Chapter 6

"Hey, are you guys kidding me?"

Buying talismans at a thousand bucks apiece, and wanting to buy a hundred of them at once? If it weren't for the fact that he clearly recognized Zhao Kexin, Chu Mingming would have suspected that his brother had hired some actors to drum up business!

"How could we be kidding you, classmate Chu!" Zhao Kexin first retorted, then looked at Chu Ning with an expression that was half-cautious and half-shy. "By the way, is that twenty percent discount you offered earlier still available? My best friend and I would both like to buy a few more."

Because Zhao Kexin's change in attitude was so sudden, Chu Mingming stood to the side, completely dumbfounded.

Chu Ning didn't dwell on the details. Operating on the principle that a guest is a guest and the customer is king, he nodded quite readily.

"It is." Chu Ning placed the payment code on the table, tilted his head to look at Su Xiaqing beside Zhao Kexin, and asked with a warm smile, "Are you really going to buy a hundred?"

Su Xiaqing replied immediately, "Of course!"

After escaping the alley with her best friend and witnessing the talisman paper turn into ash in an instant, Zhao Kexin had recounted her previous experience to Su Xiaqing. They say seeing is believing; after what happened, Su Xiaqing couldn't help but feel a longing for the talismans Chu Ning drew. She had asked Zhao Kexin for the address immediately, just so she could rush over to stock up on them! These were life-saving treasures, after all—what was a little money compared to that?

Not expecting to land such a big order on the first day, Chu Ning pulled the finished talismans out of his drawer and counted them back and forth. He actually had just enough to make a hundred.

Su Xiaqing came from a wealthy family, so spending tens of thousands all at once was only a slight sting to her, not a major blow. She habitually reached for her phone to pay, but stiffened the moment she touched it, remaining motionless.

"Qingqing, what's wrong?" Seeing the strange look on Su Xiaqing's face, Zhao Kexin looked at her with concern.

Su Xiaqing looked as if she were about to cry. Her hands trembling, she pulled out her phone and said in a terrified tone, "That call—it's calling again!"

The evil spirit in the alley had previously disguised itself as a call from Su Xiaqing’s boyfriend to obtain her address. Now, looking at the incoming call from her "boyfriend," a sense of dread washed over her entire body. With a "slap," the phone fell onto the divination table.

Ten seconds later, the call ended automatically.

Su Xiaqing dared not look directly at her phone. Distraught, she asked, "What should I do?"

This phone call was truly eerie and ominous. As the night breeze blew past, her best friend Zhao Kexin shivered. Subconsciously, she looked at Chu Ning, full of plea: "Classmate Chu, could you please take a look for Qingqing?"

Chu Ning looked at the two female students who were scared out of their wits, and silently pushed the payment code forward.

Seeing this, Su Xiaqing was very savvy. She immediately said solemnly, "Classmate Chu, as long as you help me resolve this, I will pay you at the market rate."

Chu Ning was short on cash; hearing this, his eyes lit up. He carefully examined Su Xiaqing's physiognomy and said gently, "Then why don't you tell me what happened first?"

...

At 9:30 PM, the crowds at the creative market began to thin, but the nail art stall unexpectedly welcomed a new wave of customers.

Because there weren't enough stools, a man who had been cuddling his girlfriend while she got her nails done stood up with a sour face. Seeing the crude divination stall nearby, his eyes flickered, and he revealed a look full of mockery.

"I wondered who was setting up such a pretentious stall here. So, it's our little Young Master Chu."

The moment the man spoke, his tone and expression carried an air of familiarity and disdain toward Chu Ning. He was a former classmate of Chu Ning’s named Ji Wenbin. Now graduated, he was working as an intern assistant at the Tongcheng Chu Group headquarters. He was specifically accompanying his sophomore girlfriend to the market today.

Ji Wenbin looked Chu Ning up and down. Seeing him in a wheelchair, wearing a cheap short-sleeved shirt, and reduced to such a swindling trade, he couldn't help but sneer: "What, did that car accident really leave you a cripple? Are your legs useless now? Can you even stand up?"

At this point, Ji Wenbin slapped his forehead, feigning realization. "Oh, I forgot for a second, you're not a young master of the Chu family anymore, are you! You've already been kicked out of the Chu family, haven't you?"

At the divination stall, Zhao Kexin and Su Xiaqing, who had been telling Chu Ning about the incident, looked up in surprise.

Come to think of it, both of them had been "melons-eaters" (gossip-seekers) regarding the wealthy family swap scandal last year. After all, when someone on an anonymous forum revealed that the school's genius Chu Xiuran and the school's playboy Chu Ning had been swapped at birth, it caused a massive sensation at the school.

After all, although Chu Xiuran came from an ordinary background, his academic excellence and outstanding looks kept him firmly in the "school heartthrob" seat for four consecutive years; he was a well-deserved campus icon. While Chu Ning was not as accomplished as Chu Xiuran in various aspects, his playboy lifestyle and wealthy family background gave him a strong presence on campus.

