Fate Trading System – Chapter 154

Plan A

Red Moon in the Barrier 18

The Grand Aunt

When certain things happen, one thing leads to another, and it’s not easy to stop.

This was true for both Su Xin and Mu Qi, as well as for Tong Xiaoxuan and Tong Liu.

Tong Xiaoxuan and Tong Liu returned home with lingering fear, both looking shaken.

“I told you he was strange, but you still had to go looking for death…”

Tong Liu left his words unfinished, holding back his dissatisfaction, not daring to express it or show it on his face.

Because they didn’t know if the female ghost had followed them home, watching their every move, ready to kill them at the slightest displeasure.

Tong Xiaoxuan went to question Tong Xi about whether he killed Qian Fengying. Tong Xi didn’t deny it but claimed Qian Fengying had tried to attack him first.

Tong Xiaoxuan couldn’t believe it, wondering how her good friend could possibly be a killer.

Tong Xi gave an ambiguous smile, without explaining the details, only saying that Tong Xiaoxuan should know what happened.

Tong Xiaoxuan wanted to press further, but someone became unhappy – or more accurately, a ghost became unhappy.

Suddenly, a ghost’s hand grabbed Tong Xiaoxuan’s throat. Tong Liu couldn’t touch the female ghost and anxiously didn’t know what to do.

Finally, Tong Xi, putting on an act of great mercy, told the female ghost to let them go.

The reason was that he had enjoyed how Tong Xiaoxuan had served him.

Tong Liu was furious inside and sensed something was wrong. Although he hadn’t had much direct interaction with Tong Xi before, they had at least exchanged a few words during festivals. Tong Xi definitely wasn’t this type of person before – he was a university graduate after all. How could he talk like this now, acting like an emperor, treating every word spoken to others as if bestowing grace?

Tong Xiaoxuan and Tong Liu didn’t have the spirit to face death fearlessly. Confronted with such an eerie situation, they were terrified. As soon as they were allowed to leave, they immediately returned home.

Earlier, Tong Xiaoxuan had claimed she was ready to die, but that was just momentary resolve. When death actually approaches, people often hesitate and feel afraid. This situation could be either voluntary or involuntary – their current predicament was involuntary. If they could live longer, they would choose to do so.

“Sister, what do we do now? You provoked him, there’s probably no escape.”

“I know, you don’t need to tell me that.”

Tong Xiaoxuan felt extremely uncomfortable now. Her previous maiden’s romantic feelings had completely vanished, replaced by pure fear. Who could have feelings for such a man? He was arrogant like a madman, keeping a crazy female ghost by his side. Any romantic notions were gone – it was good enough that she hadn’t run away on the spot.

“Sister, we need to get out, we must get out.”

“We can’t escape. Who knows if this haunted place isn’t Tong Xi’s doing? If he wants to trap us all here, we have no way to run.”

Tong Xiaoxuan sat dejectedly on a stool, taking a sip of water.

“I think this place isn’t his doing. He probably wants to leave too. Look how much he enjoys those things – there’s no need to confine himself in this small village instead of seeing the outside world. The conditions outside are so much better, and he’s been to university, so he knows that.”

Tong Liu had always been more clear-headed than Tong Xiaoxuan, and being a boy, he naturally understood how men think.

“Then what should we do?”

“I don’t know either.”

Speculation is one thing, action is another.

Tong Liu sat in his chair, took a sip of water, and shook his head, feeling helpless.

The feeling of having a sword hanging over one’s head [meaning: imminent danger], not knowing when it would fall, was terrible, absolutely terrible.

One’s fate not being in one’s own hands, not even being able to decide between life and death, was truly a sad thing.

“Alright, alright, let’s stop thinking about it. These thoughts are useless anyway. If there really is a ghost wanting our lives, we can’t escape it. Go boil some water first, then we’ll wash up and go to sleep.”

Too much thinking was useless; better to wash up and sleep.

Tong Liu went to the kitchen to boil water, while Tong Xiaoxuan’s expression suddenly became heavy.

She was thinking about Qian Fengying.

How did things turn out this way? It was truly terrible.

From the day they met, they had been constantly bickering. At first, they couldn’t stand each other, but eventually, they could tell each other everything. Though they would tease each other, they still cared for one another. Their friendship changed nature at some point, and they ended up in bed together.

She was a married neighbor, while she herself was a wild young girl. One could only say that fate in life is a mysterious thing – you never know where you’ll meet someone, whether it’s right or wrong, good or bad, whether it will be deeply memorable or just a passing smile.

Tong Xiaoxuan sighed and knocked on her head.

Hope that person doesn’t reincarnate too soon; better to wait for her.

Who knows if in the next life there would be such a close friend [yuānjiā, literally means enemy but here refers to a close friend with a love-hate relationship] to share everything with? In this place, in this kind of life, it could be considered a kind of luck.

