Cataclysm Chapter 133: Extras · Fated Marriage 04

Chapter 133: Extras · Fated Marriage 04

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai??

 

Mr. Chang described, “We moved in two months ago, and at first, we didn’t notice anything unusual. Initially, those evil spirits targeted my daughter. She’s still young and didn’t know any better, so she played with them. It wasn’t until my son noticed that my daughter was often playing alone in an empty room, talking to herself, that he became suspicious, though he didn’t think much of it. Later, when he saw her floating in midair, he realized the situation was serious. He ran to tell us, but we didn’t believe him.”

Kou Xuanling looked at Mr. Chang’s eldest son, who appeared to be around seventeen years old. Mrs. Chang, standing beside him, hugged her son’s shoulders in comfort and apology, then took over from Mr. Chang, saying, “When our son yelled at us, pointing at the room and saying there were ghosts, he angered the spirits. Right in front of us, they grabbed his ankle and suddenly dragged him up into the air, pulling him outside. We struggled for a long time to save him.” Mrs. Chang pulled up her son’s pant leg, revealing a clear dark purple mark around his ankle. “After that, we tried to run, but we couldn’t escape.”

Kou Xuanling asked, “What do you mean?”

Mr. Chang responded, “Those ghosts chased us to the hotel where we were staying, continuously causing trouble and threatening us to return. When we came back, our lives were still at risk. But the situation was a little better. While we were staying outside, there were two or three times when we nearly died.” He revealed his arm, which was covered in countless purple bruises. “It was all the work of those evil spirits. Not just me, but my wife and children have all been marked. Now, we can’t even sleep properly, afraid we’ll be dragged away silently in our sleep.”

Kou Xuanling pondered, “Evil spirits usually can’t leave the place where they died. From your description, it sounds like the place they died is in this house. Maybe if we find their bodies, we can easily solve the problem. But the real issue is why they were able to follow you to the hotel and even attack you. Also, why didn’t they just kill you outside? Why force you to return to the villa? Why try to drive you to the point of mental collapse without killing you? Didn’t they realize you might hire a Tianshi to deal with them?”

The Chang family looked stunned. “Yeah, why?”

Kou Xuanling took out a compass from his bag. As he walked around the study, he noticed the compass needle spinning wildly. He shook his head and clicked his tongue in disbelief. “This is really eerie.” He turned to the Chang family and said, “Right now, we’re still unclear about the first question: Why could they leave the place where they died? But I can roughly guess the answers to the other three.”

Mr. Chang hurriedly asked, “What’s the reason? Did we offend them? I’ve always been careful in business and never push anyone to the brink.”

“Oh, it probably has nothing to do with revenge. You all might have just been unlucky,” Kou Xuanling replied. After the compass needle spun wildly, it stopped, pointing toward the study’s large window. Kou Xuanling walked over and opened the curtains. Outside, it was completely dark, with only a few stars twinkling in the sky. In the yard, there was a large ginkgo tree, over a hundred years old. The tree’s trunk was so wide that it would take two adults stretching their arms to encircle it. The golden leaves gleamed brightly, especially striking.

Mr. Chang quickly ran over and shut the curtains. “Pull them closed. They won’t be able to find us.”

“Aren’t the evil spirits inside the house?”

“No.” Mr. Chang tightly pulled the curtains shut and checked to ensure the windows were locked. His expression was tense. “At night, they’ll appear, searching for any way inside—through the doors, windows, or ventilation shafts. They can get in through any opening connected to the outside. If they can’t get in, they’ll wander outside the house. If they see the lights and find us, they’ll rush at the windows and start banging on the glass—look here.”

Kou Xuanling followed Mr. Chang’s finger and looked toward the corner of the window, where spider web-like cracks had appeared. When he brushed his finger over them, he could still feel the glass powder. “Did the evil spirits attack?”

“Yes. This is the latest type of glass, harder and sturdier than regular glass. I can hardly imagine what would have happened if there wasn’t any glass blocking them; they might have charged right in and killed us. More importantly, I’ve noticed that their strength is increasing. I remember before, when they struck the window, they were stopped outside, and the glass didn’t even have a scratch on it.” Mr. Chang looked deeply worried.

