This chapter is brought to you Puffball, thanks for the ko-fi! ヾ(＾-＾)ノ
Chapter 169 – Domineering and Obsessed Jade Spirit VS Ascetic, Cleanliness-Obsessed CEO (23)
When night fell, Mu Junhao couldn’t sleep no matter how hard he tried. Feeling extremely uneasy, he decided to visit Mu Jin’s room.
Recently, his older brother had been locking himself in his room as soon as he got home from work, having his meals delivered there. This behavior was very unusual. Although Mu Jin had always been somewhat aloof, he was usually gentle with him and never so reclusive at home.
Mu Junhao initially thought that his brother might be dealing with emotional issues, but at the company, Mu Jin seemed to get along well with Mo Yan. Their relationship appeared stronger than ever, almost inseparable. Moreover, Mu Jin had handed over most of the family business management to Mo Yan, yet something about their dynamic still felt off to Mu Junhao.
After knocking on the door for a while, Mu Jin finally opened it and let him in. Mu Junhao was taken aback by the sight of his brother’s flushed cheeks.
He quickly scanned the room and found no one else there. Furrowing his brows, he noticed a distinct hickey on the back of Mu Jin’s neck when his brother turned around, causing his pupils to contract sharply.
He had seen his brother earlier when he had just arrived home and taken off his coat, and there had been no such mark on his neck. This mark was clearly fresh. But there was no one else in the room.
Reflecting on Mu Jin’s increasingly reclusive behavior, Mu Junhao couldn’t help but think more deeply. If what Gu Yang had said about the jade spirit was true and Mo Yan was not human but a malevolent being, then his brother could be in great danger.
He recalled that day at the Taoist temple when the old priest had mentioned something was wrong with the jade pendant and suggested it needed purification. Not long after, Gu Yang had been severely injured and later went mad.
Although he believed Gu Yang deserved his fate, connecting these events sent a chill down Mu Junhao’s spine.
So the next day, Mu Junhao and Zhong Xiaoyu went to the Taoist temple together. When Zhong Xiaoyu heard Mu Junhao’s suspicion, although he found it somewhat mystical and unbelievable, since his good friend was so concerned, he didn’t mind accompanying him for a trip.
However, when the two arrived at the temple again, they found that the environment was no longer as bustling as before; instead, it appeared somewhat dilapidated. Especially at the spot where the deity statue was, there was nothing there.
They asked around and learned that not long after they had left on that day, the entire temple fell into chaos, and even the deity statue shattered on its own. This news sent a chill down Mu Junhao’s spine, and he quickly asked the people there to inform the old priest that he wanted to see him.
After seeing them, the old priest wore a kindly expression and said to Mu Junhao, “I knew you would come.”
Surprised by his words, Mu Junhao asked him, “Master, what was the issue with the jade pendant you saw before?”
The old priest pondered for a moment before saying to them, “The jade spirit in that pendant has awakened, and I had already calculated that the jade pendant, sealed by your Mu family for hundreds of years, carried heavy resentment. Originally, I was reluctant to kill the spirit, only wanting to help you purify the jade pendant. But I didn’t expect the jade spirit to be so powerful. It not only disrupted the purification ritual but also nearly killed Mr. Gu Yang.”
“I know that jade spirit will not let it go, and I am afraid that it is still entangled with the head of the Mu family, trying to find an opportunity to get revenge. Now that Mr. Mu Jin is in a predicament, I am afraid that only you can help him.”
Upon hearing this, Mu Junhao was stunned for a moment, quickly asking the Taoist for advice. The Taoist replied that they should seize the opportunity when the jade spirit is off guard and smash the jade plaque to kill the jade spirit. He had tried sealing it before, but it had no effect. This was now their only way out.
Even if smashing the ancestral jade pendant could save his elder brother, Mu Junhao wondered about the consequences. Naturally, he wouldn’t hesitate over a piece of jade, but he didn’t immediately believe the Taoist’s words either. He needed more evidence.
Furthermore, he also wanted to know whether his elder brother was aware that Mo Yan was the jade spirit, and if there were any other secrets he didn’t know about.
The next day at the company, Mu Junhao seized an opportunity when Mo Yan was conducting a team meeting and went to Mu Jin’s office.
He figured that even if that guy really was the jade spirit and wasn’t safe at home, he wouldn’t dare to cause trouble and entangle with his elder brother during a meeting at the company. So, it was safest for him to inquire about Mu Jin’s situation now.
