Translator: Moonlit
Editor: kiki
Feng Qi, looking at the quickly seated and comfortable white fox, felt a headache coming on.
Feng Jiu and Yang Wenxin, on the other hand, weren’t surprised at all.
“Isn’t it more comfortable to look at Yichen like this? Let big sister touch you.” Yang Wenxin went straight for it, knowing from the shiny fur that Yichen was well taken care of.
“Miss Yang, haven’t you taken enough advantage of me already? I’ve lived longer than you, you know.” Yichen pushed away Yang Wenxin’s hand. “You might as well just call me ‘Old Ancestor.'”
Whenever they visited the Feng family, Yang Wenxin was addressed as “Aunt Yang.” She really did take full advantage of her status.
Bai Yichen’s relationship with the Feng family was actually quite close. Back then, he had a mishap in his cultivation and collapsed on the lawn, where he met a young Feng Qi returning from school.
Feng Qi’s body was riddled with holes, and Yichen almost went down the wrong path that day. Fortunately, Yang Wenxin came to pick up her son and subdued Bai Yichen on the spot. Otherwise, they might have become enemies, with a story of constant chasing and fighting between a Taoist and a demon.
“I did save your life, you know.”
“I repaid you long ago.” Bai Yichen licked his own smooth fur.
Bai Yichen had been protecting Feng Qi for these past years, and any debts of gratitude had long been settled.
Feng Qi looked at him, then looked again, and finally covered his eyes. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Why have you all come here?” Bai Yichen suddenly realized that it was quite unusual for the three of them to show up like this.
“Of course, it’s for Feng Qi’s matter,” Yang Wenxin replied.
Bai Yichen looked up, and his beautiful eyes sparkled. “Oh? Can it be treated now?”
“It depends on Ruochun, and since you’re also living here,” Yang Wenxin said, “your presence will put our minds at ease. Keep an eye on Feng Qi and don’t let him run away.”
Yang Wenxin was actually worried that Feng Qi, who had been steadfast in his scientific theories for many years, might have reservations about Chu Ruochun.
“He won’t be able to run. If he tries, I’ll use spells to hold him down,” Bai Yichen said confidently.
Feng Qi was beginning to accept the idea of a talking fox. “You still know how to use spells?”
As soon as he asked the question, he realized it sounded silly and quickly added, “Never mind, you don’t have to tell me.”
Chu Ruochun refilled Feng Qi’s tea. “Feng ge, are you ready?”
“Drink a potion?” Feng Qi asked.
Chu Ruochun shook his head. “No.”
Feng Jiu and Yang Wenxin were also curious about how Chu Ruochun planned to remove the curse from Feng Qi.
“Shall we start today?” Feng Jiu asked.
“No problem,” Chu Ruochun replied. “I just worry that Feng ge might not be able to handle it.”
Feng Qi hadn’t really made the decision; it was thrust upon him. He had just started to accept the fact that something might happen to his body.
Seeing Feng Qi’s silence, Chu Ruochun asked, “Feng ge, do you need some time to accept this?”
Feng Qi shook his head. His parents had been preparing him for this for twenty years. Although he wasn’t willing, it wouldn’t affect Chu Ruochun’s ability to solve the problem.
Chu Ruochun set down his teacup with the image of a little yellow dog and said, “Then follow me. I’ve prepared a room specifically for you.”
Feng Qi felt quite happy. Chu Ruochun had prepared a room for him, knowing that he would come.
Bai Yichen looked at the room and didn’t dare to enter. It felt like a terrifying black hole that could swallow him up.
Feng Qi was still a bit excited to see the room that Chu Ruochun had prepared for him.
“Feng ge, come in,” he called out, feeling like calling a child to unwrap a birthday gift.
Feng Qi approached with a joyful mood, but as the door opened and he saw the room, his expression transformed from excitement to disappointment, and then into a mix of disbelief and resignation. Overall, his emotions were quite complex.
“I have to sleep in a room like this?” He pointed at the room covered in talismans, his voice rising two octaves. “It’s covered in talismans!”
His concern was not about whether he liked it or not, but rather the fact that this room seemed utterly unsuitable for sleeping. Other people’s talismans were used to ward off evil spirits; using them here would probably give him nightmares.
“These talismans are used to suppress the curse inside you,” Chu Ruochun explained.
Meanwhile, Bai Yichen and Red Fox were cowering at the far end of the dining table, trembling as they looked at the room filled with spiritual talismans.
On the other hand, Feng Jiu and Yang Wenxin were filled with envy.
Yang Wenxin clutched her chest and exclaimed, “Ruochun, you’re being too extravagant!”
Indeed, it was quite extravagant. Even with her talent, she couldn’t create two talismans in a day, and her spiritual power was quite limited.
