Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Xie Lingya took the chicken out of his bag, made a small cut on its leg with a clean knife, and smeared the blood on its comb. The chicken cried out in pain a few times, but its demeanor was much lower than when it was on the snowy mountain, showing a sense of resignation.
Because the bride was female, considered yin, she was more likely to be affected by the “wearing hemp” curse; this step was mainly for the bride’s sake.
Xie Lingya stood at the doorway, inviting the bride in. As she passed through the door, he made the chicken crow.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo—” The chicken flapped its wings and flew over Jiang Qiqi’s head.
At the same time, Xie Lingya loudly proclaimed, “All auspicious spirits have arrived, great fortune and prosperity!”
Brother Pheasant landed on the ground, and Jiang Qiqi, holding Wen Jing’s hand, lifted her skirt and entered the house, followed by other relatives.
A boy who looked like a middle school student passed by and chimed in, “Great fortune and prosperity, chicken for dinner tonight.”
Xie Lingya: “…”
Brother Pheasant: “…”
Xie Lingya picked up Pheasant Brother, who was flapping its wings, whether from pain or panic, and treated its wounds. “Little brat, talking nonsense…! What chicken?!”
Pheasant Brother trembled, one of its legs going stiff. Xie Lingya put it back in his bag, creating a safer, more enclosed environment. He then took out a Bagua mirror and hung it on the door, also for warding off evil spirits.
Inside the bridal chamber, on the new bed, were many red dates and lotus seeds, symbolizing the early birth of a son.
Xie Lingya went over, took out the grains he had brought, and sprinkled them on the quilt. Grains were believed to ward off evil spirits. Those who understand won’t say anything, and those who don’t will just think it’s like scattering lotus seeds and red dates— a way to bring good fortune. Xie Lingya was the best man, so he wouldn’t attract much attention.
At this moment, Wen Jing came over and whispered, “Lao Xie, the photographer’s shot of that ‘God of Happiness’ really gave me goosebumps. Will it be okay if it’s cut from the recording?”
Xie Lingya nodded, “It’s fine, it really is the God of Happiness. It’s okay if it was unintentionally captured.”
The one capable of causing harm was the real thing; how could it be captured on camera and still cause trouble?
“After you’ve done all this, it won’t appear again, right?” Wen Jing asked anxiously.
“It’s alright. Don’t worry.” Xie Lingya knew he must have been frightened by the image in the recording and comforted him with a few words.
Wen Jing absentmindedly sat down with Jiang Qiqi, chatted with relatives, ate some food, and then it was almost time to drive to the hotel to prepare for welcoming the guests.
Xie Lingya, as usual, rode in the same car with the newlyweds and bridesmaids. The wedding company had already made arrangements at the hotel and hung a Bagua mirror in the venue, so his task for today was mostly complete. While not 100% certain, there was a high probability there won’t be any more problems.
Just then, Wen Jing’s phone rang. He glanced at it and frowned. “Photographer?”
Xie Lingya, curious, turned around.
Wen Jing answered the phone, putting it on speakerphone. “What?”
The photographer stammered, “I was just… filming… you… look out the window, can you see that woman in white with a bamboo cane by the roadside? She’s the one I filmed…”
The group turned and were astonished to see a long-haired woman standing in the flowerbed, head bowed, dressed in white linen, her body facing them. Only a third of her face was visible, her eyes completely hidden, yet everyone felt she was “staring” in their direction!
The feeling in person was different from what was shown in the video; the eerie atmosphere and the strange feeling the linen clothing gave off.
“Ah!” Jiang Qiqi and the bridesmaid screamed, Jiang Qiqi burying her face in Wen Jing’s arms.
The driver flinched, and the vehicle swerved slightly, quickly overtaking the woman in hemp clothing. Everyone looked back; but she was indeed still heading in this direction.
Xie Lingya frowned. He wasn’t afraid, just puzzled. “How can the ‘Hemp-Clad Demon’ still appear?”
“She’s following us? She’s following us?” Jiang Qiqi asked anxiously, clutching Wen Jing’s clothes. “She’s that… what’s-her-name… ‘Pi…’
Xie Lingya interrupted her, “On such a joyous occasion, she’s called the Goddess of Happiness.”
Jiang Qiqi nodded uneasily, still somewhat reluctant to believe in the so-called “Pi Ma Sha” (a type of evil spirit). She had considered several explanations, but even if it wasn’t the “Pi Ma Sha” but a real person, it was still strange that she was following them!
“Lao Xie,” Wen Jing hugged Jiang Qiqi and looked to Xie Lingya for help.
Xie Lingya was still pondering the matter when he interrupted him, saying, “The Goddess of Happiness follows the newlyweds closely. If she appears, she won’t leave even if people try to drive her away— in the past, people rode in sedan chairs and carriages, but now you’re in cars, so she can’t catch up. That’s why you can only see her a few times by the roadside.”
Everyone: “…”
What the hell? So when they can’t see the “Pi Ma Sha,” she’s running wildly?
This absurd thought flashed through their minds, and their fear actually lessened a little.
“But logically, after I warded off the evil spirit, the God of Happiness shouldn’t be able to follow us, nor should it be able to approach the hotel and the new house,” Xie Lingya pondered. “What’s going on… What’s with all those expressions? Driver, please drive carefully. Everyone, relax. I’ll get out of the car first. Oh, and send a text message to remind everyone to be careful, especially male relatives.”
