Volume One: The Soul-Gathering Gourd and the Soul-Burning Lamp Chapter 22: Stalemate

Beneath the moonlight, Fat Feng, who had just been showering thanks, was now so terrified his soul nearly left his body.

But Xiao Yulou simply waved his hand and said something that left Gu Mo utterly dumbfounded.

“No need for thanks—just pay me more.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Gu Mo’s face was covered with lines of speechlessness. Xiao Yulou’s lofty, ethereal persona collapsed in an instant, and in Gu Mo’s eyes, he was now labeled as a money-grubber. Watching Xiao Yulou rubbing his three fingers together, there was something unspeakably sleazy about him.

Feng Kaixuan, however, immediately took out his phone. With the cheerful chime of digital coins, a robotic voice sounded, “You have received ten thousand yuan from Alipay!”

Gu Mo’s features scrunched up instantly. “Damn, Taoist Xiao, isn’t this money a bit too easy for you to earn?”

The chubby Feng Kaixuan, standing by, waved his hands awkwardly, stammering, “No…no problem! Every time I was in mortal danger, it was Taoist Xiao who helped me. This price…I…can accept!”

Then he wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.

Receiving the money, Xiao Yulou grinned slyly and nodded. “Brother Feng, since I’ve taken your payment, let me give you a free divination.”

Without waiting for Feng Kaixuan’s reply, Xiao Yulou began to calculate, fingers moving busily. After a long moment, his face suddenly darkened.

Gu Mo and Feng Kaixuan both felt their hearts clench—clearly, Feng Kaixuan was in trouble again.

Still shaken, Feng Kaixuan gulped down a mouthful of saliva and grabbed Xiao Yulou’s arm anxiously. “Tao…Taoist Xiao, what…what’s the verdict?”

At this, Xiao Yulou gave a bitter smile and said, “The omen is ill.”

Hearing this, Feng Kaixuan, who hadn’t eaten all day, nearly collapsed to the floor.

But then, the sleazy Taoist actually chuckled and said, “My finger just cramped up.”

At that, Feng Kaixuan finally let out a long breath. “Taoist…you’re teasing me again!”

Xiao Yulou flicked his sleeve and looked into Feng Kaixuan’s eyes. “According to my calculations, you’ll get the job at the precinct as you wish. But when you’re on the night shift, whatever you do, don’t let in a woman dressed in red. Otherwise, not even I can save you.”

Feng Kaixuan took these words seriously and committed them to memory. Then, the three of them headed back toward the shop under cover of darkness.

Upon reaching the candle and incense shop in the distance, Feng Kaixuan exchanged a few words and left—after all, his motorcycle was still parked outside the bungalow.

Gu Mo, gazing at the shop, suddenly remembered his promise to bring snacks back for the silly girl Yan Wang.

“No, if I don’t bring her snacks, that silly girl will strangle me for sure!”

With that, Gu Mo headed across the street to the convenience store.

The two entered the store one after the other. As soon as he stepped in, Xiao Yulou took out two hundred yuan, placed it on the counter without a word, grabbed an ice cream from the freezer, and walked right out.

Gu Mo found this odd. For their first meeting, wasn’t this miserly Taoist being a bit too generous? He then began selecting snacks from the shelves—no way was he going to spend Xiao Yulou’s money.

A little while later, Gu Mo emerged from the convenience store carrying a large bag of snacks, only to be stunned by the scene before him.

Xiao Yulou, robed in black, sat forlornly in a coin-operated kiddie ride, swaying back and forth to cheerful music.

“Grandpa is Dad’s dad, Grandma is Dad’s mom…”

Xiao Yulou savored his ice cream, swinging along with the ride. The sweet, cold, silky sensation delighted him beyond words, as if his entire soul was being uplifted.

Gu Mo and the store clerk were both petrified by this ludicrous sight.

After a long while, Xiao Yulou took out a peculiar coin from his pocket, rubbing it as he sank once more into melancholy.

Gu Mo only had to glance at Xiao Yulou’s face to see that it was full of untold stories. With that thought, Gu Mo slowly reached out his hand.

Xiao Yulou, returning to himself, silently handed over the coin, laden with memories.

Curious, Gu Mo examined it and immediately noticed: it was a misprinted one-yuan coin, with the same pattern on both sides.

With a sigh, Xiao Yulou spoke. “This coin was a birthday gift from an old friend.”

Gu Mo burst out laughing. “Taoist Xiao, that’s quite a present…”

Xiao Yulou paid no heed to Gu Mo’s laughter, instead sighing, “Brother Gu, walls have ears. Best not to discuss this now.”

He paused, then shed his earlier melancholy and looked deep into Gu Mo’s eyes. “Brother Gu, right now you’re an uncut gem, your potential still hidden beneath the surface. If I guide your cultivation, you’ll be transformed within a month!”

Gu Mo smiled bitterly, gazing at the quiet, watery night sky. “I just want to be an ordinary mortal, not to marry Yan Wang, nor do I have any grand ambitions. I just want to live my life in peace.”