When Su Xin woke up the next day, her wrists and ankles felt uncomfortable, probably from last night’s ordeal with the tentacles. The locust tree’s branches were too rough, although Mu Qi had tried her best to make them soft. But Mu Qi wasn’t a newly grown tree after all – having lived for so long, there was a limit to how soft she could become.

Though the rough surface wasn’t necessarily a bad thing – at least it felt good at the time.

Su Xin rubbed her wrists, looking at Mu Qi with mock resentment.

Mu Qi’s cold fingers brushed over her wrists, her expression showing some regret.

“I wonder why your body temperature keeps changing between hot and cold – when it’s cold it’s especially cold, and when it’s warm it’s especially warm.”

Could it be like a self-regulating air conditioner, with such a function?

“My wood nature is Yang, especially fond of absorbing sunlight, but I belong to Yang-Yin [mixed nature of positive and negative forces], so usually my hands are cold, but I can become very warm when I want to. Willow trees are different, they’re the opposite of me.”

That’s why willow leaves can help see ghosts when rubbed on eyes, willow branches can ward off ghosts, and locust trees can harbor and nurture ghosts.

“I see…”

Su Xin didn’t understand much about Feng Shui. Before taking on missions, she was a firm materialist. Strictly speaking, the system’s existence was also a form of materialism, being future high technology. But in these mission worlds, after seeing ghosts and monsters, she had become a dialectician [philosophical approach combining materialism and idealism], neither purely materialist nor idealist.

A cool breath spread throughout her body as Mu Qi leaned in to exchange a kiss with Su Xin, her hands wandering restlessly around her waist, starting the same noises again early in the morning.

The most private and unspeakable places were licked and kissed, Su Xin’s long hair was loose, and the corners of her eyes showed a slight flush.

Reciprocating each other’s actions was the best way. They embraced each other, and transparent fluid along with their rolling around made the bedsheets a mess. Su Xin very unceremoniously told Mu Qi to go wash the bedsheets.

Su Xin went out, planning to talk with Tong Xiaoxuan and Tong Liu. She didn’t think they were likely to be the formation eye, but wanted to confirm first.

Mu Qi planned to follow, but Su Xin stopped her.

“Stay home and watch younger brother. I can go by myself.”

“I’m worried about you.”

“If I’m not back within half an hour, come look for me.”

“But…”

Mu Qi was still concerned, afraid she wouldn’t be able to wait the full half hour before rushing out. She actually sensed whenever something happened in the village, being sensitive to supernatural disturbances. The last time Su Xin was in trouble, she arrived late because she didn’t know it was Su Xin, thinking it was just another villager. Looking back now, it was quite dangerous.

“No buts. We agreed on half an hour. I need to do some things on my own.”

In this world, she had always been in a passive position, which was very disadvantageous. Although she had gained some important information, there were too many interfering factors.

This wasn’t what she wanted to see, but she had to wait. This wasn’t passive response, but rather waiting for all secrets to surface gradually.

Su Xin couldn’t rashly search for the formation eye early on, but she knew there was a female ghost continuously killing people. Since someone was gradually eliminating suspects from the list, why not take advantage of that?

Su Xin had originally planned to go directly to Tong Xiaoxuan’s house, but when passing by the Cloud Lady Temple, she changed her mind.

The temple’s main gate was open wide and kept very clean. The decorations weren’t extravagant; it was just a modest-sized temple.

Su Xin walked in and soon entered the main hall, where the statue of Cloud Lady stood. Perhaps due to its age, some of the lacquer had peeled off. The craftsman who made this statue must have been skilled – though not a masterpiece and not intricately carved, it gave a realistic impression at first glance, though it wouldn’t hold up to careful scrutiny.

Cloud Lady was a gentle woman. The statue showed her with a gentle smile, her eyes seeming compassionate. She held medicinal herbs in one hand and a bowl in the other, displaying a pose of universal salvation [Buddhist concept of saving all living beings].

According to legend, this young woman surnamed Cloud (Yun) had used herbs and water to cure the villagers of an epidemic.

On the altar [incense table] in front of the statue were fruits and an incense burner, with several thin incense sticks slowly burning.

Su Xin felt inexplicably uncomfortable, though she couldn’t pinpoint why.

She heard violent coughing, and an elderly person slowly approached.

“Someone’s coming to worship the Lady at this hour?”

It was Grand Aunt, holding several incense sticks. Su Xin nodded, took three thin incense sticks, held them together, lit them at the burner, bowed to the statue, and placed them in the burner.

“Grand Aunt, I came to ask you some questions.”

Su Xin looked at Grand Aunt, noticing she seemed even more aged than before.

Grand Aunt was already very old, with silver hair and numerous wrinkles.

“I know what you want to ask. It’s just karma and retribution.”

Grand Aunt knelt on the cushion, eyes closed, not looking at Su Xin.

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