Chapter 265: Chapter 265 Save the Goose_1
WOOF! WOOF!
Just as Old Zhou finished transferring Zhao Yuansi’s misfortune, the corgi from before suddenly rushed into the room. Amid its frantic barks, it bit the goose’s neck and scurried back outside!
"Not good!" Old Zhou cried out in alarm. He turned to Zhao Yuansi and said, "That goose is the vessel for the misfortune. If it dies, the bad luck will return to its original host—to you. All our efforts will have been for nothing!"
Before he finished speaking, Old Zhou rushed out to save the goose. Su Xuan and Zhao Yuansi hurried out after him.
When they got to the courtyard, however, they saw the corgi had dragged the goose to a corner of the wall. Blood gushed from its neck; it was already dead.
The corgi licked the blood from its muzzle and began to enjoy its meal.
At the same time, Zhao Yuansi felt as if he had put on a heavy cotton coat again, the weight settling back over him.
"Master, why didn’t you tie up your dog?" Zhao Yuansi asked Old Zhou, his face mournful.
"My dog is usually very gentle," Old Zhou explained. "It must have sensed the misfortune on the goose was too dense, and that’s why it killed it!"
"So, what do we do now?" asked Zhao Yuansi. "Should we grab another goose and try again?"
"That’s our only option." Old Zhou nodded. He caught another goose from the yard and said to Zhao Yuansi, "You’ll have to pay me for another goose. It isn’t easy to raise them to this size."
"That’s no problem!" Zhao Yuansi’s mouth twitched. This Master Zhou is quite the penny-pincher.
Afterward, Old Zhou led Zhao Yuansi back into the house. But this time, another mishap occurred.
HONK! HONK!
Just as Old Zhou finished the misfortune transfer ceremony, the second goose suddenly let out two honks, its legs kicked out, and it lay on the ground, motionless. It was dead.
"What’s happening?" Zhao Yuansi felt the familiar heaviness return to his body.
Old Zhou sighed heavily. "The misfortune on you is too great. It was more than the goose could bear. It probably had a heart attack."
"This..." Zhao Yuansi’s eyes widened. Can geese even have heart attacks? Old Zhou’s explanations are certainly creative.
At the same time, he grew even more frightened and urged Old Zhou to quickly think of another solution.
"There is another way, but it’s rather unethical." Old Zhou smacked his lips. "Humans are the spirit of all creation. The best method is to transfer your misfortune to another person."
"But who would be willing to take my misfortune?" Zhao Yuansi asked, distressed.
"Aren’t you very wealthy?" Old Zhou glanced at the well-dressed Zhao Yuansi. "For a heavy price, there will always be brave souls. You won’t have trouble finding someone."
"But..." Zhao Yuansi stammered, "what if the person who accepts my misfortune dies? That would be truly unethical!"
"You should think it over carefully." Old Zhou sat down by the coffee table and poured himself a glass of water. His face had turned pale; clearly, performing the transfer twice in a row had taken its toll on him.
"Hey, where’s my boss?" Only then did Zhao Yuansi realize that Su Xuan wasn’t in the room. Could Su Xuan have gotten bored of waiting and left on his own?
Zhao Yuansi walked out into the courtyard, only to discover something strange.
Su Xuan was squatting atop the high wall, gazing intently outside as if something fascinating was happening beyond it. Just as Zhao Yuansi was about to ask what he was doing, Su Xuan turned his head, placed an index finger to his lips, and made a silent shushing gesture.
What on earth was Su Xuan doing?
「A short while earlier.」
Su Xuan had intended to simply observe while Zhao Yuansi and Old Zhou performed the second misfortune transfer. However, he suddenly spotted an old friend—the figure in red.
Under the cover of night, the figure in red stood gracefully atop the wall, offering him a peerlessly beautiful smile.
"You..." Su Xuan started, about to ask why she had appeared again.
She, however, simply shook her head at him, pointed outside the wall, and vanished without a trace.
She must be warning me about something... Su Xuan tiptoed toward the base of the wall. Last time at the cinema, the figure in red appeared suddenly and pointed out two people who were looking to cause me trouble. I guess it’s the same this time. So, who’s after me now?
When he reached the base of the wall, Su Xuan took a deep breath, leaped up, and grabbed the edge of the wall. As silently as a nimble monkey, he climbed up and peered over to the other side.
His expression immediately turned peculiar. He saw two people squatting in the corner outside the wall, whispering to each other.
It’s the very people who sold me the bell this morning!
He held his breath and listened in, overhearing their conversation.
"Senior Brother Zhao, we can make our move here, right?"
"This is definitely a good spot. Let’s get ready and then quietly climb over the wall. We’ll catch that Su guy completely off guard. Of course, anyone who sees us must die!"
"Good. I’ll use my poison toad to drain his blood!"
"And my ten poisonous scorpions are ready for a feast!"
"Senior brother, remember to retrieve your bell."
"Of course, I won’t forget that!"
The two were none other than Zhao Ling and Wei Haojie. They had failed to find an opportunity to move on Su Xuan during the day, as he had been driving all around the streets. But now, they had finally found their chance on this dark, windy night—perfect for murder.
These two must be Zhai Defeng’s accomplices. Hearing them mention poison toads and scorpions, Su Xuan immediately guessed their origins and concluded that they, too, were sorcerers.
A pang of fear hit him in hindsight. Thankfully, the figure in red warned me. If I had been ambushed by these two sorcerers, I would have most likely been in grave danger. A sorcerer’s methods are insidious and nearly impossible to defend against. And if anything happened to me, Zhao Yuansi and Old Zhou would surely die as well!
"Senior brother, shall we do it?"
"Let’s move!"
"Climb over the wall?"
"Yes! Climbing the wall is the safest way."
"You’re older, so you go first. Step on my shoulders to get up."
"Alright. I’ll treat you to another girl tonight."
"Haha, thanks, senior brother!"
Outside, Zhao Ling and Wei Haojie were completely unaware that Su Xuan was watching them from the wall. Wei Haojie, the younger of the two, crouched down, and Zhao Ling stepped onto his shoulders to begin the climb.
As he was climbing, Zhao Ling looked up and gasped.
He was stunned to see Su Xuan, the very man he had been desperately searching for, standing on the wall. He was looking down with a cheeky smile, a brick in his hand.
Where did the brick come from?
Su Xuan had pried it loose from the top of the wall.
"Hello there!"
Su Xuan forcefully smacked the brick down onto Zhao Ling’s head.
THWACK!
The brick connected solidly with Zhao Ling’s face. Blood gushed from his nose as he fell backward, stiff as a board.
WHOOSH!
Simultaneously, Su Xuan pried off another brick and hurled it down at Wei Haojie, who was still crouching by the wall...