Chapter 44: A Million as a Nest Egg

Except for Lin Qingqian and Zheng Mei, who was lying on the ground, everyone else in the room erupted in anger.

“Who are you? Coming into our house spouting nonsense?”

The white-haired old lady glared at Ye Tianci with a face full of disgust.

She was Zheng Mei’s mother, Lin Qingqian’s grandmother.

A woman nearby, whose features bore a resemblance to Zheng Mei, spoke up furiously, “This Master Zhang is a highly esteemed disciple of Master Yong’an from Qingshan Temple! It took us great effort to invite him here to treat my sister. Don’t spout nonsense and disrupt Master Zhang while he’s trying to save a life!”

Master Zhang’s eyes blazed with menace as he glared at Ye Tianci, his sharp, triangular eyes fierce and threatening. “And who are you, boy, to slander my Dao?”

Lin Qingqian hurried to interject, “Grandpa, Grandma, Auntie, this is Ye Tianci.”

“So you’re that Ye fellow!” Lin Qingqian’s aunt, Zheng Ju, cast Ye Tianci a disdainful glance. “A cripple like you dreaming of marrying my beautiful niece? Keep dreaming!”

Suddenly, Zheng Mei, lying on the floor, began to convulse, white foam bubbling from the corners of her mouth.

Lin Qingqian panicked. “Auntie, what’s happening to my mother?”

Zheng Ju quickly pleaded with the man in Daoist robes, “Master Zhang, please, save my sister!”

“Master, please save my daughter!” Lin Qingqian’s grandmother humbled herself with desperate entreaty.

Master Zhang snorted arrogantly, nostrils flaring as he looked down his nose at them. “I am willing to risk damaging my cultivation to save her, yet you allow your guests to mock me. Such disrespect!”

“If you want me to continue, transfer the money first!”

“One million. Not a cent less!”

Zheng Ju was taken aback. “A million? That’s far too much!”

“If you think it’s too much, find someone else. But let me be clear—no one but me can save her!”

With that, Master Zhang turned to leave.

The old lady hurriedly grabbed his arm, pleading desperately, “Master Zhang, please wait!”

She turned anxiously to Lin Qingqian, urging, “Qingqian, you have money. Quickly, transfer a million to Master Zhang and save your mother!”

Lin Qingqian fumbled for her phone in distress, but Ye Tianci stopped her, gently shaking his head.

Meeting Ye Tianci’s gaze, Lin Qingqian suddenly regained her composure. After spending the last couple of days with him, she had realized he possessed many remarkable abilities.

If Ye Tianci was stopping her, there must be a reason.

Thinking quickly, she said, “Grandma, our whole family was expelled from the Lin household by my uncle. I have no money left.”

“Useless!” the old lady huffed, turning to her younger daughter.

Zheng Ju’s eyes darted about. “I don’t have any money either, Mom.”

With an angry stomp, the old lady went to her room and returned with a bank card, pressing it into the Daoist’s hands.

“Master Zhang, there’s exactly one million in here. It’s all we old folks have for our coffins. Please, save my daughter!”

“He’s deceiving you. It won’t cost a penny to cure her, yet he demands a million,” Ye Tianci spoke up again.

His words drew immediate ire.

“I think you’re the real fraud! Get out! You’re not welcome here!” the old lady snapped.

Zheng Ju joined in, her anger unrestrained. “Qingqian, why won’t you listen to your mother? Why insist on being with this Ye fellow?”

“Your mother’s illness is all because of you!”

“Even if Master Zhang is a fraud, we’d rather accept it than have him pretend to be a good person here!”

Master Zhang, card in hand, shot Ye Tianci a triumphant glare, then resumed his ritual, walking circles around Zheng Mei with his wooden sword in hand. He chanted under his breath, occasionally sipping from a porcelain bowl and spitting the unknown liquid onto Zheng Mei’s swollen face.

A strange odor filled the air.

Each time the liquid splashed onto Zheng Mei’s face, her skin writhed grotesquely, as if something crawled beneath it.

Zheng Mei’s family was awed by Master Zhang’s methods, whispering praise among themselves.

Ye Tianci’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Such trickery, and you sing its praises?”