The “Hemp Clad Demon” could clash with people at the wedding. Those affected would go insane. If it was a man, his soul might be taken away by the ghost to have marital relations. And even after recovery, it would leave aftereffects, causing him to have periodic episodes of madness every year.
….
The wedding car arrived at the hotel, and Xie Lingya got out first. After looking around and not seeing any trace of the Pi Ma, he told the others to get out of the car.
One of Wen Jing’s cousins, who wasn’t very knowledgeable about these things, had just received a text message about something called “Pi Ma Sha” (披麻煞). Confused, he asked, “Is it done? Has that ‘Pi Ma Sha’ left?”
Xie Lingya: “…………Hmm.”
He thought for a moment but didn’t correct him. It wasn’t good to directly use the words “Pi Ma Sha” at the wedding; everyone used “Xi Shen” (喜神, God of Happiness) instead, so he couldn’t use the correct term, otherwise he’d break a taboo.
However, “Pi Ma Sha” would probably be cursing inwardly if it knew it’d been insulted…
Everyone walked into the hotel. There was still some distance from the main entrance to the banquet hall where the wedding was being held. After entering and passing the wedding sign for Wen Jing and his family, they saw a woman in white robes and carrying a bamboo cane squatting against the wall of the corridor.
The woman finally raised her head, her face full of sorrow, her brows furrowed, as if burdened with endless grief. Combined with her white hempen robes, she looked incredibly dejected.
This was… the God of Happiness? The legendary being who absolutely could not be mistaken for someone else at a wedding and could not be offended.
For a moment, no one dared to move forward, silently swallowing, and no one dared to shoo her away.
This guy might go crazy at the slightest touch.
They had been warned beforehand, and some of the older folks knew that the “God of Happiness” could infiltrate the guests, so they absolutely had to be careful. Now that they had seen the real thing, the relatives from both families were stiff with fear.
A waiter tried to go up and ask the lady what was wrong, but Xie Lingya grabbed him.
“Sir…” The waiter looked at Xie Lingya in surprise, but Xie Lingya raised his hand, signaling him to stop talking. He was somewhat intimidated and didn’t dare to continue.
Xie Lingya glanced at the “God of Happiness” up and down, then suddenly let out a long breath and said, “Enter through the other door of the banquet hall. It’s fine. There’s a Bagua mirror inside. Go ahead.”
Everyone found their leader and hurriedly entered through the other door, glancing back to make sure the “God of Happiness” was still there.
Xie Lingya was also there, staring at the “God of Happiness.”
The “God of Happiness” turned its body, as if it were feeling a little unnatural.
Xie Lingya became even more certain and grabbed the “God of Happiness”! He grabbed the “God of Happiness’s” wrist, blocked its “ghost gate,” and dragged it into a corner.
The woman in hempen robes couldn’t move an inch in Xie Lingya’s hands. Xie Lingya then pulled her bamboo staff away. “Can a demon be suppressed?”
He grabbed some of the remaining grains and slapped them onto the woman in hempen robes’ back!
The woman in hempen robes staggered forward a few steps, a black aura dissipated from her body, and she instantly shrank by half, transforming into a little girl in a bright yellow dress.
The bamboo staff in Xie Lingya’s hand also turned back into a lollipop.
This little girl was the elementary school student spirit Xie Lingya had seen in Guo Xing’s dormitory.
The little girl was huddled in the shadows of a corner. It was almost noon, and she was naturally very uncomfortable.
Xie Lingya only needed to think for a moment to understand what had happened. “You hid the shoes too, didn’t you?”
The pen fairy held her head and nodded pitifully.
Xie Lingya had wondered why even the bridesmaid didn’t know where the shoes were, and why there was a trace of yin energy. It turned out this little devil was responsible. She must be holding a grudge and coming for him, trying to cause him trouble.
The evil spirit in the cloak of hemp definitely appeared, but it avoided it midway through its setup. This little ghost then borrowed its evil energy, allowing it to appear in broad daylight and be seen by so many people. Xie Lingya dispelled the evil energy, and she returned to her original form.
Little ghosts were like that; many were easily swayed and liked to cause trouble. However, she could only scare people; the amount of evil energy was only enough for her to appear, not for anyone else.
Xie Lingya came to his senses and saw the pen spirit almost disappearing into a crack in the wall, looking uncomfortable. He then said, “I ignored you that day, and you still dragged me into this, huh…”
The pen fairy looked at Xie Lingya in fear.
….
When Xie Lingya returned to the banquet hall, Wen Jing and Jiang Qiqi were still inside, afraid to go to the main hall. They peeked in and out when he returned.
“It’s alright now, you can go outside and wait for the guests,” Xie Lingya greeted them.
Jiang Qiqi nudged Wen Jing, who quickly asked, “How did it go? Tell me!”
Jiang Qiqi also looked nervous. If there weren’t so many people around, she would have wanted to hug her husband and cry. Now she wished Xie Lingya would bring out the rooster again and drench her with blood.
“It’s all settled,” Xie Lingya said. “From now on, there really, really, absolutely no more problems. By the way, I might have to go out for a bit, I’ll be back soon.”
Wen Jing asked, “What for?”
Xie Lingya looked up at the sky, “I’m going to buy a set of Olympiad practice questions. I found that the regular questions aren’t challenging enough for elementary school students…”
Wen Jing & Jiang Qiqi: “??”
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