The moon was obscured by the dark clouds, the night was extremely deep.
The man's heavy panting accompanied his disorganized footsteps, the flashlight's beam flickering chaotically.
The emergency exit signs were dark, and underfoot, he splashed through filthy, damp puddles, darkness assaulting from all sides, permeating despair.
"Drip-drop... drip-drop..."
The once-dry ceiling was now like a spring, showering down blood.
"Let's play together."
In the pitch-dark corridor, the sound of mocking sobs echoed, the man followed the sound with his flashlight and illuminated a woman's pale face right above him, her red lips split to her ears.
"Save... Save me! A ghost!!"
Pale hands rose from the ground and instantly grabbed the man's ankle, dragging him three meters away; convulsing on the floor, his throat made gurgling water sounds, with water flowing from his seven orifices as though he was about to drown.
Just then.
A light suddenly appeared ahead, giving the man a glimmer of hope. He looked forward, completely unaware that in such a dark night, with walls closing in, there was no exit, no place for light.
In his dazed consciousness, a round full moon seemed to draw closer...
"Didn't I tell the client not to arrange for anyone on duty tonight?"
Following that, the sound of a sweet, mushy childish voice rang out.
The man was momentarily startled as a small shadow appeared against the light.
Was it a child?
Her steps were steady and slow, accompanied by the tranquil sound of water, plip... plip... plip...
The light from the emergency exit sign flickered and then brightened, casting a greenish glow on her side face, her features delicate as a doll's, her lashes long and curled, her lips slightly pouted.
A pair of pitch-black cat eyes was staring behind him; the man finally saw clearly that the full moon was actually her head.
It was a polished little bald head!!!
Gleaming in the light!!!
-
In a flash, the grip on his neck loosened and a gust of wind escaped from behind. The security guard slumped to the floor, staring blankly at the little girl who stood before him, looking up.
She was human, just a child dressed in a grey Taoist robe patched in places.
"Don't be scared, Uncle. If you follow me, everything will be alright."
She hardly finished speaking when she grasped her dust whisk and chased after something.
The creature in the water leaped fiercely, with the woman letting out a shrill scream, and the child slashed downwards with the whisk in her hand.
The vividly red, sticky living mass twisted like a twister, shrinking instantly, and the little girl firmly covered it with a chipped porcelain bowl, her childish voice fierce!
"I told you to behave, want to play? I'll play with you."
Soon after, several people hurried over from the end of the corridor, responsible individuals from the residential area,
"Little Immortal, is the problem resolved?"
As clouds cleared and the fog dissipated, the moonlight outside was now shining brightly. The security guard collapsed, breathing deeply.
Yet the little girl, only four or five years old, seriously shook her head, "Not yet."
"What?!"
By the time Daoist Qing Shan and his people arrived, the little girl was earnestly explaining to the startled group as she held a bowl of water.
"This new building of yours is situated on good Feng Shui land, backed by Fushan, promising wealth and prosperity. However, good Feng Shui can also nurture monsters. Here we have a Water Demon from the community lake who has been nourishing itself. Building houses here didn't bother it much, but your landscaping with its dense foliage, the tall walls blocking the flow, and cutting off its exit route, caused it to retaliate against the people here and led to these strange happenings. Fortunate we discovered it early before any lives were lost."
"How do we resolve this?"
"It's quite simple, build another enclosing wall, turn the little lake into a separate park, then pour this water back into the lake. It will not only resolve the strange happenings but also attract wealth and fortune."
"Thank you, Little Immortal, thank you!" The people sighed in relief, their burdens lifted.
The little girl turned around holding her little dust whisk, blinked her round cat eyes, and then noticed her master standing behind with people, his eyes still faintly red.
"Master!"
The old man in a green robe with white beard coughed lightly and with an air of immortal grace, stroked his beard.
"Tang Jin, come here."
Tang Jin tilted her little head and dug around in her pocket for something. Not finding it immediately, she scrunched up her face and glanced at the bowl in her hand.
Suddenly, she crisply clapped the bowl upside down onto her smooth bald head, filled with water, yet not a drop fell out.
"..."
"Tang Jin!"
Daoist Qing Shan, with a worried glance at the man in a suit growing increasingly stern beside him, watched Tang Jin, who had freed her hands to continue searching and then, upon hearing him, asked him to wait.
"My hands are busy, aha! Found it!"
Rummaging left and right, Tang Jin pulled out an ancient, storied-looking bank card from her pocket and handed it over to Daoist Qing Shan.
"Master doesn't have money for food again? Jinjin has money—no need to cry!"
"I've said it before, Master, you're not suited to holding onto wealth. From all directions, all you can do is catch the wind."
Daoist Qing Shan: "..."
It was only then that Tang Jin noticed a tall man standing beside Daoist Qing Shan.
The man had deep, ink-pool-like eyes and sleek, jet-black hair combed back. His facial contours were sharp, his features handsome, emanating an air of authority that the young lacked, despite his age.
