Old Liu was a clever fellow. He understood what I meant with just a wink.

My blade wasn't just about seeking qi to slay the ghost; it was also a warning to other practitioners: don't poach my business.

Generally, once a術士 (shùshì, Daoist mage) takes on a job, others won't interfere, unless they want to become enemies. Otherwise, no one would cut off someone else's livelihood and slap them in the face like that.

Ye Yang narrowed his eyes. "What exactly do you want?"

"Black and White Medical Center, the Xiang family's commission, Yun Ya's apology—I want it all!" I said coldly. "Want to take advantage of Li Po? We'll see if I'm willing to be taken advantage of."

"If there's enough sentiment and loyalty, I'm willing to suffer any loss. But if there's no friendship or loyalty, and you want to take advantage of me? If I don't make her spit yellow bile, my name isn't Li."

Ye Yang frowned. "Didn't you say the Xiang family was strange? You still want to take this job?"

I smiled. "I saw through the Xiang family's strangeness from the start. I'm taking this job not just because I'm curious."

I looked at Ye Yang. "I also want to see if there's anyone behind the Xiang family."

Without waiting for Old Liu to speak, I continued, "Think about it. Xiang Yunshang doesn't treat one or two million yuan as anything special. What does that mean? It means Xiang Yunshang herself has some power."

"Since they could afford to hire a 術士 (shùshì, Daoist mage), why didn't they hire one to find Yun Sheng sooner?"

"There's more than just me in the provincial capital. Why did Yun Ya have to come to us?"

As I said this, I turned to Old Liu. "How's the thing I asked you to investigate?"

Old Liu said in a low voice, "My investigation shows that Xiang Yue doesn't have direct contact with the术道 (shù dào, Daoist arts community), but he has close ties with a person named Guan Qi. He's a middleman in the术道 (shù dào, Daoist arts community), and has business dealings with the top two hundred術士 (shùshì, Daoist mages) on the list. It wouldn't be difficult for Xiang Yue to find a術士 (shùshì, Daoist mage)."

When Old Liu said this, he suddenly changed the subject. "Is that why you didn't go to Old Baldy first, but went to Yun Family Village?"

"More than that!" I shook my head. "There's also Meng Qingqiu. I didn't initially decide to go to Yun Family Village first. It was Meng Qingqiu's attitude that made me change my mind. I think Meng Qingqiu seems to be covering up something, including her past with Yun Sheng."

Old Liu nodded. "Indeed, all I can find is their marriage record. Other than that, no one can say for sure whether their relationship was good or bad. All anyone knows is that they divorced."

"That's right!" I nodded. "Let's wait and see! I want to see who comes begging me within three days."

I estimated that after Yun Ya and the others encountered danger, they could only hold out for a maximum of seven days. If they didn't come to me within three days, it would be equivalent to giving up on Yun Ya.

Would Meng Qingqiu do that? Or would Xiang Yue do that?

I waited at home for two days, but no one came to my door. Old Liu became a little impatient. "It's been two days! Why hasn't anyone come yet?"

"Wait a little longer!" I laughed. "Even if another術士 (shùshì, Daoist mage) took the job, they'd have to come and tell us, right? What are you panicking about?"

Seeing that I was calm, Old Liu didn't say anything more. It wasn't until the evening of the next day that Xiang Yue came with Xiang Yunshang, along with several figures from the术道 (shù dào, Daoist arts community) of the provincial capital.

Xiang Yue put down the gifts and said, "Mr. Li, Yun Ya did something wrong. As Yun Ya's adoptive father, I naturally have to make amends for her. According to the rules of the术道 (shù dào, Daoist arts community), I've brought everything that needs to be brought. Whatever you want to do, I'll do it!"

As Xiang Yue spoke, he placed a wooden basin and a spittoon on the table.

The rule in the术道 (shù dào, Daoist arts community) is that "spilled water is hard to recover." When you drive a術士 (shùshì, Daoist mage) away, the words you say are like spilled water. If you want to make things right, you have to achieve "recovering spilled water."

The so-called "recovering spilled water" has two methods:

One is to pour a basin of water on the ground. The person asking for the術士 (shùshì, Daoist mage)'s help cannot use a rag, but must either use their hands or their clothes to soak up the water and recover it.

If the other party can recover two-thirds of the basin of water, the matter is considered resolved. If they can't recover it, it's all for nothing.

The second method is relatively easier, but more humiliating. That is, the術士 (shùshì, Daoist mage) spits into a bowl and makes the person swallow it.

One spit, one nail. Swallowing the nail is considered settling the score.

I had just picked up the porcelain bowl with a playful look when Xiang Yunshang couldn't hold back. "Li Po! Can I do it for my dad? I..."

Ye Yang said coldly, "Whose matter is it? Letting Meng Qingqiu off the hook is already the biggest concession."

As soon as Ye Yang finished speaking, someone in the crowd said, "Young man, killing is nothing more than a nod of the head. Originally, your face could be bought back with money. So many of our術道 (shù dào, Daoist arts community) seniors coming here is giving you enough face. I advise you to know when to stop."

I looked up at the other person. "Throw him out!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Ye Yang appeared in front of the other person like a ghost, grabbed him, lifted him up, used his foot as a pivot, turned his body half a circle sharply, loosened his hand, and threw the person towards the window.