When I saw Chen Zihao, I knew that it wasn't a business visit, it was trouble. After the scene where Huang Jiu had embarrassed him at the construction site, him coming over could only mean one thing — he was here to cause trouble.
Thinking this way, I didn't bother to get up and greet him.
As soon as Chen Zihao stepped into the store, he looked at me and Huang Jiu, both of us with greasy mouths, and sneered. "Kid, you dare sell a broken talisman for ten thousand yuan? Are you out of your mind?"
Talisman? Zhang Ying?
I remembered that they went to the same school and were probably members of the Spirit Exploration Club. With Zhang Ying's personality, she must have been bragging about it in the club.
But even if that was the case, how much they paid for my talisman was none of his business! This was just like a dog poking its nose into someone else's business.
Before I could say anything, the old man who came with Chen Zihao arrogantly spoke up, "Young friend, I see you are also someone from the same path, but I don't know where your master is from."
Without waiting for me to answer, he continued, "I am He Xiaoyun from the Longhu Mountain."
The old man proudly introduced himself.
Then, in a scolding tone, he continued, "As a member of the Daoist sect, you should follow the proper conduct. But not only do you deceive and swindle, you also associate with evil spirits, tarnishing the reputation of our kind. This should not be allowed."
I couldn't help but frown. This wasn't just picking a fight — this old man was here to lecture me in my own store.
When Huang Jiu heard He Xiaoyun calling it an evil spirit, the chicken leg it was holding immediately lost its flavor. It threw the leg aside, put its hands on its hips, and scolded, "You old bastard, are you a machine gun or did you eat something that upset your stomach? You're spitting nonsense as soon as you open your mouth!"
"This is a place of business. If you have something to say, say it. If not, get the hell out of here."
Once Huang Jiu spoke, it was clear whether the situation was going anywhere.
I wisely decided to stay silent.
Chen Zihao saw Huang Jiu and quickly hid behind He Xiaoyun, looking scared.
He Xiaoyun's face turned dark when Huang Jiu insulted him. He raised his hand and pointed at Huang Jiu. Just as he was about to say something, Huang Jiu interrupted, "What do you mean 'you'? You're seventy years old, and you still need to lie in a coffin and rest. Stop embarrassing yourself and come out to make a fool of yourself."
"And Longhu Mountain? Are all the people from Longhu Mountain as useless as you? You're over sixty and still have no Daoist energy!"
I was puzzled at first, but after hearing Huang Jiu's insults, I realized that this old man was actually pretending to be from Longhu Mountain. It wasn't true, he was just blowing his own trumpet.
Chen Zihao didn't quite understand what Huang Jiu was saying, but he still urged He Xiaoyun, "Master He, didn't you say you have the ability to catch evil spirits? Hurry up and catch this vile beast. Once that's done, we won't have to worry about Li Yang!"
Huang Jiu sneered, "Old bastard, you keep talking about how we're deceiving people. I think you're the real scammer."
Looking at Chen Zihao, it said, "Kid, with your brain, you deserve to be sold and help count the money. I'm standing here today, let's see if you dare to try and catch me!"
Huang Jiu's momentum was overwhelming, and it didn't give He Xiaoyun a chance to speak.
However, this talk also forced He Xiaoyun into a corner, making him feel like he had to act now.
"You beast, I'm going to peel your skin and pull out your tendons!" He Xiaoyun shouted in fury. He quickly took out a red line woven fishing net from behind him and threw it toward Huang Jiu's head.
But as the saying goes, people who speak harshly are always prepared to get slapped in the face.
Huang Jiu wasn't human, but it had this kind of awareness. As soon as the fishing net descended, it swiftly slid under the table. The net was blocked by the table, and when He Xiaoyun tried to pull it, he ended up pulling all of Uncle's teacups to the ground, breaking them into pieces.
At first, I didn't want to interfere because Chen Zihao only seemed to want to target Huang Jiu.
But once they started destroying the store's items, it was a different matter.
Before I could speak up, Huang Jiu's head popped out from under the table, its eyes glowing bright green, almost as bright as its head.
He Xiaoyun, who was about to throw another net, froze and started twiddling his fingers while slowly unbuckling his belt.
I was speechless. Huang Jiu didn't discriminate based on age or gender — it seemed everyone was fair game.
However, just as the pants were about to fall, He Xiaoyun suddenly snapped out of his trance. He lurched forward and spat a mouthful of blood, hitting the ground.
Huang Jiu couldn't avoid it in time, and its fur got stained with the blood.
But fortunately, He Xiaoyun had no Daoist energy, so this blood wasn't real Yang Qi, and it didn't hurt Huang Jiu. What was surprising was that the old man, despite being so old, still had the body of a virgin, and the blood broke Huang Jiu's spell over him.
He Xiaoyun broke free from Huang Jiu's control, and his hand reached for his waist to pull out a yellow talisman, preparing to throw it at Huang Jiu.
I was just about to stop him when suddenly, Uncle rushed in from outside. Without saying a word, he kicked both He Xiaoyun and Chen Zihao, sending them sprawling onto the ground.
"Old dog He, even if my temple is small, it's not a place for you to run wild," Uncle said, recognizing He Xiaoyun. When he saw the broken teacups on the floor, his face grew even darker.
He Xiaoyun scrambled to his feet, pulling Chen Zihao up as well. Both of their faces were full of frustration.
He Xiaoyun couldn't save face, while Chen Zihao was simply scared.
Even though he was arrogant, at the end of the day, he was just an ordinary man. He was genuinely afraid of Huang Jiu and Uncle.
But people like this only fear the present. If given the chance, they would still try to cause trouble.
Typical "no tears until you see the coffin."
After several defeats, He Xiaoyun couldn't stand the humiliation. He gritted his teeth and said, "Li, you allow your nephew to swindle people and don't stop it. If you don't put a stop to it, I'll report you to Longhu Mountain, and you won't be able to escape!"
I frowned. From his words, it seemed he might have some real connection to Longhu Mountain.
But Uncle just sneered and asked, "Old dog He, how much did my nephew Li Yang scam you out of?"
The talisman-selling thing had nothing to do with him.
However, the old dog was thick-skinned. He spoke up without any shame, "Even if I wasn't the one being scammed, I'm a person of integrity and can't stand seeing these things happening…"
Before he could finish, Uncle snorted again, "So you're just an old dog poking its nose into other people's business. If you're not happy, go ahead and sue me, but right now, get the hell out of here."
This was the first time I'd seen Uncle this angry. His fists were crackling.
Seeing Uncle's anger, He Xiaoyun was finally a little scared. He pulled Chen Zihao and said, "Chen Shao, let's retreat today. We'll come back another time!"
He said this without any shame at all.
Chen Zihao, still afraid of Huang Jiu, could only nod in agreement. They both scurried out of the store.
As they left, I caught up with Chen Zihao and called out, "Today, for Zhang Ying's sake, I won't hold it against you. But let me remind you, even if you can bring people from Longhu Mountain, it won't be anyone you can handle."
Chen Zihao seemed to understand my meaning. He didn't respond and hurriedly got into the car, leaving with He Xiaoyun.
After they were gone, I turned to Uncle, worried that I might have caused him some trouble.