Chapter 219: “…your cooking is poisonous”
After being beaten by Yu Guang, both the Exorcism Bureau and the major families in Zhuzhou City fell into an eerie silence.
The elders of the Exorcism Bureau lost face and retreated into seclusion.
The cultivators of the bureau, who formed its backbone, were similarly subdued. Aside from the scholarly faction that hadn’t participated, the rest stayed quiet as chickens, nursing their wounds.
Several families closely tied to the Exorcism Bureau, having witnessed Yu Guang’s violent methods, dared not provoke this harbinger of misfortune any further.
Take the Zhen family, for example. Once reputed as the largest family in Zhuzhou and the financial backer of the Exorcism Bureau, they had suffered greatly for standing out. Their downfall seemed imminent.
Not only had their largest pearl mining field been single-handedly destroyed by Yu Guang, but within days, he had also led his group to arrest several infamous troublemakers among their ranks.
Now, the Zhen family had shut their doors to visitors, with no one daring to step outside.
“We can’t let him continue to act so arrogantly. Is there really no way to restrain him?”
“How could someone his age possess such profound cultivation and monstrous strength? Could it be true, as the rumors suggest, that he is the reincarnation of some ancestral master?”
“…”
Those gathered to discuss the situation had varying thoughts. After exchanging glances, someone suddenly proposed:
“Yu Guang is indeed formidable. Direct confrontation is not an option. Why not acknowledge his status, elevate him, and use him to our advantage?”
“In terms of strength, we can’t match him. But in terms of cunning, are we really afraid of a young brat?”
Unwilling to give up, this group sought out the Divine Academy, hoping to enlist Wang Rongqing and the head of the academy as intermediaries to negotiate peace with Yu Guang.
“Actually, it was all just a misunderstanding before. Yu Guang is young and talented, so it’s understandable that he might act impulsively. We can empathize with that.”
“We, as the elders, acted out of concern, fearing that the younger generation might stray down the wrong path. That’s why we tried to correct him, but who would have thought it would escalate to this?”
Those same people who had previously clamored for Yu Guang to be judged and dealt with now changed their tune. They discussed with Wang Rongqing, saying:
“We can’t just let Yu Guang and those young people from the Pei and Ban families run amok any longer. After careful consideration, we’ve decided that since Yu Guang has such abilities, it would be a waste of talent to overlook him.”
“Let’s make him the Director of the Exorcism Bureau for the Dongyu Street branch. What do you think?”
One of the persuaders chimed in tactfully, “There’s never been such a young cultivator managing a branch of the Exorcism Bureau, but Yu Guang’s situation is unique. It seems fitting in this case.”
“We acknowledge Yu Guang’s strength. However, he is still young, and training him step by step would be a more stable approach. Elder Wang, what do you think?”
Wang Rongqing: “…”
No matter how they spun it, it was clear they realized they couldn’t defeat Yu Guang. So, they reluctantly decided to appease him, but they were unwilling to make any real sacrifices, hoping to placate him with a token position.
Did they think everyone else was a fool?
“You’ve found the wrong person. I can’t control Yu Guang,” Wang Rongqing replied with a stern expression.
The visitors grew anxious. “How could you not be able to? Isn’t Yu Guang the talent you discovered? You have a mentor-student bond with him and have always been his staunch supporter. Even if he listens to no one else, he would still show you some respect.”
“If Elder Wang refuses to help, are you going to just stand by and watch that kid tear down the Exorcism Bureau, which has been around for years? If that happens, how will we have a foothold in Zhuzhou? Elder Wang, if you won’t consider our plight, at least think about your own!”
Wang Rongqing finally understood—they still hadn’t grasped the current reality. They were stuck in the past, thinking that once they dealt with the troublemaker, everything would return to peace and harmony.
Recalling what Yu Guang had told her just a couple of days ago, Wang Rongqing couldn’t help but sigh. This young man truly had an extraordinary ability to foresee events. Not only was he powerful, but he also possessed a rare attentiveness.
It seemed that only someone like him could carve out a new path.
