New Times, New Hell - Chapter 14: The Unambitious Taoist Priest

Li Tiantian stared at her friend in disbelief, caught off guard by the turn of events. She subtly tugged at Chen Siyu and whispered, “Hey, you really don’t need to do this, right?”

Despite having received a higher education and occasionally joking about bad luck, Li Tiantian was only half-convinced by metaphysics. After all, it was one thing to be skeptical, but it was another to allow someone to suddenly raise prices in front of her.

Chen Siyu pressed her lips together and said, “You don’t know; my dad’s situation hasn’t been good lately…”

Li Tiantian hadn’t expected this and gasped in surprise.

Chen Siyu’s family circumstances were somewhat complicated. Her mother had passed away early, and her father later remarried, having a son. Her stepmother and younger brother didn’t have a good relationship with her, but her father had always been very fond of her.

In a sense, Chen Siyu’s father was the only truly close person to her in her family and her most important person.

However, in the past two months, her father had suddenly faced a series of misfortunes. He had been making mistakes in his business and lost a lot of money. Perhaps due to the stress, his health had rapidly deteriorated, and he had frequently been in and out of the hospital. But the hospital couldn’t find the cause, only stating that he had some blood deficiency.

Chen Siyu watched helplessly as her father’s mental state worsened day by day, feeling desperate with no way to resolve the issue. During this time, she had to work while also taking care of her father, which left her overwhelmed and slightly dazed.

At first, she was indifferent to Li Tiantian’s suggestion and scoffed at the small company’s “fortune-transferring magnets” and luck analysis, partly because she understood that her situation was influenced by her family and wasn’t without reason, leading her to preemptively assume that the company was just spouting nonsense.

But she hadn’t expected the seemingly aloof boss to hit the nail on the head right away.

Due to her family issues, Chen Siyu rarely spoke about her home life with outsiders, including her father’s current condition, which she had never mentioned to anyone.

Yet, the fact that Shang Que could confidently assert that it was her family with problems made her willing to give it a try, even if he might just be guessing.

Feeling somewhat awkward after their previous unpleasantness, Chen Siyu steeled herself and asked, “May I ask how you know my family has been in trouble lately?”

Shang Que glanced at her indifferently. “Not recently; it started two months ago.”

Chen Siyu was genuinely taken aback. Her eyes widened as she stared at Shang Que, stammering, “H-how do you know this?”

Li Tiantian was also stunned upon hearing their conversation. “No way? Is this real?”

Yu Zhengdu smiled inscrutably at the right moment, providing a little advertising for the company: “I told you, we’re professionals.”

With just a few words, Shang Que accurately described Chen Siyu’s family situation. Regardless of how he did it, Chen Siyu felt compelled to try.

However, while she wanted to buy the magnet, Yu Zhengdu was reluctant to sell it to her easily. His surface reason was that their company specialized in health and magnetic field management, so the appropriate magnet varied by individual, and he needed to check her father’s situation at home before deciding which stone to sell her.

The real reason, of course, was that their pebbles were utterly useless; the only genuinely helpful things were techniques from the underworld.

At this point, Chen Siyu had no objections. She immediately pushed back her afternoon schedule and personally drove the two of them to her home.

Li Tiantian watched as her previously reluctant friend suddenly became even more enthusiastic than herself, leaving her momentarily speechless. She silently took a photo of Chen Siyu and the small company and sent it to their group chat.

Li Tiantian: [This morning, Siyu wasn’t willing to come buy a magnet with me; now she’s directly taking the magnet seller home…]

She had boasted several times in the chat about that pebble, and the others had teased her about it, with Chen Siyu being the most straightforward and blunt. Thus, as soon as she sent her message, the group exploded with reactions: [………………………………]

Friend A: […Siyu, if you’re being kidnapped, press 1.]

Friend B: [Li Tiantian, what have you done to Siyu!]

Friend C: [Wait, did Tiantian successfully recruit Siyu as a downline?]

Friend C: [Tiantian, wake up; this is a pyramid scheme!]

Li Tiantian: [……]

Without Chen Siyu’s permission, Li Tiantian couldn’t mention her family’s problems, so she watched the increasingly exaggerated speculations in the group, feeling irritated as she returned to work.

—

Chen Siyu’s home was located in a well-known luxury villa area, where the average price reportedly exceeded one hundred thousand. Each household had its own small garden, and upon arriving, a nanny came out to greet them.

As Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que got out of the car, they saw Chen Siyu glance at the parking area, where four cars were parked. She asked the nanny, “Are there guests today?”

The nanny replied, “A master has come; he was invited back by Shijie from Diyang, and he said he’s here to exorcise evil spirits for your father.”

Chen Siyu’s expression darkened instantly. Chen Shijie was her half-brother, and their relationship had always been average. With their stepmother stirring the pot, the sibling rivalry had only intensified over the past two years.

Chen Siyu scolded, “This is ridiculous! Are you saying Dad is seeing ghosts or has been cursed? What era are we in, still engaging in superstitious activities?”

Yu Zhengdu: “…”

Sigh.

As soon as they entered the house, they heard conversation coming from the hallway connecting to the living room.

“Master, please come this way to take a look.” A somewhat haggard-looking middle-aged man emerged first, making a gesture to invite them in.

“Dad.” Chen Siyu quickly ran over and hooked her arm around his.

