TRYMBPIETM 79: Hilarious Filial Piety (5)

Chi Jianming didn’t want to go home, but today, the master the Chi family worships had something to discuss, so he had to return home.

Sitting in the car on the way back, Chi Jianming couldn’t control his thoughts, repeatedly recalling the eerie mold on the bedroom wall.

He shuddered in fear and, for some reason, suddenly suspected that his wife had left the house because she had seen the mold on the wall.

He couldn’t help but feel a bit dissatisfied, upset that Fan Tao left without saying anything. But the next moment, he felt ashamed of this thought.

Fan Tao wouldn’t do that to him.

Back then, Fan Tao left Linxi Village secretly to be with him, even though he had nothing. At that time, he had nothing to offer, yet Fan Tao still chose to follow him. This kind of love was enough for him to remember for a lifetime.

Chi Jianming wasn’t a good person, but he truly had feelings for Fan Tao.

He had never betrayed her, whether in the past or now.

Even though the outside world was full of temptations, he would never let go of this love.

Similarly, he didn’t believe Fan Tao would leave him.

Chi Jianming believed that Fan Tao’s sudden decision to go back must be for some important reason.

He hesitated for a moment, then picked up his phone to call the master, hoping to meet him at a tea house outside.

But the master they worshipped directly rejected him.

The reply was a text message: 【Has something happened at the villa? After our talk today, I’ll come help you check it out.】

Chi Jianming’s finger froze for a moment, but he didn’t feel happy about the message.

He still believed the master was very capable, but for some reason, he had a feeling that the problems at the villa were something the celestial master wouldn’t be able to solve.

Maybe he was overthinking it.

Chi Jianming thought this as he replied with “Sorry for the trouble.”

The car suddenly slowed down, and Chi Jianming put down his phone, looking out the window.

…

Chi Jianming waited for a while at home, and soon, the doorbell rang.

He stopped the housekeeper aunt from opening the door and went to greet the master himself, his eyes unknowingly filled with a bit of unease.

Aunt Yu rarely saw her employer behave this way, and couldn’t help but glance at the guest again.

The guest wore a purple Daoist robe with intricate patterns that Aunt Yu didn’t quite understand. He had special eyes, with strange double pupils( polycornea) that immediately made her think of the kinds of characters seen in TV dramas, and she couldn’t help but feel a bit of awe and amazement.

Luckily, the guest had a very gentle demeanor, with a kind of detached air unique to Daoists, which kept Aunt Yu from feeling too uncomfortable.

At Chi Jianming’s instruction, Aunt Yu went to the kitchen to brew tea for the guest, but her mind kept replaying random thoughts.

For some reason, even though this was her first time meeting this person, she felt like he seemed familiar.

Was it because they had a second master who practiced Daoism at home?

As Aunt Yu quickly brewed the tea, she pondered.

When she picked up the tea tray and was about to leave the kitchen, she caught sight of a poster hanging by the staircase on the second floor, a poster of Wanxiang. A thought suddenly shot through her mind.

Mr. Qingzhou!

It was Mr. Qingzhou!

The guest’s aura was very similar to Mr. Qingzhou, who was often not at home!

Aunt Yu’s eyes widened in shock as she stood frozen in place for half a minute, slowly coming back to her senses. Unconsciously, she tightened her grip on the tray.

This guest’s aura was so similar to Mr. Qingzhou’s. Could it be…?

Before she could dwell deeper on her thought, Aunt Yu shook her head, feeling a bit dazed and looked around.

Wait, wasn’t she supposed to bring tea to the guest? Why had she suddenly stopped here?

What had she been thinking just now? She couldn’t remember at all.

Oh, right, she had felt a bit dizzy earlier.

Maybe she was just tired?

Aunt Yu carried the tea out of the kitchen, thinking about asking for a few days off to get checked at the hospital.

The master with double pupils paused for a moment, glanced at Aunt Yu, and raised an eyebrow.

He slowly said to Chi Jianming, “Your housekeeper’s mental state doesn’t seem quite right.”

Aunt Yu jumped in shock, staring at the master.

Chi Jianming immediately knew the master was right when he saw her reaction.

His expression turned serious, and he asked in a low voice, “What’s going on? Is it related to the… unusual things that have been happening in our house?” He paused and didn’t dare to use terms like mold or eyes, continuing vaguely, “The anomalies?”

The master picked up the tea and took a gentle sip.

He spoke casually, with an air of indifference, “I’ve already told you. Your younger son’s fate conflicts with your family’s, and if you’re not careful, it will scatter your family’s fortune, leading to separation.”

“If he hadn’t been born, it wouldn’t matter. But now that he’s grown this much, if you don’t guide him in time, your family’s situation will keep getting worse.”

He gave Aunt Yu a deep, meaningful glance.

“If this continues, everyone in your family, including the housekeeping staff, will be affected by him. If they are mentally confused, it’s still fine, but if their luck keeps declining, they’ll see things they shouldn’t.”

Chi Jianming’s face became even more serious.

Aunt Yu, however, looked at the guest with some suspicion.

Is that so?

Even though she couldn’t remember why she had stopped, she still felt like that wasn’t quite right.

The master, having dealt with many people who believed in science, paid no mind to Aunt Yu’s doubt.

His goal wasn’t to convince Aunt Yu—whether she believed him or not had no effect on him.

Chi Jianming sat across from him, silently thinking for a long time. Eventually, he decided to give Aunt Yu three days off and let her go to the hospital for a proper check-up.

