Volume 1, Chapter 55: Observing Matters Alone

My master's wife told me to go out and have fun, but how could I bear to waste the New Year's reunion with the family? I might as well tend the stove; my greatest dream was to be Little Zhuanfeng.

That day was full of life, and what left the deepest impression on me were the oversized beef and celery dumplings that oozed juices with every bite.

They were truly delicious.

In the evening, a bonfire was lit at the village entrance, accompanied by the beating of large drums, the Yangge dance, and Errentai opera performances. It was extraordinarily lively.

Master Ma led us to watch the performances, but I felt a bit uneasy inside—or rather, afraid.

I was afraid of losing this sudden warmth.

While Master Ma and the others watched with great relish, I returned home alone, loaded a plate of dumplings, and began burning paper money in the courtyard.

Apart from burning paper, I didn't know how to summon Hu Xiaozui.

As the yellow paper caught fire, Hu Xiaozui appeared. She huffed angrily, "What are you calling me for? Want to fight another round?"

I timidly replied, "The dumplings are delicious. I wanted you to taste them."

Hu Xiaozui was greatly surprised, and with a cold face, she nodded.

The stove in the side room was burning fiercely, and Hu Xiaozui ate the dumplings in large mouthfuls, looking fully satisfied, her mouth greasy with deliciousness.

As I watched Hu Xiaozui, my heart grew very quiet—truly very quiet. I half-hoped that time would freeze at that exact moment, allowing me to fully savor this tranquil time.

Perhaps because I had dabbled in a bit of everything, the moment I thought of frozen time, scenes from Japanese adult videos flashed through my mind.

However, this thought vanished as quickly as it came. Hu Xiaozui merely glanced at me and said nothing.

Sometimes I felt that Hu Xiaozui's background and mine were somewhat similar: born orphans, cherished by no one.

"Xiaozui, I will study properly under my master."

These words came straight from the bottom of my heart.

Hu Xiaozui kept eating her dumplings without raising her head, and hummed, "Call me Fairy Fox."

"Alright, Fairy Fox Xiaozui."

"Today is the New Year, so I hadn't planned to bring this up, but actually, time is running out for you, and time is running out for me."

"Mm."

For once, I was being genuinely serious. Everything I said to Hu Xiaozui that night came from the heart. On one hand, I wanted to learn a real skill, and on the other hand, I deeply envied the way Master Ma was respected by everyone.

To put it simply, the mayor of my former village—a small, elderly man—would wear his tattered overcoat with the sleeves dangling empty, draped over his shoulders, keeping his hands clasped behind his back all day long.

I had always thought the old village mayor was an incredible, towering figure, yet even he had to stand at attention and salute the moment he saw Master Ma.

Perhaps Hu Xiaozui saw right through my thoughts. She gave me a profound look, her expression complex, her eyes filled with heartache.

"In the future, don't burn paper money when you want to find me; it makes it look like you're visiting a grave. Just light three sticks of incense, and I will naturally come to see you. Even if I cannot appear in physical form, I will possess your body."

"You're going to possess me?"

Hu Xiaozui slapped me and said earnestly, "I mean take possession of your body, spirit possession."

"You are still just a child, and I know having these things thrust upon you is a heavy burden. But this is your destiny—or to put it bluntly, your karma. Just being alive is a sin for you."

I nodded and said nothing.

After Hu Xiaozui ate her fill and chatted with me for quite a while, she vanished into the darkness just before Master Ma returned.

I felt a lingering reluctance to let her go.

On the first day of the lunar new year, people offer New Year greetings; on the second day, married daughters return to their parents' homes.

My master's wife was returning to her parents' home and insisted on taking me along.

Feeling that it would be inappropriate for me to go, I stubbornly refused.

I knew how to read the room.

To be considered family, there had to be a connection—either a blood relation, or a connection through the mother of the children.

As for blood ties or sexual relations, yours truly didn't possess a single one of them.

Yet the master's wife insisted on taking me anyway.

So I ran away. I headed up the mountain and slipped away.

I didn't return home, feeling dejected, until after they had already left.

It wasn't that I was being overly sentimental; it was just that the lively atmosphere of the past two days had made me forget that I was an outsider with a different surname.

Greedily enjoying the warmth of a family, I had momentarily forgotten my own origins.

