Chapter 69: Chapter 68: Raising Evil Spirits?
After Xie Yunzhe left, Yu Nianzhao put away her smile and turned to ask, "Mr. Zhang, was the sculpture in the box he was holding a Guanyin statue?"
"Yes, Mr. Xie is a regular customer here, frequently coming to buy Guanyin statues. But strangely, he previously had a perfectly good Guanyin statue, and recently, for some unknown reason, he has been asking me to carve another one to be sent to the An Nan Royal Mansion every so often. Today, he even shortened the time, demanding one every ten days. No matter how many there are, he wouldn’t place Guanyin statues throughout the entire Buddha hall, would he?"
Mr. Zhang scratched his head suspiciously, also finding it strange.
"Were the materials for the Guanyin statue provided by him or were they yours?"
"Before, the materials were bought from little me here for carving. Recently, it has indeed been the Princely Heir himself who brought them, saying they were top-quality jade, and asked me to be careful not to waste too much of the material."
"Did you encounter any eerie occurrences while carving the Guanyin statue?"
"Since you ask, Princess, it seems I indeed did encounter something... For example, last night, just after I finished rushing the Guanyin statue, I planned to rest and sleep, when the door behind me automatically opened. Braving it, I went to open the door, but there was no one outside. It was only when I turned off the lights to sleep that the cabinet in the room opened by itself, scaring me. I hurriedly lit the lamp again before I could sleep peacefully. Yet, in my sleep, I kept feeling as if someone was speaking by my ear, and only in a daze did I sleep till morning."
When Mr. Zhang spoke of this, he couldn’t help but shiver, "But having worked in this industry, with a funeral shop next door, encountering such things isn’t really surprising. Luckily, there are many talismans obtained from temples in the shop, plastered everywhere, so the issue isn’t too big."
"Is it really that mystical?" Just hearing it made Yiu Renjian feel his hair stand on end.
"Princess, why are you asking these questions? Do you suspect there’s an issue with the Guanyin statue that Mr. Xie has?" Dongfang Chenyuan raised an eyebrow and looked at Yu Nianzhao, seeming to discern a hint of the problem.
"Didn’t you notice the resentment aura coming out from that box?" Yu Nianzhao looked at Dongfang Chenyuan with some disdain.
"Huh? I really didn’t notice?" Dongfang Chenyuan scratched his head, "I just felt the box seemed pretty heavy and was covered with a yellow cloth; frankly, that’s quite odd."
"Tsk, Dongfang Chenyuan, your level of skill is really too shallow!" Yu Nianzhao unceremoniously pointed out his inadequacy, "That yellow cloth and box are deliberately shielding the sunlight. Although the resentment aura wasn’t very strong, it was also obvious; the bottom of the box was even emitting black gas."
Dongfang Chenyuan immediately felt ashamed, "Princess, your foresight is impressive indeed; I indeed didn’t see it, and Xie Yunzhe’s forehead is full, showing no sign of being haunted, so why does the Guanyin statue have a resentment aura? Could it be..."
His suspicious gaze focused on Mr. Zhang.
Mr. Zhang hurriedly and nervously shook his head, "It has nothing to do with me; I’ve been running this shop for over ten years. If I were doing something to invite evil spirits, no temple would come here ordering Buddha statues."
"It has nothing to do with him; all the other Buddha statues here are normal." Yu Nianzhao spoke in a calm tone, "Mr. Zhang, you don’t need to worry about the rest. Even if it’s evil spirits, they won’t affect you much. Just continue to work on my gilded Buddha statue."
Mr. Zhang swallowed hard, hardly able to set his mind at ease.
However, his strong professional ethics allowed him to calm down, carefully observing Yu Nianzhao’s demeanor, and began molding a clay figure first.
His technique was proficient and meticulous, and he soon formed a rough shape.
"Princess, it’s done. Just wait until it’s complete, then come to pick up your gilded Buddha statue."
Although he didn’t understand why Yu Nianzhao wanted a gilded Buddha statue made for herself, Mr. Zhang did not ask further; perhaps it was just the eccentricity of wealthy people; he didn’t need to understand, just focus on making the statue.
"Alright."
As Yu Nianzhao reached the door, she turned back to give a word of advice, "Although evil spirits won’t affect you much, if you want to sleep well at night, you’d better place two incense burners at the door."
After speaking, she waved her hand and left down the end of the street.
A gust of chilly wind swept past the door, making Mr. Zhang’s scalp tingle. Whether real or not, he quickly went to the adjacent shop to buy two incense burners, lit incense, placed them on either side of the shop’s entrance, and after chanting ’Amitabha,’ he finally felt at ease.
"Princess, is there an issue with Mr. Xie?"
On the way back, Dongfang Chenyuan couldn’t resist asking, "Otherwise, why would the Guanyin statue be tainted with evil aura, which is supposed to dispel evil?"
"Xie Yunzhe has the fate of the Purple Qi Dragon; ordinary evils can’t cling to him." Yu Nianzhao replied lazily, grabbing a stick of candied hawthorn and taking a bite. Yiu Renjian paid Silver for her from behind.
"If it’s not a problem with him, could he be raising evil spirits?" Dongfang Chenyuan’s mind was filled with terrifying thoughts.
"Guanyin statues that haven’t been consecrated aren’t considered as having the power to ward off evil; they’re just dead objects, indeed usable as containers for raising evil spirits." The sweet and sour taste of the candied hawthorn made Yu Nianzhao squint her eyes in enjoyment.
"I heard that since Princess An Nan gave birth, her health hasn’t been good, and the mansion’s Buddha hall was established by her. She doesn’t compete with the concubines, but spends all her time in the Buddha hall knocking on wooden fish and chanting scriptures. The Guanyin statue should logically be for Princess An Nan. Could it be... Mr. Xie intends to harm his own mother?"
Dongfang Chenyuan had already imagined a grand drama.
"But that’s An Nan Royal Mansion’s concern, not yours. Are you planning to volunteer to exorcise it for them?"
After finishing the last piece of candied hawthorn, Yu Nianzhao handed the bamboo skewer to Dongfang Chenyuan, patted her hand, which was covered in sugar, and began to search the surrounding area for more good snacks.
Suddenly, catching a glimpse of a familiar figure from the corner of her eye, her expression immediately turned grim.
"I told her to stay home as much as possible, why is she still out?"
Yu Nianzhao mumbled to herself, quickened her pace, and hurriedly walked towards that figure.
"Princess, where are you going..." The people, including Yiu Renjian behind her, also hurried to catch up.
By the lakeside, a cool breeze was blowing.
Ling Xiangyun tightened the fox fur on her, still wearing a shy smile. But looking at the icy lake, she couldn’t help but step back two paces, hesitatingly said, "Mr. Feng, my health has been poor. I’ve already had an incident falling into a pond and soaking in cold water. Can we..."
Feng Qinglong quickly turned around, affectionately interrupting her words, "Miss Xiangyun, rest assured, I have long known about your health condition. I absolutely do not mind it. Today I asked you out to express my sincere feelings. Ever since we met on Five Balance Mountain, I’ve been deeply attached to you, this affection..."
As he poetically expressed his feelings, walking along the lakeside path, he paid no attention to the danger silently approaching.