Chapter 154 A Band of Charlatans

Chen Yuyi was also stunned, feeling a slight warmth in his nose.

Shen Zhujun suddenly realized she had let her guard down and was about to scream again, but remembering she could not wake the family, she quickly covered her mouth and curled up under the duvet.

"Still looking? Turn around!" Her face was burning like fire, and her heart was pounding wildly. How could she have been so careless? It was all this man's fault, entirely his fault.

Yet, deep inside, she didn't feel a trace of anger, which struck her as rather strange. According to her previous temper, shouldn't she have harshly scolded this person, or perhaps even resorted to fists and kicks? But right now, she had no such thoughts whatsoever.

Chen Yuyi had already turned around, letting out a sigh. "Having a lovely wife you can't touch, and aren't even allowed to look at—what a bitter torment life is!"

After a long while, he asked, "Are you dressed yet?"

Hearing no reply from Shen Zhujun, he couldn't help turning back, only to find that she had already wrapped herself in a bathrobe, sitting there in a daze.

"What's wrong with you? Surely you haven't been shocked out of your wits, have you? Well, I really didn't mean it, so please don't hold what I said against me!" Chen Yuyi quickly comforted her.

Shen Zhujun finally snapped out of it, a complex expression crossing her face. "Alright, let's not speak of this anymore. It was just an accident."

"Sit down, let's talk about something serious." After a moment, Shen Zhujun patted the edge of the bed.

Chen Yuyi was slightly taken aback. Since when had this wife of his become so gentle, especially right after such an incident?

Still, this was fine. This was what a real married couple should be like.

Once he sat down on the edge of the bed, Shen Zhujun asked, "Do you remember Liang Bingyan?"

Chen Yuyi thought for a moment and nodded.

"She seems to have a good impression of you, and she wants to ask for your help. Will you help her?"

Not understanding what Shen Zhujun was getting at, Chen Yuyi replied, "If you tell me to help, I will. If you don't want me to help, I won't."

Shen Zhujun smiled faintly. "She is my good friend."

"Then I'll help. What kind of help does she need?"

"She said there are some unclean things happening at her home, and she wants to invite you, this charlatan, to go and resolve it."

"A charlatan?" Chen Yuyi was slightly startled.

Shen Zhujun curled her lips and said, "She mentioned that people call you Master Chen. If that isn't a title for a charlatan, what is?"

The corners of Chen Yuyi's mouth twitched twice. "Alright, since you know, a charlatan it is then. Anyway, this isn't the first time I've been called that."

"Who else has called you a charlatan before?" Shen Zhujun asked out of curiosity.

"My father!"

"Oh." A sudden sense of loss welled up in Shen Zhujun's heart. Having been "married" to this man for so long, she truly knew nothing about his family situation, which felt like a failure in her duties as a wife.

Yet, was she really his wife? If not, why did she find herself thinking of him every single day during his absence?

Could it be that, without realizing it, she had imperceptibly come to treat this marriage as a real one?

Her mind began to feel utterly chaotic.

***

"Since you say I'm a charlatan, then as a charlatan, I should give you something."

As he spoke, Chen Yuyi produced a blood-crystal pendant. Every member of the Shen family already possessed one, but he hadn't given one to his wife yet, and he remembered it now.

"Believe it or not, in your eyes I'm a charlatan anyway, so I won't hesitate to tell you: carry this with you, and it will become your protective amulet. It will regulate your health, ward off disasters, protect you from car crashes and blades, and even block bullets. In short, it will keep you safe and sound in all things!"

Shen Zhujun's eyes widened. "Say you're a charlatan, and you really do sound like a street-vendor selling fake snake oil. Can a little trinket like this really be that miraculous?"

Yet, a trace of sweet warmth bloomed in her heart. It seemed this man still remembered her and, upon returning from a trip, had thought to bring her a gift.

"It really is that miraculous. How could I play the part of a charlatan if I didn't make it sound miraculous?" Chen Yuyi chuckled.

Though she said those words aloud, Shen Zhujun actually found herself quite reluctant to part with the little ornament.

"Every member of the Shen family has one of these, so naturally I couldn't leave you out!"

Her mood had been quite pleasant just a moment ago, but upon hearing Chen Yuyi's words, it instantly plummeted. So this hadn't been specially prepared for her after all; he had made one for every single member of the Shen family, and she was simply the last one to receive it.

She felt an instant urge to fling the pendant right back at him, but on second thought, there was nothing wrong with that. In her own heart, her family's status also came first.

Silently, she gripped the pendant tightly in her palm, feeling the faint warmth radiating from it.

...

Jiangnan, Suxian.

Because Liang Bingyan had contacted Shen Zhujun once more, stating that the situation at her home could no longer be delayed and urgently requesting Master Chen's prompt arrival.