Feng Jiu thought that this room filled with talismans was equivalent to a luxurious villa in the heart of a first-tier city. “You’ve put a lot of effort into this, my child. Uncle owes you a big favor.”
Bai Yichen asked Chu Ruochun from a distance, “Master Chu, aren’t curses supposed to be expelled? Why are you suppressing it?”
Chu Ruochun explained, “Because the curse itself is an evil spirit.”
Feng Jiu suddenly realized something, “Wait a moment, you’ve confused me. Our family’s curse is that simple?”
Chu Ruochun didn’t rush to answer Feng Jiu’s question. Instead, he turned to Feng Qi and said, “Feng ge, could you please take off your shirt?”
Feng Qi was used to performing in front of an audience, whether it was acting or doing commercials, so he never felt shy about being shirtless in front of people. However, when Chu Ruochun asked him to undress, he felt a bit embarrassed.
“Hmm?” Chu Ruochun was puzzled by his hesitation.
“I’ll do it,” Feng Qi said with a determined look.
Bai Yichen and little red, after realizing that the talismans in the room didn’t harm them, slowly moved closer and stood at the doorway to observe.
Feng Qi removed his expensive shirt, but surprisingly, the room was warm, and he didn’t feel cold at all. He felt comfortable.
“Now that I’m ready, what do you need me to do?” Feng Qi asked.
“You don’t need to do anything, just witness the curse of your Feng family,” Chu Ruochun said. “Please sit on the bed.”
The head and foot of the bed were covered with talismans, and the light-colored bedsheet seemed to suit Feng Qi’s taste.
As he sat down, Chu Ruochun’s hand was placed on his back, and a warm energy flowed into his body, making him feel quite comfortable.
However, after a few seconds, he suddenly felt as if his skin were stuck to ice!
“It’s so cold!” Feng Qi couldn’t help but exclaim.
At this moment, the expressions of the others began to widen in surprise.
They all saw that Feng Qi’s entire body, including his face, was flowing with black hieroglyphic characters, like a forbidden spell!
“What is this? Is this the curse of our Feng family?” Yang Wenxin felt her heart trembling.
“This is a forbidden spell,” Chu Ruochun said as he lightly pressed his palm again, causing all the black hieroglyphic characters on Feng Qi’s body to disappear.
In the world of metaphysics, a technique that combines the art of warding off spirits and binding spells is called a forbidden spell.
Feng Qi was also taken aback, and if it weren’t for the fact that he knew there were no holographic devices or advanced technology in the room, he would have suspected it was some cutting-edge holographic technology.
It was both fake and real, and quite terrifying!
“What kind of forbidden spell is this?” Neither Feng Jiu nor Yang Wenxin had ever seen anything like it.
While they were familiar with Taoist spells, they had never encountered a moving forbidden spell that could grow on a person’s body. This was beyond their knowledge and capabilities.
Chu Ruochun remained calmer than all of them. He didn’t even raise an eyebrow when he saw the forbidden spell.
“You noticed this a long time ago, didn’t you?” Feng Qi wanted to put on his clothes.
“Wait, don’t put it on yet,” Chu Ruochun stopped him. “The first time I saw you, I thought you were quite unlucky, attracting evil spirits one after another. And it wasn’t just any evil spirit, it was a curse. Later, when I met you, I found out that you had a forbidden spell, one that regular people couldn’t resolve.”
“Does this mean I won’t live past thirty?” Feng Qi began to worry about his health. These symbols were terrifying.
“If it’s managed properly, you can live beyond thirty. But in your Feng family, each generation of descendants who have this forbidden spell refrains from learning Taoist arts. Instead, they suppress its existence, but the more you suppress it, the stronger it rebounds. It’s like compressing a spring; once you release it, it bounces back.”
Chu Ruochun explained in a straightforward manner, and everyone understood.
“So this is why the descendants cursed by the Feng family can’t live past thirty?” Feng Jiu was almost having a heart attack. “If I had let him learn earlier, could we have broken the curse?”
“He’s naturally talented in Taoist arts, on par with me. But it doesn’t matter; it hasn’t reached the most critical point yet.” Chu Ruochun glanced at Feng Qi and then asked Feng Jiu and Yang Wenxin, “Do you have any more doubts? If not, we can begin.”
“How do we start this?” Feng Jiu was now struggling to think.
However, Yang Wenxin had a hunch, and she answered on Chu Ruochun’s behalf, “By removing the forbidden spell, right?”
“Yes, I’m afraid Feng Qi’s body can’t handle it all at once, so it won’t be removed in a single step,” Chu Ruochun explained. “Feng ge, please lie down on the bed.”