Dad Chen looked a bit surprised. “Siyu, why are you back so early today?”

Chen Siyu said, “I specifically invited someone to come see you.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a young man who followed Dad Chen out sneered, “Another doctor you hired? How many have been here? None of them have helped Dad improve, so stop wasting his time.”

This man was Chen Siyu’s younger brother, Chen Shijie.

Beside Chen Shijie were two individuals dressed as Taoist priests. The older Taoist was around sixty, looking very thin with gray-white facial hair, but he appeared spirited and had a somewhat ethereal aura. The younger Taoist, trailing behind, looked to be in his early twenties and seemed to be the old Taoist’s disciple.

“I say, Dad isn’t even sick,” Chen Shijie glanced at the old Taoist, his tone quite smug. “This is Master Mu, whom I specifically invited back from Qinglian Temple in Diyang. Master Mu has just assessed Dad’s condition, and it turns out he’s being tormented by dirty spirits. You should send your doctors away.”

Chen Siyu retorted, “Who said I hired a doctor?”

“Not a doctor?” Chen Shijie looked at her suspiciously. “Then who did you invite?”

Surely she didn’t bring in a master, right? His sister had studied abroad, and she was the least likely to believe in this nonsense.

“They…” Chen Siyu turned to glance at Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que but didn’t know how to introduce them.

Yu Zhengdu stepped in at the right moment, nodding at the others with a smile, “Hello everyone, our company specializes in health management.”

The scene fell silent: “…”

Chen Shijie burst into laughter, looking at Chen Siyu, “You’re not planning to make Dad take health supplements, are you?”

Master Mu then spoke to Dad Chen, “Mr. Chen, I will begin a ritual soon. It’s best if unrelated individuals don’t remain present to avoid disruption.”

Dad Chen looked a bit troubled as he glanced at his daughter. “Siyu, Master Mu is the head of Qinglian Temple, and it wasn’t easy for Shijie to invite him. Why don’t you let your guests go back? We’ll cover their travel expenses.”

Chen Shijie shot a smug look at Chen Siyu upon hearing this.

Chen Siyu immediately protested, “Dad, Mr. Shang and Mr. Yu are professionals. You should let them take a look at you.”

Master Mu lightly waved his sleeve and said to Chen Siyu, “Miss Chen, your father is not suffering from a health issue. So-called health management cannot resolve his condition and may delay proper treatment. I suggest you refrain from pursuing that.”

Chen Shijie chimed in, “Did you hear that from the master?”

Chen Siyu felt cornered, her face reddening with anger, yet she couldn’t find the words to argue back.

At that moment, Shang Que raised his eyes and remarked, “What era are we in? Taoists haven’t progressed at all; you’re still as ignorant as in the feudal society.”

Chen Shijie was immediately furious. “Speak more politely!”

The young Taoist behind Master Mu also appeared angry and was about to argue.

However, Master Mu remained calm, signaling his disciple to step back, and politely bowed to Shang Que, replying, “This gentleman, I understand you’ve been educated in the new era, believe in science, and don’t trust in spirits. However, in this vast world, there are certainly aspects that humanity cannot fully comprehend, especially matters of yin and yang. This has been passed down for thousands of years and is not mere superstition. Just because something isn’t within our reach doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”

“I advise you to believe that it exists rather than to dismiss it.”

Master Mu spoke with a composed and firm voice, causing everyone present to feel a jolt, and even Chen Siyu couldn’t help but develop some trust in him.

Dad Chen bowed slightly and respectfully said, “What the master said is reasonable.”

Chen Shijie felt even prouder and was about to rebuke Shang Que.

Just then, Shang Que displayed a look of disdain and replied indifferently, “Who said I don’t believe in spirits? I’m saying that you Taoists have made no advancements over the years; your techniques haven’t progressed at all.”

Master Mu: “???”

Others: “???”

Chen Shijie, who was about to speak, was taken aback, looking confusedly at Shang Que and then at Chen Siyu.

Chen Siyu was also perplexed and glanced back at Shang Que.

Aren’t you the ones who deal with magnetic field transfers?

Master Mu inquired humbly, “May I ask, what kind of technical advancements are you referring to?”

Shang Que replied, “After all these years, you still have to perform rituals to exorcise spirits. No wonder people consider you a feudal superstition.”

Master Mu felt as if he had been played and nearly lost his composure. His disciple, more angered than ever, stepped forward, saying, “What kind of joke is this? How can you exorcise spirits without performing a ritual? This is a skill passed down from our ancestors for thousands of years. Don’t label it as feudal superstition…”

Shang Que openly displayed his contempt this time, saying, “Passed down for thousands of years, and you still call it not feudal superstition? This is precisely what was eliminated during the Cultural Revolution.”

The Taoist became furious.

Chen Shijie was also enraged.

Dad Chen, fearing his children would get into a public fight, hurriedly attempted to mediate, “My friend, that’s not how we should discuss this…”

Shang Que abruptly pulled Yu Zhengdu, saying, “Take out our app and let these Taoists see some new technology.”

Dad Chen didn’t finish his sentence, looking at him in confusion, “Huh? What new technology?”

Shang Que snorted lightly, his expression cold. “A yin energy detector that uses the latest technology to scientifically analyze the possibility of you being haunted.”

The scene fell silent: “…”

Yu Zhengdu: “…”

Boss, can you at least package the language a bit better…