Otherworldly Merchant

Chuyi didn’t have a method to help the resentful soul in the bronze mirror. In the end, he had to bring it to Zen Master Baimei in hopes that he could use his Buddhist method in Dabei Temple to free Yang Guifei’s soul.

After we subdued the bronze mirror, the dark hand behind the curtain seemed to have given up on creating the Parasitic Ghost King. The Song twins gradually recovered.

Ms. Song gave me three million renminbi for the commission. She told me I deserved the amount. If it weren’t for me, her sister would still date men and be lazy. She might have gotten into more trouble if it weren’t for these events.

I sighed. According to the old customs, it was said that a woman better marry a good man or have something she was really good at. If she only used her appearance to compete for things, then she was like a flower that would soon wither away.

Chuyi visited Chu Chu, who had been really weak lately.

“Do you have any clues about the Night Dragon Bait?” I asked Chuyi.

“When I get any clues, I will tell you guys immediately.”

“How long does Chu Chu have?” Li Mazi asked Chuyi.

Chuyi looked pensive for quite a long time. Eventually, he said, “Let’s ask Senior Shu. He’s a wise man with vast knowledge. Perhaps he has a solution.”

Senior Shu, the person Chuyi had mentioned, was the old man who was involved in the Golden Perianth’s case.

Chuyi called Senior Shu. When Li Mazi saw the old man, he was surprised. He didn’t think that the despicable old man would appear here.

Senior Shu ignored us and lifted Chu Chu’s eyelid to check her eye. Then, he laughed. “It’s the Thai mind control! Tch tch, you have many enemies.”

Li Mazi fumed and said, “We asked you here to check the patient, not to mock us.”

Senior Shu immediately waved his hand and grinned. “I checked. It’s really serious and basically incurable. If she wants to eat anything, give it to her. If she has any last wishes, fulfill them for her! If you linger any longer, you will not have another chance…”

Li Mazi was enraged. He balled his fists and was ready to hit Senior Shu.

Senior Shu was amused and looked at Li Mazi. He wasn’t afraid of being hit.

I immediately said, “Senior, you have a lot of experience. I’m sure you know of a cure, right? As long as you can cure my sister-in-law, I will accept any of your conditions.”

Senior Shu looked at me with his shifty eyes. “Are you sure?”

"Of course,” I answered.

Senior Shu ruffled his beard. “Uhm, I have a solution but I’m afraid you won’t dare to do it.”

“What is it?” Li Mazi was so happy. “For Chu Chu, even if it’s business with the King of Hell, I will still accept it.”

“Then, you’re going to marry a wife. Are you happy about that?” Senior Shu answered with a smile.

“Senior Shu, please do not beat around the bush, just go straight to the point.”

“I’m not beating around the bush.” Senior Shu wasn’t pleased. “If you think I said some nonsense, then I’ll leave now. I’m not here to do a thankless job!”

Chuyi said, “Continue.”

Senior Shu seemed to be really afraid of Chuyi. He became more honest and said, “You guys should find a widow who has been married at least five times. She should be someone who has caused her husband’s death then remarried! If she looks attractive, you should hook up with her. The dowry she brings should have some powerful otherworldly item. After that, take the otherworldly item and make Chu Chu wear it. We’ll be using poison to treat poison…”

After Senior Shu explained, I saw Chuyi’s eyes brighten up. I was as if he had understood something.

“Will it work?” I asked Senior Shu.

“I don’t know if it’ll work for sure. But in theory, it should.”

Li Mazi and I didn’t know why marrying a widow who had harmed her previous husbands could save Chu Chu. We were both hesitant. However, Chuyi agreed.

“Are you sure about this? What if it doesn’t work? Won’t we just harm Li Mazi?” I asked Chuyi.

“The husband doesn’t always die because of the woman’s ill luck. It could also be because of something she keeps with her as a dowry. That item might absorb Yang energy and nurture Yin energy. If we can find that otherworldly item and let Chu Chu wear it, it could continuously absorb the Yang energy from other people and strengthen her vitality.”

