Chapter 32: Golden Ingot! Flash! Part 2

System Cat: 【You say that now, but don’t go touching it later!】

【Why would I hit it for no reason?】 Chen Ji thought to himself. He still didn’t know the fox’s full story. What if it was Xiao Wang pouring cement into its den that provoked it? …A quick pat should be fine, right?

The System Cat didn’t bother exposing Chen Ji’s real intentions. It flopped down in a sunbeam, leaning against his thigh for its nap. Chen Ji rested a hand on it and stroked slowly. Suddenly, a wave of drowsiness washed over him; his eyes grew heavy.

Just two more talismans. The beginning is always the hardest.

Chen Ji struggled to keep himself alert, but his mind remained foggy and dazed. The brush hung loosely between his fingers. The character he had practiced dozens of times flowed effortlessly from his pen in one smooth stroke. Suddenly, it felt as if something pricked his eyes. He snapped back to awareness and saw a talisman on the paper, nearly identical to the one in the Cave Abyss Scripture.

Had he drawn it?

Chen Ji blinked and tried drawing another one. This time, the lines were broken and uneven, nothing like the seamless flow before. He felt a surge of surprise. Then something occurred to him. He cleared his mind, focusing only on the talisman’s shape. His wrist seemed guided by an invisible hand, moving naturally—and once again, he completed it in one go!

Did he have to empty his mind like this to draw talismans?

Before he could think further, his head lolled to the side, and he fell asleep.

He slept until four-thirty in the afternoon. It was the System Cat’s faith leap that finally roused him. Chen Ji’s stomach growled fiercely with hunger. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was already four-thirty—the perfect time to whip up a couple of dishes for dinner. He headed straight to the kitchen.

The System Cat grumbled, 【Sleeping that long during the day? Careful, or you won’t be able to sleep tonight.】

Yawning, Chen Ji replied, 【No worries… I’m still so sleepy. Once I eat, I’m crashing.】

True to his word, after filling his belly, he went right back to bed. He was too exhausted even to wash the dishes.

…

Outside the temple, the White Tiger darted through the forest. It halted beneath a towering ancient tree. The wind rustled the leaves with a soft whisper. A tree root pushed up from the soil. The White Tiger seemed to sense something. It lowered its head and stared at the root for a long moment before turning and departing.

Not long after it left, a black shadow appeared beneath the mulberry tree. It resembled a person—or perhaps a humanoid form woven from tangled strands of chaos, indistinct and hazy. One hand pressed against the base of the tree as it murmured something indistinct. The wind picked up, howling fiercely and sending branches thrashing wildly, leaves scattering in the gale. The black shadow let out a muffled laugh before vanishing.

Inside the temple, Chen Ji slumbered deeply. He had forgotten to draw the curtains, leaving his handsome features fully exposed in the moonlight.

The black shadow materialized silently at his side. The ‘humanoid’ form’s head twitched, turning toward the Fat Cat, who lay sprawled in neat slumber nearby. The blanket lifted soundlessly at one corner, tucking over the Fat Cat.

A vine crept out from the humanoid’s sleeve cuff. It gently coiled around Chen Ji’s right hand, guiding it into its own grasp. Wisps of dense black mist coalesced into finger-like shapes, slipping between Chen Ji’s fingers. It stroked and toyed with his hand, over and over.

…

The next day, Chen Ji stared at his right hand, now entirely bruised blue-black. He fell into deep thought.

The System Cat pondered too.

【Drawing talismans… causes this big a reaction?】 Chen Ji said, baffled. 【Can writing a single character really turn your hand blue?】

The System Cat replied gravely, 【My scans show nothing wrong with you… but maybe get a full checkup at a proper hospital? Just in case. Even stagnant qi and blood shouldn’t do this! Your right hand’s blood vessels are fine—no bruising under the skin either!】

It made sense to Chen Ji. After preparing breakfast and offering it to Grandpa Mountain Lord, he also asked for leave from the deity. He resolved to get a full physical. He wondered if Uncle Liu was in the village—if so, hitching a ride to town in his car would be quick.

That said, Chen Ji had no intention of contacting Uncle Liu. The man hadn’t come up the mountain today, which meant he’d likely escorted the entire Wang Family to the hospital yesterday. With no one left in charge at home, Uncle Liu was probably staying there to help.

Before heading out, Chen Ji activated the sweeping robot. It had enough battery for two runs, so he scheduled one for that afternoon and another for tomorrow afternoon. If he couldn’t make it back today, he’d return the next day or the day after.

As he made his way down the mountain, a sudden glint pierced Chen Ji’s eyes. He instinctively squeezed them shut, then opened them again. A shard of mirror, maybe?

He’d walked this path countless times—how had he never noticed it before?

Blinking, Chen Ji slipped on his sunglasses and peered toward the source. With the shades, he had a clear view. The reflection came from a roadside thicket. It wasn’t far, so he approached cautiously.

Staying alert, Chen Ji used his trekking pole to part the bushes. The light grew brighter. Then he fell silent.

The System Cat was dumbfounded too. 【…What the hell?】

Chen Ji prodded the object with his pole. It didn’t budge or dent—solid as rock. 【…Not paper money.】

The thing was no ordinary find. It was a gleaming, golden ingot!

The System Cat said seriously, 【Don’t touch it yet. Let me scan…】

The next instant: 【Holy crap—it’s gold! Pure gold! Solid all the way through! A full five hundred grams!】

Chen Ji’s handsome brows furrowed, his expression conflicted. Five hundred grams of gold—at scrap prices of six hundred yuan per gram—that was a whopping three hundred thousand yuan.

Talk about money falling from the sky!

In the old days, Chen Ji would have snatched it up without a second thought. Sure, there was that saying about not picking up mysteriously appearing roadside cash—who knew if it was lucky windfall or cursed ‘buy-life money’? But he would have laughed it off. Any hesitation would be an insult to cold hard cash.

Now, though, he wavered. He knew ‘buy-life money’ could very well be real.

Thirty grand for a life? Bad deal—his life was worth way more than that! Even if he dropped dead at the office, his boss would pay out more than thirty grand in compensation. Come to think of it, his family had produced only one child per generation for nearly four. His parents and grandparents were gone; if he died, who would even inherit?

Unless he foresaw his death and liquidated everything to burn paper money for himself in advance.

The System Cat urged, 【Just pick it up! That’s three hundred thousand! You could buy so much good food!】

Chen Ji sighed, feeling like he’d personally offended Lady Fortune. Then, at his fastest speed ever, he whipped around and bolted! As he ran, he called back to the System Cat left behind, 【I’m scared I’ll earn it but not live to spend it. You’re not afraid to die—wait till I’m far away, then grab it!】

The System Cat: 【…】

【Screw your whole family—! Chen Ji, are you even human—?!】 The System Cat finally reacted, unleashing a national curse. Now that Chen Ji had mentioned it, even that shiny ingot gave it goosebumps. It turned tail and chased after him furiously.

The golden ingot lay abandoned in the bushes, ignored.

What Chen Ji hadn’t expected was the flashes continuing along the path—each one another ingot. He didn’t see it as treasure everywhere. No, he felt targeted by something insistent, determined to make him take its cursed buy-life money!

The System Cat panicked too and simply hid inside Chen Ji’s body. Out of sight, out of mind.

What should have been over an hour’s hike down the mountain took Chen Ji just forty minutes. He reached the base gasping as if tasting blood, clothes soaked with sweat, face deathly pale.

He gazed at the rising cooking smoke from Shangyang Village and exhaled hugely in relief. A villager spotted him and hurried over, alarmed by his state. “Xiao Chen… Master Chen, what happened to you?”

Chen Ji looked up. It was one of the onlookers from outside the Wang house yesterday. Still panting, he waved it off. “Noth… nothing…”

The villager didn’t buy it—his face screamed trouble. Before he could ask more, Chen Ji lifted his head solemnly. “Whatever you do, don’t go up the mountain these days. If you see any jewels or cash, don’t touch them. They might carry bad luck… the deadly kind.”

The villager froze, chilled by memories of yesterday. Those inside had recounted it all: a yellow weasel darting in, Master Chen saying a few words, the weasel gesturing wildly at the Wang Family Old Man, and the man snapping awake… He nodded vigorously. “Got it, got it! We won’t pick up anything random!”

“Should I tell the village?” the villager asked.

Chen Ji nodded. The man figured if Chen Ji could sit and rest here, the spot was safe. He rushed back to spread the word to neighbors.

Chen Ji had caught his breath enough to stroll into the village. The villagers didn’t pry further, just asked if he needed help with anything. When he said he was heading to the town hospital, they noticed his hand raised unnaturally blue. No more questions—they scrambled for a motorcycle to take him to town.

The bumpy ride left Chen Ji’s rear numb when he finally dismounted at the hospital. He vowed to buy a car this time and drive back. He’d suffered enough; some hardships he could skip.

Unsure of wait times, Chen Ji didn’t book ahead. He obediently got in line with a number ticket. Then his phone buzzed. Checking it, he saw replies from the City God Temple Daoist: 【What now?】

Daoist: 【Mind your own business!】

Daoist: 【???】

Around six yesterday, another: 【Not dead yet?】

Daoist: 【If it’s bad, bring it to City God Temple!】

Daoist: 【You’re dead, aren’t you?!】

Chen Ji silently snapped a photo of his hand and sent it. 【Daoist, what’s going on here? Yesterday’s mess is handled. Woke up like this today.】

Daoist: 【That fox spirit squeezed you!】

Chen Ji: 【Didn’t touch it…】

He gave a quick rundown. Daoist: 【…Wait, you mean that fox spirit’s locked in your chicken coop now?】

Daoist: 【Why catch it and bring it home? To chat up Daji all you want?!】

Chen Ji: 【Great Immortal Huang caught it for me.】

Daoist: 【Chat up Great Immortal Huang too?! How many random things have you got enshrined?!】

Chen Ji: 【You might not believe it, Daoist, but I never fed the yellow weasel. It kept showing up at my place for scraps. It looked so pitiful, so I gave it a few meals…】

Daoist: 【[Cupped hands salute.jpg] Our paths diverge, friend. Let’s keep contact to a minimum from now on!】