After Master Ma left, people came in a steady stream to drop off gifts. Seeing them made things awkward for me, and even more awkward for them.

I didn't know these people, and accepting gifts from them for no reason made no sense. Besides, with Master Ma not at home, could I possibly let them take their gifts back?

So, I simply locked the waist-high wooden picket gate of Master Ma's courtyard and refused to see anyone.

People often knocked on the gate, but finding no one answered, they eventually left.

At noon, someone knocked again. The pounding was very heavy—you could practically call it hammering on the gate.

When I went out to check, I saw a small car parked outside, and a middle-aged woman anxiously shouting for Master Ma.

"My master is not here."

"Hurry up, save us! My son is possessed by an evil spirit!"

I walked quickly to the gate. Inside the car sat a young man in his early twenties, his face sallow, his eyes half-closed, his consciousness extremely hazy.

"My master is not here. You should take him to the hospital."

"Little master, please open the gate and take a look at him."

"I don't know how to look at these things."

"Can you let us in? Master Ma's spirit hall is powerful; let's see if it can suppress this. I'm begging you."

I thought to myself: Spirit hall, my foot. Master Ma didn't even have a statue of Santa Claus here.

As soon as I unlocked the gate, the woman immediately beckoned the driver to carry the man into the courtyard.

Before I could react, I led them into the side room.

The woman claimed her surname was Liu, so I called her Aunt Liu. The young man was her son, Zhao Chuanwen.

Aunt Liu was extremely emotional, tears welling in her eyes as she said, "I don't know what happened. Right after the New Year, he couldn't get up from the kang bed. Where is your master?"

"He went to his father-in-law's house."

"Can you call him? We can go pick him up."

"My master doesn't have a phone, neither does my master's wife, and I don't know which village they went to."

"Ah? What on earth are we supposed to do now?"

Aunt Liu let out a cry of despair and started weeping.

Looking back at Zhao Chuanwen on the kang, he looked like he was heavily drunk, completely limp like a pile of mud. Whatever posture you put him in, he stayed in, unable to move on his own.

I said anxiously, "Take him to the hospital! Staying here is useless."

"The great immortal in our village said it's a spiritual affliction, and only Master Ma can handle it. Little master, please think of a way!"

With that, the woman moved to kneel before me, but I reacted faster and knelt down first, leaving the woman utterly stunned.

I patted my knees as I stood up and said earnestly, "My cultivation is shallow. You'd better take him to the hospital and not delay."

"It's definitely a spiritual affliction. Please take a look at him."

I said with a troubled expression, "Alright, I'll take a look."

Since I couldn't do anything else, looking was all I could do.

I went to my master's room and lit three sticks of incense. This matter had to be brought to Hu Xiaozui.

The moment the incense was lit, Hu Xiaozui parted the door curtain and walked in.

I asked helplessly, "You saw it. What's going on?"

"What are your thoughts?"

"No thoughts."

"Your brain is full of mush. Let me tell you, I'll only help you with this once. Next time, you'll have to figure it out yourself."

“Fine, let's deal with this matter first. I'm afraid that guy is going to die on my kang.”

"You have a really vicious tongue."

Having said that, Hu Xiaozui looked somewhat embarrassed, her face blushing crimson.

I thought to myself, if you have something to say, spit it out already. Why act all shy? Does yours truly have any shred of decency left that you don't already know about?

Hu Xiaozui read my thoughts and said, "There is a widow in their village. Zhao Chuanwen stayed the night at her place yesterday, and the ghost of the widow's late husband has come after him."

"Got it. How do we deal with it?"

"Do you really have no clue at all?"

I looked at Hu Xiaozui helplessly. She let out a heavy sigh and said, "If I tell you everything, whenever you face trouble in the future, you'll only rely on finding me instead of using your own brain. Think about how to handle it yourself. Don't worry, he won't die."

A surge of anger rose in my chest. Hu Xiaozui arched an eyebrow at me, slowly stepped backward, slipped through the door curtain—knowing she was about to leave—and I muttered to myself, "You little bastard."

*Whoosh!* Hu Xiaozui whipped back the door curtain, rushed forward, slapped me across the face, gave me a cryptic smile, and vanished.

Damn it, once my cultivation level is high enough, I must find a reliable fairy fox instead.