I couldn’t help but force a smile. “Is this a scientific explanation of the husband’s death?”

As Chuyi saw that we were skeptical, he continued his explanation.

“Actually, items that can absorb Yang energy to nurture Yin energy are not only found with widows. It could be some antique in your shop. However, this sort of item doesn’t create any strange phenomenon. It’s hard to find. However, if a widow has been married five times or more, I’m sure she’s haunted by such an otherworldly item.”

He continued and said, “Have you ever noticed that a widow who has remarried at least five times never looks ugly? Her skin always glows as if she’s just gotten married. This is because she has obtained some dowry that can use Yang energy to nurture her Yin energy. It’s like eating supplements daily. It’s good for her body and skin. It’s the only method we can use to find that sort of otherworldly item.”

Both Li Mazi and I were surprised. This reasoning was too weird. I thought it would be really hard for Li Mazi to marry a widow who had been remarried five times…

Sure enough, Li Mazi’s face became green.

Chuyi could recognize our worries. He said calmly, “Actually, you don’t need to marry her. As long as you can befriend her and find the otherworldly item she possesses, you can buy it. Isn’t that right?”

I turned to look at Li Mazi and wondered if he would agree.

Li Mazi walked to Chu Chu. He held her hands and sighed. “Let’s hide this from Chu Chu. We shouldn’t tell her that I’m going to marry a widow…”

I nodded. “Don’t worry. Even if she knows, she won’t blame you.”

Senior Shu guffawed evilly. “Since I’m a nice guy, I should help you to the end. I’ll give you a clue. I happen to know a widow who possibly has an otherworldly item. Later on, I will introduce her to you.”

Li Mazi nodded. “Sorry for bothering you, sir.”

“Tch tch, all right, you shouldn’t be too polite to me.” Senior Shu waved his hand and said, “I can’t get used to your change in attitude. However, that widow is still with her husband. Her husband will soon go to heaven. When that time comes, you can jump in,” said Senior Shu.

Li Mazi grimaced. “If she still has a husband, why did you say that she’s a widow?”

Senior Shu said, “Don’t worry, her husband is already done for. That poor man is on his deathbed. He couldn’t walk for half a year and now he needs support to go to the bathroom. He will go to heaven shortly. When the widow feels vulnerable, you should approach her and make her feel touched. When she becomes attached to you, you will sleep with her. At most, it would take five days to know what otherworldly item is messing with her.”

I was worried. Isn’t this the same as deceiving the woman? If she falls in love with Li Mazi and then finds out that he just wants to trick her, what will happen?

But for Chu Chu’s sake, Li Mazi had no choice. At most, he would give her some compensation for her mental loss.

Since Li Mazi wouldn’t be able to take care of Chu Chu for the next while, he hired a nurse. After carefully giving advice to the nurse, we left.

Since this was related to Chu Chu’s well-being, Chuyi stayed and secretly gave assistance to Li Mazi.

Senior Shu wasn’t interested in this. Although Li Mazi had promised him a large payment, he wasn’t moved.

Senior Shu said that he was poor and had nothing but money. I immediately understood what he meant. He was a professional otherworldly merchant that didn’t need money. However, I was sure he would love strange otherworldly items.

“We’ve obtained a bronze mirror from the Tang dynasty. The thousand-year-old soul of Yang Guifei is trapped inside. It’s really rare. Senior Shu, if you can help us save Chu Chu, we will give you the mirror!”

Senior Shu was so happy. He agreed and appraised me for having good sense.

After that, Li Mazi told me that it was unethical. After all, Yang Guifei’s huge resentful energy could torture Senior Shu to death…

“The widow’s called Mu Wan. She’s around thirty years old. She has a slender waist, long legs, and deep cleavage. She’s a voluptuous woman. Well, she’s Li Mazi’s favorite type, anyway,” Senior Shu told us.

Li Mazi sighed and said, “After experiencing the vast ocean, water can hardly pique one’s interest.”