Chapter 149 Uncle Wang’s cousin (ETL) Part 1
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Chapter 149 The Thing Master Gu Fears Most
Uncle Wang said, “I have a cousin whose family of five used to be happy and harmonious. But I don’t know when it started, bad things began to happen to them one after another. In the past few years, his wife died, his eldest daughter died, his second son died, leaving only Old Third as their only son, and he’s sickly. This kid has had several strange incidents since he was little, each one very mysterious, but luckily, he’s tough and hasn’t died.”
Hearing that, Gu Ye frowned. Normally, even in the worst of times, a family couldn’t be this unlucky; this was a recipe for disaster, a sign that their lineage would end.
Gu Ye asked gravely, “Have you had the ancestral graves checked?”
Uncle Wang replied, “No.”
Gu Ye asked, “Could you take a picture of the surrounding terrain, or better yet, record a video, so I can see the topography?”
Uncle Wang readily agreed, “No problem, I’ll have someone record a video. There are still people in my hometown.”
“Your cousin isn’t in the hometown anymore?”
“He’s in the Capital now, working at my company. Since leaving our hometown, although things have happened again, the frequency has decreased, and they’re not as eerie, but life hasn’t been peaceful.”
Gu Ye raised an eyebrow, “Was it worse when he was in his hometown?”
“Yes, he came to me because he couldn’t make a living back home. His youngest son has been sick for a long time, and they couldn’t afford treatment there, so he brought the child to the Capital. I arranged a job for him. He’s a reliable person and has been doing well these past 2 years, but the child’s health is still poor. The hospitals in the Capital can’t find anything wrong, and he’s getting worse every day. Now he’s even afraid to go back to his hometown, as if something is waiting for him there. Every time he goes back to pay respects to his ancestors, something bad happens. Once, his youngest son was held down by something in a basin of water and almost drowned. The size was the same as the basin used for washing faces. Isn’t that eerie?”
Gu Ye thought for a moment and wondered why it didn’t sound like ghosts causing trouble. “Your hometown is in Northeast China, right?”
Hearing that, Uncle Wang asked in surprise, “I don’t have an accent, right?”
Gu Ye smiled, “You don’t, but I could tell from your face.”
Uncle Wang said admiringly, “Impressive, nephew! My hometown is indeed in Northeast China.”
Gu Ye laughed, “Alright, I haven’t seen that uncle’s face, so I can’t really say anything now. After you get the video tomorrow, bring him over in the afternoon, or you can give me an address, and I’ll come find you.”
When Papa Gu, at the side, heard this, he added to Uncle Wang, “Have them (cousin and child) come find you tomorrow. Just wait at your home.”
Gu Ye looked at his dad with a mischievous grin. Rubbing his fingers together, he said, “Reimbursement for the gas money, please”
Papa Gu pretended not to notice.
On the other side of the call, Uncle Wang exclaimed happily, “That’s great! Nephew, stay for dinner tonight!”
Seeing that Papa Gu and Uncle Wang were about to fight over the son issue again, Gu Ye handed the phone back to his father. Let the two old men argue; he’s leaving.
Gu Ye went back to playing cards. Since Gu Ye said he wanted to win, Yu Ze kept letting him win. Even Gu Sen, who wasn’t usually talkative, couldn’t stand it anymore. He said disdainfully, “If your old classmates knew you were like this, they’d think you were crazy.”
But Yu Ze only smiled without saying a word, looking quite pleased.
Gu Ye curiously inquired, “Brother, you two were classmates. How many people used to pursue Yu Ze?”
Yu Ze frowned. “Why are you asking about that?”
Gu Sen said with a sullen face, “A lot.”
Gu Lin exclaimed in surprise, “Oh! Tell us so we can all be excited about it.”
Hearing that, Yu Ze looked coldly at Gu Lin, who had been at odds with him from the start. But Gu Lin didn’t feel anything. He was gloating, unyielding, clearly looking for trouble.
Gu Ye laughed instead, “It doesn’t matter whether Big brother says it or not. I won1, and I’m invincible from now on.”
Yu Ze added, “No one dares to compete with you, otherwise they won’t rest in peace even in death.”
Gu Ye chuckled, feeling incredibly proud of Yu Ze’s words.
Disapproving of the couple’s affectionate behavior, Gu Lin changed the subject and asked Gu Ye, “Have you prepared your outfit for the awards ceremony on Saturday?”
Gu Ye looked at himself, “Can’t I wear my usual clothes?”
“Don’t be silly, you’re walking the red carpet.”
