CG - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

In the peach grove were stone tables and stools for admiring the flowers. Peach blossoms had half-fallen, blanketing the ground in pink and red like snow. Wu Gu took out a stack of paper talismans and began to draw with intense focus. Wei Jinzhi could see she was drawing the same type of talisman over and over.

She asked, "What kind of talisman requires so many?"

Wu Gu explained as she drew, "These are peace talismans. I don't charge money to exorcise ghosts or avert disasters, but every so often, I give peace talismans to believers on the street. Master said this is how I accumulate merit. If I encounter wandering ghosts who've missed their chance to reincarnate, I help deliver them, too."

"Then you should give me one, too."

Without looking up, Wu Gu said, "These are just the simplest peace talismans. I'll draw you a more powerful one later to guarantee your safety."

A smile touched the corners of Wei Jinzhi's eyes. "Alright," she replied.

Wu Gu finished the talisman in her hand before looking up at her and adding, "Although you're very unlucky to have been cursed, from another perspective, it proves you're special. Besides, for someone to be entangled by Yin Qi for over a decade and still be alive, they generally must have merit accumulated over many lifetimes. Perhaps even great merit. The Heavenly Dao itself is protecting you."

Wei Jinzhi felt comforted. "Does that mean I should do more good deeds? So I can live a few more years."

Wu Gu froze for a moment, then said, "You'll definitely be alright."

A peach blossom drifted onto the paper talisman, and Wei Jinzhi brushed it away for her. "Just a few more, and we can go back to eat. The food here at Master Ma's is quite plain. If you don't like it, I can take you somewhere else tonight."

Wei Jinzhi's care for Wu Gu was meticulous in every way. While her master had cared for her, he had also been strict. Her roommates were her age and lacked such thoughtfulness. But Wei Jinzhi was different. Wu Gu racked her brain for idioms to describe her—like basking in a spring breeze or being nurtured by a gentle spring rain. That was Wei Jinzhi. And Wu Gu was the kind of person who hated being indebted to others.

Wu Gu's mood sank. She lost her focus, and her drawing slowed. Before she could finish the last talisman, Zhou Mao came to find them. Seeing the stack of newly drawn talismans by her hand, he sneered, "You sure know how to take advantage of things."

Wu Gu narrowed her eyes. "Your family may have planted this peach grove, but do you own the land it's on?"

Zhou Mao was left speechless. He glared at her. "Are you done or not? It's time to eat."

Wei Jinzhi ignored Zhou Mao, speaking only to Wu Gu in a gentle voice. "Let's go eat first. If we have time before we leave, we can come back."

Wu Gu finished her final stroke. "Alright, let's go." Wei Jinzhi helped her pack up, and noticing how worn out her backpack was, she secretly decided to get her a new one.

The vegetarian lunch was plain enough, but Wu Gu wasn't a picky eater, so she didn't mind. After the meal, Master Ma invited her to the living room for tea. They made small talk for another hour before he finally got to the point. Master Ma said solemnly, "I originally trained under the Xuanqing Sect before establishing my own school. May I ask, Wu Xiaoyou, which sect is your master from?"

To those in the metaphysical world, the name of the Xuanqing Sect was legendary. The sect possessed numerous ultimate techniques and, along with Taiyi Palace and the Liaoshan Sect, was known as one of the Three Great Sects. However, it had suffered a calamity over a century ago and rapidly declined. Nowadays, it was rare to see anyone from the Xuanqing Sect in the world. Master Ma had intended to show off, but his words had no effect on Wu Gu; her master had never told her the history or legends of the major sects.

She shook her head blankly. "I don't know. My master never mentioned it."

Master Ma sized her up, guessing she wasn't a disciple from any prestigious sect. "And what is your master's name, Xiaoyou?"

"Wu Zhao."

Master Ma had never heard of the name. He asked again, "Then, Xiaoyou, does your sect have any other disciples?"

"I grew up with my master, and I was his only disciple. I never saw him with any martial brothers, so maybe I'm the only one left in our sect now. It doesn't really matter which sect it is."

Master Ma sighed mournfully. "Our metaphysical world is in decline. It's a pity to see the ultimate techniques of yet another sect lost to time."

Wu Gu remembered her master's advice to hide her true abilities when out in the world. She quickly waved her hands. "Our sect doesn't have any ultimate techniques, just simple ghost-catching and dispelling of malevolent qi. Every sect can do that."

"You're being too modest, Wu Xiaoyou," Master Ma said with a smile. "I heard you were able to discern the origin of the Yin Qi on Jinzhi."

Here it comes, finally, Wu Gu thought. But what she said aloud was, "It was just a lucky guess."