“That probably confirms that the evil spirits’ bodies aren’t in the room. They should be buried in the yard,” Kou Xuanling said, pulling back a corner of the curtain and looking out at the yard. He suddenly froze and stared at the gate. “Mr. Chang, did you invite any other Tianshis?”

“Ah?… Haha, yes,” Mr. Chang chuckled awkwardly, realizing that the Tianshi in front of him might not be pleased. He hurriedly explained, “It’s not that we don’t trust you, but in our panic, we were looking for help everywhere. A friend of mine had connections and said they could introduce a Tianshi. Another friend told me I could just place an order, so I quickly ordered your service. As for the Tianshi my friend invited, they still haven’t come. I think they probably have no news by now.”

“They’ve arrived.” Kou Xuanling let go of the curtain. Mr. Chang’s anxiety increased. “W-what’s arrived? Is it the evil spirit?” As soon as he said this, Mrs. Chang and their children looked fearful.

Kou Xuanling replied, “Another Tianshi.”

Mr. Chang sighed in relief but then felt awkward. Having two Tianshis here made it seem like they couldn’t handle things on their own. Would this anger them? Would they be upset? As Mr. Chang worried, Kou Xuanling began walking toward the door. “Let’s go. Open the door.”

Mr. Chang quickly followed. Just as they reached the living room, they heard the doorbell ring. Mr. Chang walked over to open the door, speaking as he went, “Hello, you must be—” His voice suddenly stopped in his throat as his eyes widened in shock, staring at the terrifying evil spirit before him. This spirit had pretended to be a person and rang the doorbell to trick him into opening it. It wasn’t the first time this had happened, but this time, he had let his guard down. He moved his foot to run, but the evil spirit grabbed him by the neck.

Mr. Chang’s eyes bulged, his tongue sticking out, struggling to breathe as his face turned purple. Kou Xuanling quickly stepped forward, about to stab his peachwood sword into the evil spirit’s heart. But then, a clear, warm voice, like jade striking jade, suddenly pierced his heart. The tension snapped, and the beads of jade at his chest clattered to the ground, producing a series of beautiful sounds.

“Expose both the inside and the outside, nothing shall resist, by command, quickly as the law directs.” Transparent purple beads wrapped around the evil spirit’s neck, tightening until it let out a shrill scream and was quickly drawn into an ancient wooden die. The die had a hole punched through its edge, with a silver ring threading through it, connecting the purple beads. The beads were wrapped around his wrist three or four times, forming a unique accessory along with the ancient wooden die.

The man before Kou Xuanling was taller than him by a bit, but if standing further away, the height difference wasn’t noticeable. He wore a pure white Tang suit and cloth shoes, with black long hair flowing. His appearance was stunning, with narrow eyes that carried a smile, like ink splashed across a canvas. He looked at Kou Xuanling and said, “Hello, my name is Lu Xiuzhi.”

Kou Xuanling came to his senses and replied, “I’m Kou Xuanling, a member of the Da Fu Division. And you are?”

“I’ve been cultivating in the mountains, just came down the other day.”

“Oh.” Kou Xuanling didn’t ask further. He knew that some Tianshis had their own unique inheritance, where they would only take one disciple in their lifetime, passing down the inheritance to only one disciple per generation. These Tianshis didn’t belong to any organization, often hiding in the common folk or secluded mountains to cultivate.

Mr. Chang, who had survived the ordeal, was extremely grateful to Lu Xiuzhi and was very respectful. “Mr. Lu—no, Master Lu, please come in, please come in!”

Lu Xiuzhi smiled and looked at Kou Xuanling. “Shall we go together?”

Kou Xuanling shrugged indifferently. But Lu Xiuzhi walked shoulder to shoulder with him, and although he didn’t speak, his presence was so strong that it was impossible to ignore. As the room was too dark, Kou Xuanling accidentally tripped on the carpet and almost fell. Lu Xiuzhi caught him in time, bending slightly. His black long hair slid down his back, a few strands brushing against Kou Xuanling’s face, cool and smooth to the touch.

“Are you okay?”