Gu Ye shook his head: “No.”
“I knew it, so I made an outfit for you too.”
“Thank you, brother, you’re so nice.”
Gu Lin curled his lip in disdain, “When you’re out with me, you need to behave yourself, don’t be so naughty.”
Gu Ye was innocent; what had he done? He was just going to see the pretty ladies; he wouldn’t do anything else.
At this moment, Papa Gu finished his phone call. Seeing the youngsters still playing cards, he reminded them, “Go to sleep after playing for a while.”
Papa Gu stared intently at Gu Ye, his eyes filled with warning.
Gu Ye said wearily, “Why do I feel like I’m the most unreliable one. You guys are clearly having a lot of fun.”
With a stern face, Big Brother Gu Sen tossed over a pair of 2s to the pile of cards. “I’m going to sleep after this game; I have things to do tomorrow.”
…
The next morning, Gu Ye went out with his stepmother. It had been a while since he’d spent time with Mrs. Gu. She happily linked her arm with his, beaming.
Gu Ye warned, “Mom, be careful of rumors.”
Mrs. Gu replied proudly, “I’m not afraid.”
Gu Ye smiled and said, “You’re not afraid, but I am! You’re so beautiful, so young, so elegant. If someone takes a picture of you, they’ll think I’m cheating with a female celebrity.”
“Hahahaha…” Mrs. Gu slapped Gu Ye’s shoulder happily. “You little rascal, you’re so good at talking.”
Gu Ye winced in pain. Is it okay to hit someone just because you’re happy? “Mom, I talked to my second brother last night. He will get you a celebrity with no scandals to endorse your product.”
Hearing that, Mrs. Gu paused in her actions. She felt touched and said, “You’re so thoughtful. I was actually thinking of using you, since you won’t charge me.”
Gu Ye’s lips twitched, just as he thought. But he replied, “Please, have mercy on me!”
After having lunch with Mrs. Gu, Gu Ye went to Uncle Wang’s house in the afternoon. Uncle Wang’s cousin and his child were already waiting for Gu Ye at home.
Gu Ye frowned as soon as he saw the child’s face. The child, around 10 years old, was thin and small, as if something had parasitized him, draining all his nutrients. His thinness was sickly, and his eyes were lifeless.
Noticing that Gu Ye was looking at him, the child politely nodded, seemingly well-mannered.
Uncle Wang introduced them: “This is my cousin, and this child is my nephew, Ningning.”
[Banana: Apologies for the sudden interruption. Since English doesn’t have better words/alternatives for Uncle, I will now use ‘Cousin Wang’ to address Uncle Wang’s cousin.]
Gu Ye observed that Cousin Wang’s complexion was slightly better than his son’s, though somewhat haggard. At this point, Gu Ye understood. These two, father and son, were clearly possessed by something, yet there wasn’t a trace of ghostly energy about them. Gu Ye examined his face closely, and the more he looked, the more uneasy he felt. He frowned and asked, “Cousin Wang, when did you incur such karmic debt that you’ve formed such a deep enmity with this person, to the point that they want to kill your entire family?”
Cousin Wang replied in shock, “What karmic debt? I haven’t done anything wrong.” His cousin repeatedly assured him that this young master, despite his age, was truly exceptionally skilled, capable of divination and fortune-telling. Only then did Cousin Wang believe Gu Ye’s words. If anyone else had said that, he wouldn’t have believed it. In his memory, he had never done anything to offend anyone.
Uncle Wang also chimed in to explain, “My brother here has always been honest and trustworthy in his business when he was young. His business was quite good when he was on his own, and he’s been doing well working with me these past few years. Is he being haunted by a ghost?”
Gu Ye shook his head. “It’s not a ghost trying to kill them, as there’s no ghostly aura. Did you get the video from the ancestral grave?”
“Got it.” Uncle Wang showed the video to Gu Ye. After watching it, Gu Ye nodded. “This place is quite good, nestled against the mountains and beside the water. It’s a good burial site that can bring wealth. The descendants are also of good character; at least 3 generations should be fine.” Gu Ye returned the video to Uncle Wang. “If the ancestral grave is fine, then it’s certain that something is haunting him.”
Cousin Wang said fearfully, “What is it? My wife is gone, my daughter is gone, my second son is gone, and this is my only son left.” He grabbed his youngest son’s hand and said anxiously, “What did I do unintentionally to make them hate me so much, wanting to make me childless? If it was really my fault, let the retribution fall on me; the child is innocent.”
