Chapter 230- Cold Indifferent Loyal Dog VS. Playful Ghost King (25)
Yuan Hongshen was immediately excited by the black mist’s suggestion. If it meant troubling other influential families, he might hesitate due to their powerful backgrounds. But the Yin family was weak, and since he had already harmed them before, he saw no issue in doing it again.
Moreover, Yin Tianyi currently had no power or background, making him an easy target. The fact that the black mist mentioned absorbing the cultivation of a ghost cultivator by his side was even more enticing. If he could resolve everything in one go, he wouldn’t have to resort to these minor tricks at the auction house anymore.
After all, he worried that if his actions became too conspicuous, the small families around him might suspect him. So, he mostly used small artifacts to discreetly siphon a little fortune.
But if he could get his hands on that thousand-year ghost cultivator, he would be free from these troubles. With this in mind, Yuan Hongshen immediately set his subordinates to find Yin Tianyi’s whereabouts.
However, after Yuan Hongshen left, the black mist did not dissipate immediately. Instead, it fully manifested its form in the inner chamber.
The entity had a hideous and terrifying appearance. Although it didn’t have a blue face and fangs, its gray, corpse-like visage was terrifying enough. It had no resemblance to a typical artifact spirit. The figure let out a couple of sinister laughs, producing a harsh sound, and then re-entered the black bronze cauldron.
At this time, Mu Jin was unaware that he had become the target of not one but two entities. One sought to absorb his cultivation through the bronze cauldron, and the other was Yin Tianyi, who was pondering how to alter their contract.
Yuan Hongshen found Yin Tianyi’s location with little effort. After all, in this city, the Yuan family was quite influential. Furthermore, Yin Tianyi had not hidden his real name. At this time in his previous life, he had never interacted with Yuan Hongshen.
While gathering information about Yin Tianyi, Yuan Hongshen sent people to the village where he had abandoned him. He recalled that the Wang couple had not been heard from in years, and he had carelessly ignored this detail.
To his shock, he discovered that the couple had died long ago, and their deaths were quite gruesome1. Even their teenage son had lost his mind and become mentally deficient, making it impossible to extract any useful information from him.
Learning about the Wang couple’s fate unsettled Yuan Hongshen. Though the villagers said Yin Tianyi was an honest and obedient child, while the Wang family did not have a good reputation, this only made him more cautious. If Yin Tianyi had gained any power, he would surely not spare the Wang family. So, had he discovered something?
Originally, Yuan Hongshen just wanted to capture the ghost cultivator by Yin Tianyi’s side. But now, he realized that Yin Tianyi himself might also pose a threat and could not be allowed to live.
Further investigation revealed that Yin Tianyi had quickly gained a reputation in the city. Not only had he helped the Qi family deal with the artifacts, but he had also rearranged the Feng Shui of their residence.
Although he knew he had been careless when targeting the Qi family—given that the charms had stopped working and the Qi family was investigating the auction house—he never imagined that Yin Tianyi would be involved.
So, was Yin Tianyi specifically coming after him?
With this revelation, Yuan Hongshen became even more determined to eliminate Yin Tianyi. Moreover, since Yin Tianyi had significantly helped the Qi family, he wondered if the Yin family had other valuable artifacts that he hadn’t managed to seize.
Previously, Yin Zhanpeng had told him that the Yin family had declined, leaving only the black bronze cauldron to help change their fortune. But Yuan Hongshen couldn’t believe this completely. He suspected the Yin family still had treasures that had fallen into Yin Tianyi’s hands.
Just possessing the bronze cauldron had turned the Yuan family’s fortune around; if he could obtain other treasures from Yin Tianyi, he would no longer be threatened or controlled by that so-called artifact spirit.
Upon discovering Yin Tianyi’s residence, Yuan Hongshen couldn’t help but scoff. To his amusement, Yin Tianyi lived in a rented small apartment in an old, shabby neighborhood.
Just like his father, Yin Tianyi seemed oblivious to the potential of the artifacts around him. Despite having the means to live an enviable life, he chose to remain in poverty.
That night, Yuan Hongshen sent several people to monitor Yin Tianyi’s surroundings, hoping to gather information on his activities.
He also considered sending someone to break into Yin Tianyi’s home late at night, kidnap him, and then search the apartment for hidden artifacts.
However, he recalled the artifact spirit’s warning about the thousand-year-old ghost cultivator by Yin Tianyi’s side.