The sudden question interrupted Kou Xuanling’s impulse to bury his face in Lu Xiuzhi’s hair. He was startled, quickly steadying himself and calmly responding, “I’m fine.” In the darkness, he could still feel Lu Xiuzhi’s overly intense gaze on his face, which made Kou Xuanling uncomfortable. He twisted his arm to break free from Lu Xiuzhi’s hold and took a few steps back, saying again, “I’m fine.”

Lu Xiuzhi stared directly at Kou Xuanling. “Turn on the lights, Mr. Chang.”

Kou Xuanling avoided looking at him. “We’re all here, it doesn’t matter if the lights are on now.”

Mr. Chang, helpless, said, “Alright then.”

In an instant, the lights in the living room illuminated the space. Kou Xuanling looked up at Lu Xiuzhi and saw that he was staring at the purple transparent beads on his wrist, while his other hand played with the ancient wooden die attached to the beads. He wasn’t looking at Kou Xuanling at all, and Kou Xuanling began to think that the intense gaze earlier was just a figment of his imagination.

Mr. Chang rubbed his sore throat and said, “I’ll go call my wife and children.” Just as he finished speaking, a piercing scream came from the study. Mr. Chang immediately jumped up and ran over, and Kou Xuanling followed suit. Lu Xiuzhi paused for a moment before following them.

In the study, the spider web-like crack in the glass had been punctured at some point, and a charred black arm reached in, grabbing the foot of the Chang family’s youngest daughter and pulling her out. Mrs. Chang and their son were struggling to hold onto her, fighting against the evil spirit’s hand. At this point, the youngest daughter’s leg had been pulled to the root, and it was clear the evil spirit intended to drag her through the hole. If she were pulled out, she would die instantly.

The youngest daughter’s leg had been scratched by the glass shards, and blood poured out as she cried out in pain. Kou Xuanling rushed over and pushed the window open, leaping out. Outside, the area was empty, and even the youngest daughter’s leg was gone, as though it had entered another dimension. Without hesitation, he took out a Five Thunders Spirit Talisman and pasted it into the air. “All-Heaven Thunder Lord… come when called, quickly unleash the yang voice, by command, as the law directs!”

Thunder roared, and lightning flashed. A howl echoed, and the evil spirits, in fear, fled. The ghost’s hand, which had been pulling the girl, suddenly released, and the Chang family members, who had been pulling her back, were knocked backward. Meanwhile, sharp objects like candlesticks appeared behind them in the blink of an eye, as though something had moved them deliberately.

Lu Xiuzhi’s gaze turned cold. He kicked a sofa, and the Chang family members all fell onto it, safe and unharmed. Kou Xuanling stepped onto the window sill, preparing to go back inside when he suddenly felt a chill on his back. Turning around, he saw a woman in a black dress and black clothing standing under the large ginkgo tree in the yard. She wore heavy makeup, her cheeks sunken, and her high cheekbones seemed like the bones inside would pierce through her skin.

The woman’s gaze was filled with malicious hatred as she stared at Kou Xuanling. Kou Xuanling blinked, and she disappeared. Just as he was about to approach, he heard Lu Xiuzhi’s voice by his ear. “Come inside.”

Startled, Kou Xuanling lost his balance and fell backward, his wrist grabbed by a powerful force that dragged him, and then his face slammed into a warm embrace. The scent of fresh, light lotus filled his nostrils.

Kou Xuanling’s eyes reddened, and the thin mist of tears began to form in his eyes. When Lu Xiuzhi helped him up and saw this, he immediately asked anxiously, “Did you hurt anywhere?”

Kou Xuanling sniffed, gritted his teeth, and covered his face, waving his hand. “I’m fine.” Naturally, hitting his face that hard would cause sharp pain, especially when his teeth hit his cheek muscles, and the instant sting had triggered his tear ducts. After the pain subsided, he’d be fine. But Lu Xiuzhi must have been hurt as well from being hit by him.

“You got hit by me, are you okay?”

Lu Xiuzhi shook his head. “I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt.”

Kou Xuanling nodded. “Oh.” He shrugged and stepped away, walking toward the Chang family. Lu Xiuzhi furrowed his brows, his gaze cold as ice, staring out the window at the large ginkgo tree. He pressed his chest where Kou Xuanling had collided with him, a bit of melancholy in his expression.

He should’ve just said it hurt…

Mrs. Chang choked on her words. “Just now, I heard the lights in the living room turn on, so I thought of bringing the children to the living room. I accidentally shone the light on the curtains, and as I walked past the curtains, a ghostly hand suddenly shot through, grabbed my daughter’s ankle, and tried to drag her out.”

Kou Xuanling said, “A cornered dog will jump over the wall.”

Mrs. Chang was confused. “What?”

“Nothing.” Kou Xuanling gestured for everyone to gather in the living room. Soon, everyone was huddled together in the hall, waiting for midnight. Mr. Chang said, based on previous experiences, these paranormal disturbances usually occurred between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.

Mr. Chang asked, “Masters, why would the ghosts in this villa want to harm our family? I honestly don’t know what we’ve done to deserve this.”

“The wicked won’t harm you because you’ve wronged them, and similarly, the evil spirits won’t either. If an evil spirit truly wants to harm someone, there is no reason for it. Once you moved into this villa, you became prey for the evil spirits.”

Mr. Chang was furious. “That realtor never mentioned that this villa was haunted.”

“Perhaps they didn’t know it was haunted either. It’s likely that after you moved in, you were targeted, leading to these continuous supernatural events. But it’s true that the realtor didn’t tell you the full truth, at least not about the villa’s past.”

“The villa’s past?”

“To be precise, it’s the murder case that happened here before the villa was built.” Kou Xuanling logged into a Tianshi forum and searched for information about the villa. The forum was established years before the Dafu app and was a place for anonymous posts about Taoist practices, folk legends, and supernatural events. Some cases from over a decade ago could still be found.

Mr. Chang was shocked. “This villa was involved in a murder case?”

Kou Xuanling initially couldn’t find relevant posts by entering the location, but later searched for the villa’s previous history and found that it was an old villa. After entering the name into the forum, he quickly found a related post. The post had over two thousand replies, indicating it had been a hot topic for quite some time.

After reading the post, Kou Xuanling understood the situation and explained, “This villa’s predecessor was a Western-style house, and it used to be home to a family of four, much like yours. A couple and their two children, of similar ages. But they were involved in the murder of seven people and dismembered their bodies, burying them in the yard. Eventually, the crime was exposed, and the family of four hanged themselves from the ginkgo tree in the yard. After they died, their spirits began to haunt the place, and a Tianshi had to be called in to suppress them.”

“Dismembered bodies?” The Chang family felt chills down their spines. What kind of monsters lived in that house? They had killed seven people and dismembered them, burying the pieces in the yard? Didn’t they feel scared living there? “Why dismember the bodies?”

Kou Xuanling replied, “For money and murder, and also for dark arts.”

“Dark arts?”

“Taoism originates from ghost arts, which is divided into white ghost arts and black ghost arts. The well-known Maoshan Taoist practices belong to white ghost arts, while black ghost arts is considered dark arts, typically involving human life as the key to casting spells. It’s powerful, but the methods are cruel. Upon investigation, the reason they murdered and dismembered people was to perform a certain dark ritual, in order to achieve immortality.” Kou Xuanling glanced at the Chang family and continued, “Your family’s situation and ages are similar to that family, which is why you’ve been targeted as their substitutes. They want to possess your bodies to return to the mortal world, so they are trying to force you back to the villa, scaring you without taking your lives immediately.”

The Chang family huddled together, fear evident on their faces. The eldest son of the Chang family asked, “When do they plan to take our lives?”

Kou Xuanling asked, “Can you give me your birth dates and times?”

Mrs. Chang shared the birth dates and times of her family members, and Kou Xuanling tried to convert them into their astrological Eight Characters. It was a bit difficult. Lu Xiuzhi, who had been silent, spoke up, “Tonight.”

Kou Xuanling turned to look at him, and their eyes met. His heart skipped a beat. There was something very familiar about Lu Xiuzhi’s face, like he had seen him somewhere before. He blurted out, “Have we met?”

Lu Xiuzhi avoided his gaze, and after a long pause, he replied, “We have.”

Kou Xuanling asked, “When? I have no memory of it.” He found Lu Xiuzhi’s face very much to his liking, so if they had met, there would be no reason he wouldn’t remember.