When the truth of the swap was exposed, many people in school lamented that the genes of wealthy families were powerful—no matter the origin, they could become so outstanding. Unlike some people who were trash to begin with; even after being nurtured in a wealthy family for twenty years, they still grew up to be useless.

The incident was a whirlwind last year, but it came to an abrupt end when Chu Ning crashed his car off a cliff and Chu Xiuran was brought back to the wealthy family. Whenever it was brought up again, it was mostly when the Chu couple took Chu Xiuran to various high-society banquets, prompting more sighs about the cruel twists of fate.

A year had passed since the truth was exposed. Zhao Kexin and Su Xiaqing had never expected that they would one day be eating the gossip right in front of the subject himself. The feeling was very subtle.

Especially since Zhao Kexin had sworn a few days ago that even though Chu Ning was a fake young master, he had been raised by the wealthy Chu family for so many years that there must still be some affection. She thought it was impossible for all ties to be severed and for him to be kicked out of the house.

But the reality was that Chu Ning had actually applied for a poverty-alleviation stall.

Could it be that the wealthy Chu family had really completely given up on Chu Ning, their adopted son?

Zhao Kexin and Su Xiaqing looked at each other, not daring to make any judgments.

Beside them, Ji Wenbin grew more excited as he spoke!

He slammed a hand on the table and sneered at Chu Ning: "Hey, I really want to ask, for a piece of trash like you who occupied a magpie's nest for twenty years in the Chu family, aren't you ashamed?"

"If I were you, I wouldn't have the face to stay in Tongcheng!"

Ji Wenbin took two steps forward, leaning his upper body over the table toward Chu Ning. His eyes were full of condescending mockery, and he reached out to pat his face.

Unfortunately, before his hand could make contact, someone beside them rolled up their sleeves and grabbed Ji Wenbin by the collar, hoisting him up.

Chu Ning was startled: "...Mingming?"

Su Xiaqing and Zhao Kexin, who were watching, exchanged a silent look and simultaneously shrank back toward the corner of the table.

Chu Mingming was tall and muscular; he had been the backbone of the school basketball team in high school. He lifted Ji Wenbin as if he were a chicken, dangling him in mid-air.

Ji Wenbin clawed and scratched, trying to break free: "Who the hell are you? A meddling poor student! Let me go right now!"

Chu Mingming frowned, and without a word, he raised his hand and threw the man outside the stall.

Ji Wenbin failed to steady himself, landed on his backside, and rolled on the ground. His girlfriend, who was getting her nails done, saw this and screamed: "What are you doing hitting people?!"

Chu Mingming’s expression was dark: "Your boyfriend is cursing people, didn't you hear?"

The girl paused, muttering: "Isn't what he said the truth? Chu Ning is just a stray dog rejected by a wealthy family, aren't people allowed to say that?"

Chu Mingming’s fists tightened: "You—!"

Chu Ning raised a hand to stop his brother, who was about to lose his temper, earning a wronged and confused look from Chu Mingming.

Chu Ning patted Chu Mingming’s back soothingly, then turned to look at the girl who had just spoken. The girl met his gaze, appearing somewhat intimidated despite her fierce tone.

Suddenly, Chu Ning spoke with a touch of regret: "Classmate, I advise you, stay away from your boyfriend sooner rather than later. Perhaps you can avoid some bad luck and save some spiritual merit."

Unfortunately, from the girl’s perspective, this was a blatant provocation. She lifted her chin disdainfully and snorted: "What do you mean by that?"

Chu Ning smiled, unhurriedly saying: "Your boyfriend has been loose-lipped for years and acts arrogantly, accumulating a lot of verbal karma. Now that the time has come for the karmic retribution, he is about to have a run of very bad luck."

Upon hearing this, the girl didn't take his words to heart; instead, she gave a sarcastic, shrill laugh: "Who in all of Tongcheng doesn't know that you, Chu Ning, are a fool? You don't really think you can scare people with a few lines of trickery, do you?"

"Believe it or not, his bad luck has arrived." Chu Ning picked up a coin and flipped it between his fingertips, shrugging: "And those who are with him will suffer the same bad luck."

Instantly, the girl’s expression turned ugly.

Nearby, Ji Wenbin, who had just climbed up from the ground, clutched his backside and cursed: "What kind of bullshit are you talking about!"

"Disaster comes from the mouth; you are about to have terrible luck." Chu Ning shook his head helplessly. "Every extra word of abuse brings another day of bad luck. I advise you..."

Ji Wenbin couldn't listen anymore and interrupted fiercely: "Chu Ning, you just wait! I'll call people over to smash your stall!"

Chu Mingming protected his brother and raised his fist: "Say that again?"

Ji Wenbin: "...Just you wait!!"

Leaving behind a harsh threat, Ji Wenbin turned and pulled his girlfriend away.

