Otherworldly Merchant

Chuyi took a deep breath and said to me with cold eyes, “A man suddenly loses his appetite. Whenever he eats, he vomits. What do you think happened to him?”

I answered weakly, “Anorexia? Or, is he picky?”

The man shook his head. “Even if he’s picky about food or has anorexia, he would still feel hunger, and he will feel full if he eats. His symptoms do not meet the criteria. I’ve taken him to the hospital for a check up. His stomach and intestines are normal, and he has never had a similar problem before…”

I furrowed my eyebrows, asking, “Brother, tell me, how are you related to this man? Why do you have to help him? You even took him to the hospital.”

Chuyi seemed unwilling to answer me, he did not say a word.

Keeping silent for a while, he waved his hand. “Let’s go back first.”

It was really hard to imagine, for someone as mysterious and reclusive as Chuyi to have this type of relationship with a farmer in the countryside. Deep down, I didn’t believe that he would treat someone that nicely without a reason. I was even jealous; the man was being treated so nicely by him.

Before we got close to the Land Rover, I heard Li Meng shouting. Immediately, I had a headache. That kid didn’t have a solid common sense. Chuyi had clearly told him that he had to stay in the car and not cause any trouble.

When we reached the entrance of the village, we saw Li Meng quarrelling with a man in his forties or fifties. Some villagers were watching the fun.

From their shouting, I understood that the man wanted Li Meng to move away and that he wasn’t allowed to park the vehicle there. Li Meng didn’t listen to him so they had started shouting at each other.

Chuyi shook his head, scoffing the word “stupid,” before walking towards them.

I was worried that he would scold Li Meng and hurt the boy’s feelings. Thus, I moved forward, pulling Li Meng and forcing him into the car. Then, I offered the middle-aged farmer a cigarette.

The farmer didn’t like the gesture. He slapped my cigarette away, glancing at Chuyi and yelling, “I told you not to poke your nose in this. Why did you come here again?!”

Chuyi let out a sigh then left with us; we drove away.

When we got back to the highway, I was puzzled so I asked him, “Who was the farmer who shooed us away? It seems like this is going to be a thankless task!”

I hated this sort of business a lot. We took risks and weren’t sure if we could earn a dime. As if that wasn’t enough, those guys were treating us like a bunch of rats running on the street.

Chuyi told me, “Zhou Laoshi is the one who’ll starve to death soon. And, the farmer who just quarreled with us is Zhou Laoshi’s brother, Zhou Tufu. He’s a butcher, a treacherous one.”  

Chuyi had gone there to help Zhou Laoshi without mentioning any payment. However, Zhou Tufu hated his guts. He didn’t want the man to help his brother. Even the last time, Chuyi had to secretly sneak in and take Zhou Laoshi to the hospital.

Not only me, even Yin Xinyue was surprised.

We didn’t know why Chuyi would go to such length when he wasn’t welcomed.

Chuyi threw a glance to the back of the car and then said, “There are some things we can’t measure with money or wealth. Stop the car.”

I quickly stepped on the brakes. I still couldn’t believe that Chuyi wanted to go back there!

And, he had just told us a phrase with an underlying significance. There were things we shouldn’t use money to measure. Zhou Laoshi’s and Chuyi’s lives must intertwine in ways we still didn’t know about.

Chuyi suddenly asked, “Yin Xinyue, you stayed in the car the whole time, so Zhou Tufu hasn’t seen you yet, right?”

Yin Xinyue didn’t understand the meaning behind Chuyi’s question. She didn’t know what he wanted to do, but still, she gave him a nod. “Yes, that’s right.”

"Good then,” the man said, “Go to his house. Try to figure out what Zhou Tufu has fed his brother Zhou Laoshi.”

“Didn’t Zhou Laoshi say that he hasn’t eaten anything?” I hurriedly asked.

Chuyi sneered. “Think about it. If a man hasn’t eaten a thing in a month, could he survive? Every day, Zhou Tufu brings a bag to Zhou Laoshi. I am assuming he’s been feeding him something. Perhaps, the problem is what he has been using to feed his brother…”

Yin Xinyue nodded. “All right, I’m heading there to look around.”

I was a little worried, so I asked Chuyi, “Will Yin Xinyue be in danger? Whatever the case may be, Zhou Tufu looks like a malicious person.”

Chuyi immediately instructed Yin Xinyue, “You should sneak into the village. In case someone sees you, just say you went there to ask for some water. Do not act rashly.”

Then, he gave Yin Xinyue a small peach wood sword, and asked her to keep it by her side all time. If she encountered anything dangerous, she would need to break the sword. It would immediately alert him.

That magic toy had aroused Li Meng’s interest. He asked Chuyi, “Can I have one? Is that a magic wand? Did you add magic to it?”

Anyway, although Yin Xinyue was equipped with the little peach wood sword, it wasn’t enough to ease my mind. I drove the Land Rover to the area near the village, then waited.

We had just seen Zhou Tufu once but I could clearly feel the murderous aura coming from his body. I had a feeling that he had made contact with some otherworldly item. Zhou Laoshi had been tortured extensively, to the point that he had become a walking skeleton; was it Zhou Tufu’s doing?  

If that was the case, it would be easier to explain why Zhou Tufu had tried to stop us from saving his brother several times.

I turned to talk to Chuyi. “Have you asked Zhou Laoshi about Zhou Tufu? Could Zhou Tufu be the culprit?”

Chuyi answered, “It’s one of the things I’ve wondered about. Zhou Laoshi told me that they have a good relationship. As their parents had died very early, they had been supporting each other. Whenever they had a steamed bun, they would share it. And, Zhou Laoshi has always satisfied Zhou Tofu’s demands.”

 “No matter what he asked for, Zhou Laoshi would always comply, never questioning him. There’s no conflict of interests between them. And, although Zhou Tufu looks fierce, he’s generous and righteous. He’s not a bad person.”

I trusted his instincts in regards to reading people. If he said the man was generous and righteous, that person wouldn’t be a bad guy.

“Could there be something wrong with this small village?” I asked.

He shook his head. “The geomancy here is really good. Although it cannot give great fortune to the later generations of the people living here, it can keep them safe.”

When he got to that point, Chuyi seemed to remember something. “However…”

His deep eyes turned to see the various kinds of fruits in the orchards behind the mountain. “I’ve always felt that there’s something wrong with that mountain in particular.”

I asked, “What’s wrong with it?”

He took a deep breath and then continued, “Take a look at the mountain over there. Can you tell me about its geomancy?”

My geomancy knowledge was superficial. I hadn’t officially learned a solid set of knowledge from my father and grandfather. I had just read some books about it.

But, since Chuyi is asking me, I shouldn’t shame my grandfather, right?

I squinted and focused my attention on the mountain.

At first glance, I realized the issue.

That mountain was the typical “Evil Icy Wind Mountain” setup in geomancy. Two high summits shadowed the flanks and the valley inside.  

With a geomantic arrangement like that, it was very hard for plants to grow, let alone cultivating some fruits.

It was also explainable using science. The valley inside the mountain was covered, preventing sunlight from reaching it. With no sunlight, the environment was not suitable for plants.

However, the mountain and the nearby hills were covered in fruit trees. Moreover, all of them were strangely lush! It was hard not to question. I was sure it was something that had affected the mountain’s geomancy.

I then explained my observations to Chuyi.

He nodded. “Exactly. This mountain is strange. I also feel the same way. Perhaps it’s related to Zhou Laoshi’s illness. If we can find the secret of that mountain, we may be able to save him…”

I was stunned and gawked at him. “Aren’t we here to deal with some otherworldly item? How could something like geomancy be involved?”