Though Shen Zhujun was unsure whether Chen Yuyi could actually help, Liang Bingyan's words were so earnest that she had asked Chen Yuyi to come to Suxian after all, given that Liang Bingyan was her good friend.

Upon arriving in Suxian, however, Chen Yuyi was informed by Liang Bingyan that the affairs of the Liang family were becoming increasingly complicated. A corpse resurgence had broken out in their ancestral grounds, alarming the authorities, and she was thus unable to break away to pick him up personally. She asked him to wait a moment while she immediately dispatched someone to fetch him.

Chen Yuyi smiled faintly. Things like corpse resurges were actually happening now; it seemed this Liang family genuinely had some deep-seated problems. With no other choice, he temporarily found a place to rest and awaited his ride.

Before long, a Maserati pulled up right in front of him.

A pretty young woman took off her sunglasses. "Are you the Master Chen my cousin mentioned?"

Perhaps finding Chen Yuyi far too young, her expression clearly betrayed disappointment, as if he fell far short of the image of a master she had envisioned.

Chen Yuyi smiled slightly and nodded.

Without saying much, the pretty young woman waved a hand. "Get in the car, my cousin is waiting!" Her tone was exceedingly impatient.

Unfazed, Chen Yuyi climbed into the vehicle.

Without a word after he seated himself, the pretty young woman slammed her foot on the gas pedal, and the Maserati swept away in a graceful, rushing arc.

Meanwhile, in a small town on the distant outskirts of Suxian, the largest hotel had been requisitioned by the authorities.

Inside the hotel's conference room, a group of people were gathered for a meeting.

However, these individuals were not high-ranking officials or cadres; instead, they were a gathering of eccentric, garishly-dressed wandering practitioners—Taoist priests, Buddhist monks, various traveling charlatans, and even a few nuns. It looked rather like an assembly of the mystical world.

"Due to the extraordinary nature of this situation, we have no choice but to invite you masters here to assist," said a handsome middle-aged man. He was the initiator of this gathering, Meng Jianbo, the district chief of this area.

He had been driven to desperation, resorting to inviting these wandering practitioners to quell this disaster of corpse resurgence.

The current situation had completely shattered his worldview; he had never imagined that corpses could actually exist in this world.

If this matter was not properly resolved, his career as an official would likely be finished, which was why he dared not take it lightly.

The origin of this incident stemmed precisely from the Liang family's ancestral tombs. The exact cause remained unknown, but conventional methods were undoubtedly useless against such phenomena, which was why he had invited all the so-called masters from temples and Taoist shrines around Suxian and even from afar.

"District Chief Meng, rest assured. Subduing ghosts and vanquishing demons is the foundational purpose of our Great Chan Temple, so this time, no matter what monsters or evil spirits appear, they shall not escape the Great Chan Mantra of our temple!" a monk said, pressing his palms together.

"My Longfeng Shrine excels above all at performing rituals. Once I go perform a rite, I guarantee that place will be peaceful and quiet from then on," declared a Taoist priest with a composed expression.

At that moment, a young man wearing a long robe let out a cold laugh. "We are dealing with corpses this time, not monsters or demons. Only we, the orthodox successors of Maoshan, have the absolute certainty to handle this!"

"Alright, our shared goal is to quell this disaster of corpse resurgence. Let us set aside our differences and discuss the specifics!" Meng Jianbo interjected.

Hearing this, the various masters began discussing countermeasures one by one, each wearing an expression of absolute confidence.

Once the discussions were nearly concluded, Meng Jianbo waved a hand with a serious expression. "Alright, everyone, since we have agreed upon a strategy, there is no time to waste. Let us prepare to ascend the mountain, and ensure everything is set up before dark!"

"Wait!"

At that very moment, someone entered and called out to stop them.

"Miss Liang!" Meng Jianbo said in confusion. "We have already discussed all the countermeasures. What are we waiting for?"

The newcomer was none other than Liang Bingyan, who said with a cold and striking expression:

"Until Master Chen arrives, none of you are allowed to move!"

"Master Chen?"

"Which Master Chen?"

"Is there really someone arrogant enough to call himself a master?"

The practitioners below began to murmur and discuss amongst themselves.

"The last time we rashly sent people in, they almost didn't return alive. Until Master Chen arrives, I do not consent to you launching a massive expedition. Otherwise, you will only be sending innocent souls to their doom!"

"Miss Liang, rest assured, every single person sitting here is a master. Surely there will be no further mishaps," Meng Jianbo said with a frown. He didn't recall inviting any Master Chen; perhaps it was someone the Liang family had hired on their own. But the matter was no longer up to the Liang family to decide.

He immediately waved a hand at the assembled group. "Let's move out!"

Seeing that these people were ignoring her warnings, Liang Bingyan stamped her foot in frustration, but she was utterly helpless. Since the authorities had already intervened, all she could do was pray that this Master Chen would arrive quickly!