Gu Ye advised, “Don’t worry, this matter hasn’t been investigated yet. Judging from your face (reading), you’ve probably already paid what you owed. If they keep harassing you, then they’re the ones with the problem. Don’t worry.”
Gu Ye took out a cinnabar brush and pulled out a blank talisman paper. He drew a talisman on the spot, folded it into a pentagon, and stuffed it into the child’s pocket. “Carry this with you. If that thing tries to find you again, I’ll be able to sense it. Don’t get it wet, don’t lose it, and put it under your pillow when you sleep. Do you understand?”
The child obediently put the talisman away and nodded. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief seeing Gu Ye’s calm demeanor, feeling inexplicably hopeful.
In the middle of the night, after Ningning fell asleep, a foul gust of wind swept over, only to be deflected by a layer of golden light. At the same time, Gu Ye opened his eyes, his hand forming a hand seal. His five fingers came together, and five golden threads emanated from the talisman on Ningning’s body, binding the creature. The creature, wary of the merit power within the golden threads, glared venomously at the child and retreated.
The golden thread relentlessly chased after the creature, but was whipped away by the big tail.
Gu Ye sneered, “Still trying to escape?”
“I won’t hurt you. Let’s talk. Why are you clinging to that family, wanting to kill them all?”
At this moment, the creature turned and glanced at golden threads, finally revealing its true form. A pair of sinister and venomous eyes, cold and merciless, with vertical pupils; it was a cold-blooded animal—a snake!
“Hiss hiss hiss!”
Gu Ye froze, then jumped up in fright the next second, “OH MY GOD! A SNAKE!!”
That startled Yu Ze awake. Seeing Gu Ye jumping around under the bed in the middle of the night, he asked, “Gu Ye?”
Gu Ye rushed over and hugged Yu Ze, his hands and feet icy cold. “A snake!!”
Yu Ze patted Gu Ye’s head, comforting him, “Don’t be afraid, you had a nightmare?”
“No, there really were snakes!” Gu Ye clutched his pounding heart. He could handle anything, except snakes—a childhood trauma.
All of Gu Ye’s skills were honed through the grueling training he received from his master as a child. When he was little, his master taught him to swim, and as soon as he learned, his master threw him into a river. At that time, Gu Ye was ensnared by something with a human head and a snake’s body, dragged to the bottom. It was a vengeful spirit formed from a water ghost and a snake, claiming to have lost its child and would raise any child it saw, killing them to raise itself. Gu Ye almost drowned, and adding the creepiness from that snake-and-human hybrid face left a deep psychological scar on Gu Ye from childhood. He wasn’t afraid of ghosts, but he was terrified of snakes!
What’s worse, Gu Ye’s master found out that he was traumatized by a snake ghost. In an effort to cure him and make him understand that snakes weren’t scary, his master caught many snakes for him to play with—snakes in pots, bowls, under blankets, buckets, and even the toilet! This not only failed to cure Gu Ye’s fear of snakes but actually made him even more afraid. It also gave him an instinct: from a distance, his sensitive nerves could sense the presence of a snake, causing goosebumps all over his body.
Yu Ze patted Gu Ye’s back. “Don’t be afraid, there are no snakes in our house.”
Gu Ye’s face turned pale, and he wanted to call Xie Cheng in the middle of the night, “I can’t go to see Cousin Wang alone tomorrow. I need to ask Xiao Chengzi to come with me.”
Yu Ze stroked the back of Gu Ye’s neck, comforting him, “Call a few more people.”
Gu Ye took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. When the call connected, he said, “Xie Cheng! Help me!”
Xie Cheng sat up in fright. “What’s wrong? Something happened? Where are you? Give me the address, I’m coming right now!”
Gu Ye said seriously, “There’s a snake!!”
Xie Cheng, who had already jumped up and was getting dressed, paused. “…What?”
Gu Ye said seriously, “I can handle anything else, but snakes, I can’t handle them!”
Xie Cheng almost laughed. So Gu Ye had something he was afraid of too. “Calm down, where are you now? I’ll come find you.”
After Gu Ye lay down, he pressed his back against Yu Ze’s. Only after feeling the warmth on his back did he feel at ease. “Let’s go tomorrow. It’s already run away. We’ll go to Cousin Wang’s house to check on it.”
Xie Cheng’s face turned cold. “So, we’re going tomorrow? And you woke me up in the middle of the night?”
Gu Ye said apologetically, “I’m sorry.”
Xie Cheng: “…I’ll kill you!”
…
Raw word count: 7210 (whole chapter)
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