The zombie disaster and the Feng Shui masters have been dealt with, and the crisis is over.

"You can come out now, it's all clear."

Uncle Nine called out to the people inside the house.

Inside, Master Ren, Qiusheng, and a few others heard Uncle Nine's voice.

After some shuffling, they moved aside the cabinet and miscellaneous items, opened the door, and came out.

"Uncle Nine, is everything resolved? No loose ends, right?"

Ren Fa hurriedly inquired about the details.

He had been through two terrifying experiences, and his little heart couldn't take much more. The past few days had been more thrilling and dangerous than anything he'd ever experienced in his life.

"It's all taken care of. That Feng Shui master, well, that's the pile of ashes over there."

Uncle Nine was a bit displeased. Did they doubt his abilities?

"Good, good, as long as it's all resolved. Thank you so much, Uncle Nine."

Master Ren finally let go of his worries after receiving confirmation.

Afterward, Uncle Nine organized everyone to clean up the aftermath.

Once Old Master Ren was reduced to ashes, Ren Fa and Ren Tingting were tasked with tidying up and preparing for his burial in a few days.

Xiao Yu, Wencai, and Qiusheng were responsible for cleaning up the other zombies and removing the lingering corpse and evil qi.

After a lot of hard work, they finally finished cleaning up. Everyone was exhausted and returned inside to rest.

The next day, after enjoying a sumptuous breakfast prepared by Master Ren, Uncle Nine and Master Ren discussed the burial arrangements for Old Master Ren.

At this moment, Ah Wei arrived.

"What are you doing here? Did you come to see if I'm dead?"

Ren Fa was very displeased with Ah Wei. He had fled during the crisis last night, proving unreliable.

"I'm really worried about Uncle and Cousin..."

Ah Wei put on a worried expression, concerned for the safety of Ren Fa and Ren Tingting.

Seeing Ah Wei's pretentious demeanor only made Ren Fa angrier. He thought to himself that this guy was more trouble than he was worth and decided he needed to send him somewhere else.

A few days later, Old Master Ren was finally laid to rest, and everything settled down.

***

After handling all the affairs, Master Ren found some time to host a banquet to thank Uncle Nine and his disciples.

"Thanks to Uncle Nine's help, the Ren family can finally live in peace. Tingting, join me in toasting Uncle Nine."

Ren Fa stood up and toasted Uncle Nine in gratitude.

"Thank you, Uncle Nine. Tingting toasts to you."

Ren Tingting stood up to toast.

"Exorcising demons and upholding justice is what we should do."

Uncle Nine raised his glass, solemnly swearing to uphold the righteous path.

"Thank you, Uncle Nine, for protecting my daughter and me. If you ever need anything, just let me know, and I'll make sure it's done."

Ren Fa, being worldly and experienced, knew the existence of supernatural entities and was eager to strengthen his relationship with Uncle Nine.

After thanking Uncle Nine, Ren Fa raised his glass to Xiao Yu.

"Tingting, let's toast to our virtuous nephew, Xiao Yu."

"Xiao Yu, thank you for protecting my father and me."

Ren Tingting raised her glass to Xiao Yu, expressing her heartfelt gratitude.

"Xiao Yu, your skills are impressive. You took down two zombies by yourself and even assisted Uncle Nine."

Master Ren was full of praise for Xiao Yu's performance and held him in high regard.

"Master Ren, Miss Ren, you flatter me. Surviving the crisis safely is our greatest hope."

Xiao Yu raised his glass, humbly responding with a few polite words.

Afterward, Ren Fa also toasted Wencai and Qiusheng, even though their performance wasn't as remarkable.

But experienced Ren Fa handled everything so well that none of the guests felt uncomfortable.

"Come, let me toast Uncle Nine and our virtuous nephews again. With Uncle Nine, a master of the Dao, and several accomplished practitioners in Ren Family Town, we will surely prosper."

Ren Fa flattered and exchanged toasts with Uncle Nine and the others, making everyone enjoy their meal.

After the feast, Ren Fa invited Uncle Nine and the others to the living room for tea.

After a while, Ren Fa signaled to a servant.

The servant immediately brought a tray full of silver dollars to the group.

"Uncle Nine, thank you for protecting the Ren family. This is a token of my appreciation."

Ren Fa expressed his gratitude to Uncle Nine.

Xiao Yu took a closer look, and wow, there were about two or three hundred silver dollars, a considerable fortune in today's economy.

Qiusheng and Wencai's eyes lit up at the sight of so much money.

Uncle Nine was momentarily taken aback by the amount of silver dollars.