Lu Xiuzhi simply said, “You don’t remember.”

“Is that so?” Kou Xuanling nodded, then paused for a moment before asking, “Do you have any sisters?”

Lu Xiuzhi gritted his teeth and responded, “No.”

Kou Xuanling sounded disappointed. “What a pity.” Lu Xiuzhi shot him a cold look, and Kou Xuanling felt uncomfortable, awkwardly smiling. Lu Xiuzhi snorted, turned his back, and ignored him.

Kou Xuanling rubbed his nose, and when he looked up, he found the Chang family four staring at him with eager, almost gossipy eyes. He forced a smile and said, “Tonight, the evil spirits will come to take your bodies. Be prepared. We’ll handle the evil spirits, but you’d better not act rashly. No matter what you hear, don’t respond. The evil spirits are the best at tricking people.”

The Chang family quickly nodded, “We’ll listen to you.” Their eight eyes kept shifting between Kou Xuanling and Lu Xiuzhi, their curiosity so strong that they forgot they were under threat.

Kou Xuanling stood up, took out a red rope from his bag, and formed a circle in the living room. He hung eight bells in the circle, then instructed the Chang family to step inside the circle. “You can’t leave until after midnight. No matter who comes, don’t step out. No matter what happens, stay inside the circle.”

The eldest son of the Chang family asked, “So, even if you tell us to leave, we can’t listen?”

Kou Xuanling replied seriously, “That’s right. Even if we call you out, you can’t leave.” After setting up, he took out five Thunder Talisman and a peachwood sword, sitting face-to-face with Lu Xiuzhi, waiting for the evil spirits to arrive.

The wait grew dull, so he took out his phone and started playing with some mini-programs on WeChat. Across from him, Lu Xiuzhi stared intently at him, not averting his gaze. Under such intense scrutiny, even wood would develop awareness. Kou Xuanling grew increasingly uncomfortable and snapped, “Why are you staring at me?”

Lu Xiuzhi instinctively answered, “You’re handsome.”

“Oh~~~”

Kou Xuanling glared at the Chang family. Mrs. Chang awkwardly covered her youngest daughter’s ears and mouth, offering a shy smile as she said, “You can continue, we can’t hear anything.”

Kou Xuanling moved closer to Lu Xiuzhi, pressing him, “Who are you exactly? You know me, don’t you?”

Lu Xiuzhi replied, “I do know you. I’ll tell you more once we get more familiar.”

Kou Xuanling asked, “What’s your purpose?”

Lu Xiuzhi responded seriously, “I want to get to know you. We’ll start as friends, then as lovers, and eventually as husband and wife.” He added, “Then, as brothers.”

Kou Xuanling was stunned, and after a moment of hesitation, he whispered to Lu Xiuzhi, “Be honest with me… Are you the illegitimate son of my father?”

“…No.” Lu Xiuzhi’s expression became complicated.

Kou Xuanling let out a sigh of relief. “Then why do you want to be brothers with me?”

Lu Xiuzhi carefully considered his words. “I feel an instant connection with you.”

Kou Xuanling was half-believing, and part of him believed because of how appealing Lu Xiuzhi looked. He decided to brush off the topic for now, pointing to the ancient wooden dice on Lu Xiuzhi’s wrist. “That evil spirit you captured earlier… is it the father from that family of four?”

“Probably,” Lu Xiuzhi replied, fiddling with the ancient wooden dice. “Do you want to take a look?”

Kou Xuanling shrugged. “I have my own. But is this amethyst bead bracelet your magical tool? It looks like a prayer bead, not really like a Taoist tool… though it definitely looks more like something a woman would wear.”

Lu Xiuzhi looked down, unsure of how to explain that the bead bracelet wasn’t actually his magical tool. He simply wore it because it looked good on his wrist, matching his clothes and vibe. He’d even asked a sales assistant if wearing it would help him get a girlfriend, and the assistant had sworn up and down that if he didn’t, all the men in the world would be single. Now, thinking back, he realized the assistant was just a businessman, willing to say anything to make a sale.

The author’s note:
Lu Xiuzhi: “I feel an instant connection with you, and you fall in love with me at first sight.”

 

 

 

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