested walking, they set out on foot toward Ren Fa's home.
Wencai originally intended to slip over to the Xiangbao Rouge Shop diagonally across the street to complain to Qiusheng, but how could Shi Shaojian possibly give him the chance?
"Where are your eyes wandering? Don't you know Ren Tingting is the woman my junior martial brother has chosen? Come over here, let's have a nice little heart-to-heart, fellow disciple!"
Bringing up the rear, Shi Shaojian dragged Wencai by force into a side alley, leaving Liu Xiu up ahead in brief silence.
*Good grief, so this is the kind of Hegemon Body you awakened!*
*What an impressive will of dominance!*
Liu Xiu made no move to stop Shi Shaojian from bullying Wencai, as Wencai's demeanor and remarks were indeed utterly embarrassing.
With that in mind, Liu Xiu withdrew his gaze, glanced to his left at Ren Tingting, who was still staring at him, and then to his right at Ren Fa, who was winking at her, before speaking up plainly.
"Master Ren, you trust me just like that?"
"Well, strange as it sounds, the moment I laid eyes on you, I felt a sense of familiarity—" Ren Fa replied with a chuckle after thinking for a moment.
"Oh? Do I look like one of your elders?"
*I suddenly don't think you're suitable for my daughter anymore!*
Ren Fa's face darkened as he glared at Liu Xiu, who was taking verbal advantage of him. Liu Xiu chuckled right back at Ren Fa, who had been trying to take advantage of him, and said, "Come, tell me a bit about your household. For instance, do you have any servants who happen to have been in your employ for exactly twenty years?"
As Liu Xiu spoke, he utilized the Seven Emotions Undisturbed Emptiness and Stillness True Incantation to refine the database of his favorability system.
Thus, the three plus two strolled toward the Ren residence while chatting. Aside from the miserable Wencai, everyone was in high spirits.
Though Ren Tingting felt Liu Xiu was rather cold toward her, she didn't consider it a major issue; she would simply be more proactive.
Not long after Liu Xiu and the others vanished at the end of the street, someone appeared outside the Western restaurant whom Qiusheng, emerging from the rouge shop, greeted as Master—none other than Ninth Uncle!
Having proposed self-study to his master, Ninth Uncle had finally returned to Ren Family Town from Eldest Senior Brother's de—Daoist claws.
"Master, did someone treat you to foreign tea?"
Seeing his master conversing with the waiter, Qiusheng perked up and sprinted over, eager to cadge a cup for himself.
Upon learning from the waiter that Master Ren and his daughter had already left with Wencai and the others, Ninth Uncle thanked the waiter, rolled his eyes at Qiusheng, and said:
"You're too late, none for you! Get back and watch your aunt's shop!" With that, Ninth Uncle kicked Qiusheng in the rear.
"Oh..."
Qiusheng dusted off his backside and returned to tend the shop, while Ninth Uncle headed toward the Ren manor. As for his reason, he was worried about Wencai and the others.
Yet upon arriving at the Ren manor, Ninth Uncle quickly discovered he had worried for nothing. None of the dreadful mishaps he had imagined had occurred.
However, the business that was rightfully his seemed to have been snatched away by his martial nephew—at least, that was what he thought seeing how Ren Fa barely paid him any mind and instead chatted animatedly with Liu Xiu.
What's more, his disciple seemed to—
No, not seemed to; he had genuinely been beaten!
Standing in the living room of the Ren manor, Ninth Uncle's lips twitched as he looked at Wencai sniffling behind him, and then at Shi Shaojian on the sofa, who stopped glaring at Wencai only when Ninth Uncle looked over.
*Just you wait, you're going to get thrashed later too!*
*What right does a junior martial brother whom my father beat up have to act so arrogant!* Crossing his legs on the sofa, Shi Shaojian shot a sideways glance at Lin Fengjiao, grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the table, and began to munch on it.
"Second Martial Uncle, you've arrived just in time. I've already settled things with Master Ren. Three days from now, you will unearth the coffin to relocate the grave and select a prime feng shui plot for the old master."
Not entirely sure how Ninth Uncle had made it back, Liu Xiu rose and explained. Ren Fa smiled and chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes! We'll be troubling you this time, Ninth Uncle. Rest assured, the compensation won't be lacking. There's a share for you, and a share for Worthy Nephew Liu as well!"
*???*
*How did one job turn into two?*
Ninth Uncle looked utterly baffled. Liu Xiu, on the other hand, impassively eyed Ren Fa, who in less than two hours had upgraded his form of address from "Perfected Master" to "Worthy Nephew."
Acting as though he didn't notice, Ren Fa smilingly instructed the steward nearby, "Ninth Uncle is here! Quickly, inform the kitchen to prepare several more dishes and bring out a few more jars of good wine—"
Turning to Ninth Uncle with a chuckle, Ren Fa added, "Ninth Uncle, this is thirty-year-cellared osmanthus wine that I specially purchased when passing through the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region a while back!"
"Thirty-year vintage! Ahem—I'd like to know why you also engaged A-Xiu? If I recall correctly, didn't Uncle Fu the steward say yesterday that you only wanted to unearth the coffin and relocate the old master's grave?"
Ninth Uncle's eyes lit up at the mention of the thirty-year osmanthus wine. Then, clearing his throat, he shifted his tone and assumed a serious expression.
To his mind, relocating a grave hardly required hiring so many people. Furthermore, shouldn't Liu Xiu be assisting Four-Eyed Daoist with driving the corpses?
"Let's sit down and talk. You two, head outside for now."
Liu Xiu gave Shi Shaojian a look. Shi Shaojian originally didn't want to heed Liu Xiu, but seeing Wencai, he grinned, rose, and slung an arm around Wencai's shoulders.
"Come on, Junior Martial Brother Wencai, let's step outside for a chat!"