Feng Qi followed his instructions and lay down, once again covering himself with his shirt, feeling somewhat uncomfortable being half-naked.
Feng Jiu and Yang Wenxin stood by the bedside, with no intention of leaving.
Chu Ruochun clarified, “You may need to leave for a while. I’m afraid the process might be painful, and as parents, you may not be able to bear it.”
Feng Jiu and Yang Wenxin almost misunderstood Chu Ruochun again, thinking he didn’t want them to witness his spellcasting process. But once he explained, they understood his concern and agreed to step out for a while.
As they grew older, they tended to think more.
Once the door was closed, it cut off all lines of sight.
Bai Yichen wanted to cast a spell to see what was happening inside, but Chu Ruochun had set up a barrier, so he couldn’t see anything.
It was a pity; he couldn’t witness Old Qi’s discomfort.
Feng Qi lay on the bed, looking up at Chu Ruochun strangely, but he still looked quite handsome.
“What will happen to me?” Feng Qi asked with some concern. “Will it be very painful?”
“It shouldn’t be,” Chu Ruochun reassured him with a faint smile. “Just get some rest.”
Feng Qi breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good; I’ve always been afraid of pain.”
“I know, because your parents suppressed everything negative.” Chu Ruochun extended his right hand to cover Feng Qi’s eyes. “Feng ge, close your eyes.”
Feng Qi obediently closed his eyes, and then he felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him without any buffering. He lost consciousness.
Chu Ruochun examined Feng Qi’s physique and seemed quite satisfied. “His physique is indeed quite good.”
While he was satisfied, he took out five pieces of talisman paper from his pocket and callously affixed them to Feng Qi’s brow, shoulders, chest, and abdomen.
“Let me see what’s sealed by the forbidden curse.”
The previously disappeared symbolic forbidden curse reappeared, but this time, it wasn’t in a flowing state but remained motionless, gradually lightening in color.
After a moment, Feng Qi suddenly opened his eyes wide. His usual eyes were warm; he was a modern young man who valued science. But now, his eyes contained ice-cold, piercing daggers as he stared directly at Chu Ruochun.
He ripped off the talisman paper on his forehead and sat up abruptly. “Little Taoist, we meet again.”
Chu Ruochun said, “It seems that last time at the Lu family’s old residence, it wasn’t a dream. There is another sealed entity inside Feng Qi.”
‘Feng Qi’ had nothing but coldness in his eyes and curiosity about Chu Ruochun. “Oh? It seems you’re quite interested in me, even if it means deceiving the members of the Feng family.”
“You are indeed bound by a forbidden curse within the Feng family bloodline, aren’t you?” Chu Ruochun remained calm and unaffected by the provocations.
“Then, can you guess who I am?” ‘Feng Qi’ leaned closer to Chu Ruochun, his finger lightly tapping on Chu Ruochun’s chin, their distance only ten centimeters apart. “You are the most spiritual Taoist I’ve ever encountered, Chu Ruochun.”
Chu Ruochun found his actions somewhat offensive and pushed away his finger with his index finger. “I guess you’re an old ghost.”
‘Feng Qi’ spoke in a steady voice. “Correct, but there’s no reward for getting it right, little Taoist.”
Even though he appeared as Feng Qi, he wasn’t quite like the Feng Qi they knew. It was as if there were two distinct individuals—the usual Feng Qi and the current one, who were full of unknowns. One seemed quite innocent, while the other was shrouded in mystery.
Chu Ruochun asked, “Twenty years ago, were you the one who went with the Feng couple to Qingyue Sect?”
‘Feng Qi’ took a step back, creating a fifteen-centimeter gap between them, as if reminiscing. “Twenty years ago, I suppose so. If it weren’t for those fools at Qingyue Sect, I wouldn’t have awakened. That was the longest period of clarity I’ve had in a while.”
He was sealed again afterward, only emerging recently at the Lu family’s old residence when Feng Qi collapsed, providing him an opportunity.
Chu Ruochun nodded. “I see.”
‘Feng Qi’ raised an eyebrow. “What else do you know, little Taoist? If you release me, how about I offer myself as a reward? I can see you’re quite pleased with my physique.”
Chu Ruochun chuckled. “You’re not off the hook yet, Feng Qi.” He picked up the symbol that ‘Feng Qi’ had just removed and placed it back on Feng Qi’s forehead. “You talk too much.”
Feng Qi was about to raise his hand to touch Chu Ruochun’s chin again when he suddenly collapsed on the bed like a robot running out of power.
Chu Ruochun let out a sigh of relief and wiped his hands on his clothes, his palms slightly sweaty.
Speaking to himself, he mused, “It does seem like a case of split personality. The one who just emerged is the dominant personality.”
