Volume Two: Eventful Times Twists and Turns Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Nine: The Evil Master's Magic Tool and How to Handle It

"Then where did this flute and the antique shop come from?"

"That I don't know. I didn't ask when I bought it. Taoist Priest Yang, you might not understand, but usually, we merchants don't ask such questions. It sounds a bit like prying into someone's sources, so people tend to avoid it."

"It does sound a bit like prying. Never mind, it doesn't matter if you don't know. The main thing is the flute. Master Yuan, would you mind letting me have a look at it?"

"Is there something wrong with this flute?"

"Nine times out of ten. I need to take a look first."

"Ah! Please come this way. The study is right over there. Taoist Priest Yang, you simply must take a good look for me. No wonder my business has been losing money lately—turns out it's an unlucky piece of junk!"

"Oh? Has Master Yuan's fortune been poor recently?"

"Yes! It's bad enough that the teahouse isn't making money, but even the gambling den is losing. It's driving me out of my mind; I've even thought about closing it for a few days just to catch a breather."

"Losing money? A gambling den losing money? That's the first time I've ever heard of such a thing."

"Who is saying it isn't? It's making me lose my appetite!"

"From what I can see, Master Yuan's fortune isn't bad at all. Your space between the eyebrows is bright, and you have a ruddy complexion; it doesn't seem to be a matter of fortune. There is a faint aura of malevolence surrounding you. Judging by this aura, it feels like petty villains are at work behind your back. Master Yuan might want to be on guard against the treacherous people around you."

"Ah? Petty villains? Isn't it because of my fortune?"

"It shouldn't be. Judging by the malevolent aura, you are entangled by petty villains, but your fortune itself is fine."

"Ah, who on earth have I offended..."

"If your gambling den is losing money, nine times out of ten it's someone inside the den. Just think along those lines. But for now, let's take a look at the flute first."

"Right, right, right. Please."

With a soft creak, the study door opened. As the two windows were pushed open, a garden came into view outside. Steps lined with weeping willows and courtyard flowers, paired with emerald birds amidst lush greenery, presented a serene and tranquil courtyard landscape. Inside, the room was quiet and bright, with books and jade artifacts arranged in an orderly fashion—a wonderful place to cultivate the mind and read in peace.

As soon as he stepped through the door, Yang Chengzi spotted a long box on the bookshelf. A premonition arose in his heart: that was the flute. Just as expected, Master Yuan walked over, placed the box on the desk, and opened it. A pitch-black flute, gleaming with light and edged with gold, appeared before the eyes of all three.

The fat-headed county magistrate was also seeing this flute for the first time, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. Judging by its appearance, it was carved from black jade, a rare item indeed. Three hundred taels was definitely not a bad deal.

Although it certainly looked like a fine object, Yang Chengzi didn't even need to examine it closely to feel a bone-chilling ghostly aura emanating from it.

This was no flute at all; it was a magical artifact belonging to a heretic priest, very similar to the ones Yang Chengzi had encountered in the hands of other heretics in the past—exuding an icy-cold sensation, except that this flute appeared to have been modified by someone.

At the tail end of the flute, there was the faint trace of a ring. For a heretic artifact, a black feather should have been suspended from that position by a cord, but the black feather had been removed. Moreover, the gold rim looked brand new. While the surface of the flute was smooth, it bore quite a few scratches, yet the gold rim was completely free of blemishes, as if it hadn't originally belonged there.

Furthermore, the finger holes on the flute... one of the holes looked different in size from the others. Originally, this item probably had five holes, but it had been crudely altered into six.

Yang Chengzi's brow furrowed deeply. Whoever modified this object possessed quite skillful craftsmanship; if someone didn't know better and failed to examine it closely, who would ever guess that it hadn't originally been a flute?

"How is it, Taoist Priest Yang? What do you think of my flute?" Master Yuan asked, noticing how intently Yang Chengzi was examining it.

Yang Chengzi shook his head. "This thing is no flute at all. Look at this hole—its size doesn't match the others, and the gold rim isn't the original one either. This object has been tampered with."

"Ah!"

Master Yuan hurried over to take a closer look, and the fat-headed magistrate also peered intently at the hole pointed out by Yang Chengzi. Upon closer inspection, it truly was a circle larger than the rest.

"Oh dear, Master Yuan, it really is a circle larger! It truly isn't a flute after all."

"This thing originally had five holes and looked like a flute, but someone turned it into six holes. In my opinion, this thing cannot be played at all!"

Yang Chengzi put the flute back into the box, looked at Master Yuan, and continued, "This thing will invite fatal disaster. Master Yuan, I quite like your study, but this object truly cannot be kept here."

"Then—then—then what on earth is this thing?"

Without answering directly, Yang Chengzi bit his finger and let a single drop of blood fall onto the 'flute'.

With a soft hiss, the moment the blood touched the flute, it was vaporized like water turning to steam, emitting white smoke and turning into a dry bloodstain in the blink of an eye.

Only then did Yang Chengzi speak: "I am a Taoist priest who subdues demons and vanquishes evils. Master Yuan, what do you suppose this thing is?"