Wei Jinzhi's brow furrowed, her gaze filled with confusion. Wu Gu was acting strangely here. Without saying anything, Wei Jinzhi turned her attention back, waiting quietly to hear what would be said next.

"Please, Wu Xiaoyou, don't be so modest. Why don't you tell me what you think? Perhaps there's a viable solution in it." Master Ma pressed further. "Look at Jinzhi. The fact that her body has held on this long means she's already overdrawing her soul's power. If we can't find a solution soon, I'm afraid…" He trailed off, but everyone present understood his unspoken meaning.

Wu Gu acted as if she had a guilty conscience. "Well, if I say something wrong, please don't blame me, Master. I heard from Sister Wei that she once met an old Daoist priest who said she was cursed. I think it seems like a curse, too."

Master Ma's expression grew serious. "I recall that incident. There is some merit to that idea."

"I think we might be able to find a solution if we pursue that line of thought."

"Then, Wu Xiaoyou, were you able to determine which curse Jinzhi is under?"

"A Maoshan curse," Wu Gu answered swiftly, as if she had memorized the line beforehand.

Master Ma nodded and contemplated for a moment. "Maoshan curses are indeed formidable. Thank you for taking the trouble to come here today, Wu Xiaoyou. I have a few things to discuss privately with Mrs. Wei and Jinzhi. Why don't you go rest in a side room for a while?"

Wu Gu declined and, instead of going to a side room, walked out of the living room and straight to the willow tree, where she let out a long breath to ease her nerves. She hated these kinds of interrogations with strangers, always afraid one careless slip would land her in a trap. Right now, she could only hope Wei Jinzhi wouldn't expose the holes in her story. After all, only three people knew she had identified the curse before hearing about the old Daoist priest.

From the window, Zhou Mao saw Wu Gu fiddling with the willow branches and sneered, "She really has her eye on Master's willow branches."

Mrs. Wei asked Master Ma, "What do you make of that girl?"

Master Ma simply smiled. "She has some skill."

Before Mrs. Wei could feel relieved, Zhou Mao couldn't resist interjecting with a sneer, "The skill of a con artist, maybe. A Maoshan curse? She doesn't even bother to think through her lies. She must have heard Miss Wei mention some old Daoist and just latched onto it. And saying she's the only one left in her sect—who would believe that?"

Master Ma scolded him, "Xiao Zhou, is this how I've taught you to show respect?"

Throughout the exchange, Wei Jinzhi had kept her eyes lowered, her expression unreadable. Wu Gu's behavior had certainly been unusual, and she had clearly muddled the timeline of events. If she truly meant to deceive them, why would she expose herself so obviously? Wei Jinzhi couldn't fathom Wu Gu's intentions, yet she found herself subconsciously playing along.

Mrs. Wei assumed her daughter was hurt and disappointed, and her own opinion of Wu Gu took a nosedive. She began to lecture, "That girl seems to have a lot of schemes. She probably recognized you and approached you on purpose to get something out of you. It's a good thing we brought her to see Master Ma today; otherwise, you'd still be completely in the dark."

"Mom, I understand," Wei Jinzhi said. "I just felt sorry for her circumstances. And didn't Master Ma say that forming good connections would benefit me? Let's just consider it accumulating merit."

Master Ma added, "What Jinzhi says is reasonable. That child has some cultivation, so having her around could be useful in an emergency. Rest assured, Mrs. Wei, as long as I am here, I won't let anyone harm Jinzhi under my watch."

"That's good to hear," said Mrs. Wei.

The others continued discussing Wei Jinzhi's condition, but her mind was elsewhere. She glanced at her watch several times until Mrs. Wei finally noticed her distraction. "Is there something you're in a hurry to leave for?"

"No."

Master Ma laughed. "You're worried about leaving Wu Xiaoyou by herself, aren't you? That's understandable. You brought her, so it's your responsibility to entertain her. I'll chat a bit more with your mother. You can go find her."

Wei Jinzhi went out and searched the courtyard, but Wu Gu was nowhere to be found. She left the courtyard and headed toward the peach grove, where she found Wu Gu hunched over the same stone table from that morning, focused on drawing a talisman. Peach blossoms drifted down around her, creating a picturesque scene. Afraid her footsteps might startle her, Wei Jinzhi stood still under a tree. When Wu Gu finally finished and looked up, she was met with an equally beautiful sight.

A breeze passed, and for a moment, blossoms rained down. Both of them were speechless. After a long pause, Wei Jinzhi finally asked, "Are you done?" Wu Gu nodded, dazed. Only then did Wei Jinzhi walk over and sit down beside her.

The spell was broken, and a blush inexplicably spread across Wu Gu's face. She folded the paper talisman into a star and handed it to Wei Jinzhi. "This is the best peace talisman I can make. It's for you."

Wei Jinzhi accepted it, her mood lifting. She didn't ask about Wu Gu's earlier behavior, only saying, "Let's get you back to your dorm."

"Are you angry?" Wu Gu asked. Wei Jinzhi paused, and Wu Gu quickly added, "My master always told me to be cautious. I didn't mean to lie."

Wei Jinzhi chuckled softly, reassuring her. "I trust you. And I'm not angry. I know you must have your reasons."

Wu Gu nodded. "Yes. I'm still thinking things through."

"Alright. Take your time. There's no rush."

Wei Jinzhi and Wu Gu sat in the peach grove for a while longer. When they returned to the courtyard, they said their goodbyes to Master Ma, ready to take Wu Gu back to the university. But Master Ma glanced at the sky. It was still light out, but the moon was already visible. He pinched his fingers together, making a quick calculation, then said, "Tonight is a Moon Tide Day. It would be best for you to stay here."

Mrs. Wei added, "Just have Xiao Wu drive her back."

Wu Gu knew that Yin Qi was incredibly dense on a Moon Tide Day and that Wei Jinzhi would likely suffer tonight. She quickly came up with an excuse. "It's already past six. The dorms might be locked by the time I get back. Why don't I just stay here for the night?" Before anyone could react, she added in a thoughtful tone, "I can just share a room with Sister Wei."

Mrs. Wei was not pleased but waited for Master Ma to speak first. Of course, Master Ma couldn't bring himself to turn a child away. And as for Wei Jinzhi, she was always accommodating and caring toward Wu Gu. Thus, it was settled that Wu Gu would stay the night. Wu Gu, acting very sensibly, insisted on not causing any more trouble for her hosts regarding the room arrangements.

At dinner, Wu Gu could feel the cold stares from the others at the table, and she felt miserable. Thankfully, Wei Jinzhi was very attentive to her feelings, occasionally putting food on her plate or striking up a conversation to ease the tension. It wasn't until they were back in the room that Wu Gu finally dared to let out a deep breath.

Wei Jinzhi smiled at her. "Why so nervous? I'm here." She often stayed in this room, so she had spare pajamas in the closet. She took out a set and placed it beside Wu Gu. "I'm going to shower first. You should probably call your roommates so they don't worry."

"Okay." Wu Gu took out her phone and called Liu Ningyu.

When Wei Jinzhi came out of the bathroom, she saw Wu Gu affixing paper talismans to the window. She glanced at the door and saw one there, too. "What are you putting those up for?"

"To ward off evil."

"This is Master Ma's residence. And isn't there a warding formation outside?"

After placing the last one, Wu Gu clapped her hands together and recited her usual refrain, "My master said to always be on your guard when you're away from home. You must not harbor thoughts of harming others, but you must never let down your guard against them."

Wei Jinzhi chuckled and let it go. "Hurry up and take your shower."

When Wu Gu came out of the bathroom, she found a clear space on the floor, spread out a bath towel, and sat down on it cross-legged. Leaning against the headboard, Wei Jinzhi watched her in astonishment. "What are you doing on the floor?"

"Cultivating. The spiritual energy here is so abundant, it would be a waste not to take advantage of it."

"You're going to sit there all night instead of sleeping?" While Wu Gu had been in the shower, Wei Jinzhi had been mentally preparing herself. It was the first time as an adult that she would be sharing a bed with someone, and she couldn't help but feel nervous. She never imagined Wu Gu had no intention of sleeping in the bed at all, and she felt a surprising pang of disappointment.

"That's right. You go ahead and sleep. Don't worry, I'll be quiet. Just pretend I'm not here."

Wei Jinzhi said nothing more, turned off the light, and settled back into bed. Wu Gu was meditating at the foot of the bed. A sliver of moonlight filtered into the room, and once Wei Jinzhi's eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could vaguely make out her silhouette. She lay there watching Wu Gu for who knows how long, not even realizing when she drifted off to sleep.

That night, Wei Jinzhi had a dream. She dreamt that a mass of black shadows was chasing her relentlessly. Just as she thought she was about to be consumed, Wu Gu leaped out, peach wood sword in hand, and scattered the shadows in a few swift moves. The gloomy dreamscape instantly transformed into a bright, sunny day. Wu Gu stood proudly under a willow tree, her gaze seeming to say, See? I'm pretty amazing, right? A smile touched Wei Jinzhi's lips, both in the dream and in reality.

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