“It’s no use saying anything to me,” she said. “If you dare, go and negotiate with Yu Guang yourselves.”
With that, Wang Rongqing showed the group out. She then turned back to the old headmaster, who had been sitting quietly, pretending to see and hear nothing.
“Who could have imagined this day would come?” Wang Rongqing mused. “Back then, I just hoped Yu Guang could bring a few positive changes to the Exorcism Bureau. I never expected he’d achieve so much.”
“But now, I wonder how he plans to wrap things up.”
The old headmaster chuckled. “Wrap things up? Isn’t it already settled? The ones who can’t wrap things up now are the old Exorcism Bureau.”
“Those old folks in the bureau still haven’t given up. A few more beatings from the younger generation might help them see the reality.”
The group, now effectively referred to as the “old Exorcism Bureau,” was left with no choice after being rejected by Wang Rongqing. They reluctantly decided to approach Yu Guang directly to negotiate.
For the past few days, Yu Guang had been outside Zhuzhou City’s gates with his people, building a structure. It was a modest yet spacious two-story building with a large front hall and a backyard for living quarters.
This would be their new office for the Exorcism Bureau.
The location was just outside the city gates, near a cluster of tea stalls and makeshift stands where farmers sold melons and vegetables.
Initially, the tea stall owners thought another competitor had arrived. After asking around, they were shocked to learn that this was going to be the new Exorcism Bureau.
For ordinary people, the mention of the Exorcism Bureau conjured up images of lofty, unreachable golden halls. Unless one handed over a significant amount of money, the people within those golden halls wouldn’t even acknowledge them.
If not for being driven to the brink by evil spirits, no one would willingly step into the Exorcism Bureau. Between that place and the evil spirits, it was hard to say which was more terrifying.
“Big Brother, I’ve seen how grand those Exorcism Bureau buildings are in the city. Why don’t we make ours even bigger and better?”
Yu Guang, squatting by the half-framed doorway and munching on a melon, responded with a light knock to the speaking youth’s head. “Build something lavish and intimidating, so ordinary folks won’t dare step inside?”
“Big Brother’s right,” replied Pei Wenjue, who was also squatting nearby in a straw hat, chewing on a melon. “This is supposed to be a place for people to report issues with evil spirits. As long as it’s spacious and convenient, that’s enough.”
“Then, Big Brother,” another youth asked, “why are we building our new Exorcism Bureau right by the city gates? What’s the purpose of that?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” someone else chimed in. “So people will see our new Exorcism Bureau at first glance! A spot by the gates couldn’t be more prominent.”
“I get it! The villages and towns we’ve been to have far more evil spirits than inside the city. By placing our Exorcism Bureau at the gates, those villagers will come to us first instead of going into the city to find the old bureau!”
“Wait, isn’t this just stealing their business? Like those tea stalls over there—doesn’t the first one at the entrance always get the best customers?”
As the group of young workers paused their labor to snack on melons, their chatter grew lively, but in the end, they all turned to Yu Guang for confirmation.
Taking a big bite of his melon, Yu Guang replied, “By building at the gates instead of inside the city, poor folks from remote villages won’t have to pay the city entrance fee to seek help from the Exorcism Bureau.”
Everyone: “…” They were once again stunned into silence by their Big Brother’s unexpected wisdom.
Finishing the last bite of his melon, Yu Guang stood up. “Alright, back to work.”
…
Meanwhile, a few managers sent by the old Exorcism Bureau had tracked Yu Guang down. When they arrived at the construction site, they almost didn’t recognize the dusty, sweat-covered youth hefting several wooden beams—none other than the very “harbinger of doom” who had beaten them all senseless not long ago.
Forcing smiles, the managers approached Yu Guang, speaking in veiled terms to express their desire for reconciliation. They flattered him profusely, showering him with compliments.
In their minds, winning Yu Guang over didn’t seem like a difficult task.
After all, the stereotype went: if someone was incredibly strong and acted straightforwardly, they were probably simple-minded and easy to deceive.
To them, Yu Guang fit that mold perfectly.