"Tingting, you go upstairs as well."
Ren Fa looked to Ren Tingting. Once the servants in the parlor had also withdrawn, Liu Xiu finally addressed Ninth Uncle.
"Here is how it is—"
Leaving out the details regarding the favorability system, he explained how he had divined the dark death qi over Ren Fa's yintang and the impending bloody calamity, while mentioning the past affair with the feng shui master and the connection between the two.
"I see. Your father was truly... formidable back then—"
Ninth Uncle understood now. He realized why Ren Fa had retained Liu Xiu alongside him—turns out the man was terrified of dying an unnatural death!
Reflecting on this, Ninth Uncle nodded. He glanced quizzically at Ren Fa, who was still able to smile, and furrowed his brow slightly.
"A-Xiu, are you certain this matter is related to that feng shui master from back then?"
"Not certain. It's merely a conjecture. Furthermore, before you arrived, Martial Uncle, I had already looked around the Ren residence and found no anomalies," Liu Xiu replied.
Before Ninth Uncle had arrived, he had already strolled through the Ren estate. The favorability system hadn't triggered another alert for that zero favorability, nor had it detected any new abnormally low ratings.
This made him feel that perhaps things were just as he suspected: there was no vengeful feng shui master, only Qing court remnants scheming in the shadows.
It was just a pity that whenever he attempted divination, the results turned out hazy. That was the real reason he hadn't completely ruled out the feng shui master's existence.
"No anomalies?"
"Right, none. And speaking of which, I actually share a connection with Ren Fa—" Having already learned from Ren Fa that he had a second uncle named Ren Tiantang, Liu Xiu recounted the matter regarding Qingqing.
Qingqing was indeed the granddaughter of that Ren Tiantang from the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region, and she even had a twin sister named Zhuzhu.
And Ren Fa, as it turned out, was Ren Tiantang's nephew!
Everything matched the information revealed by the narrator cheat to the letter: the two Rens of the Ren Family Towns were fundamentally from the same family.
These details had come to light during his conversation with Ren Fa just now, which was another reason Ren Fa treated him with such enthusiasm.
At the same time, it was also why Ren Fa was so overjoyed! After all, Ren Zhuzhu's father was his cousin, so how could he not be delighted to learn that his cousin's long-lost daughter, Qingqing, had been found?
"Oh, I see—"
Ninth Uncle nodded, marveling at how fate moved in mysterious ways. Then his brows knitted slightly. Possessing some knowledge of physiognomy, he recalled the texts on face reading he had studied in the past.
Looking back at Ren Fa, he indeed saw dark death qi entrenched between his brows—an unmistakable omen of a bloody calamity mingled with impending demise.
Just as he was about to look away, his eyes caught the crimson glow between Liu Xiu's brows—or rather, a red aura resembling a blooming peach blossom.
Then he glanced toward the floor above, where a similar red light emanated from what seemed to be Ren Tingting's room. He was sorely tempted to ask Liu Xiu: *Are you sure you want to save Ren Fa?*
*Are you sure you aren't just after his daughter?!*
Believing he had figured something out, Ninth Uncle frowned at Liu Xiu, but kept his thoughts to himself and simply said:
"Then let us handle the grave relocation first, and deal with the rest when the time comes. As for now, let's eat—ahem, martial nephew, you must be hungry!" Ninth Uncle said with a genial laugh, looking toward Liu Xiu.
"I certainly am!"
Liu Xiu smiled in reply. Suddenly, a voice audible only to him sounded in his ear—a voice transmission from Shi Jian.
Shi Jian's suppressed, fury-laden voice came through: "If your Second Martial Uncle uses any thunder arts, make sure you inform your master!"
*Master, this has practically become your obsession!*
Liu Xiu said nothing, merely making an "OK" sign with his hand resting on the sofa. There was little else to say after that; it was just eating and drinking, though Liu Xiu himself didn't touch alcohol.
Ninth Uncle, however, did—
The meal ended with both host and guests thoroughly delighted, except for Wencai, who had taken several more punches from Shi Shaojian and felt no joy whatsoever.
Everyone else was very happy!
Naturally, there was one more person who wasn't happy!
For example, inside the Yizhuang an hour later.
"What do you mean, 'Four-Eyed Daoist can bear the hardship'?! I'm an invalid! An injured patient! You two are just going to dump me like this? Leave me all alone to drive corpses and deliver these customers?!"
Four-Eyed Daoist glared wide-eyed at Liu Xiu. As for Shi Shaojian, he didn't dare glare at him, because that brat genuinely dared to talk back.
Visibly half-drunk, Ninth Uncle patted Four-Eyed Daoist on the shoulder. "Junior Brother, A-Xiu is doing this to save a living human life. Just tough it out a little, Junior Brother. Besides, you practice the spirit-summoning art—"
*No, wait! I'm an invalid!*
*Is this... is this how you treat an invalid?!*
Four-Eyed Daoist stared wide-eyed at Ninth Uncle. Just as Liu Xiu was about to speak, an abrupt wave of drowsiness washed over him. Alerted, he yawned and asked, "Martial Uncle, where is the guest room? I'm feeling a bit sleepy and would like to rest there for a while."
"The guest room is over there—"
Perhaps out of mutual understanding between kindred spirits, Ninth Uncle instantly caught the underlying meaning Liu Xiu was conveying without having to drop a single hint.
Someone was making a move!
And in broad daylight, no less!
*I might not be able to beat Eldest Senior Brother, but you think I can't beat you?!*
Ninth Uncle's expression remained steady, but a faint smile crept onto his face, frightening Four-Eyed Daoist so much that he scrambled backward with rapid nods.
"Right, then let me bear the hardship!"
"Heh..."
Ninth Uncle chuckled—
Chapter 73