Aunt Yu felt satisfied in her heart. Hearing that it was paid leave, she was even more delighted and repeatedly thanked her employer.

Chi Jianming waved his hand, asking Aunt Yu to prepare some meals suitable for a Taoist to eat, and then he personally invited the Master to the study for a detailed conversation.

The two pushed open the study door. The master merely glanced around, and his gaze immediately became wary.

Such heavy Yin energy and resentment!

The bracelet that Fan Tao wore earlier must have been the source of the issue!

The master took two deep breaths. Without waiting for Chi Jianming to speak, he hurriedly asked, “Where is your wife? Something seems to have happened to her.”

Chi Jianming was stunned, then became extremely anxious. “What? What happened to my wife?”

The Taoist Master was frustrated with his inability to focus and once again asked, “Where is your wife? I need to see her in person to know what’s wrong!”

Chi Jianming was startled, then stood up in panic.

“Wh—what should we do? My wife said she wanted to visit her hometown a few days ago. She wouldn’t let me go with her and went back alone!”

“What?!”

The master’s vision went dark.

“Are you crazy? You actually let her go back to Linxi Village!”

He stared at Chi Jianming as if looking at a madman.

Does this fool even know what happened to Linxi Village?!

Fan Tao, as the only person to have escaped from Linxi Village, and a descendant of both the PuLuo and DanLin tribes, would immediately awaken the tomb master sleeping beneath that land as soon as she returns!

And that tomb master…

The master’s throat went dry, and he could no longer stay in the Chi family home.

He turned abruptly and strode out.

Chi Jianming: “Hey, hey, Master Cheng, don’t leave!”

He hurriedly chased after him, “You haven’t told me what to do about my wife! Will she be in danger if she returns to her hometown? Can you save her? I’ll pay you, a lot of money! Please go save her!”

“Save your mother!”

The Master turned around, giving Chi Jianming a fierce glare. His facial muscles twitched in a grotesque expression, completely destroying any remaining sense of detachment.

At this point, who had the energy to care about Fan Tao!

That tomb master was the root cause of Chi Qingzhou’s half-human, half-ghost existence.

Once that tomb master wakes up and triggers the ghostly energy within Chi Qingzhou, the fusion of his spiritual power and ghostly energy will increase even further!

At that time, not only would he have to avoid Chi Qingzhou, but even the deity behind him would have to keep a distance!

“Crazy.”

He breathed heavily, muttering under his breath.

“Chi Qingzhou is a lunatic! How did he come up with the idea of using bloodline curses to enhance the fusion of spiritual power and ghostly energy?”

“It’s crazier than fighting poison with poison!”

“We can’t let Fan Tao awaken that tomb master. That’s their direct ancestor!”

…

Yi Shangxiao had been busy for two days and finally arranged for Chi Qingzhou to audition for Wanxiang.

On the other hand, Chi Qingning also received news that Wanxiang was going to be remade.

His agent politely spoke to the producer: “Remake? No problem, the next filming for Scenery Along the Way has been postponed, so Qingning is available!”

“Uh…” The producer hesitated and paused briefly. “Well, for this remake, Director Fang has some new ideas.”

Chi Qingning’s agent paused, then realized the underlying meaning of the words. His expression changed.

“Producer Wang, are you saying that the role of Daoist You Ling is being recast?”

The producer did not answer, but silently acknowledged it.

Chi Qingning abruptly stood up. His agent gritted his teeth with frustration but held back and continued to negotiate with Producer Wang in a pleasant tone.

Through a series of subtle flattery, Producer Wang’s tone became increasingly amiable. Eventually, he asked who the new actor for the role would be, someone Director Fang had in mind.

The producer hesitated again.

Chi Qingning’s agent figured it out and smiled knowingly. “Is it hard to say? It seems like my Qingning doesn’t have the strong background the other actor has.”

Producer Wang chuckled dryly, saying, “It’s not that it’s hard to say. It’s just a little awkward. Oh, I’m not saying I’m awkward.”

Chi Qingning’s agent: “Oh?”

Producer Wang, sensing the change in tone, decided not to hide it any longer. “Director Fang really wants Teacher Chi Qingzhou to play this role. The original author of Wanxiang also said that Chi Qingzhou is the very prototype of the character.”

Chi Qingning’s agent: “…”

For a moment, he couldn’t speak. The immense awkwardness left his mind blank for several seconds.

Chi Qingning: “…”

He silently sat back down on the sofa. His earlier displeasure instantly faded, and he sincerely spoke with awe and fear.

“So, my second brother is going to play it? That’s fine, my older brother fits the role better than I do.”

Producer Wang, hearing his voice, pretended not to hear and instead spoke to the agent, “But, of course, Director Fang has had some new ideas. He and the original author, under Chi Qingzhou’s recommendation, added a new character. I think this role is really suited for Qingning. Don’t worry, it’s a positive character with a decent amount of screen time. If Qingning is interested, I can send you the script.”

The agent’s eyes lit up instantly.

What does a turn of events mean?

This is what a turn of events means!

He quickly responded, “We’re interested! Definitely interested!”

The agent expressed his thanks, and Producer Wang, while saying it wasn’t necessary, hung up the phone.

The two waited patiently for the script. Shortly after, Chi Qingning’s phone rang.

He didn’t check the caller ID and answered the call, only realizing it was Chi Qingzhou calling when he heard the voice on the other end.

“Brother, have you seen the new script?”