“If you’re willing, you’re welcome to visit the Exorcism Bureau anytime to discuss further. As for the misunderstandings in the past, we’re more than willing to offer our apologies. We’re very sincere about this,” they said.
Yu Guang listened patiently to their flowery words, wiped the sweat off his forehead with a towel, and replied, “If I remember correctly, I already said the old Exorcism Bureau was disbanded. So why are you still here? Did you not hear me?”
The managers’ smiles froze instantly, while the young men eavesdropping nearby couldn’t hold back their snickers, laughing under their breath.
Embarrassed and defeated, the managers left in a hurry. Yu Guang turned to the group of youths who had gathered around and said, “They just reminded me—there’s something we haven’t done yet.”
“We helped the old Exorcism Bureau deal with so many evil spirits, but we haven’t collected the rest of the payment. Tomorrow, we’ll go and get it back as startup funds for our new bureau. And while we’re at it, we’ll remind them to disband already.”
The ever-excited group of youths chimed in, “Why wait until tomorrow? Let’s go today!”
“Let’s go, let’s go! Today it is. Wash your faces, grab your tools, and let’s head out!”
“Shi Bai, stop mixing mud and come watch the fun with us!”
“Ban Ying, your little sister is still playing here. Are you bringing her along, or should she stay and wait?”
“Wait a second, why is Yu Yin still sitting alone on the wall? Someone help him down!”
Big Brother brought them all here to build the house, and no one was exempt from helping out—not even Yu Yin.
In his past life, the villain who lurked in the shadows, stirring up storms and committing countless evil deeds, now found himself sitting on a wall, using black silk threads to hoist bricks, acting as a makeshift crane.
The once fearsome spider silk that struck terror into hearts now only elicited silly laughter from the group of youths. They praised it enthusiastically, saying, “It’s so convenient!”
A few mischievous boys even came up with the idea to ask if the silk could be used as wigs or fake beards. They pestered Yu Yin to make some for them to play with.
If it weren’t for Yu Guang standing nearby, watching him intently, Yu Yin might have strung these boys together on his threads like beads.
Forced to do what his big brother cheerfully called “exercise,” Yu Yin endured the manual labor, sitting on the wall and baking under the sun.
Had it not been for his unique constitution, he would’ve been as sunburned as the rest of the boys, who were turning into charcoal under the scorching rays.
“Youngest, jump down. Big Brother will catch you,” Yu Guang said, standing below the wall with his arms outstretched after washing his hands.
Yu Yin lifted a brick and hurled it down instead. Yu Guang caught it effortlessly and set it aside, looking perfectly righteous as he said, “Stop messing around. Let’s get back to work.”
Yu Yin’s face was dark with anger—he’d been fuming for two days now.
While everyone else working on the house had straw hats to shield them from the sun, he alone was left without one.
And Yu Guang, the so-called big brother, even had the audacity to say, “Just let him soak up the sun.”
It took Yu Guang clapping his hands below the wall for quite a while to coax his sulking brother down.
When he finally caught Yu Yin securely in his arms, Yu Guang inspected his little brother’s sun-reddened face and earnestly remarked, “Youngest, more sun exposure is good for you. Really, you have to trust your big brother.”
Yu Yin coldly huffed, glaring at the boys who were tossing their straw hats around like toys.
Suddenly, a straw hat landed on his head. Yu Guang sighed in surrender. “Alright, alright. Big Brother’s hat is yours. You can wear it tomorrow, happy?”
Yu Yin’s huff softened a bit, but as he held the rough straw hat, a sudden realization struck him: he hadn’t been upset about the hat in the first place. He simply didn’t want to help them build the house.
On the very first night, he’d even fought with his big brother over it, but Yu Guang had pinned him to the bed and lectured him for half the night.
Ever since they’d been able to communicate telepathically, Yu Yin had lost the ability to pretend he was mute. Yu Guang had grabbed his hands and feet, forcing him to promise that he would work diligently before finally letting him go.
Clutching the straw hat, Yu Yin’s expression shifted like a kaleidoscope, his emotions cycling rapidly.
Meanwhile, Yu Guang led the group of youths on a mission to collect debts from the old Exorcism Bureaus and personally “shut them down.”