At the moment, he wore a subtle expression as he stared at Tang Jin, who reached as high as his thigh.
Tang Jin studied his face, then turned to ask Daoist Qing Shan, "Is this a big client here to settle the bill?"
Daoist Qing Shan appeared troubled and was about to introduce the man, but before he could speak, Tang Jin deftly took out her mobile phone, opened her Alipay collection QR code, and said,
"2 million, thank you for your patronage!"
"..."
Tang Chuang's complexion right now wasn't much different from a water demon's possession, looking at the little dumpling before him, feeling she shared an uncanny resemblance with the swindlers on the bridge who aggressively offer to tell your fortune.
"Turns out you're a big boss."
As Tang Jin took down the bowls again and handed them to the person in charge who had escorted the security guard aside and was now approaching, she leaned in closer for a better look, saying, "Strange, the face looks foggy and unclear, there seems to be a big change coming, do you have some troubles on your mind you wish to resolve with Sanqing Temple?"
The man crouched down, smiling to reveal a set of bright, white teeth, and poked the little girl's soft cheek, "Right now, there is indeed a bit of trouble that needs Daoist Master Qing Shan's attention."
"For instance, how my little daughter, sent to Qingshan Taoist Temple for recovery, has been turned into a little swindler?"
The little miss of the Tang Family, frail and sickly from half a year old, was taken to various hospitals without success, on the brink of death when she happened upon a daoist who prescribed a solution with just one glance—reluctantly and with great heartache, the Tang Family had no other choice but to send Tang Jin to Sanqing Taoist Hall.
Only now, the family patriarch's health was deteriorating, and considering the time they agreed upon was nearing its end, he wanted to have a few more looks at her and came to take her home.
And now—
Daoist Qing Shan: ...
Tang Jin finally understood, "Physiognomy and Taoist Rituals are most unclear when it concerns oneself, the effect is even greater with those close to you, no wonder I couldn't see clearly."
Daoist Qing Shan: Is now the time to discuss this?
"So you're my dad."
The words Tang Jin uttered were clear and tender.
They instantly cooled Tang Chuang's anger.
She studied Tang Chuang's face and lifted her hand as if calculating.
"This is bad, this is bad, the family won't be at peace, there's trouble ahead."
The little one in a Taoist robe nodded solemnly, a five-year-old not a bit shy and took Tang Chuang's hand, soft and doughy, much like a little adult.
"Master, then I will go home with my dad."
Daoist Qing Shan coughed softly, anticipating this, nodded with misty eyes. Tang Chuang had come to take Tang Jin, who had been fostered in the temple, away. Daoist Qing Shan had wanted to give a few last instructions to his disciple, but instead, he ended up with a bank card in his hand.
"This is the charitable savings Jinjin has amassed over the years by lending a helping hand. Now that Jinjin is going home and Senior Brother Changan is not here, I can only entrust it to Master for safekeeping."
Little Milk Jin counted on her fingers.
"This money should be enough to fix the leaking temple roof, repair the paths up the mountain, and buy some good Taoist robes for my brothers. It's all charity money, so there shouldn't be any more accidents."
As Tang Jin earnestly explained, all Daoist Qing Shan's intended words got thoroughly swallowed up in Tang Chuang's deeply skeptical gaze.
"How come I wasn't aware that sending my daughter to the mountain was for her to work at the temple and supplement our family income? The Tang Family should have provided a hefty sum for her support, right?"
"..." Let's not talk about the heartbreaking matter of losing wealth.
"So then, Master, farewell, I will miss you," the little friend looked at her 'new master', "Dad, let's go!"
By the time Daoist Qing Shan reacted and wanted to give Little Bun a loving hug, he saw her already holding Tang Chuang's hand and trotting off into the distance.
Huh?????
-
It seems even Tang Chuang was in a rush this time, bringing Tang Jin on a private plane back to the Tang Family in Shendu in the middle of the night.
This was Tang Jin's first time on an airplane. She hadn't even had a chance to change her clothes. With her long lashes and sitting obediently, she watched out the window like a quiet little kitten.
She was neither curious nor scared but appeared obedient and sensible, making one want to rub that smooth little head.
"You can't just learn nonsense from those people; they're all deceivers."
Tang Chuang used the gentlest voice he had ever managed in his life, trying to reason with her. In Shendu as well, there were many Feng Shui Masters, but most people sought them for peace of mind, including Tang Chuang, who didn't really believe in it either.
The little one looked up, blinking her large, cat-like eyes, "Dad, if you don't believe, why not let me take a good look at you? I'm especially reliable."
Tang Jin was just short of thumping her chest in guarantee.
She even propped herself up and pulled on Tang Chuang's hand.
Tang Chuang let her soft, squishy hand rest on his arm, chuckling.
"In this day and age, who still believes in fortune telling."