Who would have thought that just two steps later, a flock of birds flew over from the north. After the wings circled, the flock dropped several piles of bird droppings exactly on Ji Wenbin’s head, and his girlfriend didn't escape unscathed either—several piles landed on the shoulder of her coat.

"Ah!!!"

Ji Wenbin’s girlfriend screamed, and Ji Wenbin’s face turned a shade of green and black.

The two didn't believe in the supernatural. After wiping off the bird droppings, they subconsciously glanced back at Chu Ning’s stall and walked forward hand in hand for another stretch.

Realizing nothing else happened, Ji Wenbin grinned. He told himself, how could a loser like Chu Ning possibly predict his fate?

But before he could be smug for long, Ji Wenbin suddenly couldn't laugh anymore.

Because he discovered with horror that after his laugh just now, his jaw had suddenly locked and wouldn't close!

"Huo ah! Huo ah!"

Now it was Ji Wenbin’s turn to open his mouth and shout. However, his chin wouldn't close, and his emotions were extremely intense. In an instant, saliva began to wind its way down from the corners of his mouth...

Girlfriend: "..."

The girl stood frozen, staring at Ji Wenbin with suspicion and fear for a long time. Then, she quietly let go of Ji Wenbin’s arm, grabbed her bag, and ran away without looking back.

At the divination stall, Chu Ning, who had seen this scene from afar, sighed: "I told them they would have bad luck, but they wouldn't believe me. Who can you blame for that?"

Zhao Kexin: "..." Can't mess with him.

Su Xiaqing: "..." Can't mess with him.

Chu Mingming was no longer angry, and gave Chu Ning a thumbs up: "..."

Sure enough, ginger is still spicier when it's older (the older, the wiser)!

...

The original goal was to solve Su Xiaqing’s problem, but unexpectedly, Ji Wenbin popped up to cause trouble.

Although Chu Ning felt that Ji Wenbin’s appearance had seriously delayed his efficiency in helping customers, Su Xiaqing didn't mind. In fact, because of the little interlude just now, she felt even more respect toward Chu Ning.

"Classmate Chu, how should I resolve the problem I’m having?"

After finishing the story, Su Xiaqing’s expression was pious, her eyes filled with reverence.

However, Chu Ning rubbed his chin and asked her a question that seemed unrelated to the supernatural event itself: "How many boyfriends have you had since you turned eighteen, classmate Su?"

Su Xiaqing was stunned, and a flush of red suddenly flew across her face: "...Why does classmate Chu ask that?"

"You have dated three boyfriends this year, two of whom broke up with you six months ago." Chu Ning glanced at her and said slowly, "The last one appeared two months ago; it’s an online relationship."

Su Xiaqing was instantly dumbfounded: "How did you know?"

She had indeed dated three boyfriends this year. Because the first two relationships were so short, Su Xiaqing hadn't mentioned them to any friends or family. Moreover, she had almost forgotten about them herself, yet she never expected Chu Ning to calculate it!

Shocked, Su Xiaqing was even more confused: "Does my ghost encounter have anything to do with the boyfriends I’ve dated?"

"You didn't encounter a ghost; you attracted a Peach Blossom Evil Spirit." Chu Ning shook his head. After obtaining Su Xiaqing’s birth date and time, and cross-referencing it with her physiognomy, he said bluntly: "Your destiny is prone to strong 'Peach Blossom' luck, with many suitors. But because your emotions come and go quickly, most are destined to return without success, thus forming a Peach Blossom Curse."

Su Xiaqing was silent for a moment, then couldn't help but mutter in a low voice: "It's already the year 2024, who hasn't had a few ex-ex-ex-boyfriends? If we go by what classmate Chu says, doesn't everyone have a Peach Blossom Curse?"

Everyone has one?

Zhao Kexin was the first to disagree, raising her hand: "I don't! I'm still single! Don't talk nonsense!"

Chu Mingming scratched his head and said honestly: "I don't have one either..."

Su Xiaqing: "..."

Chu Ning coughed lightly and said leisurely: "The Peach Blossom Curse of ordinary people can often be resolved on its own, but you are a little different from others. Simply put, the Peach Blossom Evil Spirit you encountered tonight is gathered from the lingering obsessions of those ex-boyfriends you dumped halfway... Hmm, I did a quick calculation, the spirit looking for you doesn't have that many obsessions, it only gathered about forty or fifty of them?"

Zhao Kexin: "Forty or fifty?"

Chu Mingming: "And that's not many?!"

The two single people cried out in ignorance.

Su Xiaqing’s face stiffened. She bit her lip slowly, her fingers twisting together: "Then, then what should I do?"

"As for that," Chu Ning crossed his hands and said unhurriedly, "usually, when we encounter such evil spirits, we first give the person being entangled a piece of advice."

Su Xiaqing looked nervous: "What advice?"

"The advice is," Chu Ning paused, revealing a sincere smile, "why not become a nun?"