“If you let him continue, even if Aunt Zheng’s swelling subsides and she regains her speech, it won’t be true recovery.”

“If nothing unexpected happens, she’ll develop a high fever, suffer nosebleeds—so severe she won’t be able to stop them. Too much blood loss could even threaten her life.”

His warnings provoked Zheng Ju and the old lady to fury.

“How dare you keep spouting nonsense? Get out!”

“Get out!”

Even Lin Qingqian’s grandfather, who had been silent till now, spoke with displeasure, “Qingqian, let him leave!”

Lin Qingqian shook her head at Ye Tianci, pleading, “Please stop. Wait for me downstairs.”

Ye Tianci gave a soft snort. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

He turned and went downstairs, met with scornful glances from Zheng Ju and the others.

Soon after, Master Zhang finished his ritual, dumping the remaining liquid onto Zheng Mei’s face.

In a flash, a tiny flying insect shot from Zheng Mei’s nostril and darted into Master Zhang’s sleeve—none of her family noticed.

The swelling on Zheng Mei’s face receded at a speed visible to the naked eye, returning to normal in the blink of an eye.

“Oh, oh…” Zheng Mei exhaled deeply, able to make sounds at last, her pain visibly eased.

“Mom, how do you feel now?” Lin Qingqian hurried to help her up.

“Much better,” Zheng Mei mumbled, clutching her mouth.

Before, she couldn’t speak or drink water; now she could at least utter words—it really was much better.

The old lady immediately bowed to the Daoist. “Master Zhang, you truly are a miracle worker!”

Zheng Ju chimed in with lavish praise. “Master Zhang, your skills are like magic!”

Master Zhang exuded an air of superiority, tossing two medicinal plasters to the old lady with a proud expression. “Apply these to her cheeks. By morning, she’ll be able to eat and speak as normal.”

With that, he turned to leave, the family seeing him out with reverence.

Downstairs, Master Zhang hummed a tune, heading for his car, when a hand suddenly clapped onto his shoulder.

“Master, leaving already?”

Recognizing Ye Tianci’s voice, Master Zhang’s eyes flashed with deadly intent. Without turning, he lashed out with a punch.

“Smack!”

Ye Tianci caught his fist effortlessly, twisting his wrist to reveal a strange green flame tattoo.

Ye Tianci’s lips curved into a cold smile. “A Witchfire Mark.”

“Master Zhang, so you are a member of the Miaojiang Witchfire Sect!”

“You thought you could fool everyone with your gu insects, but you were unlucky to cross paths with me.”

Master Zhang froze, then feigned ignorance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! Let go of me!”

“Still playing tough?”

Ye Tianci’s lips quirked, his fingers forming a sword as he jabbed at Master Zhang’s navel.

Members of the Miaojiang Witchfire Sect all shared a fatal weakness: the navel. The lower their cultivation, the more deadly the vulnerability.

Master Zhang’s face twisted in terror. With his other arm, he flicked out, releasing a tiny flying insect that shot toward Ye Tianci’s eyes like lightning.

“Die, boy!” Master Zhang howled, his face contorted with malice.

Ye Tianci pinched his fingers together, catching the insect precisely.

“Snap!”

With a gentle squeeze, he crushed it, its innards splattering onto Master Zhang’s face.

“Ah!” Master Zhang screamed, clutching his face, coughing blood as he collapsed.

“Master, you and your little gu insects are far too weak for me.”

“The one who attacked Tang Qiong from the Tang family must be an accomplice of yours.”

“Where are your Witchfire Sect comrades hiding in Shu City? Speak!” Ye Tianci’s voice was icy, his gaze as sharp as a blade.

His master, Ghost Hand, had once said that the Witchfire Sect and Tianmen were mortal enemies, and Ghost Hand had nearly lost his life to Witchfire Sect experts on several occasions.

Whether for vengeance or to restore Tianmen’s glory, Ye Tianci was determined to eradicate the Witchfire Sect.

If the Witchfire Sect learned he was the new head of Tianmen, they would try everything to destroy him.

So, now that he knew Witchfire Sect members were in Shu City, there was no way Ye Tianci would let them go.