He quickly found Mu Jin and mentioned that Gu Yang had said something strange to him before, which made him particularly concerned. He didn’t directly mention that he had gone to see the Taoist in the temple, as he was worried about being overheard. Nonetheless, Mu Junhao’s behavior still caught Mu Jin’s attention.
Regardless of whether Gu Yang was truly insane or pretending to be, Mu Jin knew that someone hoped to catch Mu Junhao’s attention through him. Such a tactic could be considered sinister, as the one with the strongest luck in this world was the protagonist. If one could truly harm his beloved elder brother, that opponent could be considered somewhat cunning.
So Mu Jin asked Mu Junhao in detail what else he had done after that. With the original owner’s memories, Mu Jin still understood his younger brother very well. Looking at Mu Junhao’s current state, he knew that the other party was still hiding something from him.
Mu Junhao was also quite honest. Faced with Mu Jin’s probing questions, he hesitated for a moment before leaning in and quietly admitting that he had once visited the Taoist in the temple.
The Taoist had already revealed that the jade spirit had been sealed in the jade pendant for hundreds of years, harboring heavy resentment. He had also told them how to get rid of this jade spirit.
Mu Jin didn’t listen to what followed. He simply told Mu Junhao that his relationship with Mo Yan was good and advised him not to easily believe others’ words. This matter didn’t require his intervention, and there was nothing wrong with the jade pendant.
Hearing Mu Jin’s words, Mu Junhao could only temporarily suppress his doubts. After all, even if the jade pendant was handed down from their ancestors, damaging it could lead to consequences. His elder brother would surely hold him accountable if it turned out to be baseless speculation.
So, the protagonist could only temporarily refrain from taking further action but still didn’t give up investigating the secrets behind Mo Yan.
However, Mu Jin had already informed 003 to pay extra attention to the movements between Mu Junhao and Zhong Xiaoyu. As for why Zhong Xiaoyu was also under surveillance, it was because, in the original storyline, it was Zhong Xiaoyu who smashed the jade plaque.
Upon receiving news from Mu Junhao and knowing that the Taoist from the temple was instigating him to deal with the jade spirit, Mu Jin became instantly alert. After all, it was the Taoist who had previously mentioned that something was wrong with his jade plaque. Gu Yang also seemed to have been incited by someone to set up the formation.
The small-scale ritual and the location where Gu Yang was possessed were both in the temple. Combined with the strong sense of dissonance he felt when he saw the Taoist, Mu Jin felt that something was very wrong. At this moment, his suspicion of the Taoist had reached its peak.
Thinking that it was best to deal with this hidden danger quickly, Mu Jin didn’t wait and drove to the temple while Mo Yan was still in a meeting.
There was no longer the bustling scene of the past in the temple. 003 had mentioned before that it seemed Mo Yan vented his anger here, causing significant damage, so now there were far fewer worshippers. However, no one expected it to be so miserable that even the idol was gone.
After entering the temple, Mu Jin directly stated his purpose, saying that he wanted to see the person in charge. The people there didn’t make him wait long, and soon the venerable Taoist came out.
Moreover, the Taoist seemed very happy to see Mu Jin and immediately came to him, saying cheerfully, “Mr. Mu, we meet again. My disciple has visited before.”
Mu Jin nodded at the words, quietly looking at the old Taoist opposite him. He alerted 003, while himself secretly mobilizing the power within his body.
Although his original soul couldn’t be activated for a long time, if it was just a momentary burst, it shouldn’t be detected by the world consciousness.
So, he pretended to be cordial with the old Taoist for a while. Hearing that the Taoist had been persuading him to break the jade plaque, Mu Jin didn’t object but quietly approached him.
When the Taoist had completely relaxed his guard, Mu Jin suddenly sent out a strand of consciousness to entangle him. Mu Jin didn’t intend to launch an attack; he was just testing the waters.
The consciousness he emitted only served to restrain. If the person in front of him was an ordinary person, they wouldn’t even perceive this momentary restraint. But if it was his enemy, they would surely resist. Then he could launch a follow-up attack and try to eliminate the opponent.
However, what Mu Jin didn’t expect was that when he attempted to restrain the Taoist with his consciousness, the Taoist shattered into countless white light spots in the moment of entrapment, then quickly disappeared before his eyes.
Mu Jin looked on in shock at the scene before him, hastily scanning his surroundings. Although he sensed a strange aura fleeting, he couldn’t track down its source anymore.