Chapter 16: Such Bad Luck

Taoist Master Xuanxu leaned back so hard in anger at Xie Sui that he nearly fainted.

This junior actually wanted him to apologize? He really dared to suggest it? He hadn’t even settled the score for the boy kicking him into the water earlier!

“Why on earth should I apologize to you?” Taoist Master Xuanxu paused. He likely realized his argument was weak, so he shifted tactics, using his age to pressure Xie Sui.

“You are a junior, yet you want me to apologize to you? Do you think that is appropriate?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Xie Sui looked at Taoist Master Xuanxu indifferently, his eyes full of mockery. “You said it yourself just now. If I could solve this matter, you would apologize to me with the etiquette of a disciple¹.”

Seeing Xie Sui’s persistence, Taoist Master Xuanxu cursed in exasperation, “With such a vengeful character, you don’t seem like a cultivator at all. The Xuanmen has no room for someone like you who has no respect for seniority!”

Xie Sui was speechless. Thank you very much, but he hoped the people of the Xuanmen would stay far away from him. He couldn’t avoid them fast enough.

None of the Xuanmen members he had encountered were good people. They were all selfish, unscrupulous individuals who would do anything to further their own cultivation.

Before Xie Sui could retort, Second Uncle Lin could no longer stand by and watch.

Since Xie Sui had solved this crisis for the Lin family, he was their benefactor. Second Uncle Lin would stand by Xie Sui unconditionally in any matter.

Furthermore, Taoist Master Xuanxu was clearly in the wrong.

He didn’t know where this old Taoist got the nerve to call others vengeful. He had been the one inexplicably targeting others from the start, hadn’t he? He had truly never seen such a thick-skinned, shameless person.

Second Uncle Lin stepped in front of Xie Sui, looking at Taoist Master Xuanxu with a blank expression. He spoke very politely, “Taoist Master Xuanxu, whether in business or in life, integrity is paramount. You were the one who said you would apologize to Mr. Xie with the etiquette of a disciple; no one forced you. Everyone here is a witness. If you keep making a scene, it is your own reputation that will suffer.”

Although his tone was polite, Second Uncle Lin’s words left Taoist Master Xuanxu no room to save face.

Seeing his employer speak up and thinking about the five hundred thousand yuan he had yet to receive, Taoist Master Xuanxu’s expression flickered. Finally, he gritted his teeth and shot Xie Sui a vicious glare.

“Dao Yi, Xuan Er, bring me my prayer mat.” Taoist Master Xuanxu flung his soaking wet Taoist robe aside and gave orders to his two disciples.

The two young Taoists didn’t dare say a word. One picked up the robe while the other placed a prayer mat in front of Taoist Master Xuanxu before quickly retreating to the side.

“I am sorry. I was blind and should not have underestimated you.” Taoist Master Xuanxu squeezed the words out from between his teeth with great reluctance. After cupping his hands and bowing deeply to Xie Sui, he knelt directly onto the prayer mat.

Xie Sui looked down at the old Taoist kneeling before him, his eyes devoid of joy or sorrow. He stood there like a statue in a shrine receiving the worship of thousands, calmly accepting the disciple’s salute from an old man three times his age.

After performing the three kowtows², Taoist Master Xuanxu stood up and saw Xie Sui’s face, which remained entirely devoid of emotion.

Seeing Xie Sui’s “matter-of-fact” expression, Taoist Master Xuanxu felt another surge of anger tighten his chest.

This wretched junior didn’t even try to dodge his kowtows. Is he really not afraid of shortening his lifespan³ by accepting such a gesture?

He had truly lost all face today. Taoist Master Xuanxu now only wanted to get his payment and never set foot in Rongcheng again for the rest of his life.

Seeing that the apology was over, the honest-looking Elder Lin stepped in to smooth things over. “Now that everything has been said, we can all part on good terms. Thank you both for your hard work. We will transfer the commission to your accounts shortly.”

As soon as Elder Lin finished, Second Uncle Lin seemed to remember something and added to Taoist Master Xuanxu, “By the way, the contract states that if someone completely resolves our Lin family’s Feng Shui problem, the other participants will only receive a ten thousand yuan appearance fee for their trouble.”

Hearing his commission had dropped to only ten thousand, Taoist Master Xuanxu’s eyes widened in disbelief. “But what I heard was-“

Halfway through the sentence, Taoist Master Xuanxu forced himself to swallow the rest.

In the past, simply identifying the Lin family’s Feng Shui problem was enough to earn five hundred thousand… Damn it, it was all Xie Sui’s fault. If he hadn’t actually solved the problem, the old Taoist wouldn’t be stuck with only a fifth of the reward.

Despite his resentment, Taoist Master Xuanxu didn’t dare say more.

He couldn’t let the Lin family know he had investigated their affairs in advance. If they found out he relied entirely on gathered intelligence to describe their Feng Shui issues, he probably wouldn’t even get the remaining ten thousand yuan.

Sigh… He had earned so little from this trip and even lost his trump card talismans. Just thinking about it made Taoist Master Xuanxu’s heart ache with regret.

The farce ended, and everyone packed up to leave the Lin Family Ancestral Hall.

As he passed Taoist Master Xuanxu, Xie Sui whispered in his ear in a voice only the two of them could hear, “Those performance techniques can only fool ordinary people… I’ve seen right through your background.”

Taoist Master Xuanxu snapped his head up, looking at Xie Sui with extreme terror. “You-“

He had clearly incorporated actual Xuanmen techniques; how could Xie Sui tell? One must know that in the Xuanmen, the gap between different sects is like a mountain. The techniques of each sect are never shared with outsiders.

The reason he hadn’t been exposed after so many years of fraud was not just his superb acting, but also because there were so many Xuanmen techniques that they were difficult to distinguish.

Those with low cultivation couldn’t easily see through his methods, while those with high cultivation rarely involved themselves in the mundane world to take on commissions for money like he did.

But thinking about the commotion Xie Sui caused when catching the Water Fiend… cold sweat instantly broke out on Taoist Master Xuanxu’s forehead.

It was possible that Xie Sui was one of those gifted individuals with profound cultivation despite his young age.

Watching Taoist Master Xuanxu’s desperate expression, Xie Sui’s voice carried a hint of a smile. “Guess when I’ll tell the Lin family about your ‘performance techniques’? If they find out you’ve been deceiving them, it’ll probably be very hard for you to stay in this business, wouldn’t it?”

Taoist Master Xuanxu’s face was as pale as a dying man’s. In his state of extreme terror, his legs had lost all strength. If not for his two disciples supporting him in time, he would have collapsed to the ground.

Taoist Master Xuanxu was a deeply contradictory man. On one hand, he took great pride in the fact that he could earn a fortune using simple parlor tricks, but on the other, he lived in constant fear of being exposed.

He used his refined acting skills not only to deceive ordinary people troubled by ghosts, but also to fool some genuine members of the Xuanmen community. Within certain lower-level circles of the mystic arts, Taoist Master Xuanxu was actually considered a figure of high standing and reputation.

Having been placed on a pedestal for years, his greatest fear was falling from grace and losing everything he possessed.

Xie Sui’s threat was like the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head. Until that sword fell, he would never again know a peaceful night’s sleep, forever living in the shadow of potential ruin.

Watching the shifting colors of Taoist Master Xuanxu’s expression, Xie Sui let out a small laugh.

That felt refreshing. This “performance artist” would likely find it very difficult to get a good night’s rest from now on.

Destroying someone’s peace of mind was always the best form of revenge.

Xie Sui stopped looking at the clownish figure. He got into the car and left the Lin Family Ancestral Hall with the rest of the Lin family.

–

The Lin family driver dropped Xie Sui off at a five-star hotel in the center of Rongcheng.

The hotel belonged to the Lin family, and Second Uncle Lin had specifically arranged for Xie Sui to stay in the presidential suite on the top floor.

Second Uncle Lin was a man who knew how to handle social graces. Before Xie Sui even got out of the car, he had transferred the five hundred thousand yuan reward and gifted him a lifetime VIP card for the Lin family’s hotels. According to him, Xie Sui could use this card to stay at any Lin family property for free.

Xie Sui didn’t refuse and accepted it directly.

After resting at the hotel for the night, Xie Sui prepared to leave Rongcheng early the next morning.

He had received the final payment of one hundred and fifty thousand yuan from Lin Zixin, along with the reimbursement for his travel tickets, that morning. Xie Sui planned to take the money he had earned over the past few days and return to his hometown.

The sudden changes at home were too abrupt; he wouldn’t be able to rest easy until he saw things for himself.

Carrying his backpack, Xie Sui stood by the elevator waiting for it to arrive.

There were only two presidential suites on the entire floor. One had been booked for Xie Sui by the Lin family, and the other seemed to be occupied as well, with a “Do Not Disturb” sign hanging from the door handle.

As Xie Sui waited, the door to the other suite suddenly opened, and a man wearing a wine-red bathrobe stepped out.

His hair was a mess, and his face bore the exhausted look of a hangover. Shuffling in his slippers, he staggered toward the elevator, seemingly intending to go downstairs.

Upon seeing Xie Sui, the man froze, rubbing his eyes vigorously.

“What the hell?! Xie Sui? What are you doing here? You can only get to the top floor with a presidential suite key card. How did you get up here?”

He clearly recognized Xie Sui. He looked Xie Sui’s outfit up and down with a hint of disdain, then said mockingly, “Don’t tell me you got picked up by some rich sugar mommy after you were fired from the TV station? Did your patron book this suite for you?”

The man’s voice was full of banter. He seemed quite happy to see Xie Sui in a supposedly pathetic situation.

Xie Sui didn’t react to the mockery at all. Instead, he asked with a touch of confusion, “Do I know you?”

The man’s expression twisted for a moment, and his voice suddenly rose. “Dammit! we were university classmates for four years. Don’t you dare tell me you still haven’t remembered my name!”

Xie Sui’s blank expression gave him the answer he dreaded. The man, whose body looked hollowed out by alcohol and debauchery, choked with rage.

He had viewed Xie Sui as his rival for years, keeping constant tabs on him, only to find out the guy didn’t even know his name… Damn it, was there anything more insulting than that?

“It’s me, Lin Chenghai!” The man leaned in close. Emboldened by his lingering intoxication, he grabbed Xie Sui by the collar and said viciously, “You really don’t recognize me?”

Back at Nanyue University, Lin Chenghai had been a prominent figure. Who didn’t know the prestigious name of Young Master Lin? Only Xie Sui had the nerve to ignore him.

This bastard Xie Sui had not only consistently outshone him in every aspect, but even the goddess he had a crush on had looked at Xie Sui differently.

Thinking of his rejected confession, and remembering how his goddess looked at him with disdain but at Xie Sui with sparkling eyes, Lin Chenghai’s temper flared instantly.

It just so happened that he had run into this guy named Xie in his own family’s hotel today. He had to take this opportunity to humiliate him.

A cruel grin curled the corners of Lin Chenghai’s mouth. “It’s fine if you don’t know me. You’ve fallen into my hands today, so consider it your bad luck.” Rongcheng was his turf. Finding a few people to rough Xie Sui up would be an easy task.

Faced with Lin Chenghai’s threats, Xie Sui felt a bit annoyed.

Lin Chenghai felt like a cockroach that suddenly scurries out of the shadows when you turn on the light in the middle of the night… Speaking of which, had he been having a run of bad luck lately? Why was he constantly running into unlucky people like Taoist Master Xuanxu and Lin Chenghai?

Xie Sui’s overly calm expression infuriated Lin Chenghai even more.

Every single time, no matter when or what the problem was, he always had that same expression, as if no one was worthy of his notice.

The alcohol from the night before hadn’t worn off yet. Fueled by the drink, the fire in Lin Chenghai’s heart burned hotter.

He gripped Xie Sui’s collar and said through gritted teeth, “I’m going to give you a good lesson today and fix that arrogant attitude of yours.”

Just as Lin Chenghai finished speaking, the elevator doors opened, and a cold voice rang out beside them. “Lin Chenghai, who exactly are you going to ‘lesson’?”

The familiar voice sounded like a reaper’s whisper from the abyss. Lin Chenghai trembled reflexively and hurriedly let go of Xie Sui.

He forced a flattering smile onto his face and looked at the man stepping out of the elevator, asking cautiously, “Dad… what brings you here today?”

The man who stepped out of the elevator was none other than the frost-faced Second Uncle Lin.

In his state of extreme fury, Second Uncle Lin’s hawk-like eyes were as sharp as knives. Lin Chenghai didn’t dare meet his gaze and took several steps back in retreat.

Second Uncle Lin had learned that Xie Sui was leaving this morning. He had originally intended to come over to see Xie Sui off and further cultivate their relationship.

Befriending someone with such genuine talent could only bring benefits to the Lin Family, with no downsides.

However, as soon as he arrived, he discovered his rebellious son was getting physically aggressive with Xie Sui.

Fuming with rage, Second Uncle Lin didn’t even care about maintaining his image in front of Xie Sui. He pointed directly at Lin Chenghai and began to curse, “You useless, meddling scoundrel! What do you think you’re doing to our family’s benefactor?”

Translator’s Notes