He knew that a thousand-year-old ghost was not to be trifled with and feared that a direct confrontation would result in significant losses and alert his enemies.
After careful consideration, he decided on a different approach. He had heard that Mr. Qi was praising Yin Tianyi and his companion as two highly skilled Tian Shi2 to everyone in their social circle.
Since this was well-known, he thought it best to send someone under the guise of requesting a Feng Shui consultation and purification of his residence to gauge their strength.
Yuan Hongshen’s actions caught Mu Jin’s attention. Although Yuan Hongshen had set up numerous measures around the Yuan family estate to keep Mu Jin at bay, 003 allowed Mu Jin to monitor the people around Yuan Hongshen. Thus, he was aware of their surveillance on Yin Tianyi and their plan to set a trap.
Mu Jin did not hide this from Yin Tianyi, informing him directly. Yin Tianyi furrowed his brows upon hearing the news, surprised that Yuan Hongshen had come looking for him despite his own inaction.
Seeing his lover’s troubled expression, Mu Jin patted his shoulder reassuringly and said, “Don’t worry. With me here, dealing with him will be no problem. If you’re tired of this and don’t want to get involved directly, I can find a way to kill him quietly.”
Yin Tianyi shook his head at Mu Jin’s suggestion. He knew that Mu Jin’s magic power had recently recovered quite a bit, but it still wasn’t at its peak. Moreover, Mu Jin had previously tracked Yuan Hongshen and discovered that he carried many protective charms that ordinary ghosts couldn’t penetrate.
Even if Mu Jin could manage to kill Yuan Hongshen with full effort, it would likely cause harm to his own body, a result that Yin Tianyi did not want to see.
Turning his head, Yin Tianyi gently grasped the hand Mu Jin had placed on his shoulder and said softly, “I’m fine. I hope to personally resolve this matter, so I’ll handle it myself.”
Mu Jin nodded in agreement. This was his lover’s decision, and he had no objections.
Seeing that Mu Jin was still somewhat worried about him, Yin Tianyi felt a warmth in his heart. He couldn’t resist bringing Mu Jin’s hand to his lips for a kiss and softly asked, “Is there anything you’d like to eat? I’ll cook it for you tonight.”
As expected, upon hearing this, the young man beside him perked up and immediately rattled off a long list of dishes he wanted to eat.
Seeing Mu Jin so cheerful, Yin Tianyi’s mood improved considerably. He took Mu Jin shopping for ingredients, and then they busied themselves in the kitchen.
While cooking, Yin Tianyi thought that if he and Mu Jin truly loved each other, living a simple life together would be wonderful. If it was with this enchanting being by his side, he would gladly cook for him for a lifetime and keep him happy forever.
Unfortunately, despite his extensive research, he had not yet found a way to dissolve or alter their contract. However, since they had plenty of time, Yin Tianyi was not discouraged.
After preparing a delicious dinner and making sure Mu Jin was well-fed, Yin Tianyi left the house alone, saying he was going to see Mr. Qi.
Mu Jin could guess what Yin Tianyi was planning and didn’t stop him. In fact, he thought his lover’s approach was very wise. Since they had only recently arrived and had no solid foundation, leveraging their advantages and accepting help from others was a prudent strategy.
Soon enough, Yuan Hongshen made his next move. While Mr. Qi’s endorsements occasionally brought them business, most of it was related to Feng Shui, and no one had entrusted them with any dangerous tasks.
However, the difficulty of their recent jobs had increased significantly. In the last two assignments, Yin Tianyi encountered some rather formidable ghosts, which made both him and Mu Jin feel that something was amiss.
These ghosts were not only fierce but also seemed to be deranged. They charged at them recklessly, showing no regard for their own safety. If a less powerful exorcist had faced them, they might have been in serious trouble.
Yin Tianyi, with his pure yang constitution and exceptional talents, along with Mu Jin by his side, could suppress these ghosts easily, even those that were unusually strong. This made them realize that something strange was going on.
Note :
- “Gruesome” means causing horror or disgust, often due to being shocking, violent, or involving unpleasant details. ↩︎
- “Tian Shi” (天师) translates to “Heavenly Master” in English. It is a title often used to refer to a highly skilled and respected practitioner of Taoism, particularly one who is adept in rituals, exorcisms, and the art of Feng Shui. ↩︎