"Exorcising demons and upholding justice is our duty, not for money. Master Ren, you're too kind."

Uncle Nine was not a greedy person and began to decline the money.

"Uncle Nine, your great kindness in protecting the Ren family is beyond words. I can only offer these worldly goods. Please accept them, or I won't be at ease."

Ren Fa insisted that Uncle Nine accept the money as a token of gratitude.

Wencai and Qiusheng were anxious, thinking their master shouldn't refuse the silver dollars.

In the end, under Ren Fa's insistence, Uncle Nine accepted half, totaling one hundred and fifty silver dollars.

Ren Fa signaled again, and the servant brought more silver dollars forward.

"Thank you, virtuous nephew, for protecting the Ren family. The protective jade plaques you provided were excellent and helped my daughter and me through several crises."

Master Ren expressed his gratitude to Xiao Yu and offered to buy the protective jade plaques.

Xiao Yu glanced at Uncle Nine, wondering if he would have any objections, but Uncle Nine remained silent.

"Sure, the jade plaques you have now are for your protection and have been used several times, depleting their spiritual power. I'll give you new protective jade plaques."

Xiao Yu agreed and stated that he wouldn't charge for the previous jade plaques.

"Great, thank you, virtuous nephew."

Ren Fa happily paid for two new protective jade plaques and also gave Xiao Yu an additional two hundred silver dollars.

Uncle Nine had no objections because he knew Xiao Yu needed money to support his crafting of magical artifacts, which consumed a lot of materials.

Master Ren also thanked Qiusheng and Wencai.

Qiusheng received twenty silver dollars.

Wencai received ten silver dollars and was a bit unhappy.

After Ren Fa's courteous invitation, Uncle Nine bid farewell and left with Xiao Yu, Qiusheng, and Wencai, returning to the mortuary.

Back at the mortuary, Uncle Nine gathered Xiao Yu, Qiusheng, and Wencai in the living room for a meeting, planning to confiscate and manage the silver dollars that Wencai thought were too few.

Discover the complete story on pawread.com

"Hand over your money. From now on, I'll distribute your wages based on your contributions."

Uncle Nine looked at the three with ill intent, thinking young people spend money recklessly, so it's better for him to manage it.

"Master, this money was given to me by Master Ren for my efforts."

Hearing this, Qiusheng quickly protested.

"Yes, Master, Ren Fa only gave me ten silver dollars. You should ask Qiusheng and Junior Brother."

Wencai was also unhappy and immediately tried to shift the blame to Qiusheng and Xiao Yu, especially Xiao Yu, who received a lot of money.

"You dare complain about getting little money? You said you were protecting Master Ren and Miss Ren, but you hid behind Tingting."

Qiusheng, seeing Wencai's lack of loyalty, directly exposed Wencai's embarrassing incident.

"So that's what happened. You dare complain about getting little money? If it were me, I wouldn't give you a single copper coin."

Uncle Nine, upon hearing this, scolded Wencai on the spot.

"You don't work hard in your cultivation, and when it matters, you're useless and bring shame to my name."

Uncle Nine scolded his two incompetent disciples with a dark expression.

Qiusheng and Wencai didn't dare to speak up, obediently placing their silver dollars on the table.

Xiao Yu also took out his silver dollars.

Uncle Nine, seeing this, stopped him.

"Xiao Yu, you don't need to. You took down two zombies, one of which was a black Corpse. Your contribution is significant, so keep the money.

By the way, how did you defeat the black Corpse?"

Uncle Nine inquired, curious to know the details.

"I broke through to the Ninth Level of Qi Refining during the battle. That zombie wasn't as strong as the one Old Master Ren turned into. I used a lot of talismans to deplete its corpse qi before finally defeating it."

Xiao Yu crafted a story to satisfy Uncle Nine's curiosity.

"You broke through to the Ninth Level of Qi Refining? Congratulations! You're catching up with some of your peers."

Uncle Nine was pleasantly surprised and smiled with joy at Xiao Yu's progress.

Xiao Yu humbly replied, "I wouldn't dare compare myself to the seniors. I still need to work hard in my cultivation.

Since everyone handed over their money, I'll treat you all equally."

Xiao Yu returned to the original topic, taking out his silver dollars, which were quite heavy.

"Alright, here's the deal: you take out fifty silver dollars, and you don't need to hand over the money from selling the magical artifacts. You consume a lot of materials crafting them, so you need money to buy more."

Uncle Nine considered it for a moment and then spoke.