Seeing the blood dropped by Yang Chengzi turn out like this, Master Yuan and the fat-headed magistrate recoiled three steps in fright.

"Oh heavens, what kind of evil entity is this? Could it have been dug up from some ancient tomb? Ugh, how ominous! How ominous! Taoist Priest Yang, can—can you help me take it away and dispose of it? Master Yuan here truly dares not play with it any longer."

Yang Chengzi nodded. "I have the exact same intention. Regardless of the true origin of this object, now that I am aware of it, I certainly cannot allow such an evil artifact to remain and harm others. If Master Yuan agrees, I will take it away; I need to find a place to figure out how to destroy it."

"Take it away, take it away! Three hundred taels is a small matter, but life is paramount. To think I've been playing with such an evil artifact for over half a year—oh, what a sin! I must go find that Shopkeeper Lai and demand an explanation."

Hearing that Master Yuan intended to pick a fight, the fat-headed magistrate hurriedly stopped him.

"Sigh... Master Yuan, calm down for a moment, don't be hasty. As for Shopkeeper Lai, I advise you not to go."

"Why? He sold me such an evil object, and I can't even go settle accounts with him?"

"Just listen to me first. Setting everything else aside, he sold this item to you over half a year ago; just on that point alone, going to him is useless. If it ultimately ends up in my courtroom for judgment, the legal code is written as clear as day: the statute of limitations for any merchandise is a maximum of one hundred days, and the transaction time for this item is approaching two hundred days. No matter how good our friendship is, I cannot judge against the law."

"This thing is an evil object! It was already an evil object when he sold it to me!"

"Talking like that is useless; it's still one hundred days. Besides, even if it is an evil object, did Shopkeeper Lai ever claim he wasn't selling you an evil object?"

"He... isn't this sophistry? No, I am going to make him pay me back!"

"Oh dear, Master Yuan! Brother Yuan, I am the magistrate; I know very well how judgments are made. Why must you make such a fuss? In the end, I will still have to rule according to the code, and the two of you won't be able to smooth things over. With your grand family and vast fortune, you aren't short of these three hundred taels. Take my advice and consider it paying for a lesson; don't waste any more energy on this matter. You are destined to swallow this loss."

"This..."

Master Yuan was still burning with anger and unwilling to let the matter rest, but Yang Chengzi offered a word of persuasion as well.

"Master Yuan, as the saying goes, do not flaunt your wealth. Once you reach the courtroom, there will be many idle onlookers listening in. If they target you because of those three hundred taels, the losses might outweigh the gains. Furthermore, since Master Yuan is already entangled by petty villains, it is better to avoid extra trouble."

"Indeed, indeed! We are such close acquaintances, would I harm you? If the money can't be recovered, it simply can't be recovered. You know what this town is like—everything must be done strictly by the book. Matters handled in secret are one thing, but once it reaches the courtroom, everything is out in the open. Even if I wanted to help you, my brother, I wouldn't be able to."

"Sigh, very well then. I will listen to the two of you. Let's just treat this money as lost; fortunately, my old life was spared. I thank you both sincerely for making a special trip here today. Otherwise, I would sooner or later have fallen victim to this thing."

"Master Yuan is too polite. This is simply my duty as a man of the Tao. I shall take this object away now to prevent any complications arising from prolonged delay."

"Very well, very well. Taoist Priest Yang, do you happen to know when you will be free? I would like to host a banquet for you and Magistrate Lord to properly express my gratitude."

"There is no need for me. I neither drink alcohol nor eat meat; you may invite the Magistrate instead. If not for him telling me about capturing a thief, I wouldn't have known about this matter either. If you wish to thank someone, thank him."

"Not at all~ I merely mentioned it in passing. It's simply Master Yuan's great fortune that saved him. Shall we set up a banquet table anyway? Hehe~"

"Is Taoist Priest Yang truly not coming?"

"I still have matters to attend to, and I must dispose of this object. Banquet tables are not suited for those of us who cultivate tranquility. If anything arises, I will be staying at the Cuiwei Pavilion in the near future; you are welcome to come find me there. Farewell."

Master Yuan politely escorted Yang Chengzi out of the Yuan residence.

After bidding farewell to the two men, Yang Chengzi took the evil artifact and the box of pastries given by Master Yuan and headed straight for the Leiming Hall.

Going to the Leiming Hall naturally meant looking for Yang Shiqian. Yang Chengzi didn't know many people in these parts, and among those capable of getting things done with genuine ability, Yang Shiqian counted as one. Since Yang Chengzi couldn't find a suitable place to deal with this object, he naturally sought him out.

Along the way, Yang Chengzi pondered how he should handle the thing in his hand. If things went poorly, there might be powerful malevolent ghosts or great demons trapped inside, given the formidable ghostly aura it emitted. If improper handling of such an evil artifact accidentally released a fierce ghost or demonic entity, disaster would befall the entire region, which would be far worse than doing nothing at all.

Lacking experience in this area, Yang Chengzi decided to consult Yang Shiqian first. Perhaps he would know how to properly deal with such an object.