Otherworldly Merchant

I told Li Mazi to go home to notify Ru Xue and Li Meng. While he was at it, he should rest and then meet me around noon.

I returned to the antique shop and found Yin Xinyue cooking breakfast in the kitchen.

Seeing her improved my mood quite a bit. I moved closer and hugged her from behind.

Yin Xinyue smiled. “Don’t make trouble. Wait at the table.”

Soon, she served a simple breakfast; some side dishes, two poached eggs, and two churros. I was starving after a busy night, so I readily dug in.

While eating, I felt that something was wrong. Yin Xinyue didn't eat anything, and she gazed at me with strange eyes. I lifted my head and looked at her.

I was a little perplexed. “Why aren’t you eating? Is something the matter?”

She gave me a faint smile. “You went out very early this morning, and I thought that you wouldn’t return on time for breakfast, so I prepared only one portion.”

I said, “Oh, it was nothing. I just didn’t want to disturb you.”

Then, I kept silent.

I was considering telling her about last night’s events, but when I thought that I’d rented a room for Mrs. Qi, I started to get worried. Even if I was innocent, Yin Xinyue might not believe me and get angry.

Since I was deep in thought, considering whether to fabricate a white lie or not, I lost my appetite. I absentmindedly finished my meal then looked at Yin Xinyue as she cleaned the table.

Eventually, I felt that I was complicating the situation for nothing. Telling a white lie was a stupid idea. I hadn’t done anything wrong, so why did I have to hide things from Yin Xinyue? If she discovered it later, she’d be hurt.

I gathered my courage and took the bowl in her hand, placed it in the sink. “Yin Xinyue, listen to me. Actually, I went out yesterday night and not this morning.”

Yin Xinyue looked surprised. “Yesterday night? Why did you go out?”

“I was worried about Mr. Qi, so I went to his house to take a look.” I explained. “Then… Do you know his pretty wife. Mrs. Qi? She…”

I was too embarrassed to tell her the whole story in detail, so I told Yin Xinyue that I took Mrs. Qi to an inn and rented a room for her.

Yin Xinyue burst out laughing. “I never thought that you’d be this honest. Aren’t you worried that I wouldn’t trust you? After all, no one would believe that you went with her to an inn and did nothing!”

I wore a wry smile. “If you don’t believe me, there is nothing I can do. Don’t you know how much I like you? I would never do something to hurt you.”

Yin Xinyue smiled and hugged me. “Idiot, no need to say more. I already knew what happened yesterday.”

“What?” I broke out in a cold sweat. “How did you know? Did you stalk me?”

Yin Xinyue shook her head. “I’m not that bored. Only stupid women would use such a method to capture a man’s heart.”

Then, she told me what happened.

Yesterday night, Li Mazi and Ru Xue couldn’t sleep and went out for some fresh air. Then, they saw me and Mrs. Qi going to an inn. Ru Xue knew something was off, so she called Yin Xinyue and told her about it.

Yin Xinyue believed that I had my reasons and knew that I wouldn’t do anything that would let her down. At the same time, she was worried about me, fearing that something bad might happen. She asked Li Mazi to call me and offer help.

Also, she asked Li Mazi not to tell me that she knew the whole story. If I didn’t do anything wrong, I would explain it to her later.

I was sweating bullets as I listened to her explanation. Luckily, I had told her the truth. Otherwise, I would have hurt Yin Xinyue this time.

I started to explain things again as I was afraid that she would have a knot in her heart. However, Yin Xinyue just smiled at me. “No need to explain more. I trust you.”

I exhaled in relief.

Yin Xinyue asked, “Anyway, what happened to Mr. Qi?”

I then told her about Mr. Qi’s story and the events related to his affliction. After listening to me, she furrowed her brow. “So, the ghost pestering Mr. Qi is an ancient scholar. I’m quite curious, and I’d like to see this poet. I’ll go with you tonight!”

I immediately rejected her. “Although that ghost appears to be gentle, it’s still a soul without its former humanity. If it attacks you, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”

In the past, she had already experienced a lot of risks because of me, so I wouldn’t let her bear any harm or pain this time.

However, Yin Xinyue was a stubborn woman. After she kept pestering me, I could only agree to bring her with me.

I went to my room to prepare the things we needed to use tonight, including some common talismans, the Sirius Whip, the Yin and Yang Umbrella, and the Peach Soul Flower.

As I was ready to set out, Yin Xinyue stopped me. “Are you going to fight the other party head on?”

“Well, I can’t simply talk him out of it, right?”

Yin Xinyue smiled. “If he’s a real scholar, he should understand morals and manners. Although you may exorcise him by force, you may also hurt yourself in the process. I don’t think it would be fair to yourself or the other party.”

I frowned, as I didn’t know what Yin Xinyue meant. Did she have a better method?

Yin Xinyue continued, “We’re modern people, and we can’t just use force to subdue people. We can also use our morals and dignity to convince them.”

I couldn’t hold my laughter. “You know that evil souls are all wicked, right? If you give them an inch, they’ll take your whole arm. You think that you can solve this problem with words alone? No chance!”

Yin Xinyue said, “Don’t worry, and leave it to me. We know that his wish hasn’t been fulfilled, so we just need to satisfy him to make him leave, right?”

I nodded, “That’s true. However, he’s a very stubborn man, and even if you beat him with a stick, he won’t care. Don’t think that you can just talk him with words alone.”

Yin Xinyue smiled. “In that case, I’ll show you my power tonight.”

I scratched my head, feeling a throbbing headache. Yin Xinyue was a nice girl, but she had one big flaw; she was really stubborn. When she decided something, nobody could persuade her.

Left with no choice, I ask her, “Do you already have a plan?”