Xiao Yulou did not refute such mundane aspirations. He simply looked at Gu Mo and spoke again. “Brother Gu, fate is not yours to decide. Don’t you worry that the underworld’s enforcers might come looking for you?”

At the mention of underworld soldiers, Gu Mo’s body tensed, survival instinct surging.

He looked at Xiao Yulou, aggrieved. “Taoist Xiao, I’ve still got that White Wuchang’s Soul-Binding Lock inside me. Will it rust? If I get tetanus, I’ll be in trouble!”

Xiao Yulou first laughed heartily, then replied seriously, “Brother Gu, the Soul-Binding Lock is cold and won’t rust, but over time it will affect your soul.”

At this, Gu Mo made a face as if he were constipated, his complexion turning ashen.

“Looks like I have no choice but to cultivate.”

With that, the two headed toward the candle shop.

A few steps later, Xiao Yulou frowned. In his eyes, the shop was swirling with ghostly winds, as if something powerful was awakening.

As they approached, Gu Mo saw the demolished wooden door and his anger flared. He leaped into the shop, pointing at Yan Wang Jiang Jingxue and shouting, “You silly girl! What have you done?”

Jiang Jingxue was fiddling with two iron rods, each as long as her forearm. On the counter sat the Soul Gourd and an unremarkable ancient oil lamp.

Gu Mo was baffled by these strange items. At that moment, Xiao Yulou placed a hand on his shoulder, asking, “Brother Gu, where did you get all this stuff?”

Gu Mo, plagued by questions of his own, snapped, “You’re asking me? Who the hell am I supposed to ask?”

Realizing he was being rude to someone he’d just met, Gu Mo sighed heavily and asked in a gentler tone, “Taoist Xiao, do you recognize these ghostly objects?”

Xiao Yulou merely shook his head, unbothered by the earlier outburst. He glanced at the three objects on the counter, each radiating a ghostly chill, and said, “I don’t recognize the tools, but the yin energy they give off can’t be hidden.”

“Magical tools?” Gu Mo scoffed. “Taoist, you call these magical tools? To me, they just look like worthless antiques.”

Xiao Yulou immediately frowned and looked at Gu Mo as if he were crazy. “Brother Gu, can you not feel the yin energy emanating from them?”

Gu Mo shook his head, still clueless. As they chatted, there was a sudden click from the counter.

They looked up to see Yan Wang, the silly girl, had assembled the two iron rods into one.

Instantly, a wave of green ghostly wind surged outward like a shockwave.

Xiao Yulou leaped forward, standing protectively in front of Gu Mo.

In a flash, seals at his fingertips, Xiao Yulou’s whole body shone with angular golden light.

But the unstoppable energy wave was already right in his face!

Crack! There was a sharp sound. The golden light around Xiao Yulou shattered like falling petals. The rickety wooden door nearby splintered into a pile of sawdust.

Gu Mo inhaled sharply. “Damn! That was close!”

He saw beads of cold sweat breaking out on Xiao Yulou’s neck. Clearly, this newly met Taoist had been scared out of his wits too.

Xiao Yulou turned to Gu Mo, face ashen. “Brother Gu, since I just saved your life, can I get a little fee for my services?”

Gu Mo shot him a fierce look. “You money-grubber, is that all you think about?”

Xiao Yulou responded with a sleazy grin. “Heh heh, there’s always a chance…”

Exasperated, Gu Mo ignored him and strode to the counter.

Even though it was only a few steps, he was already searching for the right words in his mind:

‘What should I say?
If I sound too harsh, I might get beaten up.
If I go too soft, that silly girl won’t realize her mistake!
Women are so troublesome!’

Steeling himself, Gu Mo prepared to lecture her.

But before he could speak, Yan Wang Jiang Jingxue looked up and asked, “Little lackey, do you have a death wish? How many secrets are you hiding from me?”

Gu Mo was dumbstruck, left speechless by her accusation. “I…I…”

Jiang Jingxue slammed the newly joined iron rod onto the counter with a thud, startling Gu Mo.

She folded her arms, eyes cold. “Three of the Eight Underworld Artifacts, right here in your shop! Tell me—what’s your real motive for coming to the underworld?”

Her anger surging, Jiang Jingxue pressed on, “Are you in league with those cultivators? Trying to break into the underworld and achieve immortality?”

Gu Mo’s eyes bulged, and he pointed at her, ready to curse. “Slander!”

He huffed and puffed, retorting, “If it weren’t for Black and White Wuchang dragging me here, how would I have met you? I don’t want immortality! Do you think you’re some screenwriter, accusing me out of nowhere? Careful, I might sue you for defamation!”

Jiang Jingxue just snorted and turned away, leaving the candle shop in awkward silence.

Xiao Yulou, seeing the scene, slid his hands into his sleeves and sidled up to the counter. “Heh heh! If you two don’t want these magical tools, I’ll kindly take them off your hands!”

He reached out, feigning greed.

Instantly, Gu Mo and the silly Yan Wang shouted in unison, “In your dreams!”

…