Chapter 014

Pei Xiwang was startled by Qiao Man’s words, his face turning pale. “Wh-what Calamity of Blood¹?!”

“Simply put, it means you’re going to die,” Qiao Man said, looking at the black energy already clouding the man’s brow. He estimated, “It should happen within the next few days.”

“…”

Pei Xiwang couldn’t help but shiver, as if he could already feel a ghostly wind blowing from the depths of the underworld.

“Then what should I do?” Pei Xiwang was so frightened he was at his wit’s end. “This… this Calamity of Blood, is there any way to break it?”

Lu Jianxing was also worried, feeling a surge of empathetic anger. Having personally experienced Luck Borrowing, no one understood better than he did how it felt to have one’s luck stolen. One would be left helpless, with no way to seek aid, and might even die without ever knowing what had happened.

Did the person borrowing the luck know that their actions would claim someone else’s life?

He asked in a low voice, “Xiao Man? Do you have a way?”

Qiao Man nodded, then shook his head.

Lu Jianxing and Pei Xiwang’s hearts leaped into their throats at the same time. “What does that mean?”

“I can help you sever the connection with the person who is borrowing your luck, so they can no longer take it from you. But even so, your fortune is already too low, and the Calamity of Blood has become unavoidable.” Qiao Man wiped the wild fruit he had received on his clothes and gave half to Lu Jianxing.

He took a crisp bite. The fruit was still a bit tart, but it was better than nothing. Lu Jianxing gripped the fruit in his hand, not eating it.

“Then, then what do I do?” Pei Xiwang was truly panicking now.

He had never heard of Luck Borrowing or a Calamity of Blood before, but anyone would be terrified to hear that their death was imminent. He was still so young and had so many things left to do. He didn’t want to die!

“Master, you’re so capable, can you help me?” Pei Xiwang said, completely flustered. “Since you can solve that Luck Borrowing thing… is there a way to help me avoid this Calamity of Blood?”

“There is.”

Pei Xiwang was overjoyed. “Really?!”

“That will be an extra fee.”

“I’ll owe it to you for now! Once the show is over, I’ll pay you. Is that okay? I’ll pay whatever amount you want!”

“That works.”

Qiao Man agreed readily.

He reached into his Little Yellow Duck Backpack, rummaging around until he pulled out a piece of Yellow Talisman Paper. He held it out to Pei Xiwang, his chubby little face looking very solemn. “Keep this talisman with you at all times. It will help you resolve your Calamity of Blood. Also, when you see a peach tree, remember to turn back.”

Pei Xiwang accepted it as if it were a priceless treasure, his face full of gratitude.

As he held the thin Talisman Paper, he noticed a faint milky scent clinging to it. Words of thanks were on the tip of his tongue, but before he could speak, his gaze fell upon the child’s face, and his racing heart suddenly cooled down.

The Little Master who had handed him this talisman had a soft, adorable little face. Even when he tried his best to look serious, he couldn’t hide his youthful innocence.

Pei Xiwang looked down at the Talisman Paper in his hand, then back up at the child across from him who was trying so hard to keep a straight face. He thought back to the conversation they just had.

“…”

[He’s got the routine down perfectly. If I hadn’t seen these exact lines on TV several times, I almost would have believed him.]

[The baby is such a good actor. If you weren’t a five-year-old child, I’d be calling the police to report a fraud.]

[…So, was the talisman catching fire earlier real or not?]

[Pei Xiwang, you don’t actually believe this, do you? As a fan, I’m seriously questioning your IQ right now!]

In the end, Pei Xiwang still said his thanks and tucked the Yellow Talisman Paper into his jacket pocket.

His family was in business, and his father went to the Daoist temple every year to fight for the first incense stick² of the season. Having grown up with that influence, his family held a certain level of reverence for these matters. Although the Little Master was a bit young, Pei Xiwang had been so unlucky lately that there was no harm in keeping it.

Besides, he had been playing along just to humor the kid from the start.

Pei Xiwang even took the initiative to invite the other man. “Brother Xie, do you want to have a reading too?”

“No need.” Xie Yunqian smiled and waved his hand. “I don’t believe in these things.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Pei Xiwang said. “You always carry an amulet with you, so I thought…”

“This was requested for me by my family.” Xie Yunqian touched the warm amulet through his clothes. “It’s a gift from my elders, so I’ve kept it on me. I’m used to it now.”

“I see…”

But wasn’t this all just for fun? There was no need to take it seriously.

Pei Xiwang wanted to say more, but suddenly, Xie Yunqian looked up and sniffed the air. “What’s that smell?”

Everyone instinctively took a breath and caught a strong scent of something burning.

“Our fish!”

Pei Xiwang cried out and immediately jumped up to rescue their fish from the fire. Fortunately, they acted in time. Although the skin was charred, the inside was still fine. After peeling away the blackened skin, the white, tender meat inside was still edible.

Lu Jianxing covered their microphones and asked in a whisper, “Xiao Man, is his Calamity of Blood resolved?”

“It’s hard to say.”