Collecting debts wasn’t always smooth sailing. When met with resistance, the youths came up with a bright idea:
“Big Brother, our new bureau still needs a lot of materials. Look at this place—they have what we need. Why don’t we just dismantle it and take it back? Saves us money!”
“Wow, that’s genius! You’re really learning how to save money. What are we waiting for? Let’s do it, brothers—start dismantling!”
They enthusiastically tore down pillars, doors, and cabinets, taking apart everything they could.
There was only one minor issue: they’d dismantled so much that they couldn’t carry it all back and couldn’t find any rope.
Eventually, everyone hesitated, their eyes drifting toward Yu Yin.
They glanced at him, then quickly looked away, then glanced again, repeating the pattern nervously.
Yu Yin: “…”
In the end, everything they’d dismantled was tied up with ropes spun from Yu Yin’s black silk threads and transported back to the site near the city gate.
Everyone praised Yu Yin’s special ability, marveling at how strong and durable the silk was. “This silk is incredible!”
Yu Guang, beaming with pride, hugged his stoic younger brother.
The old Exorcism Bureaus in the city were forced to shut down, while the new bureau near the city gate quickly opened for business, taking on all the evil spirit cases from both within the city and the surrounding villages.
In no time, word spread—whether you were a city dweller or from a remote village, if you encountered an evil spirit, you went straight to the Exorcism Bureau by the city gate.
They eliminated evil spirits for free, and most importantly, they were incredibly fast, never procrastinating.
It wasn’t just the common folk; even wealthy merchants and prominent families in the city began to discreetly seek Yu Guang and his team for help with evil spirits.
To the old Exorcism Bureau, this was a clear betrayal, a shift of allegiance to Yu Guang’s side.
Faced with this, the old bureau and some major families who had devised plans to isolate and marginalize Yu Guang started to panic. At this rate, it was they who would be pushed out of Zhuzhou.
Over an entire month, only two cases came to them for handling.
Yu Guang had a rule: not only would he eliminate the evil spirits, but he would also investigate the root causes of their appearance.
In both of these cases, the appearance of the evil spirits was tied to the homeowners themselves. Afraid that seeking Yu Guang’s help would lead to their own punishment, these families reluctantly turned to the old bureau.
“This won’t do! If strength doesn’t work, persuasion doesn’t work, and open measures don’t work, then we’ll use covert methods!” The head of the Zhen family, still reeling from the blow to their reputation, spoke with a venomous expression.
Their family had suffered greatly when Yu Guang arrested several of their people over the Tiantai Pearl Field incident. Those arrested were still detained with no sign of release.
The Zhen family head despised Yu Guang with a burning hatred and could think of nothing but eliminating him.
“We’ll use poison to kill him!”
*
Meanwhile, at the city gate, the newly constructed, modest yet spacious compound of blue bricks and black tiles bore the large sign reading “Exorcism Bureau.”
A group of boys had just returned from handling an evil spirit case, and they noisily gathered in the main hall, complaining about their hunger and exhaustion.
Being outside the city had its inconveniences—there weren’t as many restaurants or inns as in the city center.
“I’m so hungry and tired, I can’t move anymore.”
“Me too. I don’t feel like doing anything. Who’s going to cook?”
The most energetic of them all, Yu Guang, rolled up his sleeves. “I’ll do it.”
Everyone else: “…”
They wanted to stop him but hesitated, unsure how to say it.
…
In the courtyard, a gray-eyed cat perched on a large tree watched as a shadowy figure crept to the well and furtively poured poison into the water.
Meanwhile, in the main hall, Yu Yin observed his brother’s retreating back as he headed toward the kitchen. His expression turned peculiar, and he grabbed Shi Bai, who was equally exhausted, and spoke directly into his mind: “Go tell my brother to stop cooking; it’ll lead to poisoning.”
Shi Bai: “…”
The sturdy boy trudged to the kitchen and said to Yu Guang, who was rinsing rice, “Big Brother, your little brother says you should stop cooking. He says your cooking is poisonous.”
