Otherworldly Merchant

Before Mr. Zhang could answer, Feng Yuanzheng resolutely shook his head. 

“My in-laws are honest and kind farmers. They have lived their lives without offending or provoking anybody. They couldn’t possibly have any disputes with other people…”

After he said that, I kept silent. I had known him for a short time, but I also felt that he was kind and honest. He wasn’t the type of person who would hold a grudge against others.  

Anyway, it was good that we knew where Zhang Yan had gotten the iron swallow from. If we obtained the swallow, we could make another step in our investigation! 

As we had only gotten this clue from her hometown, we bid farewell to her parents and left. Before leaving, I told Mr. Zhang, “Mr. Zhang, please keep an eye on that farmhouse. If someone has done this to your family, I think that person will show up again.” 

On the drive back, Li Qiushu asked skeptically, “Yuanzheng, Yan returned home quite a long time ago, and yet you have never seen the iron swallow?” 

It was also the question I wanted to ask. When Mr. Zhang mentioned the iron swallow, Feng Yuanzheng looked bewildered. It was the first time he had heard about that item. 

Feng Yuanzheng looked embarrassed. With a blush on his face, he said, “Actually, ever since Zhang Yan came home, we haven’t slept together. Moreover, she doesn’t let me enter our bedroom. Every day, except for meals, she doesn’t leave the bedroom.”

I was surprised to hear that Feng Yuanzheng had been treated so coldly. But then, it was enough to prove that he loved Zhang Yan. 

I patted his shoulder. “Brother, don’t worry. I will make Zhang Yan normal again!”

When we returned to the city, it was twilight. I called Senior Shu to go out for dinner. At the same time, I asked Feng Yuanzheng to call Zhang Yan. 

Zhang Yan didn’t want to join us. Feng Yuanzheng had to trick her by saying that he had seen a woman who was more beautiful than her. Zhang Yan thundered immediately. She asked for the address, then curtly hung up. 

We waited for her as we ate dinner. Around twenty minutes later, Li Qiushu put on a wry smile. “Here she comes.”

We all turned to the door. A gorgeously dressed woman stormed in and approached us. Before she arrived, we could hear her thundering voice. “Feng Yuanzheng! Tell me, where’s that vixen? I want to see what she looks like!”

Feng Yuanzheng reacted fast. He pulled Zhang Yan to sit next to him. “She went out for a while. She’ll be back soon.”

“Hmph!” Zhang Yan snorted then sat down. She ignored us and directly dug in the food. It looked like she hadn’t eaten anything delicious for quite a long time. 

Senior Shu had filled his stomach earlier, so he didn’t even lift his head. He just focused on his WeChat. Perhaps he was teasing some young girl.

Li Mazi frowned as he wanted to say something. I hurried to stop him, then observed the woman. 

Zhang Yan wasn’t as sweet and beautiful as Li Qiushu, but she had the aura of an iconic movie star, and her eyes were especially similar to Brigitte Lin’s, a movie star from Hong Kong.

At this time, she had dark circles under her eyes. It seemed she hadn’t slept well these days. 

The light in this dining room was so bright that I could hardly see anything else. I quietly smeared two drops of ox tears on my eyelids. Immediately, I saw a purplish-black mass of air swirling above Zhang Yan’s head. 

The black air represented Yin energy, while the purple air represented immortal energy. Furthermore, the purple-black air was the energy usually emitted by great evil spirits or fiends. I had never expected that the swallow would be this powerful. I couldn’t help but send Senior Shu a glance. 

Senior Shu acted as if he was playing on his phone. Yet, he was kicking my leg under the table. I soon noticed the hatred piercing through me! 

Zhang Yan was looking at me with deep hostility in her eyes. However, she resumed her normal countenance in just the blink of an eye. I thought I was seeing an illusion. 

Zhang Yan filled her stomach before giving Feng Yuanzheng a cold glance. She asked, “What are these people doing here?” 

“They are my friends!” Feng Yuanzheng lowered his voice then discreetly sent me a glance. I gave him a nod.

He looked as though he was given an amnesty. “My beloved wife, we should go home if we are full.” 

Zhang Yan shook her head and thundered again. “I won’t leave before I see that witch! If that woman isn’t as beautiful as I am, I’ll strip her right away!”