Since Uncle Nine said so, they followed his suggestion, and Xiao Yu took out fifty silver dollars.

Uncle Nine gathered the silver dollars and began distributing wages.

"Xiao Yu, twenty silver dollars for you."

"Qiusheng, five silver dollars for you."

After that, Uncle Nine fell silent.

"What about me, Master?"

Wencai anxiously asked.

Then Wencai was in trouble. Uncle Nine calculated food expenses and other costs, leaving Wencai with only a few copper coins.

***

A few days of peaceful life were disrupted when Qiusheng returned to the mortuary looking haggard and tainted with ghostly qi.

Xiao Yu suddenly remembered that there was such a plot. The events from a few days ago happened too fast and intensely to think about it.

At night, Qiusheng rode his bike home, with Uncle Nine and Xiao Yu following closely behind.

They watched as Qiusheng entered an abandoned house, and Uncle Nine and Xiao Yu quietly sneaked in.

They saw Qiusheng getting intimate with a beautiful woman.

Uncle Nine, seeing this, was furious and shouted;

"Bold ghost, how dare you harm my disciple."

He simultaneously cast a talisman, blasting the female ghost away.

After a mist of yin qi dispersed, the female ghost revealed her true form. Qiusheng, seeing her real appearance, turned pale and retched.

The female ghost, enraged, immediately engaged in a fight with Uncle Nine.

Unfortunately, the female ghost was no match for Uncle Nine and was suppressed at every turn, in a precarious situation.

The female ghost suddenly used a bewitching technique on Qiusheng, trying to distract Uncle Nine.

Qiusheng, under the spell, grabbed a chair and charged at Uncle Nine.

Xiao Yu quickly intervened, engaging in a fight with Qiusheng.

Meanwhile, the female ghost, severely injured by Uncle Nine, was in a critical situation and called out to Qiusheng for help.

"Qiusheng, Qiusheng, save me."

Hearing this, Qiusheng immediately turned to rescue her.

Xiao Yu pulled out a Clear Mind Talisman and slapped it on Qiusheng's head, clearing his muddled mind.

"Master, please spare Little Jade."

However, even after regaining his senses, Qiusheng saw the female ghost pleading for help and couldn't help but feel compassion, asking Uncle Nine for mercy.

"Do you know what you're saying? Do you want to be drained by it?"

Uncle Nine, hearing this, was furious and harshly scolded.

"I didn't mean to harm Qiusheng."

Little Jade interjected, claiming she had no intention of harming anyone.

"Yes, Master, Little Jade didn't mean to harm me."

Qiusheng chimed in, agreeing.

"Silence! Hmph, humans and ghosts are different. Ghosts bring misfortune, illness, and bad luck, and they shorten your lifespan. Do you still dare?"

Uncle Nine angrily scolded.

Hearing the consequences, Qiusheng was terrified and didn't dare look at the female ghost again.

In the end, Uncle Nine spared the female ghost, sternly warning her not to seek out Qiusheng again, or he wouldn't show mercy.

"Qiusheng, goodbye."

The female ghost looked at Qiusheng before disappearing.

After resolving Qiusheng's issue, life returned to peaceful cultivation.

Sometimes, Ren Tingting would visit Xiao Yu, inviting him to her home.

"Wencai, you have no chance with Tingting."

Qiusheng teased Wencai upon seeing this.

"Tingting, Tingting, my dear Tingting."

Wencai lamented.

Wencai was heartbroken for several days until Xiao Yu treated Qiusheng and Wencai to a big meal in town, cheering him up.

"Hey, why haven't we seen Ah Wei in the town's security team for a while?"

Wencai noticed the patrolling security team but didn't see the annoying figure.

"Don't you know? Ah Wei was transferred to the neighboring Huang Family Town or Huang Family Village as the security captain."

Qiusheng explained.

"Is that a promotion or a demotion?" Wencai asked, confused.

"Not sure. I haven't been there, but compared to being unfamiliar with the place, Ah Wei would likely have a better time in Ren Family Town."

Qiusheng thought for a moment and responded to Wencai's question.

After their meal, Xiao Yu, Qiusheng, and Wencai strolled the streets and happened to run into Ren Tingting.

Xiao Yu left Wencai and Qiusheng behind to stroll with Ren Tingting.

Ren Tingting's father had no objections to Xiao Yu and Ren Tingting's relationship. Having personally experienced supernatural events, he felt a constant sense of insecurity and even encouraged their relationship due to Xiao Yu's status as a Taoist.

"Tingting, are you tired from walking? Let's go inside for a coffee and rest."