“What do you mean?” Lu Jianxing’s heart skipped a beat. “Will he die?”

“If the person borrowing his luck doesn’t give up, his misfortune won’t stop. Any minor accident could turn into a fatal disaster.”

Lu Jianxing was struck with horror, immediately thinking of how the person who borrowed his luck had tried to strike at him again recently. If Qiao Man hadn’t been there, he might have been plagued by misfortune once more.

“Who is the person borrowing the luck?” he couldn’t help but ask. “They must have borrowed luck from more than just the two of us. Is there no way to find them?”

Qiao Man didn’t answer.

Lu Jianxing looked down and saw the child staring unblinkingly at the two men nearby, his dark pupils seemingly covered by a mysterious, unfathomable light.

“Xiao Man?”

“He probably won’t dare to try again,” Qiao Man muttered. “I’ve already given him a good scare…”

“What?” Lu Jianxing didn’t hear him clearly.

Qiao Man shook his head. “Xingxing, we should get moving. It’s going to rain heavily tonight. We need to find a place to take shelter.”

“Rain?”

“Yes, very, very heavy rain.”

The temperature today wasn’t low. Under the fierce sun, the child’s previously soaked clothes had already dried. Lu Jianxing blocked the camera for him while he changed. After packing their belongings, Lu Jianxing informed Xie Yunqian and Pei Xiwang that they were leaving.

Hearing that they were leaving, Pei Xiwang habitually looked at Xie Yunqian for his opinion. “Brother Xie, should we leave too?”

“No,” Xie Yunqian said with a smile. “This place is quite nice, and there are so many fish in the water. We plan to stay here for the day to stock up on food for later. Xingxing, you two go ahead.”

Pei Xiwang: “Huh?”

Xie Yunqian explained, “After all, we’re here for a competition and we’ve already formed teams. If we keep collaborating, it wouldn’t be fair to the other teams.”

“Oh…”

Pei Xiwang was a bit puzzled. Hadn’t Brother Xie been the one to actively invite the other group to team up at the beginning? He had even mentioned several times on the way that he was worried it would be inconvenient for Lu Jianxing to be here with a child.

Lu Jianxing hadn’t intended to team up with them anyway. Before leaving, he simply offered a reminder: “Xiaoman said it will rain tonight, so keep an eye out.”

“Rain?”

Pei Xiwang instinctively looked up. The sky was clear and a brilliant blue. It didn’t look like it was going to rain at all.

Xie Yunqian said good-naturedly, “Alright, thank you for the warning. Goodbye.”

Xie Yunqian only looked away once the two figures had disappeared into the woods. He went to get the tent, intending to camp here for the night.

Pei Xiwang came over to help. “Brother Xie, are we really going to camp out here?”

“Do you also think it will rain tonight?”

Better safe than sorry… Pei Xiwang wanted to nod, but he keenly noticed that Xie Yunqian seemed a bit displeased. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he swallowed his words. “I’ll follow your lead,” he said.

[If it really rains, staying by the river is pretty dangerous…]

[Does anyone actually believe in fortune-telling? You guys are taking a kid’s words seriously?]

[I just checked the weather forecast. There’s no rain tonight at all.]

[I’m over it. Is Lu Jianxing just here to clout-chase? He sees our Qianqian and makes that kid act all mysterious to grab attention. He probably wants to use the rain excuse to trick people into giving up this prime spot, right?]

[Speechless. Pei Xiwang is just playing along with him.]

[Why is Pei Xiwang always such a drag? Can he just handle his own business? It’s hard enough for Xie Yunqian to carry a dead weight on a survival show, stop making trouble for him!]

[I don’t think Pei Xiwang did anything wrong? Why are Xie’s fans being so aggressive?]

[He’s Xie Yunqian’s teammate and hasn’t helped one bit. He’s been a burden the whole time. Doesn’t he deserve to be called out?]

After the two groups split, the livestreams also separated. As the audience divided, Xie Yunqian’s stream was soon filled only with his fans.

As fans of a top star, they were numerous and powerful. The few comments from passersby were quickly drowned out by the crowd. Eventually, the others simply stopped talking or moved to different livestreams.

Pei Xiwang knew nothing about the situation in the livestream. He worked hard to help pitch the tent, checking it several times this time to make sure there were no issues before he felt at ease.

“Tell me…”

Pei Xiwang turned his head. “Brother Xie, what did you say?”

“Nothing?” Xie Yunqian shook his head. “I was just wondering what the relationship is between Xingxing and that child. They seem very close.”

Pei Xiwang was taken aback by the question. He instinctively looked toward the camera, but quickly averted his gaze before his eyes met the lens. He continued pitching the tent, though his movements slowed down.

He lowered his eyes. “Maybe he’s a younger cousin or something, I’m not really sure…”

“I thought so.”

Xie Yunqian gave a light chuckle and didn’t bring it up again.

…

At night.

The flash of lightning pierced the night sky, followed by a thunderous boom that woke everyone sleeping in their tents.

Whoosh –

The torrential rain arrived exactly as predicted.

Translator’s Notes