“There’s no such woman…” Li Qiushu talked gingerly. “Your husband just wanted to have dinner with you.” 

Zhang Yan looked so angry that her hair almost rose. She slapped Feng Yuanzheng and yelled at his face. “Don’t befriend people like them!” 

Zhang Yan left without giving us a second look. Li Mazi and I gave Feng Yuanzheng an understanding look. Feng Yuanzheng wore a wry smile and took a large gulp of wine. When Zhang Yan finally disappeared from our sights, he asked, “Did you find anything?” 

Before I had a chance to say anything, Senior Shu said with a stern face, “She’s completely bewitched by the otherworldly item. We can’t use soft methods with her. We have to steal the iron swallow when she’s not home!” 

Feng Yuanzheng was a frank man. “Tomorrow, I will find a way to bring her out of the house. You guys should take action!” 

I nodded and found a hotel nearby to stay in. Li Mazi, Senior Shu, and I stayed in separate rooms. After taking a shower, I got in bed and slept right away. After tossing around for the whole day, I was really tired. 

While sleeping, I vaguely smelled the scent of a woman. It was faint. In the back of my head, I thought it was because I was missing Yin Xinyue. I rolled to one side and slept. 

However, the faint aroma didn’t disappear. It became thicker, and I felt the soft body of a woman pressing on me. Her silky skin touched mine. I started to feel hot. Eventually, I got up. I found that I was the only person in the room. There was no woman, or anyone else. 

I thought it was a dream and wanted to go back to sleep. Unexpectedly, that feeling came again as soon as I closed my eyes. 

After a few times, I didn’t feel sleepy anymore. I could feel something in the room, but I couldn’t see or touch it. It was giving me pressure, though! I didn’t know who she was, so I decided to read the Sacred Text of Daoism. 

After reading the text a few times, that strange feeling finally disappeared. I waited for a while. She didn’t come back. I exhaled in relief. At this moment, I heard a loud bang from Li Mazi’s room. 

I was bewildered, but soon, I knew the situation wasn’t right. I grabbed the Sirius Whip and the Illusory Mind Bell, rushing out. The Illusory Mind Bell was rather small, so I wore it around my wrist like an accessory. 

When I got out of my room, I heard the bed squeak in Li Mazi’s room. Fortunately, he had left his window open. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to hear the commotion from his room. 

As we were upstairs, I didn’t have enough time to go downstairs and ask the staff to help me open the door. I felt lucky that Senior Shu had chosen this hotel. It was just a small family homestay, and the doors here weren’t greatly secured. 

I took a step back and kicked the door with all of my strength. The door sprang open easily. 

I pulled myself together. I rushed into the room and turned on the light. Then, I saw Li Mazi naked on his bed. He was thrusting himself back and forth. From time to time, he crazily kissed the pillow. He acted as though he was making love with someone! However, I couldn’t see what was causing trouble. I helplessly bit the tip of my tongue and spat blood on Li Mazi’s head. 

When the mix of saliva and blood hit Li Mazi, he convulsed as though he had received an electric shock. At the same time, I caught a burning smell in the air. 

Li Mazi shook for a while. Then, he laid on the bed like a dead pig. Before I could ask him anything, the window in his room automatically opened. A strong gust of wind rushed outside through the window along with a woman’s moaning sound. 

“Damn it!” I chased it to the window and punched the wall to vent out my anger. That thing had been right in this room, but I hadn’t felt anything. I’d been in this business for quite a long time, but it was the first time I had encountered this type of situation. 

I rubbed my face and locked the window. I also adhered a talisman onto it. Then, I went to the bed to turn Li Mazi around. He was as pale as a sheet of white paper. 

It seemed a female ghost had charmed him, making him release his essence. If I hadn’t come here, he would have been sucked dry. I immediately returned to my room to fetch some Securing Essence Ointment.

The Securing Essence Ointment was the ointment I had prepared with the recipe I found in my grandpa’s journal. It included seal testicles, antlers from a young deer, and sheep kidneys. These ingredients had the function of increasing people’s vigor! Many people would feel seriously sick after being possessed by a ghost. From the modern medical point of view, the doctors would say that those people’s immune systems had been compromised, which allowed many hidden diseases to resurface. That was why those people were more likely to get sick.