Passing by a café, Xiao Yu suggested they take a break.

"Sure, I'm a bit tired."

Ren Tingting agreed with a smile.

They ordered some items and chatted while enjoying their drinks.

"Is your master's place far from here?"

Ren Tingting asked about Xiao Yu's situation.

"It's a day's journey. Why?"

"A day's journey is quite far. What are your plans for the future?"

Ren Tingting wanted to know Xiao Yu's thoughts.

"Ren Family Town has a nice environment and is quite prosperous, suitable for settling down."

Xiao Yu caught the hint and immediately expressed that Ren Family Town was his top choice for settling down.

"Really? Then you should move here in the future."

Ren Tingting's face lit up with joy.

"Sure, I'll discuss it with my master."

Xiao Yu was also pleased.

They continued chatting about the outside world until evening when Xiao Yu escorted Ren Tingting home. At Master Ren's invitation, he stayed for dinner.

"Virtuous nephew, I heard from Uncle Nine that you crafted those protective jade plaques."

After dinner, Master Ren chatted with Xiao Yu.

"That's correct."

Xiao Yu nodded.

"I have some ideas. I wonder if they're feasible. Is it easy for you to craft magical artifacts, virtuous nephew?"

Ren Fa pondered for a moment before probing Xiao Yu's thoughts.

"It's manageable. Crafting ten pieces and having two or three fail, or even three or four, is common."

Xiao Yu wasn't sure what Ren Fa intended, so he modestly didn't reveal the full truth.

"Virtuous nephew, do you think these magical jade plaques could be marketed?"

Ren Fa wanted to turn the artifacts into commodities.

"It's possible, but the quantity won't be large. Considering the cost of materials, crafting, and experimental losses, the price will be high."

Xiao Yu understood that Ren Fa wanted to do business with the magical artifacts.

"Don't worry about the price; there will be buyers."

Ren Fa was confident that the venture could succeed, assuring Xiao Yu that he wasn't afraid of high prices.

With his connections, he wasn't worried about finding a market.

"This is feasible. For mass production, you'll need to purchase and collect jade materials, Uncle."

Xiao Yu guessed some of Ren Fa's intentions, realizing he planned to use his connections and guarantee to target wealthy clients.

After discussing the profit-sharing, they agreed on a sixty-forty split, with Xiao Yu receiving sixty and Ren Fa forty.

Ren Fa would also handle the material procurement, believing he could still make a substantial profit.

After finalizing the details and setting a delivery date, Xiao Yu left the Ren residence.

***

At Uncle Nine's Mortuary.

Outside of cultivation, Xiao Yu spent his time crafting protective jade plaques and developing a few types of artifacts that could sense and actively trigger against yin evil.

After some time passed.

On the agreed date, Xiao Yu brought the artifacts to the Ren family.

Ren Tingting, intrigued, joined him in the study.

Xiao Yu laid out the artifacts and introduced them to the two.

"You've seen the protective jade plaques, so no need to explain. Here are ten jade plaques.

These swords are inscribed with runes that can actively trigger against yin evil, unleashing the power of talismans. However, they're only effective against low-level ghosts and wandering spirits.

And these talismans, Peace Talismans, Protective Amulets, and House Warding Talismans, don't require a cultivator's spiritual power to activate."

He explained the functions of the artifacts and talismans one by one.

"What is spiritual power? Is it a power only Taoists have?"

Ren Tingting curiously asked.

"Spiritual power is the energy cultivated from absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and it requires reaching a certain level of cultivation."

Xiao Yu explained simply to Ren Tingting.

Under Xiao Yu's introduction, Ren Fa understood the functions and uses of various artifacts and talismans.

After spending most of the day at the Ren family, Ren Fa invited Xiao Yu to dinner before he prepared to leave.

Ren Fa also had the materials he purchased and collected sent to Uncle Nine's place with the help of a servant.

At the mortuary.

"Xiao Yu, what is this..."

Uncle Nine saw the materials being delivered and asked Xiao Yu about it.

"Master, it's like this..."

Xiao Yu explained the situation to Uncle Nine.

Uncle Nine thought for a moment and had no objections. Although the price of the artifacts was high, he figured they were being sold to wealthy individuals, so it didn't matter.

Moreover, these artifacts and talismans were all defensive in nature and only effective against yin evil, so there was no concern about them being used for nefarious purposes.

Xiao Yu's crafted artifacts were gradually delivered to the Ren family.

Ren Fa reported that sales were going well, and he was selling them for five hundred to seven hundred silver dollars, making a huge profit.

---

Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan